The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home - Chapter 16

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home ◈

Chapter 16: I Don't Like Stubbornness (2)

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* * *

There was no way he had been caught on CCTV.

Hyeonyul was certain.

The manager’s expression alone made it obvious that they had brought no evidence in the first place.

“...”

The manager fell silent.

There was none.

That villain bastard had not been caught on camera.

It made no sense.

Someone had died, yet no one had entered the building.

He must have used some kind of power.

“It seems this was nothing more than speculation. I didn’t understand why you suspected me in the first place, but now I do. You were the ones talking behind my back and spreading rumors about me.”

Hyeonyul spoke as though he knew everything, wiping the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth.

“W-What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“You feel guilty, so you’re treating me like the culprit. There’s no other reason, yet you’re pushing this accusation so blindly. That’s quite strange.”

“You’re a villain! You probably used your power to avoid being caught on CCTV!”

That villain had not joined White Sparrow, but Black Eagle.

Of course he had some sort of power.

“By that logic, every Black Eagle could be guilty.”

Sinu let out a laugh.

Every Black Eagle possessed power.

By the manager’s reasoning, they should all be included.

“Why not include me in your suspicions too?”

Sinu’s smile gradually turned sharp.

He could even get through the black walls he summoned, or through glass windows.

Why couldn’t he be a suspect?

“Actually, why not just list everyone in Team Three as suspects? That would be very convenient.”

“Are you defending that bastard right now?”

The manager’s face twisted.

“Just as you’re acting for your colleague, we’re speaking for ours.”

The corners of Sinu’s mouth lifted.

The manager, who had been wavering, stared directly at Sinu as though their eyes had gone wild.

As the atmosphere grew more heated than expected, Hyeonyul quietly stirred the waters.

“What an interesting theory. So when did this happen?”

“Seven thirty-five at night.”

The manager did not hesitate.

Instead, they looked at Hyeonyul as though they were an idiot.

Had Hyeonyul not dug his own trap?

“Where were you at that time?”

The manager’s brightened eyes and slowly spreading smile belonged to someone who had already won.

What an idiot.

“The manager is making a mistake right now.”

While everyone waited for Hyeonyul’s confession, Sinu issued a firm warning to everyone, including the manager.

It was as though Hyeonyul’s innocence had already been proven.

“Do you think everyone connected to you will remain unharmed?”

After speaking heavily, Sinu gave Hyeonyul a trusting look.

It was quite burdensome.

Because Hyeonyul really had killed them.

Still, there was only one thing Hyeonyul could say.

“At around that time, I was having coffee and cake at a cafe near my home. I’ll tell you the name of the place, so you can request to check its CCTV.”

He did not bother mentioning it, but the cafe was quite far from where he had killed the person.

“You must have... left your seat!”

The manager raised their voice to suppress their panic.

Surely not.

“I did.”

“See?!”

“I went to wash my hands in the restroom for a moment. What’s wrong with that?”

“...What?”

“And someone saw me there. Are you going to say I arranged that too? Or that I orchestrated the mission itself? I didn’t know you thought so highly of my abilities. Should I thank you?”

Hyeonyul stared at the manager with quiet mockery.

The manager could not say a word.

“How much more do I have to do?”

Hyeonyul asked, tilting his head slightly.

“You don’t need to do that. I received a text about where you were yesterday too. You were eating cheesecake at the time, weren’t you?”

Hyeonyul was surprised by Sinu’s words.

He had not expected Nayun to tell Sinu even that.

“If you find it hard to believe, look.”

Sinu showed the text messages.

[Choo Nayun: Heyyyyy]

[Choo Nayun: Earlier, around seven thirty? I saw Hyeonyul while I was on a mission? Hyeonyul was right in my scope. I shouldn’t text him, right? If I ask whether he like cheesecake, he’ll run away, right? If I tell him I know a really delicious place, he’ll freak out, right?]

[Choo Nayun: Heyyyyy, why are you seeing these and ignoring me????]

[Choo Nayun: Want to die???]

“Do you see? If you want to claim this was arranged too, go ahead. The villain and we planned the mission together, we’re one with the police who connected us to that mission, and ah. The manager who told us the news is one with us too, then? I’m curious how far our reach extends as well.”

The manager froze while looking at Sinu’s phone.

Their legs seemed to give out, and they soon collapsed.

No.

It really was not him.

Only then did the manager’s face turn pale.

“Is it fun? Whispering behind someone’s back isn’t enough, so you openly turn them into an idiot?”

Speaking as though addressing everyone, Hyeonyul raised his voice and slowly approached the manager.

“Do none of you know when enough is enough?”

He looked at each person staring at him.

Hyeonyul’s gaze paused briefly on one person.

The Black Eagle who had been speaking with the manager Hyeonyul had killed before was lingering there too.

‘You’re next.’

It had only been the manager this time. Why couldn’t they kill a Black Eagle too?

‘...You should have known when to stop.’

Those people had crossed the line first.

Who wouldn’t lose their mind after nearly having their livelihood taken away?

“Who would think this place was the Nest of the Black Eagles after seeing this? I don’t see how you’re any different from villains.”

Hyeonyul narrowed his eyes.

He started to say something, as though he had more to add, then stopped.

He simply wore an expression of utter disgust.

“You, especially.”

Hyeonyul grabbed the manager by the collar.

For a brief moment, he smiled mockingly.

I won.

When the manager’s face twisted, Hyeonyul released their collar and stood.

“I won’t tolerate this anymore. I’ll file a formal complaint, so keep talking if you want.”

Hyeonyul snorted and walked away.

‘The rumors will be dealt with soon.’

Only the Black Eagle ringleader remained.

Since he had already drawn the blade, Hyeonyul intended to clean things up properly.

* * *

Hyeonyul trudged toward the bus.

It was the same route he always walked, but his legs felt especially heavy today.

“Those goddamn bastards, seriously.”

When Haeryeon saw him and suddenly began swearing without any filter, Hyeonyul flinched, thinking he was about to be fired.

“...Sorry. I wasn’t talking about you, Hyeonyul. I meant them.”

Haeryeon reacted as though she had been there.

“I’ll formally request a police investigation into this incident, so go home now. I’ll contact you whenever there’s an update. Try to collect yourself at home.”

Perhaps busy, Haeryeon left after saying only that.

‘She’s not suspecting me.’

Hyeonyul found it strange.

Haeryeon and Sinu both knew what power he possessed.

‘Do they not want to suspect me?’

Either way, it was not bad.

Nayun had even seen him.

The cafe CCTV would confirm it too.

“...Hey.”

It sounded like a voice he had heard somewhere before, but Hyeonyul kept walking as though he did not know.

He was too tired to get tangled up with anyone else.

“Hey, Seo Hyeonyul.”

Only then did Hyeonyul stop.

When he turned, Team Seven’s leader, Ye Juhyeon, stood there.

“Yes. What is it?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

With an irritated expression, Juhyeon was once again rapidly moving her thumb over the phone in her hand.

What was she writing?

“No, it wasn’t that. But after what happened today, I thought someone was calling me. You already know about it too, Team Leader.”

“It was a complete shitshow.”

Juhyeon stopped moving her fingers and frowned.

They had even tried to pin murder on Hyeonyul.

They had crossed the line far too badly.

“What do you need?”

“What do you think?”

Juhyeon lightly shook the phone in her hand.

“Come see me for a moment.”

“Now? If it’s something we can discuss over the phone...”

“I don’t have your number.”

“You’re a team leader. Can’t you get any number you want?”

“What are you talking about...? That’s...”

The words about invading someone’s privacy rose to Juhyeon’s throat, but she stopped herself.

What privacy could there have been in a company run by villains?

Juhyeon gestured and moved elsewhere.

Hyeonyul looked at the bus with deep longing, then had no choice but to follow.

Several gazes focused on him, but Hyeonyul ignored them.

* * *

Juhyeon stopped near the back door of the central building.

It was more secluded than expected, not a place people would normally come.

Still, Hyeonyul looked around just in case.

“No one’s here, and even if they were, they couldn’t hear us.”

At Juhyeon’s words, Hyeonyul looked at the CCTV.

Its light was already off.

“Is that so?”

“Where did you get this?”

Juhyeon shook her phone.

“Like I told you before, I stole one phone from the managers who had been following me to screw me over.”

“Why did you think to steal one?”

“They were moving around as a group. It seemed suspicious.”

At Hyeonyul’s answer, Juhyeon thought, as expected. She had known it from the moment Hyeonyul, a rookie, confidently made a request of her, a team leader.

‘He has good instincts for a rookie.’

Juhyeon gave a small snort before speaking.

“There were a lot of deleted messages. I restored them and looked through them, and they were colluding with someone.”

Juhyeon took out her phone and held it out.

[SDSF213: Steer the Eagles’ movements this way.]

[SDSF213: I already sent the bait, so they won’t know.]

[SDSF213: Just make sure you send that thing over here.]

Hyeonyul read the messages calmly, but his brow furrowed.

His gaze fixed on one phrase.

That thing.

What else could it be?

It was a phrase commonly used at a company run by villains.

‘...An experimental subject.’

Hyeonyul slowly raised his head.

The messages clearly showed that someone was colluding with villains.

‘Is that why they couldn’t find the third site?’

“Finding the third site might be difficult. An unfamiliar villain attacked, and the site blew up.”

Nayun had told him that.

An unfamiliar villain had attacked.

‘Information had already been leaking. ...Fine, but why would they collude with villains?’

More than anything, Hyeonyul could not understand why someone would join hands with villains.

Did they naively think the villains would truly grant what they wanted?

‘Ah, were they stupid like me and simply being used?’

He could not ask for an explanation now that the person was dead, but Hyeonyul could draw a neat conclusion.

Trusting villains was foolish, and joining hands with them was even more foolish.

“You found this. We’ve learned a shocking truth.”

Juhyeon spoke with a serious expression.

This made it clear that someone within the organization was colluding with villains.

The relationship between the Black Eagles and White Sparrows rested on trust, and that foundation was about to be seriously shaken.

“And the manager who died this time was involved too.”

“That person too?”

“Yes. They were in the deleted chatroom. One of them.”

‘...What? So I killed the right one.’

Hyeonyul swallowed the smile trying to rise.

“What do you think about this situation?”

When Juhyeon asked, Hyeonyul looked at her.

‘What am I supposed to think?’

He did not understand what Juhyeon meant.

The villains had acted like villains, and the person who had been used was simply foolish enough to be used.

What was so special about that?

‘...But I shouldn’t think like that.’

101 Ways to a Smooth Office Life.

According to that book, when a superior asked a question, it was efficient to give a plausible answer.

In other words, the answer was to say what Juhyeon wanted to hear.

Juhyeon clearly regarded this situation as extremely serious.

“I see it as serious.”

Hyeonyul spoke heavily.

Juhyeon looked at him with expectation in her eyes.

“This could shake the trust between the Black Eagles and the managers. However, I don’t think that’s the important issue.”

“Not that?”

“What if Black Eagles are involved in this too? Wouldn’t that make it an entirely different matter?”

“...What?”

Juhyeon’s face immediately twisted.

Whether she did not want to think that far or had never considered it, her expression became incomparably more serious than before.

‘What will they do? A Black Eagle is already involved.’

Hyeonyul knew the answer.

They were Hyeonyul’s target.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I expected things to become noisy internally after I joined. But what happened today was clearly organized, wasn’t it? I don’t think it’s a simple matter.”

“...That’s true. They framed you for murder, didn’t they? Just enough to make it easy to drive you out.”

“I know this kind of tactic.”

“What is it?”

Juhyeon asked immediately, then seemed to realize something and added another sentence.

“I’m not asking because I’m curious. I’m asking to borrow your knowledge.”

“They divide the organization from within.”

“Divide it?”

“Yes. I’m the perfect person for internal division, am I not?”

Hyeonyul slightly raised his eyes.

Otherwise, was there any reason to exclude him so thoroughly?

“Who knows about this?”

“Only you and me.”

“You haven’t told Team Leader Haeryeon? Should I?”

“No. I was going to. It’s right for me to tell her.”

It was an enormous matter, and Juhyeon had only told Hyeonyul first because he needed to know.

“Do you know strange things have been happening since you came here?”

“I understand suspecting me. However, I’m the one who cut my superior’s throat to get in here. Would I destroy this place? No matter what happens, I’ll protect this place.”

Hyeonyul made it clear.

As long as the employment contract was honored, he would always be on the Black Eagles’ side.

Juhyeon continued to look at Hyeonyul with suspicion in her eyes.

“Don’t forget that I’m always watching you.”

“I won’t forget. Then may I go now?”

“Yes.”

After greeting her, Hyeonyul hurried away as though he had no regrets.

Juhyeon tapped her phone screen with a finger.

‘They said the marks looked like something had been mauled by a beast. I heard that one uses daggers. Then who is the culprit?’

Juhyeon still felt deeply uneasy about the fact that Hyeonyul had once been a villain.

* * *

‘...Who killed them? Was it that rookie bastard?’