RG 54

“Hmm…” Eun Woojeong, who had been lost in thought while touching his mask, shrugged. “Well, alright. It’s hard to believe, but I’ll let it slide for now.”

“…No, I’m really not interested.”

“I’ve looked into the lab as you requested.” As he smoothly shifted the topic, a document appeared in midair as he reached out. “I managed to gather some information, but unfortunately, the person known as ‘the Director’ didn’t show up.”

“I didn’t expect to find her easily.”

I already knew through Hyeon Dowun how thoroughly that woman called ‘the Director’ had hidden herself. Of course, if we had a professional staff, we might eventually find her, but it seemed difficult to achieve in such a short time.

“That’s a bit of a blow to my pride.”

“What good is pride with me?” I chuckled and took the document he handed me. The first page listed the personal information of the employees who worked directly in the lab.

The information was detailed and thorough, more so than what Hyeon Dowun had found. Seeing that these people were still held by the Bureau, I pondered seriously.

‘Is there a way to meet these employees directly at the Bureau?’

It seemed possible to get into the Bureau if I asked Kwon Taehyeok for help, but it was unlikely they’d let me meet the employees detained for interrogation. Even if I wanted to sneak in, I lacked the skills and equipment. It wasn’t likely a national institution would have lax security, and I didn’t want to end up in handcuffs.

‘No solution…’

I sighed deeply out of frustration and turned another page, blinking at the unexpected content.

“A church?”

The attached photo was indeed of a church building. Its location wasn’t far from here.

Why a church all of a sudden? When I looked back at Eun Woojeong, who was quietly watching me with his chin in his hand, he spoke, “Do you know a man named Kim Sangmin? Skinny with a ponytail.”

“No.”

I’d never heard of the name. Shaking my head firmly, Eun Woojeong tapped his knee with his fingertips as if intrigued. “It seems you didn’t know the people trapped in the lab. Well, there were a lot of them.”

“Everyone was in solitary, and we couldn’t leave our rooms except for experiments. So? Is this Kim Sangmin another Awakened one who was trapped in the lab?”

“Yes. After being rescued, he was scouted by a guild called ‘Lumia.’ I thought he was living normally, but… two days ago, he went to Zone B-37 alone. It seemed suspicious, so I followed him.”

“What? Wait a minute.” Noticing something odd in his explanation, I interrupted. “How do you even know that? There must have been over a hundred Awakened ones trapped in the lab. Are you saying you’ve been keeping track of all of them?”

“Of course. It’s not that difficult. As long as someone has a cell phone, it’s easy to track their movements.”

“…That’s quite a boast.”

The fact that he’s monitoring a hundred ordinary people itself is a problem. Well, it’s not like a criminal group would care about that.

“That’s hurtful. Since you’re a special client, I didn’t delegate this; I followed him myself.”

“Is this church in the documents the place you followed him to?”

“Yes. I sensed other Awakened ones there, so I didn’t go inside. There were about six of them.”

“And you don’t know what they’re doing there?”

“That’s something we’ll have to find out together. Except for Kim Sangmin, who was there two days ago, the others have been guarding the church.”

“So, you’re basically saying you want me to do the work.”

“Wouldn’t that be better for you too? You don’t fully trust the information I bring, do you?”

He had a point. I sighed in frustration at the sudden change in plans.

‘Looks like I won’t be heading back right away.’

I hoped Cha Sahyeon would stay calm and asleep without getting upset. I wanted to send a message that I’d be late, but Cha Sahyeon didn’t have a phone.

I should have gotten another phone under my name and given it to him earlier. Regretting this too late, I put the documents into my inventory. “Lead the way. Let’s go.”

As I pointed my chin toward the entrance, Eun Woojeong got up leisurely and asked, “You’re in quite a hurry to get back, aren’t you? You’re making it obvious you’re anxious.”

“It’s just that the world is so dangerous these days.”

This guy has been asking unnecessary questions since last time.

As I gave a half-hearted reply and walked out of the building, Eun Woojeong followed closely behind and continued talking, “Can I ask you one thing?”

“No.”

“It’s really simple. Since I’m guiding you to the church, can’t you answer just one question?”

“If you’re going to threaten me, do it while you’re leading the way.”

“Haha, Mr. Cover, have you never been threatened before? This hardly qualifies as a threat.”

Now he’s calling me whatever he likes. 

From the start, it seemed like calling me here was part of Eun Woojeong’s plan. He must have tracked Kim Sangmin himself to use it like this.

‘How annoying.’

On the surface, it was a transaction in exchange for revealing my identity, but in reality, I was at a disadvantage.

I needed information to protect Cha Sahyeon, and Spider’s Web was the only one who could provide it.

Suppressing the sudden urge to drop everything and confront Eun Woojeong, I said, “If you’re going to keep talking the whole way, just ask now.”

“Should I?” With a sly grin, Eun Woojeong stepped closer with light footsteps and whispered, “Honestly, I was planning to hold back all my questions until I saw your face. Once I saw you, the rest would be easy to figure out.”

“Then why don’t you keep quiet now?”

“But after seeing the rift incident, I got too curious to hold back.”

Rift incident? I looked up at Eun Woojeong.

“I’ve wondered from the start. Why would a Hunter like you go out of your way to protect a mere B-class Support, especially one with a child?”

“…”

“But then I found out that he was an S-class Support with a wide-area healing skill… I was really surprised. Is that why you protect him? Because he heals you?”

I expected Eun Woojeong to have seen me healing Yesung Guild members somewhere. 

He came all the way there, posing as an actor, just to meet me. He must have watched not only when I used the healing skill but also when I handled the second rift alone.

“Did you stop the second rift alone for the same reason? To protect the Support nearby? If that were the case, you could’ve just dealt with a few monsters around him, not the rift itself… hmm.”

Eun Woojeong, who had been bombarding me with questions, finally started making bizarre assumptions. If I let him continue, he’d probably go on forever, so I reluctantly answered, “I only stopped the second rift because I happened to be passing by. I knew the Yesung Guild was handling the first rift nearby.”

“So, you stepped in thinking Kwon Taehyeok would come to help soon? You trust your life to others so easily.”

“Kwon Taehyeok is more trustworthy than you.”

Although my sarcastic remark might have been offensive, Eun Woojeong didn’t argue back. Instead, he asked in a calm voice, “This is just out of curiosity.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you and Hunter Cha Seohu in that kind of relationship?”

“…What?” I was stunned into silence by the unexpected question. Seeing my blank expression, Eun Woojeong repeated, “Didn’t you understand? I’m asking if you two are physically involved.”

“Are you crazy…?!”

How could he come up with such a ridiculous and shocking misunderstanding?

I rubbed my arms, which had broken out in goosebumps from his outrageous imagination. Seeing my reaction, Eun Woojeong tilted his head in genuine surprise.

“No? I was sure it was something like that. Oh, if you’re hiding it because you’re both men, don’t worry. I’ve seen plenty of men together in my line of work, so it’s not surprising.”

“What are you talking about? Stop spewing nonsense. It’s making my ears rot.”

“Really not? Then that’s even more interesting. You’re not lovers, yet you go to such lengths to take care of and protect him? Or is he your half-brother or something?”

“We’re not brothers, and we’re not lovers, so drop it. Before I end this deal and everything else.”

“Hmm…”

Seeing my genuine disgust, Eun Woojeong seemed to realize I wasn’t lying and looked disappointed. No doubt, if he could have confirmed such a relationship, he would have used it to his advantage against me.

He’s someone I couldn’t let my guard down around for a second. As I swallowed a sigh, a new worry crept into my mind.

‘What if others have the same misunderstanding…?’