WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 61: Luxury Is in the Details (10)

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Bitna, the number one S-rank hero. She was known to have signed non-aggression pacts with heads of state around the world, monopolized the place with the highest ether concentration on Earth, and possessed power equal to that of every nation on Earth combined, excluding herself.

Eun-yeong, the strongest villain. Hermit, a powerhouse active since the earliest days of superpowers. And Bitna, the strongest hero. These three were currently considered capable of changing the world order on their own.

Her ability was impossible to resist. The moment someone became her enemy, their survival was no longer guaranteed. Against countless supervillains, she maintained order in Light City.

And she was...

"Yaaawn~"

A shut-in.

"Over there, sit wherever."

"..."

Kang Jin-ho looked around. The floor was covered in scattered clothes, dolls, and other junk, leaving nowhere to sit.

"Then I'll sit here."

There was at least one usable sofa, so Kang Jin-ho pushed the snack bag lying on it aside and sat down. He cleared his throat, then cautiously spoke.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Officer Kang Jin-ho of East Precinct 7."

"Yeah, I know."

Crunch. Bitna took another bite of her snack and slowly pushed herself up from beneath the blanket.

"Everyone's been talking about you lately. Lethe. Body Snatcher. All that stuff."

"Haha... The praise has been a little excessive lately. I hardly know what to do with myself."

"Excessive, huh."

Bitna stared at Kang Jin-ho.

Her eyes showed through her tangled blond hair. The dull gaze from moments ago flashed rainbow-colored for an instant.

"Well... if you say so."

Just as quickly, her eyes returned to normal. Halfway through getting up, Bitna flopped limply back onto the bed.

"Want something to drink? There's a fridge over there, so help yourself."

"...I'm fine."

"Really? Then let's get to the point."

With a small grunt, Bitna sat up, half wrapped in her blanket, and crossed her legs on the bed.

"I called you here because I wanted to ask a few things. Just answer me. It's not hard."

"Yes, ask me anything."

Kang Jin-ho subtly adjusted his posture, ready to answer.

Back when he played HiCiSi, Bitna had been a cheat code for beginners, or a tactical weapon for difficult enemies. Press the button, and the enemy died. Which meant the case got solved.

The problem was the horrific cost, along with the back-breaking burden of dealing with the aftermath all over the city. Kang Jin-ho usually played the game to solve cases himself, so he had almost never needed to use Bitna. Simply hiring her automatically improved the city's public safety, so he had just... left her at home.

He might not have had much direct contact with her in the game, but he still knew Bitna to some degree. He also knew the attitude the person called Kang Jin-ho needed to present before her.

Bitna was lazier than anyone. She could solve everything with her strength, but found using it bothersome. All she wanted was to hole up at home and munch on snacks.

That meant laziness was also what motivated her to act. More accurately, she acted so that she could be lazy.

"Then let's get right to it. When you caught Lethe..."

Biting a snack between her front teeth, Bitna asked, "Did you account for her turning into an idiot?"

"Pardon?"

"I said, did you account for it? That if all the memories Lethe had sealed came loose, the people tied to those memories would start moving one after another?"

"No, I honestly didn't know that. I just thought we should catch her first, but she misused her ability and brought about her own downfall."

"Hmm."

Crunch.

Bitna chewed her snack without much reaction and tilted her head from side to side. Then she looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if considering something.

"Then Body Snatcher. How did you know they were inside that young master's body?"

"Well... to be honest, I wasn't certain. Something about him seemed suspicious, so I did mean to dig into it, but I didn't know they were Body Snatcher. Tienrang and the Gallon family misunderstood and thought I'd intended everything from the start, and that rumor spread."

Kang Jin-ho answered with equal parts truth and lies. His explanation, blended in just the right proportions, sounded quite convincing.

"So I got lucky to some extent."

"You got lucky."

"Yes. At first, I just felt that something was off."

"Something was off."

Repeating Kang Jin-ho's words, Bitna blinked her large eyes.

"But around here, using an ability always leaves traces, right?"

"Yes, I know."

"But they said there were no traces at the Gallon estate."

"Yes."

"So that feeling you had wasn't related to a superpower?"

"I don't think it was."

"I see."

Bitna nodded indifferently. Then, as she opened a new bag of snacks, she asked casually.

"Oh, and there's a female officer at your precinct. Park Eun-yeong."

"Pardon? Do you mean Officer Eun-yeong?"

Kang Jin-ho swallowed, slightly flustered.

"Yeah. Is she good at her job?"

"...Yes. She's good."

"I see."

Bitna fell silent again, this time looking down at the wrinkles in her bedspread.

"I'll ask one last thing. What are you going to do?"

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

"Are you going to become a hero? I heard the Hero Association keeps trying to recruit you."

"Uh..."

Before answering, Kang Jin-ho briefly thought of how much karma he still had left.

"I think I'll stay a police officer for the time being."

"Just a police officer."

"Yes, just a police officer."

"Hmm..."

Pursing her lips as she considered it, Bitna soon nodded once.

"All right, that's it. I'm going to watch a drama now."

She pulled the blanket all the way over herself until she was completely hidden.

"Go on. Close the door behind you. Oh, could you tell the people on the first floor that we're out of cup noodles on your way down?"

"...Yes, I understand."

Kang Jin-ho stood, gave a small bow, then immediately took the elevator down and left.

This was the best Kang Jin-ho could do. Pushing too hard because he wanted to get close to Bitna right away would only backfire. He had to approach slowly, inch by inch. Before that, he needed to show her that he was harmless.

He thought he had done his best to look harmless and as if he had nothing to hide. In a way, he had presented a portfolio.

I'm a decent guy. I'm someone who helps the city. So you don't need to get involved.

The fact that Bitna had gone out of her way to ask about Eun-yeong inspired all sorts of ominous imaginings, but... this was still the best option.

-The door is closing.

After Kang Jin-ho left, Bitna tossed her empty snack bag into the trash.

"Hmm..."

After thinking for quite some time, she turned on the television and smiled faintly.

"Well... he seems to fall on the harmless side."

For now.

* * *

On the way back to the precinct after finishing his appointment at Light Tower.

The security checks and procedures had taken up so much time that, by the time Kang Jin-ho reached the precinct, it was almost time to leave work.

"I guess I'll just clock out and head home today."

He had spent the day meeting with the world's strongest hero. That was more than enough work for one day. Thinking about ordering late-night food once he got home, Kang Jin-ho opened the precinct door in high spirits.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"

"Then who was it? Huh? Was there anyone besides you lurking around the drawer today?"

"You little...!"

"...?"

The atmosphere inside the precinct was anything but normal.

At this hour, half the officers should have been winding down to leave, while the other half prepared for the evening shift. Instead, several officers were grabbing each other by the collars, their faces red as they panted with rage.

Did I come to the wrong place? Is this really the friendly old Precinct 7?

"Excuse me, Chief. What in the world is going on?"

Kang Jin-ho approached Precinct Chief Raphael, who stood in a corner with a grim expression, and quietly asked.

"...You're back, rookie. A few things happened while you were gone."

With a world-weary sigh, Precinct Chief Raphael began explaining the situation.

The incident itself was simple. Police officers did not receive a separate budget for team dinners, and their meal allowance was not particularly generous either. Light City was at least better off than most places because of its substantial hazard pay.

In any case, the officers had each chipped in a little money for a team dinner next week, and Precinct Chief Raphael had kept it in an envelope inside his drawer. The problem was that the envelope had vanished without a trace today.

It was not a large amount of money. But the money was not the issue.

There were CCTV cameras throughout the precinct, and outsiders could not even step beyond the public service area. In other words, the only people who could have touched that envelope were the precinct staff.

"So the culprit is in here."

Precinct Chief Raphael declared it in a grave tone.

"..."

Kang Jin-ho thought to himself.

This setup feels awfully familiar...

Hasn't the scale gotten way too small...?

Footnotes:

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