Regulation 4: The Disciplinary Committee Leader Monitors the Future Villain (2)

If I want to keep tabs on Lee Se-ah, first I need to create a point of contact.

My plan was to engineer an environment where we could meet naturally and grow close. Secretly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surveilling someone as sharp-eyed as her was bound to be a foolish choice — she'd notice eventually.

To create a point of contact... volunteer work is really the only option, isn't it?

She was in a different year and a different club than me. Forging a connection with someone like that left only one realistic avenue: her primary activity, volunteering.

As it happened, Se-ah volunteered three days a week ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at One Meal of Love, the local soup kitchen. It wasn't an official activity of the Volunteer Club — she'd been doing it since before she even enrolled at Ahseong High School.

But there was a risk here too.

If I show up out of nowhere, someone like Se-ah might find me suspicious.

On the surface, I was known as the person who uncovered Anomia's plans in advance and resolved the subway kidnapping case. Which meant it didn't add up for me to have been completely unaware that Anomia's target was Se-ah.

So if I suddenly started volunteering and tangled myself up with her, suspicion was the natural response.

Isn't there a more natural way?

Think, Woo-jin. A method to establish a point of contact with Se-ah without raising eyebrows. A way to monitor her that wouldn't set off alarms.

Still turning it over in my head, I arrived at the shoe lockers.

"Hm?"

A note was tucked inside my locker. Another love letter? I unfolded it and read.

"......"

Without a moment's hesitation, I applied to volunteer at One Meal of Love through my smartphone.

What was I even agonizing over, against the future magnate of the Black Market... A wave of self-doubt crept up on me.

"Helping our less fortunate neighbors again today — it sets my heart aflutter... Kkukk..."

"Kikik..."

"Kkikkk... Poor things. Time to do a good deed...!"

After school. Se-ah's footsteps were remarkably light as she headed toward One Meal of Love with her Volunteer Club classmates.

I was headed to the same destination. But I could predict how awkward the atmosphere would be if I walked with them, so I trailed along at a distance.

"Welcome, Se-ah!"

"Aigoo, good evening to you!"

Se-ah and her group were greeted warmly by the volunteers when they arrived at the soup kitchen.

Everyone working there was around my age. Judging by the fact that, aside from Se-ah's group, none of them wore school uniforms, they were probably dropouts, expelled students, or kids on leave.

I watched from outside for a bit before heading in. Se-ah's group was in the middle of tying red aprons over their black uniforms.

"Oh? Are you the new...?"

"I'm Ahn Woo-jin."

When the volunteer asked awkwardly, I removed my officer's cap and greeted her politely. My Disciplinary Committee Leader armband was off, tucked away in my pocket.

"?"

Se-ah glanced at me, then began whispering to her companions. A perfectly natural reaction.

Any Ahseong student who didn't recognize me was either an idiotic spy or a hikikomori severed from the world. Se-ah's group was certainly not the oblivious type — which meant my arrival hadn't escaped them.

The volunteer who'd greeted me broke into a bright smile.

"Yes, Woo-jin. Welcome! We open the doors at six. Until then, we'll be prepping the free meal service. If you're okay with it, could you take charge of the rice station?"

"Of course. Happy to."

"Thank you."

After that, the volunteer walked me lightly through my duties. Nothing complicated — no serious brainpower required.

I took off my uniform jacket, tied on a red apron, and headed for the warming units. I could still feel Se-ah's gaze on me. When I turned to look, our eyes met.

Se-ah beamed at me. Apparently she was delighted to see me.

Why was I being so careful in the first place...?

I had no idea when she'd figured out I was watching her. All I knew was that I felt like an idiot for ever attempting to secretly surveil someone like that.

Se-ah and her companions bowed slightly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the waist toward me — a courtesy to the Disciplinary Committee Leader. I gave a small nod and pulled the cart along.

Large rice cookers were stacked vertically, kept warm. Using the cart, I ferried the hot cookers out of the warming units and positioned them where they could be swapped out at a moment's notice during service.

The clock inched toward six. I took my post in front of the rice cookers, paddle in hand.

Beside me, at the soup station, was Lee Se-ah. She kept stirring the soybean paste stew in her stockpot with a ladle, over and over.

We readied ourselves to receive the line of people waiting outside.

"By any chance — did you happen to check today's horoscope?"

"?"

The question popped out of Se-ah's mouth without warning, her voice as fluttery as a butterfly's wings. Her narrowed eyes turned toward me.

"My horoscope?"

"I'm a Sagittarius, for starters. And you, Leader?"

"Sagittarius too."

"Oh my — we have something in common?"

Se-ah chattered on playfully. My horoscope, huh. Now that she mentioned it, I was curious.

"So what's today's fortune say?"

"It says to be careful of the person you meet today. Apparently they might turn into a deep and fateful bond — or a bitter enemy."

Swish.

I had my smartphone out in an instant, pulling up the daily horoscope.

"...What are you doing?"

"Verification. I don't feel right unless these things are fact-checked."

"My, my~. You truly live up to your title as Disciplinary Committee Leader! I never saw that coming...! I am truly, deeply impressed."

Se-ah snickered, clearly entertained.

"It's true."

The Sagittarius horoscope read exactly as she'd said.

Swish. The phone went back into my pocket.

"Sunbae. Do you think we'll be a good fate, or a bad one?"

Probably the bad one, I'd guess. I had to catch future villains, and she intended to become one.

"I've already met a dozen people today. How am I supposed to sort them all one by one?"

"Tsk, how cold. It's just for fun — for fun. By the way, sunbae, have you been volunteering here often?"

Se-ah glided into a new topic without a hitch.

Even though this was our very first conversation, there wasn't a trace of awkwardness between us. How should I put it — it felt like the blood vessels of the conversation had been laid open from the very start.

Stay sharp.

Every bit of it was Se-ah's design.

In the game, Lee Se-ah became the head of Dohwapa and a great evil of the Black Market. As such, her business acumen was exceptional, and her ability to beguile people was considerable. If I didn't keep careful watch on that viper's tongue of hers, there might come a moment when I found myself bewitched too.

Vigilance was non-negotiable.

"Not really. You?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Her eyes curved into a fox-like squint. Se-ah wore an unreadable, subtle smile.

"You already knew everything when you came, didn't you."

"......"

...Right. We weren't exactly two naive strangers who could pretend to know nothing and trade small talk.

Ding-a-ling!

"Six o'clock! Everyone, please come in one at a time!"

Right on cue, the doors opened with a clear chime of a bell, and the volunteer ushered the line of people waiting outside into the soup kitchen. They were all teenagers or young adults.

I ladled an appropriate portion of rice onto each tray as it came. Since I had nothing particular to say, I worked in silence — yet somehow the person beside me couldn't stop her mouth from running.

"Enjoy your meal! I tried it earlier, and this soybean paste stew is absolutely incredible!"

"Wow~ your bangs are cut so nicely. Did you do it yourself? Ooh, could I ask you to do mine next time?"

"Ooh, dating agrees with you — you've gotten prettier!"

"Oh dear, rejecting the solids...? You'll regret that!"

She was naturally unreserved, and years of volunteering here had clearly put her on excellent terms with the regulars. Even I, standing right next to her, could feel the warmth of that rapport.

Honestly? Watching her laugh and banter with people was genuinely pleasant.

But Lee Se-ah was nothing less than a wolf in sheep's clothing. I couldn't be taken in by appearances.

"Do I... make you nervous?"

"What?"

Suddenly Se-ah asked me point-blank.

"I haven't been staring at you, have I?"

"You have, though? I counted at least six side-eyes. Oh dear... was I imagining it?"

Se-ah grinned breezily.

She had, in fact, side-eyed me a good five or six times.

It hit me all over again: the moment I decided to secretly monitor this girl, the whole plan was already doomed.

"Great work today!"

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work~."

One Meal of Love closed its doors, and we finished cleaning up.

"Kkikk... Barely any food waste today. Waste reduced...!"

"Kkukk... It was worth serving extra portions, then."

Se-ah and her group traded sly little laughs, like criminals conspiring on a heist. Judging by their expressions alone, you'd think they were plotting some heinous crime.

Yet the content of their conversation was as wholesome and heartwarming as something out of an elementary school textbook.

I was slipping my uniform jacket back on over the apron when my eyes met Se-ah's. She smiled sweetly and spoke to her companions.

"Go on ahead, everyone. I have an appointment with the Disciplinary Committee Leader. Maybe because of the incident the other day? Apparently there's some committee business he wants to discuss with me?"

Se-ah glossed it over for her classmates.

The One Meal of Love crew dispersed, and Ahn Woo-jin and Lee Se-ah found themselves alone in a park. The sun had set some time ago.

"Here. Not sure if it's your thing."

Woo-jin held out a can of coffee to Se-ah.

They weren't adversaries yet, and he harbored no particular ill will toward her — so, as a matter of sunbae's courtesy, he'd bought her a drink.

"Ooh, coffee! I'll drink it gratefully."

Se-ah accepted the warm can and pressed it to her soft white cheek, savoring the heat.

"So warm~."

Side by side, leaning against the fence, they sipped their canned coffee. The lamplight washed over the park scenery in their field of view — flowers in cheerful bloom, spring having just arrived.

The spring breeze brushed across their skin, and only then did Woo-jin speak.

"When did you notice?"

As if she'd been waiting for exactly that question, Se-ah smirked slyly.

"Would answering 'a little late' be too evasive?"

The Anomia subway kidnapping case. Woo-jin had clearly been surveilling her well before that incident ever occurred.

In other words, the phrase "a little late" was, in effect, an acknowledgment of his skill.

"No... that's more than enough."

Woo-jin read her meaning correctly: it was a compliment — your surveillance methods were hard to pin down.

What he did not know was that Se-ah's "a little late" meant "while I was being watched through that expressionless first-year underling" — and so the two of them, without either realizing it, were talking past each other.

Our stone-faced one held out pretty well. If Se-ah is the one saying "a little late," that's saying something.

Woo-jin nodded to himself with satisfaction.

For the next magnate of the Black Market to offer praise like that... Sure, she'd caught on that he was watching her, but everyone stumbles sometimes. The expressionless underling was, without question, a rising star of the Disciplinary Committee.

"By the way, sunbae."

"Hmm."

"Why were you watching me? It's exhausting for both of us."

Blunt, isn't she.

Se-ah looked up at him, tilted her head, and pointed at her own cheek with her index finger — all while wearing that foxy smile.

"Could it be... you've fallen for me?"

As if.

"Don't flatter yourself."

"You were an awfully meticulous stalker."

"You already know the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason. Do I really need to spell it out?"

"Hah-hat."

The question had, of course, been a joke.

Se-ah lowered her head and gazed down at her canned coffee.

Why would a man of the Disciplinary Committee Leader's caliber be watching her, of all people?

Woo-jin was highly likely to be seeing through organizations across the board — Anomia included — as though reading their palms. If a man like that was surveilling her specifically, there was only one explanation: her plan to swallow the Black Market had been exposed.

Anomia's scheme had already blown up in their faces; why would her own plan be the exception?

Se-ah snorted a quiet laugh.

This man really is beyond me.

She needed to win him over to her side.

"Sunbae, could I get your number?"

"......?"

Se-ah held out her smartphone with a beaming smile.

Woo-jin spent a moment trying to read her intent.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Because I'd like to get closer going forward. If that's uncomfortable, my CoconutTalk ID works too."

CoconutTalk was the messenger app used by nearly every citizen of Neo Seoul. There was nothing problematic about it.

On the contrary — keeping a line open to Se-ah might even let him mine her for useful intelligence.

Weighing those advantages, Woo-jin took her smartphone.

"Thank you, sunbae!"

The moment his ID appeared in her friends list, Se-ah couldn't hide her delight.

Seen like this, she's just a cute underclassman...

Under ordinary circumstances, she was the kind of junior he'd have warmed up to, even letting his poker face slip a little. But the knowledge that he would one day stand opposed to Se-ah — and that she was fated to meet a sudden death — kept him from wanting to close the distance between them.

"Leader, want me to pour you some coffee?"

Disciplinary Committee executive office. I looked up to find Vice Leader Oh Baek-seo smiling down at me, mid-task — her usual gentle, serene smile.

"Sure. Tea instead of coffee, though."

"You got it."

Baek-seo slipped into the pantry right next door — an open, doorless space.

Just as I resumed texting Se-ah on CoconutTalk, I heard the sound of Baek-seo opening a storage cabinet.

"By the way, Leader."

"Hm?"

"Who have you been texting so much lately?"

Huh?

Out of nowhere, that honeyed voice came at me from the pantry, sharp as a blade against my eardrums. The tone was unmistakably kind, yet for an instant I felt a menacing chill, like a knife pressed to my throat.

...Must be my imagination.

"You never used to text much, Leader. You've really ramped it up lately."

"Is it that noticeable?"

"Yes. That much."

Baek-seo answered with calm finality.

It's not that much, is it...?

Se-ah had been messaging me frequently on CoconutTalk. Even when I deliberately delayed my replies to keep some distance, she'd promptly fire back another sweet message, and somewhere along the way I'd developed an inconvenient human sense of guilt without realizing it.

Since I had to maintain contact with her anyway, I'd settled on at least slowing my response time. An excuse for my guilt, perhaps.

Either way, I hadn't really been texting that much.

"There's a list of persons of interest, right? I've ended up in contact with one of them."

"Ahh. Part of the job, then? Which one?"

"Se-ah."

For the briefest moment, the rustling in the cabinet stopped.

"...How diligent of you. Well, she is a person of interest, so it makes sense."

Baek-seo nodded, apparently satisfied, and before long came back with the tea.

"Thank y—"

...?

The fingers of Baek-seo's hand, wrapped around the teacup she offered, were glowing an angry red, steam curling up from them.

Anyone could see it was a fresh burn.

"Baek-seo, your hand—!"

"This? It's nothing. I must have poured the water wrong."

That is not a "nothing" kind of situation, is it...?

"Doesn't it hurt...?"

That was basically someone dumping boiling water straight onto their palm, wasn't it? How did one even manage that?

Even I couldn't keep a poker face. I was genuinely worried about her.

But Baek-seo only smiled her gentle smile, as if nothing were wrong at all.

"Leader, I'm going to stop by the infirmary."

"Y-yes, go ahead..."

Baek-seo headed for the door. Then she swung open one of the double doors and — thunk! — smacked her forehead right into the other one, still closed, on her way out.

I shot to my feet before I could stop myself.

"Baek-seo!?"

"I'm fine. No problem."

With her forehead flushed red, Baek-seo flashed me a smile and left the office.

Is she... not feeling well today or something?