Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Simultaneous Incidents (7)
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The man named Heo Sung-chan whom she'd met that day might just be the mastermind behind Kang Ha-neul's kidnapping—or even the one who carried it out.
With that thought in mind, Ji Ye-won kept a close eye on the movements of Junior Staff Member Kim Sun-woo, who had some connection to Heo Sung-chan, while also watching for a chance to run into Heo Sung-chan again. But that opportunity never came easily.
Heo Sung-chan had clearly been loitering around the research institute almost every day. Yet the moment Ji Ye-won started looking for him, he vanished without a trace. It was as if he knew she was searching and was deliberately avoiding her.
In reality, Heo Sung-chan had simply received word from Kim Sun-woo that there was no longer any need to hang around the institute. But from Ji Ye-won's perspective, unaware of the circumstances, it only fueled needless worries that things might be turning for the worse.
The only comforts were that Min Chae-ryeong had begun investigating the man named Heo Sung-chan after hearing her report, and fortunately, nothing major had happened to Kang Ha-neul so far.
Relieved by that fact, Ji Ye-won let out a deep sigh amid a sudden wave of doubt.
Why was she worrying about Kang Ha-neul's safety as if it were her own?
Ji Ye-won's feelings toward Kang Ha-neul were incredibly complicated.
Kang Ha-neul was a rival in love. She was an obstacle that rightfully needed to be eliminated for Ji Ye-won to connect with Ahn Su-ho. And yet, she also felt sorry for stepping on Kang Ha-neul's heart that day by getting intimate with Ahn Su-ho. Though she'd labeled her a rival, Ji Ye-won harbored no ill will strong enough to stand by and watch innocents target Kang Ha-neul.
No, deep down in Ji Ye-won's heart, there was even this thought.
Ahn Su-ho should be with Kang Ha-neul.
It would be better for him to be with an ordinary, untainted woman like her rather than a criminal like herself.
If she voiced such feelings, Ahn Su-ho would surely say something like this: What does it matter that you're in the Dawn Legion? Even if you're a criminal, I wouldn't care at all.
Ahn Su-ho would definitely say that, and she desperately wanted him to. But...
"Haa..."
Ji Ye-won sighed deeply as her thoughts continued.
She didn't know.
On the day they parted, Ji Ye-won had told Ahn Su-ho to sort out his thoughts and decide on an answer while they were apart due to her mission. Those words applied to her just as much. She'd thought that, using the mission as an excuse to put distance between them, she could organize her own feelings about him too.
But she didn't know.
Even if you could know the depths of ten li of water, you couldn't know the hearts of people even one li away. Ji Ye-won couldn't even fathom her own heart, let alone others'.
"......"
Ji Ye-won downed her iced coffee, filled with floating chunks of ice, in one gulp. The sharp chill pushed back the swirling thoughts in her mind, if only a little. Riding that momentum, she ignored the nagging worries and looked around.
She was currently in the café where she'd spoken with Heo Sung-chan before. Lately, after work, it had become her routine to come here for coffee. She'd search for Heo Sung-chan around the institute after clocking out, and if she couldn't find him, she'd end up here. All with the faint hope that he might drop by again.
"Huh?"
And today, at last, that shallow hope paid off. A boisterous blond young man with a rugged look entered the café with light steps. The moment she spotted Heo Sung-chan, she reflexively let out that exclamation.
"Oh? Isn't that the girl from before?"
Heo Sung-chan recognized her too and strode right over to where she was sitting.
"Nice to see you! Wow, what a coincidence! I figured since you hadn't been around for a while, we'd never run into each other again. And yet here we are, bumping into each other the second I walk in!"
"Yeah, right? You said your name was Sung-chan, didn't you?"
"I'm thrilled you remembered! Yeah! And you're Ye-won, right? Such a pretty name, I couldn't forget it!"
Heo Sung-chan grinned as he plopped down across from Ji Ye-won. He hadn't even ordered a drink yet, but she didn't point it out.
"About that favor you asked me last time."
Ji Ye-won cut straight to the point without beating around the bush. Since they weren't close, she figured this was the more natural approach.
However.
"I realized you probably have your own circumstances, and I was too curt with you before. You seemed pretty troubled, so if there's anything I can help with—"
"Huh? Oh! That's all good now! It's all sorted out!"
"Sorted... out?"
Ji Ye-won asked with an uneasy expression. But Heo Sung-chan just kept smiling brightly.
"Yeah! That client I mentioned agreed to accept my apology! And on top of that, they're giving me a chance to make up for the previous failure! If I pull this one off, I can recover some of the reputation and trust I lost last time!"
So it was sorted. So it was fine.
Watching Heo Sung-chan beam with joy, Ji Ye-won rapidly pieced things together.
Client.
Junior Staff Member Kim Sun-woo.
Previous failure.
Kang Ha-neul's kidnapping.
Apology.
Chance to make up for it.
Make up for.
Chance.
Kidnapping.
'No way.'
Ji Ye-won thought.
If her suspicions were correct—that Heo Sung-chan was a hitman from the slums and Kim Sun-woo had commissioned him to kidnap Kang Ha-neul—then giving him a chance to make up for the failure meant commissioning him again to kidnap Kang Ha-neul, right?
"...I see. That's a relief."
"Thanks! You think so too, huh?"
If that suspicion was true, what should she do right now?
"Yeah. But just in case there's something I can help with, let's exchange numbers first."
Ji Ye-won made her decision swiftly. Heo Sung-chan's face lit up with delight at her words.
"Sounds good! Honestly, even if it wasn't for work, I'd want to stay in touch with you!"
"Hand over your phone."
Heo Sung-chan readily handed his smartphone to Ji Ye-won. At the same time, she said,
"By the way, aren't you going to order a drink?"
"Ah! Right! Totally forgot! Thanks for reminding me!"
Heo Sung-chan left the table without a hint of suspicion and headed to the counter. In that moment, Ji Ye-won pulled a small IC chip from her pouch.
It was an IC chip shaped like a smartphone SIM card, equipped with listening and GPS tracking functions. One of the surveillance devices Min Chae-ryeong had given her.
While Heo Sung-chan was distracted ordering, she quickly swapped out the SIM card. By the time he returned, she calmly showed him the screen with her number entered.
"I've saved my number. Oh, and just send a quick text to my phone from yours?"
A bright smile bloomed on Ji Ye-won's face as she spoke.
A perfectly crafted smile, honed from her days as a Dawn Legion spy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Stop!"
A urgent voice echoed across the training grounds. At the shout, the fist thrusting forward with ferocious momentum halted dead in the air.
In front of that fist, Kang Ha-neul was drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily. Meanwhile, the man who had thrown the punch, Ryu Tae-hyun, looked down at her calmly.
"Ha, I surrender. I really can't beat you."
"You've improved a lot since before."
"Empty words."
Ryu Tae-hyun extended a hand to help Kang Ha-neul up from the floor. Around them were a few other first-year Class 1 students.
"What's Ha-neul's record this time?"
At Ryu Tae-hyun's question, a female student named Yoo Seol checked her stopwatch.
"1 minute 7 seconds. That's 15 seconds longer than last time."
"See? I told you you've gotten better. Not empty words."
"...Still a long way from the others."
"Why compare to others? What's important is improving yourself, even if just a little. Alright, next up!"
At those words, Yoo Seol's twin brother Yoo Jin stepped forward casually. His face bore a clear look of dissatisfaction.
"We've already done three rounds straight. Wouldn't it be better to take a break?"
"Breaks cool you down. Better to push until you lose."
"Until you lose..."
Yoo Jin clicked his tongue. In this continuous sparring for midterms practical prep, Ryu Tae-hyun hadn't lost a single time yet. For him to say they'd keep going until he lost meant they'd continue until the training ground booking ended.
'Even for the protagonist, he's a real monster.'
Everyone gathered here, except Ryu Tae-hyun, were mid-to-lower ranked in the first-year Class 1 interpersonal combat rankings. Objectively, they weren't weak at all, but they weren't enough to beat Ryu Tae-hyun. Even without breaks.
'To take on Ryu Tae-hyun, you'd need at least Han Gyeoul or Ha Seong-min.'
Currently, only three first-year students had ever beaten Ryu Tae-hyun in one-on-one sparring.
Two of them were Han Gyeoul and Ha Seong-min, whom Kang Ha-neul thought of, and the other was Na Eun-sol. They held the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places in the first-year interpersonal combat rankings.
"Kinda feel bad. Sparring with us helps our combat skills, but for you, fighting weaklings like us gives no benefit."
"What are you talking about? I learn so much from sparring with you guys."
Ryu Tae-hyun shook his head at Yoo Jin's self-deprecating words.
"Interpersonal combat skills grow with experience. But our school's ranking matches are only three times a week at most? That's way too few!"
"Doubt there's even room for your skills to grow further."
"Hahaha! Thanks for the high praise. But I'm still lacking a lot. At this level, even promoting to A-rank is iffy."
Discussing A-rank promotion at student level was already impressive, but Yoo Jin and the others didn't point it out. Ryu Tae-hyun's self-assessment even included a touch of humility.
"Enough chit-chat, let's go, oppa! Training time's almost up!"
"Got it! Hey, what's my best record?"
"3 minutes 48 seconds!"
"Okay! This time I'll break 4 minutes for sure!"
"Why not aim higher?"
"Then go easy on me!"
Ryu Tae-hyun laughed heartily, claiming he couldn't do that, and took his stance. Yoo Jin drew water from a large barrel with his ability, surrounding himself with it.
'Gotta wash up.'
Ahead of their spar, Kang Ha-neul headed to the bathroom. With the remaining time, her turn wouldn't come again, so she figured she'd rinse off the sweat early.
-Splashhhh.
The bathroom at the end of the training corridor was empty. With midterms looming, most students prioritized theory over practicals. Staying late for combat training like Ryu Tae-hyun and the others was unusual.
'Still, they're the protagonist's class for a reason.'
They weren't just enduring a few minutes against Ryu Tae-hyun; their talents were top-tier without exaggeration. It only seemed that way because standouts like Ryu Tae-hyun, Han Gyeoul, Ha Seong-min, and Na Eun-sol overshadowed them. The rest of Class 1 was on par with, or even surpassed, upperclassmen.
Kang Ha-neul simply washed her hands and face, then tore off some paper towels to dry off. In the mirror, a girl with sweat-dampened bangs reflected back.
"Hmm..."
Kang Ha-neul stared at herself, striking various poses.
'I'm pretty decent looking, though...'
Was it because she was younger? Thinking that, Kang Ha-neul glanced outside to ensure no one was coming and quietly activated her ability.
Bright light enveloped her, and when it faded, she appeared a bit more mature than before. Though already an adult, this new avatar shed the last traces of girlishness for a fully womanly allure.
Specifically, fuller breasts, wider hips, slightly taller stature, longer lashes exuding a decadent charm, and so on.
"Mm."
Kang Ha-neul examined her photoshopped-like transformation from every angle, then chuckled softly.
'If I stick to him like this, maybe he'll react differently?'
The target was, of course, Ahn Su-ho. Lately, things felt awkwardly distant with him, which bothered her.
The awkwardness stemmed from her hiding the truth about possession and skills, but she couldn't just come clean.
So, as a backup plan, she considered inviting him out for drinks—just the two of them after ages. Use alcohol to break the ice and advance their relationship. The mature avatar was part of that scheme.
'Perfect timing since Ji Ye-won said she's away on work. This is our chance, right?'
Even dropping by his room for drinks, having a nosy neighbor next door would kill the mood. As that thought crossed her mind, a faint sense of unease flickered.
'Something definitely happened that day...'
"That day" meant when she, Ahn Su-ho, Ji Ye-won, and Chae So-yeon had drunk together.
Kang Ha-neul had blacked out from the booze midway, but a vague feeling lingered that she'd done something major. Ahn Su-ho's suspicious reaction when she'd asked the next day only fueled it.
'Should I ask again this time?'
If there was something hidden, wouldn't he open up honestly over drinks alone in his place?
She thought so, but worried the alcohol might loosen her tongue into forbidden confessions.
Like how this world was a novel.
That he was a character in it.
And she was someone who possessed into it from outside the story.
Ahn Su-ho still harbored suspicions, including from the cherry blossom heart incident. Alone together, questions might arise. If she slipped the truth under the influence...
"...What could go wrong? He'd just think it's drunken nonsense."
Who would seriously believe someone claiming their world was a novel?
Chucking at her reflection, Kang Ha-neul quietly deactivated her ability and turned away. The mature version vanished, leaving the still-youthful Kang Ha-neul in the mirror.
"...Huh?"
Even though she'd turned from the mirror, her eyes still reflected her own image.
Kang Ha-neul smiled brightly. Not the one who'd been thinking of Ahn Su-ho moments ago, but the Kang Ha-neul reflected in those eyes.
A person identical to her had appeared before her.
As Kang Ha-neul froze at the eerie sight.
"Who are you—"
-Stab.
The other Kang Ha-neul's gleaming blade plunged deep into her throat.