Chapter 3
“Could this affect the later operation as well?”
“Well, it’s not like we don’t have options, so it’s fine.”
I wasn’t sure what method she had in mind, but if Fenil spoke with such confidence, there wouldn’t be a problem.
“I see.”
If that was the case, what we needed to do now was determine Alice’s location. Since Fenil’s ability couldn’t be used, what remained was—
“We’ll have to find out directly.”
The Boss immediately affirmed my muttered words.
“That’s right. That’s why I called you all here.”
The Boss shifted his gaze to a hologram that appeared in mid-air.
“This is a Peace employee ID. One of the executives here will infiltrate.”
My head whipped around at his next words as I stared at the displayed ID.
Did I hear that correctly? It wasn’t just me—everyone’s heads turned sharply. Even Fenil and Alex seemed unaware of this, their eyes widening to the size of saucers.
“Us? Hey, you’re cra—I mean, Boss, are you crazy?”
It’s a rule to use honorifics with the Boss during meetings, even if not usually. Seeing him raise his eyebrows, Alex quickly corrected himself.
“Is there even anyone here capable of infiltrating?”
In response to Fenil’s sharp question, Zenon stepped forward with a firm attitude that infiltration was absolutely out of the question.
“Melia will get caught because she doesn’t talk, Alex will get caught for being too frivolous, Fenil will get caught for her foul temper, Kay will get caught looking for the Boss all the time, and me—I’m capable but don’t want to do it!”
Everyone’s eyebrows curved roughly at Zenon’s outburst, which criticized all the other members while only preserving his own competence.
“Words… aren’t important.”
“I could kill you for being so frivolous too.”
“Want to be exposed by someone with a foul temper and be buried in society?”
“As members of the organization, orders must be carried out.”
Zenon, hit directly by the cold stares of the executives, closed his mouth tight and subtly turned his head away.
As always, Zenon’s mouth was the problem. Though he boasted near-perfect competence in everything else, that mouth of his endlessly diminished his capabilities. At least he showed some respect to the Boss.
“Of course, I know. None of you are suited for infiltration.”
The Boss opened his mouth toward Zenon, who was rolling his eyes around. Indeed, they were all more suited to operating boldly above the surface rather than quietly below it.
“…Then why…?”
“This matter is top secret. For now, it’s only been shared with you all.”
“So you mean there’s no one else but us to do it?”
Alex’s eyebrows curved in evident displeasure. Fenil even roughly threw her cigarette to the floor. But the Boss continued smoothly, as if having anticipated such reactions.
“This is an order. Members who refuse orders are immediately executed. Feel free to refuse if you wish to die.”
No sooner had his words ended than a thunderous noise was heard.
CRASH—
A potted plant instantly shattered into pieces under gravity. The scattered soil reached Alex’s feet. His face turned deathly pale.
It was understandable. Didn’t this scene resemble the future of those who refused orders? Since no one wanted to end up like that pot, they quietly nodded.
I had no intention of refusing the Boss’s order from the start, but I wondered if I could perform it perfectly.
This was more important than any other mission. Mistakes would not be tolerated. Could I perform such a mission flawlessly?
After erasing these uncertain doubts, I fixed my gaze on the Boss once more.
“Then I’ll take that as everyone’s agreement. Who will go?”
The Boss’s eyes were like those of a beast glowing in darkness. Everyone subtly avoided his searching gaze.
Other missions might be different, but with this one, there’d be no excuse if it failed. It made sense.
“I pass. My ability is hacking, and if I’m caught, my life is over.”
“Fenil, you’re a former mercenary. Your price might go up, but I doubt you’d return as a corpse.”
Zenon blocked Fenil’s attempt to subtly escape. It was certainly a reasonable point. Killing one or two ordinary people would be nothing for her, if not superhumans. Her bounty would be worth it.
Moreover, no one knew Peace’s structure better than her. It’d also be advantageous for gathering information. Fenil infiltrating would be a good option.
I watched Fenil and Zenon arguing.
Normally, they wouldn’t refuse a mission so adamantly, but this time they were desperately trying to avoid it. The others weren’t readily volunteering either.
This infiltration was laying the groundwork for finding Alice.
Everyone knew that if this mission failed, it wouldn’t end with simple punishment as usual—they wouldn’t even die peacefully.
The Boss seemed to know this well. He pulled something out from within his coat as he quietly observed the scene.
“I anticipated this and prepared this.”
What he prepared was none other than—
“Cards?”
Yes. Rectangular objects arranged on the table.
Anyone could see they were cards. At a glance, they seemed similar to Melia’s trump cards.
“We’ll use these to choose who will infiltrate.”
“Cards…?”
An incredulous voice escaped me involuntarily. Did it make sense to choose by cards rather than by skill?
“Wasn’t this an important operation?”
“That’s right.”
At his light affirmation, Zenon’s mouth opened and closed, unable to find words. I couldn’t understand his intentions. What kind of plan was this?
“These were made by a certain superhuman. They designate the most suitable person.”
The Boss added, as if understanding our reactions. Only then did sighs of relief erupt from around the room.
I really thought it’d be chosen by luck. But if what he said was true, the reason for deciding with these cards made sense. A superhuman ability wouldn’t be wrong.
I’d never heard of such an ability. How did the Boss know about it? Others also seemed unfamiliar with it, as they all focused their gaze on the cards.
“So whoever draws this is perfect for the operation.”
Zenon approached slyly, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Just as his hand was about to touch the cards—
“Kay, you go first.”
The cards came toward me. I stared blankly at the Boss as they were suddenly pushed in my direction.
“…Me?”
“Yes, I think it’s best if Kay goes first.”
He gestured with his chin while tapping the cards. It meant hurry up and draw.
From beside me, Zenon’s grumbling voice was heard.
“You knew I was going to draw, didn’t you.”
“Zenon will draw next.”
The Boss urged me on, dismissing Zenon’s complaint with meaningless words. Though it was probably just a meaningless phrase to him, I felt nervous for no reason.
From the five cards, I slowly picked up the one in the middle. The smooth texture felt cool in my hand.
I brought the card to my view. After opening my hand to check, the result was—
“Congratulations. You’ve won.”
No matter how much I blinked, the bright red mark stamped on the card wouldn’t blur. Was it really a win?
“All right! I mean, Kay, you’ll do great!”
“Congratulations…”
“If anything happens, I’ll prepare the coffin for you, so don’t worry and do your best.”
Words of relief that it wasn’t them were conveyed to me in various tones. Their faces showed visible relief.
“Winner…”
I didn’t think I was suitable for this infiltration. Without realizing it, I found myself looking at the Boss.
“Boss, don’t you have something to discuss with me?”
“I have nothing to discuss, but if you want, I should oblige.”
It was an incomprehensible conversation, but Alex’s gaze slightly turning toward me suggested it was related to me.
After a brief exchange with Alex, the Boss addressed the pleased group.
“From now on, Kay will be going undercover, so all the requests assigned to him will have to be handled by you all.”
Executives already handle an enormous amount of work. They wouldn’t welcome more on top of that. But they were already sufficiently pleased just by the fact that they weren’t chosen.
The additional work had no impact on them whatsoever.
Seeing their willingness to accept, the Boss continued once more.
“With this, today’s meeting is adjourned.”
“So quickly?”
Zenon questioned the meeting ending after only deciding who would infiltrate. The Boss casually opened his mouth.
“I think it’s better to continue after we gather more information. We currently lack sufficient details.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Alex, who’d been listening to the Boss, agreed. Gathering information took precedence over forming a flimsy plan with insufficient details.
“Boss, may I leave now?”
“Requests…”
Melia continued after Zenon’s words. The Boss lightly affirmed to those trying to rise.
“Of course. Kay, please wait outside for a moment.”
At his words, they began to rise from their seats one by one.
He probably wanted to discuss the mission with me. I nodded toward the Boss and was the last to leave the room.
After carefully closing the door and turning around, I caught Fenil’s eyes watching me.
I froze at her gaze, different from her usual sly look—unreadable. Did she have something to say?
As I waited quietly for her to speak, Fenil opened her mouth.
“Melia, shall I tell you something you got wrong?”
The ironic part was that her conversation partner was Melia, yet she was looking at me while addressing her.
“What is it…?”
Melia’s footsteps, which had been walking down the corridor, stopped. Her hazy pink eyes looked at Fenil with question.
“This.”
Fenil’s finger held up the King trump card that Melia had been carrying. When did she take that?
“You thought it was the Boss?”
Melia briefly stared at the King card swaying in Fenil’s hand, then gently nodded.
