146 – 146. The Narrowing Shadow (1)
The three had a meal at a family restaurant located inside the amusement park. Often, these places are tasteless and expensive, but surprisingly, the taste is good and the price is good.
After a satisfying meal, they headed to the cafe next door to take a break. It was not yet 12:40 because we finished our meal quickly.
“… ….”
While whipping the whipped cream around with a straw, Kang Ha-neul looked towards Ahn Su-ho. Blinking or rolling the pupils around seemed to be signaling something.
About 80 minutes until trading time. It was a sign that he had to prepare soon.
The discussion on how to steal the primordial silver from Xiao Mei has already been discussed. There was nothing more to prepare for that part.
The only problem was Yewon Ji.
‘I can’t go to the trading place with my sister. Then you have to drop her sister. What should I say?’
Kang Ha-neul hinted at Ahn Su-ho. Seeing that she brought Ji Ye-won, I thought that there must be a countermeasure. In fact, Ahn Su-ho had a countermeasure.
However, the countermeasure was not in the form of bullying Ji Ye-won, and there was no need to bully her in the first place.
“So… ….”
Yewon Ji rested her chin on her chin.
“Suddenly, the two of you are going to meet that Chinese broker, right? What am I doing in the meantime?”
“Eh?”
Kang Ha-neul looks back at Ji Ye-won with a surprised reaction. The expression of how the hell did my sister know that.
It was Ahn Su-ho, not Ji Ye-won, who answered.
“I told you. Originally, she told me not to come because she might run into the Dawning Corps, but she said that if she was going to do something dangerous like that, she would come along saying she could help.”
Ji Ye-won is not a possessor. So she couldn’t explain everything. She only told me that the Dawning Corps was after the Primeval Silver and that she was trying to intercept it. Ji Ye-won heard the story and wanted to help Ahn Su-ho.
“…… Are you okay, sister? She might get caught if she runs into someone from the Dawning.”
Kang Ha-neul asked in a worried tone. I knew Ji Ye-won’s situation after hearing about it. If her Dawning members recognized her, she would never go unnoticed.
Yewon Ji lightly shook her head.
“If that was a concern, she wouldn’t even come to the amusement park in the first place. Well, it’ll be fine Not everyone in the organization knows my face. I also dyed her hair. Didn’t you bring a hat and a mask like this just in case you didn’t know?”
Yewon Ji pulled her mask over her chin, she said.
“Besides… …. Suho is up to something dangerous, and she doesn’t like waiting in a safe place alone.”
I am worried that someone I love might be in danger. So she wants to be around. It was a simple psychology, and it was something Kang Ha-neul could fully relate to. However, she couldn’t stop worrying as much as Ji Ye-won’s circumstances were circumstances.
“Still, if you can, don’t step forward. I came here to steal the primordial silver, not to fight the Dawning.”
“I know. So? Where can I be while you guys meet the Chinese?”
“Hidden in a place where people can’t see it. I’ll call you when I need your help. It won’t happen, though.”
If things went the way they were originally, An Su-ho didn’t even have to fight this time. Ryu Tae-hyeon and his party will take care of the opponents of the Dawning Team.
‘But I’m not sure.’
But this time, again, without fail, he doubted that something would change. Moreover, there was also the difficulty change that Arael had mentioned, so I couldn’t let my guard down.
“Where did you say the trading place was?”
“Mirror Labyrinth. A dead end road that comes out of corners in a certain order. That’s where the deal is.”
“It’s okay. It’s perfect for hiding in a maze and decorating something. The public security guards monitoring the broker probably won’t follow him all the way into the maze.”
Surveillance is basically done in secret. Therefore, it was impossible to follow him into the maze where he would be immediately discovered if he followed him. At best, it would be to watch the entrance and exit of the maze from the outside.
For this reason, the mirror maze was an ideal place to avoid prying eyes. Just one problem…….
“That’s the problem. Because the road is blocked, you can’t run away in case of emergency?”
Maybe it was because she was once a spy for the Rising League, Yewon Ji got the point right. In fact, in the original work, Xiaomei almost ended up like a rat in a poison by the Dawning Corps, who revealed the trading place from Han Garam. Before she did, she felt suspicious and got out, but… ….
‘I was attacked right after coming out of the maze.’
Ahn Su-ho organized the order of this incident in his head.
1. Jin Tanaka, a member of the Dawning Corps, attacks Hangaram to find out the location of the transaction. In the process, Han Garam dies, and Tanaka finds out about Xiao Mei’s identity and the place of her transaction.
2. However, Tanaka fails to arrive at her trading location in time. She entered the mirror maze a little later, but by then, Xiao Mei had already left, feeling suspicious.
3. However, when Tanaka arrives at the trading place, Naeun-sol, who has just lost his way, appears in front of him. At her moment, Tanaka asks her if she is her Xiao Mei, but she soon realizes that she does not match the characteristics she has heard from Garam Han, and she pulls out. Naeun Sol senses her suspiciousness here.
4. Naeun Sol, who came out of the exit, tells Ryu Tae-hyeon about her work in the maze. At this time, Xiao Mei, who was hanging around near the exit, approached Ryu Tae-hyeon and his group and asked about her circumstances. At the same time, Tanaka, who came out of the exit, finds Xiao-Mei.
5. Afterwards, Tanaka waited for her Xiao Mei to go to her off-the-beaten-path and attacked her. However, Ryu Tae-hyun, who noticed Tanaka’s tailing, blocks him and knocks him down.
This was the whole story of the amusement park episode he remembered. There are things that continue after that, but it wasn’t important right away.
‘As long as I show up at the trading place on time pretending to be Hangaram, it won’t be difficult to steal the original silver. In addition, I also tried my hand at Hangaram for insurance purposes. Unless things get really messed up, nothing dangerous will happen. It won’t happen…….’
Ahn Suho has always had a plan. It’s because his best plans always go awry for various unexpected reasons.
“…… Shall we move slowly?”
“To where?”
“To wait near the mirror maze. Because Xiao-Mei might show up early.”
“Do you know what he looks like?”
“Yes. I saw it in pictures.”
“…… Okay?”
How do you do that? The question crossed Ji Ye-won’s mind.
The only information that even the Dawning Team obtained was the information itself that there was a deal. Therefore, the specific place and time had to be obtained by threatening Hangaram. But how did Ahn Soo-ho know about this transaction, much less does she already know the identities of the parties involved in the transaction?
‘Something connected…… Or is there such a thing as an informant?’
Ji Ye-won realized that there was still a lot she didn’t know about Ahn Su-ho. Well, it’s only been two months since we met, so there’s nothing strange about it.
“Let’s go.”
Ahn Su-ho stood up from his seat, leaving the bland Ji Ye-won behind. Kang Ha-neul and Ji Ye-won follow behind him.
The mirror labyrinth was next to the central plaza. It was by no means small in itself, using the entire first floor of a large building, but more attention was drawn to the temporary stage prepared in the plaza.
– Male voice Male voice.
Even though there was no one on the stage, there were already many people gathered in front of it. Ji Ye-won’s eyes follow the banners hanging around the stage.
“Have you seen any celebrities come? Miya? Is she an idol?”
“Miya, no way… ….”
Kang Ha-neul looked at Ahn Su-ho with hopeless eyes. Ahn Soo-ho nodded his head.
Miya. Miya Takanashi, with her full name, was a solo singer from a girl group that appeared in the original Age of Superhumans. In the age of superhumans, not even in the entertainment industry, the background of the appearance of idols was in Miya’s thoughts and values.
The organization ideology of the Dawning Corps is the construction of a new society centered on superhumans. In other words, the achievement of a superhuman superior society.
Miya was one of the celebrities who publicly criticized the dawning credo. Since she is so famous, the influence of her remarks is not formidable, and even she is a singer, and at the same time she is a C-class superhuman.
That’s how she cried out for her equality, and whenever the terror of the Dawning occurred, she constantly issued her statements of condemnation, so it was very annoying from the perspective of her Dawning. In the end, around the latter part of the original story, a terror attack by the Dawning Corps targeting Miya Takanashi occurs, and Ryu Tae-hyeon is accidentally involved in the process.
For reference, it has not yet been revealed whether she is a heroine or not. To be precise, before the story of his relationship with Miya Takanashi was revealed, Ahn Su-ho was possessed by this world.
Therefore, if you look at her proportion, she was only a supporting character or a minor character, but her two people clearly remembered her. Even though her role is small, she is the only celebrity who appeared in the original work, and her character as a Japanese character is quite memorable.
“I did a search and found that there is a special performance starting at 1:00 today. There seems to be an event where a singer is invited to perform on the last Saturday of every month.”
“That means it’s Miya this time. No wonder. I wondered why so many people gathered there.”
“Do you think that singer Miya is popular?”
“Huh? Sister, don’t you know Miya? Is she very famous?”
“Yes. I am not interested in that.”
In an ironic situation, Kang Ha-neul from the outside world asks Ji Ye-won, a character in the novel, why she doesn’t know about the idol in the novel.
Ahn Su-ho smiled, but she thought that might be the case. Because of Ji Yewon’s personality, she didn’t seem to be listening to idol songs.
“How about listening to it now? It’s right next to the mirror maze. If you’re in a place like this where there are so many people, even if the Dawning guys come, they won’t recognize you.”
“I will! I really wanted to listen to Miya’s song at least once!”
“…… If the two of you say so.”
“Okay. Then sit down on the bench over there and see. Although it is far from the stage, it will be easy to move around.”
Ahn Suho pointed to a bench far away from the stage. He was quite far, but that distance was not too far for three superhumans.
“Yes.”
Kang Ha-neul, who was approaching the bench, suddenly twisted her thighs and groaned. As the two of them turned her head, she said with her embarrassed face.
“…… I’m going to go somewhere for a while.”
“Where?”
“There is such a thing.”
Kang Ha-neul often steps away, saying that he will be back soon. It was clear to anyone that the bathroom was in a hurry.
“Is that something that should be hidden like that?”
“It might be embarrassing. Saying you want to go to the bathroom in front of a man.”
“I’ve already seen everything I’ve seen, but I suddenly feel embarrassed… ….”
“That is different from this.”
Ji Ye-won said it as if it were natural, but Ahn Su-ho could hardly understand. I wondered if it would make sense that we couldn’t just say we wanted to go to the bathroom because we were too shy to say that we had already seen all the embarrassing things we did while lying on each other’s beds.
‘Well, if it was Yewon, that would be it. A woman knows better what a woman’s heart is.’
The two of them waited for Kang Ha-neul while chatting a lot after that. However, perhaps because there were people in the bathroom, Kang Ha-neul did not come back.
Just like that, the time is 1:00.
-Waaa!
When I turned my head to the deafening shouts, a beautiful woman was on the stage. Miya, who was handed her microphone by a staff member, greeted her by bowing her head.
-Hello everyone. Uh… …. Thank you for visiting my stage today. Among them, there will be some of my fans, and there will be some who came because they wanted to see something while passing by, but…… I wish you well. My name is Singer Miya. Yes.
A timid tone with a slightly hesitant attitude to be said to be from an idol background. However, even that seemed to appeal to the fans, and louder cheers erupted than before. At the roar, Miya shrank her body slightly, but she waved her hand at her audience with a subtle smile.
-The first song will be familiar even to those who don’t know me. We will start the performance with the drama ‘Sea and Stars’ OST ‘Morning in Venice’. Oh, please reduce the mic echo of the staff member a little bit.
After a while, the song started with a calm piano melody. The noisy spectators fall into silence all at once like a lie.
After a while, a thin but appealing voice leaked from Miya’s mouth. Ahn Su-ho admired the sweet voice that tickled his ear.
It was a singer he had never seen before, a song he had heard for the first time, but her tone strangely touched his heart. Sometimes when people listen to a great song, their body trembles, but Ahn Soo-ho was just like that.
Xiao Meini is the first silver. Forgetting such personal things for a while, he blankly focused on Miya’s song.
-…… Thank you
Finally, after about 5 minutes, when the song ended, Suho Ahn came to his senses. Pleasant spasms spread through his body. I only listened to one song, but I felt refreshed.
“This is really great. I guess I’m not a popular singer for nothing. Right?”
Saying that, Suho Ahn looked back at Yewon Ji. However, unlike An Su-ho, she was still drowning in Miya’s tone. Her eyes, which had been fixed on the stage with her mouth open blankly, soon felt Ahn Su-ho’s gaze and turned to him in surprise.
“Uh, huh? What did you say?”
“I’m really into it. I’m going to become a fan like this. But. You sang it really well. Right?”
“Yes. He sang really well…….”
Ji Ye-won muttered helplessly, as if possessed, recalling the tone of a moment ago. No matter how good the song is, isn’t it too touching? The moment Ahn Su-ho thought so, Ji Ye-won said softly.
“Yes. I’m new. This is how I personally listened to the singer’s songs.”
“Huh? Really? I’ve never been to a concert or anything-“
Ahn Soo-ho, who was talking, belatedly swallowed his back. Ji Ye-won was raised as a spy for the Ryeomendan from a young age. There was no way that she would have had the experience of going to see her concert at her leisure.
“I often listened to popular songs themselves. It was because I had to learn common sense and culture that would not be strange to others. But I didn’t really enjoy it. I had no time to enjoy it, and I had no interest in it.”
Ji Ye-won was raised at the Dawning Corps’ training center from a young age until she was 20 years old. After she became an adult, she attended an academy, but she was only part of her espionage activities. As if to prove this, even though she attended the academy for three years, she didn’t even have a single close friend.
Because she only interfered with espionage activities like deep friendship. And it was the same with hobbies like music.
Until she met Ahn Soo-ho, Ji Ye-won was a human being who was no different from a cold plant. She used to go to an amusement park with her now boyfriend and watch a famous singer perform.
“It’s amazing.”
From nob le mt l dot com
Looking at the stage as if looking at a distant mountain, Ji Ye-won threw the words.
“…… What’s strange about it?”
“Just. I didn’t know that the day would come to me when I could comfortably come to an amusement park like this and be moved by the stage of a singer I’ve never seen before. Should I say that it’s amazing, or that the feeling is new?”
Ji Ye-Won Lee She was moved by Miya’s song not only because the song was good, but also because she was impressed by this peaceful daily life more than that. A tinge of emotion crept into her eyes.
“…… I’m going to hang out more in the future, so what if I’m already like this? Are you going to cry because you’re so moved?”
“Why do you want me to cry?”
“No. I want you to laugh. So, I will make you laugh.”
Ahn Soo-ho answered Ji Ye-won’s joke in earnest. Ji Ye-won’s eyes widened slightly at those words. When she looked back at her Ansuho, Ansuho turned her head away with a puzzled expression.
“…… Sorry. It’s a little cringe even when I say it. That, last night I watched a melodrama until late at night-“
“Good.”
“Huh?”
At her answer, Ahn Su-ho reflexively turned to her.
“I like it. He said it would make me laugh a lot in the future. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Ji Ye-won smiled. A bright smile contrasted with the calm tone.
Ji Ye-won smiled brightly at Ahn Soo-ho, as if asking her to take a look. She also took off the hat she was wearing. The warm sunlight met her silver hair and made it shine. She had her smile twinkle too.
The moment he saw that smile, Ahn Su-ho had no thoughts in his head. As if he was possessed by something in her, her gaze was stolen by Ji Ye-won’s smile.
A moment of silence. Soon, small words leaked from Ahn Soo-ho’s mouth.
“…… Really pretty.”
It was an impression that leaked out without being aware of it. Ahn Soo-ho, who had come to his senses belatedly, coolly looked away. Ji Ye-won, who liked the reaction, smiled even more brightly.
“Did you know now that I am pretty? You’ll become prettier in the future, what if you’re already like this? Are you going to cry because you’re so moved?”
“…… Are you kidding me now?”
Ji Ye-won is copying the words of Ahn Su-ho a moment ago. Ahn Su-ho, whose ears turned red, glared at Ji Ye-won, but Ji Ye-won smiled as if she was enjoying the world.
“What if you are so ashamed of what you said? Originally, between lovers, we sometimes throw cheesy words at each other, isn’t it—”
Ji Ye-won shrugs her shoulders and continues her words, but Ji Ye-won’s gaze turns to the other side of An Su-ho. The next moment, her eyes wide open.
– Imprisoned.
Ji Ye-won was embraced by Ahn Su-ho as if she was rushing into it. She buries her head in his chest and hugs him tightly.
I was taken aback by the sudden act of love. Soon after, he smiled and hugged Ji Ye-won’s back.
However, the next moment, he too notices something strange about her.
“… ….”
Ji Ye-won was trembling. Tension, or fear, spread through her body. She took off her hat and pulled up her mask, still holding her hands.
“Something’s wrong-“
“Don’t tell me.”
Ahn Su-ho shuts up at the urgent whisper. But there was still a look of confusion on his face. She patted the trembling Ji Ye-won on the back and he turned his head away, but didn’t see anything particularly strange.
“Please stay like this for a while. Until I say I’m done.”
Ahn Soo-ho did as she said at the unusual appearance. In the eyes of others, the two were a couple showing affection in a public place, but there was a heavy tension between the two. Ji Ye-won’s thumping and beating heart was clearly conveyed to Ahn Su-ho.
How long has it been?
At last Ji Ye-won fell away from Ahn Su-ho. However, the look of uneasiness remained. With only her eyes peeking over her mask, she quickly looked around her as if she were looking for someone.
“What the hell is going on, Yewon-“
“Ye Ji-won. Call me by that name from now on. At least until I leave here.”
“…… Support. What the hell is going on You know you have to explain.”
At Suho Ahn’s question, Ji Yewon hugged him again. But unlike before, her chin rested on his shoulder. As she approached Ahn Su-ho’s ear, she spoke very softly.
“…… Dawn Assassination Team. They are here now.”