Chapter 55
This was the second time he had received the treatment with the bizarre name of energy transfer. Han Chasu, at the tingling sensation left in his fingertips, unconsciously shook out his hand.
“…….”
Sensing something, he lifted his head slightly and met Gi Taeyeon’s eyes.
“Is something bothering you?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
Han Chasu, who had been rubbing at his chest, furrowed his brows. Gi Taeyeon lowered his upper body to meet him at eye level.
“If something hurts, say so right away. Haven’t you seen what happens when you hide it and it becomes even more troublesome?”
“…….”
Han Chasu remained silent, his brow knit. He seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment, he carefully broached the subject.
“Does the energy absolutely have to be transferred this way?”
Gi Taeyeon raised an eyebrow as if telling him to go on. Han Chasu cleared his throat and continued.
“There are various methods of contact, aren’t there? Instead of necessarily holding hands like this, barehanded training, for instance….”
Han Chasu subtly tried to steer the conversation toward sparring. Gi Taeyeon let out a hollow laugh. At the same time, someone behind them showed off a booming voice.
“Me! I can solve that!”
When he turned his head, there stood the Head of Development, his eyes blazing. His tangled green hair whipped about like weeds on fire.
“Han Chasu, leave it to me. I’ll solve it real slick for you.”
“…….”
“Come here for a second, huh? I don’t tell just anyone this kind of thing, but I feel bad for you, Han Chasu.”
At the extremely scammer-like line, Han Chasu shook his head.
“No, thank you.”
“Huh? Where are you going? Han Chasu, you’re going to need me right now, you know? If not me, then you’ll have to hold hands with that black bastard all day and play se-se-se!”
What’s se-se-se? Han Chasu left with a look that said he wasn’t interested. Behind him, he could hear Gi Taeyeon snickering.
“What a shame, Chief Im. Looks like our patient would rather play se-se-se with me than hold hands with a madman.”
“Is this bastard seriously insane?”
“Have you ever smoked a cigarette with your lungs? It would make for quite an interesting experiment.”
“…….”
After falling silent, the Head of Development clung to Han Chasu one more time.
“Han Chasu, this is your last chance. If you side with us, you can legally beat that crazy bastard to a pulp!”
Han Chasu’s body paused. Gi Taeyeon’s eyebrows rose, and delight spread across the Head of Development’s face.
Turning his head slightly, Han Chasu glanced sideways at the lunatic Head of Development and Gi Taeyeon before quietly asking,
“Could you explain in a little more detail?”
“Ahem, hem! Ah, of course, if you promise to cooperate with us and raise no objections whatsoever about this incident—”
“No, thank you.”
“No, why are you so hasty? Think about it calmly. I’m telling you, an opportunity like this won’t come twice.”
“Hmm…. You said your name was Chief Im Cheongmun, correct?”
“Uh… yes.”
Im Cheongmun was flustered, not having expected Han Chasu to suddenly approach. On top of that, unlike how he had seemed from a distance, the atmosphere around him was somehow… oddly overbearing. Was it because of those dull gray eyes? No, come to think of it, wasn’t he taller than expected too?
Im Cheongmun’s eyes widened as he looked up at Han Chasu. ‘Just a moment ago, he looked terribly frail.’ When he had been holding Gi Taeyeon’s hand, he had looked more sickly than anyone. ‘So this is the importance of a comparison group!’ Whether or not Im Cheongmun gained a new realization, Han Chasu spoke to him without hesitation.
“If you’re the Head of Development, may I assume you’re the person who directs everything in the Development Room?”
“Mm, that’s right?”
“Then the Gatling gun you tried to use to kill Chief Gi Taeyeon. In other words, you must have had quite a hand in creating Kill-Kill as well.”
Can I take this to mean he’s become interested in us? Im Cheongmun’s eyes sparkled.
Already deeply heartbroken over Kill-Kill’s death, he was overcome with emotion when Han Chasu asked about it.
“That’s right. I’m practically our Kill-Kill’s father. I personally selected every single part that went into that child. Ngh, it wasn’t supposed to end like this. If not for that lunatic….”
Im Cheongmun ground his teeth. Whenever he thought of poor Kill-Kill, a thousand fires raged inside him.
“You must have been very disappointed. For the sake of such a precious Kill-Kill, you even built a wall capable of perception disruption and autonomous attacks.”
“The isolation wall? That’s fine. It isn’t hard to make.”
Arrogance poured from Im Cheongmun’s entire body as he snorted. It was the uniquely irritating attitude of the Development Room that said, What’s there to be surprised about over something so trivial, you half-wits?
“Ah….”
With a meaningful smile, Han Chasu bent his neck slightly. Thud. His foot came to rest on Im Cheongmun’s frozen knee.
As Im Cheongmun’s eyes widened, a calm voice rang out from above his head.
“So you installed a lethal weapon in a medical center established to treat civil servants affiliated with the Management Bureau. And to conceal that, you installed a special device capable of killing and hiding non-combat-type Awakeners. Is that what you’re saying?”
“…
Huh?”
In contrast to his indifferent face, his choice of words was nothing short of chilling. Im Cheongmun hurriedly turned his head as if seeking help.
The Deputy Chief, who had been forced to kneel beside him, had gone deathly pale.
“W-wait a second.”
“Chief Im Cheongmun of the Support Development Room under the Awakener Management Bureau.”
Han Chasu let out a sigh. At the weight carried in that breath, the hairs along Im Cheongmun’s spine stood on end. ‘Huh? This atmosphere is no joke.’ What is this, what is this? Im Cheongmun rapidly turned his thoughts over. ‘But in the end, it was only an attempt, so there won’t even be disciplinary action.’ Even if he were punished, it would end with the same ineffective penalty points as always. And yet, for some reason, seeing Han Chasu’s face made him feel as though something had gone terribly wrong.
At Han Chasu’s next words, Im Cheongmun was struck by a violent shock as if his head had been smashed with a hammer.
“Within the Bureau, they may have valued your abilities and future highly enough to turn a blind eye no matter what incidents you caused, but unfortunately, I do not belong to the Bureau.”
“Urk.”
Right, this guy belongs to the Cheonryeong Guild.
Looking down at Im Cheongmun, whose brain seemed to have frozen along with his body, Han Chasu swept back his hair. ‘As expected, he hadn’t thought of anything at all until I raised the issue.’ It was obvious at a glance. Im Cheongmun was a brat who had been running wild without knowing his place, using his outstanding mind and abilities as weapons. The reason his head had not yet flown was likely because the Bureau had judged that leaving him alone was beneficial. ‘Otherwise, would he dare try to send off the Head of the Crisis Management Office, who is practically one of the real powers within the Bureau?’ Seeing the way Im Cheongmun blabbered on, his guess became a certainty. The fact that he didn’t fear Gi Taeyeon in the slightest meant Gi Taeyeon’s power did not reach them.
Most likely, the Development Room was an independent group beyond the influence of the Crisis Management Office. ‘Judging by the fact that Gi Taeyeon isn’t reacting all that strongly, this probably isn’t the first or second time something like this has happened either.’ That was why he had intended to let it pass. He wasn’t so overflowing with leisure that he would go out of his way to get involved in an internal fight.
But he couldn’t stand by and watch someone first drag him forcibly to the negotiating table, then act as though they held the upper hand.
The moment one allowed oneself to be underestimated, the relationship was already set. ‘It was obvious just from the way he talked about a second chance. He already thinks he’s above me.’ Even if Han Chasu left the garden and returned to his hospital room, the Head of Development would think of him as a card he could play whenever he wanted.
For Han Chasu, who desired a peaceful life, that was not something he could quietly leave alone. ‘Besides, he says he knows a way for me not to have to hold hands with Gi Taeyeon, so there’s no need to back down.’ If you won the fight, everything was yours.
Then how should he suppress an opponent against whom the power and honor of the Head of the Crisis Management Office did not work? There was only one answer.
He had to let this kind of person know that there were things even his abilities could not smooth over.
“Furthermore, though we were never properly introduced, you already knew my name.”
Looking at his still-immobilized opponent, Han Chasu calmly continued the conversation.
“In that case, I don’t think I need to explain how I came to be admitted to a medical center where only Hunters affiliated with the Management Bureau can be hospitalized.”
At the words that alluded to Baek Dam and Jeong Iheun, cracks appeared in Im Cheongmun’s eyes.
Han Chasu gazed at that calmly and lowered his body. With the sun at his back, his eyes gleamed coldly.
He didn’t particularly like borrowing someone else’s authority. But if it was necessary for his own safety, well. ‘It’s not as if I’m actually going to bring Baek Dam and Jeong Iheun here to kill him, so this much should be fine.’ Han Chasu was just about to tell him, in a very kind manner, that if he didn’t want to be hit with a string of lawsuits, he should get down on the ground on his own.
“Huff, huff. It’s over there…!”
“My goodness. What in the world are you doing, Gi Taeyeon!”
“Ah.”
The sound of footsteps numbered at least several dozen. In place of the elevator Gi Taeyeon had frozen, burly men who had come up the stairs poured out through the entrance.
“Tch.”
Gi Taeyeon chewed on his cigarette and kicked off the ground, while Geum Myeonggyeol lowered his head and asked Han Chasu,
“Should I stop them?”
“No. It’s already all over any—”
It was at that moment.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
System messages rose at a speed he had never seen before. And then.
[The aura of a sworn enemy is detected within a 10m radius!]
[Number of identified sworn enemies: 1/4]
[Skill Rebellion(A) is activated.]
[Your inner rebelliousness boils over, and rage encroaches upon your consciousness!]
“Aaaagh! I was wrong! I’m sorry, I said I’m sorry!”
When Han Chasu came to his senses, he found himself tearing out Im Cheongmun’s hair.
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