* * *

Hyeonyul sat at his desk, looking at the computer. He was examining the information he had transferred from the phone taken from another villain connected to the highway bombing. He had let the man say his final goodbyes, and with the chip already removed, the phone could no longer be tracked.

He went through the information one item at a time, examining the messages for details. Everything was there, from simple assignments to their private conversations.

What caught his attention was the information about companies. Villains already brought down, villains they were bringing down, and villains they were preparing to target—the information was divided into categories like these. The operations ranged from small to fairly large, making him wonder if he had stumbled on a gold mine. The phone’s owner might have held a higher position than he had assumed.

He found a recent exchange of information with an attached photo.

Linda.

Prunal.

The names and logos of the two companies were visible.

[Oh, these two? They sell drugs?]

[Doesn’t Linda sell cosmetics, and Prunal sell milk?]

[0000: Right.]

[0000: From what I hear, those are the places. They, what was it...]

[What?]

[0000: Apparently they sell some special drug related to test subjects?]

Hyeonyul’s gaze stopped for a moment.

'Linda. Prunal.'

He committed the two companies to memory.

[What? Didn’t you say that last time too? About four months ago?]

[You said the same thing then. Is it real this time? We just wrecked a place that had nothing to do with it.]

[No. Can I really say it had nothing to do with it?]

[They were trying to get involved with drugs, anyway.]

[0000: Looks like it’s real this time.]

[0000: We’re investigating more closely now, so stand by for the moment.]

[It had better be.]

[0000: Anyway, finish what you’re working on now first.]

[0000: You got the files, right?]

[Got them.]

[Our team’s investigating.]

[0000: Keep at it.]

[0000: It’s for the president’s sake, and ours.]

[I said I got it.]

That was the end of the conversation.

Hyeonyul looked away briefly, recalling what the phone’s owner had said before dying.

["Because the president’s child was taken away as a test subject and died. ... So whenever drugs are used somewhere, the president interferes, wipes the place out, or calls in the Black Eagles."]

Incredible as it was, the organization the man had belonged to really seemed to be working to eliminate drugs. Not just this exchange, but their other conversations too made them seem obsessed with wiping out every drug factory in the land.

'Unusual.'

Hyeonyul could only think so.

Villains had to die.

That conviction loosened a little when it came to this president alone. Leaving the president be could prove useful, and meeting them might take him in the direction he wanted to go. Having destroyed so many drugs, wouldn’t they know where the drug used on his body had come from?

'I need to find out where they are first.'

He knew that had to take priority. The next question was what to do with the information he had just uncovered.

'... Should I tell the Team Leader? What would happen if I did?'

He couldn’t decide.

Keeping it secret meant too much overlap in their work, and the pace left something to be desired. Lately, there had been far too much he had to do alone. He had resolved not to overwork himself, so he needed to maintain a reasonable pace. Yet telling Haeryeon brought all sorts of concerns to mind. One wrong move, and even what he had done might come to light. He believed she had both the power and the intelligence to uncover that much.

Hyeonyul looked at the phone. He knew all too well how absurd a thing trust was. He also knew that relying on flimsy trust only increased the uncertainty.

["Hyeonyul. Someday, whenever that may be, I hope you’ll try trusting someone other than me. I want your world to grow wider."]

Jeongmin had said that to him once, but he couldn’t do as asked. His world could only ever be narrow, and even considering anyone other than Jeongmin was an act that chipped away at his life. Yet the very fact that he was deliberating struck him as strange.

He fiddled with the phone, then lifted the corners of his eyes.

["I can’t say it’s vastly different. But I can say it’ll be a little different."]

'... Let’s experiment.'

If this would improve his chances of survival, he intended to test the waters very carefully. It was time he learned to make use of the Black Eagles’ power too.

* * *

Haeryeon swept her hair back.

["I have something to tell you later. Could I see you a little early?"]

To think she would hear that from Hyeonyul.

'... What does he want to say?'

Hyeonyul had already handed over the information on test subjects. She too had been searching the test-subject records for the number REX—3333, but had yet to find it. She had been compiling the effects and distribution routes of the drugs used at the experimental sites. When that hadn’t felt sufficient, she had added where they were found and what the villains involved had operated. Some of those villain factions had already been wiped out, and she had made sure to note that as well.

'I’m glad I organized it properly, and I’m glad it was finished today.'

Haeryeon exhaled in relief. She hoped it would feel something like a gift.

KNOCK, KNOCK.

At the sound, Haeryeon went out.

“Welcome, Hyeonyul. You worked so hard yesterday, even though it was your day off.”

“Not at all. I wasn’t the only one there.”

“From what I heard, you were the first to notice, though?”

“That’s merely because my senses are more developed than other people’s.”

Having heightened senses wasn’t particularly pleasant. Hyeonyul left that part unsaid.

“I’d like to ask, just to be sure. Are we allowed to carry out missions even when we haven’t come in to work?”

'Oh, is this about yesterday?'

Remembering the movie-theater incident, Haeryeon found herself smiling.

“Not coming in to work doesn’t mean you stop being a Black Eagle, does it? Now that you are one, you’re free to respond to emergencies. Of course, I’d appreciate a report afterward.”

After explaining, she studied his expression. His brow furrowed ever so slightly. Had he not understood?

“So, you’re saying it’s all right for me to act alone?”

Hyeonyul asked to confirm his understanding. Still on probation, he had all sorts of things running through his head, including clocking in and out.

“I’d like to say absolutely not, but the law recognizes it as Black Eagle activity if the target is a villain. Still, we Team Leaders never recommend it.”

“Because we might die?”

“Yes. The odds are far too high. People may charge in out of bravado or a sense of justice, but the results are so horrific that we usually don’t even tell them about this provision.”

Haeryeon broke off and looked at him anxiously. Why had he brought this up? Why had he suddenly said he had something to tell her?

“... Hyeonyul, did you act on your own?”

“Yes,” he answered.

“Are you hurt anywhere? The update I received from Dr. Jeongmin today said your new medication wasn’t agreeing with you.”

“Oh. It’s only a tremor.”

Hyeonyul held out his hand slightly. It was shaking. Haeryeon’s expression stiffened. This wasn’t a good sign. Wasn’t it as good as an injury?

“I haven’t seen the Doctor yet. I came to you first because this conversation might take a while.”

“Go ahead. I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”

“You told me last time that things were a little different here.”

“I did. I also added that I couldn’t say they were completely different.”

“I cannot explain the power I have. It’s full of strange things. That means there are things I cannot tell you.”

It was a power that should never have existed in the first place, forced into being through experiments. That made it difficult to define. Was the darkness itself him? Or did the self whose body he held together by force with medication not exist at all, merely a part of the darkness?

“When I went on the mission with sis Chu Nayun, an enemy appeared, and I discovered something about that enemy.”

“... Discovered something? I never received a report about that.”

“I couldn’t tell you.”

“Because of your power... is that it?”

“Yes.”

After answering, he fell silent briefly, then spoke again.

“Anyone who learns the full extent of my power covets it. Once they learned I was a test subject, the outcome was always predictable.”

There was no lie in what he had just said. It was the truth.

“They no longer see me as a person.”

Hyeonyul said all of this calmly, as though talking about someone else. He was so accustomed to it that there was no other reaction left to offer. Haeryeon’s eyebrows drew together.

“I am not afraid. Since I cannot use my usual methods within the Black Eagles, I kept it hidden in the hope that nothing so unpleasant would happen.”

Those who coveted him. Those who learned he was a test subject. They had all wanted him, and there had been only one outcome.

Death.

But the Black Eagles were a difficult place to do that. He had to work here. Even Black Eagles could be killed once or twice if necessary, but a series of deaths beyond that would only leave the organization with no choice but to suspect him. He did not want to be driven out of the Black Eagles.

“It was the same this time. I kept it hidden because I couldn’t explain how I discovered it.”

“Is there more besides this?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me?”

“Right now, I am relying on something so uncertain that it is almost a gamble. Asking anything more of me would put me in a very difficult position.”

He looked at Haeryeon warily. He had already made a great many difficult decisions. He couldn’t give any more than this. Hadn’t he told her this much precisely because she was Haeryeon, because she was a Team Leader in the Black Eagles?

“I’m sorry, Hyeonyul. I wasn’t trying to rush you. I only wanted to know whether it was something I could cover for you. I won’t push. I’ll take it slowly.”

Haeryeon realized she had been hasty. Everyone needed a different amount of time before others could approach them. With Hyeonyul, she needed to take the long, slow view. She leaned back.

“What did you hide about that day’s incident?”

“I realized the villains who attacked the highway were different from those who planted the bombs.”

“They were different?”

“Yes. So I went to find out where they came from.”

“... Alone?”

Haeryeon’s expression hardened.

“I went alone.”

As he answered, Hyeonyul took out the phone.

“I obtained the phone of one of the bastards who worked there.”

Haeryeon said nothing more. What was she thinking?

“I could not establish who that faction’s president was. However, unusually, they were eliminating the drugs distributed by villains and executing the villains who spread them.”

“... What?”

Whatever else he had said, that last part sounded very strange. Why would villains do such a thing?

“I found it quite puzzling too. I know nothing beyond that. I expect you will investigate the details further.”

He indicated the phone. With Juhyeon’s abilities, couldn’t they uncover something bigger?

“I don’t think you’ve told me all this simply to give me that information. What do you want from me?”

“Please permit me to conduct an independent investigation.”

“No,” Haeryeon said firmly.

“I will explain what I intend to investigate and what we could gain from it.”

“My answer is still no, Hyeonyul.”

At her repeated refusals, his gaze turned cold.

“Hyeonyul. Don’t give me that look. Hear me out.”

“Yes.”

“The problem is that you can’t tell us how you acquired that information, right?”

“That is correct.”

“I won’t ask how you got it. Instead, just tell me whether you killed someone to obtain it. That’s all I need. I’ll register it as an official mission. Work openly as a Black Eagle.”

“Why must I do that? If we simply conceal the incident itself, and I bring back the information...”

“Because you’re no longer a villain.”

“...”

Hyeonyul was speechless. He reacted as though he had learned something he hadn’t known.

But he soon returned to his usual self. No matter how many times you washed it, cloth dyed black would never turn white again. Surely Haeryeon knew that too.

“You’re a Black Eagle, Hyeonyul. You may have had to live that way all this time, but you don’t have to operate behind the scenes anymore. You can act in whatever way feels comfortable for you. But don’t hide in the darkness any longer.”

Haeryeon’s gaze was unwavering. It felt as though a powerful force he had never experienced before was drawing near. He didn’t know what this emotion was. He couldn’t quite understand it, but it was an answer he had never heard before.

“To be honest, I want your power too.”

“You coveted it?”

His bewilderment vanished. The way he looked at Haeryeon did not change.

“Of course. Your power is more than enough to help this force of ours move faster in the right direction.”

He had already shown how much he could do, making her look forward to what he might accomplish in the future. He was someone with that much potential.

“I’m always grateful you joined our team, and always happy about it.”

Haeryeon smiled brightly, gently closing her eyes.

Although these were words he had often heard, hearing them in the Black Eagles was different. They were saying the same things, so he didn’t understand why they felt different.

“... That is because you don’t know me, Team Leader,” he explained.

He didn’t know how something like that might come back on him later. He had to extinguish those feelings in advance.

Questions surged within him. Why didn’t she doubt what he said? Why was she still looking at him the same way?

“Then we can get to know each other better. Neither you nor I know Nayun, Sinu, and Jihwan all that well either, do we?”

“You would be better off thinking of me as a component. Otherwise, you may regret it.”

Hyeonyul warned her, but Haeryeon kept smiling.

“I don’t want to do that. You aren’t a component in the first place. There’s no one who could replace you.”

“...”

Once again, his words caught in his throat. This was difficult. As difficult as when he had first met Jeongmin.

“Oh, shall we make a bet?”

Haeryeon’s lips curved upward.

“About whose words turn out to be right later.”

“Why should we do that?”

“It’ll be fun, won’t it? The winner buys dinner.”

“Isn’t the loser supposed to pay?”

“The winner will be happy they won.”

“... I don’t quite understand.”

“Anyway, Hyeonyul, you’ve worked hard. I had no idea you were struggling on your own.”

He might deny it, but it must have been exhausting. How long had he lived like that?

“I’m sorry about that, and I’m grateful you told me. From now on, I won’t send you out alone.”

Before Haeryeon had even finished speaking, Hyeonyul rose from his seat. But she remained calm. He seemed to have reached overload. If she said any more, he might burst from the strain.

'That’s enough for now.'

Haeryeon smiled inwardly.

She had learned one more thing about him. He was awkward not just with conversation, but with emotions. Far, far more than she had usually thought.

“Go see Dr. Jeongmin, Hyeonyul.”

“... Yes, understood.”

Hyeonyul left the room at an uncharacteristically brisk pace, and Haeryeon looked at the phone. A soft smile spread across her face. Whether he realized it or not, this was the trust he had offered her.

'... Oh, this makes me so happy.'

She was happy, and happier still.

'This time, at least this time, I must... I must protect him.'

She clenched her fist tightly.