DL Episode 81

#81


How many prostitutes had Representative Tak summoned to this place…? Dozens? Hundreds? While indulging in such trivial thoughts, he simply pressed the call bell on the side table. It was far from a mature way to handle the aftermath of what had occurred, but if it weren’t for Baek Sa, it was clear that Representative Tak would have pressed the bell first.

Soon, with a piercing whistle sound, mercenaries barged in and stared blankly at the blood-soaked bed. As Baek Sa stepped down from the bed, they rushed over and lifted the pale-faced man in their arms. The grotesque gurgling noises grated on everyone’s nerves.

“You know, Baek Sa, you’re surprisingly considerate at times.”

Representative Tak, having just re-sheathed his knife at his waist, spoke. Heading towards the bathroom inside the room, it seemed he had no intention of hearing a reply. As the man’s groans faded, one of the mercenaries stripped off the bloodied sheets and left the room. The only sound left in the room was the hiss of the shower, resembling the sound of rain.

Baek Sa stood in the middle of the room, silently observing the broken liquor bottles, used condoms, and dessert that looked like it had been licked by a dog, all scattered around. There was no longer a sense of shame in witnessing such chaos. His earlier days of rebelling against this kind of debauchery were long gone. Now, he simply endured the monotonous passage of time with a lazy resolve not to leave even a trace of his own.

“Where’s Ah-rang?”

How much time had passed? Representative Tak emerged in a bathrobe and asked. Baek Sa stepped back from where he had been standing, moving out of the man’s path.

“Still unconscious. There are no signs of life signals that would suggest he’ll wake up soon.”

The routine response made Representative Tak click his tongue in irritation. With no progress, it was impossible to give the next order, so he fell into a momentary silence. Sucking his teeth and stroking his chin, he eventually began to stride away without another word. Baek Sa followed him with an impassive gaze.

Leaving the stifling room that reeked of filth, Representative Tak headed to a private swimming pool two floors below. Once inside, bathed in a flickering blue light, he donned a garish pair of swimming goggles. Baek Sa rubbed his neck, bothered by the damp humidity, as Tak noisily dove into the pool with a splash and began swimming the butterfly stroke.

“Phew…!”

In less than a minute, Tak surfaced again. He beckoned Baek Sa with a casual flick of his fingers. Without hesitation, Baek Sa approached and lowered his stance. Leaning against the pool’s edge, Tak removed his goggles and spoke.

“What about the ones we captured from outside?”

He was referring to Gi Suh-hyun and the Kang sisters, Kang Ha-na and Kang Du-na.

“The two Espers are restrained with sedatives due to their resistance. The guide is being held in custody.”

“Why? Are they particularly defiant?”

“You know how it is. External talents aren’t easy to tame.”

“That’s true. They’re no better than wild birds—vulgar and untrained.”

Tak fell silent, lost in thought, before raising his voice again, as if he had remembered something.

“That’s why those from the Center are so much more refined.”

Baek Sa didn’t outwardly react, despite anticipating where this comment was headed.

“They say that guide is rather compliant. Willingly goes along with missions, too.”

Not wanting his response to feed into Tak’s amusement, Baek Sa simply nodded in silence. Tak squinted at him, then added jokingly.

“Quite the spectacle of a lovers’ quarrel, huh? You’re usually so indifferent that I almost let it slide. Still, shouldn’t you share amusing stories with me out of courtesy? Life’s dull enough without something to chew on.”

Knowing full well that there were no secrets in this place thanks to Tak’s numerous informants, Baek Sa saw no point in denying it. In fact, if Tak reduced his and Ha-gyeom’s conflict to nothing more than a lover’s spat, it would make explaining things easier. After all, Tak would eventually want to know why Ha-gyeom had sustained such severe injuries during the collection mission.

“If trained properly, they won’t be too difficult to handle. Their energy control is poor due to a lack of mission experience.”

“Ugh, you’re so dull. A little trouble with energy control wouldn’t cause a kid to end up like that.”

Baek Sa raked his fingers through his hair with a faintly annoyed expression. Not even Representative Tak could know the full details of what had transpired outside. If Baek Sa deflected the truth, Tak might probe deeper, but accuracy wasn’t necessary. Tak thrived on the mere act of discovering a hidden truth, as if it were a game.

“We just fought a little. They’re still young.”

“Hahaha! As expected!”

It was an issue that required neither excessive secrecy nor full disclosure. By framing it as something noteworthy yet unremarkable, Baek Sa managed to satisfy Tak’s curiosity without provoking further interest.

“I knew it! What was it? Still too young to spread their legs without a list of reasons? Don’t tell me they’re in love with you or something? How much must they adore you to resort to self-harm just to grab your attention?”

It was true that Ha-gyeom liked him, and true that it had driven them to self-harm. Still, Baek Sa responded with a casual smile.

“Everyone I’ve slept with ends up liking me, Representative.”

“Ha! Unbelievable. What a world we live in. You can’t just fix everything that’s broken, and you can’t blame someone for being born unlucky!”

Despite his words, Tak was someone who left scars on everyone he shared a bed with. His twisted personality likely stemmed from more than just insecurities about his appearance. Even so, Baek Sa replied with a face devoid of any tension.

“It won’t be a problem. I’ll handle it appropriately.”

“Baek Sa, who would’ve thought you had such a twisted hobby of breaking a kid’s heart?”

A twisted hobby? That was absurd. If anything, it wasn’t just Ha-gyeom’s heart that was breaking, but Baek Sa responded once again with a meaningless smile.

Representative Tak chuckled heartily, leisurely kicking his legs in the water. The light and ripples in the pool made his eyes shimmer blue. After a brief silence, Tak let out a thoughtful hum before speaking.

“You helped capture two Espers and a guide, so you should be rewarded for that.”

Baek Sa’s eyes sharpened. There was nothing he despised more than when Tak got personally involved. Seeing his wary gaze, Tak raised his voice.

“Instead of some cage-like holding cell, why not give them a proper room? Treat them decently, like official talents from District 0. That way, they’ll behave better and follow orders. Train them rigorously and deploy them here and there. But don’t send them without backup. I’ve said it before—never trust people too much. If you’re lucky, they’ll just self-harm. But guides? Those pests will threaten to wipe out purification waves if they’re pushed too far.”

“……”

“And besides, considering they’re an S-rank Esper and tangled up in a lover’s quarrel with you, I’d rather not end up on their bad side.”

Being treated as an official talent didn’t guarantee safety. Even if given a room, it would undoubtedly be bugged with surveillance equipment and cameras, and as someone brought in from outside, they would never be granted true freedom. Moreover, for Tak to take such an interest when he hadn’t cared a whit about Ah-rang likely meant he was fixating on Ha-gyeom’s background.

Or perhaps, it was more accurate to say he was mindful of Kim Hye-jeong.

“They’ve been eating pig slop while cooped up here… How about a proper meal sometime? Better yet, bring them over whenever you have a chance. I’ve heard the rumors; I’d like to see that famous face for myself.”

Having undoubtedly already seen everything through surveillance, Tak’s feigned curiosity was as insincere as it was audacious. After a few strokes of practice swimming, he grabbed onto the edge of the pool and faced Baek Sa.

“Does that kid know that your nickname, Baek Sa, was something I gave you?”

“They don’t.”

“Do they know I’m like an uncle to you?”

“Do you want them to?”

Feigning ignorance, Baek Sa deflected with ease. Looking at Tak with a convincingly innocent expression, Tak clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, clearly irritated.

“Closing yourself off like that… I can imagine the kind of person who’d drive a guide to self-harm just to earn their affection, even if I haven’t met them.”

With a loud slap, Tak smacked the surface of the water, causing Baek Sa to momentarily fail at masking his exhaustion. What kind of uncle probes someone’s intentions this ruthlessly, exploiting every chance to strike at their weaknesses? And without even bothering to hide his naturally cruel disposition? It was shameless.

“This won’t do. I’ll have to tell them myself. Just thinking about you trying to summarize our connection in three sentences already makes my stomach churn.”

“……”

“When they find out I saved you, I’m sure they’ll end up liking me too.”