Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Operation Name: Police
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Lee Yu-na and Lee Jang-su confirmed each other's safety and let out sighs of relief.
After a brief wait, he opened the door to the representative's office.
The stench of blood wafted out, clinging to his entire body.
"Lee Yu-na. Come in."
Lee Yu-na wiped away her tears and stood.
She followed right away without hesitation.
"I kept my promise."
He showed her the neatly arranged corpses.
Lee Yu-na stared blankly at the bodies.
Her fists were clenched tight.
"And this is a gift."
He moved to the window and turned the chair where Kim Representative was seated.
He revealed the man's front to Lee Yu-na.
"Oh my God..."
Kim Soo-jung muttered softly in shock.
Lee Yu-na stared straight at Kim Representative, her lips pressed firmly together.
Puuk.
She drew her knife and plunged it into his shoulder.
"Guhhh."
"Kill him yourself."
Lee Yu-na had to be the one to do it.
She was different from the auntie and uncle.
Her Fundamental Skill was related to combat.
It was also a procedure to accept her as a comrade, just as he'd told Lee Jang-su.
"M-Me...?"
It wasn't about tormenting her.
It was a plan he'd devised watching Jang Ho-seop toughen up after his first kill.
"Dad, I'll do it."
"Why would you get involved in something like this? You even hid your awakening!"
"So I can keep living with you, Dad."
There were all sorts of calculations behind it, but he didn't voice them.
"Dad... This is something you can't do for me. I need to get stronger."
"Yu-na..."
Yet Lee Yu-na strode forward.
Shaking off her father who tried to stop her.
"Can I... remove this?"
Lee Yu-na pointed at the tape over Kim Representative's mouth.
He nodded.
Riiip.
Lee Yu-na peeled off the tape covering Kim Representative's mouth.
She even pulled out the sock stuffed inside.
"Fuck. Why the hell are you doing this to me."
Kim Representative spoke with great difficulty.
"It's me."
"Yu-na? Yu-na? Yu-na, help me with this..."
Recognizing her voice, he reacted violently.
"I wanted to let you know who's killing you."
Lee Yu-na murmured softly and gripped the knife embedded in Kim Representative's shoulder.
Lee Yu-na had been swimming since she was young.
'Our daughter's amazing! If she trains properly, she'll be even better.'
She had talent and dreamed of becoming a swimmer.
Lee Jang-su supported her with everything he had.
Lee Yu-na worked hard not to betray his expectations.
Everything was going smoothly.
She placed in competitions and even registered as an official athlete.
Then came her second year of middle school.
'She always hangs out alone.'
'No mom, huh?'
'Swimsuit again?'
Once one started badmouthing her, the resentment spread like wildfire.
There were many reasons.
Lee Yu-na trained harder than anyone.
Her records were excellent, and she was pretty.
She'd never even treated the coaches to snacks, yet she had the director's favor.
She received scholarships and always took public transport to competitions.
All those reasons boiled down to one word.
'Jealousy.'
No one stayed by Lee Yu-na's side.
But she was more mature and stronger than her peers.
Lee Yu-na dove into the water even more.
She didn't let on to her father.
She smiled brightly and greeted everyone.
Unaware her heart was rotting away.
Middle school third-year winter break.
Lee Yu-na experienced her second growth spurt.
Her height suddenly started shooting up again.
'Over 170 now. You've grown too fast.'
Her muscle growth couldn't keep up with her height.
But it wasn't just height.
Her hips widened, and her breasts kept growing.
'We'll need to focus on recovery training for a while. Strength and...'
Lee Yu-na hit a plateau for the first time.
No, her records actually started dropping.
'Is she crazy?'
'Who's she trying to show off for?'
'That's why her times are slipping.'
Even in high school, the jealousy persisted.
Vulgar comments, accusations of chasing guys through sports.
Despite wearing the same team swimsuit as everyone else, Lee Yu-na faced endless gossip from her female teammates.
The backbiting now carried sexual undertones.
A competition video going viral online was the tipping point.
— Wow... Need HD asap.
— Judge, over here!
— Beautiful,,, promising star,,, shining jewel,,,, become one please.
Half the comments praised her looks.
The other half were curses about her riding her appearance to fame.
In real life, men showed up just to see her.
She got confessions from strangers every day.
The more that happened, the harsher the gossip became.
Even as she turned down every confession and focused solely on training.
'Just do well... If I do well, they'll acknowledge me.'
Lee Yu-na loved swimming.
She just worked hard because she wanted to get better at something fun.
She shut out the noise and dove back in.
'Yu-na, how about considering a different path?'
Jealousy and envy didn't matter.
What truly broke her was...
'No podium, no chance. Your current times...'
Her efforts went unrewarded.
She'd made her father's devotion all for nothing.
That day too, Lee Yu-na headed to the pool out of habit, but the lanes that had always looked blue now appeared gray.
Some man handed Lee Yu-na his business card.
'An idol?'
She was on her way to the hospital where her father was admitted.
'Can I... make a lot of money?'
Lee Yu-na was enduring a gray world alone.
That's when Kim Representative approached her.
Convinced by him, Lee Yu-na signed the contract.
He said her potential was incredible.
He even took care of her father while supporting her trainee life.
'Can't sing, can't dance. And they put this trash in center...'
'What the hell! We've trained for years...'
'Isn't she that? The rep's thing? Parachuted in...'
Lee Yu-na faced exclusion again.
This time from the sunbaes, friends, and dongsaengs debuting with her.
It didn't matter.
This was business.
Just like grinding through tough training schedules, she focused only on practice.
And debut day arrived.
'You ever seen the rep take a loss?'
'Still, if it flops...'
Lee Yu-na happened to learn she'd signed an unfair contract.
'Already recouped the investment from her old man's side...'
'Look at her. Run her through a few sponsors.'
'No doubt. If she blows up, great. If not, there are ways...'
'Members are harassing her, no one to lean on...'
'Break her in slow. The last group was the rep's handiwork too...'
She hadn't realized her situation.
Nor that her father had been duped too.
Nor that everyone was in on it together.
And then the cataclysm hit.
'Unnie, help!'
'Yu-na!'
Lee Yu-na ignored the members crushed under the building.
She found her father and fled in a panic.
She wanted to die, but didn't want to.
She escaped a mountain-sized monster and reached an intact department store.
'Yu-na! You're alive.'
Kim Representative was there.
With the leader unnie.
Lee Yu-na ended up separated from her father.
Days passed, and for the first time, Kim Representative distributed a decent amount of food to the people.
'Lee Yu-na. Eat that and come to the rep office.'
'Why?'
'Gotta earn your keep. Oh, this too.'
Team Leader Kim handed Lee Yu-na a few bottles of water.
In a situation where everyone was suffering from thirst.
'Meeting the rep, so clean up a bit. Can't wash your hair, but...'
'Yes?'
'Use it sparingly.'
Lee Yu-na made her escape.
She knew what the leader unnie did in the rep's office every night.
'Police...'
She slipped out of the department store unharmed and met Yi Hyun's group.
"Help us."
For the first time, Lee Yu-na asked someone else for help.
This wasn't a situation she could endure or overcome alone.
The tall police officer moved with graceful precision.
Puuk.
He killed people without hesitation.
Those terrifying male Awakeners, effortlessly.
'Red...'
Blood splattered on Yi Hyun's face.
To Lee Yu-na, it looked utterly beautiful.
A red droplet shining in her gray world.
And her heart pounded fiercely.
'Strong.'
Lee Yu-na clung to Yi Hyun.
With nothing to her name, she revealed her Fundamental Skill.
"That's a good ability."
"Yes?"
"Level it up, and it'll be even more impressive."
Yi Hyun's casual words lodged deep in Lee Yu-na's heart.
Not praise for her looks.
It felt like the compliments from her dad in her childhood.
Watching Yi Hyun leave first to keep his promise, she vowed to herself.
If he kept his, she'd keep hers.
"I kept my promise."
When Lee Yu-na returned to the department store.
Yi Hyun said impassively.
Covered head to toe in red blood.
'All... dead.'
The leader unnie who always looked down on her lay sprawled with legs spread obscenely.
The agency staff who grinned like devils died with eyes bulging.
"And this is a gift."
Even the terrifying Kim Representative writhed in agony, eyes gouged out.
Still alive.
"Kill him yourself."
That was the first gift Lee Yu-na received from a man.
Her gray world began to shine again.
He took a step back.
Lee Yu-na gripped the knife in Kim Representative's shoulder.
'What's this?'
The odd thing was that the emotions he sensed from Lee Yu-na had changed.
Up until they parted at the bank, she'd been filled with negative feelings toward him.
Not obvious on the surface.
"Kk."
Lee Yu-na pulled out the knife.
Not sure if intentional, but she yanked it side to side by the handle before drawing it free.
She gripped the awkward knife strangely.
"Hold on."
"Yes?"
"Grip it like this."
He positioned it reverse grip, with the blade toward her pinky.
Their hands brushed lightly, and Lee Yu-na flinched.
"Support the base with your thumb. It'll slip and cut you."
Her face flushed as she followed his instructions.
He passed on the know-how from his experience and stepped back again.
'Curiosity? Affection?'
He sensed positive emotions from Lee Yu-na.
He couldn't fathom why.
What change of heart happened while they were briefly apart?
Puuk—
"Gaaak! You fucking bitch."
While he pondered.
Lee Yu-na stabbed Kim Representative in the chest.
"Ah..."
Startled by his reaction, Lee Yu-na took a small step back.
She was surprised, probably.
"Ungrateful bitch. After all my grace, you think you can..."
Exhausted Kim Representative raised his voice in pain.
She hadn't stabbed deep enough—just inflicted pain.
"Pfft. Grace?"
Lee Yu-na scoffed.
She gripped the handle again.
Pulled it out and stabbed.
Puuk... Puuk.
Puuk, puuk, puuk—
Lee Yu-na clutched the knife with both hands and kept slamming it down.
Shoulder, chest, abdomen, shoulder again.
Blood splattered on her pale face.
"Cough... Guh. Stop... Kill me..."
She avoided the neck.
Venting her rage.
"Auntie."
"Yes."
"Did you use your skill on Lee Yu-na by any chance?"
Lee Yu-na was butchering Kim Representative like a madwoman.
Watching, he asked Kim Soo-jung.
Wondering if her skill had influenced this.
"No. We didn't even talk."
This time he looked at Jang Ho-seop.
He waved it off and shook his head.
"Kukuku. Yeah, die!"
Lee Yu-na's laughter rang out.
Her eyes sparkled.
Lee Jang-su watched his daughter with a dazed expression.
Kim Representative died in agony.
Even after his screams stopped, Lee Yu-na kept stabbing before finally halting.
"Haa... Haa..."
Blood-soaked and breathing raggedly, Lee Yu-na glanced their way and startled, turning her head.
"Eww..."
Catching a glimpse of Lee Yu-na's face, Jang Ho-seop rubbed his arm.
Scared, probably.
Shwaaaaa.
Like at the bank, Lee Yu-na swept her hand.
The rain pouring through the window gathered into a single stream.
She wiped her hands and face, and cleaned the knife.
She even dried the blade completely on her clothes before coming to him.
"Here..."
She held the blade with both hands and offered it.
Head bowed.
"Thank you."
As he took back the knife, she murmured a quiet greeting and went to her father.
"Yu-na..."
"Dad. I'm okay."
Now it was time to fulfill their original purpose at the department store.
"Hyungnim. Should I call Min-su?"
"No."
He nodded toward Lee Yu-na and her father.
Lee Yu-na, who had been consoling her father, quickly stood and came back to him.
She'd been watching him.
"Um... Do you need anything?"
"Guide us to where the supplies are stored."
"Yes!"
They left the representative's office.
Heading underground.
"Food's one floor down."
They reached B1.
Items collected from the department store were neatly sorted by category.
Several lanterns sat near the entrance.
"Everyone grab what you need. Clothes and weapons go without saying... Load up the carts for now and meet back here."
Kim Soo-jung and Lee Yu-na's eyes lit up.
Lee Jang-su still looked dazed.
In times like this, push harder and faster.
"Back in 15 minutes."
He grabbed a nearby cart and moved quickly.
After days of scavenging, he could somewhat distinguish useful items from junk.
'New shoes too...'
Quick steps to circle back in 15.
He pushed the cart swiftly, picking only necessities.
Returning to the rendezvous, only Jang Ho-seop came panting from that side.
"Dad, hurry. Sorry we're late."
About 5 minutes later, the rest arrived.
No clocks, so nothing for it.
"Auntie. Can you handle all this?"
"This much..."
He had to stuff Jang Ho-seop's stuff into his backpack too.
But the women's loads were even bigger.
"We're not touring the country. We'll be walking nonstop."
After trimming based on his standards.
They went one more floor down for food.