Chapter 220: What I Want to Do (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 220: What I Want to Do (9)
In an instant, everyone in the lobby turned to look.
Among the crowd, the most startled person was, naturally, the Director, who had just seen a sofa fly right in front of his face. Unable to hide his flustered state, he turned his head and locked eyes with Yellow, who was glaring at him fiercely.
"Hey, Director. It’s been a while, hasn't it?"
"What the hell are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Yellow’s actions were enough to rattle anyone. The Director raised his voice, but Yellow showed no sign of backing down.
"Sorry. I was just so glad to see you that my greeting got a bit intense."
Even as he shouted, the Director seemed to realize he didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to Team Hunter Killer. He scowled but didn't add anything else.
"It’s been so hard to see your face lately. I wonder if you’ve been enjoying yourself while hiding from us?"
"Hiding? Who’s hiding?! I’m busy as hell because of those Guerrilla bastards."
No one in the lobby watching this scene—including Yellow—believed his claim that he was busy cleaning up Team Guerrilla’s mess.
While it was true that the terror incident had caused many problems, the Director had always either quietly handled Team Guerrilla’s various accidents behind the scenes or ignored them entirely.
It was as if he knew that, in the end, it was the Superhumans, not the Earth Defense Union, who would take the blame and the insults.
"So, where did those Guerrilla bastards go?"
Early on, it had been announced to everyone at the Seoul Headquarters that all members of Team Guerrilla, except for Gainsborough, were under police investigation. However, before long, talk of the investigation stopped circulating internally.
Team Hunter Killer had barely shown up to the office since the incident, but they were still aware of the internal issues.
As more time passed, all talk regarding Team Guerrilla vanished. Rumors circulated that the higher-ups had ordered them moved to a safe house, and whenever reporters came to the headquarters to investigate, the Director was conveniently absent.
"The terror attack happened right under our noses that day. Don't you think it's a bit strange that there’s been total silence?"
Team Hunter Killer wasn't directly involved in the terror incident. On paper, they were simply preparing for a duel near the site and happened to encounter the Spacetro executives after hearing the news.
Of course, there was nothing factually incorrect about that story. It just omitted the parts about A; the overall context remained the same.
Considering they were there that day and that Spacetro’s Team 3—the victims of the attack—were Team Hunter Killer’s primary rivals, the girls had every right to be informed about the investigation.
Yet, they hadn't been told a single thing.
"This has nothing to do with you girls. I don't have time to deal with you right—"
The moment the Director tried to brush past Yellow, she kicked a structural pillar of the building.
With a loud crack, the side of the pillar shattered, sending debris falling. Yellow scowled and glared at the Director.
Knowing full well that Yellow was more than capable of actually harming him, the Director froze like a statue.
In truth, Yellow didn't care that much about the terror incident itself.
To be precise, she didn't care about the aftermath.
It was certain that Team Guerrilla had targeted A, and they had been taken in for questioning. Even if they were being hidden away in a safe house, public sentiment had turned so sour that they wouldn't be able to resume normal activities.
If she ran into them, she’d punch them in the face immediately, but she knew there was nothing to be gained by raging against people who weren't there.
The most important thing to her was that A, who had been caught in the blast, had returned safely.
If she saw them, she’d beat them until the dust flew, but since they were out of sight, she didn't give them much thought.
Even now, she didn't particularly want to argue with the Director. If Red hadn't been working in the Director’s office, Yellow wouldn't have even acknowledged him in the lobby.
However, regardless of Red’s mission, the Director's words rubbed her the wrong way.
"Nothing to do with us?"
Yellow wasn't the type to feel a great sense of responsibility toward her work as a Superhuman. Already exhausted by the constant public criticism, she viewed her activities as a job she clung to for no reason other than the fact that, as a Superhuman, she had nowhere else to go.
But just because she lacked a sense of duty didn't mean she could tolerate her work being belittled.
Regardless of her personal feelings, the fact remained that she had consistently performed her duties as a Superhuman for years.
"You think everything that comes out of that hole in your face is a valid point, you piece of shit? 'Nothing to do with us'? A bomb goes off right next to us and all that chaos ensues, and you say it has nothing to do with us?"
As Yellow approached him with a furrowed brow and veins popping on her forehead, the Director recoiled in fear.
"W-what?! Are you going to use violence against a civilian just because you're a Superhuman—"
"I will."
"...What?"
"I've seen exactly what those Guerrilla bastards have been doing all this time. You really think I won't cave your face in right now?"
As she spoke, Yellow clenched her fist. The murderous intent radiating from her rapidly chilled the surrounding air.
Team Hunter Killer had many grievances against the Director. He was one of the reasons Yellow had grown so weary of being a Superhuman.
She was sick of his attitude—always demanding better results, always wanting something more even when they won their duels.
Then, the Director had forced Team Guerrilla and Team 3 to fight just to manipulate the performance metrics, and Team Guerrilla had been utterly crushed.
Yellow was well aware of Team Guerrilla’s atrocities. It was impossible not to know. Though she didn't feel much responsibility now, she was once someone who had tried to improve the public perception of Superhumans.
Naturally, she had no intention of becoming the same kind of Superhuman as Team Guerrilla, but it wasn't entirely impossible that she might hit the Director with enough force to kill him, just to vent all her pent-up frustration.
"Y-you! Who do you think you are, threatening me! You're nothing but a disposable tool, a mere Superhuman!"
Though he was terrified, the Director refused to lose a power struggle against a Superhuman. As he shouted, Yellow raised her fist, but Blue, who had been watching from the side, grabbed her hand.
"Yellow."
The good-natured Blue was equally displeased with the Director’s tone and attitude. However, there was a specific reason Yellow was holding the Director here.
Besides, Yellow beating the Director to a pulp wouldn't actually achieve anything.
When Blue’s usually gentle voice called out to her with a cold edge, Yellow quickly regained her reason and looked at her friend.
Blue was showing Yellow her smartphone. On the screen was a text from Red: 'Done.'
Yellow took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Watch yourself for a while. Because I might actually crack your skull open next time."
She had suppressed her impulse to strike, but her anger hadn't vanished. Still radiating killing intent, Yellow gave the Director a final warning. The Director, dripping with cold sweat, watched her warily. Once he saw she was no longer about to attack, he scrambled away toward the elevator.
"A disposable tool..."
She would never let his words truly hurt her. But what he said lingered. While the Director had always treated Superhumans as disposable, this was the first time he had explicitly called them that.
Disposable tools, experiments. Words related to Superhumans floated through her mind, but she shook her head to drive them away, fearing she’d fall into a spiral of negative thoughts.
"Are you okay?"
Blue asked softly, noticing that Yellow didn't look well. Yellow stood still for a moment before nodding at Blue.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
A short while later, Red, Pink, and Green came down to the lobby via the elevator.
"Did it go well?"
"Yeah. We almost ran into the Director on the way down, but he seemed to be in a foul mood and didn't even notice us."
It seemed Yellow’s confrontation had been effective; even after going upstairs, the Director hadn't spared a glance for the other members of Team Hunter Killer.
"So, will we finally find out more about Superhumans now?"
"First, we need to get home."
Green asked hopefully, wondering if they were about to discover something unexpected now that the mission was a success. Red answered calmly.
There might be information about Superhumans. Or they might be disappointed by completely irrelevant data.
Since they wouldn't know the outcome until they met A at home, they headed back without letting their expectations get too high or low.
*
After the duel ended and I returned to the headquarters, I sat down at my desk immediately, not even taking the time to change out of my suit.
After receiving the text from Yubin, I turned on the computer and waited. Soon, a notification appeared stating that the password had been entered on the computer where the USB was plugged in.
As soon as the data transfer began, numerous windows popped up on the screen, indicating that files were being moved.
With the network disconnected, I was transferring every document, photo, and access log remaining on that computer. Would I be able to find the information I wanted in there?
Whatever the case, I didn't think it would take long to get a result. No matter how difficult it might be, digging through the records on a single computer was easier than scouring Spacetro’s entire database.
It took about five minutes to transfer all the data. The moment it finished, a text arrived from Yubin: 'Done.'
After a brief reply, I immediately began sifting through the moved data.
The first keyword I searched for was 'Superhuman.' I wasn't sure if the documents would use that exact term, but I figured something would come up.
What caught my eye was 'Second Half Superhuman Performance Settlement Details.' Naturally, the first half was there too, along with annual settlement reports for several years.
Settlement. In other words, it was about money.
The most important thing was information regarding Superhumans—for instance, what the experimental process was like, whether those experiments were still ongoing, where the Superhuman Research Institute was located, and so on.
I needed practical information immediately, but I have five Superhumans as girlfriends, and I know their domestic situations better than anyone else at Spacetro.
I couldn't bring myself to ignore a file with that name. I clicked it, and as soon as the document opened, I searched for my girlfriends' names within the ledger.
"What the...?"
I wasn't even sure what emotion I was feeling as the words left my mouth. What I was seeing was beyond absurd; it was preposterous.
I knew what Team Hunter Killer’s salary was. The money the girls received for fighting and winning duels for a month was barely enough to cover their phone bills and utilities.
Because of that, Yubin and Yura worked part-time jobs, and Hayoung hadn't even been able to move out on her own until she met me.
Eunha had various issues because of money as well, and while Su-ah was financially comfortable, it was a fact that she wasn't being paid proportionally to her performance.
The Superhumans—Team Hunter Killer—were fighting Spacetro every week under the guise of protecting the Earth, yet they weren't receiving the treatment or the compensation they deserved.
That was the fact I had known until now, and the reality they were living.
"One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million..."
The amounts written in the settlement ledger... the wages supposedly paid to Team Hunter Killer were easily ten times more than what I knew they actually received.
"What the fuck?"
The curse word escaped me automatically, like a trigger being pulled on a loaded gun.
Getting angry wouldn't solve the puzzle, so I forced myself to cool down and scanned the ledger again.
Realizing one ledger wouldn't be enough, I began digging through every document related to the settlements.
My blood continued to boil throughout the process, and sensing my foul mood, no one in the office dared to approach me.
"Are you fucking kidding me... this is unbelievable."
The amounts paid to my girlfriends over the past few years were completely different from what I had been told. Team Hunter Killer’s salary was not much different from the Earth-equivalent of the wages I received at Spacetro.
Furthermore, their wages had been steadily increasing over the last few years, and I confirmed they were receiving higher performance bonuses than other teams that had lost their duels.
Yet, the reality I knew was that their wages hadn't changed in years and the money they actually received was a pittance.
I sat there and traced the source of the money. It didn't take long to find.
"That son of a bitch."
As I continued to curse under my breath, the results confirmed it: the wages meant for my girlfriends were going straight into the Director’s pockets.
Under various pretexts, money intended for several Superhumans was being diverted to him. The amount he had embezzled over the years reached into the billions of won.
If this money had been paid out normally, my girlfriends' lives would have been far more affluent.
The thought sent my rage peaking again. I kept pounding away at the keyboard to find more details.
"Look at that expression. It's a work of art."
Theo, who had finished changing out of his suit, was watching A from a distance. A had been staring intensely at his computer for quite some time.
Roy, who came out after changing, glanced at A and let out a hollow laugh.
"What’s with the Senior? Why is he making a face like that?"
"Who knows. Probably something pissed him off."
"He had that exact same look back when the engine exploded while he was repairing it in the hangar. Let's not say anything to him today. His old personality might come out if we push it."
Having known A for a long time, Theo and Roy could tell just by his expression that he was beyond furious. Realizing today was a day they shouldn't mess with him even slightly, they turned their backs and walked away.