Episode 25
A Magic Mirror attached to the interrogation room.
It looked like an ordinary mirror, but while one couldn’t see outside from within, one could see inside from without.
And beyond that mirror lay a hidden room.
“No matter how much you interrogate him, it won’t do any good.”
One officer muttered while sipping an instant coffee.
Another officer had the exact same reaction.
“We’re experts at catching criminals, yet we still failed. What method is he going to use to get information…?”
The officers shook their heads.
They didn’t think Nam Gyuil could accomplish something they themselves couldn’t.
In a way, it was only natural.
The officers were veterans who had conducted interrogations dozens of times over, but wasn’t today Nam Gyuil’s first time?
Moreover, he was a National Hunter.
They thought catching monsters was his job, so catching criminals was something he was worse at than them.
The officers didn’t expect much from Nam Gyuil.
If an undercover investigation was needed, they’d ask for help to that extent.
They wanted him to be their hands and feet, not to take the initiative and lead the investigation.
The officers were displeased with Nam Gyuil’s actions.
Just then, Lee Chanu raised his voice sharply.
“How great our Gyuil hyung is! Just you wait. He’ll definitely do something amazing!!”
He flared up seeing Nam Gyuil, their team leader, being disregarded.
Hong Sinu nodded as well.
“That’s right. You’re all saying such things because you don’t know how wise Sergeant Nam Gyuil is.”
In his eyes sat respect and unwavering faith toward Nam Gyuil.
Han Gangsu glared at the officers.
“You shouldn’t doubt someone capable. Just trust and leave it to him.”
Hwang Ilsu also chimed in.
“Gyuil hyung isn’t someone who acts without thinking, so you don’t need to worry. Besides, he stepped up to help because a support request came in, so I hope you’ll view him favorably.”
Hwang Ilsu’s words were soft, but they had a bite.
He was saying that it was wrong of them to say such things when he had come because of a support request.
The officers cleared their throats.
Some pouted, but the majority looked up at the ceiling, hiding their embarrassment.
They were receiving help from Team 01 because they couldn’t solve the case themselves, so this was no time to stand on pride or anything else.
Jo Huiyeong crossed her arms and looked toward the interrogation room.
“Let’s just watch. Let’s see how great this man rumored to be Team 01’s greatest mind is.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the interrogation room.
***
Nam Gyuil looked at Im Yeongsu.
Leisurely leaning back in his chair.
Im Yeongsu snorted.
He showed no intention of cooperating. Every wrinkle on his face was steeped in irritation.
Nam Gyuil opened his mouth.
“Let’s not waste energy on a battle of wills and keep this comfortable.”
“…….”
“Why no answer?”
Im Yeongsu frowned, staring only at the floor.
Nam Gyuil silently looked at him.
Then a sudden curiosity arose. How did this guy end up joining a criminal organization like Jayumin?
How did his life get so twisted?
Nam Gyuil broke the silence.
“How did you end up deserting and joining Jayumin?”
“…….”
“Desertion, well. Gates are scary and dangerous… There were times I was scared entering Gates too.”
Im Yeongsu, who had been staring at the floor, flinched and looked at Nam Gyuil.
An officer watching the situation through the Magic Mirror muttered.
“Rapport building.”
A psychological technique for maintaining a close relationship with the other party.
Many cases started with forming empathy.
Nam Gyuil didn’t know about rapport building, but having been a National Hunter himself, he vaguely sensed Im Yeongsu’s heart.
Im Yeongsu still refused to speak.
But unlike before, the vigilant, hostile atmosphere had softened considerably.
“I’m Team Leader Nam Gyuil, working with Team 01. What’s your name?”
“Im Yeongsu.”
“Which team were you affiliated with?”
“Gateway Team 11.”
“Ah… Then last month, Team Leader Han Taehun…”
“Yeah, he passed away last month.”
“He was a kind and good man. Truly a sad story.”
Nam Gyuil closed his mouth for a moment.
The probability of a National Hunter retiring with all limbs intact was a mere 37%.
Naturally, many deaths occurred as well.
Nam Gyuil muttered with a stiff expression.
“I knew Team Leader Han Taehun had six months left until discharge. I didn’t expect he’d meet his end at the hands of a monster in a Gate.”
At those words, Im Yeongsu clenched his fist.
Then he slammed the table.
Bang!!
It was an extremely emotional reaction.
He raised his voice and spat out his pent-up resentment.
“Just what kind of place forces people into Gates they don’t want to enter just because they’re Awakened!! Everyone knows what happens in there.”
“…….”
This time, Nam Gyuil was silent.
Im Yeongsu pounded the table with his fists.
“Damn it, we have to fight every day on the front lines, risking death! And it’s forced!! The fear of not knowing when or how you’ll die… Others won’t know that.”
Im Yeongsu panted heavily.
He hadn’t wanted to enlist in the Hunter Bureau, but the authorities pushed him and dragged him here by force.
It was so unfair.
When he saw colleagues who had died or been disabled, terror shook his entire body.
He wanted to live.
For that reason, he decided to desert.
Nam Gyuil could somewhat understand that feeling.
There had been a time when he too was scared of entering Gates and made safe discharge his goal.
But.
“I can understand deserting because you’re scared of dying to some extent… But attempted contract murder is different. You know that, right?”
Nam Gyuil struck at the core.
Im Yeongsu flinched and lowered his head.
“Since I was a criminal after deserting, there was nowhere to earn money…”
“That doesn’t mean we can understand your involvement in crime. Your actions clearly harmed others. Irreversible harm, at that.”
Im Yeongsu hung his head low.
No matter the circumstances, involvement in crime couldn’t be tolerated.
Im Yeongsu squeezed out his voice.
“Then what was I supposed to do? I was forcibly enlisted in the Hunter Bureau when I didn’t want to go, facing a situation where I could die any day. After deserting, there was nowhere to earn money. You need money to survive.”
“Then you should’ve hidden your identity and done other work. You know that’s just an excuse, don’t you?”
“…….”
“What about your mother and father? What did they say to you?”
“To pay for my crimes and start anew…”
Im Yeongsu pressed his forehead against the desk and grabbed the back of his head with his hand.
Nam Gyuil let out a long breath.
The guy seemed to be slowly opening his heart, so Nam Gyuil no longer blamed him.
Instead, he asked a question.
“Tell me everything you know. You said you need to start anew.”
“I already did.”
“What?”
“I told them everything I know. It’s just the detectives didn’t believe me.”
“The story about how after joining Jayumin, you were suddenly moved to a different space?”
Im Yeongsu nodded.
That was all there was, so he had nothing to add. He had truly told the detectives everything without hiding a thing.
At first, the detectives had trusted his testimony.
Wondering if it was an item-related incident, they investigated diligently, but when no such cases were found overseas, they dismissed it as a lie.
Nam Gyuil fumbled in his pocket and took out a pen and paper.
“I heard the Broker was wearing a ring. Try drawing what it looked like.”
“I already drew all that and submitted it to the police?”
“Still, draw it.”
When Nam Gyuil urged him, Im Yeongsu grumbled and began to draw the ring.
The detectives watching the situation through the Magic Mirror shook their heads.
The police had already noted the ring the Broker wore.
They had investigated where it was purchased, but finding out was impossible.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Im Yeongsu drew the shape of the ring on the paper.
“I’m done.”
Nam Gyuil looked at the drawing.
A ring with a jewel so large it was overwhelming was drawn on the paper.
Nam Gyuil thought as expected.
The ring Im Yeongsu had drawn was the ‘Space Diamond’.
Others wouldn’t know what it was, but Nam Gyuil, who had read books from the Akashic Records, recognized it at a glance.
‘An item that enables instantaneous movement.’
It was probably the first item of its kind discovered on Earth.
Nam Gyuil crossed his arms.
‘Space Diamond. In terms of enabling instantaneous movement, it feels like a cheat item.’
But its weakness was clear.
‘It can’t be used if a monster is within a 500-meter radius. It’s useless inside a Gate.’
There was one more restriction besides that.
‘The Space Diamond can only teleport to a location where another identical Space Diamond exists.’
Therefore, the Space Diamond wasn’t just one.
There were three in total.
‘In other words, Jayumin has not one, but three leaders.’
Nam Gyuil realized that fact in an instant.
The Broker was probably one of the leaders too.
‘He must have used the Space Diamond when moving members to the hideout so they wouldn’t learn the hideout’s location.’
And it seemed the leaders had kept the existence of the Space Diamonds a secret from the lower-ranked members.
Nam Gyuil threw a question at Im Yeongsu.
“When moving somewhere, were your smartphones or other devices turned off?”
“I’m a deserter. I wouldn’t use anything that could be tracked.”
Nam Gyuil nodded.
Since all members were deserters and didn’t use electronic devices, finding the hideout would be even harder.
‘But that means they have no communication network whatsoever. How are they securing clients?’
To continue a criminal enterprise, building a communication network was essential.
‘Wait, could it be?!’
At that moment, Nam Gyuil’s eyes went wide.
‘Are there non-deserters mixed into Jayumin? If they secure clients and use the Space Diamond to pass information and orders to Jayumin? No, perhaps they even provided burner phones.’
Clues about Jayumin were gradually coming together.
It wasn’t just a criminal organization of deserters. There was another criminal organization behind them.
‘Things are getting complicated.’
Nam Gyuil brought up a very important topic with Im Yeongsu.
“Aside from the Broker, was there anyone else wearing this ring?”
“Yeah. I saw one person.”
“Not two?”
“No. I saw one. He looked like some warehouse keeper.”
The total number of Space Diamonds was three. If Im Yeongsu’s words were true, the remaining one seemed to be a secret even from the members.
Nam Gyuil continued the conversation.
“What did the Broker look like?”
“He wore a hat, mask, and even sunglasses, so I don’t know his face. He’s a guy who hides his name too.”
“How did you meet him?”
“He approaches deserters and asks if they want to join Jayumin. I happened to meet him while wandering around Incheon Port.”
“Really? Got it.”
Having obtained all the information he wanted, Nam Gyuil left the interrogation room.
He laid out his thoughts to the officers and Jo Huiyeong without adding or omitting anything.
“It seems this case is related to a new type of item.”
“A new item?!”
Jo Huiyeong listened carefully, wondering what he meant.
Nam Gyuil began his explanation.
“It seems they used an item that moves through space to teleport to the hideout without even the members knowing. Surely it was to avoid exposing their travel route.”
“But how can you be sure an item is involved? We investigated whether such items exist, but there weren’t any. There were no such cases overseas either.”
“Take a look at this.”
Nam Gyuil showed them the ring Im Yeongsu had drawn.
“Did you investigate where this ring was purchased?”
Then the officers answered.
“We investigated, but we still haven’t found where it was purchased. There was no branded product like this either.”
Nam Gyuil put forth his deduction.
“What if this ring was obtained from a Gate? What if that’s why no matter how much you investigate, the purchase location doesn’t come up?”
At Nam Gyuil’s words, the officers fell silent.
If that was true, the case made sense from beginning to end.
Moreover, it explained why even the Korean National Police, with their advanced investigative techniques, couldn’t find the ring’s purchase source.
However, if that were true, the problem became much bigger.
Since the Jayumin leaders could teleport, couldn’t they escape easily at any time?
They had to conclude that catching them was virtually impossible.
Just as the officers’ expressions darkened, Nam Gyuil resumed the interrupted conversation.
“Perhaps there may be another criminal organization behind Jayumin.”
“We predicted that much too.”
The officers had moved based on that prediction as well.
For Jayumin, comprised of deserters, to grow into such a criminal organization, outside help was essential.
The corners of Nam Gyuil’s lips rose.
“Then, what remains now is the investigation.”
“Investigation?”
When the officer raised his eyebrows and asked again, Nam Gyuil answered once more.
“Yes. A sting operation.”