“…Pretty different from what I'd heard.”
The hospital room everyone had left.
The doctor muttered to himself.
Seo Sinwoo.
It was a name he'd heard from a colleague who worked in the treatment team.
They'd said his personality was bizarre and he was such a drama queen that he'd torment the treatment team over trivial wounds.
But.
The pale face that had set out as if being chased comes back to him.
…He said he was going to see the Boss.
In a battered state.
It was different from what he'd expected. The notoriety was so widespread that he'd assumed the man would raise hell once he woke.
It was an injury that an ordinary person would've died from twice over, after all.
Yet this man didn't show it beyond faintly furrowing his face.
When he was first carried in, he'd been in a state where it wouldn't have been strange to stay unconscious for over ten days, but he came to in less than three.
That wasn't all. He even walked out perfectly fine less than an hour after regaining consciousness.
He had knitted the wound sites together with his ability, but that was similar to stitching with invisible thread.
Time is needed for tissue to return to normal. Absolute rest is required until it's fully healed.
And yet, even in a situation where he had to move right away, the man behaved as if nothing were the matter.
Could his recovery speed be exceptionally remarkable? Or was it the willpower side?
It really is a shame he couldn't run a thorough examination.
If only he could've admitted him for a few days to experiment… no, observe his condition, it would've been nice.
In any case, since the patient himself had left like that, regrettable as it was, there was nothing to be done.
Seated in the consultation room chair, the doctor shook off his lingering attachment and began work at the computer.
Clack clack.
In the middle of typing, a point that snagged at him suddenly surfaced in his mind.
“Ah, that ring…”
The ring that had, at some point, taken its place on Seo Sinwoo's finger.
He'd removed it for the examination and put it in the clothes' pocket. He didn't drop it, did he?
Thanks to the rough time I'd had in the office, sighs kept pouring out the moment I stepped into the hallway.
Still… I got it back.
I gripped the jewelry box I'd reclaimed under the pretext of the mission, tight in my hand.
Going by the fact that he hadn't said much, it seemed he hadn't caught on that the person had changed.
He hadn't completely escaped suspicion—I'd been ordered to stay at the hideout for the time being—but…
In this cooling weather, the hideout was far better than sleeping in a shipping container.
Thinking that, a sense of satisfaction at having pulled it off washed over me.
Before heading to the standby area, it was the moment I rounded a corner to go find Go Sangwon.
“Ugh!”
I bumped into someone who'd suddenly popped out.
The other was quite tall. Barely keeping my balance without falling, I looked ahead.
A black short-sleeved tee, bleached hair with the roots grown out, lifeless eyes.
Over that youthful impression, a drab someone with hair grown long like dried seaweed overlapped.
“!”
Because he looked so much younger, I caught on a beat late.
It was Jang Yijung.
The spy bastard who'd handed my information to Choi Haegang.
The guy who'd contributed greatly to me getting tortured.
Was he around at this point too?
To begin with, he wasn't exactly one with a large presence.
“Ah…”
At the short groan from across me, I snapped out of my thoughts.
He was staring intently at my clothes. Following his gaze, I lowered my eyes.
Ice cream was smeared right in the center of my chest.
Of all flavors it was chocolate, so the brown stain left on the white shirt stood out tremendously.
“…”
“…”
At the dreadful sight, neither of us said a word. And then…
“Sorry.”
Jang Yijung left a limp apology and tried to walk past.
Tap!
I grabbed his arm.
I didn't really know why he was loitering here, but inside this area there was nothing but the Boss's office. There was a good chance this guy had come to see the Boss too.
In a generous spirit, I decided to give him advice that would be flesh and blood to him.
“Hey, you'd be better off not going in right now.”
“?”
Jang Yijung frowned and looked at me. The question of what are you talking about showed plainly on his face.
“The Boss is super pissed off, you see.”
I made a good-natured smile and stuck out my tongue.
There was probably a mark left.
“…”
“Haha, you don't want to get hit, right?”
His expression smoothing out, Jang Yijung asked.
“When should I go, then?”
“Follow me.”
I tapped my ear lightly with my index finger.
It meant the Boss was listening. It was true the office's soundproofing wasn't great. Whether the voices out here carried into the office, on the other hand, I didn't know.
Using that as a pretext, I pulled Jang Yijung's arm. Jang Yijung came along obediently, dragged wherever I tugged.
I took Jang Yijung down to the first floor just like that and ordered a chocolate ice cream and an americano.
“…?”
To Jang Yijung, who sat blinking, I said:
“The desserts here are good.”
When I set down the tray, Jang Yijung's gaze went to the ice cream.
“I'm the one who made you unable to eat your ice cream. I felt bad.”
I said it nonchalantly and sat down in front of him.
Only then did Jang Yijung pick up his spoon. After one bite, he must have found it tasty, because his eating pace quickened.
I watched the sight from across him with a contented look.
It's a relief his guard is low.
He may look slow on the surface, but Jang Yijung was the Association chief's secret weapon.
But even knowing that fact, I couldn't very well clear him out from in front of me right this instant.
There's the penalty issue too… Rather than going out of my way to kill a spy whose identity I knew and adding variables, it was better to keep him under my hand and control him.
Honestly, I was at the point of being curious what the Association chief had been thinking, planting a spy in this organization.
Why go to the trouble of watching this small, barely-known organization for a full six years?
For simple information gathering, it was an excessive investment.
And no wonder, since Jang Yijung had spent six years lying low without causing any major trouble.
Until right before I died.
As long as the Association's purpose was unknown, the danger wouldn't be completely removed.
If I coaxed Jang Yijung well, I might be able to get information in reverse.
While I was deliberating, Jang Yijung, who'd polished off all the ice cream, said:
“Thanks. It's my first time at the company, so I don't really know my way around.”
“Company” instead of “hideout.”
He'd apparently spoken in roundabout terms, mindful of listening ears.
I matched him and asked indirectly too.
“Is that so? How long since you joined?”
“Um… a month? I don't really remember.”
What am I supposed to do if you can't even remember that?
Just as a sense of doubt about the guy's usefulness was rising, Jang Yijung leaned back comfortably against the chair and licked his spoon.
“I want more.”
For a moment, a thought crossed my mind.
Is this an act?
Maybe this dim-witted-looking appearance was all an act too. Even if it was an act, there was nothing I could do about it right now, though.
It'd be best not to let my guard down in front of Jang Yijung.
Still, the fact that it was early in his time after joining was a stroke of luck. It'd be easier to build a good image going forward.
I'd have to clearly show that I'm not in this den of evil because I want to be.
The empty dish set in front of Jang Yijung looked just like the first step toward an amicable relationship.
“Lucky to meet a good person right at the start of joining. What's your name?”
“I'm Seo Sinwoo.”
Jang Yijung pulled the spoon out of his mouth.
“Seo Sinwoo?”
A blatant gaze swept me up and down. He seemed surprised.
“Yeah. Is there a problem?”
“…Not really. Just thinking rumors really aren't worth trusting.”
“?”
Rumors?
I couldn't just let that slide.
“What did you hear?”
“Well, it's like…”
He stirred the melted ice cream and dragged out his words. Then he started glancing at me.
When I smiled gently to mean don't be shy, just say it, Jang Yijung opened his mouth.
“That one brush against you and your pockets get cleaned out, that you kill comrades without discrimination, that collecting cat eyeballs is your hobby…”
“Haha!”
I cut him off, laughing as if I'd heard a funny joke.
“What ridiculous nonsense.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, of course. Why would I collect cat eyeballs?”
Jang Yijung put his hand in his pocket and rummaged around.
“My pocket's still fine. Thank goodness.”
I'd think so. There's nothing but candy in it.
As I smiled without a word, Jang Yijung asked.
“What happened… earlier?”
“I caused a bit of an accident at a place I went to work recently. Got chewed out hard.”
“An accident?”
“Yeah…”
I deliberately let out a big sigh so the wound inside my mouth would show.
Jang Yijung looked curious, but he didn't ask further.
“Be careful not to get scolded. The Boss is scary when he's angry.”
“I've never been scolded.”
“Is that so? Haha… that's a relief.”
It feels like talking with a small child.
Coming on too strong at a first meeting would be suspicious.
Looking at my wristwatch, I said:
“I guess it's about time we can head up.”
“Yeah.”
Jang Yijung, who'd led the way out of the café, suddenly turned around.
“Ah, I'm Jang Yijung.”
“Yijung, see you again sometime.”
I waved my hand to mean hang in there.
And after Jang Yijung disappeared.
“…”
I searched the front pocket of my jacket, where I'd felt a foreign object the moment I bumped into Jang Yijung.
Something strange came out. It was a gold ring set with a square emerald.
I had no memory of picking up something like this.
[Ring of Healing: Recovery speed +200%]
“What is this?”
Going by the translucent window popping up, it seemed related to the quest window…
I quietly called up the window.
[Quest: Settle your karma.
!If the quest is not completed within a set period of time, a penalty will be applied.]
[Karma: 59495]
It had decreased comparatively a lot compared to before I entered the dungeon.
Did this come out as a kind of reward?
After eyeing it dubiously for a moment, I slipped the ring onto my finger.
The soreness on my tongue seemed to ease a bit too…
I wasn't sure.
I ended the day in an uneasy mood.
And one week later…
“Confirmed. Please put on your mask and enter through that way.”
I ended up attending the Association's 10th anniversary event together with Jang Yijung.
