HYDP C20

Chapter 20

Meanwhile, the moment Cheonguk stepped out of the pawnshop, he headed straight for the Bureau.

To summarize the situation: both his wrists were cuffed. Even just a glance at the way he sat jangling the cuffs in the interrogation room chair made him look insolent. On his face sat a look as if he’d done nothing wrong.

“Team Lead Cheon. We need to understand the incident, so please speak honestly. Staying silent like this is very unlike you.”

“……”

“Explain why you assaulted Team Lead Gu Pilju of Team 2. There’s no reason to drag this out. You know better than this—why are you doing this?”

“New here? Haven’t seen you before.”

“…Sigh. Team Lead Cheon, this is grounds for serious disciplinary action.”

The newly assigned officer seemed somewhat cowed by his force, but tried to proceed with the interview as calmly as possible. However, seeing he clearly had no intention of being questioned, the officer resigned himself to working late.

He tried, in a slightly sharper tone, a few more times, but Cheonguk only lifted his bound hands to scratch between his brows. The only sounds in the quiet room were the rattle of cuffs and long sighs.

Time passed, but his mouth stayed shut. At last, the officer kneaded his stiff neck and exhaled deeply. His own patience was reaching a limit after hours of silence.

Then, the interrogation room door slammed open like it would come off its hinges. The man who entered was Deputy Director Baek Cheon-jung.

“Hey, Cheonguk. You little—what the hell is this?”

“……”

“Why’d you put a guy you don’t even know—Gu Pilju—on the verge of being crippled? What set you off this time?”

Unlike the officer, Cheon-jung knew how to handle him. Dragging a chair, he sat right in front of him and spoke carefully.

Why would you, of all people, do this? What changed? With a face twitching like it might spasm, he looked at him. Finally, the lips sealed tight began slowly to part.

“My kid getting hurt? That was all that bastard’s doing.”

“…What?”

“Did some digging on the way here.”

“……”

“He’s the one in charge of that project. Gu Pilju.”

The unexpected reason robbed him of words. A memory he’d forgotten—or tried very hard to—reared up. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and set it between his lips. His face had shifted entirely.

To understand why he did what he did at the office, you had to rewind a few hours.

A few hours earlier,

Leaving the pawnshop, he climbed into the Jinx with a silly smile. The predawn cold hunched his shoulders, but even that felt good.

One face wouldn’t leave his head. No matter how he tried to push it away, it drifted back to coax him—Sanhong’s face. At this point, it was like a household shrine.

…A guardian angel come to fetch a good man who’d done many bad things?

Marveling that he really had gone mad, he gripped the wheel and chuckled. Nearly manic. Then he hurriedly placed a call. It rang, connected.

[Why. Do you know what time it is?]

“You know the Prominence Project.”

[…Why that all of a sudden?]

“Do you or don’t you. Answer. Fast.”

The voice was Suho’s. Groggy and clearly rattled by the question, he was stunned into silence, and before he could think, the barrage kept coming; he couldn’t get his balance.

“Yes or no, you little—don’t think. Say it.”

[…Boss, at least give me a second to think—how am I supposed—ah, wait. You’ve got to give me time to look it up!]

“Slow. Move it.”

[Sigh… one second.]

Under the fusillade, he made a quiet vow. I’m really quitting. For real.

“If you quit, you’ll live under my watch the rest of your life. Quit with that in mind.”

[…I know.]

How he read his mind so cleanly gave him chills.

He flipped through files fast, while the barrage kept pecking his ear. Slow, how did you ever work at that speed, I’m posting your position—that kind of bomb of words.

Finally, he spoke.

[Ah—by any chance, ‘Killing Yeon Sanhong?’]

“You little shit. Who are you killing.”

[…No, it’s written right here. Under Prominence Project, subtitle: Kill Yeon Sanhong. Ah—access forbidden. Says no authorization.]

“How’d you open it.”

[I hacked it?]

Reporting his illegal access without shame, he chuckled and scrolled rough.

“So who’s in charge.”

[Let’s see… says ‘Gu Pilju.’ Current Team Lead, Team 2.]

“Send me that bastard’s location.”

He floored the gas. Thankfully it was early enough that the roads were empty, but there was no avoiding traffic violations. The fines would be filed under occupational hazard, of course.

[Location trace? No need. He’s showing in the office. Pulling an all-nighter? Why the sudden interest.]

“Something came up. So he’s at the office now.”

[Yes. But boss—are you going to kill him?]

Asked like “Have you eaten?” And he answered without a beat’s hesitation.

“Yeah.”

[If you cause a scene in-house, you get suspended. How about luring him out and handling it there?]

“No time. I want him dead fast.”

[Need support? I can head out now.]

Always complaining, and somehow they still worked in lockstep.

“You’re in rut or whatever. Forget it.”

[Please. Obviously I got the shot. That expensive suppression treatment. Ten million won.]

Boasting about the Alpha-only pheromone suppression shot he’d had on leave, he only half listened and let it pass.

[Anyway, I’ll text you the location—you already know. And—looks like this guy drafted the first spec for ‘Kill Yeon Sanhong.’]

“……”

[Again, I’m saying—killing is—]

He hung up before he finished and stomped the accelerator, arriving at the Bureau in a blink. The automated system was running at that hour, but the security recognized his Jinx and let him in without question.

A gut-feel said he had to see the papers himself, so he headed to Administration. He had no ID, but the night guards recognized him, made way, and didn’t forget their bow.

“Good evening.”

He ignored it, headed deeper to the person from the call.

At the classified archives, the waiting staffer met his eyes. As if expecting it, he let him in and shut the door quick.

Carefully, like afraid of being seen, he closed it and bowed.

“Good evening, Team Lead Cheon. Kim Kang-ju, Classified Management. I heard from Suho.”

“Ah.”

“Here’s the Prominence file you requested. Review at your leisure and hand it back to me. We’re providing the original to avoid leaving a record—please understand.”

“Security’s trash. Amazing this place still runs.”

Holding the paper, he smirked down at him. Kang-ju hesitated, then spoke slowly.

“This place is just a dump. The least rotten ones climb.”

“Mm. Right.”

“I’m trash too, so it’s fine. Consider this—night-shift revenge on a garbage company.”

Bowing politely to the end, he said he’d wait outside and slipped away.

Do friends flock? Something of the same flavor as Suho clung to him; leaving Kang-ju behind, he rang Suho again.

“Your boyfriend just handed me the file.”

[…Who are you calling my boyfriend? I could actually kill my boss, you know.]

“Heh.”

A little joke to wake him—immediately prickling and dropping his voice made it funny. While keeping the line open, he leafed through the Prominence dossier.

“So, the plan is: strip him down to the bone and suck him dry, then toss him in the trash when he’s no use? Fucking bastards.”

[As you know, Mr. Yeon didn’t die in the process. He was hospitalized, then listed missing. Only recently rediscovered.]

“Hospital? Why the hell a hospital…”

Inside the classified file, there was careful record of what he’d never known about him. Tastes, frequent haunts, favorite foods—everything, down to the last detail.

“This Gu Pilju prick—must’ve stared at him a lot, huh? Wrote his tastes down like a pervert.”

[It’s quite specific, yes.]

“What’s his designation.”

[Alpha.]

“Figures. Low-grade Alpha trash. Should wipe them all out and bury them.”

[…That was fairly derogatory.]

“Alphas can choke on it.”