Illusions.
Then one by one, people’s expressions hardened.
“Don’t tell me?”
It was because they recalled ‘what’ was wandering around this place now.
Goeidam. Some abnormal phenomenon invisible to the eye. That eerie disaster where once you realize it, once you see it, serious trouble has already occurred…
“That’s not my fault! I didn’t even suggest doing it! Fuck! Get away! Get away! Get aw, get away… Aaaaaaaah!”
The Musician wildly swung his knife like a madman. As if enemies threatening him filled his vision. An already large person charging like an enraged wild boar while wielding a weapon—the gathered people screamed and scattered.
In an instant, all sides became pandemonium.
“Fuck! All die! If you died once, die again!”
“What are you doing! Snap out of it! What are you seeing! It’s us! Us, I say!”
“Aaaaah! Die, die again! Di…”
The blade the rampaging Musician swung widely stopped firmly in midair. The Musician, in frenzy, put enough force in his hand to make veins stand out, but no matter how hard he tried, the knife stopped in midair wouldn’t budge.
It was because someone’s hand lightly caught that knife between their index and middle fingers.
Snap.
The blade, which had been as long as an adult man’s forearm, broke in half helplessly.
“Really…”
A low, heavy sigh. As if lamenting that fatigue could absolutely not be hidden.
“You’re acting so tiringly, these petitioners.”
Naturally, the owner of the hand that broke the blade was the Detective.
Son Yowan was curious how he would react to the vulgar abuse he’d heard from the Musician, but he seemed to have no interest in such things at all. If he had to forcibly find something different from usual in those eyes devoid of any light…
“Since you don’t understand, I’ll just repeat it… Currently there are no changes whatsoever to the situation or persons, so the reasons your requests were rejected are the same as before, and there are also no changes regarding my disposition.”
Was he looking more tired?
“However.”
Judging by the following sigh being unusually deep and long, or the action of rubbing his forehead with his hand, it was certain.
“Petitioners who cause excessive disturbances may inconvenience others, so I will impose appropriate sanctions within my authority.”
“Aaaaah!”
The Detective, who dodged a rock-sized fist flying at him with minimal movement, this time also subdued his opponent with minimal motion. When the foot wearing walkers lightly struck the back of the Musician’s knee, the huge body stiffened then immediately floated up.
Thud!
Right next to the massive body collapsed on the floor, the half-broken blade flew and stuck there. The Musician trembled with eyes wide open. It was because he realized the knife had stuck in a place not even 1mm away from his ear.
Snap.
When the Detective snapped his fingers, the Musician’s wide-open eyes turned pitch black.
“No way, how could you… You too, you too, you too di, died… Definitely died… I killed with my own hands, killed you but why are you here…”
When the Musician began muttering meaningful words, the Detective asked without even looking at the silent people.
“That’s all. Are there… questions?”
Everyone had suffocated expressions, but the Detective nodded slightly.
“There aren’t any, that’s fortunate at least. Then from now on, everyone please live while observing regulations well until all matters are smoothly concluded…”
That nod seemed to be a greeting.
“Then, I’ll be going…”
Seeing him shuffle off somewhere with those final words.
‘What’s this?’
Left behind, Son Yowan thought the Detective might have glanced at him briefly while leaving, but he wasn’t certain. That guy has frozen fish eyeballs after all.
Son Yowan pondered for a moment.
‘Follow right away? Or watch the situation here for a bit?’
Though establishing the grand plan of life extension by the Detective’s side was the goal that should have the most weight (he’d immediately been convinced after seeing that earlier display), he still had to do the beautiful tightrope walk of not completely cutting ties with those VIP folks either. So at every moment, Son Yowan had a lot to think about.
Straddling both sides is this hard.
“Director hyungnim? I’ll follow Captain So for now…”
Son Yowan, who had been pondering and decided to follow the Detective, was about to tell the Director, with whom he at least had some connection, when suddenly a loud voice burst out from the VIP side.
“So Yeowon, you impudent bastard!”
Needless to say, it was the Teacher.
“Phew.”
However, the other people’s atmosphere wasn’t good either.
“I don’t understand what on earth is happening.”
The General’s mutter reflected the atmosphere of all the VIP guests.
When Son Yowan glanced around, all the VIP guests’ complexions and expressions were dark. It made sense. Starting with what happened to the Assistant and now even the Musician wasn’t in his right mind…
“Director. Do you know anything about why the Assistant became a target?”
“Wouldn’t it be because her mind and body were weakened from the recent incident, Your Excellency?”
“That must be it. I need to properly pull myself together. I’d only heard about Goeidam in words, but seeing someone who was directly affected up close is really…”
“Frightening, isn’t it?”
The General, who had been exchanging words with the Director, fell silent for a moment, then eventually said this:
“From now on, that person the Assistant…”
Instead of answering with words, the Director briefly shook his head so the Magician wouldn’t see, then immediately moved to another topic.
“By the way, I’m worried about the Musician-nim.”
The Teacher ground his teeth and immediately reacted.
“That bastard So Yeowon…!”
“That’s enough.”
The General immediately cut off the Teacher’s words.
“Even after seeing the Musician’s state, you’re like this? Don’t bother provoking him now. That’s separate from him being detestable.”
At the General’s point, the Teacher quieted down for now, but his face was still full of dissatisfaction.
‘What a mess.’
But then, just as Son Yowan was inwardly clicking his tongue.
Tap. Tap tap. Tap tap tap.
Some sound came from near the wall.
‘From outside?’
Son Yowan was puzzled, but apparently others weren’t, as several people who had been silent like people who’d gathered all their assets and even relatives’ assets to invest in stocks only to see them all light up blue the moment the Detective left suddenly jerked their heads up.
“Wait, Your Excellency. That sound, is it correct?”
When the Teacher asked the old noblewoman, the General, the General nodded after a brief pause.
“Correct. That time, the signal we used among ourselves here. They deliberately told us that signal and told us to do it that way.”
Son Yowan became puzzled. Setting aside how people reacted as if they’d been waiting the moment they heard the sound, the extremely brief conversation the Teacher and General just exchanged seemed quite meaningful.
‘That time? Here? We?’
Son Yowan unconsciously looked at the floor. Of course, he didn’t really look at the actual floor—
‘They must be referring to Manghyang, right?’
His mind spun rapidly.
Did something happen at Manghyang in the past? To the VIP guests invited here?
‘…Is the Godfather also involved?’
He felt a strong conviction that would be the case. In the first place, the owner here was the Godfather, so it was hard to believe something ‘meaningful’ happened only among the guests without the owner.
Meanwhile, the General looked at the others and nodded his chin lightly. Son Yowan carefully noted exactly who the General’s gaze was directed toward.
The Teacher and Director stuck close to the wall where the sound had come from earlier, and among them, the Teacher raised his hand.
Tap tap. Tap. Tap tap tap tap.
Then knocked on the wall in a different rhythm than before.
A brief silence followed.
Then…
“I’ve come under orders from the Godfather.”
A low voice saying that could be heard from outside.
***
The Teacher immediately stuck to the wall.
“You’re late!”
Starting with reproach right away—what truly amazing character.
“This isn’t the time for such talk!”
The General at least had better situational awareness than the Teacher. The General demanded of the person beyond the wall:
“Your affiliation?”
“I’m the Squad Leader of Goyo’s 7th Squad.”
This time, the Teacher and General’s faces crumpled simultaneously.
“Just that?”
No matter that Goyo was the direct elite guard organization of the Godfather, who was the regional lord, a squad leader was a position held by a sergeant or corporal in a regular army. The VIP guests who wanted to communicate directly with the Godfather had reason to be disappointed.
The Director, who had been watching the situation from behind the Teacher and General, cut in and asked:
“Did the Godfather perhaps entrust you with command of the situation?”
“No. My superior is in charge of operational command.”
At that answer, the complexions of the Teacher and General, which had darkened for a moment, brightened again.
“Then your superior is?”
“Missing.”
At the immediately following exchange, they darkened right back again though.
“So, by any chance, is there anyone who made contact with my superior in advance? They entered Manghyang alone saying they needed to survey the internal situation.”
