Don’t Get Cocky (2) 14: Chapter 14.
Don’t Get Cocky (2) * * * ‘Maybe it’s because it’s the first day, but this is pretty relaxed.’ As Hyeon-yul stepped outside during the break, he still could not shake the strange feeling.
They were actually teaching him knowledge like this.
It almost felt as though he had gone to school.
While moving toward a nearby water dispenser, Hyeon-yul suddenly stopped dead.
The people passing by slowed almost as though they had stopped along with him.
When Hyeon-yul suddenly turned his head, he even saw someone running away.
‘What are they doing?’ Hyeon-yul resumed walking and stopped in front of the water dispenser.
Even the person who had been about to drink water hurried away.
Ignoring all of it, Hyeon-yul drank a cup of water, then quietly smiled halfway through.
‘…Ah.
The rumor has already spread?’ Apparently, word had gotten around that Haeryeon had gone to confront the Chief Administrator of the White Sparrows.
Otherwise, people would not be reacting this obviously.
Hyeon-yul found himself genuinely pleased by that development.
‘The bigger this incident gets, the more the guilty ones will gather together and whisper about what they should do, right?’ Now there would finally be something worth listening to.
Until now, all he would have heard was gossip about himself, so he had never bothered paying close attention.
Hyeon-yul returned inside for the rest of the training.
Three new recruits had joined, including him.
The other two looked as though they were desperately holding back questions.
With the infamous Team 3 recruit sitting right there, how could they not be curious?
Perhaps they had excellent self-control, or perhaps they were thinking about something else.
Either way, they said nothing to him and avoided even meeting his gaze.
Hyeon-yul sat down and pretended to rest his chin on one hand until the break ended, covering one ear at the same time.
His ear melted into darkness and traveled through the walls of the building.
There was only one kind of voice he needed to hear.
“…Hey, what do we do?” That frightened voice was exactly what he had been looking for.
‘Found them.’ “What if they figure out it was us?” The voice continued, sounding almost like a plea.
Hyeon-yul listened silently.
“Don’t say unlucky crap like that.
Not us.
You mean you.” “W-What are you talking about?
You told me to do it!
You told me to leave that bastard’s information out…” “You’re the one who spread the rumor that a former villain had joined the Black Eagle.
As your colleague, I was worried about you and merely suggested a possible solution.
You’re the one who actually did it.” ‘I hate that way of talking more than almost anything.
Twist the words just enough and make the other person look like an idiot.’ Hyeon-yul tapped his temple once as he listened.
“If you say it like that…” “And you didn’t do it anyway, right?” “…What?” “You didn’t do it.
Did you forget?” Hyeon-yul’s eyes sharpened at those words.
Apparently, they intended to bury the entire matter.
“R-Right.
I didn’t do it.
I wasn’t the one who did it!” “Then remember that properly.
Neither you nor I did anything.” “Right.
Right.
We didn’t do anything.” “And you, no matter how desperate you were, I must have treated you too well.
You seem to have forgotten that you and I aren’t on the same level.” Hyeon-yul almost laughed at the blatant distinction between superior and subordinate.
Now it was time to see who they were.
He removed the hand covering his ear and pretended to scratch his eyebrow as he covered one eye instead.
The faces of the two speakers came clearly into view.
One of the speakers was a Black Eagle, while the other was a White Sparrow.
It was almost an impressively convenient combination.
Now Hyeon-yul knew exactly who he needed to deal with.
‘You first.’ He lowered his hand and smiled quietly.
* * * The moment class ended, Hyeon-yul went straight outside.
He heard footsteps following him, but ignored them and quickly shook everyone off.
There was only one subject people would want to discuss with him right now: the truth behind the rumors currently circulating, or why the Team 3 leader had gone to confront the Managers’ Chief Administrator.
‘People love gossip everywhere.’ Every time he changed jobs, bizarre rumors followed him around.
He had found it annoying then, and this place was apparently no different.
Hyeon-yul entered Team 3’s room and looked around.
‘Nobody’s here.’ Haeryeon had told him that because he was undergoing theory training, he did not have to go into the field right now.
She had told him to enjoy the situation, but Hyeon-yul could not relax.
Was it really acceptable to rest?
Even if he had ultimately solved every problem with his own hands, he had done all kinds of things at his former companies to avoid getting fired.
Hyeon-yul knocked, then opened the door to Haeryeon’s room.
“You’re back?” Haeryeon greeted him, and Hyeon-yul dipped his head slightly.
“The theory was boring, right?” Haeryeon grinned.
After running wild in the field, theory usually felt dull.
“No.
I was fine.
I finally learned what it feels like to be a student.” Haeryeon blinked rapidly.
She closed her lips, then forced the corners of her mouth upward.
Hyeon-yul had never been able to attend school.
“That’s good.
Tomorrow’s theory might be even more interesting.” “Is that so?” Hyeon-yul answered calmly.
After a brief silence, he addressed her again.
“Team Leader.” “Yeah?” “There’s something I need to tell you.” “…Ah.” Haeryeon suddenly remembered something in the middle of speaking.
She had been so angry over the Chief Administrator incident earlier that she had forgotten.
Interlacing her fingers, she slowly released a breath.
“No matter how urgent things were, you shouldn’t steal someone else’s property.” ‘Should I have taken it by force instead?’ Hyeon-yul only thought the question and did not answer.
This was different from the way villains operated.
“And if something like this happens, you should tell me first, not Team Leader Ye Juhyeon.” “I will from now on.
Things happened too quickly.” Hyeon-yul immediately bowed his head in a quick apology.
The quick apology made Haeryeon inhale.
Whether or not it contained genuine remorse, seeing him bow like that bothered her.
“No.
It makes sense that things felt chaotic.
You joined and immediately got dragged into all this.
Nothing like this will happen again.
Even if it does, I’ll handle it, so leave it to me.” After finishing, Haeryeon checked the time.
“In about five minutes, I think.
The people who failed to send you the notification are coming here.
If you have anything you want to say, say it.” “Were they fired?” “That’s right.” For the briefest moment, a smile touched Hyeon-yul’s lips before disappearing.
“Hyeon-yul, I know I’m probably worrying too much, but you haven’t met the Poison King, have you?” “No.
I haven’t contacted him since then either.” That was true.
Hyeon-yul had honestly considered contacting him, but ultimately decided against it.
There was no longer any urgency.
He already had a job and was working there successfully.
“This may also be me worrying too much, but if the Poison King comes back and offers you extremely favorable terms, would you go?” Haeryeon tested him with the question.
“How favorable are the terms?” “What…?” “W-Wait!” Shinwoo happened to open the door at that exact moment and shouted urgently.
Before even catching his breath, he rushed straight over to Hyeon-yul.
He smelled faintly burned, perhaps because his previous mission had involved fire.
“Hyeon-yul!
That’s not an offer worth hearing in the first place!” Shinwoo spoke with absolute firmness as he stared at the younger man.
“Why not?
Listening isn’t a bad thing.
I was taught that a person should listen carefully when others speak.” “…From that book?” Haeryeon asked hesitantly.
She vaguely remembered the title having something about 101 ways to do something.
“Yes.
Besides, I’ve always been good at listening to people.” Hyeon-yul even looked slightly proud.
Listening was one thing.
Whether he obeyed a demand, answered a question, or did anything else was entirely up to him.
The faint pride on Hyeon-yul’s face briefly robbed Shinwoo of words.
He toyed with the slightly long hair at the back of his head and took a short breath.
‘This is…
driving me insane.’ If nobody said anything, Hyeon-yul looked as though he might genuinely be lured away.
Normally, people learned things like this from childhood.
There was a reason humans were called social animals.
Hyeon-yul’s upbringing had been completely different.
Shinwoo could hardly believe how many basic pieces were missing.
“I know why both of you are acting like this.
I’m not going.
Even if I do, I’ll only pretend to go.” Hyeon-yul explained so they could relax.
It was such an obvious trap.
Why would he walk into it sincerely?
“You really…” “You can’t even pretend to go.
That alone is dangerous.” Haeryeon cut Shinwoo off and responded firmly.
Hyeon-yul gently closed his mouth.
He considered how he might persuade them, then remembered a question he had wanted to ask.
“Ah, Team Leader.
There’s something else I want to ask.
May I?” “Go ahead.” Haeryeon looked at him with a suddenly serious expression.
“What kind of violation gets a Black Eagle fired?” It was an unusual question, but one Hyeon-yul could reasonably ask.
Haeryeon thought carefully before answering.
“You can’t harm or kill ordinary civilians.
Other than that, well, killing another Black Eagle would do it…
and killing a Manager too, obviously.
Beyond that, maybe failing too many missions?
People have run away before, but I don’t think anyone has actually been fired.” “Thank you for telling me.” Hyeon-yul gave her a faint smile after hearing the answer.
‘In other words, killing someone is fine as long as nobody finds out?’ He was honestly rather confident in that area.
It was how he had always operated.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
“Is someone coming?” Shinwoo was the one who asked the obvious question.
“The former Managers are coming to apologize to Hyeon-yul.” “What are they apologizing for?” “They failed to tell him where his theory training was being held.” Haeryeon gave Shinwoo a meaningful look.
In truth, she thought the timing was excellent.
Shinwoo had never been able to tolerate obvious injustice.
“…Ah.
So that’s why it was noisy outside.” Shinwoo’s eyes were already sharpening with unmistakable anger.
“What punishment did they receive?” “They were fired.” “That’s all?” “Of course not.
They’ll also be investigated by the police.” “I’ll help too.” When Shinwoo answered firmly, Haeryeon smiled.
Hyeon-yul understood that both of them wanted to help him, but their conversation made him uncomfortable.
‘Those aren’t the real culprits.’ They were only people who had been used.
Hyeon-yul could not allow Haeryeon and Shinwoo to waste their energy on them already.
“Neither of you needs to do that.
I appreciate the thought.” Hyeon-yul gently declined the help they were offering him.
“What?
Why?” “The Team Leader is more than capable of handling this.
You can trust her.
She’ll destroy them thoroughly.” Haeryeon and Shinwoo immediately spoke over each other in disappointment.
“That isn’t the reason.
I only asked them here because I wanted to see what kind of people they are.” “You only want to…
see what they’re like?” Haeryeon could not understand it.
They had crossed the line by a wide margin.
Was Hyeon-yul truly not angry?
“I’ve never been fired, but I understand what it feels like to lose a workplace.” Hyeon-yul stood and walked toward the door.
Shinwoo watched his back with surprised eyes.
If their actions had happened during an actual mission, they could have cost Hyeon-yul his life.
It had been cowardly and filthy, yet was he trying to forgive them?
“That’s why I wanted to meet them and talk.” Ignoring the gazes of Haeryeon and Shinwoo behind him, Hyeon-yul welcomed the two people who had arrived.
“Hello.” The two were startled by the unexpectedly gentle greeting.
‘This is the man everyone is talking about…?’ They knew the recognition-blurring magic altered outward details, but it could not fake facial expressions.
Hyeon-yul clearly did not look angry.
Even so, both lowered their heads slightly and regarded him with discomfort.
After all, they had been fired because of that man.
In their own minds, they had done absolutely nothing wrong.
He was the one at fault.
Why had a former villain come here in the first place?
If he had been a villain, he should have known his place.
Of course people would assume he was a spy.
“It seems there has been a misunderstanding.” Hyeon-yul used a style of speaking he personally hated but knew was extraordinarily effective.
“You weren’t actually the ones who did it.” He spoke as though he knew something, while simultaneously sounding sympathetic.
The deliberate ambiguity began slowly working on their minds.
It did not matter if it failed today.
The longer and more gradually they wavered, the better.
“If you ever need help later, please tell me.
I know that you weren’t truly responsible.” Hyeon-yul deliberately softened his voice even further as he continued.
The message he was feeding them was simple: they had done nothing wrong.
He knew very well how thoroughly that belief could allow someone to justify themselves.
‘See?
Their eyes are already changing.’ Hyeon-yul laughed quietly to himself as he watched the reaction.
* * * Hyeon-yul sat in a café drinking coffee and stared blankly through the window.
‘This is nice.’ The life he had only imagined was unfolding in front of him now.
It was the kind of life that actually contained room for leisure.
If he could continue living this way, he would ask for nothing more.
Unfortunately, that was not why he was here today.
What he needed from the café today was a solid alibi.
The café’s security cameras would prove where he had been.
Today, Hyeon-yul intended to erase one of the people who had orchestrated the incident.
He had already learned where the target lived.
In a moment, he would leave his seat as though going to the restroom.
His target would be at a location impossible to reach within that span of time.
‘But I can reach it, and nobody knows that.’ Hyeon-yul rose from his seat and walked slowly toward the restroom.
The moment he entered a stall, his body melted into darkness.
Countless spaces existed between one patch of darkness and another.
They clustered so densely that the space resembled a vast ocean, with so many possible destinations that an ordinary person would have no idea where to go.
Because inhaling could draw in any number of unknown things, Hyeon-yul had also ordered the villain he transported earlier to hold his breath.
The scenery around Hyeon-yul changed in the span of an instant.
The room he entered had no lights on, but Hyeon-yul could see perfectly.
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
He heard someone entering the code for the front door.
The motion sensor light clicked on, revealing something dark and indistinct.
The target had just entered his home.
The instant the door closed, an unnatural chill wrapped around him.
Someone was standing near the entrance.
The target could only wonder who was waiting there for him.
The target could not see the person’s face.
The figure was covered in smoke, almost as though its entire body had been stained black.
The target tried to speak despite the instinctive fear gripping him.
The moment his mouth began to open, something started flowing.
Whatever was flowing from him felt both hot and unnaturally thick.
DRIP.
DRIP.
As more and more spilled out, his field of vision gradually lowered.
He blinked repeatedly as his field of vision continued to sink.
Soon, the only thing left in his lowered vision was a pair of feet.
“Why did you have to get cocky?” Those words were the last thing to seep into his ears.
The light slowly faded, and darkness settled over everything.
* * * After leaving the restroom, Hyeon-yul washed his hands and walked back outside.
He was about to return to his seat when he instead went to the counter.
“One slice of cheesecake, please.” To make his alibi even more memorable, Hyeon-yul bought a slice of cake.
He remembered that quite a few people had looked at him with mild surprise before because he did not seem like someone who would order cake.
After placing the order, Hyeon-yul returned to his seat.
‘They knew what villains were like, so I don’t understand why they chose to provoke someone who used to work among them.’ Resting his chin lightly on one hand, he looked toward the sky.
Surviving in itself carried enormous meaning in the villains’ world, that fact alone was enough to earn recognition.
‘Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket before I go home.’ Hyeon-yul found himself looking forward to what rumors would be circulating at work tomorrow.