* * *

The ends of Haeryeon's eyebrows dipped slightly.

“Team Leader Haeryeon, Hyeonyul doesn't mean anything by saying that.”

Jeongmin spoke up, glancing at Haeryeon. He understood, but someone else might take it the wrong way.

“I know. Don't worry.”

Haeryeon smiled. Of course she knew he wasn't good at conversation.

“I'll do it.”

“Understood.”

Hyeonyul answered without hesitation. He could give his permission, but everything else was Jeongmin's responsibility.

“I've given my permission, but the Doctor will decide the rest.”

He didn't know much about medicine. He had watched Jeongmin work so often that he could at least roughly imitate those particular procedures.

When Haeryeon looked at Jeongmin, he was still anxious.

“Team Leader Oh Haeryeon.”

“Yes?”

“This must never, ever get out. I know they'll come after me the moment Hyeonyul is identified.”

He didn't know how they had avoided discovery this long, but he was always prepared for it.

“I won't tell them, even if it kills me. I'd rather die.”

Startled by those words, Hyeonyul sat up. Haeryeon was startled too. She thought this was the first time she had seen such a dramatic change in his emotions.

“Why would you... die, Doctor?”

Hyeonyul's eyes wavered wildly. He had done everything he could to prevent that. Whatever else Yujong might be, he was useful as an information broker, and Hyeonyul had used him to desperately suppress information about himself.

To be safe, he had avoided creating any link to Jeongmin at all. Only now, after becoming a Black Eagle, had he established one. But he wasn't the only person coming and going here. Countless others visited too.

There was only one thing that could single him out here.

Team Three.

As killing intent began to creep into Hyeonyul's eyes, Jeongmin gripped his shoulder.

“It's hypothetical. Just hypothetical. Calm down, Hyeonyul.”

“Don't. You mustn't even do that.”

Hyeonyul gripped Jeongmin's arm, the corners of his eyes drooping.

“I hate even that hypothetical. I'd rather be the one in danger, the one struggling.”

“Hyeonyul, it's hypothetical. It won't happen.”

“Doctor, I...”

“Calm down, Hyeonyul. That was my fault.”

Jeongmin apologized immediately. He should never have said that in front of Hyeonyul. It was his mistake. He knew what he meant to Hyeonyul, yet the sudden rush of fear had shaken his judgment.

“I'll do the same,” Haeryeon said with a smile.

Hyeonyul and Jeongmin turned to look at her.

“I'd rather die than talk, too.”

“... Really?” Jeongmin asked haltingly.

“I don't know how to convince you, but I know a fool who had the power to act and did nothing, throwing away the opportunity. I don't want to become like that person.”

Haeryeon looked at Jeongmin, making her resolve clear. This was her purpose and her pride. Without it, she would not be herself.

“I have the power, and I know very well that this is my opportunity. So I'll do it. I'd rather die than talk.”

Jeongmin slowly smiled at words he could only believe were sincere.

Why now, of all times? He could ask that, but it was also precisely because it was now that she could make this offer. He, too, had seen a great deal of Team Three. And hadn't he witnessed how Haeryeon treated Hyeonyul more closely than anyone?

“I thought... I thought I'd always be alone.”

“I can provide whatever support you need. I have plenty of money, too.”

Still smiling, Haeryeon held out her hand.

“That's reassuring.”

Jeongmin held out the paper as he spoke.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“And I with you. Don't be hurt if I can't visit often.”

Jeongmin chuckled at Haeryeon's joke.

As the tension between the two eased, Hyeonyul lay back down. He saw Haeryeon move elsewhere, and Jeongmin removed his dressing.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Barely.”

“Wait a moment. This dressing is soaked with blood, so I'll replace it.”

“Yes.”

Hyeonyul stared blankly at the ceiling.

'... Ah. It's been cut off.'

He felt the location of the villain who had given him the drugs vanish. Apparently someone had killed him. He wasn't curious who.

'So it's there.'

But he had pinpointed the location. That was enough for him.

'I'll rest today.'

Hyeonyul closed his eyes to avoid overexerting himself.

* * *

“... Good morning,” Hyeonyul said, sitting on Yujong's bed.

“... What are you talking about?”

Yujong rolled over, mumbling.

“Do you not understand what I'm saying?”

When Hyeonyul called to him, Yujong blinked, then turned again. He slowly raised his head. Meeting Hyeonyul's eyes, he steadied his breathing.

“Please don't install so many security cameras. Having to keep breaking them is a nuisance in more ways than one.”

At the mention of security cameras, Yujong jolted upright. He looked around to find broken debris everywhere.

“Security cameras, recorders, listening devices—I don't know why you installed so many. Is it because of me?”

“... N-no. Of course not.”

“I noticed you installed them on the windows, too. You've been very thorough, right down to the burglar alarms. And this is the seventeenth floor.”

Hyeonyul gazed steadily at Yujong, who swallowed hard.

'The bastard is fucking quick on the uptake.'

Why had he come again? Why did he visit so often?

“Have you heard any good news lately?”

“... Good news?”

“Yes. Anything will do. Go ahead.”

Hyeonyul pulled over a chair and sat down.

Taking the hint, Yujong got out of bed. He knelt of his own accord and looked at Hyeonyul. His hair was greasy and flattened from sleep, and he hadn't even managed to wipe the crust from his eyes. He was a complete mess, but he didn't care.

“... About that drug you gave me.”

“Yes?”

“I found out where it's made. They've been distributing it strangely lately. There were several production sites.”

“Is this one of them, by any chance?”

Hyeonyul took out his phone and showed him the location.

“... One moment.”

Yujong hesitated, then examined the map closely.

'Huh...?'

“Bring it here.”

At Hyeonyul's instruction, Yujong rose.

After Yujong left, Hyeonyul yawned. His eyelids kept drooping.

'Having your days and nights reversed really is miserable.'

As he waited, Hyeonyul looked around. He lowered his gaze to the bed. Something was different. He used darkness to move the mattress aside.

“I'm ba—”

“What is this?”

Hyeonyul looked at the gold bars. Apparently a deal had taken place recently.

Yujong was horrified.

'How did that... Mad Dog know about this?'

He hadn't put the gold bars in the safe yet. He had only stashed them here in a hurry.

“Did you sell information about me?”

“N-n-no! Absolutely not!”

Yujong stopped shaking his head and dropped to his knees. He had to explain himself properly before that Mad Dog tore into him.

“Then what else did you sell?”

“I... Well, as an information broker...”

“An information broker. Yes. I've heard you've become unrivaled in your field. Who made that happen?”

Hyeonyul had already drawn a dagger and was waving it.

“... The person standing before me!” Yujong shouted desperately.

'... Fuck, you did that for me? You went around killing every information broker you didn't like, so hardly any of us are left!'

He couldn't possibly say that aloud, so he held it in with all his might.

“What information did you sell?”

“... Well, I have information on the Black Eagles, you know.”

“Yes.”

“Someone wanted it, so I sold it.”

“Updated information?”

Understanding that he was being asked whether he had planted another mole, Yujong hastily shook his head.

“No, but, um, I did hear something strange.”

“Something strange?”

When Hyeonyul tilted his head, Yujong lowered his voice.

“They say there's a villain among the Black Eagles.”

“There's a villain?”

“... It's a bit difficult to investigate, so I gave an evasive answer, but does that make any sense?”

“Who bought that information?”

At Hyeonyul's question, Yujong abandoned his puzzlement and abruptly came to his senses. He had to tell him. That was the right thing to do.

“First of all, it was a new face. The information I have on the Black Eagles has depreciated in value, so I was thinking of simply discarding it. But one of my subordinates brought me a post.”

Yujong moved cautiously to fetch his phone. He tapped a link in a message, but the page was gone.

“It was this site, but, um, it seems to be gone now. He sent several others, too, and I suspect they were all written by the same source.”

CLICK.

Hyeonyul immediately took a picture with the address clearly visible. He intended to pass it on to the Black Eagles when he had time.

“So they're buying information on the Black Eagles?”

“Yes. I don't know why, either. I just find it a bit curious. ... So this wasn't me doing business. It happened while I was disposing of what I already had. As you know, you can't wind everything up at once. I'm leaving this line of work, but I have a lot of connections, and people keep giving me things, so I'd appreciate... some time.”

The more he spoke, the smaller Yujong felt. It was utterly pathetic.

'... Fuck. Fuck! Fuuuck!'

He didn't even know why he had to endure this, but he had no choice. He really was winding things up, and it was true that the sheer scale of his operation required time.

“I know it's difficult to deal with everything immediately. You want to offload information, and there are people coming to sell you more. Whatever you do about the rest, deal with anything involving ordinary civilians quickly, without exception.”

“Yes. I'll make absolutely sure to deal with that first, quickly—within three weeks, no, two weeks. And these are the drug production sites.”

Watching Hyeonyul's expression, Yujong held out the materials he had brought. They contained printed maps. Hyeonyul flipped through them, then stopped.

'There's the information I found.'

After work, he had gone to the place where the fleeing villain had died. The location was a bar. He had examined its interior, but found nothing special. Still, it was clearly a place where villains gathered.

'More precisely, it seems that was one of their trading partners.'

Holding the papers, Hyeonyul pretended to take something from his pocket and held out the drugs. He had smelled a sample of each to identify them, sorted them, and brought them in separate containers.

He had obtained six drugs. Two of them were connected to him. He had found more than he had through all his pursuit so far.

“Find out where these drugs are made.”

Looking at the drugs Hyeonyul handed over, Yujong couldn't help wondering.

'... He's taken control of the Poison King's forces, and now he's setting his sights on drugs too?'

He kept ordering him to obtain information about drugs, didn't he?

'That bastard is in the drug business... Is this going to be all right?'

There was a major player whose operation was so vast that one could almost say they controlled the entire drug trade. Yujong had never seen them and didn't know where they were based. They were simply called the Drug Merchant. It might not even be a single person.

There was even a story that someone had called that major player the king of drugs, and, offended by the title, they had wiped everyone out with drugs. It was difficult to tell whether that was even true. After all, weren't drugs something most people bearing the label of “villain” sold?

“I know there's a major player in the drug business too. Can you track them down?”

“As I told you before, that's impossible.”

Yujong immediately shook his head. He broke into a cold sweat, unsure what that Mad Dog would say.

“Then just find these for me. I'll do the digging.”

'... Really?'

Yujong was both skeptical and bewildered. He had expected Hyeonyul to pressure him at any moment, regardless of what happened to him.

'Has he mellowed?'

As Yujong's eyes wavered, Hyeonyul smiled.

“You've left the business, haven't you? Oh, you're leaving it. Is there any reason for me to go that far?”

“... Ah.”

Yujong immediately revised his assessment. He hadn't mellowed. He was simply giving him a break.

“If any group is harassing you, tell me.”

“... Will you kill them for me?”

“If they're villains. Since you're getting out, I can do that much for you.”

'Meaning I'll die if I don't...'

Yujong couldn't stop a laugh from escaping.

He had tried everything to escape that Mad Dog, only to end up back in his clutches. Even if he moved, the bastard found him. He broke through every defensive measure—security cameras, recorders, listening devices—and came inside.

That bastard was a shadow. A shadow he could never shake.

Yujong suddenly wanted to cry. Frankly, he wanted to order someone to kill the bastard, but he didn't have the courage. Hadn't he already been ruined once because of him? He had only survived by handing over absolutely everything.

'How am I supposed to live with this much misery...?'

Yujong fought back his tears.

“Honestly, aren't you curious who the major player controlling the drug trade is?”

At Hyeonyul's question, Yujong's expression lit up.

'He'll tell me? He'll really tell me?'

This was insane. That was all he could think.

“I am!”

The words slipped out of Yujong's mouth. Immediately startled, he covered it.

'I got... too carried away.'

He tucked his neck in like a turtle.

GULP.

Swallowing hard, he looked at Hyeonyul in fear.