A short while later.
The three of us gathered in the office. The Boss and I stood in the middle of the room, with Go Sangwon between us.
“We’ll head out now.”
“Just a moment.”
I quickly grabbed the coat hanging on the stand and shook off any dust that might be on it. Then, naturally, I moved to drape it over the Boss’s shoulders.
The Boss swatted my hand away.
“…Not necessary.”
“It’s quite cold outside.”
He’d been holed up in this room for so long he’d probably lost track of the seasons, and with how often he coughed, catching a cold on top of it would only make things worse.
But the Boss refused to wear the coat to the end. When I offered again, he just glared at me instead.
“You little…”
He said that, but since no punch came flying, he wasn’t really angry.
“Then I’ll wear it?”
I quickly slipped my arms into the coat.
“We’re heading somewhere indoors, so there’s no need to worry about the cold. Also, that’s my coat.”
…….
“…Ah, this was yours, Sangwon? You should’ve said so sooner. I thought it was mine.”
“I have something similar at home too…” I muttered, almost to myself, and Go Sangwon nodded. He didn’t seem particularly bothered.
So that’s why it looked expensive.
Reluctantly, I put the coat back where it had been.
“Then, let’s head out.”
The moment I took Go Sangwon’s hand, I felt my chest lift weightlessly. When I opened my eyes, we were inside what looked like a wealthy person’s home.
The interior was cleanly designed, mostly in white. Through the window, a peaceful cityscape was visible. It was a fairly tall building, and judging by the staircase along one wall, it had a duplex layout.
Seeing the scenery, a memory suddenly surfaced.
I came here once before, in my previous life too.
Normally, Go Sangwon would bring contract targets to the hideout himself. But this particular day stood out in my memory because the Boss had rarely gone out in person.
There wasn’t really any other special reason for it.
“I’ll check the second floor.”
With that, Go Sangwon went up the stairs alone. I was probably here as an escort, so I stayed quietly by the Boss’s side.
I stood obediently, careful not to give anyone a reason to find fault, and let my eyes wander. It’s coming back to me, it’s coming back…
Inside the study, on the second shelf from the top of the bookcase, a hidden safe disguised as a novel…
“Open it.”
The irritated tone snapped me back to reality. The Boss was already standing in front of the bathroom.
“Yes.”
As I approached the bathroom, I sensed someone’s presence behind the door. Without hesitation, I threw the door open.
“…Eep.”
I locked eyes with a man standing awkwardly on the toilet seat.
The man scrambled, trying to squeeze himself through the window above the toilet. But the window was far too small, and he couldn’t move properly. I grabbed his leg, which was still sticking out, and pulled.
“You’re the homeowner, right?”
“Aaah!”
Splash!
“Blegh.”
I’d asked politely, only to get hit in the face with a jet of water. Did he have a water gun or something?
Water shot straight up my nose. While I coughed, the man scrambled toward the bathroom door. The Boss had stepped aside from the doorway, hand off the frame.
I wiped my face with a hanging towel and walked out to the living room.
The man, dripping water everywhere, was making for the front door. Looking again, it wasn’t a water gun—the water was coming from his fingers. Couldn’t control it, but he must be an Awakener.
At this point, I figured out why the Boss had brought me along.
Despite all this commotion, Go Sangwon was apparently still upstairs, nowhere in sight, and the Boss had the air of someone who fully expected me to handle it somehow.
I really don’t want to use my ability.
The penalty flashed through my mind. Still, if I handled it cleanly in one go, I wouldn’t need to use my ability again for a few minutes.
Left with no choice, I placed my hand on the water-soaked floor. Thanks to him leaving a trail of water as he fled, he’d be easy to catch.
I sent through just enough electricity to give the man a momentary shock.
“Argh!”
[Penalty triggered: 〈Prohibition〉 in effect. (00:10)]
The fleeing man collapsed in a heap. I grabbed one of his legs and dragged him over, presenting him before the Boss.
The Boss removed his glove. The skin on the back of his hand was revealed—lumpy and uneven, as if melted by fire. He bit his thumb with his canine, and blood welled up.
“Let’s make a contract.”
The man’s eyes filled with terror, and he began to thrash.
“No…!”
“Tch.”
Had he burned him too lightly? With all the thrashing, his hand slipped. The man crawled away from his grasp across the floor. I let out a long sigh.
“Looks like you don’t know how to make a contract. Don’t worry, I’ll help you out.”
Wanting him to stop being a hassle and calm down even a little, I pulled my lips into a smile. I pinned the man’s arm down by force and pricked his thumb with a safety pin.
“There we go, now we just dab a bit of ink like this…”
Maybe because I’d only pricked him lightly, no penalty triggered. Then again, if a prick this small triggered a penalty, I wouldn’t even be able to function in daily life.
I squeezed the bleeding finger to draw out more blood. Once enough had pooled, I lifted the man’s arm up.
I brought the bloodied fingertip to the Boss’s thumb.
“Press the seal, nice and firm.”
The two thumbs pressed together. The mixed blood trickled down their fingers. The Boss twisted his mouth in displeasure.
“…From this moment, your life belongs to me.”
His eyes turned red behind the mask.
“If you do me harm, you die. If you disobey an order, you die. If you lie to me, cough… you die.”
It was more concise than usual—he probably intended to just kill him outright. The man never even got the chance to speak.
The two hands slowly pulled apart. Go Sangwon, who’d come down at some point, wiped the Boss’s hand clean with a handkerchief.
Putting his glove back on, the Boss asked.
“Where’s the item?”
“I-it’s, it’s in the bag…”
I pulled the bag off the man’s back. Go Sangwon brought the backpack to the Boss.
The Boss rummaged through the bag and pulled something out. A book with a worn-looking leather cover.
Had he come all the way here in person just to find that?
The pages flipped rapidly with the sound of paper. After briefly skimming through the book, the Boss clicked his tongue and closed it with one hand.
“That’s it?”
The man flattened himself to the floor, trembling.
“I’ll keep looking! If you just spare my life…!”
Thud.
The Boss tossed the book to the floor. His mouth, which had been pressed shut in irritation, opened.
“Die.”
That single word was all it took. The man, eyes wide open, vomited blood and slumped over.
He didn’t move again. Was that the end of today’s business?
I thought he’d just leave, but the Boss approached me instead. He placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Why did you hesitate before using your ability?”
“…Did I hesitate?”
I blinked.
“…….”
The Boss leaned in close, whispering in a low voice.
“Don’t make me regret letting that bastard live.”
That bastard? Did he mean Yeom Hajae?
“You won’t regret it.”
What kind of story was he making up in his head now. Whatever it was, it was definitely a complete misunderstanding.
I smiled brightly, and the Boss passed by without another word. I watched quietly as he took Go Sangwon’s hand.
If the Boss ever found out I’d lost my ability because of the penalty…
“We’re heading back.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t take Go Sangwon’s hand. I still had things to do here.
“Boss.”
Honestly, this didn’t seem like the right moment to bring it up, but—
“Would it be alright if I stayed a bit longer?”
This place was, in many ways, too good to pass up. I made a circle with my fingers and shook it. The Boss turned his head sharply away.
“…Do whatever you want.”
“Haha, thank you.”
The two of them vanished, leaving me behind. Alone now, I smacked my lips.
“Now then, where…”
If my memory served, the police would be arriving soon. I was confident I could find things faster than before, so it wasn’t really a problem.
First, the study with the safe.
Just as I was about to move, the collapsed man caught my eye. More precisely, the ring on his ring finger.
“Hm.”
I crouched down. I planned to slip the ring off his hand. His fingers, not yet stiff with rigor mortis, straightened easily.
…….
My hand, mid-motion, suddenly stopped. Something about this felt oddly familiar.
“A ring pulled off a corpse’s hand, how ominous…”
“…Ah.”
The mood instantly soured. I set the man’s hand down. There were plenty of other things to loot. I dusted off my knees and stood up.
After that, working from memory, I searched through every corner and swept jewelry into the jewelry box. I finished quickly, leaving time to spare. Naturally, my attention drifted toward a new territory.
The second floor—somewhere I hadn’t had time to visit in my previous life.
I climbed the stairs with light steps.
And was immediately disappointed.
One child’s room, one bathroom. Not the kind of place valuable items would be hidden, so it was a waste of time. I was looking around a room full of textbooks, about to leave, when—
“…Squeak!”
“Hm?”
Was there a mouse in the wall or something?
