I’ve Been Kidnapped (2) 18: Chapter 18.
I’ve Been Kidnapped (2) * * * * * * “…Pfft.” He couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
At this rate, Seo Hyeon-yul would kill every subordinate sent to him until they finally met in person.
Well, that was of no concern to him.
“What an entertaining young man.
Don’t you agree?” A masked figure rested his chin on one hand, a cigarette between his lips.
He exhaled slowly.
Strangely, the smoke was neither pungent nor irritating.
Instead, a sweet fragrance spread through the room.
“…Yes, sir.
That’s right.” The subordinate kept his head bowed, unable even to look up.
All he could do was try to conceal his trembling hands.
He had suddenly skipped every intermediate rank and found himself speaking directly to the Poison King.
It felt as though his heart couldn’t possibly endure the strain.
“Seo Hyeon-yul.
Seo Hyeon-yul, is it?” The Poison King repeated the name.
Whatever gave the man such confidence, he hadn’t even bothered to change where he lived.
“He doesn’t seem aware of it himself, but people in our line of work sometimes call him a monster.
Did he look like one to you?” “…Yes.
He did.
Before I could even blink, my c-colleague was dead.” “Good, good.
I like him.” The Poison King’s voice was gentle.
Hyeon-yul was the kind of experimental subject everyone coveted.
A living experimental subject, at that.
What might that be like?
With such a monster under his command, how many heads could he take?
In truth, conquering the Empire would be over once he cut off the heads of the Emperor and the Prime Minister.
It sounded simple enough, but the Black Eagles guarded the central district where the two lived, and the villains had never even managed to make a move against it.
The Black Eagles received enormous support from the Empire and acted like guardians.
They tracked the villains’ movements and cut them down before they could establish a foothold.
But what if someone capable of attacking that place directly appeared?
What if that someone was Seo Hyeon-yul?
‘Shin Daeho treasured him so much.
Surely he could manage that much.’ Whenever they met, Shin Daeho had chanted Hyeon-yul’s name like a song.
It had been pathetic to watch.
‘Good thing he’s dead.
He even handed me something like this.’ The Poison King looked at his subordinate with a faint smile.
“…G-Gurk.” The bowing subordinate suddenly clutched his throat.
Blood poured from his eyes and nose in an instant.
‘I need to get him before some other bastard snatches him away.’ Ignoring his subordinate’s agony, the Poison King finally smiled in complete satisfaction.
He had made up his mind.
* * * “…Mr.
Hyeon-yul!” Hyeon-yul stopped in surprise midway up the hill when he heard Haeryeon’s voice.
He looked toward the top.
She wasn’t alone; Shinwoo was there too.
“…?” His head tilted involuntarily.
Why had they come here?
For a brief moment his eyes wavered.
‘Did they…
find out I lied?’ Anxiety washed over him, and his fingers tensed.
‘They said you wouldn’t be expelled just for lying, but how can I be sure?’ They might decide he had disobeyed an order.
Getting disposed of for disobeying orders was only natural.
Why would this place be different?
He looked at Haeryeon and Shinwoo.
At least they didn’t appear angry.
“…Why have you come here?” he asked cautiously.
Neither of them got angry.
Instead, they seemed surprised by his reaction.
He looked as though he hadn’t expected them to come at all, and he was being extremely careful.
‘…Seriously?’ Haeryeon pressed a hand to her forehead.
—Team Leader, I’ve been kidnapped.
Who wouldn’t come after receiving a message like that?
A meeting had conveniently just ended, and since Shinwoo had been writing up a report on her behalf, the two of them had been able to come together.
“How could we not come…?
You said you’d been kidnapped!” Shinwoo spoke in astonishment, hardly believing what he had heard.
“What does that have to do with anything?” At Hyeon-yul’s question, both of them were left speechless.
He was acting as though their very presence here was bizarre.
“Of course it’s relevant.
That’s how things work here.” Shinwoo spoke calmly.
At the other companies Hyeon-yul had worked for, coworkers were simply people you kept on reasonably good terms with, so long as they didn’t become enemies.
But colleagues meant something different among the Black Eagles.
They were people you could trust to watch your back.
It was natural that Hyeon-yul might not immediately understand that distinction.
“Are you hurt anywhere?
Are you feeling sick?
What on earth happened?” Haeryeon’s questions came out in a rush, and Hyeon-yul blinked.
His mind immediately began racing through the possibilities, but one thing was clear.
‘…They didn’t come because I’d disobeyed an order.’ Perhaps he was a fairly valuable component after all.
The thought relieved him.
“I’m not injured or ill.
This only happened because some villains tried to take me away from here by force.” Hyeon-yul spread his arms slightly to show he was unhurt.
“They must have threatened to kill the people living around here if you didn’t go with them…” Haeryeon said with open disgust.
The methods villains used were predictable.
They regularly took people close to their targets hostage and issued threats.
Worse, this was a hillside neighborhood where houses stood packed closely together.
Anyone threatened in a place like this would have had little choice but to comply.
“Of course they threatened him,” Shinwoo said with a long sigh.
A single bomb going off here could easily kill hundreds of people.
Knowing what Hyeon-yul could do only made Shinwoo feel worse.
He could have fought back, but had probably been unable to do so because of the residents.
Hadn’t they rescued people who were about to become experimental subjects thanks to Hyeon-yul?
‘…And they tried to frame a man like that for murder?’ The thought still made Shinwoo furious.
—Mr.
Hyeon-yul has a movement ability.
Mr.
Jihwan on our team has one too, and so do some other Black Eagles.
Given the current atmosphere, someone might try to use that against him.
Haeryeon had told him this before they came.
If people learned about Hyeon-yul’s powers, they might suspect him of the murder.
—Don’t worry.
Dr.
Lee Jeongmin, who just joined us, says that not even Mr.
Hyeon-yul could reach the incident site, which is about an hour away by car.
Doing that would practically require his entire body to turn into particles.
It’s physically impossible, and the doctor says he’ll gladly testify to it.
Lee Jeongmin was a doctor who specialized in experimental subjects.
Shinwoo had only recently learned that the doctor had been treating Hyeon-yul for years.
If that doctor said it was impossible, there was no reason for Hyeon-yul to remain under suspicion.
“Yes.
They threatened me.” Hyeon-yul didn’t so much as blink.
He might have killed them all, but it was true that they’d threatened to take him away.
He looked around.
His first priority was recovering the phone he’d left in the bushes.
“Is this yours?” Shinwoo waved a phone.
He’d found it while searching the area earlier.
“Yes, thank you.” Hyeon-yul held out his hand, genuinely relieved.
Replacing a phone he’d only recently bought would have been expensive.
“Before we talk about the details, shall we go somewhere else?” For some time, Haeryeon had been aware of people staring through windows in every house around them.
They couldn’t discuss anything carelessly here.
“Then please come inside.” Hyeon-yul opened his front door without hesitation.
This would be more efficient, although the feeling that he was doing overtime left him far from pleased.
* * * As soon as Haeryeon entered his house, she barely managed to suppress a sigh.
The first things she saw were medicine and medical equipment.
The house had looked small from the outside, and there was so much stuff packed inside that she wondered whether he had any space left to sleep.
“I’m sorry the house is so cramped,” Hyeon-yul said first.
“N-No, it’s perfect for one person.” Haeryeon tried to smile naturally, while Shinwoo waved both hands.
“That’s right.
Perfectly fine.” “I thought this place would be convenient despite the long walk down the hill, but perhaps I made the wrong choice.” “No, it’s a very good decision, Mr.
Hyeon-yul.” The corners of Haeryeon’s mouth trembled.
—I just want my wages paid on time.
I need to be able to afford food.
She already knew villains had stolen money from him, but his living conditions were even worse than she’d expected.
It was suddenly painfully clear just how much his medical expenses cost.
She resolved to get his medical subsidy processed sooner.
“Mr.
Hyeon-yul, have you eaten?” “I ate there.” The meal had honestly been delicious, one of the most satisfying he’d ever had.
“At the place…
where you were kidnapped?” Shinwoo asked, startled.
“Yes.
They told me to eat before leaving.
Besides, there was nothing to eat at home.” Haeryeon and Shinwoo looked as though they might cover their faces with their hands.
It was true that everything they could see in the house was medicine.
“Oh, goodness, what was I thinking?
We’ve come to someone’s house empty-handed!” Shinwoo suddenly raised his voice, stumbling over his words.
“Exactly!
Shinwoo, you’ve made a very good point.
Ha ha.” As Haeryeon laughed awkwardly, Hyeon-yul looked back and forth between them.
‘Am I supposed to laugh along…?’ He couldn’t understand what was happening.
Familiar with uncomfortable silences, he spoke first.
“Although I was kidnapped, I did manage to extract information.” Saying he’d been kidnapped could make him seem more incompetent than he really was.
That was why he’d made sure to obtain some intelligence.
He watched them closely after saying it.
As expected, their expressions changed immediately.
Apparently he’d chosen the right subject.
“The Poison King was behind this.
Just like the poisoned business card last time, he was testing me.
I’ve attracted enough of his interest now, so next time I should be able to meet him in person.” “Mr.
Hyeon-yul.” Haeryeon addressed him in a grave, unwavering voice.
“Team Leader, I won’t go meet the Poison King.
I’ll deal with him during a mission.” “During a mission…?” “I don’t know the exact details, but I’ve learned that he’s preparing something major in the near future.” “You mean a planned terrorist attack?” “That’s right.
The Poison King owns several companies, and I know the location of one of them.” Of the eight people who’d remained at the restaurant, he’d sent only one away alive.
That survivor had headed somewhere to make a report, and Hyeon-yul now knew the location.
He hadn’t continued his surveillance past that point.
Reports to the Poison King might pass through several stages, and waiting around without knowing the procedure would have been a waste of time.
Shin Daeho had received reports through a similarly complex process, so there was nothing strange about it.
Instead, Hyeon-yul had decided it would be more efficient to give the location to the Black Eagles and let them investigate and approach the target.
“Can you tell me where it is?” Haeryeon asked hopefully.
This was a different matter from Hyeon-yul personally going to see the Poison King.
“I’ll pin the location and send it to you.” Hyeon-yul opened a map and found the place.
“Oh, did Team Leader Ye Juhyeon tell you there was an informant working with the enemy on the inside?” He looked up at Haeryeon halfway through marking the location.
“W-Wait a second.
What do you mean?” Shinwoo’s eyes widened.
He looked at Haeryeon in shock, and she nodded.
It was shocking news, but Yang Dojin, the leader of Team 2, had warned her of that possibility before.
“Only a few of us know so far.
At present we’ve identified a Manager who was secretly cooperating with the enemy, but a Black Eagle could turn up as well.” “Team Leader…
Is that true?” Shinwoo still couldn’t conceal his confusion.
A traitor inside the organization?
It felt as though he’d been struck hard in the back of the head.
“Shinwoo, I’m sorry for springing this on you, but I can’t explain all the details yet.
We haven’t finished uncovering the facts.
Mr.
Hyeon-yul probably doesn’t know much either.” “That’s right.
Team Leader Juhyeon knows the most,” Hyeon-yul replied with a nod.
He’d simply handed Juhyeon a phone to help identify the people gossiping about him.
Somehow, a much stranger incident had become tangled up with it.
“I’ve sent you the location.” “Thank you, Mr.
Hyeon-yul.” Haeryeon checked it, then looked at him again.
She had told him that stealing was wrong, but if he hadn’t handed that phone to Juhyeon, they wouldn’t have known any of this.
Haeryeon squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.
‘Even so, stealing is wrong.’ If someone asked who was good and who was evil, she believed the most objective dividing line was whether a person obeyed the law.
She brushed the distracting thought aside and changed the subject.
“We’ve had the first meeting about today’s incident.
You’ve been waiting to hear the results, haven’t you?” “I have.” Hyeon-yul’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
His eyes looked even more lifeless than usual, or perhaps simply sharper.
Haeryeon wondered whether that was because he’d been kidnapped earlier, then asked cautiously, “Mr.
Hyeon-yul.” “Yes?” “I’ll tell you this one thing and leave right afterward.
Is that okay?” “That’s fine.” Only then did his expression soften a little.
‘He really…
hates doing extra work.’ Haeryeon made a mental note of it.
He might even consider this conversation overtime.
“It was only the first meeting, so we focused on matters concerning you rather than deciding punishments.
You won’t suffer any consequences or harm because of what happened.
Is there any particular punishment you’d like the people responsible to receive?” “I know they won’t necessarily be punished according to my wishes.
I simply want to work quietly and peacefully.
That’s all.” Hyeon-yul gave a pragmatic answer.
Even if he suggested a punishment, the people responsible would only be properly dealt with after the police took over.
“Of course you’ll be able to work that way.
But we’ll have to wait for the results of another meeting that should be scheduled soon.
We’ve never had an incident like this since the Black Eagles were founded, so it’s a shock in many ways.
Though I’m sure it’s been hardest on you.” “Team Leader.” “Yes, Mr.
Hyeon-yul?” “No matter what I do, there won’t be anyone among the Black Eagles who acknowledges or likes me.” Hyeon-yul spoke with striking firmness.
He’d never killed an innocent civilian in the past, but he had worked for companies run by villains.
No one liked a person who had once been a villain.
“Whatever I do from now on, rumors will always follow me like a label.
People will constantly put me on a scale and weigh everything I do.
I understand that, and I think it’s something that can’t be helped.
So you don’t need to go to so much trouble for me.” Hyeon-yul explained what he saw as reality to Haeryeon and Shinwoo.
Neither of them understood just how fiercely the world despised people who had once been villains.
As always, he would keep moving forward, killing anyone who interfered with him today, tomorrow, and every day after.
“But thank you for always looking out for me.” He bowed his head slightly and raised it again.
Whatever else he might think, this deserved thanks.
Even when he’d been useful to others, no one had ever done this much for him before.
When Hyeon-yul smiled, Haeryeon and Shinwoo struggled to swallow all the words rising in their throats.
Perhaps because the smile looked so innocent compared to his usual expression, they were overwhelmed by pity for him.
They wanted to beat every person who’d suspected Hyeon-yul, even for a moment.
‘This isn’t right…’ Haeryeon gripped her knees tightly, and Shinwoo was shaken as well.
It wasn’t right.
No matter how many times they thought about it, none of this was right.