Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: The Hyena Digging into the Heavenly Demon's Past (2)
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Foreign Policy Headquarters, Integrated Policy Office.
Jeong Changwook, who had been lounging with a lazy expression, jumped to his feet at the words of Integrated Policy Director Kang Cheonwook.
"No, what kind of talk is that?"
He gulped down the candy he'd been secretly sucking on and spoke again.
"You're telling me not to investigate a suspect for illegal stay as an awakener? What's the reason?"
"I don't know. It's a direct order from the headquarters chief. Just drop it."
"No way."
Kang Cheonwook, who knew full well about Jeong Changwook's stubbornness, pleaded.
"Hey, I checked it out myself. The documents are clean. Why are you poking around?"
"Something's off. The papers are perfect, but there are inconsistencies in the circumstances."
Recalling the Heavenly Demon's terrifying muscular physique, Jeong Changwook continued.
"More than that, does it make sense for someone with that massive muscular build to be doing interior construction work? He'd be better off as a personal trainer."
"Then he's just a gym freak! Why are you messing with a foreigner's muscles? Especially a hardworking laborer?"
"Director, has my intuition ever been wrong? There's definitely something strange."
At those words, Kang Cheonwook swallowed hard.
Jeong Changwook, called the hyena of the investigation team, had incredibly sharp instincts.
Once he started digging, he smashed illegal stay networks from tail to head—no question about his skills.
"Fine, just drop it."
Kang Cheonwook lit a cigarette and roughly set down the lighter.
"I hear association agents live next door. If there's a problem, they'll handle it."
"Director."
"That foreigner seems to have some insanely high-level backing. Let's not piss off the big shots."
Kang Cheonwook waved his hand after taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Just get out."
Click.
Stepping out of the office, Jeong Changwook pulled a small candy from his pocket.
Crunch.
What kind of identity allows direct pressure from headquarters? Some powerful figure's illegitimate child?
"This is gonna be fun."
Jeong Changwook grinned and picked up another candy.
"They did this without knowing who I am."
The power player applying pressure had overlooked one thing.
That some civil servants have no attachment to their jobs.
She was a truly adorable young woman.
Just turned twenty? No, maybe mid-twenties?
The woman with clear, chillingly sharp eyes had her glossy, slightly purple-tinted hair in a half-updo, wearing a neat pantsuit skirt and blouse.
Holding a round, trumpet-like phone to her ear, she slowly—and hugely—opened her pale pink lips.
"Did you stuff sausages in your ears? Listen once and get it through your thick skull!"
But the words coming from her mouth were utterly crude, mismatched to her looks.
"Is there any wallpaper in the world that doesn't grow mold? Even your yap would sprout mold if it stayed wet that long?"
Blue flames seemed to shoot from her eyes, fire spewing from her mouth.
'Whoa, she really knows how to curse...'
On the rooftop of a building downtown.
Jeong Changwook was eavesdropping on sounds leaking from Bokbok Interiors using a spy-grade ultra-high-performance long-range voice detector.
But the noises from what should be a normal interior shop were a barrage of double curses fit to smack an old hag's ear.
"What's going on, boss?"
Unable to listen anymore, the muscular man—the Heavenly Demon—finally spoke.
'Boss? She's the shop owner?'
Jeong Changwook, silently listening to the feed, was nodding when—
"Don't worry about it."
The young woman, Jang Chaewon, waved her hand dismissively.
"He's just a lunatic."
"A lunatic?"
"Yeah, this psycho bastard from ten years ago says the wallpaper we did properly rotted, and demands we redo it."
"...A lunatic indeed."
With the Heavenly Demon's agreement, Jang Chaewon unleashed even fiercer curses.
"That freak who must've majored in home schooling should have his ribs rearranged and his mouth stuffed with shit instead of a septic tank..."
Normally quiet, but once riled up, Jang Chaewon lost all restraint.
Seeing her eyes roll back as she spewed filth nonstop, the Heavenly Demon recalled one of his former subordinates, the Mad Demon Ghost Qin Nanten.
-Fuck this shit! Just sweep away the Murim Alliance or whatever!
'How did I cure that guy's mania again?'
Qin Nanten had damaged his brain meridians falling from a height as a child, so whenever he opened his mouth, he'd rant and curse—even in front of the Heavenly Demon, the sky of the demonic path.
Plus, his berserk temper led him to charge alone into the Shaolin headquarters amid a fierce battle with Murim Alliance masters.
For that, he was confined by Shaolin high monks for seven weeks, forced to recite sutras—and surprisingly, that cured his mania.
"I see. Shaolin was the answer?"
"What?"
"But there are no Shaolin monks here... Shame."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Nothing."
The Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes and returned to his book, but Jang Chaewon pointed at the clock.
"Hey, aren't you going to the site? You're supposed to do lighting with Kim today."
"Ah, the job got delayed."
"Why?"
"There was an accident."
"An accident?"
"The lighting we're installing this time. They said it's made by a very famous artisan."
"And?"
The Heavenly Demon, with the inquisitive gaze of a scholar, shook his head regretfully.
"I investigated to find what made it different from regular lights. It just broke off in the process."
A chilly silence fell over the shop.
The lighting Kim Chanwon was set to install was a new product by renowned architect and interior designer Eleonora. And it cost a whopping 9 million won.
"Do you know how much that ceiling light costs?"
"I heard. Kim told me."
"Why touch such an expensive light on your own?"
"It was already damaged before opening. I merely removed and checked it."
"Damaged how?"
Facing Jang Chaewon's bulging eyes, the Heavenly Demon shook his head.
"There were major cracks in the outer casing. It was broken from the start."
"That's part of the design—it looks cracked on purpose."
"Oh, was it?"
Silence hung, then the Heavenly Demon crossed his arms and shook his head.
"Wasted effort disassembling it."
"You idiot...!"
Jang Chaewon, riled up again, unleashed a machine-gun torrent of vulgarities.
"Is your skull filled with boneless chicken? Your head's busted too—want me to disassemble it?"
Stomping her feet, she circled the Heavenly Demon, spewing flames from her mouth.
"How are you gonna cover this loss!"
"Hmm."
Jeong Changwook, listening to the colorful barrage, groaned and set down the eavesdropping gear.
"Remarkable. That guy."
A hulking man who looked like a human butcher, utterly helpless against a frail woman's tirade.
"No need to keep listening."
Shaking his head, Jeong Changwook removed the earpiece blasting curses.
"Better track his movements now."
The Heavenly Demon's routine was clockwork precise.
Mornings: arrive at shop, clean, read books.
On job days: labor diligently amid choking dust.
For delicate, expert work: teamed up with Kim Chanwon.
"Hmm."
After three days mapping the Heavenly Demon's routine and paths, Jeong Changwook hummed thoughtfully.
"Even a machine couldn't be more reliable."
Rare diligence, mechanical schedule.
Daily sweat in manual labor, driving a decades-old van, living in a penthouse in the uninhabited Shield Boundary Zone.
Even meals were robotic: jjajangmyeon for lunch, nearby cheap eats for dinner.
"But it's suspicious."
On the surface, a model worker.
Yet it stank. Jeong Changwook's gut was never wrong.
That Heavenly Demon guy surely sneaks into dungeons or smuggles artifacts overseas.
"And what's with that body."
The muscle contours could slap an awakener's face.
Not even a bodybuilder could maintain that.
Above all, tickling Jeong Changwook's instincts: the occasional eerie aura emanating from him.
Invisible to the eye, but perceptible only to top awakeners post-multiple reawakenings—a razor-sharp, blade-like presence.
"There's definitely something."
Pulling a candy from his pocket and crunching it, Jeong Changwook muttered lowly.
"My instincts are never wrong."
A few days later, afternoon.
Vroom.
Riding the Lamas, the Heavenly Demon leisurely cruised a quiet city street.
Reading at the shop, he'd been asked by Jang Chaewon to hit the big mart.
-Sorry, but can you grab this adapter? There's a electronics store by the station.
Mid-consult with a client, Jang Chaewon handed him a busted laptop adapter.
Glancing at it on the passenger seat, the Heavenly Demon sighed and murmured.
"Inconvenient."
Screech.
Arriving at the electronics store unnoticed, he parked the Lamas and entered.
Friday afternoon bustle: customers browsing gadgets, clerks assisting.
"Where can I get this?"
"Oh, that adapter's at rack 11 over there, sir."
The clerk smiled kindly at the proffered adapter, pointing to the back rack.
"Here it is."
Crouching at the corner rack, the Heavenly Demon picked up the adapter when—
-I hate when people stare. Our eyes meet, and they gawk like I'm on display.
A woman's low voice echoed from somewhere.
Turning, he saw a small TV on the rack playing a drama.
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon halted, staring intently at the screen.
It was [My Lord Investigator], his recent favorite.
"Hmm."
He stood frozen, eyes fixed on the TV.
The tragic heroine's low soliloquy gazing at the investigator stirred something in the Heavenly Demon's heart.
-People assume because I look different, my personality is too. They think, 'She looks like this, so she'll act like that...'
"Eek!"
A short scream and murmurs rose.
Peeking toward the entrance, the Heavenly Demon saw black-clad men threatening people with knives and guns.
Robbers had burst in.
"Grab every nanobot you can!"
Cashless payments meant robbers rarely hit regular shops.
But big electronics stores stocked rechargeable e-currency, pricey nanobots—prime targets.
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon ignored the threats and looting, still glued to the TV.
"Uh... that..."
Peering through a see-through scope, Jeong Changwook gaped.
The Heavenly Demon had clearly seen the robbery but stood rigidly frozen in the corner.
"That bastard really no awakener?"
Even illegals get merit for catching robbers.
Recently, a Kazakh illegal saved folks from a fire—got residency instead of deportation.
"All bulk, total wimp."
Shaking his head through the scope, Jeong Changwook watched six robbers not just stealing but harassing a female customer.
Click.
Stepping from his car, he slowly entered the store.
"Who the hell is this..."
A robber aiming at entering Jeong Changwook couldn't finish.
Crunch.
A nearby cart twisted like metal rope, binding the robber's hands, feet, and mouth.
"An awakener?"
Robbers weren't dumb.
Armed with pricey plasma cutters against surprise awakeners, boomstones to level houses.
"Ignore him—keep moving!"
Five robbers clutching hostages, weapons, boomstones yelled at Jeong Changwook.
"One twitch and... mmpf! Mmph!"
Words cut short again.
Their guns and awakener suits coiled snake-like, binding hands, feet, mouths tight.
"You're safe now—relax."
Jeong Changwook smiled at trembling staff and civilians.
"Police are coming—reported it."
Clapping hands, he suddenly glared at the back corner rack. A massive shadow stood unmoving.
"Damn, that..."
Wanted to smack him, but that'd land him in cuffs.
"Just a well-connected scaredy-cat gym rat."
Sneering disdainfully, Jeong Changwook shook his head and exited.
* * *
Next morning, Bokbok Interiors.
"Looks like it's finally over?"
Jang Chaewon smiled brightly, peering outside.
The nagging stares and faint waves from distant surveillance gear were gone.
"They stopped tailing after the electronics store yesterday."
The Heavenly Demon, reading at the reception table, said flatly.
"Got bored, I suppose."
[Guess I can come out now.]
Nameless, snuck into the Heavenly Demon's pocket from the storage room, rolled out into the shop.
[Still, glad it ended quicker than expected.]
"Strange. They said he'd be relentless for a month."
Tilting her head, Jang Chaewon laughed.
"Anyway, good. Now we can take dungeon material gathering requests again."
The Heavenly Demon and Jang Chaewon had known Jeong Changwook was watching and eavesdropping.
Feeling his distant gazes in spare moments, they'd stuck to diligent interior work.
"No need to drag it out like this."
Sipping green tea, the Heavenly Demon shook his head.
"I said I'd handle him quietly—why leave it be?"
"Handle quietly? You some hitman?"
Glared at sharply by Jang Chaewon, who bared her teeth.
"That investigator ignored pressure from above and did his job diligently. We're the bad guys here."
-We applied pressure to headquarters, but the investigator won't budge. Turns out he's super dutiful, upright, with a unique record...
Recalling Dongwon's recent message, Jang Chaewon shook her head.
"Even divine realm pressure on HQ failed. He's investigating you ready to lose his job."
[Like Team Leader Cho Hong.]
"Hm?"
[The association agent who was ready to strip for you, Heavenly Demon.]
"Yeah, kinda."
Jang Chaewon chuckled and told the Heavenly Demon.
"Give him a thank-you gift later."
"What?"
"A gift. Something small."
"Not buying."
"You should. How big a favor is that?"
Jang Chaewon's chiding voice echoed out of the shop.
