The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home - Chapter 12

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home ◈

Chapter 12: Let's Fill It Out (2)

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* * *

‘I need to do well here.’

Hyeonyul drew a breath.

Along with salary negotiations, he needed to get the overall terms in order.

After studying Hyeonyul’s expression, Haeryeon looked a little sheepish.

“I talked a big game, but isn’t it funny to be discussing an employment contract on your third day of work?”

“No. I’ve been waiting for this.”

Hyeonyul answered carefully, still tense.

“I appreciate you saying that. Normally, we should sign it right away, but here, we observe people for at least three days, sometimes up to two weeks. We need to judge their character. I hope that doesn’t upset you.”

Black Eagle consisted of special civil servants.

Who became a Black Eagle operative could determine the outcome.

They had no choice but to examine a person’s character.

The same applied to Hyeonyul.

No matter how many times Haeryeon had gone through the records related to Hyeonyul, there was no record of him killing civilians.

His missions had been clean as well.

Even if Haeryeon wanted to look into him further, Hyeonyul simply had far fewer records than most people.

Now, Haeryeon had to trust her own judgment.

‘...I knew it.’

Haeryeon’s words sent a chill through Hyeonyul.

What would have happened if he had actually rested when Sinu and Nayun told him to?

“I’m not upset. I actually agree. I want to work here without any trouble down the line.”

“That’s a relief.”

Haeryeon smiled and held out the contract.

Hyeonyul stared intently at the papers.

“These are Black Eagle’s standard terms. The benefits listed in the job posting apply exactly as written. Read through it, and tell me if there’s anything you want to negotiate. I can’t speak for other places, but we’ll truly do our best to accommodate you.”

Hyeonyul took the employment contract while listening to Haeryeon.

His heart beat without any sense of timing.

Just as Haeryeon had said, every benefit he had seen was written there.

‘Stay calm.’

Hyeonyul steadied his trembling emotions.

The person who wavered lost.

“Will these terms be carried out as written?”

“Of course. We belong to the Empire. If you work overtime, you’ll always receive paid leave.”

“...And if you fail to uphold that, I’ll receive additional pay. Is that correct?”

Haeryeon happened to see Hyeonyul’s hand shaking as he held the contract and barely held back a laugh.

Was he really that happy?

“That’s right. Two and a half times a day’s pay. What good is saying sorry? You need to show your sincerity like this.”

At a company, money was the best way to express an apology.

Of course, it had to be enough money to truly convey that apology, so neither side would have cause to be unhappy.

“I added another benefit that I think you’ll like.”

Haeryeon took out a different employment contract from the drawer.

“...?”

Hyeonyul froze.

There was more?

‘...Why? What is she trying to do?’

His wariness gradually rose.

“I added a clause guaranteeing you time for treatment, along with medical expense support. Check it.”

When Haeryeon tapped the document, Hyeonyul’s eyes moved.

He stared at it as though looking at something unfamiliar, like a child seeing letters for the first time.

Everything Haeryeon had just said was written there.

“...”

Hyeonyul doubted his eyes.

How much had he agonized over this?

There had been countless times when he had gone hungry.

“I know you’re strong, Hyeonyul. I’ve seen it myself. But the aftereffects of what you suffered as a experimental subject were worse than I thought.”

With Hyeonyul’s consent, a physical examination had been conducted.

Haeryeon had heard about his condition through medical consultations.

Simply put, Hyeonyul’s body could not last even a day without medication.

The medicine he currently took was so strong that it would be close to poison for an ordinary person.

Only medication that powerful allowed Hyeonyul’s body to function.

Perhaps the most fitting description was that years of experimentation had twisted his entire body out of shape.

The medication was extremely expensive, and since there were no living experimental subjects, there was no support fund for it either.

The leash the villains had kept around Hyeonyul’s neck was money.

“I’m fine as long as I take my medicine.”

Hyeonyul was not flustered.

He simply gave the answer he was used to giving.

He knew his own body better than anyone.

“Right. That’s what I heard too. I also heard that, aside from the medicine you take now, you need to keep coming to the hospital for injections.”

“I’ll handle it so it doesn’t interfere with my missions.”

“I’m not trying to pressure you. You’re doing well, Hyeonyul.”

“...”

An awkward expression appeared on Hyeonyul’s face.

‘Is he flustered?’

Haeryeon tried to read Hyeonyul’s expression.

His expressions were fainter than most people’s.

Haeryeon had heard that this was also a side effect of the drugs.

“Your Black Eagle uniform will be made thicker and sturdier. I’ve also ordered something to cover your face.”

Haeryeon looked at Hyeonyul’s gloved hand.

“Did you get cut?”

How had Haeryeon known?

Hyeonyul simply stored that fact away before answering.

“I treated it.”

“Your fingers were stiff. I heard the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Are you all right now?”

Hyeonyul held out his hand at Haeryeon’s question.

An emergency kit emerged from his shadow.

He opened it.

Seeing how neatly everything had been sorted by purpose, Haeryeon was impressed.

“Everything is prepared here.”

He looked oddly proud, and Haeryeon had to suppress another laugh.

“Then is there anything else you need?”

“I can stay up all night if necessary. I know there may be overtime. But please make sure this part is honored. After I work overtime, I must be able to use paid leave.”

“Of course. If I can’t keep that promise, cut off my head. I’ll gladly give it to you.”

Haeryeon grinned.

“You’d better not say something you’ll regret. I really will.”

“I knew that from the moment you brought Shin Daeho’s head in. But this is my resolve. There needs to be a difference between me and people who only claim to be different.”

Looking at Haeryeon’s determined eyes, Hyeonyul smiled faintly.

Haeryeon liked that smile quite a lot.

“I hope my salary comes on time. I want to eat.”

‘...Those bastards! You have to feed someone if you’re making them work!’

Haeryeon barely swallowed the anger threatening to burst out.

“Your pay won’t be late. Never.”

“I also hope you won’t suddenly send me on errands at night. Please don’t call me to be your designated driver because you drank, take credit for my work, or take away my clothes because you think they look nice on me...”

As Hyeonyul’s complaints spilled out one after another, Haeryeon finally understood.

Why Hyeonyul had come here.

Why he had no choice but to cut off Shin Daeho’s head.

Why he wanted to destroy villains.

‘I really want to buy him a drink.’

If Haeryeon said that now, Hyeonyul would surely run away.

He might even look at Haeryeon and ask why she would say something like that.

“Hyeonyul, have things been difficult for you until now?”

“I’m adjusting because the atmosphere here is different from my previous company.”

“Right. It is different here. Has it been... very difficult?”

Haeryeon stumbled over the words.

She intended to help in any way possible.

“I’m reading books and trying my best, so please don’t misunderstand if my words or behavior seem unfamiliar.”

“Books...?”

“Yes. It’s called 101 Ways to a Smooth Office Life.”

The moment Haeryeon heard the title, she desperately suppressed a laugh.

It did not suit someone who looked so cold and blunt on the outside.

Still, it was admirable.

‘He’s trying.’

“And... never mind.”

Hyeonyul almost said that Haeryeon should pay him a little less attention, but stopped.

It felt like an unnecessary thing to ask.

“Please make sure I get to leave work on time.”

Hyeonyul hurriedly changed the subject.

He looked strangely embarrassed.

Haeryeon wanted to grab dead Shin Daeho by the neck immediately.

How could someone turn another person into this?

‘Die, Shin Daeho! No, you’re already dead, but die again, you damned Shin Daeho! Every bastard Hyeonyul killed should die too!’

Haeryeon smiled as she cursed inwardly.

Seeing this made Haeryeon realize just how merciful Hyeonyul was.

“Ah, Team Leader.”

“Yes?”

“Is the company you’re looking for through Shin Daeho the place I visited earlier?”

“It was shocking to learn about the affiliated companies, but no, it isn’t that place.”

“May I borrow some paper?”

“One moment.”

Haeryeon brought over paper and a pen. As soon as she set them down, Hyeonyul drew a wineglass symbol.

“If you see a similar symbol anywhere, please consider it one of Shin Daeho’s affiliated companies. It may be displayed naturally on a door, like a decoration, or hanging in a lobby like a painting. Wouldn’t that make it faster to find them?”

Haeryeon was moved by Hyeonyul’s heartfelt gift.

“Hyeonyul... I’ll do well. Don’t leave. Keep working with us, all right?”

“That’s what I intend to do.”

Hyeonyul smiled brightly.

For someone of his build, it was an unusually innocent smile.

“Then sign here and go straight to the hospital. Understood?”

“I’m getting off work?”

“Of course, of course.”

“Then I will.”

Hyeonyul eagerly moved the pen.

* * *

‘...This feels like a dream.’

Hyeonyul leaned against the bus window and stared blankly outside.

The sun had not even begun to set yet.

Being able to see a blue sky felt like a miracle.

How long had it been since he had felt this kind of leisure?

However, the stares boring into his back would not go away, and they began to irritate Hyeonyul.

‘Whenever I’m in a good mood, something always interrupts.’

Without turning his head, Hyeonyul covered his eyes.

Several people were riding this bus.

Three of them kept sneaking glances at Hyeonyul.

They were not friendly looks.

‘What are they doing?’

Hyeonyul sent his eyes to a spot on the ceiling behind the three people.

Instead of speaking, they were texting on their phones.

[Hey. Hey! Hey hey hey hey!]

[Are you sure he got on this bus?]

After sending the message, one of them casually looked elsewhere.

[Brooding A: Isn’t that him? You know, the one with gray hair.]

‘They seem to be talking about me, but I look like I have gray hair?’

So this was what it meant to blur people’s perception.

Hyeonyul thought it was fairly useful.

[Disappointed V: What are you talking about? There’s no way someone looks that vacant. Stop staring. He’ll notice.]

[Shit. We need to find him. Don’t you know what he looks like?]

[Brooding A: If I knew, would we be doing this?]

[Disappointed V: I’m asking whether they even got on this bus in the first place!]

[Ahhh! I don’t know! You guys said we should come!]

[Brooding A: Hey, just get off. We were trying to find out where he lives, but this is a waste of time.]

Hyeonyul smiled softly as he read the messages.

‘Why do they want to know where I live?’

There were two likely possibilities.

First, they wanted to make life difficult for Hyeonyul.

Second, they wanted to kill him while his guard was down.

Hyeonyul almost laughed.

‘So that’s why they were doing nothing.’

He knew that things like this needed to be weeded out early.

‘...What should I do?’

Hyeonyul considered it for a moment.

Unlike before, there were restrictions now.

In his old line of work, killing villains skillfully only earned praise, but this was not that kind of place.

If Hyeonyul killed them now, where would suspicion fall?

‘Should I kill them one at a time?’

He had to be more thorough than before.

After thinking for a while, Hyeonyul quietly smiled.

‘...No. I don’t even need to touch them.’

Just then, the bus stopped.

Hyeonyul looked through the open doors.

An unknown power rippled in the distance.

Something was coming.

The three people rose almost at once, and Hyeonyul slipped one hand into his pocket.

Of the three, only one put their phone into a pocket.

Hyeonyul’s hand melted into the darkness inside his pocket and quietly took the phone.

He looked back out the window. When the bus doors closed, he hurriedly rose and approached the driver.

“It would be best to pick up speed.”

At Hyeonyul’s quiet words, the driver nodded.

That driver was White Sparrow as well.

Perhaps those three had been White Sparrow too.

As the bus accelerated, Hyeonyul returned to his seat.

KABOOOM!

Everyone turned toward the sound behind them, including Hyeonyul.

A brilliant pillar of flame rose from where the bus had been.

Hyeonyul covered his eyes.

He could see the three of them being consumed by fierce flames.

They were burning quite nicely.

‘Magic.’

It was the first time Hyeonyul had seen magic this large.

What kind of villain was causing trouble?

Hyeonyul lowered his hand and glanced at his smartwatch.

It was remarkably quiet.

That meant someone else had gone to deal with it.

Only then did Hyeonyul relax and look at the blue sky.

If any villain interrupted his time off work, Hyeonyul had no intention of letting them die peacefully.

* * *

“...Hyeonyul.”

The man let out a long breath and pushed up his glasses.

[Team Leader Oh Haeryeon: The explosion near the bus you were riding was magic.]

[Team Leader Oh Haeryeon: It looks like Bomb Maniac’s work. You weren’t hurt, were you?]

‘That explosion earlier was Bomb Maniac?’

Hyeonyul replied.

[I’m fine.]

“Hyeonyul? Are you listening?”

“I’m listening.”

“Who is it?”

“Someone.”

Well, would you look at that.

The man gave Hyeonyul a look, then decided to pretend he had not noticed.

“Anyway, I told you to be careful of even small injuries. You always followed that advice. So what is this today?”

“I treated it.”

“Right, right. You did a wonderful job. I don’t know when you got hurt, but you treated it so well that blood is still pouring out. Isn’t that right?”

The man lifted Hyeonyul’s finger to show him directly.

Blood was still flowing from it.

Hyeonyul had known Jeongmin long enough to know there was no emotion behind his sarcastic words.

Lee Jeongmin.

That was the doctor’s name.

“Still, I kept my promise today.”

“That’s right, exactly!”

Jeongmin suddenly grew excited and grabbed his own hair.

“...Wow, it’s still unbelievable. I thought my heart was going to drop out of my chest. How long has it been? Hyeonyul. Hyeonyul actually came on time. This is a miracle!”

“Then I’ll lie down.”

As Hyeonyul lay down on the bed like he always did, Jeongmin shook his head.

He was so uninteresting.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“Is that so?”

At the same answer he always received, Jeongmin felt secretly disappointed.

“You’re not going to ask where I’m going? We’ve known each other for so long.”

Before administering the prepared injection, Jeongmin glanced at Hyeonyul.

For some reason, he had been fascinated by villains’ experimental subjects since childhood.

He wanted to save those who were human, yet had ceased to be human.

He studied hard and became a doctor, believing he could finally do what he had wanted to do as a child.

But that had been arrogance.

Experimental subjects rescued from villains always died soon after, no matter what he did.

He had devoted more than half his life to experimental subjects, yet he had not saved a single one.

It was the moment everything lost its meaning.

Then, when he was drowning in despair, Hyeonyul appeared.

A living experimental subject.

“...Please save me.”

Jeongmin had thought it was an awfully arrogant thing for such a little kid to say.

“Where are you going?”

Then, as now, Hyeonyul would bring other experimental subjects with that same expressionless face.

He did not know how Hyeonyul brought them, but Hyeonyul would suddenly appear with one person, or three or four at once, then leave.

They all died, but Hyeonyul never stopped.

Jeongmin had never stopped either, even though he could not save the experimental subjects.

Because Hyeonyul was there.

Because Hyeonyul was alive, he could hold on to the hope that other experimental subjects might survive too.

“Are you curious? You’re not just asking because you have to?”

When Jeongmin asked sarcastically, Hyeonyul smiled faintly.

“I was thinking about several things.”

“Like what?”

“If you were being driven out of this place, I was wondering what I should do.”

How could Hyeonyul not know that the hospital director was always trying to drive Jeongmin out?

Even with the Empire’s support funds, experimental subjects did not make money.

If Jeongmin had been driven out, Hyeonyul would have to kill the hospital director.

That was what he thought.

“I’m a little scared you might really do something, but I’m going somewhere good. Black Eagle. You’ve heard of it, right?”

Hyeonyul’s expression froze at Jeongmin’s answer.

When Jeongmin realized it was genuine surprise, he giggled.

“Surprising, right? I was really surprised when I got the offer too.”

‘Whose doing is this?’

Hyeonyul blinked in surprise.

“Black Eagle is starting support for experimental subjects. I was already dealing with performance pressure and everything else at this hospital. They’re offering more money than this place and promising not to hold back on support, so honestly, how could I turn them down?”

“You did well, Doctor.”

“It feels strange hearing that from a kid so much younger than me.”

“Doctor, I mean it.”

“I know. I know.”

“Congratulations.”

At the simple congratulations, Jeongmin felt a sudden swell of emotion.

Was he happy because the experimental subject who had once been a child had grown this much? Or because someone who had never been able to express emotion was now putting so much feeling into his words?

Or was he simply happy that Hyeonyul was still alive?

“Ah, Hyeonyul. I heard there’s a Black Eagle operative who used to be a experimental subject. There’s someone besides you.”

‘...That’s me.’

Hyeonyul blinked, then smiled.

Only then did he realize it was Haeryeon’s work.

“Hyeonyul.”

“Yes.”

“Even if I go to Black Eagle, I’ll still be the one treating you. It’ll be farther away than it is now, but I even received permission for you to come. You don’t need to worry. I will never give up on you.”

“I was never worried. You’re the only one who thinks of me this way, Doctor.”

At Hyeonyul’s sudden words, Jeongmin hurriedly turned his head.

What kind of day was this?

“Your rehabilitation is... going very well. I wonder whose work that is.”

Only pointless words came out.

* * *

Knock, knock.

Jeongmin tensed at the sound of someone knocking.

That Black Eagle operative was supposed to come today.

Black Eagle’s status was immense.

It was an honor simply to meet someone who was not easy to meet.

“C-Come in.”