DB Vol 5 Part 10

While the world was in turmoil due to the Hong family’s affairs, the Gye family was having their most peaceful days in years. Over the past three days, there had been only two issues in the Gye family. One of them was the disappearance of the Vice Head and Ji Won-woo. Only a few people knew that they had disappeared together, but the reactions were varied.

“It’s kidnapping. I think he’s being held captive.”

Chief Jung expressed his distrust of the Vice Head. On the contrary, the chief secretary tilted her head.

“I haven’t seen Ji Won-woo much, but he didn’t seem like someone who would be easily taken.”

“Of course. He wouldn’t have been taken by force. Vice head must have used a bait.”

“What kind of bait?”

“There must be something Ji Won-woo likes. Food, or a hobby. It could even be a peculiar taste.”

Jae-hak, who was watching the sleeping Hwan-i, objected to this opinion.

“Couldn’t it be that Yoon is just Ji Won-woo’s type?”

Chief Jung and the chief secretary looked at him as if he was being dense.

“You shouldn’t side with family like that.”

When Chief Jung rebuked him, Jae-hak’s eyes widened.

“What’s wrong with our Yoon?!”

Jae-hak raised his voice but quickly lowered it, seeing the peacefully sleeping child. However, he emphasized each word,

“He’s handsome, has a good body, capable, and rich.”

“Then live with him by your side for life and take responsibility.”

“…I can’t handle a lifetime either.”

“How long can you handle?”

“3 minutes?”

Family was the worst critic. When Chief Jung gave him a reproachful look, Jae-hak quietly turned his gaze to the garden outside the window. Then he changed the topic to another problem that had recently occurred in the Gye family.

“But who’s the bad guy who hurt Kko-kko?”

Kko-kko. As soon as this name came up, Chief Jung and the chief secretary flinched. Just yesterday, a chicken that had been freely roaming the Gye family’s garden, which not just anyone could enter easily, was suddenly injured. But that chicken was the animal that the Gye family head’s daughter had come to love the most recently. Because of that, the child had burst into tears, and Jae-hak, the child’s primary caregiver, had rarely gotten angry.

Who on earth touched Kko-kko, how could someone bully an animal that can’t speak, do you know how intelligent chickens are, and so on, later it was hard to tell if he was Hwan’s dad or Kko-kko’s dad. So Chief Jung and the chief secretary had come to comfort him and chat. When this topic came out of Jae-hak’s mouth, they answered immediately with a face that said, ‘Here it comes.’

“We’re looking for the culprit now. The culprit wasn’t caught on CCTV. Honestly, I think Kko-kko might have gotten hurt on its own. Kko-kko should have been more careful.”

“Of course Kko-kko roams the garden a lot, but this is all brave behavior to protect its territory. Do you know how vigilant and smart chickens are? There’s no way it got hurt on its own.”

Jae-hak immediately took Kko-kko’s side and defended it.

“Chickens may have a poor sense of smell, but their other senses are very good. Especially their eyesight is excellent. Their heads are so small that they can observe 360 degrees without turning much. You know how well our Kko-kko remembers people’s faces, right? Even if there’s someone it doesn’t like far away, it clucks in dislike? There’s no way Kko-kko got hurt on its own. Someone must have harmed it.”

Here comes Kko-kko’s spokesperson. Chief Jung wanted to say something but held back and explained the situation.

“We’ve even interviewed all the security guards one on one and looked for witnesses, but no one saw how Kko-kko got hurt.”

“Then someone must be lying.”

Chief Jung and the chief secretary exchanged a brief glance. Jae-hak only supported his wife and didn’t have any special position within the Gye family. He was naturally positive, got along well with everyone, and didn’t cause problems, but like this, very occasionally, there were times when he wouldn’t back down from his stance.

At those times, everything only ended when it was seen through to the end. But while the two felt sorry that the Gye family head’s daughter was sad about Kko-kko’s injury, they didn’t think this incident was big enough to warrant spending time and manpower to solve.

“Honestly, we suspect the vice head might be the culprit.”

When Chief Jung said this outright, Jae-hak quickly shook his head.

“What are you talking about? Yoon is missing right now.”

“The Vice head can teleport, you know.”

And lately, his ability has gotten much better. But as Jae-hak stared at him with serious eyes, Chief Jung flinched and asked back.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Chief Jung, you’ve been by Yoon’s side for a long time, but you still don’t know him.”

“It’s because the vice head really dislikes Kko-kko.”

“Yes, that’s true. But disliking something and actually touching it are different. If Kko-kko had been someone he needed to deal with, Yoon wouldn’t have left it alone for 16 years. By that logic, Yoon dislikes Chief Jung too, right? Yet he’s still kept him alive.”

“…Yes, I’m very grateful.”

At Chief Jung’s bitter gratitude, Jae-hak added with a smile,

“So even if it’s troublesome, please find the culprit. If the culprit is someone internal, I can’t take my daughter out to the garden. I’m asking you this favor.”

After talking with Jae-hak, the two were silent for a moment. Chief Jung still thought Jae-hak’s request was a bit excessive.

*

“The Yang family is making malicious claims. The Yang family Esper we caught says he was kidnapped and threatened. Apparently, his family appeared on broadcast, crying and complaining about being threatened by the Gye family.”

“They won’t be able to completely turn public opinion with such claims, right?”

“No, but it gives them a reason to prevent sending Guides to our side. Guide One would have seized the opportunity to pressure the Hong family. They’d argue that the Gye family could be the root cause of all the Hong family incidents, so they’d oppose sending Guides.”

Guide One’s claim was actually true. The Gye family was indeed the root cause of all the Hong family incidents.

“Are they going for a public opinion fight again?”

“That’s what’s strange.”

Chief Jung tilted his head. They had suffered for too long from the other side’s unreasonable claims and false evidence. This time, the Gye family had prepared thoroughly and was responding well, but something felt off.

“It doesn’t feel like a public opinion fight. They keep harping on trivial things. As if… they’re trying to buy time.”

The chief secretary stopped walking with a serious look.

“Do you think they’re disguising their real strategy as a public opinion battle?”

“Yes. Maybe they’ve already started their operation. To suddenly strike while we’re off guard.”

“What could it be?”

A sigh escaped Chief Jung’s lips. If they knew that, they wouldn’t be having such a headache. Even mobilizing all the spies the Gye family had planted, they hadn’t found out anything.

“The security at the Yang family has become incredibly tight. Yang Cheon-hyo has hidden himself even more securely in his residence. But if it were our Gye family, we’d be itching to take action, so they must be sharpening their knives in hiding.”

The chief secretary nodded.

“They definitely won’t sit still.”

“Yes, that’s why I’ve been quite busy trying to figure out what’s going on over there.”

As Chief Jung awkwardly averted his gaze, seemingly hesitant to get to the main point, the chief secretary patted his shoulder.

“I’ll look into who hurt Kko-kko.”

The vacation had been too long. While with Gye Yoon, one minute felt like an hour, and a day felt like ten days. In the end, they spent a full four days in the cabin before leaving. Others didn’t know what they had done there, but Won-woo felt embarrassed as he arrived at Sang-cheon’s lodging. Fortunately or unfortunately, Sang-cheon fussed over Won-woo who had appeared after several days, but quickly accepted Won-woo’s poor excuse.

‘…We were testing Gye Yoon’s teleportation ability, so we moved around a bit.’

Sang-cheon was relieved that it wasn’t anything serious and quickly forgot about it, but Won-woo himself couldn’t escape the four days he had spent with Gye Yoon. So even as he habitually looked out the window through the slightly parted curtains, his mind kept replaying the time he had rolled around with Gye Yoon.

Aside from feeling embarrassed and ashamed at the thought of how they had clung to each other like animals, he was constantly plagued by a question. Why had it felt so good? This time, he hadn’t even guided him. Yet for four days, he had lost his senses and been immersed in that act.

It meant that for four days, he had let his guard down and not paid attention to his surroundings. He had been doing many things unlike himself since coming here, but this was the worst. Even just recalling that time made his lower abdomen tingle. Won-woo took a deep breath to regain his composure.

“The sun has set, so there’s hardly anyone passing by now.”

Sang-cheon, who now knew that Won-woo often checked outside whenever he had a chance, came out to the living room and spoke. Won-woo lowered the curtain and turned his head, then suppressed a laugh when he saw the tray in his hands. The tray was piled high with yakgwa like a mountain. It was enough to be placed on an ancestral rite table.

“I’m not looking for people.”

At Won-woo’s words, Sang-cheon put the tray down on the table and raised his eyebrows curiously.

“Wasn’t looking outside to monitor if enemies appeared?”

“No. Beside, enemies don’t suddenly ‘pop’ out of nowhere”

Well, there are Espers who suddenly appear and kidnap people. Won-woo focused on Sang-cheon, trying to erase the memories of the villa that were threatening to resurface.

“You need to check if there’s a target first, so hiding and staking out comes first. So usually, I look for any changes in the surrounding objects. Like finding hidden pictures.”

As Won-woo gave an example, Sang-cheon immediately understood with an “Ah.” But soon he tilted his head.

“Then shouldn’t you take pictures?”

“It’s become a habit, so it’s fine.”

Sang-cheon didn’t think it was fine. Did that mean the surrounding situation was all stored in his head like a photograph? Won-woo, seeing his shock, quickly added.

“I can see where they might be hiding, so I mainly remember those areas. It’s not difficult.”

Won-woo spoke as if it was easy for him, but to Sang-cheon’s ears, it sounded like he had lived for a long time constantly being vigilant of his surroundings. He had also heard before that he preferred not to stay in the same place for more than three days.

“Was your sudden disappearance this time not only to test Gye Yoon’s ability, but also because you thought it might be dangerous to stay here too long and wanted to move?”

“Cough! Cough…!”

Won-woo suddenly choked while eating yakgwa. Seeing his face turn red, Sang-cheon quickly offered him water, thinking he must have gotten something stuck in his throat.

“Ah, that yakgwa was a bit powdery.”

“Ahem, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. You probably didn’t eat properly for four days, so eat slowly.”

It was true. They had neither the time nor the presence of mind to eat properly.

“Cough!!”

Won-woo coughed again as if the single bite of yakgwa he had eaten was blocking his airway. Sang-cheon added with even more sympathetic eyes,

“When you can’t eat well, eating mostly protein helps regain strength. Should I bring you some protein instead of yakgwa?”

He had eaten a different kind of protein for four days. As Sang-cheon, with some unknown divine inspiration, kept hitting the nail on the head, Won-woo could no longer lift his head and covered his face with his hands. Thinking it was because he had suffered for four days, Sang-cheon unconsciously reprimanded someone,

“But Gye Bru-… Yoon, who was with you, had a radiant face and his eyes were more craz-… ahem, shining, and he looked in great condition. Did he eat all by himself?”

He did eat more. Unable to bear this conversation any longer, Won-woo urgently asked Sang-cheon anything that came to mind to change the subject.

“By the way, did you plant trees in the garden behind the house? I saw something I hadn’t seen before.”

Trees? Sang-cheon glanced out the window and nodded, saying “Ah.”

“Someone came and planted them for the fence. Well, they say the flowers will smell nice when they bloom.”

“Was it someone sent by the Gye family?”

“Yes. I even confirmed with Chief Jung. It’s been several days already. On the day you disappeared, I got a call and someone came right away to plant them.”

The day he disappeared. As Won-woo closed his eyes tightly and opened them again while looking at the yakgwa in his hand, Sang-cheon took a big bite of yakgwa and informed him,

“They said they’ll come again tomorrow to plant the rest.”

“Why didn’t they plant them all at once?”

“Ah, that.” Sang-cheon explained while putting the rest of the yakgwa in his mouth. Because of this, he didn’t notice that Won-woo’s hand had stopped at his answer.

“The soil here isn’t good, so they need to bring compost for mulching, what was it called? So they’ll come back tomorrow to finish the work.”

*

Gye Yoon sat askew in front of his sister again today, listening to her nagging with indifference.

“While you’re comfortably traveling around with Ji Won-woo, our enemies are busily moving to strike us again. The problem is that we don’t know what method they’re using yet, so we have to take the hit as it comes.”

As Gye Yoon continued to ignore her, staring out the window, Gye Min called him in a lowered voice.

“Gye Yoon, are you not going to get your act together?”

Only when his name was called did Gye Yoon turn his head. His face was expressionless, but his eyes revealed annoyance.

“Then just sweep them all away at once. I’m fine now, so why are you trying to complicate things?”

“Then go and do it. Go solve everything in one go, the Yang family, the Hong family, even Guide One. But…”

Gye Min added a condition in a cold voice.

“If you don’t clean them up completely and leave even a small aftermath, you’ll die by my hand.”

Gye Yoon’s eyes darkened. Min, who had just threatened her brother, frowned at his expression. She could read his thoughts without having to ask.

How far he could sweep them away, how to kill everyone without leaving any aftermath.

But contrary to her expression, a sneer escaped her.

“You think you can do anything like a god? Well, I guess the time when you were trapped in a cave unable to do anything just a few months ago feels like a distant past you don’t even remember. You don’t even recall that your god like ability is useless without a Guide. But you know what? What kind of god has such a big weakness? Is that a god?”

Gye Yoon looked at his sister expressionlessly, then twisted his lips.

“382 days. That’s how long I was trapped in the cave. How could I forget? I sometimes thought there, if I went all out and lost control, couldn’t I blow away all the enemies?”

Gye Min had felt guilty for sending her brother to the cave instead of bringing her daughter’s Guide, but she had tried not to show any emotion during that time. However, when her brother mentioned the cave for the first time, her eyes wavered a little. Gye Yoon looked at his sister expressionlessly and continued casually.

“I didn’t do it because there was a possibility of failure. So consider it carefully.”

“Consider what?”

“The fact that I’m stepping up despite the weakness of needing a Guide means I’m that confident. A god? Sure, why not.”

It was quite an arrogant statement, but this time it was difficult to rebuke him for speaking childishly. The person in front of her felt unfamiliar for the first time. Min looked at her brother quietly for a while before asking,

“So did you use that god like ability to beat up Kko-kko?”

Gye Yoon, who had been sprawled in his chair, immediately straightened up. His face filled with anger.

“Fuck, why would I hit that chicken head? It wasn’t me, damn it.”

He usually swears a lot, but this ‘fuck’ was particularly filled with deep indignation. Min also thought her brother might not be the culprit, but hearing the ‘fuck’ made her want to pin even false accusations on him.

“Who else would do such a childish thing besides you?”

“How would I know? There must be plenty of bastards in this household who hold a grudge against Kko-kko.”

There was only one. Min glared at that one person with narrowed eyes. Is it really this guy?

While Chief Jung typically examined specific situations in depth, the chief secretary’s role was to oversee all situations and see the big picture. Therefore, finding who hurt Kko-kko was a task that had to be done by squeezing out personal time. It was difficult to assign this task to subordinates because it was essentially internal surveillance. There’s no more terrible experience than being suspected by your own side.

And originally, traitors are not easy to find. Those who are determined to deceive others keep the truth well hidden. Fortunately, a significant number of traitors are connected to money.

But who would honestly receive black money through a bank account? Still, there might be someone who needs a large sum of money, so he looked into personal circumstances, but there was no one whose family situation had suddenly improved or who had cleared their debts recently.

The chief secretary didn’t give up and spent several days reviewing the CCTV footage of the break room where employees chat during his spare time. Usually, when people get unexpected money, they tend to spend it and even brag about it. Even if they keep their mouths shut, there’s usually at least one person around who notices the change.

‘That watch was so flashy. Last month he was looking gloomy saying he had to pay his credit card bill, I wonder where he got the money to buy something like that?’

The chief secretary didn’t ignore the conversation that came out jokingly and checked who bought the watch. It was one of the security guards added when Hwan started coming out to the garden. In other words, someone who could have touched Kko-kko. But the watch described as flashy wasn’t expensive enough to be received as a bribe.

So it was ambiguous. Even when she called that security guard separately to ask, she didn’t expect him to be the culprit. But as soon as she mentioned Kko-kko’s name, seeing the guard’s eyes waver, the chief secretary felt an unpleasant chill down her spine. So she didn’t believe the claim that it was an accident and after pressing further, she was able to get the truth.

‘I’m sorry. It’s just… an office worker who handles our affairs said he has a phobia of chickens and asked for help. I… also needed some money. Sigh, I’m really sorry.’

So she called that office worker. He also made the same excuse at first. That he asked for help because he has a phobia of chickens. But the chief secretary had already found out that he had recently bought a new electronic device. This amount was also too trivial to have been received as a bribe from someone, but the chief secretary didn’t let go of her suspicion. And this time too, she heard the truth.

‘I was asked by a delivery man who supplies to the Gye family. He said he was attacked by Kko-kko once and is scared to make deliveries. He said he’d be fired if he couldn’t deliver, so he begged me to help… I’m sorry.’

The apologetic employee sighed and added,

‘That delivery man doesn’t even come anymore now…’

The unpleasant chill now spread through her blood to her toes. If someone had planned this? If it was true, it could only be described as truly clever. They had gone through three stages, using amounts so small that even the person involved didn’t believe it was a bribe, to carry out a very trivial task. But why Kko-kko? What was the benefit from this?

The chief secretary, with a glimmer of hope, looked for similar cases. Whether there were others who received money for doing small favors. And this evening, looking at the report in her hand, the chief secretary swallowed another chill. There was a case similar to Kko-kko’s. This incident too, someone had gone through several stages to carry out for a truly trivial purpose. Just to plant trees in the garden at Sang-cheon’s residence.

‘Ring ring’

The internal phone rang. The secretary on the other end delivered welcome news.

[The Vice Head has arrived. He’s with the family head now.]

The chief secretary was glad for the Vice Head’s visit, as information related to internal betrayal and spies could never be easily shared with anyone. She hurriedly began organizing documents to show as evidence.

She wanted to meet and talk before the Vice Head disappeared again, as he had been doing lately. While frantically organizing documents, she hastily bit into the sandwich she had placed on her desk as a snack.

Munch munch, it was a familiar taste as it was the sandwich she always ate. However, this time she couldn’t finish it. With one bite left, her body collapsed to the floor. After a brief convulsion of her pale face and trembling body, the life soon faded from her eyes.

*

‘Tracked Hwang Sang-cheon and confirmed residence. Located 15 minutes by car from the Gye family. I couldn’t see Ji Won-woo in person but confirmed traces at his residence. Planning to infiltrate again tomorrow. Attempted infiltration of Gye family, internal confirmation in progress. Gye Yoon has been absent for days. Obstacle occurred within Gye family. Elimination complete. Due to risk of exposure from this, planning to withdraw within two days. Request support for aftermath.’

When Yoon-im confirmed the report sent by Family Head Oh, she twisted her lips. It was a smile full of displeasure. Ji Won-woo, were you really in the North? How on earth did you end up joining hands with the Gye family? The relationship with this Hwang Sang-cheon was also questionable. He was someone who had no connection with Won-woo before, but suddenly popped up.

Even when she heard that her brother, whom she thought had no power, had caused problems, her first thought was optimistic, that he might have just been caught up in the incident by chance. But if the Gye family was behind it? With the Gye family popping up from an unexpected place, she began to suspect other things as well.

“It must be those Gye bastards who caused the monster outbreak on Hong family land.”

Yang Cheon-hyo voiced the suspicion Yoon-im had in mind. But Yoon-im still wasn’t certain and was putting more weight on the possibility that it wasn’t them.

“Do you think the Gye family has gotten hold of a Purifier?”

“Yes, because that’s the work of a Purifier.”

Yang Cheon-hyo clenched and unclenched his fists as if not knowing what to do with his hands, and eventually grabbed the flimsy silk slip. He was particularly showing anxiety when talking about Purifiers. Yoon-im watched his restless hands with indifferent eyes before asking,

“But if it was done by the Gye family using a Purifier, there would need to be someone with the ability to teleport the Purifier for the operation to be possible. As you know, the biggest problem within the Hong family was that all the eggs in one farm burst instantly.”

That meant the Purifier doing the work could also be exposed to considerable danger. It also meant that an ordinary teleporter wouldn’t be nearly enough.

“That’s why the first thing we investigated was the Gye family’s A-rank teleporters. But we confirmed that they were all fighting to stop monsters in the North. Of course, we thoroughly investigated the teleportation portals as well.”

So they couldn’t definitively say it was the Gye family’s doing. They had suspicions, but no concrete evidence.

“What if they moved from the North to the Hong family’s farm?”

Yoon-im almost burst out laughing, barely managing to hold it in, forgetting who she was talking to.

“As you know, an Esper capable of moving that distance would have to be S-rank. If you’re suspecting Gye Yoon, well… As far as I know, Gye Yoon’s ability has nothing to do with teleportation.”

Despite Yoon-im’s words, Yang Cheon-hyo couldn’t let go of his suspicion and muttered in an anxious voice.

“No one knew Father could open that door. S-rank… they’re monsters. We can’t let our guard down.”

Opening the door. Yoon-im was curious about what kind of door Yang Cheon-hyo was referring to, but as always, she lowered her gaze pretending not to be interested in anything.

“For now, we’ll increase surveillance on Gye Yoon. And when should we proceed with that matter?”

When Yoon-im carefully asked, Yang Cheon-hyo’s anxious eyes suddenly lit up.

“Is it ready?”

“Yes. Father had made preparations in advance when sending the Hong family’s Guide to the North.”

Yang Cheon-hyo, who had become irritable from being confined for so long, showed his teeth in a smile for the first time in a while.

“This is why I like Ji Geun-oh.”

Yang Cheon-hyo chuckled and rubbed his hands together, seemingly in a good mood.

“Execute it immediately. Make them panic, and in that gap, tell Head Oh to confirm Gye Yoon’s status.”

“Head Oh has been expressing considerable burden about monitoring the Gye family’s main house. He seems worried about being caught by Gye Yoon. Probably because Gye Yoon has good hearing.”

“No matter how good that bastard’s hearing is, would he check every little sound one by one? That gloomy bastard is just too timid.”

Yang Cheon-hyo frowned and cursed Head Oh, but soon added a condition.

“Tell him I’ll do whatever he wants when he returns.”

Yoon-im answered “Yes,” but couldn’t help but be curious about the relationship between Yang Cheon-hyo and Head Oh. She didn’t understand how Head Oh was skilled at pursuit in the first place. Because as far as Yoon-im knew, he was an Esper completely unrelated to tracking. She thought about asking since he was in a good mood, but noticing Yang Cheon-hyo’s stare, she suppressed her curiosity.

“Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“No. This time, make sure to crush the Gye family without any hitches.”

Then, he tapped his fingernails together and said to Yoon-im,

“Those damn Gye family bastards. How dare they try to climb up by scheming. Right? Let’s show them that the more they try, the more they’ll be trampled and crushed, my niece-in-law.”

Yoon-im nodded unconsciously, agreeing. Yes, the Gye family needs to be crushed.

*

The death of the chief secretary spread quickly within the organization. Everyone was on high alert, trying to find the cause of the chief secretary’s death, but there was someone who objected.

“Everyone stay in your place and just do your job thoroughly.”

The Gye family head’s order might have sounded heartless at first, but no one dared criticize her. They knew that she, having lost her right-hand who had been by her side for a long time, must be the most grief stricken right now. After all the employees left, only Chief Jung and the captain in charge of the Gye family’s security remained. As the two stayed behind, Gye Min asked in a cold voice,

“The cause of death?”

The question was directed at the security captain, who raised her head. She too had worked for the Gye family for a long time and knew the chief secretary well, so her jaw was set with anger and devastation.

“It appears to be poisoning. Toxic substance reactions were found in the sandwich the chief secretary ate. However, to confirm the exact cause of death, an autopsy is needed, which will take a few days.”

“The culprit?”

The security captain pressed her lips together before bowing her head.

“I’m sorry. The sandwich was food delivered from outside. It’s my fault for not investigating thoroughly.”

“That sandwich is the one the chief secretary always ate, right?”

“Yes.”

It was a well known fact that she ate that sandwich while working overtime. Although it was outside food, it wasn’t heavily scrutinized due to her position. The chief secretary was certainly an important position, but not one worth the effort of poisoning.

Because she was an ordinary person, not an Esper. It was a world that valued one Esper more than 100 skilled ordinary people. So why kill an ordinary secretary specifically?

“Why the chief secretary?”

As Gye Min gritted out the words, Chief Jung cautiously spoke up.

“It might be unrelated, but I had asked the chief secretary to do something.”

To Chief Jung, it seemed so trivial that he wasn’t sure if he should even mention it. But he had learned over years of fighting enemies. Even a single grain of sand that bothers you shouldn’t be overlooked. Seeing the questioning eyes, Chief Jung swallowed hard.

“She agreed to find the culprit who hurt Kko-kko instead of me. She probably spent the last few days investigating that. If it’s alright, I’d like to check the chief secretary’s recent activities.”

“No.”

Gye Min shook her head immediately. If the chief secretary had died because of that task, Chief Jung could die too. She couldn’t lose another capable employee like this.

“Chief Jung, keep monitoring the movements of the Yang family and Guide One. At times like this, they’ll try to stir us up even more. They’re probably sharpening their knives over this Hong family incident, so they’ll use harsh methods.”

The problem was that we still didn’t know what those methods were. Min clenched her fist, firmly suppressing the anger filling her eyes. Although she didn’t know why the chief secretary had died, one thing was certain. The culprits were them. Even without evidence, her instinct screamed so. It was their doing. Yang Cheon-hyo and Ji Geun-oh. As she ground these names between her teeth, names that wouldn’t satisfy even if chewed, Chief Jung’s question was heard.

“Shouldn’t someone uncover the unjust death of the chief secretary?”

“Someone is uncovering it.”

To the two people wondering who, Gye Min threw out one name.

“Yoon.”

‘Due to security, there are no CCTVs inside the chief secretary’s room, only at the entrance. But upon checking, no one entered there. However, the window was slightly open. Of course, security bars are installed, so no person could enter.’

Gye Yoon had been sitting in the chair where the chief secretary had collapsed, looking around for a long time. The security team was puzzled why Gye Yoon was asking about this, but they checked the CCTV and informed him immediately. To anyone, it seemed clear that the chief secretary had died from eating the delivered sandwich, so there seemed no need to check for intruders.

But Gye Yoon thought differently. The chief secretary herself wasn’t someone prominent enough to be a target. So if she died, it was likely a cover up for something else. That’s why Gye Yoon kept looking around the room as if searching for something. After a while, his gaze stopped at the desk.

He was told no one had touched this place. Only the half eaten sandwich and coffee were taken for examination, everything else remained as it was. Thanks to that, there was a round mark on the desk where the coffee cup had been. Previous coffee cup stains were also visible on the mat, showing she always placed it there.

She was meticulous when working, but her desk was quite messy. Due to Gye Min’s habit of not trusting electronic systems for fear of hacking and exchanging all important documents in paper form, her desk and floor were piled high with files like mountains.

Of course, all important documents were immediately destroyed, so anything in the room wouldn’t cause significant damage if leaked. Still, if someone had done something else, the cause was likely in those documents. But instead of examining each document, Gye Yoon pulled the chair back and slowly surveyed the desk from a distance.

Then he tilted his head, looking at one spot curiously. No matter how messy a person is, everyone has a pattern to their messiness. The messier the desk, the more likely frequently used items are always in the same place, within arm’s reach. Even files that seem randomly piled often have their own classification system. Of course, a system only the person knows.

But the stapler’s position was strange. The chief secretary had a habit of stapling documents multiple times almost obsessively when submitting them to keep them neat. So it should have been within easy reach. But the stapler was barely visible, peeking out from behind the monitor. As if someone had knocked it back. Why push it back? Maybe they unconsciously hit it while doing something else.

Gye Yoon’s gaze turned to the pile of documents nearby. And he noticed that this pile was stacked more neatly than the others. Gye Yoon pulled the pile closer and began examining them one by one.

There was quite a lot of content, so it took time, but about halfway through, he found a noteworthy document. It contained the chief secretary’s surveillance of employees to find who had harmed Kko-kko, and interviews with suspected individuals.

But the interview content ended with someone asking for help because they feared chickens. Gye Yoon casually flipped the document over and found a small piece of paper stuck between the stapled parts. As if there had been a back page that was torn off. Gye Yoon looked up and examined the pile of documents again.

If someone had torn a page from this file and hidden it in the pile, it was clearly done by hand. Since no one had entered through the door, the only possible culprit that came to mind was a teleporting Esper. Perhaps at any other time, Gye Yoon would have believed that too.

But unfortunately for the culprit, when the chief secretary died, Gye Yoon was right inside this building. His ears, at their peak ability, hadn’t heard any unfamiliar or suspicious breathing.

Tap, tap.

Gye Yoon tapped the desk with his finger. It seemed like something done by a person, but there was no human breathing. Then,

“Is it not a human?”

But his deduction couldn’t continue further. His phone rang. And Chief Jung’s urgent voice was heard over the receiver.

[The Guides who came from the Hong family are collapsing and losing consciousness.]

The North and the Gye family had long been steeped in a sense of defeat. So this recent achievement was enough to uplift people. It revived hope that it might once again become a prosperous, peaceful, and good place to live, just like before. However, hope can also become poison. When the guides they had just brought in collapsed, the despair felt by the Northern Espers deepened even more than before.

The situation in the North, which they thought had become chronic, felt like a terrible reality after a brief moment of hope. Originally, it’s not physical pressure that brings people down. They had endured a long, long winter, but the winter that came again after tasting a short spring robbed people of hope. And it made them give up on their own.

“Could it really be a curse? Are we going to ruin the North because of the Gye family?”

“Watch your words. What curse? If it were a curse, we would have been ruined long ago.”

“I’m just saying because it’s frustrating. It’s not even surprising anymore. Even if they say another Guide is coming, I don’t think I’d be happy at all.”

Chief Jung, who had rushed to the hospital to check on the Guides’ condition, couldn’t move forward when he heard the Espers’ conversation in the corridor as he was coming out from meeting with the doctor. Instead, he turned his body and went back another way, suppressing his indignation. When Northern Espers, who were on the same side, showed such reactions, Chief Jung felt wronged and angry even though he wasn’t a Gye.

The Gye family had suddenly been beaten by Ji Geun-oh without even knowing the reason, yet the world rumored them to be villains. As if that wasn’t enough, even the North was trying to push away the Gye family, calling them a curse. Although only a few hours had passed since the chief secretary’s death, he felt as tired as if he had been running around for days.

It was already well past midnight. Chief Jung, who had come out of the hospital, blankly looked up at the sky. As always, stars were hanging there. He was reminded of a childhood fairy tale that said people become stars in the sky when they die. Only then did he realize that he hadn’t even properly mourned the chief secretary’s death.

But he still couldn’t rest. With the Guides from the Hong family suddenly collapsing, not only would the Gye family be branded with the stigma of being cursed, but the Guide One would also cause an uproar demanding practical responsibility. Even the Hong family, which they had barely managed to control with money, would turn their backs.

If it were before, he would have been busy preparing countermeasures right away, but now his feet wouldn’t move easily. Was it because he was tired? Even Chief Jung felt despair that this situation was hopeless and there was no way it could get better. Just then, the phone rang. The Vice Head’s name appeared on the mobile phone.

“Yes.”

As he looked around just in case, a dry voice was heard.

[There’s no one around, so just answer.]

Gye Yoon’s ability was surprising every time he experienced it, but not showing it had become familiar now.

“Please speak, Vice Head.”

[The Hong family Guides?]

“They all suddenly had a decrease in heart function. Five who lost consciousness are in critical condition, but the rest seem to have a high chance of recovery. However, they say there will likely be significant after effects even if they recover.”

[Only the heart is the problem?]

“Yes.”

For a moment, a low laugh was heard over the phone. It wasn’t a laugh of disbelief, but one of enjoyment, making Chief Jung wonder if he had heard wrong. But the muttered words were definitely pleasurable.

[That’s fortunate.]

Chief Jung momentarily thought Gye Yoon had gone mad. Otherwise, how could he call this situation fortunate? So he was about to ask if he was alright, but a question without laughter came first.

[Anywhere else besides the heart?]

“They all suffered severe damage only to the heart.”

[In what way?]

Chief Jung answered, recalling the medical scans he had both seen himself and had explained by the doctor. While wondering why he wanted to know in such detail when he wasn’t even a doctor, he finished the explanation. And habitually looked around again. Even though there was no one eavesdropping, Chief Jung’s voice naturally lowered.

“It seems highly likely they were poisoned, but nothing shows up in the blood tests. We’ve managed them thoroughly since they came to the North, so it’s certainly not a problem that originated from our side. This is certain.”

But regardless, if it becomes known that they all collapsed at once, the North’s management ability would be questioned and the situation would worsen. No matter what the cause, it was obvious that the North would suffer a serious blow. Silence flowed over the receiver as if in thought.

Even though he knew there was no way even a capable Vice Head could have a solution, Chief Jung unknowingly placed his hopes on him. After all, he was the Vice Head. The Gye family leads the North. Even though he knew Gye Yoon’s sound ability couldn’t treat the collapsed guides. But as the silence lengthened, Chief Jung’s expectations were completely dashed.

“I’ll return to the main house for now. If you need anything…”

[I called because I needed something.]

Of course, how considerate of you.

[As soon as you get back, install what I’m going to tell you throughout the main house.]

When asked what he meant, Gye Yoon said something strange. It was a completely unexpected item. For a moment, Chief Jung frowned, wondering if he had heard wrong.

“You really want me to install that?”

[Yes, every corner, every crack, don’t miss anything. Ah, in the garden too. Right now.]

Already tired from working without sleep, Chief Jung almost cursed, telling him to do it himself. But what could he do? He was the Vice Head after all.

“Yes, I understand. Are there any other instructions?”

Chief Jung asked, swallowing a sigh, then frowned again at the other’s voice. This time too, it was an order he couldn’t understand.

“Confirm their locations? Well, that’s… not difficult. …No, there’s no need to look. Some will be in lodgings within the Hong family, and even if they stay in personal accommodations, they won’t be far from the Hong family area. It’s easier to manage that way. But why are you asking?”

[Why? To take this opportunity and pay them back double.]

What… huh?! Chief Jung opened his eyes wide in surprise, but the call ended before he could even confirm. Even after the call ended, Chief Jung could only stand for a moment looking down at the screen.

Paying back double, surely he doesn’t mean… No way, he wouldn’t do such a crazy thing… Then he realized. Gye Yoon wasn’t just a reckless person for nothing. Belatedly shocked, Chief Jung started running towards the main house, completely wide awake.

<To be Continued in Volume 6>