Money Tends to Follow (5): The Puppeteer's Thread
"Did... did you just say I've been brainwashed? What kind of training are you giving your rookies for him to be this incredibly rude?!"
Inspector Mieru began to fly off the handle the moment he heard the accusation. The other police officers also looked at Kang Jin-ho with expressions that clearly said, 'Isn't brainwashing a bit of a stretch?'
"I apologize for cutting straight to the chase. However, we do not have time. Please, sit down."
Regardless of the inspector's outburst, Jin-ho calmly sat in his chair and stared back at Mieru. In truth, he had already grasped the entire picture the moment Mieru mentioned a "bizarre murder case" occurring last night. There were very few villains capable of pulling off such a stunt.
A locked-room massacre where the victims killed each other, leaving no survivors. This is the work of the 3rd-class villain, Marionette.
During his thousands of hours playing the game, Jin-ho had solved this exact case several times. As a side note, the Marionette questline always hid a specific trap: the NPC who brings the case to you is 100% guaranteed to be brainwashed by Marionette.
Once, it had been a C-class hero; another time, an employee of the Hero Association; and in one playthrough, it was Inspector Mieru, just like now. Without exception, they were all under Marionette's control, destined to betray the player at a critical moment.
"I will begin once you sit down, Inspector. I repeat, we do not have time."
Having organized his thoughts, Jin-ho sat perfectly still, his cold demeanor making it clear there was no room for negotiation.
"...The 7th Precinct will be held fully responsible for this later."
Gritting his teeth, Inspector Mieru begrudgingly slumped into a chair. Only then did Jin-ho begin his explanation.
"First, I sensed something was wrong the moment Inspector Mieru stepped into the precinct."
"I barely did anything after walking in. What could possibly be wrong?" Mieru sneered, but Jin-ho ignored him and continued.
"Does everyone here know about Inspector Mieru's reputation?"
"..."
"What's with the silence? Is it too awkward to talk about him right in front of his face?"
When the other officers hesitated to speak up, Raphael, the giant black man with horns who served as the precinct chief, stepped forward.
"Inspector Mieru is quite famous," Raphael said. "He's the man who gave up being a hero to work as a police officer. Even a C-class hero makes far more than a cop, so he's highly respected for his dedication."
Jin-ho nodded at the chief's words. "Indeed. Since you seem to know him well, Chief, let me ask you another question. Were you also aware that Inspector Mieru suffers from severe mysophobia?"
"Ah, yes. He's rather famous for that too. I heard he's such an extreme clean-freak that his colleagues find him difficult to work with. Oh, pardon me. Please pretend you didn't hear that last part."
"...I am well aware that people mistake my meticulousness for being difficult," Inspector Mieru muttered through gritted teeth.
Jin-ho snapped his fingers.
"Then think about this. What did such an extreme clean-freak do the moment he walked into our precinct?"
"Um... he wiped his glasses?"
"He huffed hot breath onto the lenses and wiped them haphazardly. If he were truly mysophobic, wouldn't he have used a clean handkerchief or a microfiber cloth? Especially when he has a handkerchief sitting right there in his breast pocket."
"...Oh? You're right!"
The other officers widened their eyes in realization. Jin-ho didn't stop there.
"That is not all. Look closely at the inspector's physical state right now."
"...My physical state?"
"Yes. Those of you who are observant may have already noticed. Inspector Mieru is sweating profusely, his eyes are struggling to focus, and his eyelids are twitching slightly. These are classic symptoms of autonomic nervous system dysfunction caused by a post-hypnotic suggestion implanted in the brain."
"No way!"
The other officers hurriedly scrutinized Mieru. They had been too distracted by the sudden visit from headquarters to notice, but now that they looked, his clothes were indeed damp with sweat, and his eyes were trembling.
"Wait, while we were all wondering why he showed up, Jin-ho was analyzing his physical condition?"
"...I didn't even think of that."
The officers of the 7th Precinct looked at Jin-ho with deep admiration, amazed by his ability to remain calm and observant without getting swept up in the tension.
"Hold on, hold on!" Chief Raphael suddenly jumped out of his seat as if he had made a grand discovery. "Then does that mean the inspector's unusually dry skin and those massive dark circles under his eyes are also side effects of the brainwashing?"
"No, those are just his natural features."
"...Please pretend you didn't hear that, Inspector."
The precinct chief quietly sat back down.
"...Please, continue," Inspector Mieru said, his voice trembling slightly.
Jin-ho picked up where he left off. "And most decisively, an elite officer like you being dispatched from headquarters... yet the official cooperation request was sent in a rush right before your arrival? That is incredibly sloppy. Even if you forgot to send it before departing, you had plenty of opportunities to contact us on your way here."
"Hmm, that is true," Raphael agreed. "Inspector Mieru is famous for his meticulousness. So, rookie, what you're saying is that the inspector was already brainwashed before he even arrived here?"
"Exactly. A person's minor habits do not change easily. Yet, the behavior Inspector Mieru displayed today completely contradicts his reputation. Any one of these anomalies could be dismissed as a fluke, but three of them simultaneously? That is when I suspected brainwashing. A brainwashed individual inevitably acts out of character due to the foreign supernatural influence acting on their brain."
"..."
Inspector Mieru bit his lower lip in silence.
"Now, let us connect this to the case," Jin-ho continued. "You mentioned a bizarre closed-room murder last night where the victims slaughtered each other, leaving no survivors. The moment I heard that, I knew it had to be the work of a brainwashing-type ability user. It is entirely feasible with such a power."
Jin-ho pointed a finger at Inspector Mieru.
"And right on cue, Inspector Mieru is acting completely out of character. Are these two events entirely unrelated? Is it truly a coincidence? I believe concluding that Inspector Mieru has been brainwashed, and that his brainwasher is the same culprit behind the closed-room murders, is not a leap in logic at all."
"So you're saying this is all the work of a single villain?"
"Yes. Given that Inspector Mieru's consciousness seems relatively intact right now, it is likely a type of ability that triggers under specific conditions. Among the villains stronger than the inspector who possess the ability to implant a suggestion beforehand and activate it at a critical moment..."
At that moment, Park Eun-young, who had been listening with an amused expression, casually chimed in.
"Sounds like the 3rd-class villain, Marionette."
"Exactly, Senior. That was my conclusion as well."
Jin-ho nodded, grateful for Eun-young providing the correct answer at the perfect moment.
At his confident confirmation, a heavy silence fell over the precinct.
"If it's Marionette..."
"Then indeed..."
The 3rd-class villain, Marionette.
While her raw destructive power might fall short compared to other 3rd-class villains, her cunning application of her ability had prompted discussions within the Hero Association about promoting her to the 2nd-class.
And for good reason—Marionette always committed her murders through the hands of others. Even if a suspect was caught, they were merely a puppet. By the time investigators realized this and tried to track down the real culprit, her true body had long since vanished. Her brainwashing ability made her incredibly difficult to apprehend, even with the help of supernatural powers.
To make matters worse, she didn't kill for money or material gain, but purely for her own sadistic pleasure, making her an absolute nightmare for the Hero Association.
"Isn't Marionette's ability... something like implanting a 'trigger word' as a suggestion in the target's brain if she maintains skin-to-skin contact for more than ten seconds?" Eun-young mused. "And once they hear that word, they become her puppet for a set period of time. I heard she usually uses seduction to get those ten seconds."
As Eun-young spoke, the other officers turned rather suspicious gazes toward Inspector Mieru.
"N-no! That's absolutely not what happened!"
"It likely wasn't seduction," Jin-ho chimed in, backing up the highly flustered inspector.
"Inspector, have you used public transportation recently?"
"No? I almost always drive... Wait."
Mieru's voice trailed off.
"A few days ago... I think I took the subway. There was a traffic accident at the intersection, so I couldn't drive... Did I take the subway? My memory is a bit fuzzy."
"If there was an accident blocking the roads, the subway must have been incredibly crowded. Crowded enough that you wouldn't think twice about bumping skin-to-skin with a stranger."
"...!"
"That must have been when she got you. You were undoubtedly targeted by Marionette on that subway train."
Inspector Mieru fell silent. He had been skeptical about being brainwashed until now, but the gaps in his memory made it undeniable.
The other officers stared at Jin-ho in sheer awe. Only Eun-young maintained her playful smile as she asked, "Then, Jin-ho, what do you think Marionette's goal is? Why kill those people and brainwash Inspector Mieru?"
"It is a trap. Whether heroes or police officers come to investigate the murder, they would be caught completely off guard if the elite investigator they trusted as an ally turned out to be a brainwashed puppet. The inspector's insistence on going to the crime scene with just me was likely due to a pre-programmed suggestion. A large crowd would make things difficult for Marionette, after all."
Thud.
Inspector Mieru collapsed to the floor, unable to support himself in the chair any longer. He didn't even care that dust was getting on his clothes. He was utterly disgusted with himself. Falling so easily into a villain's trap and being used as bait was humiliating.
Some ace of headquarters he was. Some elite investigator. The harsh reality was that he had been played like a fiddle by a mere 3rd-class villain—not even a 1st or 2nd-class.
But above all, his pride was shattered by the fact that this rookie patrol officer had instantly deduced his pathetic plight. He felt like a hollow fraud, while this rookie was the real deal.
"Damn it... damn it all..."
Tears of sheer frustration rolled down Mieru's face.
"There is no need to blame yourself so harshly," Jin-ho said comfortingly. "Brainwashing is naturally difficult for the victim to detect. It is up to those around them to notice the changes."
Chief Raphael also added in a gentle tone, "He's right. We know that your rude remarks and arrogant behavior earlier were just the effects of the brainwashing. We won't hold it against you, so don't worry."
"No, that part was just his normal personality."
"..."
Inspector Mieru gritted his teeth, tears still streaming down his face. Did he really have to go that far?!