WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home ◈
Chapter 15: I Don't Like Stubbornness
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“…Cough.”
Hyeonyul was getting off the bus when he gave a short cough.
It could have been dismissed lightly, but he took it seriously.
Jeongmin had always told him that since his immune system was maintained with medication, even minor symptoms had to be treated seriously.
‘I should see the doctor.’
He would be scolded if he did not.
He rummaged through his pocket and took out an emergency pill.
Just in case, he chewed and swallowed it.
He checked the time.
Twenty minutes until theory training.
He had plenty of time.
A life with evenings.
A life where he did not need to worry about visiting the hospital.
It was very nice.
* * *
After meeting Jeongmin, Hyeonyul entered Team Three’s office to find Nayun sitting there.
Numerous parts were scattered around, as though Nayun had been maintaining a weapon.
“Hello.”
“…!”
Nayun looked at Hyeonyul in surprise.
Despite that startled expression, the muzzle of her handgun was pointed squarely at Hyeonyul’s head.
Nayun hurriedly lowered the gun and smiled awkwardly.
“Hello. Did I... startle you?”
“No. I think that’s understandable.”
Given the nature of their work, they needed to be ready to respond at any moment.
In that regard, Nayun was certainly capable.
“…The team leader stepped out for a moment.”
“Then could you let her know that I’ve arrived at work?”
“Hyeonyul.”
“…Yes?”
Hyeonyul hesitated for a moment.
What did Nayun want to say?
He felt a little tense.
“Listen without getting nervous. I won’t make this long.”
“…I’m listening.”
“You don’t have to report every little thing to the team leader like this.”
“Then how will she knows I came to work?”
At Hyeonyul’s question, Nayun smiled and pointed to her smartwatch.
“When you enter through the main gate, the time is recorded through this. The same goes when you leave. There are sensors attached.”
‘Sensors are attached...?’
In other words, if he did not leave, he would still be recorded as being inside.
The corners of Hyeonyul’s mouth nearly rose at that new information, but he held it back.
He thought it could be very useful.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“To be honest, I’d like to tell you more, but I should hold back since it’ll come up in theory training. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Nayun asked with a teasing, playful expression.
As if asking, Isn’t that a relief?
Hyeonyul nodded, then looked at the gun.
“It looks different.”
“It was made especially for me, so it’s probably a little different from ordinary guns.”
Nayun’s hand, which had been maintaining the gun, paused for a moment.
Hyeonyul could see the tension in Nayun’s fingers.
“If I had my way, I’d put a bullet in the heads of the people badmouthing you with this gun, but I’m calming myself down by maintaining it.”
“Have the rumors spread far?”
Nayun bit her lip tightly at the question.
“They’ve spread everywhere. People are spreading them openly. If nothing else, they know you’re in Team Three, right? But don’t worry. Those rumors will disappear soon enough.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“It’s a little embarrassing to say so myself, but I’m rather well connected. I asked some people I know for a favor.”
Nayun spoke as though embarrassed, but her eyes shone even brighter.
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
“You know how there are things that are true, but embarrassing to say about yourself?”
“I don’t... really understand.”
“…Ah! I know.”
Nayun’s eyes narrowed for a brief moment.
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw it yesterday.”
Nayun let out a small laugh.
It was an ambiguous smile.
What could Nayun have seen?
He did not waver.
“You like cake, right?”
“Did you see me?”
“Yes. You were sitting by the window eating cheesecake. I wondered whether I should speak to you, but decided not to.”
Nayun thought Hyeonyul and cake were a strange combination.
But Hyeonyul had been eating it so deliciously that Nayun could not bring herself to interrupt.
“You can talk to me.”
A smile appeared on Hyeonyul’s lips.
It might have looked more natural without the scars scattered over his face.
“Really...? You shouldn’t say things like that lightly. I might get so happy that I talk for hours.”
“Then please speak only a little.”
When Hyeonyul amended his words, Nayun giggled.
“But weren’t you working then?”
“Ah. I was on a search mission, looking around through my sights, and I found you.”
Nayun struck a pose as if aiming the gun, then suddenly remembered something.
Oh.
Nayun smacked her forehead once.
“I was assigned to search the secondary site related to the experimental subjects in your place. I thought you’d be curious, so I wanted to tell you as soon as I saw you, but I wondered whether it would be all right to text you.”
It had truly been one of the most serious things Nayun had ever considered in her life.
Nayun had subtly asked Sinu, who said absolutely, absolutely not to send one, so she stopped herself.
“You can text me.”
“Is that really all right?”
“Yes. Then were there any results?”
“…Um.”
Nayun dragged the sound out.
Um. Um.
Hyeonyul did not know how many times it continued.
“It may be difficult to find the third site. An unfamiliar villain attacked, and the site was blown apart. We did rescue several people, but... they passed away today.”
Nayun spoke carefully while constantly watching Hyeonyul’s reaction.
Sinu had told Nayun that Hyeonyul had been an experimental subject.
In a way, it was inevitably a very sensitive matter, and Nayun’s heart pounded throughout the explanation.
‘…Ah. That’s why the doctor was in a bad mood.’
Hyeonyul thought of Jeongmin.
He had just come from seeing him.
“Still, thanks to you, the victims’ families were spared from continuing to wonder. ...Thank you.”
“That was Choo Nayun’s work. There’s no reason for me to be thanked.”
“No, it was thanks to you. These matters never had good outcomes. Often, the victims were so badly damaged that even forensic examination was impossible. Whenever I saw a missing-person flyer, I kept wondering whether it might be that person. But today is different.”
They had not been able to protect them, but they could still return to their families.
That fact alone was a comfort to Nayun as well.
“That’s... a good thing.”
Nayun saw Hyeonyul’s faint smile.
Was he relieved?
Hyeonyul was still difficult to read.
“Is that why the team leader was away?”
“Perhaps.”
“Thank you for telling me. Then I’ll be going now.”
“All right. Keep your spirits up in class today, too.”
Nayun lightly shook a clenched fist.
After Hyeonyul bowed and left, Nayun placed a hand over her chest and let out a long breath.
‘...I did well, right? I stopped at exactly the right time and sent him off at exactly the right time, right?’
Sinu had told Nayun not to approach too quickly, but honestly, Nayun wanted to talk about many things.
It was exciting to have a new recruit for once, but the more they spoke, the more Nayun felt that Hyeonyul was not a bad person.
Perhaps Hyeonyul’s awkwardness made Nayun want to talk more.
‘Wouldn’t he get along perfectly with Jihwan?’
Whether it was his atmosphere or his way of thinking, he was similar somehow.
‘...Come to think of it, there is something about him that resembles Sinu, too.’
Nayun blinked.
Their atmosphere and many other things were different, but there was something about Hyeonyul that was on the same wavelength as Sinu.
‘Was Hyeonyul destined to belong to Team Three?’
Nayun grinned.
* * *
“…Excuse me.”
At the low voice, Hyeonyul lifted his eyes from his book.
He had already heard the footsteps.
The sight of sparrow emblems engraved on the visitors’ left forearms had already made Hyeonyul excited.
They were White Sparrows.
There was a high chance they had come looking for Hyeonyul over one of two matters.
One was the manager Hyeonyul had killed yesterday.
The other was the manager fired because of Hyeonyul.
Nothing else came to mind.
“What is it?”
When Hyeonyul answered gently, surprise appeared on their faces.
They apparently had not expected that response.
Taken aback by this unexpected side of Hyeonyul, they looked at one another.
They seemed hesitant to say what they had come to say.
“Do you have something to tell me? Theory training will begin shortly, so I’d appreciate it if you hurried.”
“Have you... seen this person before?”
One of the managers held out a phone.
The instant Hyeonyul saw the photo displayed on it, his head tilted slightly.
He truly did not know who it was.
“Who is that?”
The managers were flustered by the reflexive question.
Hyeonyul genuinely seemed not to know.
“Should I know that person?”
At Hyeonyul’s question, they quickly concealed their emotions.
They would be at a disadvantage if they pried any further.
“No. Pardon us.”
The managers hurriedly bowed their heads.
Watching them leave in a rush, Hyeonyul guessed the reason.
‘It’s because of the manager I killed.’
It seemed more people were interested in those around them than Hyeonyul had expected.
The matter had grown large enough that they came to confront Hyeonyul simply because one person had failed to show up for work.
‘No. They all seem connected, don’t they?’
Who else would have told them news related to Hyeonyul?
It must have circulated in the group chat Hyeonyul had found.
As if Haeryeon stepping in yesterday had not been enough, the manager who had spread rumors about Hyeonyul had disappeared. It was understandable that they would feel terrified.
Pretending to prop up his chin, Hyeonyul listened closely.
It was worth hearing what they were saying.
It took longer than expected before Hyeonyul could make out the conversation.
“…Hey. He said he don’t know.”
“He really looked like he didn’t know.”
“But they didn’t come in today. They aren’t answering their phone either.”
“They could be sick.”
“Right. Ah, maybe they’re sick.”
They seemed to be trying to dismiss it as oversensitivity, but it was not working well.
“Don’t you know what happened yesterday? Two people got fired. And Team Three was involved. This must be the same thing.”
“They could be in a situation where they can’t answer the phone. If we move carelessly now, people might misunderstand us instead.”
“No. I’m going to their house today.”
After the sound of heavy footsteps faded away, Hyeonyul lowered his hand.
‘Something fun will happen after class.’
Hyeonyul looked at the theory book.
Two Black Eagles passed by Hyeonyul and entered.
They still looked like they had plenty to say, but once again, they did not speak it aloud.
White Sparrows rarely had reason to encounter Hyeonyul, but Black Eagles could be expected to work together.
It seemed they had made the wiser choice.
A short while later, the instructor entered.
Hyeonyul looked at the instructor with interest. Haeryeon had said that important material would begin today.
Simply having someone teach him was something to be grateful for.
It was very different from the past, when he had to search for everything and learn everything alone.
* * *
As Haeryeon had said, today’s lesson contained many important things.
He learned about the structure of this place called the Nest, its relationship with the White Sparrows, why the Black Eagles had been created, and more.
The most interesting thing Hyeonyul learned was the material related to the source of power.
It was a theory concerning where the source of power was and where power came from.
“―The most likely hypothesis is that power was born from pain and fear.”
‘Pain and fear...’
Hyeonyul thought it was a fairly plausible hypothesis.
They were the two clearest emotions Hyeonyul had felt as an experimental subject.
“…That concludes today’s lesson.”
At the instructor’s words, Hyeonyul closed his book and was about to leave when he smiled quietly.
‘It’s quite noisy outside.’
Hyeonyul deliberately walked out first.
The moment he left the room and turned into the hallway, he saw a hand reaching toward him.
But he pretended not to notice, as if he knew nothing, and took a step forward.
Only after his collar was grabbed did Hyeonyul drop his book in apparent surprise.
Thud.
Attention turned toward him.
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
Pretending to be flustered, Hyeonyul looked at the manager gripping his collar.
It was one of the faces that had come before class.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You killed them!”
Silence followed the loud shout.
Hyeonyul let out a long breath as though only then realizing what was happening.
Flustered reactions followed.
“…Let go of me.”
He had intentionally allowed himself to be grabbed, but Hyeonyul disliked the hand holding his collar and pressing against his throat.
Before the urge to slaughter them one by one could sink deep into his mind, Hyeonyul forced out a cough under the manager’s grip on his throat.
“…Cough, cough, cough!”
When the violent coughing continued, people finally moved to stop the manager who had rushed Hyeonyul.
“Hey! Stop! He’s really going to die!”
“Let go of me! That bastard is a murderer!”
The manager shook off the others and pointed at Hyeonyul.
“I knew it from the moment that villain bastard crawled in here! Did it feel good to kill them? Did you enjoy it...?!”
Despite the torrent of accusations and curses, Hyeonyul continued coughing.
‘That bastard...’
Hyeonyul had gone to see Jeongmin today because his throat had not been well.
His immune system was controlled with medication due to an abnormality, but there were days like this from time to time.
There would have been no serious problem as long as he was not provoked, but the stimulus had been greater than expected.
Even knowing he needed to make this much of a scene, it left a foul feeling.
‘You will die by my hand.’
They were the ones who had tried to interfere with Hyeonyul’s attempt to simply work peacefully from the beginning.
Hyeonyul had not intended to harm them.
Why was it so difficult for those people to continue as they had, while Hyeonyul adjusted to life here as well?
“What do you think you’re doing right now...?!”
A familiar voice rang out.
It was Sinu.
Hyeonyul watched people’s gazes change at that one sentence.
There was no trace of hostility left in them.
Hyeonyul looked at Sinu.
“Are you all right?”
Sinu asked urgently.
Hyeonyul’s neck was bright red.
“…I’m fine.”
“Let’s go to the doctor.”
Haeryeon had said she had brought in a doctor who specialized in experimental subjects for Hyeonyul.
“I already went today.”
“Today...?”
The instant Sinu heard that response, he glared at the manager being restrained by others.
“I don’t know what happened, but how can you do this to someone who’s sick without warning?”
Sinu berated the manager.
With a look entirely different from the one shown to Hyeonyul, the manager protested their grievance.
“…That bastard killed our colleague!”
“You’d do well to shut your mouth.”
Sinu warned the manager.
“...I’d like to know as well. Before class, they suddenly came to show me someone’s photograph, and now they’ve grabbed my collar and called me a murderer. What am I supposed to... Cough.”
Hyeonyul stopped coughing and lightly covered his mouth.
When he removed his hand, there was a small smear of blood on it.
He was used to it.
This happened whenever his immune system malfunctioned.
It had always been like this, so Hyeonyul felt nothing about it. A slightly cut finger had a greater effect.
“How is that fine?! Come on, let’s go! If you can’t walk, I’ll...”
“No. I need to clear up this misunderstanding before I go. If I leave like this, who knows what other rumors will spread?”
Stopping Sinu, Hyeonyul openly took aim at the people gathered there.
This was the part Hyeonyul liked best.
Everyone was silent as though their mouths were full of honey.
“Who do you claim I killed?”
Hyeonyul asked the manager directly.
“This person! You killed them!”
The manager raised the phone to show the photograph.
“That’s the picture you showed me earlier. Who exactly is this person?”
“My colleague, the one you killed...! My friend!”
“I have never even met this person. What makes you think I’m the culprit? Show me that evidence first.”
Hyeonyul demanded boldly.
Nothing could be done based on suspicion alone.
Evidence was needed for anything.
“…”
When the manager could not speak, everyone’s gaze turned cold.
They had heard rumors related to Hyeonyul, but this had crossed a line.
It made no sense to corner someone like this based on nothing more than speculation, without evidence.
“Do you have no evidence?”
Sinu pressed on Hyeonyul’s behalf.
“They, they died in the evening. We checked the apartment CCTV, and saw them enter the apartment that evening!”
“And?”
Hyeonyul asked.
“What do you mean, and?”
“Is that all?”
“Training ended early yesterday, so it was possible! You could have been waiting in hiding!”
“So was I captured on the CCTV?”
Hyeonyul asked as though dumbfounded.
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