So he chose the side with least danger instead… but seeing life spring into Seo Hae-il’s eyes as soon as the words to wait alone fell made him irritated again.
“Go to the convenience store next door and buy some cigarettes. I’ll call when I’m done, so don’t leave your phone.”
If I assign something, it’ll reduce the time for doing other things even a little. Under that calculation, he threw pointless chores and left a subtle warning not to think about avoiding surveillance.
Whether Seo Hae-il understood or didn’t understand, he answered readily with an ambiguous attitude.
“Yes, understood.”
Only at times like this is he obedient.
The facing face was expressionless at a glance, but excited signs faintly showed. Moon Woo-shin, who keenly noticed, forcibly swallowed his displeased feelings.
As soon as he slowly took his hand off the shoulder he’d been holding, Seo Hae-il turned around without lingering. Woo-shin, who stared at that sight while clenching his fist once, soon moved his gaze while loosely opening his hand and letting it hang down.
It was when the two were about to walk out in opposite directions.
“Woo-shin!”
A loud voice filled fully with welcome rang through the parking lot. At least to Moon Woo-shin, it was a familiar voice.
The heads of the two who’d been facing different directions simultaneously turned toward one side. Standing at the end of their gazes were the very person who’d summoned him at this hour and his attendants.
‘Of all times…’
It was a disaster. Moon Woo-shin, who maintained an expressionless face outwardly only, naturally passed Seo Hae-il and stood in front of him. It was a position cleverly hiding his appearance.
Soon after, he bowed politely.
“Chairman, hello.”
“Why are you greeting so stiffly again, between us? There’s no one here.”
Ban Jeong-hoon, wearing a smile that looked good-natured at a glance, tapped, tapped Moon Woo-shin’s shoulder with his palm.
Moon Woo-shin, who straightened his body again, threw an emotionless gaze backward. His eyes briefly met Seo Hae-il’s, who was tactfully bending his waist together.
“Go now.”
After spitting out more coldly than necessary, he guided Ban Jeong-hoon toward the elevator.
“Let’s go up.”
“But who’s that in back? It’s a face I’m seeing for the first time?”
“He’s not someone worth your concern.”
“I heard you did a personnel change, is he newly come? Ability user? Civilian?”
This is why I tried not to let them meet. Seeing him show interest at once as if he had some sensor, subtle anxiety and displeasure mixed and rose.
It was unpleasant to just watch those eyes sweep down over Seo Hae-il. Strength naturally entered the hands held behind his back. Moon Woo-shin, who held onto reason below the hard sensation of fingernails digging into his palms, made a sound ahead of Seo Hae-il who was about to open his mouth.
“D-rank Esper.”
It was a calm voice excluding emotions at least in outward appearance.
Though the variable he couldn’t accurately grasp was uncomfortable, right now he had no choice but to trust Seo Hae-il. That he’d deceive everyone well pretending to be D-rank, now and in the future.
“Ah, D-rank.”
Fortunately, as expected, Ban Jeong-hoon, who quickly lost interest, turned toward where the elevator was.
Moon Woo-shin consciously fixed his head forward and followed behind him. So that his gaze wouldn’t head toward other places even a bit.
Until entering inside the door, he felt the familiar gaze touching his back of the head as is, but it soon disappeared. Only then was he relieved.
***
Ban Jeong-hoon, sitting in the office chair, tapped here and there at the items placed on the desk with a bored face. The items that had been cleanly organized at angles all became disorderly without exception. It was a restless appearance like someone who couldn’t stay still for even a moment.
“List confirmation?”
“It’ll be wrapped up within a few days.”
Moon Woo-shin stood in proper posture in front of him looking down at him.
Completely different from the friendly atmosphere performed every time they met outside, bleak and sharp air flowed. Again with a face sulking like a child about what displeased him, he looked at Woo-shin crookedly.
“Is there anything discovered?”
“Meaningful reactions are being steadily observed, but certain results aren’t yet.”
“You went out directly but even S-rank is nothing special I guess?”
Ban Jeong-hoon always revealed his true nature only after driving even all the attendants outside the door and remaining alone with just the two of them.
On the face sneering sarcastically, old emotions soaked in layers. Old inferiority complex that had been transparently visible since childhood.
“I’m sorry.”
When he obediently bowed with an expressionless face, the glaring gaze softened a bit.
Ban Jeong-hoon always wanted to be confirmed that he stood in the superior position regardless of rank. This level of picking fights was light compared to usual.
“Report immediately if anything is discovered. Be careful not to leak clues. Especially, those Special Abilities Agency bastards can’t notice. Don’t give even the smallest suspicion.”
“Understood.”
He, who turned the chair toward the window, got up from his seat.
“If we can create Special Gates at the desired time, at the desired position… It would become absolute power that never existed before. If we just get that in hand, all those irritating Special Abilities Agency bastards too, we can put the world under my feet. Complete overthrow.”
He, looking down below through the large panoramic window, was already filled with elation. In the glistening eyes lingered clear craving and obsession peculiar to people staying in their own world.
Ban Jeong-hoon, who whipped around toward Woo-shin again, suddenly changed the subject.
“Bring the list of newly entered people.”
Woo-shin, who’d been expressing agreement by listening silently, minutely narrowed his brow. Just when I thought it had been quiet for a while.
Though it was clearly predictable what he’d do, he obediently found and handed over the list he’d organized. In the quite thick bundle of documents, one person per page, organization members’ names and photos along with brief information were organized.
Thud, with the sound of wheels dragging, Ban Jeong-hoon, who threw his body into the chair, flipped through the papers swish swish with exaggerated hand gestures. Then he tore out one page and threw it on the desk, then flipped through several more pages perfunctorily.
Moon Woo-shin, who quietly watched that sight, confirmed that the one page whose position he alone remembered passed safely into the realm of indifference. Faint relief arose, but all he could reveal outwardly was briefly lowering his gaze.
Ban Jeong-hoon, who’d been absorbed in sorting papers for a while, threw the bundle of documents he’d checked until the last page to the floor with a thud. The papers scattered on the desk were shabbily gathered and held against Moon Woo-shin’s chest.
“Have these report to work under me starting tomorrow morning.”
“…Even civilians?”
Woo-shin, who received the documents with his hands, asked back. It was different from usual when he only gathered ability users, specifically only C-rank and above Espers and Guides. As if waiting for the question to return, Ban Jeong-hoon with an extremely smirking expression tapped Moon Woo-shin’s shoulder.
“We need more ability users now, right? Who knows if there might be someone among them who manifests late. Like you, Woo-shin.”
Moon Woo-shin tightly closed his lips. Ban Jeong-hoon still thought he’d manifested late as a Guide and tried to escape the organization using that.
However, there was no need to correct the misunderstanding. Erasing emotions from his expression and eyes, hiding facts wasn’t difficult. Nor was providing an appropriately obedient answer.
“I’ll prepare.”
He only guessed what would happen to the people in this paper in his hands. Dragged without knowing why, locked in darkness, not just their limbs but all abilities bound, they’d struggle for days in the middle of violence, torture, and brainwashing.
When both body and mind were tamed by Ban Jeong-hoon like that, things like rank became just alphabet shells. They’d be unable to even think of opposing Ban Jeong-hoon who was merely a C-rank Esper, and would become deeply loyal.
Ironically, the one most obsessed with that ‘rank’ was Ban Jeong-hoon. Just looking at how he always called in only organization members with C-rank and above abilities proved it. This time saying he’d take even civilians who weren’t ability users, he might end up removing several corpses.
“Pay attention to do it without problems.”
The words “without problems” included that meaning too. Woo-shin just bowed his head.
“Yes.”
Ban Jeong-hoon, who saw the proper posture, smiled with a satisfied face. As if all business was finished, he got up from the chair lightheartedly and headed toward the door.
Woo-shin, who went ahead while maintaining an expressionless face, grabbed the door handle and opened it. Ban Jeong-hoon left the room first, and the instant he stepped foot following him.
Moon Woo-shin had no choice but to reveal emotional disturbance as is without even thinking to hide it.
