Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Theft Investigation (2)
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“Vanilla latte is ready!”
Shin-ju picked up his coffee and chose a seat in a blind spot to avoid being seen.
Only then could he get a clear look at the familiar face he’d often seen in the media.
Kim Cha-yoon, the CEO of Cha-yoon Enterprise. A sharp nose and piercing eyes that seemed a mix between a fox and a wolf.
She was a CEO known for her sharp, cold charisma.
Shin-ju pretended to look at his phone and put in his wireless earbuds.
But these weren't for listening to music.
They were an advanced eavesdropping device incorporating technology from the planet Frontline.
*Static... Crackle...*
After a few bursts of noise, the voices of Kim Cha-yoon and Aila slowly became clear.
- Don't feel too pressured.
First, Kim Cha-yoon's boyish voice came through, followed by Aila's, which sounded intimidated.
- Ma'am, honestly… I…
Aila swallowed hard and continued, as if she had made up her mind.
- I don't really understand why you feel the need to go this far.
- Don't worry. I have no intention of harming your career in entertainment.
So there was some kind of plan after all.
Shin-ju feigned interest, keeping a random YouTube video playing on his screen.
- Besides, this company? If we can keep Tibee-ra in check, isn't that a good thing?
- B-But…
- As an investor here, I also want to see our celebrities do better.
- In any case, you did well. Thanks to you, Aila, things have become much easier. Thank you.
Shin-ju’s lips twisted into a barely perceptible smirk.
So Kim Cha-yoon had a stake here too. She had her hands in everything.
Aila looked at Kim Cha-yoon, still appearing worried.
- But… I’m sorry, Ma’am… but was it really necessary to… steal… I mean, take that song file?
From what Shin-ju could see, Aila, contrary to her "girl crush" image in the media, had a surprisingly timid side. Her actual personality seemed quite different.
- I have a plan, that's why. I told you, this has nothing to do with the entertainment industry.
Cha-yoon’s voice dropped low.
- You just need to do as I say. Always remember who you have to thank for being able to continue your career.
- …Yes, ma'am.
- Tibee-ra's song will become a very important weapon for us.
Shin-ju slowly removed the earbuds. He didn't need to listen any longer; he'd heard enough.
It was now almost certain that Kim Cha-yoon had stolen Tibee-ra's song file.
Shin-ju quietly got up and left the café.
His pace quickened.
[Tibee-ra's song will become a very important weapon for us.]
A weapon? She called it a weapon?
Those words didn't sound like they were merely about the entertainment industry. With a worried expression, Shin-ju quickly got into his car and headed for U.C.I.D. headquarters.
“Mr. Hyde!”
Shin-ju rushed into the headquarters, urgently looking for Hyde.
*Clack, clack, clack, clack.*
Hyde was furiously typing on his computer, grumbling to himself.
“What am I supposed to do with this piece of junk, honestly!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll let you use your own equipment for this.”
Hyde glanced up at Shin-ju out of the corner of his eye.
“What is it.”
“I need you to find out if Cha-yoon Enterprise hacked into the music file server through their main company site.”
“Can't do it.”
“What did you say?”
Shin-ju stared at Hyde, dumbfounded by his blunt refusal.
Hyde explained his immediate response.
“It's not that I can't, but think about it. What kind of idiot would try to hack something using their own company's main server?”
“So you’re saying they’d have a separate server for hacking?”
“Not just a server. For a sprawling, octopus-like conglomerate like Cha-yoon, it wouldn't be strange for them to have multiple sites under different names.”
Shin-ju clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression.
*Tsk*, what a hassle.
That meant he had to find the other site that held the traces of the hack first.
Hyde peeked at Shin-ju from the side.
“Well, anyway, I did a little digging. It looks like Cha-yoon has dabbled in the entertainment industry, right?”
“Yes, Future Vision Entertainment.”
“In that case…”
Hyde rubbed his forehead, thinking for a moment.
“We need to look into the music distribution companies.”
“A distributor related to Cha-yoon…”
Shin-ju recalled the male idol singer, Kai, whom he had met in the elevator at Future Vision Entertainment.
He remembered the idol’s large, sparkling eyes.
[Oh, I'm a fan!! It's thanks to you, Mr. Shin-ju, that we can live here on Earth!!]
A male alien idol who had called himself a fan…
“Mr. Hyde, look up ‘Kai.’”
The face of a handsome, flower-boy alien quickly appeared on Hyde's computer screen.
Like Tibee-ra, he was a rising star whose value had been skyrocketing lately.
Below his profile was a list of albums he had released.
Clicking on one album revealed the name of the distributor below the producer, ‘Future Vision Entertainment.’
‘Canyon Fonuel’
Shin-ju and Hyde exchanged a sidelong glance.
Shin-ju gave him a nod.
“…I’ll be counting on you, then.”
“…Don't get your hopes up. That could just be a shell company.”
Hyde replied coolly before his fingers started flying across the keyboard again.
2:00 PM.
A hamburger joint called ‘Wood World’ on a main street in Gangnam, Seoul.
A line of various alien species could be seen in front of the counter.
A female Elf from Bluerobic was bustling about, helping customers with their orders.
She was one of the refugees who had arrived with Sharin and had successfully found a job right away with the help of the Alien Welfare Center.
Normally, the place should have been buzzing with noise at this hour, but a strange silence hung in the air…
*Munch, munch, munch, munch.*
The diverse crowd of aliens ate quietly, their mouths shut, as they kept glancing toward one spot.
Their gazes were fixed on the outdoor terrace.
Seated across from each other at a terrace table were none other than the SS-Class hero Sharin Tankobichi and U.C.I.D. officer Enri Tankobichi.
Of course, it wasn't because the two of them were threatening. Well, in a way, they were.
A mountain of hamburger wrappers was piling up in front of Sharin.
Ignoring the stares, she was completely engrossed in the stimulating flavor of the food, which made her blood pump.
Enri watched Sharin's binge-eating for a moment without a word.
Even this sight filled her with a sense of overwhelming emotion.
“Phew~.”
Having devoured the massive amount of food in an instant, Sharin let out a hearty laugh of satisfaction.
“If I’d known stuff like this existed, I would’ve come to Earth sooner, hahaha!”
About thirty-four of them.
*Ugh, my salary…*
Enri, taking a significant hit to her rather meager police salary, quickly counted the number of hamburger wrappers Sharin had gone through.
“Are you satisfied now, sis?”
“You bet! Hey! Let’s have this for dinner too!”
Sharin shouted like a child.
Only in front of Enri did she show this tomboyish side.
“Geez, I’m good.”
Enri grimaced as if she’d had enough.
“Anyway…”
Sharin glanced at Enri, cautiously starting the conversation.
“You have something you want to talk about, right?”
*Gulp, gulp, gulp.*
She chugged her soda as she spoke.
“Yeah. It’s about that song you said you heard.”
“Ah, the song.”
Enri quickly scanned their surroundings before lowering her voice.
“Where did you hear it?”
“I heard it myself on the refugee ship.”
“Yourself?”
“The truth is, after we left Bluerobic, we were on the run from the Planet Destroyer.”
Sharin’s eyes drifted for a moment, as if recalling the past.
“We managed to escape the planet, but with nowhere to go, we just fled aimlessly. Then, suddenly, we received a message through our comms signal. At first, it was a song.”
Enri felt a sense of unease at Sharin’s words.
“At first…?”
“Yeah. And right after that, a video arrived.”
Enri’s eyes widened.
“A video?”
“Yeah. A scene of someone from our home planet singing on a stage.”
A gasp escaped Enri’s lips. She was certain that the alien in the video was the superstar currently in the spotlight on Earth, ‘Tibee-ra.’
“We desperately set a course using that artificial signal and fled here for our lives.
Then we ran out of fuel and were attacked by the Planet Destroyer, forcing us to crash-land on the moon. That’s when those space pirates, Sara or Sora or whatever, took the opportunity to kidnap us.”
Suddenly, Sharin laughed.
“Heh heh. When you think about it, we basically survived thanks to those pirates.”
Enri, who had been listening quietly, asked.
“Did you identify the sender?”
“No, we couldn’t. It was what you on Earth call… caller ID blocked, or something? It had a secret code on it.”
“A secret code…”
For a moment, Enri thought of the hacker Hyde that Shin-ju had brought with him, and she filed the words ‘secret code’ away in her mind.
Enri’s eyes sparkled.
Her next destination was set.
“Sis, come with me to the refugee ship today. I need to take a look inside.”
“The refugee ship? You know how to crack secret codes?”
“No, but I know an alien who might.”
Enri looked at Sharin with a serious expression.
“And before that, I want to observe the inside of the ship. There might be other clues.”
Sharin looked at Enri and nodded.
“Right, now that you mention it… you were an excellent tracker back on our home planet.”
Enri prepared to leave immediately.
“Alright. Let’s go now. The Space Federation Government should be storing our refugee ship by now.”
“Perfect timing. I have a few things I need to grab, too.”
With that, Enri and Sharin rose from their seats.
Near the National Assembly Building in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
Enri and Sharin arrived in front of the ‘Republic of Korea Space Federation Government’ building.
Enri casually turned her head.
In the distance, a few burly men dressed in black were gathered in a group, snickering amongst themselves.
She scowled, not liking the look of them.
They were mercenaries from Cha-yoon Enterprise.
One of them, a massive mercenary over four meters tall, was regaling his subordinates with tales of his exploits in a solemn posture.
Whatever their business was at the Space Federation Government building, they were not a fitting sight.
Enri tried to ignore them and looked up at the building.
“Please don’t let this be a wasted trip…”
Just as the two were about to climb the stairs.
Suddenly, a shrill voice called out from somewhere.
“Hey…!”
Enri and Sharin instinctively turned their heads toward the sound, to a corner of the government building.
Before them stood an ordinary old man with a protest sign hanging from his neck.
“Hey…!!”
The old man slowly raised his hand and pointed a finger at Enri and Sharin.
“There is an enemy of humanity!”
Enri observed the sign hanging on the old man’s body.
A single sentence was written on it.
[Humanity must oppose all aliens on Earth!]
The neat handwriting looked as if it hadn't been written by the old man.
The old man strained to shout again.
His voice was hoarse.
“There is an enemy of humanity!”