The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home - Chapter 20

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home ◈

Chapter 20: Got It! (2)

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* * *

“...So the Villain attacking the bus was a coincidence?”

Haeryeon drew her conclusion after hearing the whole story.

“That is correct. What matters in this case is the Villain's actions. They were building work experience.”

At Hyeonyul's nod and explanation, Haeryeon asked with question marks practically written across her face.

“Work experience? The kind of work experience I know?”

“Yes. Just as it is here, Villains need work experience if they want to change companies. As you know, companies run by Villains look no different from ordinary companies. Some of the people who work there genuinely believe they are legitimate companies.”

Not everyone hated the Empire, so this was the disguise the Villains had chosen.

They created numerous affiliate companies and let ordinary people gradually become Villains, then absorbed them into their ranks.

If necessary, they used any method, whether brainwashing or drugs.

Like creating experimental subjects, they moved people through affiliate companies in stages. Only once an ordinary person had been completely transformed into a Villain could they finally enter the headquarters.

“A posting has gone up seeking experienced Villains. There may be more incidents like this in the future, as Villains try to meet those requirements.”

Jihwan merely shifted his eyes and smiled at Hyeonyul's unhesitating explanation.

‘Why does he know so much?’

He rattled off details as though he had been a Villain himself.

‘And he's a rookie...?’

Jihwan still did not know Hyeonyul very well.

He had heard something from Sinu and Nayun, but honestly, it had not been information about Hyeonyul. It had mostly been about how to approach Hyeonyul naturally.

Based on those messages, Hyeonyul seemed like the type of person one should not approach too quickly, so Jihwan had not spoken to him on the bus.

Seeing Hyeonyul seem pleased, Jihwan had thought he had made the right choice.

But now, it was even harder to tell what kind of person Hyeonyul was.

“Didn't I tell you before that the Poison King was planning something big, Team Leader?”

Haeryeon nodded at Hyeonyul's question.

“You did.”

“Now that a job posting has appeared, the information that something major will happen is certain. Because Villains will be trying to enter that company, it may become a slaughterhouse.”

“That place? Do you know where it is?”

Hyeonyul had spoken as though he knew the location.

Haeryeon's mouth felt dry at Hyeonyul's unfamiliar way of approaching the problem.

It was as though he were looking at Villains from a Villain's perspective.

“The festival.”

Jihwan tilted his head at Hyeonyul's answer.

“Hyung. How can you be so sure?”

“I used to be a Villain.”

“...!”

Jihwan's eyes widened at Hyeonyul's short, simple answer.

‘So Jihwan hadn't even heard the rumor.’

Haeryeon gave an awkward smile at Jihwan's look asking for an explanation.

“He came in through Special Recruitment. Mr. Hyeonyul caught Shin Daeho.”

“...Hyung!”

Jihwan called out to Hyeonyul again.

Hyeonyul frowned at his moved expression.

“That was incredibly difficult! I barely got in myself. Nayun noona came through Special Recruitment too, you know? Did you know?”

“...Yes. I know.”

“There are already two people in Team Three who came through Special Recruitment. ...Ha. Being on a team like this is fantastic.”

Jihwan looked as though he might float into the air with joy.

He had always liked strong people.

‘...So he wasn't quiet.’

Hyeonyul eyed Jihwan warily.

To think he had only been pretending to be quiet.

“Anyway, what you're saying is that one Villain put up a job posting, and other Villains caused incidents like today's to meet the requirements, right?”

“Yes.”

“If the festival is going to be the place for that posting, then the security company would be the easiest place to get close to it.”

“Correct. At least, that is what I believe.”

Haeryeon inhaled at Hyeonyul's certain answer.

“Who is that Villain?”

“The Poison King.”

Ha.

Haeryeon laughed.

The Poison King was a major player.

So was Shin Daeho.

Had anyone ever reached major Villains this quickly?

“You're really amazing, Mr. Hyeonyul.”

Haeryeon was sincerely impressed.

How had he ended up on her team?

Hyeonyul had already told her about the company owned by the Poison King.

If they could only find its connection to the festival's security company, they could sweep them all away.

Haeryeon looked at Hyeonyul.

Perhaps because he had said everything he knew, he looked remarkably refreshed.

“Team Leader.”

Hyeonyul's expression showed that he was about to ask for something, and Haeryeon could guess what it would be.

“...All right.”

“May I take down the Poison King?”

Just as expected.

Haeryeon hesitated.

It was not an easy question to answer.

“But aren't you still in your probationary period, Hyung?”

At Jihwan's casual question, Hyeonyul lightly nodded.

“I am in my probationary period.”

“You don't have to... push yourself, do you? Isn't it still dangerous?”

Jihwan tried to persuade Hyeonyul carefully.

Probationary periods or training periods could mean many things elsewhere, but here, it genuinely meant, “Take your time getting used to things.”

The more quickly new recruits were sent into the field, the more likely they were to die, so it was a protective measure for rookie Black Eagles.

As if to prove it, they did not even cut their pay.

“The Poison King made me work after I got off work and before I came in.”

Every word Hyeonyul spoke was mixed with emotion, as if he were chewing on his anger.

The Poison King had originally promised to meet all his conditions.

But in the end, there had been no consideration at all.

It had been exactly the same.

At the very least, the Poison King should not have come in the evening.

If Hyeonyul had not joined Black Eagle and had accepted the Poison King's offer, then someday, Hyeonyul would certainly have cut off the Poison King's head.

He was merely doing it now.

“I believe that alone gives me sufficient reason to kill the Poison King.”

Jihwan fell silent at those rather chilling words.

‘Wow, he has a grudge like someone who spent years being worked to the bone at a black company.’

Jihwan shifted his eyes slightly.

He did not know about anything else, but he knew for certain not to interfere with this.

“I approve.”

Jihwan immediately agreed.

He had already seen Hyeonyul's power.

Though he was a rookie, he was skilled.

He also had the boldness to charge at Villains.

Opposing him would have been laughable.

“It's nice to see you approve, but it's a difficult decision for me.”

However, Haeryeon hesitated.

There had never before been a case of sending someone in their probationary period to kill a major Villain.

As a team leader, she could not help considering many things.

“This is not something I can decide right away. I have to think about your life too, Mr. Hyeonyul.”

Haeryeon rose from her seat.

Hyeonyul's gaze followed her.

There was no Theory Training today.

An order had been given to suspend it temporarily because of what had happened to Hyeonyul.

They were concerned the incident might grow into a conflict between the Managers and Black Eagle, but that was not how it looked to Hyeonyul.

It seemed as though they were trying to hide something.

“I want to tell you to go home now, Mr. Hyeonyul, but unfortunately, there is another mission.”

Hyeonyul reacted strongly to Haeryeon's words before quickly cooling down.

All the missions he had received so far had been emergency missions.

Those were only one kind of common mission. There were others.

He had learned that in theory.

There were search missions, protection missions, patrol missions, and many more.

“Where do I need to go?”

“It is very important, but it might end quickly.”

As she spoke, Haeryeon glanced meaningfully at Jihwan.

Jihwan stood there blankly, seeming completely out of it.

Tap. Tap.

Haeryeon tapped the desk, and only then did Jihwan look at her.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“You cannot go alone during your probationary period. Please look after Mr. Hyeonyul.”

At Haeryeon's words, Jihwan made a circle with his thumb and index finger.

“Of course. He is in his probationary period, after all.”

“And Mr. Hyeonyul.”

Haeryeon opened her mouth happily, as though she had been waiting for this moment.

“Yes.”

“Everyone involved in this incident will be fired, no matter who they are.”

She seemed to be talking about the internal informant.

The internal informant was connected to Hyeonyul's problem.

“They will never set foot in this place again, and all the key personnel will be going to prison. If anyone comes looking for you to blame you over this or retaliate against you, they will be fired immediately. Feel free to give them the middle finger.”

Haeryeon intended to put pressure on them personally as well.

How dare they touch one of her team members?

Did they think she would just stand by and watch?

“I hope this decision can at least offer you some comfort.”

Hyeonyul smiled faintly at Haeryeon's words.

Perhaps he liked the measure.

But Hyeonyul was thinking something else.

‘Who said I would let the internal informant go peacefully?’

The internal informant should be killed.

That would keep things clean.

* * *

‘...This is a serious matter. How will the people above see it?’

Haeryeon walked outside the building, lost in thought.

They were not exactly old-fashioned, but neither could she say they were open-minded.

‘No. Why am I worrying about it? I just need to push it through.’

Haeryeon raised the corners of her mouth, then looked behind her.

“You and Juhyeon have been planning something interesting together.”

Dojin was smiling.

“There are plenty of interesting things. Things have been noisy everywhere lately.”

“It's a headache, isn't it? If it gets to be too much, come to me...”

“Team Leader Dojin.”

Haeryeon looked straight at Dojin.

Her eyes were sharp enough to show that she was angry.

“Thank you for the advice, but that will not happen.”

“At least there will be no one in Team Two slandering Seo Hyeonyul.”

“I'm grateful for that.”

“Don't be ridiculous.”

“He is my team member.”

When she put it that way, Dojin muttered a low, frustrated curse.

“By the way, Team Leader Dojin, why do you like Mr. Hyeonyul?”

Haeryeon had wondered that all along.

Dojin had liked him from the beginning.

“When I saw that kid's eyes, I knew he would become someone great. When time passes, you start seeing things. That's all.”

Perhaps it was something one saw with age.

Dojin scratched his arm for no reason, unable to put it into words.

He truly saw many things.

“Anyway, you can already see the inside being shaken up just because he arrived, can't you? He bursts open the festering parts on his own, so I look forward to coming to work every day.”

Dojin laughed loudly.

The longer an organization existed, the more of a mess its insides tended to become.

It felt as if Hyeonyul had appeared at just the right moment to save Black Eagle.

“...That is why, Team Leader Dojin.”

“What is it this time?”

Dojin stopped laughing at Haeryeon's suddenly heavy voice and looked at her.

Her dark brown eyes held nothing but seriousness.

“Do you trust me?”

Dojin acted as though he did not care, but he cared more about Black Eagle than anyone else.

“You should say that the other way around. Ask whether you can trust me.”

Dojin looked down at Haeryeon, his eyes filled with deep resolve.

Haeryeon smiled softly at Dojin's usual expression.

“You were right, Team Leader Dojin.”

Dojin did not answer.

He simply accepted it as though he had known all along.

But a short breath came rushing out afterward.

There was an internal informant.

It was real.

“They say you grow sentimental with age, but hearing that makes me annoyed.”

“We should be able to catch them soon.”

Haeryeon tapped the side of her head twice.

When people spoke of a head, they generally meant a big shot.

Dojin was startled and quickly looked around.

Though he knew no one was there, he still lowered his voice with difficulty.

“...What did you say?”

“Looks like a little blessing rolled our way, just like you said.”

Haeryeon spoke lightly and walked ahead.

At the news that Hyeonyul had done it, Dojin could not hide his regret.

He should have recruited him.

He should have.

“So please help us in today's meeting too, Team Leader Dojin.”

Having survived as a Black Eagle for so long, Haeryeon knew how weighty a single word from Dojin could be.

“I, I...”

Dojin started to say something, then stopped.

They were children who would carry on the next generation. Should he not look on them fondly?

“Yes?”

“You're impressive.”

“I am. I learned from you, Team Leader Dojin.”

Haeryeon grinned.

* * *

Hyeonyul glanced at Jihwan.

He had thought Jihwan was noisy, but apparently that was not the case either.

Jihwan merely walked along blankly, as though his soul had left his body.

It might look strange to others, but Hyeonyul knew this sight.

He did not particularly want to ask about it.

“...Ah!”

As though he had been recharged, Jihwan suddenly stopped when a thought hit him and looked at Hyeonyul.

“?”

Hyeonyul shifted his eyes.

“When I saw you arrive on the eagle earlier, you looked a little pale. Aren't you feeling well?”

Jihwan had thought it strange that Hyeonyul had looked pale the moment he arrived.

Hyeonyul had even received some sort of injection.

‘That was already ten minutes ago.’

Hyeonyul did not bother to say it aloud.

“Being an experimental subject just means the eagle does not agree with me very well. I am fine. It will not affect the mission.”

The eagle had been adjusted as precisely as possible to suit Hyeonyul, but there were limits.

“Hyeonyul, I've told you enough about the state of your body that you know this, right? The eagle is magic, and... I don't know exactly how it works either, but it keeps shaking your body. It's like living motion sickness, I suppose. Anyway, I'll prescribe new medicine, so endure it until then.”

Jeongmin had said there was no choice but to adjust things through medication from now on.

Perhaps because it had been a while since he had ridden the eagle, it was even more painful.

Hyeonyul turned his head after walking ahead.

He could not hear footsteps.

“...You were an experimental subject?”

Jihwan stood frozen in shock.

“Yes.”

“Really?”

Jihwan looked strangely happy.

“Does that make you happy? You must have been an experimental subject too.”

Jihwan was startled by Hyeonyul's words.

“Strictly speaking, you probably did not make it as far as becoming an experimental subject. Did you make it as far as the third... no, the fourth facility?”

“...Is it that obvious? No one else knew.”

Jihwan awkwardly touched his hair.

He felt somewhat embarrassed.

“Other people would not know that your blankness is a side effect caused by the drugs. If you need help, find Dr. Lee Jeongmin. He will help you.”

“...Hyung.”

Though being called hyung still felt unfamiliar, Hyeonyul answered.

“Go ahead.”

“Can I say... I am glad to meet you?”

Hyeonyul and he were different, but Jihwan felt a sense of kinship.

“That is fine. I was glad too, in a way.”

Whenever Hyeonyul searched places where experiments had been conducted and brought people to Jeongmin, they had all died.

That gladness was not false.