#68
Dal-pyeong, who had lived traveling here and there for quite a long time and experiencing various things, knew quite well about the traces of how this world had rolled. The information that came from his mouth was quite concrete and credible.
“Now that much time has passed and hunters have become a natural part of the world, there probably aren’t many people who remember those times.”
Except for old folks like me. Dal-pyeong added wearily while crossing his arms. Do-hyeok and Ha-seong fell into silent thought. The disappeared military organization, the special forces that resisted until the end. It felt like they were gradually seeing the thread.
“Well, is there anything more you want to ask?”
“No.”
Ha-seong shook his head. This information alone was enough. Dal-pyeong said he understood and went into his room, leaving words not to disturb him since he had to put the finishing touches on his remaining work.
“What if the reason for killing hunters was out of hatred for hunters?”
Ha-seong’s voice echoed softly through the living room where silence had settled after Dal-pyeong disappeared.
“The motive is sufficient.”
Do-hyeok also nodded as if agreeing. They had worked hard for the country and devoted themselves, but what came back in the end was neglect and organizational dissolution. People were enthusiastic about new things and didn’t even pay attention to things that were sadly disappearing. They must have felt resentful and wronged. If they tried to express those feelings in the wrong direction, if they tried to purely release their hatred for hunters directly onto hunters, it would explain the motive for the two murder cases.
In the end, the perpetrator of these two murders was very likely one of those special forces members.
“But there’s one thing we need to address.”
However, that didn’t completely resolve the questions.
“We’re assuming this murder case is by the same perpetrator who caused the artificial gates in the past.”
“For now, yes.”
The memo found at the scene was identical to the clue from that incident 10 years ago. So Ha-seong and Do-hyeok were guessing that the perpetrator of this murder case was the same as that guy from back then.
“If the perpetrator of this murder case is one of those special forces members as grandfather said, does that mean he’s the one who artificially manipulated gates?”
But if he remained a soldier until the end, he would have been an ordinary person who hadn’t awakened. Actually, in both murder cases, the perpetrator used ordinary guns and knives. At first, they thought a hunter was using ordinary weapons to avoid revealing their identity, but that wasn’t it.
“Can someone who isn’t an awakened person tamper with gates?”
Questions about the connection between the two incidents still remained. If the perpetrator was really the same person, it meant a soldier had manipulated gates to open dungeons, and on top of that, even killed hunters. If so, the motive could be called hatred toward this world, but it still felt unsettling.
“I don’t know. The guy who was a soldier could have awakened belatedly. And you said there was an accomplice when hyung got shot. We should also consider the possibility that he’s not acting alone.”
The guy who shot Ha-seong wasn’t the one wearing the cloak. He was definitely shot by someone else who took advantage of his distracted moment. As Do-hyeok said, for now the possibility of an accomplice was high.
“Once we catch the guy, we’ll be able to get information.”
Cha Do-hyeok was right. Anyway, what was important now was catching the perpetrator of this case. Then they’d be able to find out anything through him. When that happens, this unsettling feeling would also disappear.
Probably.
* * *
The day after learning new facts from Dal-pyeong, Ha-seong got into Do-hyeok’s car, who had come to pick him up at lunchtime just like last time. From the now-familiar passenger seat, Ha-seong naturally reached out with his left arm to fasten his seatbelt.
As they say, humans are animals of adaptation – he was gradually getting used to his left hand. Thanks to getting shot, he had gained another ability of being ambidextrous. Otherwise, getting face-washed by Cha Do-hyeok every morning felt quite strange, but now it seemed he could graduate from that ordeal.
As Ha-seong was about to touch the belt with such hopeful dreams, a hand suddenly came in from the side. Cha Do-hyeok leaned toward the passenger seat and his face suddenly came close. Ha-seong blinked his round eyes and stared blankly at his handsome profile.
“Belt.”
At the close distance, Do-hyeok made brief eye contact and pulled out the belt to fasten it for him. Then he casually returned to his position and released the side brake.
“……I can do it now.”
Ha-seong, who had been dazed for a moment, seemed to snap back to his senses and spoke while clearing his throat. Fastening a seatbelt wasn’t that difficult, and it was perfectly doable even with his unfamiliar left hand.
“Yes.”
But Do-hyeok responded indifferently as if he was going to do it anyway and stepped on the accelerator. Ha-seong cleared his throat again for no reason and focused on the front. Why did he suddenly come in close like that? Thanks to that, his heart was a bit startled. Maybe it was because he was getting older day by day – he seemed to be getting startled by trivial things.
“Did you contact Woo-bin-ssi?”
“Yes. But hyung. How long are you going to use that title?”
“Title? What title?”
“I was wondering why you call Yoon Woo-bin ‘Woo-bin-ssi.'”
Ha-seong frowned as he was and glared at Do-hyeok who was turning the steering wheel. No, he couldn’t understand how that guy’s head was wired to be so obsessed with such useless things. Besides, if he didn’t call him that, how else was he supposed to address Woo-bin?
“Then what should I call him? Should I suggest we drop formalities since he’s younger than me? Call him Woo-bin like you do?”
“……”
Then Cha Do-hyeok became quiet. Taking advantage of being stopped at a traffic light, he thought about something deeply, then soon shook his head with a determined expression.
“Woo-bin-ssi is better than that. Calling him Woo-bin doesn’t seem right.”
At that answer, Ha-seong sighed. Frankly speaking, whether he called Yoon Woo-bin ‘Woo-bin-ssi’ or ‘Woo-bin,’ what business was it of Cha Do-hyeok’s? Whatever title he used, it had no impact on him at all.
Moreover, it was quite funny for someone who spoke casually even to elders to talk about titles.
“But aren’t we going to the Management Bureau?”
Ha-seong asked while looking at the changed scenery outside the window. The route seemed a bit different from when they went to the Management Bureau last time. Back then they had moved through downtown overflowing with high-rise buildings and countless cars, but now the scenery was becoming quite secluded as they went further.
The high-rise buildings disappeared and lush trees and forests could be seen, and on the road there were only about one or two cars besides Do-hyeok’s.
“We’re going according to the address Yoon Woo-bin gave us.”
Come to think of it, the address on the navigation wasn’t the Management Bureau. If they were going to the Management Bureau in the first place, Cha Do-hyeok wouldn’t have even turned on the navigation.
After driving for over 30 minutes from home, the car finally stopped at its destination. Ha-seong slowly got out and looked around at the surrounding scenery. It was an open view. In front was a huge hanok. The hanok, which clearly showed its age, overflowed with an antique atmosphere. Mountains surrounded it, and in front of the hanok, a huge lake calmly showed off its appearance.
“Let’s go in.”
Do-hyeok, perhaps already familiar with the place, casually crossed the threshold of the hanok. Then a middle-aged woman dressed in modified hanbok came out from inside and greeted him with a smile.
“I received the contact. The person who made the reservation has already arrived and is inside.”
Following the woman’s guidance, the two slowly entered the hanok. From what he could see, it seemed like a restaurant serving traditional Korean food, but the atmosphere was quite different from ordinary establishments. Tables were completely separated by sections, existing as independent spaces, and there didn’t seem to be that many rooms to begin with. The employees who appeared to be staff were all wearing neat modified hanbok.
In other words, it didn’t seem to be an ordinary restaurant where you could come and eat whenever you wanted.
“This way.”
The woman who guided the two to the very last room carefully opened the door.
“You came earlier than I thought.”
Yoon Woo-bin was already seated inside. When Ha-seong and Do-hyeok entered, the woman quietly closed the door. Then, as if they were in a space cut off from the world, all external noise was blocked and it felt like only the three of them remained here.
“Come sit. Hurry up and sit, Ha-seong-ssi.”
Woo-bin pointed to the opposite side of the table. Food was already prepared on the table. Various Korean dishes were each showing off their colorful appearance, and Ha-seong’s impression upon seeing them was this:
‘This must be incredibly expensive.’
If it was clearly course meals eaten in such a private space, the price would be enormous.
“Why call us here? How troublesome.”
“I knew you’d say that. This is perfect as a place where we can talk quietly among ourselves. It would also look strange if Do-hyeok kept coming and going to the Management Bureau.”
This Korean restaurant was a place where information wasn’t even posted on the internet. In other words, it was a place where only those who knew could come, and those who could come did, mainly visited by people with honor or power when they wanted to dine quietly among themselves.
For Woo-bin, who sometimes dealt with higher-ups as a core team member at the Management Bureau, it was quite a familiar place, and Do-hyeok had also heard of it.
“Besides, we’ve never eaten together. It’s a bit much for people in the same boat not to share even one meal.”
“You speak well.”
Despite Do-hyeok’s blunt response, Woo-bin suggested they eat first before talking. Ha-seong busily took in the foods he was seeing for the first time and moved his hands diligently.
When the plates were somewhat empty, employees came in to clear the table completely and brought desserts and tea. The woman who had guided Do-hyeok and Ha-seong to this place personally brewed tea and placed teacups in front of each of the three.
“Now then, shall we talk? From what I can see, you two seem to have brought quite decisive information.”
“Right.”
Woo-bin nodded as if he had expected this. This meeting today was first proposed by Do-hyeok’s side. Since it seemed like they had discovered something and wanted to meet, he had deliberately chosen a place where words would absolutely never leak out, and it turned out to be exactly right.
“I also found out something. Can I speak first?”
When Do-hyeok nodded, Woo-bin took out a file from his bag and opened it. Inside were photos of the crime scene and a paper with someone’s personal information written on it.
“This is about the second case victim.”
Looking at the photos closely, as Woo-bin said, they were photos of the incident that occurred on Item Street.
“The name is Yoo Su-bin. Like victim Kang Seong-hyeon, quite young.”
Ha-seong went through the victim’s information written on the paper.
“While investigating these two cases, I focused on whether there might be common characteristics between the two victims.”
“So? Are there commonalities besides similar age?”
When Do-hyeok asked sharply, Woo-bin leisurely sipped his tea.
“At first I thought there was nothing else, but there’s something that strangely fits. What guild did you say the first victim Kang Seong-hyeon belonged to?”
“Myeongwol.”
When Ha-seong answered, Woo-bin nodded like a teacher saying “correct.”
“Second victim Yoo Su-bin. Due to the guild’s closed atmosphere, accessing information was a bit delayed, but do you know which guild Yoo Su-bin belonged to?”
“Where?”
“Heukcheon.”
At Woo-bin’s words, Ha-seong’s eyes narrowed.
“Moreover, both Yoo Su-bin and Kang Seong-hyeon were new guild members who had just joined their respective guilds.”
Hearing Woo-bin’s words, there were parts that strangely fit together.
“Myeongwol, then Heukcheon. Where do you think is next?”
“……Nameless.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
