Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Win-Win Relationship
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"Let me get straight to the point."
The air turned icy. With just that one sentence, Min Chae-ryeong's gaze sharpened into a dagger and pierced right through me. My heart pounded like mad. Cold sweat beaded thick in my clenched fist. But I kept my expression calm, feigning composure to hide any hint of my agitation or tension.
Pretending to be unflappable, I refused to back down even under the suffocating pressure squeezing my entire body. I couldn't retreat. There was no reason to.
Taking a deep breath to steady my voice, I spoke to her.
"I'd like you to cancel the mission you assigned to Ji Ye-won."
"No thanks. Why should I?"
Instant rejection. Min Chae-ryeong's sharp gaze swept over me, her eyes narrowing like a snake eyeing its prey.
"That mission is between me and Ji Ye-won. You know that, right? She became my subordinate in exchange for me letting her go."
"I'm aware. But looking at the tasks you've given her, it seems like anyone could have done them—not just Ji Ye-won."
"You got a problem with my judgment?"
"Yes. How could I not?"
"Hah."
-Crunch.
A piece of chocolate shattered between Min Chae-ryeong's pale pink lips. She chewed it deliberately right in front of me, as if making a show of it. She had mentioned before that she dealt with stress by eating sweets. Did my question just now stress her out?
Probably. Guessing as much, she snorted and spoke.
"Fine. Setting aside your insolence for a moment, let's hear it. What exactly is our dear Ahn Su-ho so dissatisfied about?"
"You already know, so why ask?"
"What...?"
Min Chae-ryeong's face crumpled. A palpable killing intent began to rise from behind her.
'...No, this is the time to push hard.'
I flinched at the killing intent for a split second but quickly shook my head. Showing weakness now would only make her look down on me. At this moment, I absolutely could not let her underestimate me.
"Isn't it obvious? You have so many subordinates, so why assign tasks to Ji Ye-won specifically? And of all things, surveilling Director Na Ju-yong, who's connected to Kang Ha-neul? There's no need for her on that mission. And it's too coincidental to call it chance. Isn't it obvious what you're up to?"
I let slip the emotions I'd been bottling up.
"You're testing my reaction by putting Ji Ye-won in danger. Isn't that your game?"
That emotion was anger. I wore it openly on my face—no acting involved. I was genuinely furious at her decision, at the fact that she'd put Ji Ye-won at risk.
For some reason, I'd grown genuinely attached to Ji Ye-won over time. Or maybe that one night together had sparked feelings that weren't there before.
As I glared at Min Chae-ryeong and posed the question, a smoldering anger began to rise quietly in my chest like embers.
"Testing your reaction? Who knows?"
And at my anger, Min Chae-ryeong smiled brazenly, as if to flaunt it.
"I had no such intentions at all, but if that was my plan, then mission accomplished, right?"
-Grind!
Her blatant mockery ground my teeth. But I forced myself to stay calm. Her intentions were exactly as I'd predicted. That meant there was room for negotiation.
Suppressing my boiling rage, I said,
"...My request is the same as before. Cancel the mission for Ji Ye-won. I don't want her in unnecessary danger."
"Why should I?"
"Because it's a decision that benefits us both."
"'Us' both?"
At that, Min Chae-ryeong furrowed her brow—as if conceding it might benefit me, but questioning what she stood to gain.
"Team Leader. Let's be frank: do we really need to be at odds like this?"
I subtly revealed my card to her.
"Ever since that last incident, we've both been watching each other warily. Do we really need to keep this up? You're a capable superior. I'm a competent subordinate. We turn a blind eye to each other's secrets and just help one another—a win-win relationship. Isn't that enough? Why growl at each other?"
It was less a deal and more a proposal for a truce. You don't poke around in my business, and I won't touch yours. A mutual non-aggression pact, in other words.
"... "
Min Chae-ryeong hadn't expected me to be so direct; she stared at me with a surprised expression.
"...She must mean a lot to you."
"Exactly. So let's stop with the probing."
"Got it. But why should I agree?"
"Because it avoids unnecessary trouble for both of us—"
"I might have gone along before."
"Pardon?"
I might have, before?
I didn't catch her meaning at first and asked again, prompting her to add softly,
"Remember what I said back then? No matter what identity you're hiding, I was confident I could control and use you as I pleased."
Of course I remembered. I nodded slightly, and she smiled faintly.
"That's what I thought until recently. So even when you acted suspiciously, I let it slide. I'd loosen the leash when needed and tighten it when necessary, slowly bending you to my will. But..."
Not anymore.
Her eyes gleamed sharper than ever as she declared it.
"When you first asked me about Ji Ye-won, I thought a sharp operative with great intel had joined us. Asking about Dawn Legion info suggested you had connections inside. Figured I could use that, so I kept you close."
"I thought we'd made a fair trade..."
"We did. And I was satisfied with it. The info Ji Ye-won brought in has yielded tons of benefits."
Internal intel on an international terrorist group. Valuable on its own, but Min Chae-ryeong had the skills and connections to exploit it at 200% or 300%. The deal had surely pleased her too.
"...Was the trade unsatisfactory?"
"No, the trade was fine. The problem was you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. I thought you were just a useful intel guy, but watching you closely, you were way more than that."
Ji Ye-won ticked off my exploits one by one on her slender fingers.
"I figured you just had info on a Dawn Legion traitor, but it turned out to point right at their core project."
"You're listed as an E-rank superhuman on paper, yet you came back from Special Countermeasures Division stronger, holding your own against a Dawn Legion executive."
"And that's not all. You dug into Ye-il's deep-dark multiple-ability research—stuff even the president doesn't know—plus you nosed into my background and tried to find my weaknesses."
"And now you've even survived a head-on clash with the boss monster from that double dungeon that routed an S-rank guild..."
"Your exploits are too extraordinary to dismiss as just a secretive, useful subordinate. So I did some digging on you myself—to prepare countermeasures."
It was as I'd expected. Given her personality, I knew she wouldn't leave my background unchecked.
"And... nothing came up."
"... "
This, too, was anticipated.
Ahn Su-ho was a character the Pleasure Heavenly Demon hastily created for my possession. No backstory, barely any human connections. What could she possibly uncover about a mere novel side character?
'In this world, Ahn Su-ho is just an ordinary-born E-rank superhuman. Unless Min Chae-ryeong cracks open my skull, she can't possibly figure me out.'
"So what could I do? With nothing on you directly, I had to check your surroundings. Right?"
And that was why she'd targeted Ji Ye-won this time.
As I'd said, Ahn Su-ho had no relationships. At best, parents on overseas assignment—completely ordinary folks with zero red flags. So she'd gone after Ji Ye-won to probe my secrets, since I'd approached her initially to save Ji Ye-won.
'Even so, she won't uncover my secrets. But staying silent would look suspicious.'
I openly showed my displeasure as I faced Min Chae-ryeong.
"...I told you before. If you show me trust, I'll respond in kind. Is this your answer?"
"Yes. It is."
Instant reply. Propping her chin on one arm, she nibbled her chocolate.
"Trust for trust. Nice words, but I can't stand uncertainty. I wanted a firm grip on your weakness. Submission and obedience beat trust any day. Don't you think?"
"Is Ji Ye-won my weakness?"
"She must be pretty important to you. Why else rush here at the crack of dawn? Nailed it, didn't I?"
"No. You got it completely wrong."
'This is where it starts.'
Meeting Min Chae-ryeong's eyes, I sighed openly.
As if pitying her.
As if sorry for her.
As if disappointed.
As if regretful.
To unsettle her, confuse her, keep her from reading me. For this moment's performance, I summoned every ounce of control over my body.
"Team Leader, nice try, but you missed the mark."
"...What do you mean?"
Her cold voice prompted her to narrow her eyes and ask back.
"Ji Ye-won. Sure, she's somewhat important to me. But not a weakness. If it protects my secrets, I could discard her in a heartbeat. You probably meant to use her as leverage, but you'd need something far more precious for that."
"... "
"Not that you had a choice. You have nothing on me."
She ground her teeth at that. Good reaction.
"I knew you'd been digging into me. I let it slide because I knew you'd find nothing. And you did. Isn't that right?"
I deliberately prodded her pride. In our past dynamic, it would have been sheer arrogance from a nobody like me.
But things were different now. As she'd admitted, I was no longer someone she could take lightly.
"Unable to find anything, you tried probing through Ji Ye-won, the closest link. And the result..."
The Ahn Su-ho before her now was no longer the weakling from before.
As she'd said: someone with Dawn Legion connections, sharp enough to hunt her weaknesses, mysteriously strong enough to survive battling Wilhelm.
That was the current Ahn Su-ho—the one she needed to regard with caution.
"The result? The rift between us has only deepened. That's all you've gained from this."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"I already said it. Let's go back to how things were."
"How they were?"
"Yes. How they were."
Min Chae-ryeong as the capable superior. Ahn Su-ho as the competent subordinate.
She supports me, I work for her. No prying into secrets. Just cooperating for mutual gain—a win-win relationship. Back to that.
"If you stop trying to pin me down, I won't bite back."
"...Hah."
She scoffed incredulously at my proposal. The next instant, killing intent far fiercer than before surged from her.
"Are you threatening me right now?"
"It's negotiation, not a threat. But if it sounds like one, that's music to my ears. It means you finally see me as an equal."
I ignored it. Brushing off the skin-crawling intent, I desperately maintained my composure. Whoever shows weakness first loses. That's what this standoff was.
-Crunch!
Min Chae-ryeong irritably crunched her chocolate. I'd thought it was just a prop to annoy me, but was she really stress-eating?
-Crunch! Crunch crunch!
For a while, only the sound of chewing filled the team leader's office.
"About Ji Ye-won..."
Finally, she spoke.
"...It was partly to test you, but it's also a mission suited to her. Ye-il has this headache of a subordinate who knows all my people inside out. So I wanted someone he doesn't know for surveillance, and Ji Ye-won fit perfectly."
"So you can throw a non-subordinate into the fire?"
"You think she's heading into mortal danger? It's not that risky. Not infiltrating the lab or anything—just monitor Na Ju-yong's movements. He's still after Kang Ha-neul, so we need eyes on him anyway. Right?"
"... "
As I listened silently, she continued reluctantly.
"...Point is, it's not purely to test you. I'll keep her out of real danger, so can't you understand?"
"Is that an order?"
"No, a request. Didn't you say we should have a win-win where we help each other?"
She said it mockingly. But this was a huge win already. At least she was considering my input.
"I'd prefer her safety guaranteed as much as possible. If canceling the mission is tough, at least give her freedom of action."
"So she can escape if things go south?"
"Exactly."
"Isn't that obvious? Even if I ordered her to risk her life, she wouldn't listen anyway."
"There's a microchip in her neck. You could detonate it at will."
"... "
"Remove it before sending her on the mission. If it's just for tracking, there are other ways."
Exempt her from danger. Remove the bomb in her neck. Those were my goals. Without them, no direct threats to her life remained.
Conflict played across Min Chae-ryeong's face at my proposal. She was weighing the risks: freeing Ji Ye-won versus making an enemy of me.
In reality, I'd never touch her even if we went full hostile. But what mattered was her perception. If she saw me as a threat, the proposal had merit.
"...Can't remove a freshly implanted chip right away. Needs prep. But until then, I'll hand you the detonation switch. There's only one controller. Once it's yours, I can't blow it remotely."
"How do I know there's only one?"
"These devices have tech limits—only one switch... but that won't convince you. Guess you'll have to trust me."
"You're saying that now...?"
"Didn't you say it? If I show trust, you'll reciprocate. Isn't now the time?"
I started to protest the wordplay, but she cut me off.
"This is me compromising as far as I can. I'll remove the chip and give you the switch in the meantime. What more do you want?"
Assuming she was truthful, she'd met my demands fully. The issue? No guarantee she was.
'Pushing further without proof would backfire. If she denies to the end, I'm forced to take her word.'
"...Fine. Remove the chip when ready, and I'll hold the switch until then. That'll do."
She nodded reluctantly, flashing a meaningful smile that irked me. But wresting this much from Min Chae-ryeong was victory enough.
"Since I'm compromising first, don't do anything stupid. You know I'm not sparing you because I can't crush you, right?"
"Of course."
If she truly mobilized everything against me, she could end me anytime. She's just bending temporarily, weighing risks and our mutual benefits.
'...If my hand gets exposed, that'll be my last day.'
Before that, eliminate her—or build real power she fears. Either way, time to plan meticulously from now on.
"I'll give you the switch at quitting time. That covers it? Then get back to work. You have a mission assignment this afternoon—check it."
"Understood. Excuse me."
With that, I left the team leader's office.
That day, I gained the upper hand over Min Chae-ryeong for the first time.
At least, on the surface.