Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A Test and a Threat
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“You’re actually alive?”
That was the first thing Chacha said as she entered the lab late that evening.
Facing a Villain for the first time, Haon swallowed dryly and calmly stood up.
Beneath ‘Dr. Eun Haon’s’ white lab coat, a loose-fitting plaid shirt was visible.
Chacha’s light brown eyes scanned Haon suspiciously.
“I’m sure I saw you lying there, bleeding.”
Haon felt a wave of relief. It seemed Chacha hadn’t checked for a pulse.
“I-It was a close call.”
Haon mumbled, then asked a question before Chacha could speak again.
“So, why’d you hit me over the head?”
Chacha’s gaze sharpened.
“You’re saying I attacked you?”
Haon flinched but tried not to show her fear, shoving her trembling hands into her coat pockets.
“There’s the shovel you swung, too. A fingerprint test will prove everything.”
Chacha stared at her intently before speaking.
“Bani did say something seemed off.”
Unsure how to react, Haon remained silent. Chacha let out a smirk.
“If you thought I did it, you’re the type who would have strapped me to an electric chair by now. What gives?”
*Is it not her?*
“Have you lost your mind?”
*Guess not.*
Reflecting on Chacha and Bani’s reactions, Haon admitted that impersonating ‘Eun Haon’ was impossible.
She simply knew too little about the original.
It was time for Plan B.
“You’re right. I…”
She clenched her fists and spoke with determination.
“I’ve lost my mind.”
“Damn. Not just a little, you’ve completely lost it.”
“I hit my head!”
“Looks like it.”
Haon must have seemed so strange that Chacha readily believed her story about partial memory loss.
She even seemed to believe that Haon had been knocked out by a shovel to the back of the head.
*Now, if someone comes forward and argues that I was shot, not hit with a shovel, they’ll be my next suspect.*
Besides, if a rumor spread that ‘Eun Haon’ had gone crazy from amnesia, the killer might just leave her alone.
Chacha stared at Haon for a moment before speaking.
“So, when are you giving my necklace back?”
Haon’s eyes widened.
“Necklace?”
“I lent you a diamond necklace.”
Chacha said stiffly, her hands on her hips.
“Planning to just pretend you don’t remember and keep it?”
Leaning in slightly to meet her gaze, Chacha pressed on, causing Haon to step back.
She was about to say she’d look for it when a doubt suddenly surfaced. The bank account she’d checked yesterday had an astronomical number in it.
*Why would the wealthy ‘Eun Haon’ borrow a necklace instead of just buying one?*
Then, a lightbulb went off in her head.
*Huh? I know this one.*
Haon recalled something an older woman in her graduate school lab, twelve years her senior, had once told her.
“You have to be careful of people who make random demands just because you’re young. They’re just trying to see if you’re a pushover.”
Remembering the woman’s advice to always stand her ground in such situations, Haon glared fiercely at Chacha.
“I never borrowed a necklace.”
“What if you just don’t remember?”
“Then I’m sorry!”
“…?”
As Chacha blinked in bewilderment, Haon thumped her own chest.
“But I’m rich!”
“…”
“If there was a necklace I wanted, I would’ve bought it, not borrowed it. Besides, we have completely different tastes; there’s no way you’d have a necklace I’d like.”
Haon rattled off her response with confidence.
The clothes filling ‘Eun Haon’s’ closet were a completely different style from Chacha’s.
*Good. I think I stood my ground pretty well.*
She felt proud of herself for following her lab senior’s advice.
Chacha tilted her head, then chuckled and looked directly into the mad scientist’s eyes.
“Hey, Eun Haon.”
Haon quickly hardened her gaze, but a cold sweat trickled down her back.
She was making eye contact with a Villain.
Unable to look away or even blink, she could only stare wide-eyed as Chacha spoke in a dismissive tone.
“Trying to stare me down with those lifeless eyes might scare Bani, but it won’t work on me.”
Where had all the killing intent, malice, and greed gone? Her eyes were just shining with an unnerving clarity.
Chacha found it amusing that she still had the nerve to speak her mind. Perhaps even a crazy Eun Haon was still Eun Haon.
“Well… a crazy Eun Haon isn’t so bad.”
She turned away with a shrug.
“That’s right. I never lent you a diamond necklace.”
*I knew it!*
The tension drained from Haon’s body, and she pumped her fist with a triumphant expression.
Then, remembering why she had called Chacha in the first place, she exclaimed, “Ah!” and asked.
“Chacha. Did you happen to see who attacked me yesterday?”
“No. I just saw you through the glass door, looking dead, so I left immediately.”
“Who do you think attacked me?”
“There’s a truckload of candidates. How am I supposed to pick one?”
Haon sighed before speaking.
“Have I said anything out of the ordinary lately?”
“Out of the ordinary?”
Chacha furrowed her brow, then answered uncertainly.
“A few days ago, I think you said you finally got a lead on something.”
Haon’s eyes lit up.
“A lead? What kind of lead?”
“How should I know? You always keep the really important stuff to yourself.”
“I do?”
“You said you’d tell me if it turned out to be interesting. But looking at you now, I guess I won’t be hearing about it.”
Haon clutched her head in despair.
Still, it was clear that ‘Eun Haon’ had discovered something important a few days ago.
Whether it was information about Juyeol’s sister, she didn't know.
“Anything else?”
“Go ask Solmae. He’s the one you’ve been meeting with the most lately.”
Solmae. Haon quickly committed the name to memory.
“But now I have a question for you.”
“Huh? What is it?”
Chacha’s long finger pointed at the plaid shirt under the white coat.
“What in the world is that ridiculous getup?”
Haon pouted and pulled her coat closed.
“…What’s wrong with it?”
***
The next afternoon, a weary-looking Haon was slumped over in her lab.
*So sleepy…*
She hadn’t slept properly in days, not since the final days of the war, and her body felt heavy.
The more she tried to sleep, the more tired she felt, so she had spent the night tinkering with and fixing her front door.
Thanks to the various parts and tools in the lab, she could manage that much even without Mana Engineering.
*I thought I’d finally be able to sleep now that it’s a little safer.*
In the end, Haon had spent the entire night delving into research on ‘Awakening.’
By the time the sun rose, she had combined the research of other scientists with her own knowledge to form new hypotheses.
As always, research was the best way to ward off negative thoughts.
But at this rate, she was going to collapse from sleep deprivation before she could fix her phone.
*Is it the people, not the place?*
During the war, there were always at least four or five people by her side, even when she slept.
*But now…*
She slumped gloomily onto the table, only to bolt upright again.
*It’s fine. I’m going to find the Awakening Sphere today!*
Once she found it, she’d be able to protect herself, which would be a huge weight off her shoulders. They say you sleep better without worries.
*Or maybe I’m just not used to the house yet. It’ll get better once I fill it with my own things.*
Haon looked down at the new plaid shirt she’d bought and nodded in satisfaction.
She had ordered a ton of necessities online yesterday morning, and they had arrived early today.
Living with just the clothes she originally had and a couple of loose-fitting t-shirts was far from enough.
She replaced everything from her underwear to her socks and even bought new shoes and a hat.
And on her way back from the convenience store, wearing the hat pulled down low, she made a surprising discovery.
“Huh? Isn’t that Eun Haon?”
“Nah. Must be someone who looks like her. Why would Eun Haon go to a convenience store?”
“You think? Yeah, I guess. Just look at her clothes; no way that’s her.”
It turned out that when she dressed comfortably and went to the convenience store, no one recognized her as ‘Eun Haon.’
*Once I fix my phone, I might be able to get around more easily than I thought, right?*
Her hopes rising, she was swinging her legs happily when someone kicked the lab door open with a loud bang.
Startled, Haon flinched.
A skinny man in a suit walked in with a slouch, his hands shoved in his pockets.
He sauntered up to Haon, then flicked open a balisong knife with a sharp click.
“You take my fucking money and don’t even send the goods?”
A chill ran down Haon’s spine.
*A client…!*
One of the files she couldn’t decrypt was the order list.
How was she supposed to know who ordered what and when? All she had was a list of Villains’ names and faces memorized.
“Ch-Checker.”
“Spit it out.”
“Well.”
As Haon struggled to remain calm, alarm bells screamed in her head. This man was a violent criminal with a murder conviction.
“T-The order forms are gone.”
The blade of the knife moved to her throat.
“If you tell me what you ordered, I’ll get it for you!”
Haon said desperately. Her heart lurched, and her eyes stung.
There was a separate floor where the requested items were stored.
The problem was, they were only marked with number tags, so she had no idea which item belonged to whom.
“I can find it for you right now, right now!”
How did ‘Eun Haon’ deal with the aggression of her Villain clients?
*She must have had a weapon.*
But there wasn’t a single gun in the lab; it must be in one of the rooms she couldn’t open.
Her sleep-deprived brain was running like an unoiled machine. She couldn’t think of a way out of this situation.
“You’re acting weird today.”
As Checker muttered, Haon felt a sharp sting under her chin. She squeezed her eyes shut and swung her hands wildly.
“Aaaah!”
*Thwack!*
*Pshooo—*
“…?”
A strange sound seemed to follow. Cautiously, she opened her eyes.