SOG Ch 80

‘With this, Director Yoon Seo-mi… No, Yoon Seo-mi-ssi, feed her some shit.…’

Ah, gas poisoning…

Seon Jae-chan scratched his face in embarrassment and accepted the bundle of documents. After meticulously checking each page, he handed some back to Go Woo-jin.

“Show it to Chairman Go. That email address is the address of Director Yoon Seo-mi’s secretary.”

In the past, those who received money from Han Ji-hoon left Han Roy at a designated location and left, making their main base untraceable. Naturally, there was no evidence that they had an amplifier. It was also not revealed that Yoon Seo-mi was behind it.

‘I had thought Yoon Seo-mi might be related to Black Swan, but I never thought I would find evidence so quickly.’

Jae-chan remembered the email address he had found at the fishing site. ‘mirth008@umail.ur.’ The origin of the email address was found on a mural on the wall inside the Terra Art Museum. Mirth. The eighth piece of the painting is by the late artist Baek Du-jin.

“Look at the artwork hanging on the wall inside the museum station.”

Thinking it might be of some help, he conveyed those details to Go Woo-jin. However, there was no proper response from him. Was he perhaps thinking that this wouldn’t deal a significant blow to Director Yoon Seo-mi?

Director Yoon Seo-mi had already lost a significant amount of trust from Chairman Go Young-chang due to the Mentosa Island incident. From the beginning, the couple’s relationship was an arranged marriage without a single ounce of affection. If it was disclosed to the public, Chairman Go Young-chang would protect Yoon Seo-mi to save face, but the situation would be different if Woo-jin handed over the document directly to Go Young-chang. The already strained relationship he had with Yun Seo-mi, who was merely a business partner, would break down significantly. In return, his trust in Go Woo-jin will become stronger.

Despite being only twenty-two, the brilliant Go Woo-jin would surely know that.

‘Why does he seem upset?’

He didn’t appear to be happy, but his aura was lower than usual for some reason. His features radiated a particularly cold aura as if he were covered with thin ice.

Jae-chan hesitated to speak for a moment. Glancing around, he decided to clear his throat before attempting to continue. As he reached for the cup on the side table, Woo-jin silently filled a water bottle and handed it over.

“What happened to the criminals?”

Jae-chan, feeling somewhat relieved, moistened his dry throat and asked cautiously.

“Especially, Won Seong-il… The Esper with teleportation abilities?”

When the words began to flow, a flood of questions that required immediate answers flooded Jae-chan’s mind. He was especially curious about what happened to the barely captured Won Seong-il.

Woo-jin remained silent for a moment. Only the mist from the humidifier silently lingered in the air. Eventually, Woo-jin slowly opened his mouth.

“He is being treated at the third General Hospital with his powers restricted. Once the treatment and investigation are completed, he’ll be transferred to the Ability Detention Center.”

When they broke into the kidnappers’ hideout, for some reason, most of the criminals had left the fishing spot empty. However, because Woo-jin had rescued the most important hostage and had subdued the teleporting Esper, he quickly withdrew from the operation.

The escaped hostage-takers were currently being pursued intensively by a temporarily organized joint investigation team. While they hadn’t caught the mastermind and brains who were responsible for most of it, they had secured most of the suspects.

“What about the kid who was also held hostage? Is he okay?”

“The kid is fine.”

Han Roy was also hospitalized one floor down in the same building. The higher-ups were still buzzing about the accidental discovery of the kidnapped president’s nephew.

Only after hearing that did Seon Jae-chan feel relieved and relaxed. He had been worried about whether he could handle the Universal Park incident and the kidnapping case of Han Roy alone without a collaborator, but it seemed that the situation had been resolved quite convincingly.

This should be more than just a one-hit-wonder; perhaps it’s a one-hit-everything.

A satisfied smile appeared on his red, bruised mouth.

On the other hand, Woo-jin had been feeling quite uneasy since earlier.

As soon as Seon Jae-chan awoke, all he wanted to know was about Director Yoon Seo-mi, the hostage taker, the child, and the incident. Was he not curious about himself at all?

“You suffered from gas poisoning, and your wave stability dropped to 20. You were diagnosed with a facial contusion lasting about three weeks and a mild concussion.”

Woo-jin decided to speak for him about the things he hadn’t asked.

“And an investigator will be dispatched tomorrow. Since it’s clearly self-defense, the investigation will be a formality.”

The criminals claimed that Seon Jae-chan shot him and his fingerprints were also found on the gun. Perhaps an investigation team would be dispatched now that Jae-chan had awakened.

Seon Jae-chan’s eyes widened as he heard Go Woo-jin’s words for his benefit.

“Thank you so much.”

Jae-chan wondered if Woo-jin was worried rather than angry. Another smile appeared on his face. He even saw the aunt he missed upon waking up and received Get-well-soon wishes from Go Woo-jin. It couldn’t be better than this.

Even coming to visit him at such a late hour.

It seemed like he would have good dreams.

“Thank you, Woo-jin.”

Sleep began to find its way to his relaxed body.

Go Woo-jin also noticed Seon Jae-chan’s heavy eyelids. He silently assisted Seon Jae-chan in going to the bathroom and lying back on the bed.

Then he remembered that Jae-chan hadn’t eaten anything except a sip of water. He gently nudged his shoulder, but Jae-chan just mumbled in his sleep that he felt full from the glucose IV. And then he fell asleep with a smile on his face. Go Woo-jin watched his peacefully sleeping face and unconsciously relaxed his own face.

Is it really that good?

He stayed in that spot with a strange feeling. He casually observed the droplets of IV falling rhythmically. Just thinking that it was helping to fill his stomach made him smile.

Go Woo-jin touched his twitching mouth and laid down on the auxiliary bed. He propped his head up with his arms, still lost in thought.

He didn’t mind that his big feet were out of bed and that the only thing in front of him was a plain white ceiling. It wasn’t uncomfortable or boring.

In that state, he focused his attention on the quiet sound of breathing. It was as consistent as the sound of the IV, which reassured him of Seon Jae-chan’s well-being.

*

The next day, visitors came by with news that Seon Jae-chan had woken up. There weren’t many of them, but the stream of visitors didn’t seem to stop.

The first guest to arrive was Go Woo-jin. With freshly showered cheeks and a neat appearance, Seon Jae-chan thought he did well to get up early and shower.

“When will you be discharged from the hospital?”

“They said to stay one more day.”

Woo-jin, who had been visiting since the morning, listened to the answer, sat down to one side, and quietly read a book.

Jae-chan wanted to say that if he was busy he could go, but he couldn’t because he was afraid Woo-jin would actually leave. Jae-chan found this situation fascinating and pleasing. He was truly grateful that Woo-jin came for a visit, and if possible, he wished he could stay longer.

I’m really pathetic. Seon Jae-chan hid his self-deprecating feelings by eating the Bonbon chocolate that Go Woo-jin had bought him.

The second guest to arrive around 10 a.m. was someone from the Investigation Bureau.

“I’m Senior Inspector Kwon Hwi-young, from the joint task force for the Universal Park hostage situation and the Han Roy Kidnapping Incident.”

Despite looking beyond middle-aged, the inspector had short and neatly cut hair that made him look youthful. He quickly drafted a simple statement, just as Woo-jin had mentioned yesterday. All procedures were purely formal. Even though he only gave a dry statement, it was deemed sufficient.

The third group of visitors were Team Guide 2 apprentices.

“It’s really fortunate, Sunbae!”

The apprentices greeted him energetically. Seon Jae-chan took advantage of the commotion and found Nam Hae-sol whispering to Go Woo-jin from behind. The long, loose hair covered the side of Go Woo-jin’s face.

“…”

Although their eyes briefly met, Jae-chan pretended not to see. He shifted his attention to the apprentices.

“What’s been going on?”

“Team Leader Hong Ye-deok sent us. Sunbae, you’re really amazing!”

Song Se-in presented a fruit set with a gesture filled with admiration. They said they had collected money to buy it. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Jae-chan immediately purchased several gift cards from a well-known franchise café and handed them back. Around that time, Hae-sol also joined them and took a seat.

Even though everything seemed to have been covered, the apprentices didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. Originally, the relationship between them and their senior was not very friendly. Why were they behaving like this now? It was time to scrutinize the suspicious aspects.

“Sunbae, are you really leaving us?”

Han Myeong-gyu, who was observing the situation among his colleagues, asked. Seon Jae-chan frowned, wondering what he was talking about, but Song Se-in was faster. She poked Han Myeong-gyu’s side with her elbow.

Sensing something was wrong, Seon Jae-chan was about to ask them about it when the door to the hospital room opened again.

The fourth visitor, who arrived just before lunch, was a group of people dressed in suits carrying fruit and flower baskets.

The four trainees quickly stood up, making their previous efforts seem in vain. There was no time for more questions. They hastily left the hospital room, leaving a hasty farewell wishing for a swift recovery.

Meanwhile, the men in suits with magnificent baskets strategically placed them throughout the hospital room. They immediately reported through a wireless device after a brief greeting to Jae-chan.

Jae-chan seemed to know who these well-dressed individuals were, who appeared polite but lacked manners. As expected, ten minutes later,  a figure appeared who unmistakably exuded the air of a military general from head to toe. It was his father, Seon Min-yeol.