91 – 091. Simultaneous Incident (6)
Ahn Su-ho participates in the strategy meeting and slowly advances for his own purposes.
Super Human Rehabilitation Research Center located in Yongin. Ji Ye-won was also faithfully carrying out her duties there.
I haven’t been able to enter the core security area yet, but I’ve completed the installation of cameras and wiretapping devices in other areas, and I’ve been aware of Director Na Ju-yong’s every move as much as she can and convey it to Chaeryeong Min.
But that was all there was to it.
Yewon Ji diligently carried out her duties. But she didn’t dare to take the risk. As Ahn Su-ho requested, he prioritized his safety over his information collection.
Only to return to Ahn Soo-ho safely.
It was Ji Ye-Won who went on a mission with only that one thought, but the problem was that the deadline for this mission was undecided. As long as Na Ju-yong didn’t cause something, the possibility that the monitoring mission would continue for weeks and months was not zero.
So, Ji Ye-won waited as best she could for the end of the mission without a promise.
…… I tried to wait
“Yes?”
Unbeknownst to her, she was slowly making her way to the dark side of her superhuman rehab lab.
“You said that you were suddenly caught by that guy too?”
“Don’t talk. He’s quite famous among the staff here. Grab someone and let them go inside, I want to see someone in person, I must have been doing that for days already?”
A story about Heo Seong-chan who happened to come out during a break with cleaning company employees.
As he said, Heo Seong-chan has made similar demands not only to Ji Ye-won, but also to all kinds of employees and officials. Of course, no one listened. Because the security rules weren’t there for decoration.
“I heard that someone tried to report it to the police, but once you report it, it disappears like a ghost, right? Then, when the police go back, they sneak up again and wander around the research center. It’s so annoying, I’m really going to die.”
“But can I call the police for that? Well, it wasn’t that I was trying to trespass, I was just walking around and asking to let you in.”
“Right. Maybe that’s why you reported it as stalking when you reported it? It’s not a lie.”
Ji Ye-won was quietly listening to the stories about Heo Seong-chan that the senior employees were spitting out one by one.
There were no doubts about Heo Seong-chan’s identity. However, he didn’t want to get involved, as it seemed troublesome to be involved.
“But why the hell is he so anxious to join the research center?”
“A customer said he wanted to apologize for failing at an assignment.”
“Really? What is he doing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Isn’t that person also a researcher? Last time I saw him, he apologized to Chief Kim Seon-woo.”
“…… Manager Kim Seon-woo?”
But the moment the name came out, Ji Ye-won could no longer listen.
‘Uh…… La?’
Kim Seon-woo. It was a name I had never heard of. She was one of those whom Min Chae-ryeong told her to keep an eye on when entrusting her with her mission.
The reason is that Kim Seon-woo is one of Na Joo-yong’s limbs. There is a circumstance that he headed to Uijeongbu during the kidnapping of Kang Ha-neul, and it was probably because of Min Chae-ryeong’s prediction that Na Joo-yong would have hired a contractor through him.
‘Then, could it be that person named Heo Seong-chan?’
Heo Seong-chan said this. He apologized for the failure of the customer’s request and said he wanted to make up for it.
And the man who seemed to be his colleague, Yu Jin-soo, called themselves a handyman.
In Ji Ye-won’s head, the pieces of the puzzle quickly came together. There was no evidence. It’s just speculation based on the circumstances. But it was a pretty convincing story.
…… I guess I’ll have to do some more research on this issue.
No matter how much Ji Ye-won puts her own safety first, the aftertaste was bitter to do without knowing the whereabouts of the person involved in Kang Ha-neul’s kidnapping case.
At that time.
“What are you talking about?”
Turning her head at the sound of her childish voice behind her, she saw a little girl, about ten years old, looking up at her and her staff.
“Who… ….”
“Hey, our Eunjoo is here!”
One of her senior employees made a fuss over her and picked up the girl, her Eun-joo. The girl, floating in her air, spread her arms wide and swayed her excitedly.
“Who…… Is it? What about this kid?”
“Eunju? She’s the warden’s daughter. My house is right next door, so sometimes I come to visit my father’s place of work.”
“The warden’s daughter?”
Ji Ye-won looked at the girl, Naeun-joo, reflecting on that.
‘Come to think of it, I heard that Na Ju-yong had two daughters. It must be one of them.’
If you were related to Na Joo-yong, you should have been vigilant, but what would a 10-year-old kid know? She is held in the hands of a senior employee! And! Looking at the little girl who was talking, Ji Ye-won smiled heartily without thinking.
“But Mr. Mingu! What are you talking about?”
Na Na-joo, who came down from the air, asked, but the senior employee Kang Min-gu, who was asked, shook her head and evasive.
“No big deal. It’s just the story of the uncle’s work.”
“But I’m curious! Let me know too! Let me know too!”
“Ha ha ha ha. Our Eun-joo is very curious.”
From nob le mt l dot com
Looking at Naeun Joo swinging her up and down with her fists clenched tightly, she let out a wry smile, saying that everyone in the room could not help it. Ji Ye-won was no exception.
On the spot, no one was wary of Naeun-joo who suddenly appeared.
Kang Min-goo had no choice but to tell Naeun-joo what they were doing about Heo Seong-chan. The little girl listened intriguedly, nodding her head at what was so interesting.
“Wow! That uncle is very suspicious! What’s your name?”
“Oops. The man knows the man’s name…….”
“I would have said it was Heo Seong-chan.”
Ji Ye-won, who heard his name, replied. Kang Min-goo nodded and pointed at Ji Ye-won.
“Did you hear that sister? He seems to be called Heo Seong-chan.”
At those words, Naeun-joo came to Ji Ye-won’s side. Naeun-joo held Ji Ye-won’s hand tight and looked up at her with her bright eyes and asked.
“Why is it that only you know the name of that strange man?”
“We met the other day and talked for a while. I heard it then.”
“So, sister, are you close with that strange man?”
“No. I only talked about it once. I’m not friendly.”
“I see. Unnie, isn’t that uncle suspicious too?”
“Yes. Very suspicious.”
“Why?”
“Because… ….”
Ji Ye-won, who was trying to kindly answer Na Eun-joo’s question, suddenly came to her senses. Belatedly, she slurred her words.
‘What is it? Why am I answering all of this?’
She refrained from conspicuous behavior at her workplace as much as possible. So even when the story about Heo Seong-chan came out a little while ago, she just listened to what others were saying. Concerned about Kang Ha-neul, she decided to investigate Seong-chan Heo on her own, but that did not change the course of action she had maintained until now.
But why?
She herself answered this girl’s question kindly, and did she stand out unnecessarily.
‘Even a little while ago, I was going to tell this kid about the kidnapping.’
Heo Seong-chan may be a contractor involved in the kidnapping of Kang Ha-neul. It was information that did not need to be said and should not be said. Even so, she tried to reveal the fact casually. If she had been a little late to come to her senses, she would have said that.
What the hell. Why.
As she thought, Yewon’s eyes turned to the little girl who was looking up at her.
“Because? Because what??”
At that moment, I could see a reddish aura in Naeun-joo’s eyes. It was a very vague energy, but Ji Ye-won did not miss it.
‘Could it be that it’s a mental-related supernatural power?’
There was no information that Na Ju-yong’s daughters were superhuman. However, considering Na Ju-yong’s field of study, it was not unusual for the daughter to have her own psychic powers.
Could this child have used some ability to temper her own vigilance? Maybe that’s why she answered fluently when asked so casually?
“…… Sister?”
She tilted her head as if Naeun Joo was strange. Seeing that, Yewon Ji hurriedly opened her mouth.
“…… For no reason. You’re suspicious just by pretending. Aren’t you?”
“… ….”
Naeun-joo stared up at her at Ji Ye-won’s evasive answer. Ji Ye-won swallowed dry saliva at her nervousness. A lot of thoughts went through her head.
What is the identity of the girl?
Is she an ordinary girl who simply tries to satisfy her curiosity with her own abilities?
Or is it the ‘enemy’ who tried to dig up information about Heo Seong-chan at the instigation of her father?
If it’s the latter, then Naju Yong is a villain who can even use her young daughter like this. However, Ji Ye-won thought it was quite possible. As for herself right now, she was raised in an orphanage from a very young age and trained as a spy for the Dawning Corps.
“Okay! It’s suspicious because it’s suspicious!”
Are you satisfied with Yewon Ji’s answer? Or maybe she’s just a sign that she’s backing off for now.
Naeun-joo, who said that with a smile, left with her bouncy gait.
“Anyway. She’s just like her own dad, so she’s full of curiosity.”
Kang Min-gu muttered that. As she said, on the outside, she looked like a child leaving to find something new to play with, but Ji Ye-Won could no longer see Na Na-Joo as an ordinary child.
Ji Ye-won’s eyes, full of vigilance, were staring at the direction Na Na-joo had disappeared.
***
Northern Uijeongbu. A slum area that has become a hotbed of crime.
The origin of such a slum in a corner of Uijeongbu City, right next to Seoul, goes back 50 years.
50 Years ago. A large-scale dungeon was opened in North Korea, north of Yeoncheon-gun. The scale was a scale that could not be rectified with North Korea’s Hunter power. As a result, South Korea and its neighboring countries offered to support Hunters in North Korea on a humanitarian basis, but North Korea, which at the time was engaged in diplomacy that was no different from seclusion, refused.
And as a result, the largest ‘crisis’ since the 21st century broke out.
In the dungeons that were not dealt with in time, countless monsters popped out. Near the armistice line divided between North and South Korea, the monsters headed half north and half south. As a result of North Korea concealing the attack status until just before Crisis, the first time South Korea noticed the fact was after the GP near the armistice line was pierced by a monster.
At the time, the scale of the damage was unimaginable. Yeoncheon and Paju, adjacent to the armistice line, were literally destroyed, and Pocheon, Dongducheon, and Yangju were also halved. The monster’s hand reached down to Uijeongbu and Seoul.
Simply put, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the north of Seoul has become a complete mess.
Of course, even South Korea, which had a much better Hunter power, was at this point, so there was no way North Korea could be fine. At least five million people died in North Korea due to the Crisis at the time, and the incident eventually forced North Korea to be unified in a way that was absorbed by South Korea.
Anyway.
The slums located in the northern part of Uijeongbu today were traces of that time. Among the extensively damaged areas, there were areas where restoration was relatively late or incomplete, and such areas naturally had no choice but to become slums.
A corner of a shabby three-story building located in a slum in the northern part of Uijeongbu.
-Diriririririri.
The moment the old-fashioned landline phone rang, Heo Seong-chan vigorously grabbed the handset.
“Yes thank you! This is the Jinsu & Sacrament dispatch office that always promises quick and reliable work-“
-How are you, customer? KG Capital is always by your side. Today, we would like to inform you about our new loan product…….
“What the f*ck!”
– Bang!
Heo Seong-chan put down the receiver as hard as he could. Yoo Jin-soo, who saw that, clicked his tongue and said.
“Sacrament. The phone breaks. Be careful and put it down.”
“But the essence! At that time, the kidnapping request failed, and it has been several weeks since no request has been received! Are you saying I’m going crazy because I’m frustrated right now?!”
“Originally, you know that even one failure in this industry can take a big hit. But after a while, things will start to come.”
“I’d rather wait and starve to death first!”
“That’s not going to happen. In preparation for such occasions, we always have plenty of preserved food. If it’s biscuits, there are still three months left.”
“Gaaa!!!!”
Reminded of the brittleness of the biscuits he ate in the morning, Heo Seong-chan swung his limbs while lying on the floor like a fussy child. Seeing that, Jinsu sighed deeply and shook his head. Although he never received a proper education because he was born in a slum, his partner, Heo Seong-chan, said that his personality was overly juvenile.
“Jinsu!!”
“Why?”
“There is only one way to do this?! We’ll kidnap that Kang Ha-neul again and give it to the lab guys! Then, since the request was successful, you should be able to get the balance! There will be a lot of requests coming in again!”
“…… There are so many things to point out that I can’t even think of it.”
Even though he said so, Yoo Jin-soo kindly began to explain to his partner, who was somewhat lacking, to understand.
“Sacrament. Listen carefully.”
“I’m listening!”
“First of all. Kang Ha-neul’s abduction itself is difficult for us now. When they tried to kidnap Kang Ha-neul, do you remember why the police didn’t catch us even though we went in and out of the main gate confidently?”
“Of course not! It’s because the professor erased all the CCTV and black box records!”
“Yes. You’re right. It’s all thanks to Prof. And now we don’t have the money to hire that professor. Because the last request failed, I vomited all the down payment, let alone the reward. Do you understand?”
“Then, shouldn’t we just kidnap him at night when the CCTV is not visible?”
“No. Kang Ha-neul now lives in a green house dormitory rather than a studio. And the surveillance equipment of the greenhouse is basically equipped with a thermal imaging camera. Not only that, but the security is also strict. That’s the second reason.”
“Okay… ….”
“And the third. I didn’t say this until now because I thought I’d hate it if I heard the sacrament…….”
I’ve said this, but I can’t help it. Yoo Jin-soo said softly.
“Another contractor has already asked about Kang Ha-neul’s kidnapping.”
“What?! Someone else hijacked our request?! Who the hell are you?!”
“K and Stephanie duo.”
“Stephanieyyyyy?!”
-Quaang!
Heo Seong-chan stomped his feet as hard as he could. He hit the ground so hard that a lot of dust fell and flew from the ceiling.
“Sacrament. Then, if the floor collapses, who will take responsibility-“
“If you’re Stephanie, you’re the b*tch who always looked down on us and looked down on us! But he received the request we failed?! Launching! As expected, we have to solve this quest! If you keep going like this, you’ll end up being teased by Stephanie for the rest of your life!”
“…… Never intercept requests received by other contractors. This is the rule here in Uijeongbu. Did you forget?”
“Stop it. But… ….”
No matter how desperate Heo Seong-chan was, he had no intention of breaking the rules of the slum. But frustrating was frustrating, and resentment was resentment. Stephanie. Heo Seong-chan’s arrogance rose when he thought that she would make fun of him after that detestable woman.
-Tiririririri!
Then the phone rang loudly again.
“If I get a loan recommendation this time, whether it’s the KK or the KB, I’ll just give them a muk bowl!”
Heo Seong-chan, who was already annoyed, nervously snatched the receiver. If it was a loan recommendation this time, he was thinking of at least swearing at the counselor.
However.
-This is Kim Seon-woo.
At those words, not only Heo Seong-chan, but also Yoo Jin-soo, who was listening from the side, hardened their expressions.
-Seongchan Heo. And Mr. Yoo Jin-soo. Do you have any plans to make up for your failure?
The next moment, a deep smile appeared on Heo Seong-chan’s face.