“We’ve actually been in a situationship for a while now. We only started dating officially recently, but I wanted to give you a heads-up beforehand.”
“I’ve heard so much about you from Taesan. He said you’re practically like brothers? I’m truly envious that you have someone you can trust that deeply.”
Having moved to a nearby café, we exchanged all sorts of conversation along with light small talk.
Gang Taesan, a public official at the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau—a government agency—and Park Miyeong, who supposedly worked an office job at an ordinary company.
Their connection had apparently begun when Gang Taesan went out to investigate a scene at the building where her company was located.
“Suddenly, there was a supernatural crime on a lower floor, and everyone was terrified, but then my baby came in and calmed everyone down—he was so cool!”
“Haha, that’s embarrassing. Honestly, it wasn’t that big a deal. It was just a bit noisy, but the damage was minor, and it was a simple theft incident with no casualties.”
That chance encounter led to them naturally keeping in touch, and thanks to Park Miyeong’s aggressive appeals, they had eventually started dating recently.
*He complained he was so busy he had no time to breathe, yet he was still getting everything done on the side.*
Who would have thought that guy would be the first to succeed in romance?
Having been with Gang Taesan since we were children, I couldn’t help but feel a rather subtle emotion.
I looked anew at my friend, who was beaming a broad smile with a beauty at his side.
A ruggedly masculine appearance with bold, thick features that couldn’t be hidden even when steeped in fatigue, and a well-trained physique.
Truthfully, although he bore the name of the Crime Investigation Division, considering that a non-Awakened like him had work skewed heavily toward the administrative side, one could say his self-management was impeccable.
*Usually, agents like him and Awakened investigators are dispatched in two-person teams, right? Though there’s frequent rotation depending on the scale of the incident.*
It couldn’t be helped, since the presence of Awakened with relevant abilities was absolutely essential in investigating supernatural crimes.
Of course, that didn’t mean the agent was merely a sidekick to the Awakened investigator.
From on-site inspection and schedule coordination to location searches, suspect aggregation, and analysis of collected information—there was nowhere their professional touch didn’t reach.
When necessary, it was also their role to seek consultation from relevant personnel—like the Black Mage An Seongjin, who was kept on a leash by Hans—so they were high-level personnel who couldn’t simply be ignored just because they were ordinary people.
*That means their salary is high, too. Honestly, if you think about it, he really is prime husband material.*
My gaze then shifted to Park Miyeong, smiling while linking arms with Gang Taesan.
A cute, puppy-faced beauty who was a few years older than us, despite us being the same age.
Her excellent figure, ill-matched to her petite frame, made it easy to understand at once why Taesan’s lips were stretched all the way to his ears.
*But...*
Continuing to chat with them with a smiling face, I carefully observed Park Miyeong.
Her lively reactions, showing active empathy toward the speaker, were so sociable that even a taciturn person would naturally open up, and the natural smile she showed was so harmless that it could disarm even the mental defenses of someone with strong wariness.
She was truly the picture of an ideal conversationalist.
*...Something feels off.*
Yes, she was so ideal that it felt like watching a well-orchestrated stage play.
It might simply be her personality, but my instincts, which had awakened to divinity and could faintly sense the causality of the world, were screaming that it wasn’t such a simple matter.
*Tch, this really doesn’t look good.*
This was the occasion where my one and only friend, practically a brother, was introducing me to the first girlfriend of his life.
Doubting the person he had brought in such a setting was inherently rude, but I couldn’t just pretend not to see and let it slide.
To “Han Seonghyeon,” Gang Taesan and his grandmother were practically the only remaining connections left.
*I hope it’s just my misunderstanding.*
To be certain of that, it was best to clear this unpleasant feeling as quickly as possible.
For someone like me, who treated daily life as multitasking, carrying on ordinary conversation on the surface while covertly analyzing the other party was nothing at all.
“So, what that guy said back then was...”
“Hey! We agreed not to talk about that—”
“Oh my! Really? My baby...”
As my self that casually brought up trivial chatter and my self that coldly surveyed the situation separated, the surrounding sounds gradually began to stretch out.
With my mind settled quietly by 「Clear Mirror, Still Water」, 「Nervous Hypersensitivity」 layered on top, and I observed the other party in minute detail.
Body language and expressions changing in real time, movements of facial muscles around the eyes and mouth, minute wrinkles hidden beneath makeup, and even the degree of pupil constriction.
I didn’t possess a convenient supernatural ability like mind-reading, but my massive mental stats and 「Insight」 synergized with 「Analysis」 borrowed from Hubert, the master of the great merchant guild, producing an effect no less potent.
And the result—
-Affiliation: Unknown. Older than she appears. Hiding her true intentions and lying. Received orders from someone before coming here.
-Main Characteristics: Extraordinary acting ability, cold situational judgment, excellent mental capability, average physical capability.
-Trust: 11%
The unthinkable result had appeared starkly before me.
A trust level scraping the bottom and an analysis report that hadn’t even come out properly because of it.
At this level, one could say she would almost certainly betray him.
*...I didn’t think so.*
I forced myself to maintain composure, not showing the slightest hint of agitation, and smiled.
Since I hadn’t yet uncovered the opponent’s objective, it would be a poor move to show any sign that I had caught on.
And just in case, I analyzed Gang Taesan as well to compare.
-Affiliation: Republic of Korea Supernatural Ability Management Bureau, Crime Investigation Division. Joined with excellent grades through relentless effort and an indomitable will. Holds strong hatred toward supernatural crimes due to the death of those he followed like parents. Extremely excited to be introducing his lover to his friend for the first time. Is still hungry despite having eaten a whole chicken.
-Main Characteristics: Unbreakable conviction, tenacious fighting spirit, devoted familial love, excellent combat talent, extraordinary mental capability, excellent physical capability.
-Trust: 94%
*...As expected, there’s nothing wrong with the skill. Which means...*
It meant that everything about the woman using the name Park Miyeong was a lie from one to ten.
Her name, age, job, and even her intention for approaching him—all of it.
“Ah, excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom.”
“Sure, go ahead. But I’m feeling a bit peckish. Noona, are you okay with just dessert? Should I order another honey bread or something?”
“Oh my? Baby, would one be enough for you? Why don’t we just order one of each type while we’re at it?”
“...Should we? Then...”
I rose from my seat and headed toward the restroom, my face hardening coldly at the affectionate voices of the two people coming from behind.
Gang Taesan was an incredible guy, someone I had lived with like family since elementary school.
Unlike ordinary me, he never fell from the top ranks in either studies or sports, and he never backed down even when bullied for not having parents.
He had looked after me to the end when I became a shut-in after the accident, and he was a genius among geniuses who had joined the Supernatural Ability Management Bureau through bone-grinding effort to uncover the truth of that incident.
*But...*
It was no exaggeration to say that most of the share of “Han Seonghyeon’s” ordinary, peaceful life belonged to that guy.
If it hadn’t been for Gang Taesan, that kind of daily life would have collapsed long before I obtained my 「Avatar」.
*...How dare they touch that?*
It was, in a way, no different from the symbol of my humanity, which had been broken beyond repair.
He was the person who knew my past better than anyone else in the world, the only connection who shared a direct bond with me since that past, and one of the reasons I desperately pursued morality and struggled not to lose my former self.
The thought that it might be damaged by someone’s filthy intentions made my insides begin to boil.
Swish—
I entered a toilet stall in the restroom and pulled out a smartphone through 「Subspace Storage」.
Not the contact I used in the light, but a burner phone prepared for handling affairs of the dark.
In reality, it was something I used far more than the one in the light.
*Let’s see... just what kind of people they are.*
I sent a few lines of orders to Jin Soran, the proxy of Heinz II, and immediately tossed the burner phone back into subspace.
Afterward, I nonchalantly washed my hands at the sink and quietly gazed at my face reflected in the mirror—especially the two eyes shining with a cold light.
The Blood Alliance, dominated by vampires, had long since completely seized Korea’s underworld.
They had refrained from indiscriminately absorbing underground forces and excessively bloating their size, as it could draw unnecessary vigilance from various agencies, but even with just that indirect influence, it was sufficient to exercise real dominance.
“Oh, you’re back? I ordered a bunch of stuff. Maybe it’s because I’ve been pulling all-nighters for days, but I’m hungry no matter how much I eat.”
“Why are you bringing that up now? You think I don’t know how much you eat?”
“Right? *Sigh*, what am I going to do with our Taesan having such a big appetite?”
“Uwahaha! It’s because my energy metabolic rate is high...”
And I was the master of that Blood Alliance.
Among the events unfolding in the darkness of this Korea, there was nothing I didn’t know.
***
“As expected, it’s nice to see your face after so long. Let’s meet up often like this. Get some fresh air outside, too.”
“I had fun today. Seonghyeon, if you’re interested, just let me know anytime. I have a pretty junior who I think would suit you well; I’ll introduce you next time.”
“Haha, I’m fine for now. I still prefer natural encounters.”
“Tsk, if you keep that up, you’ll live alone forever.”
“Leave me alone. I’m still only in my early twenties.”
“Hmm... I suppose that’s true? Sure, whatever. Speak up if you feel like it. Then get home safely.”
As time passed and the night deepened, the end of the meeting naturally drew near.
I exchanged farewells with the two standing side by side and moved my steps toward the parking lot where I had left my car.
I could roughly guess why Gang Taesan had called me this time.
He probably wanted to introduce his first girlfriend to his closest friend, but more than that, he must have greatly wished to help me form a new connection, even though I had overcome my fear of the outside yet still holed up at home.
*It looks like he even asked Park Miyeong separately.*
Hadn’t he asked her to set me up with a good woman among her acquaintances?
Contrary to his thoughts, for someone like me who was so active on a global... no, dimensional scale, and had separately formed ties with many women, it was an unnecessary consideration.
*Of course, that was far from the romantic aspect.*
I lightly smacked my lips and sat in the driver’s seat of the foreign car I had purchased not long ago, pulling out a smartphone.
To check a message from one of those women I had “formed ties with.”
“...Let’s see.”
Roughly a little over an hour since I had ordered the investigation.
The preliminary information provided hadn’t been much to begin with.
Since everything from Park Miyeong’s name to her job and residence was false.
*Good, they’ve finished it properly.*
However, that little over an hour was more than enough for me to receive a properly organized report.
It was only natural, as top-class talents had prioritized Heinz’s commands above all else, regardless of time or situation.
With a stiff face, I calmly read through the report’s contents.
“...Ha! I see. Now that I think about it, they were on this side.”
Having grasped the whole story of everything, my eyes slowly closed.
To organize how I would move forward.
The fingers gripping the steering wheel tapped out a rhythm, making a small noise.
*Well, it’s not like I have much of a plan.*
But that was only for a moment; I opened my eyes again, started the car, and gently pressed the accelerator.
The luxurious car body smoothly moved forward, cutting through the darkness of night.
Regardless of the reason, there was only one verdict for those who crossed me.
***
In Korea, violent crime had greatly decreased thanks to the activities of the unofficial Transcendents Hahoetal and Phantom, as well as the Blood Alliance, which had recently been actively conducting vigilante activities.
But their jurisdiction was literally limited to "violent crimes" that threatened public order; they could not crack down on all criminal activity.
Unless the desires of every person in the world were entirely castrated, those who committed crimes would never disappear.
As if there were some law of conservation of criminals, the more one side was suppressed, the more another side began to run rampant.
As brutal sanctions continued and survival grew ever tougher for violent criminals as well, they seemed to have changed trades. They began throwing their weight around even more in realms like fraud, blackmail, and embezzlement—crimes that were difficult to prove and hard to catch red-handed.
"How are things progressing?"
And among those who actively exploited this situation were included the established privileged class, those who had already secured firm positions in society.
The chairman's office of Daeryong Group, a major corporation ranked within the top thirty of Korea's business world.
When an elderly man in a luxurious suit and glasses opened his mouth indifferently, the head of the Strategic Planning Division, holding a tablet at his side, bowed respectfully at the waist and answered.
"The procurement of manpower is proceeding smoothly. We have twisted the chain of command several times over to avoid being traced, and we have completed preparations to cut the tail whenever we wish."
It was not a difficult task to take in radicals who harbored grievances against society yet had been too terrified of the Executioners to make a move.
After all, what they wanted was primitive pleasure: money, the desire for destruction, and the like.
If those base urges could somehow be satisfied, they could be used as temporary weapons. For causing incidents, merely being able to handle them for even a brief while was sufficient.
Even if it was an inconspicuous misfortune, should it come one after another, would that not be enough to trip up their competitors?
'Well, if domestic operations become too distasteful, I can simply send them abroad to be put to use.'
It was a group that had been cultivated from the very beginning without distinguishing between means and methods.
A true entrepreneur is one who uses every means available according to the situation to maximize profit.
Even as the chairman, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, smiled crookedly, the head of the Strategic Planning Division's report continued.
From matters related to money laundering and all manner of corruption, finally to the last agenda item.
"...The work of planting our people in various agencies and carrying out operations is also proceeding sequentially. We are handling that side through the Cheonjong Construction line, but as expected, there are no particular anomalies to speak of."
"Hmm, I see. Tell them there is no need to rush; they must proceed thoroughly. It could prove to be a dagger should things go awry."
Just as the report was nearing its end.
The corners of the head of the Strategic Planning Division's eyes twitched for an instant as he glanced at his tablet to organize his notes.
An unforeseen variable had occurred without the slightest warning.
"...Chairman, this is an urgent report. Cheonjong Construction..."
They had no way of knowing.
That because of a matter they had thought insignificant, the King of Shadows who ruled Korea's underbelly had begun to bare his fangs at them.