Chapter 333
Chapter 333
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 333
Chapter Title: Interview
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Chapter 333
Interview
Park Kwang-rim (28 years old, detective and broker)
What do I think of Kim Shin-hwa?
A moneybags?
Hahaha, that's not a very nice way to put it.
To be honest, that's what I thought at first.
In this country, you can buy anything with money, right?
People, safety, the future, family. Everything comes down to cash.
But the more time passed, the more my thinking changed. Sure, I got paid a ton of money... but it wasn't just about the money.
He's an incredible person.
How could someone young enough to be my little brother have such amazing abilities...? He was really cool.
When Kim Shin-hwa moves, everything changes.
Everything he touches transforms in a completely different way. He can achieve anything, and he can become anything himself.
Being around him helped me figure out what I really wanted.
Money? The reason you need money is the potential it gives you to do something, right? That's the kind of person Kim Shin-hwa is.
Kim Shin-hwa will change this world in a whole new way.
We won't need to look for new places or safer spots anymore. His side will be the safest place there is.
* * *
Park Kwang-rim spilling his thoughts without any reservation, speaking as if he were genuinely enjoying himself.
Must be the effect of the [Aroma Pipe] infused with abyssal power.
But as the interview with Park Kwang-rim continued, it became clear that this fragrance had its limits.
Even afterward, he rambled on excessively, but he didn't reveal any information that could be critically harmful to me or himself.
The [Aroma Pipe] merely made Gafurum feel friendly and trustworthy as a conversation partner.
In summary, it was similar to the effect of the 'Professor's' [Flag of the Open Mind; Targets within the flag's influence will respond to your conversations.] from before?
Before Park Kwang-rim could say anything even more embarrassing, I pulled another memory from Gafurum's mind.
What mattered was what information Gafurum had gathered from the Hungry Manor.
Shrrrrr-
Memories segmented by keywords, flowing by rapidly.
Information on the other people Gafurum had met flashed past quickly.
* * *
Moon Seung-hee responding to Gafurum's interview.
Long hair swept to the left. Taller than Gafurum. Dressed in casual business attire, looser than usual.
"Kim Shin-hwa...? Yeonam Construction has no connection to that person whatsoever."
"Hmm-"
A short sigh from Gafurum.
Gafurum's gaze dropped to the notebook in his hand, then returned to Moon Seung-hee's sculpted face.
Her expression had softened a bit already? Probably the harmony caused by the fragrance mixed in that sigh just now.
"Then, may I ask something else? There was an incident at Seoraksan recently, right? I'd like to hear about the [contract mage] you hired short-term at that time."
"That mage..."
* * *
Moon Seung-hee (34 years old, Yeonam Construction executive)
The incident...
It was a massive disaster.
Everything was chaos, and no one could figure out how to respond.
If it weren't for him, things probably wouldn't have turned out as well as they did. I might not even be sitting here right now.
So really... I'm so grateful to him.
The things precious to me. The things I have to protect. The things I can't change. What I have to do. The direction I need to go...
And the future.
He gave me all of that. I hope I can see him again soon.
Outside of business matters...?
If my oppa were still alive, he would've felt like that man...
Huh? Oh... no, sorry. I misspoke just now. Please leave that part out.
* * *
Curtain Call (age unknown, bodyguard)
That recorder looks tasty?
Kim Shin-hwa? Who's that? Huh? Oh, that guy?
Worked with him a few times. He was good at the job. Knew a lot of weird stuff.
(To his colleagues) Hey, a million times better than you lot.
What? Where is he now?
What kinda question is that? How the hell should I know?
Huh? Oh, his appearance?
Heh- Dude looks freaky.
Has some weird thing instead of a head, four eyes... total nutjob. (To his colleagues) Huh? Bahu, you wanna die?
Ah, screw it. I'm done!
* * *
Low partitions haphazardly dividing the vast indoor space.
An enormous number of desks crammed together.
Mountains of paperwork piled on every desk.
Phone rings. Voices. Shouts. Occasional thuds.
"Ah, that's Team Leader Yang Seo-ho's desk over there. He'll be here soon, so could you wait just a moment?"
A woman with a build reminiscent of Kwak Dae-yong—broad shoulders on a frame similar in height to Jang Hyun-deok—and a round, kindly face.
Im Hee-young. She's a civil servant at the Alien Administration Bureau, but not a particularly prominent NPC.
She called it a desk, but it looked more like a solid chunk of metal crudely hacked into shape.
Handprints stamped all over that metal slab.
Yeah, looks like Yang Seo-ho's desk alright.
"What are those name tags?"
Gafurum's innocent question.
A wide bulletin board plastered with civil servant ID badges.
All different names.
They all seem to belong to different people, and there must be hundreds of them.
Im Hee-young paused with a hum before answering.
"They're from retirees. The team leader... keeps them to remember them."
"Ahh- I see."
Gafurum examined the IDs as he spoke.
I silently gazed through Gafurum's eyes at what was essentially a memorial of ID badges.
His gaze stopped at the one at the very end—the most recently pinned to the board.
Gafurum slowly reached out toward the ID with the name Shin Woo-jin on it.
At that moment.
"Hey, what the hell? Get outta there!"
"T-Team Leader!?"
Im Hee-young's voice came out almost like a scream. The room fell silent in an instant.
Yang Seo-ho had arrived.
Through Gafurum's eyes—who had no special traits beyond a few minor limitations, making him no different from an ordinary person—Yang Seo-ho was utterly overwhelming.
Visually, he was a head shorter than Im Hee-young standing in front of Gafurum, with shoulders half as wide, an utterly average build.
Yet he exuded the presence of a beast or predator.
A surreal monster.
Or a murderous demon.
The bizarre intensity that defies common sense, something otherworldly beings might emit.
A sheer cliff.
A horrific explosion.
An endless mountain range.
An immense presence pressing in so hard it distorted visual perception.
A delusion of his throat being slit in an instant.
Overly vivid imagery of death.
Instinct screaming to flee this very spot.
An absurd terror that choked the breath just by standing there.
Bluish glints flashing like lightning from the two holes punched in his face—no, his eyes.
No, it wasn't actual light emanating.
That's just how Gafurum perceived it.
Anyone 'ordinary' facing Yang Seo-ho realizes they're prey before a predator.
In fact, Gafurum felt more terror than if he'd been stripped naked and confronted a massive tiger in the mountains.
"You're that reporter?"
Yang Seo-ho's question.
"Ah....... Uuugh......"
A condition commonly called 'baptism' or 'Yang Seo-ho Shock' at the Alien Administration Bureau.
Speech fails, breathing quickens, cold sweat pours, legs tremble, stomach knots.
In severe cases...
Vision blacks out.
Yeah, fainting happens too.
* * *
Terrifying.
But I'm not digging through Gafurum's memories for this kind of info.
Not this...
I spotted Jang Hyun-deok amid the scattering memories.
'Ah, there you are.'
Head wrapped in bandages, crouching near a used car lot on the outskirts of Paju with a gloomy expression.
A faint bloodstain seeping through one side of the bandages. Scratching it again already? I told him not to so many times.
It was bad enough that a guy with a hole in his head was sneaking out and wandering a sketchy area...
"Sss- Hooo..."
He was holding two cigarettes in one hand.
One between index and middle finger.
Another between middle and ring.
Lighting up both at once, Jang Hyun-deok looked up at Gafurum with the most delinquent expression imaginable.
"How'd you find me?"
Jang Hyun-deok rose slowly, wariness plain.
Hunched posture. Furrowed brow. Sour cigarette stench.
A sinister aura swirling around him.
Through another's eyes, Jang Hyun-deok looked like a highly dangerous, unstable outlaw—and at the same time, a sorcerer wielding ominous power.
'Well, a possessed punk is what he is.'
But the tuberose scent Gafurum emitted had the power to melt even the wariness of an outlaw who'd prowled sketchy areas for over six years. By the end of the long interview, questions about me came up.
* * *
Jang Hyun-deok (22 years old, trucking)
What kind of guy is that mage?
He's a really cool bro. The absolute best.
Ah, not my real brother or anything. We met on a job, and I never thought I'd run into someone like that in this shithole neighborhood full of psychos.
Wish he were my real brother...
Huh? How old is he?
Huh? Like 23? One or two years older than me. But he's crazy smart.
Still, he nags like crazy—argh—sometimes I wanna lose my mind.
You see my head? It's fine, really? And he won't even let me smoke.
If I don't smoke—I've been hearing weird shit lately...
What do I want from the mage?
Oh, this is it. Yeah, that. Haha! Video letter! Ah, no video? Eh, whatever.
Mage dude. You watching? Ah, no video, right.
Thanks for always, y'know, helping me out like that.
I'm in a bit of a spot right now. Head's healing, but...
Eh. Screw it, no more freeloading. Mage dude, fighting! Woo!
How's that?
Ah, I've been crashing at his place for a while lately.
He's a real good guy, but man, I bet he's pissed as hell because of me. Time to get my shit together and go home.
Anyway, that's my goal these days.
Gotta get a car first if I wanna do anything.
Ah, yeah. Came here today to check out some rides.
See this used car lot? Gonna get back into secure taxi driving.
You know what that is? For that, you need something with specs, not just any car. Man, cars are expensive these days.
Just finished talking full installment with the dealer over there—car payment, insurance, whatever. 38% interest...
It's fine. Once I grab the wheel, I'll make bank quick.
* * *
What the hell is this crazy idiot babbling about?
Anyway, I figured as much, but it wasn't Jang Hyun-deok who dragged Gafurum into the [Hungry Manor].
Gafurum really reached it through sheer coincidence and luck.
No, that's not possible on its own.
Some abyssal entity influencing Gafurum must have manipulated his path. That's why he even talked to loosely connected people like Moon Seung-hee.
The goal?
Meeting people connected to me, gathering their info and thoughts to find...
'My weaknesses, and ways to torment them.'
Goddamn it.
I felt like I had enough already, but I wanted to check what happened in the Hungry Manor before he escaped.
I rummaged through another of Gafurum's memories.
Almost at the destination.
* * *
"Sorry, but could you step back?"
Chae Tae-won pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.
Scattered around him were mid-level members of the Red Bean Faction.
'A stray memory.'
I'd accepted Red Bean's proposal and withdrawn from their turf war, but the balance had already tipped against them.
I'd gotten a few calls from Chae Tae-won or Blue Tiger Gang, but ignored most.
"Kim Shin-hwa, you say?"
Chae Tae-won stared at Gafurum for a moment with an emotionless expression.
Eyes carrying cold, quiet murderous intent. Polite, cautious gestures.
Suddenly approaching Gafurum without a word.
Step. Step. Menacing footfalls.
Crunch.
Chae Tae-won's metal-reinforced shoe crushed the hand of the man on the floor.
"Argh!"
Wrist shattering, pistol and all.
Excessive, but not unprovoked violence.
One step slower, and either Gafurum or Chae Tae-won would've had a bullet hole.
* * *
Chae Tae-won (50s, office worker)
Question: Do you know Kim Shin-hwa?
Answer: Yes, I do. He's like a benefactor to me.
Young, bold, capable.
Wish we'd worked together longer...
What does he look like?
Hmm...
Can't quite recall for some reason.
Age? Late 30s, I think.
What do I want from Kim Shin-hwa?
There's been a slight misunderstanding lately. Hope that gets resolved... Miss!
* * *
Horrific shadows surging from the darkness. Hair whipping everywhere. Pitch-black coat hem blocking the view. Iron crowbar flying at tremendous speed.
Thwack!
A scream.
Gafurum's vision shaking wildly.
And hurtling toward Gafurum at insane speed—a horrific expression on—Jung Hyun-ah?
"Hey! You saw that too, right? Blue Tiger! That's my dad!"
Jung Hyun-ah's voice thundered through Gafurum's head.
"Those dark web psychos thought it was hilarious and uploaded a video of my dad getting torn apart by a giant hand! What the hell was that? Reporter sis, what do you want from Kim Shin-hwa? I'll answer for you."
"Miss! Please!"
"Hey, reporter sis! Look up! I'm talking!"
Gafurum's vision moved slowly.
Jung Hyun-ah pulled a handful of pure white pills from her coat pocket.
Nirvana.
The drug that had Park Kwang-rim, after five pills, needing his stomach pumped.
She dumped them straight into her mouth.
Crunch! Grind.
"Hee, heehee- hahaha- uhehehe- I'm curious! Why the hell did Kim Shin-hwa have to take my dad away from me?"