Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Investigating the Theft (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, for Shin-ju, who had arrived at U.C.I.D. headquarters, there was still unfinished business.
The case of Tibee-ra's stolen music files.
Shin-ju returned to the starting point of the case, resuming the investigation into the people around Tibee-ra that he had put on hold.
In the interrogation room, Tibee-ra sat across from Shin-ju and began to speak.
"Actually, I'm on a competitive variety show."
Shin-ju replied, his voice slightly excited.
"Ah, yes! I know. 'Galaxy Ability.' It's a show where singers compete in a tournament, right?"
Tibee-ra, however, gave a bitter smile.
"Yes, that's right. It's supposed to be a friendly competition, but backstage, everyone is extremely sensitive, and the psychological warfare is intense."
"Hmm..."
Shin-ju paused as if in thought before continuing with his questions.
"When you talked with the other contestants on the show, did you notice anything strange?"
"Hmm, strange... The show's manager did say I was a major target for the others."
"I see."
"One of my competitors is a singer from Future Vision Entertainment."
Tibee-ra's expression turned slightly sad.
"She was particularly hostile toward me. She wouldn't even return my greetings. It felt like... she was deliberately avoiding eye contact."
Shin-ju prepared to type on his laptop.
"Her name is...?"
"Aila... Her name was Aila. She's an artist with Future Vision."
Oho, Future Vision...
Shin-ju immediately began typing.
"Is Aila a stage name?"
"Yes, it's most likely a stage name. Alien names are often hard to pronounce."
*Clack, clack, clack.*
After finishing, Shin-ju skillfully pressed Enter.
He had just organized the information he'd heard from Tibee-ra.
The case keywords were 'space entertainment agency Future Vision,' its artist 'Aila,' and 'Tibee-ra's rival.'
A little later, Shin-ju parted ways with Tibee-ra and met with Hyde.
He assigned Hyde the task of investigating the disappearance of the space idol Tibee-ra's music files, with the condition that he be hired as a U.C.I.D. white-hat hacker.
"Then, as per our agreement, I'm counting on you."
Shin-ju said as he showed him to his seat.
"First off, you made a good choice coming to U.C.I.D."
Hyde looked indifferent.
He began his work as a white-hat hacker to dig into the music theft case.
Meanwhile, before a warrant could be issued, Shin-ju decided to visit Future Vision in person to gather more solid evidence and build a stronger case. He left the station.
In front of the Future Vision Entertainment building.
A high-rise building distinguished by its gleaming, reflective mirror-like exterior.
It was a massive office building about a twenty-minute walk up from Hongik University Station.
Shin-ju presented his ID at the first-floor security desk.
"I'm Investigator Park Shin-ju. I called earlier."
The human security guard, wearing a world-weary expression, barely glanced at the ID.
"Who got into trouble again?"
Again?
Shin-ju felt a sense of unease at the word 'again'.
"'Again?' What do you mean by that?"
The guard finally looked flustered and turned his head away.
"Ah, no, it's just... they're celebrities, so a lot of them cause trouble..."
He mumbled, trailing off while pretending to look for something, and Shin-ju watched him with suspicion.
*Whoosh-*
The automatic doors opened.
Shin-ju was here to meet Niaroseu, the head of idol management at Future Vision.
The manager's office was on the 17th floor.
Shin-ju walked through the lobby and stood in front of the elevator.
Around him, he could see famous celebrities you'd easily find on You-Tube.
From quite large aliens to ones as small as fairies.
Showcasing a diverse range of beauty, they mingled freely with Earthlings, chatting.
When the doors opened, one of them got on the elevator with Shin-ju.
He was a male idol with attractive, dark, and firm skin.
His beautiful features were so striking it was hard to tell at a glance if he was male or female. He was a member of the race called 'Dark Elves,' a rookie named 'Kai' who was currently a rising star in the entertainment industry.
Kai offered a greeting in cheerful but somewhat awkward Korean.
"Hello."
Shin-ju was inwardly impressed.
*Wow, he's even more amazing in person.*
Feeling a bit playful, he immediately greeted him fluently in the language of the Dark Elf home planet.
"Yes, hello."
Hearing his native tongue, Kai's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Shin-ju.
"Oh!? You... you can speak our language?"
"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Only then did Kai recognize Shin-ju.
"Ah... Ahhh!! You're Investigator Park Shin-ju!!"
"Oh my, I'm just an ordinary officer. Thank you for recognizing me. Yes, yes."
Kai's eyes sparkled.
"Ah, I'm a fan! It's thanks to you, Mr. Shin-ju, that we're able to live here on Earth!!"
Shin-ju shook his head humbly.
"Haha, not at all. My... to have a celebrity say they're a fan. I'm not sure what to do with myself."
Suddenly, Kai's pleased expression shifted to one of concern.
"Ah... um, is there some kind of incident at our company?"
Shin-ju gave a broad smile.
"Ahh, no! No! I'm just here to confirm something as a matter of procedure. There haven't been any incidents at this company, so don't you worry."
*Not yet, anyway.*
Shin-ju muttered to himself.
*Ding- 13th floor.*
"Oh, I see! Well, I have practice, so I'll get off here. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Shin-ju!"
Kai smiled brightly and waved.
"Yes, it was nice meeting you, too. Work hard."
Shin-ju also greeted him brightly, bidding farewell with a nod.
*Whoosh-*
The elevator doors closed, and Shin-ju thought for a moment.
The security guard's evasive reaction on the first floor, and the worried look Kai had just shown.
Could it be that there was some kind of undisclosed incident at this company?
Shin-ju had a reasonable suspicion.
*Ding- 17th floor.*
*Step, step.*
Getting off the elevator, Shin-ju walked down the hallway.
Lining the walls beside him were photos of the idols performing on various stages.
Shin-ju looked around slowly until...
"Oh...!"
He spotted Tibee-ra in one of the photos.
However, the photo wasn't focused on Tibee-ra.
She was standing next to a female alien, slightly out of focus.
The setting clearly looked like the stage of the tournament.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
"Yes, come in!"
The manager's voice came from inside the room.
Shin-ju peeked through the door and looked inside the manager's office.
"It's Park Shin-ju. I called ahead."
"Ah... ahh!! Yes, yes! Please, come in. It's a pleasure!"
From behind a desk in the back, a huge figure stood up.
A female alien with a long, slender body and skin that resembled a crustacean's shell.
Large eyes and round glasses.
A face reminiscent of an insect.
Six arms, all moving busily.
The head manager, 'Niaroseu,' who seemed to be of a similar species to Java-Tamao, the second-in-command of the Shark Tooth Pirates, extended a long arm to shake Shin-ju's hand.
*Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack.*
Meanwhile, her other five arms were busy carrying out their tasks.
"Haha, my apologies! Let me just finish this one thing, and then we can talk. Would you mind having a seat on the sofa for a moment?"
"Yes, take your time."
Shin-ju sat down on the plush sofa.
A moment later, there was a knock, and a secretary entered.
She was an ordinary human and served a cup of tea in front of Shin-ju.
"Ah, thank you."
By the time he had finished about half the cup,
Niaroseu plopped down on the seat across from Shin-ju.
"Yes! Mr. Shin-ju, I heard the preliminary details. Miss Tibee-ra is in a difficult situation, I understand?"
"Yes. The release is less than a month away, and all the music files she's prepared have vanished."
"Hacking, I presume."
"That's what I think, too."
Niaroseu tilted her head slightly.
"But why did you come to our company?"
"Ah. I'm in the middle of investigating the case, and I was wondering if there had been any similar incidents here at Future Vision."
Niaroseu fell into thought for a moment.
"As far as I know, we've never had music files hacked on our end...?"
"Hmm, I see."
Shin-ju lifted his teacup, took a sip, and asked Niaroseu point-blank.
"How is Miss Tibee-ra's relationship with the idols here?"
Hearing his words, Niaroseu's expression became strange.
"Surely, Mr. Park Shin-ju... you're not suspecting us, are you?"
Shin-ju set down his teacup.
He smiled and looked at Niaroseu.
"I can't rule out the possibility entirely."
Niaroseu stared at Shin-ju silently.
Shin-ju didn't back down, meeting her gaze.
A strange spark began to fly between them.
Finally, Shin-ju grinned and turned his head away.
*Of course she's offended.*
*I just showed up out of the blue and started talking about criminal suspicion as if it were a fact.*
She let out a sigh, then suddenly spoke with a confident attitude.
"Our company is an entertainment agency, not a place that trains programmers skilled enough to hack music files."
Shin-ju nodded vaguely, as if it were obvious.
"I know. I know."
"Did you come here knowing something?"
Shin-ju decided on a direct approach.
"Yes. That's why I'm here, isn't it? I hear an artist named Aila has become an overnight star recently. Is she doing well?"
At the mention of Aila's name, Niaroseu's eyes narrowed.
Shin-ju didn't miss that moment.
She was definitely hiding something.
"Hoo... that's right. She did become an overnight star. The company has very high expectations for Aila. Don't tell me she's caused some kind of trouble?"
"No, no. It's not that she caused trouble, but it seems her relationship with Tibee-ra is rather... special."
"I understand what you're implying. But that girl... she has neither the knowledge related to hacking nor the guts for it. And I have nothing to do with it either."
Shin-ju studied Niaroseu carefully, but she certainly didn't seem to know anything about the hacking incident.
Annoyed, Niaroseu picked up the phone receiver.
"You seem quite dissatisfied. I can call the support department to address your concerns."
Niaroseu was acting as gently yet firmly as possible to get rid of Shin-ju.
Understanding her meaning perfectly, Shin-ju stopped her and slowly stood up.
"No, that won't be necessary. Well then, I'll be taking my leave."
Shin-ju took the elevator down to the first-floor lobby.
The music file incident might be Aila's personal problem, not the company's.
There was a limit to how much he could probe with mere suspicion.
Just as he was about to leave with nothing to show for it, he caught the scent of a strange perfume.
Then, Shin-ju's intuition picked up on something.
Through the window of a cafe in a corner of the first-floor lobby, a bob of silver hair swayed.
Soon, the figure of a sophisticated-looking woman came into view.
For a moment, Shin-ju's expression was one of "Could it be?"
He acted nonchalant, casually heading toward the cafe, ordering a vanilla latte, and surveying his surroundings.
He couldn't hear their voices, but the moment he saw the silver hair again in a corner, Shin-ju was certain.
Kim Cha-yoon...!! It's definitely Kim Cha-yoon!!
And sitting across from her was a female alien.
What a stroke of luck.
The suspect in Tibee-ra's music theft case, 'Aila,' was right there.