Chapter 164
Chapter 164
Snake (2)
“Ugh…”
He opened his eyes and struggled to sit up. He had heard the news of his father’s death and was on his way to his hometown for the funeral… What day was it? How much time had passed? He reached for his phone on the bedside table.
(Don’t touch me!)
The sudden voice made him drop the phone, and he gasped.
“What, what was that…”
As soon as he recognized the voice of an object, a clamor erupted from all directions.
(Come on… drink me.)
(When is this guy getting discharged? He’s heavy.)
(Oh, he’s even more handsome with his eyes open. The nurses will love that.)
“Ugh…”
The voices weren’t just coming from the phone, but from the bed he was lying on, the blanket, the IV drip, and even the walls. Overwhelmed by the sudden flood of sounds, a sharp ringing pierced his ears. Han Yu-jun reflexively covered his ears and lowered his head.
(I’m ooopppeennniiinnngg…)
At the same time as that voice, the door to his hospital room opened. Han Yu-jun snapped his head up.
“Yu-jun, you’re awake? Thank goodness.”
“You look pale… You should lie back down. Want me to raise the back of the bed?”
The visitors were relatives who had come to look after him. Han Yu-jun stared blankly at his aunt and uncle, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Want some water?”
Han Yu-jun waved his hand, declining. The sticky voice urging him to drink it had come from that very water cup.
“We took care of your father’s funeral.”
(Yes, it’s better if he doesn’t know.)
The voices overlapped. Han Yu-jun’s eyes widened. The voice saying it was better if he didn’t know was definitely his aunt’s.
It seemed he could hear people’s inner thoughts, but he also wondered if he had suffered a head injury in the accident. Had he lost his mind? He was confused.
‘But what is it better that I don’t know?’
Wasn’t his father’s death a simple heart attack?
“Pardon?”
“I said we took care of the funeral.”
“No, not that…”
The voices started again. The phone that had told him not to touch it, the water cup protesting that he wasn’t drinking it, his concerned relatives, and their inner thoughts that seemed to covet his father’s inheritance… The new experience sent him into a state of panic, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.
“Are you still in a lot of pain? They say the aftereffects of an accident can last a long time.”
“…Hah.”
“Yu-jun?”
(We spent more on the funeral than I expected.)
“Haa…”
He finally gasped for air and lost his balance.
“Oh my, Yu-jun!”
(We need to get that life insurance payout soon!)
The last thing he heard was the greedy inner thought of his relative.
After a few days in the hospital, Han Yu-jun came to a conclusion. Whether he had suffered a head injury in the accident or not, whether he was crazy or not, it was a fact that he could hear the voices of all things. Even people’s inner thoughts. He had confirmed this after several tests.
Fortunately, thanks to his profession, which required him to perform high-stakes missions, his emotional turmoil wasn’t as great as it could have been.
“Are you okay?”
(Everyone on the internet was going crazy about how handsome he is, but he looks even better in person.)
“Yes, I just have a bit of a headache.”
“Oh, dear… We’ll conclude the interview here.”
(Too bad. Should I ask for his number?)
“Yes, thank you.”
The only downside was that he couldn’t control the voices at will. In this state, he wouldn’t be able to carry out his duties properly. Han Yu-jun was lost in thought.
‘So, what should I do now…’
“Huh? Jin-ho, what are you doing here? Aren’t you still on leave?”
“Are you coming back to work, sir?”
After hearing from the chief who had visited his home, Son Jin-ho headed straight to the Inpo Police Station. He sighed, annoyed by the fellow officers who recognized him.
“Yeah, something like that. Is Officer Han Yu-jun here?”
“Why are you looking for that psycho?”
“It’s personal. Where is he?”
Just then, Han Yu-jun, who was returning to the station, called out from behind Son Jin-ho.
“I’m Han Yu-jun.”
“Perfect. Follow me.”
And so, the two protagonists had their first meeting in a secluded area behind the police station.
“You, what can you hear?”
Son Jin-ho, who suspected that the ability he once possessed had transferred to Han Yu-jun after the accident, conducted his own version of an interview.
“…You pass the interview. Report to my team starting tomorrow.”
“Ugh, what is this all of a sudden?”
The shout Son Jin-ho had let out in his mind made Han Yu-jun’s ears ring, and he bent over, resting his hands on his knees. Watching the hunched-over Han Yu-jun, Son Jin-ho clicked his tongue in disbelief.
He held no resentment toward Han Yu-jun for stopping him that day. If he had gone back into the tunnel to get his daughter, he would have lost his own life and any chance for revenge.
(So this is how it all connects.)
Amidst the sounds from the police station building, the nearby trees, and even the ants carrying breadcrumbs underneath, Son Jin-ho’s inner thought struck Han Yu-jun’s mind.
“What did you just say, sir?”
“What? You must have misheard.”
(Right. He can hear my thoughts. I need to be careful.)
“…You most certainly should be careful.”
Seeing the defiance in his eyes, Son Jin-ho smirked. It was like looking at a younger version of himself. Back then, he was the only one with the ability and had to learn through trial and error, but Han Yu-jun wasn’t alone.
(If I train him well, he could be useful.)
To Han Yu-jun, who could hear his inner thoughts, that smile seemed condescending. First, he was suddenly called out for a so-called interview that made his ears ache, and then he was abruptly told to join his team. The coercive attitude reminded him of his father, stirring a slight feeling of aversion.
“I’ll teach you how to use your ability.”
“…You will, sir?”
“Yeah. Got a problem with that?”
“But how do you know about it, sir?”
How did he know I could hear the voices of all things? A normal person would have thought he was crazy. But Son Jin-ho didn’t seem to care. And since he was offering to teach him how to use the ability, he couldn’t help but wonder, Could he be…?
“You thought you were going crazy, didn’t you? Hearing all sorts of nonsense.”
“…Yes.”
“At first, when you suddenly started hearing everything, your ears must have been itchy. And the headaches wouldn’t have stopped.”
Son Jin-ho glanced briefly at Han Yu-jun’s ears, which were scratched from too much rubbing. Han Yu-jun’s eyes widened.
“The chief and I came up together.”
“Yes, I heard that.”
“So why is he the chief while I’m still just a lieutenant?”
“Um… I’m not sure. Did you get into trouble?”
“Yeah, for something similar to you.”
An ability that was useful but earned him complaints from others for needlessly bothering innocent people. Son Jin-ho had experienced something similar.
“So you can hear them too, sir?”
“Not anymore. Back then, I could get away with it, but now there are so many restrictions. You’ve had to let criminals go even when you knew they were guilty, haven’t you?”
“…I have.”
Having the ability and using it effectively were two different things. He could clearly hear a person’s inner thoughts confessing how they harmed their victim, what scams they pulled, and how they planned their crimes, but he had to send more suspects home due to a lack of concrete evidence.
“I guarantee you, if you and I team up, there won’t be a single criminal we can’t catch.”
“…”
“Let’s go catch some bad guys together.”
He still didn’t like Son Jin-ho, but since he was offering to teach him how to control the annoying voices, there was no reason to refuse. With a displeased expression, Han Yu-jun shook Son Jin-ho’s hand.
The very next day, Son Jin-ho returned to the station. The members of Team 1, who knew him well, greeted him warmly. One team member, new to drug investigations, looked bewildered, unsure of what to do.
“Huh? What the hell. You’re on this team too, psycho?”
“…Sir.”
“You’ve been out of the military for a while. Why are you still so formal?”
When Han Yu-jun appeared a moment later, a few team members mocked him. His eccentric behavior was that famous at the station.
“Alright, is everyone here?”
“Um… there are still some investigators who haven’t arrived.”
A naive team member raised his hand and spoke. As soon as he finished, the office door opened, and two people in suits walked in. The ID cards hanging around their necks clearly displayed the words “Inpo District Prosecutors’ Office.”
“…Are you from the prosecutor’s office?”
“Yes, I’m Prosecutor Park Ki-hoon from the Inpo District Prosecutors’ Office.”
“I’m Prosecutor Lee A-hyeon.”
Fundamentally, the authority for drug investigations lay with the prosecution. But the police officers’ gazes were not friendly. There had been numerous discussions between the police and prosecutors over drug investigation rights, and many still voiced their dissatisfaction with the adjusted jurisdiction.
“…The prosecutors who used to work with Team 1.”
“They’ve been transferred to another department.”
Son Jin-ho, who had been listening calmly, let out a dry laugh.
“Looks like the prosecution has given up on this case too, huh? Sending new faces instead of the usual ones.”
“…That’s not true. We volunteered to come here to catch these snakes.”
“Is that so? Then let’s work well together.”
Unlike the other officers, whose moods had soured, Son Jin-ho smoothly brushed it off. He gave Han Yu-jun a hand signal, an instruction to read the prosecutors’ minds.
Prosecutor Park Ki-hoon spoke quietly to Son Jin-ho, who was trying to move on.
“Lieutenant Son Jin-ho, we will treat you as the team leader since you have more experience dealing with them than we do, but I want to make it clear that the investigative command lies with us.”
(I need to see for myself that this investigation is being handled properly.)
Han Yu-jun narrowed his eyes, a look of doubt on his face. Of course, they could check if the investigation was proceeding correctly. But the tone was subtly grating.
“I’m not here to fight over who gets the credit. I’m here to catch those bastards. But it would be wise not to ignore my opinions.”
Son Jin-ho carefully watched Han Yu-jun’s expression. After brief introductions with the team members, Son Jin-ho addressed them.
“Alright, so where do we start our investigation?”
“…The death of Officer Kim Gyeong-sik.”
“Right. That bastard had the nerve to dump our Gyeong-sik in a junkyard.”
He pressed a button, and a beam projector cast a photo onto the wall. It was a picture of the deceased Kim Gyeong-sik.
“And it wasn’t just any easily obtainable drug, but fentanyl. It’s like they’re daring us to catch them. Shouldn’t we accept their challenge?”
Kim Gyeong-sik’s death was a clear taunt. The team members’ faces, their pride on the line, were filled with fighting spirit.
“I think… Gyeong-sik found a lead and was killed because he was a threat. What do you all think?”
“Okay, that’s a wrap! Great work, everyone!”
“Good job, everyone!”
The director’s call of “cut” was heard, followed by loud shouts from the staff.
Having successfully finished the day’s scheduled filming, Yu Yeon-seo drank the water Lee Tae-gyeom handed him. People who had gathered to watch were reaching out and shouting, trying to catch his eye.
“Please step back!”
Naturally, this became a headache for the staff of Snake. Yu Yeon-seo frowned at the sight.
“…I know I’m popular, but have I ever had this many obsessive fans follow me to a filming location?”
“I know. How did they even find out where we were shooting?”
A crowd this large was abnormal. Yu Yeon-seo stared intently at Im Seung-hyeon, who was standing behind him.
“…I’ll look into it.”
Im Seung-hyeon took his phone out of his pocket. She was his sister, but her obsession with his boss was almost sickening. He planned to ask her if any information had been leaked among the fans.
His only concern was that feeding her tidbits like this would just encourage her to keep prying for information about Yu Yeon-seo. In truth, she was only a nuisance to him, her brother, and hadn’t caused any real trouble, which was a relief.
After a moment’s hesitation, he pressed the call button.
(What? Why is my brother calling me all of a sudden? Didn’t he block my number?)
“I need to ask you something.”