Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: He Is Not a Living Person (2)
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The one tailing her was alone.
His intentions were still unknown.
But he was no ordinary person.
Even Leila hadn't noticed the tail right away. If it had been some scumbag trying to make a move on her, she would have spotted him easily.
Leila gripped the bag of bread tightly and quickened her pace.
*Thud, thud.*
As expected, the footsteps following her matched her speed. Leila marshaled all her senses and wits to find a suitable location.
‘A place with few people?’
No, she had no idea what he might do.
Leila was armed with only a single small pistol.
It was useful for self-defense, but she didn’t know how her opponent was armed.
If he was specifically targeting her, he wouldn't have come empty-handed. The difference in their weaponry was likely significant, not minor.
*Thud, thud.*
Most importantly, her back was turned.
The tension was stretched taut like a thread on the verge of snapping, the uncertainty of when the man tailing her might pull the trigger.
The option of returning to the motel where Kanghyeok was?
That was never a consideration.
She couldn't lead him to the motel, where her equipment and Kanghyeok were, without knowing his intentions or identity.
That left only one option.
‘A crowded place.’
With many eyes watching, he wouldn't be able to pull the trigger so easily.
Leila gritted her teeth, searching for a crowded place as she pulled out her phone.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Keeping her gaze as natural as possible, Leila sent Kanghyeok a text message.
[I'm being followed.]
A moment's hesitation.
But Leila soon moved her thumb, tapping the keyboard.
[Will contact you again when the situation is resolved.]
The pursuer wasn't hostile.
And given his movements and tracking skills…
He was no ordinary man.
The most likely candidate in this situation was Nobody.
It was a gamble, but she decided it was worth making contact if the man tailing her was indeed Nobody.
Just then, the faint sound of a bell brushed past her ear.
*Ting-a-ling.*
It was the bell from the door of a bar, open even during the day.
Glimpsing a fair number of people through the door, Leila headed toward it.
*Ting-a-ling.*
For the first time here, the rush of gazes felt welcoming.
*Whistle.*
Leila endured the whistles and sticky stares that followed her and sat down at the bar.
“Haven’t seen you around before.”
Leila set down the bag of bread and met the bartender's eyes.
“I arrived a few days ago.”
“Come by often. It’s a good place.”
“I’ll see about that.”
“Heh heh, what can I get you?”
“Do you have cocktails?”
“We’ve got some.”
“A Black Russian, then.”
“Don’t have that one…”
*Ting-a-ling.*
The moment the door opened, the air changed.
The lecherous atmosphere from the patrons when Leila had entered was replaced by an uncomfortable air that made one want to leave. Leila sucked on her lips as she heard footsteps approaching her.
She then looked at the bartender and spoke.
“Then I’ll have a Manhattan.”
“Got that. Just a moment.”
The bartender took out a bar spoon, a mixing glass, and ice, and began preparing the cocktail Leila had ordered.
It was then.
*Scrape.*
The chair right next to Leila was pulled out, and the owner of the footsteps that had been following her sat down.
“Don’t turn your head.”
Leila’s eyelids trembled faintly at his low voice.
The man who had been on the phone with Kanghyeok at Matthias’s building.
‘Nobody.’
It was his voice.
*Thud.*
Something cold and hard touched her side.
Though it was over her clothes, Leila knew what it was.
‘A pistol.’
The muzzle, angled slightly upward, was aimed at her organs.
If he pulled the trigger, the bullet would tear through her stomach and lungs.
Leila bit her lower lip as the bartender clinked the mixing glass, stirring the Manhattan, while Nobody’s voice continued from beside her.
“Don’t try anything funny. Then I’ll guarantee your safety.”
“Can’t even talk to a woman without a gun?”
“If she’s a woman with a gun.”
*Click.*
The sound of the safety being disengaged was faint, but it struck Leila’s ear.
“I saw from behind. Your left pocket was sagging.”
“Hmph.”
“Who are you?”
“You wouldn’t have followed me without knowing.”
“I know you’re connected to that man.”
*Clink.*
A cocktail glass with a Manhattan was placed in front of Leila.
“Your Manhattan. And for you?”
“Armagnac.”
It wasn’t a common order; the bartender tilted his head to the side and turned away.
Leila picked up the Manhattan and took a sip. Then she reached out to set the glass down, but not in its original spot.
She aimed for a point midway between herself and Nobody.
A position where she could see his face in the reflection on the glass.
*Clink.*
The moment the glass was set down.
*Scrape.*
Nobody slid the glass toward Leila with his finger.
A frown formed on Leila’s brow.
It was partly because her plan to see his face through the glass had been seen through, but also because of the scars on his finger.
She hadn’t gotten a good look.
Even so, the finger, seared into her cornea, left a strong impression. It wasn't a normal shape.
The ring and pinky fingers were a different color, as if they were prosthetic, while the other fingers were marked with burn scars and traces of peeled skin.
The middle finger, in particular, had no nail at all.
This was not a hand just anyone could have.
It was the hand of someone who had experienced a life that was harsh, vicious, and brutal.
“I’ll let it slide this time. I don’t want to end this conversation so pointlessly.”
Leila, who had been looking at the tabletop, noticed a red dot that had appeared out of nowhere.
The red dot created by a laser crept up the back of her hand, crawled onto her forearm, then climbed over her chest and moved upward.
A person can’t see above their own neck.
But Leila could guess where the laser point was aimed now, so she simply wet her lips with the Manhattan.
“Why did you follow me?”
“I want to meet him.”
Leila couldn’t feel Nobody’s gaze.
Assuming he was looking straight ahead, she cast her eyes toward the liquor bottles displayed near the bartender.
But Nobody’s face was not reflected in the dust-covered bottles.
“You’ll meet him soon enough. He’s looking for you.”
“Heh heh heh.”
Leila frowned at the grating laughter.
The situation was what it was.
Someone was aiming at the back of her head, and Nobody was sitting right next to her. The gun pressed against her side showed no sign of moving away, and though there were many people around, they were unlikely to be of any help.
Nobody was the kind of person who would willingly pull the trigger if necessary.
The feeling of one’s life being held in another’s hands was always foul.
But Leila, with narrowed eyes, was biding her time, looking for an opportunity.
*Clink.*
As Leila picked up her glass, the ice cubes clinked together, making a small sound.
Feeling the gun muzzle press deeper into her side, Leila slowly drank her Manhattan.
“Why did you appear before me?”
The best thing Leila could do right now was gather information.
She wouldn't be able to learn Nobody's identity from his own mouth.
But Leila had the headquarters, and if she could get enough keywords from Nobody, she could figure out who he was.
‘If I play my cards right, I might get even more.’
Nobody’s objective.
The reason for his obsession with Kanghyeok.
What Nobody can and cannot do.
Fortunately, Nobody didn’t seem to consider Leila a dangerous person.
If he had, he would have pulled the trigger immediately.
With the determination to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that came with the crisis, Leila waited for Nobody’s answer.
But as time passed, no answer came from him.
A desire to see Nobody’s face flickered in Leila’s narrowed eyes.
Was he flustered?
Or was he smiling?
If only she could see his eyes or his expression, she might be able to read his thoughts. But she couldn't turn her head, and the hard gun muzzle at her side was too present.
“I hate clocks.”
Nobody finally spoke after a long silence.
“Time is too cruel and heartless; it never flows as I wish. It always just flows honestly.”
“You’re out of time.”
“Isn’t everyone?”
For the first time, Nobody spoke in a calm tone.
“Tell him to hurry. To find where I am.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Everyone will die.”
A massacre.
She had figured out Nobody’s objective.
But she didn’t know why he was planning to do this. Still, learning his goal was a significant gain.
“How much time do we have?”
Nobody took a drink and then spoke.
“As early as tomorrow night.”
His voice carried the scent of dried fruit from the Armagnac and a strange hint of regret.
Leila nodded slightly, rubbing the thin stem of the cocktail glass with her thumb and forefinger.
Why did his voice sound like that?
‘It’s as if…’
*Thud.*
As Nobody stood up, he blocked the light, casting a shadow over Leila.
“See you later, then. And just so you know, it’d be best not to look back until I’m out the door.”
“Fine.”
Nobody placed money for the drink on the counter and turned around.
*Thud, thud. Ting-a-ling.*
As soon as Nobody left, Leila turned her head.
Through the vertically striped glass window, like the bars of a prison cell, she saw the tall man walking away.
Leila grabbed her bag of bread, opened her wallet, and placed money for her drink on the counter.
“Come again. I’ll treat you better next time.”
Leila’s gaze shifted from the bartender to the door.
But Nobody had already disappeared from sight.
“Tch!”
Leaving the bar with the bag of bread, Leila took out her phone and called Kanghyeok.
“Kanghyeok.”
As soon as the call connected, Leila spoke rapidly.
“I think I can find out who Nobody is. I’ll tell you the details when we meet.”
After hanging up, Leila sent a text to headquarters with what she had discovered.
She was confident that by combining these pieces of information, they could uncover Nobody's identity.
Returning to the motel, Leila immediately sat down at the vanity.
She tossed the bag of bread onto the bed and threw her coat onto the floor.
She seemed rushed and anxious.
“Are you hurt?”
At Kanghyeok’s words, Leila turned on her laptop and managed a faint smile.
“I’m fine.”
Kanghyeok let out a long breath through his nose.
His expression was unchanged, but his eyes showed relief.
Grateful for that, Leila held his gaze with a smile.
“I made contact with Nobody. Nothing happened.”
Kanghyeok’s eyes widened, and Leila continued speaking as she entered her password and scanned her fingerprint on the laptop.
“He wanted me to pass on a message. To find him quickly.”
It sounded like a message from someone in a strangely affectionate relationship, which made Kanghyeok let out a short laugh.
“And?”
“He was surprisingly polite.”
Leila’s gaze changed.
When she was on the job, her eyes were always cold and sharp.
No longer Leila, but the support agent, she shifted her gaze from Kanghyeok to the laptop.
“He gave away a lot of information about himself. If my guess is right, we should be able to find out who he is this time.”
*Clack, clack-clack.*
Leila typed a message to headquarters quickly, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen.
“There was one thing we missed. He’s not a living person.”
It almost sounded as if she had been followed by and had a conversation with a ghost.
But such things didn’t happen in this world.
Understanding what Leila meant, Kanghyeok opened his mouth in a twisted line.
“So he’s been declared dead.”
“Yes, I requested a search of the list of missing persons declared deceased.”
Kanghyeok’s eyes asked for an explanation, and Leila raised a hand.
“There were signs of torture and interrogation. If we assume he died while missing in action during an operation, it explains why he didn’t show up no matter how much we searched the database.”
Kanghyeok lowered his head, lost in thought.
It made sense.
If Leila’s guess was correct, it was impossible that he wouldn’t have been in the company’s absolute database.
The database separates the living from the dead.
This was to handle the vast amount of data effectively and to prevent information on the deceased from needlessly catching one’s eye when trying to quickly pull up necessary data.
“Good work.”
Kanghyeok said, his face and expression reserved for a trusted colleague.
“It was nothing.”
Leila smiled with just her lips and, along with Kanghyeok, turned her gaze to the laptop.
The search results from headquarters were displayed on the screen.
A total of 20 people.
But among them, only one person seemed to be Nobody.