#317. It Was Never Meant to Be a Deal
Joo Se-ah showed up at the Hunter Investigation Agency headquarters—what you might call an appearance under summons.
Na Sang-myeon of the headquarters' Violent Crimes Investigation Team 2 had already informed his team leader that he'd be handling her case, so he was able to greet her calmly.
But the team leader made himself scarce. Even a high-and-mighty agency team leader couldn't handle an S-rank.
Na Sang-myeon watched Joo Se-ah from behind the interrogation room's one-way mirror. Facing her head-on made him hesitate to step inside.
Joo Se-ah sat in the chair, arms crossed, glaring at the mirror window. It was a special pane that blocked even x-ray vision, so she couldn't see through it, but just locking eyes made his legs go weak, forcing him to look away.
Finally, an impatient junior investigator spoke up cautiously.
"Aren't you going in?"
"Quit nagging."
"Still, leaving an S-rank hunter sitting there like that..."
"You wanna go in?"
"I'd have a heart attack."
The junior shook his head vigorously.
Na Sang-myeon took several deep breaths, steeling himself with grim resolve.
"Hoo! Here goes!"
He grabbed a file folder and stepped into the hallway, then opened the door to the interrogation room right next door. Avoiding eye contact with Joo Se-ah, he rattled off his standard line.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. The agency's always short-staffed, and on busy days like today, it's total chaos."
"Don't sweat it. I know how packed you guys are—Jang Deok-gu's told me plenty."
Na Sang-myeon placed the table between them and sat in the chair opposite.
"Normally, we'd use a regular interview room for a witness statement, but there are too many eyes there, so I took the liberty of bringing you here. You're Guild Master Joo Se-ah, after all—a total celebrity. Figured we couldn't talk freely otherwise. I hope you understand."
"Eh, it's quiet here. I hate crowds anyway."
"Oh, you're not one for formalities?"
Even as he said it, Na Sang-myeon bit his tongue inwardly.
Did that make me look too soft? Too obvious I'm walking on eggshells?
He quickly changed the subject.
"No lawyer with you today?"
"No need. I'm not guilty."
"No, I mean... Hunters always bring one, guilty or not. For the guild's image, or to keep them from saying anything that could cause issues."
"That's for hunters with no pull in their guilds. Nobody's gonna say shit to me. Except maybe our director."
"Director...?"
"Director Kang Moo-hyuk. You know him? He's in charge of our whole guild."
"Of course. I've met him once."
"I know."
Na Sang-myeon broke into a cold sweat.
Joo Se-ah knowing about his meeting with Kang Moo-hyuk wasn't good news. Kang had become the star of the hearing in the end, but the process had been messy—they'd practically dragged him in.
She must have heard about how he'd clashed with Jang Deok-gu just to haul Kang in. Not a great impression.
She wouldn't hold a grudge, would she?
Na Sang-myeon prayed Joo Se-ah was a hunter with some common sense and dove into the real questioning.
"I checked with Dreamer Guild before you came. Baek Hyeong-gyu was killed in a public parking lot near their place. Just like you said, his transfer got approved, so he turned in his guild parking ID and had to park outside."
"What else'd you dig up?"
"Confirmed the transfer paperwork went to their partner company. And that he'd been with Iron Will before Dreamer. Funny thing—rejoining a guild he'd left."
"Happens all the time. Moving to a better guild. Iron Will looked bleak when Baek left, but now we're booming."
Na Sang-myeon challenged her calm response.
"Dreamer tells a different story. Said his teammates died in that orc tribe raid up in North Pocheon, so he bailed."
"Trauma's nothing special for hunters."
"I looked up the news from back then. That raid op—you know Director Kang Moo-hyuk planned it? Any friction between him and Baek Hyeong-gyu?"
Joo Se-ah's expression turned icy.
"And? What's your scenario? Spit it out."
"Scenario? Just routine questions."
"Listen up, Investigator Na Sang-myeon."
Joo Se-ah leaned forward over the table. Na Sang-myeon flinched at her hand on the surface.
"Like I said, Jang Deok-gu told me how slammed and tough you guys are. That's why I'm cooperating. But you seem hell-bent on pinning this on us."
"No way. Just standard procedure, like I said."
"I'm not the patient type. I'm holding back big time right now. So skip the bullshit investigation—show me the evidence."
"What evidence?"
"Everything on who killed Baek Hyeong-gyu."
"..."
"You've got plenty on your plate. Don't waste manpower. Just hand it over to me."
As Joo Se-ah showed her true S-rank colors, Na Sang-myeon couldn't help asking.
"Hand it over and what? You gonna catch the killer yourself?"
"Dunno. Catch 'em? Kill 'em?"
"...Even criminals get due process. Private revenge is illegal."
"Who says?"
"The laws of the Republic of Korea."
"Aren't S-ranks above the law?"
Na Sang-myeon recoiled in shock at her curt mutter. It wasn't the first time she'd said it. He knew the origin.
Emerson Mugabe...
The dictator of Central Africa. An S-rank who'd crowned himself king.
He'd brazenly bragged in an interview after slaughtering thousands in a neighboring country.
S-ranks are extraterritorial by their very existence. Only God can judge us.
Na Sang-myeon got chills hearing Joo Se-ah quote the dictator who'd embodied S-rank dangers.
"Pfft! Kidding, kidding. Your face—guess you can't even take a joke."
"Ha... A j-joke, right?"
It hadn't sounded like one.
"I'll follow the law. Can't go full tyrant, right? Anyway, no more jokes—serious now. Issue me a license."
"License?"
"Bounty hunter. Just for a bit. I'll hunt villains instead of monsters."
* * *
Jang Deok-gu raised a hand and waved at the man entering the café.
"Hey."
"'Hey' my ass?!"
The man scowled and strode over, plopping down across from Jang Deok-gu.
"Long time, Senior Mo Cheol-hyeon."
Mo Cheol-hyeon felt like spitting on Jang Deok-gu's smug face.
"Why'd you call me? You're doing great now. Time to cut ties with the agency, no?"
"Me, doing great?"
"Your disciple's S-rank, Iron Will? Anyone hears that, they'll call you a fat cat."
"That's her and the guild succeeding. What've I got? You're the one killing it—heard you ditched the special investigators for a spot on the special task force. Dream come true, right?"
"You threatened me with that earlier. 'Wanna keep that spot? Step up.' Fuck off!"
Jang Deok-gu didn't flinch at the cursing, grinning slyly.
"Since you're here, grab a drink and chill. Coffee? Tea?"
"Not drinking shit!"
"One item per person. Hotshot junior's buying—eat up."
"Even if I eat, it's not on your dime. I'll pay."
Mo Cheol-hyeon went to the counter himself and bought a bottled drink. He sat and cut straight to it.
"What do you want?"
"This time..."
"Wait—no deal unless we clarify one thing first. You get what you want, and you never blackmail me about the old shit again."
"What, the agency ampoule kickbacks? Or framing innocent hunters for Ujungdo? So many—gotta specify."
"All of it, asshole."
"Told you to live clean. Tsk."
"How long you gonna milk that? Drop it. Quit showing up every time it fades, stirring shit."
As Mo Cheol-hyeon ground his teeth, Jang Deok-gu leaned in, baring his own.
"Senior Mo Cheol-hyeon. Think you forget—I've still got my bounty hunter license. Bagging a crooked cop? Piece of cake. Why would I deal with criminals? Only reason I let you slide back then was one thing."
"..."
"No bounty on your head."
"Wh-what?"
"Even a grand would've done it. You'd be in Ujungdo, not here."
Mo Cheol-hyeon swallowed hard. Memories of Jang Deok-gu's past flooded back. The cop who ruthlessly bagged villains by any means, leaving crippled or dead in his wake.
Word of being on his shitlist was enough to make criminals turn themselves in.
Bastard even talked one out of surrendering—said he'd snap their neck himself.
The villain who crawled in sobbing, cuffing himself, was still legend.
To the speechless Mo Cheol-hyeon, Jang Deok-gu said,
"It was never meant to be a deal. So give up and do me this favor."
"What?"
Mo Cheol-hyeon chugged his drink in resignation.
"Baek Hyeong-gyu from Dreamer—he was transferring to us. Got killed before it finalized. Leak me the investigation details."
"You want agency intel leaked?"
"Why not? You handed it to politicians and chaebols easy before."
"That was then—this is now!"
"What's different?"
"System's changed. All digital now—who views what gets logged."
Jang Deok-gu shrugged it off with a laugh.
"Not my problem. If questioned, say you were curious. Better get busted for corruption or just take the suspicion? Decide. No time."
"Fuck you."
"Be glad I'm not asking questions."
Mo Cheol-hyeon sighed and stood.
"I'll call. Stay the hell away."
"Thanks. Hit me up if you need anything."
"Fuck you."
* * *
Mr. Jo returned to North Pocheon within hours, securing the data Kang Moo-hyuk had requested.
"Not much to it. Just a summary of the situation so far."
The file Mr. Jo handed over was thin. Crime scene photos and agency rumors—that was it.
"Pretty sparse."
"No autopsy yet. Agency couldn't even secure CCTV."
"Blind spot?"
"Nah. None at all."
"What? No CCTV nearby in this day and age?"
"Flip a couple pages ahead."
Kang Moo-hyuk turned the page as instructed. A map of the scene marked with red dots everywhere.
"This?"
"CCTV locations. Checked 'em all. Not one working. Turns out every camera nearby got smashed before the incident."
"Dashcams?"
"Same deal."
Kang Moo-hyuk's face grew grave. The map showed tons of CCTV spots—ignoring coverage, the sheer number was insane. Smashing them all? Absurd.
Mr. Jo smirked meaningfully at his expression. Sensing something, Kang Moo-hyuk probed gently.
"Not with bare hands, I take it?"
"Bingo. Who am I? Mr. Jo."
"World's top spy."
"No sarcasm."
"Not sarcasm. I mean it."
Mr. Jo beamed enlightened, then continued.
"Found something fun there."
"What?"
"Wasn't just CCTV and dashcams busted."
"??"
"Cars in the nearby lot—all their spark plugs fried."
"!!"
"Car semiconductors and electronics toast too. Even the ad billboards went dark."
The words hit Kang Moo-hyuk like a flash.
"Mage?"
"Yup. You know it?"
"Saw something similar once. Lightning mage experimenting with localized EMP."
Before the Great War.
When gates popped up and hunters awakened overnight, someone tried weaponizing it for war.
That case was still in rookie training materials for mental conditioning.
Mr. Jo gushed like a detective flick fan.
"Key point: Baek Hyeong-gyu's cause of death wasn't the mage. Close-range dealer at least. So maybe a team of two-plus?"
"Or solo."
"Solo? What mage takes a dealer barehanded?"
"Not magic—a lightning superability hunter. They'd be comfy up close."
"Even so, Baek's A-. Lightning's ranged by nature. Pro dealer like him loses? Gap in rank would have to be... Wait. That job you gave me recently... Not that, right?"
As Mr. Jo panicked, Kang Moo-hyuk nodded.
"Could be not Miraiju remnants—but their leader himself."