“…Very different from what I heard.”
In the empty hospital room, after everyone had left, the doctor muttered to himself.
Seo Sinwoo.
A name he’d heard from a colleague who worked on the treatment team. They’d said he had a strange personality and was a huge crybaby, always giving the treatment team trouble over minor injuries.
But—
The pale face that had rushed out, as if being chased, came to mind.
…He said he was going to see the boss.
In that wrecked state.
It was different from what he’d expected. With a reputation that infamous, he’d assumed the man would cause an uproar when he woke up.
The injuries were the kind that would’ve killed a normal person twice over.
But aside from a slight frown, this man hadn’t shown any reaction at all.
When he was first brought in, it wouldn’t have been strange if he’d stayed unconscious for over ten days. Yet he came to in less than three.
That wasn’t all. Less than an hour after waking up, he’d walked out on his own two feet, perfectly fine.
He’d used his own ability to stitch the wounds back together, but that was like sewing with invisible thread.
It takes time for tissue to return to normal. Absolute rest is needed until full recovery.
And yet, even in a situation that demanded he move right away, the man had acted as if nothing was wrong.
Was his recovery speed unusually exceptional? Or was it his mental fortitude?
It really was a shame he couldn’t run a thorough examination.
If only he could’ve hospitalized him for a few days to experiment— no, to observe his condition.
In any case, the patient himself had left like that, so however regrettable, there was nothing to be done.
Sitting in his office chair, the doctor shook off his lingering thoughts and started his work on the computer.
Tap-tap-tap.
While typing, something suddenly came to mind.
“Ah, that ring…”
The ring that had been on Seo Sinwoo’s finger at some point.
He’d taken it off and put it in the patient’s clothes pocket for the examination—he hadn’t lost it, had he?
***
After the difficult time spent in the office, I let out a long sigh the moment I stepped into the hallway.
Still… I got it back.
I gripped the jewelry box tightly—the one I’d reclaimed under the pretext of a mission.
Judging by how little was said, it didn’t seem like they’d noticed the person had been swapped.
Though I hadn’t fully escaped suspicion, since I’d been ordered to stay at the hideout for the time being…
Still, the hideout was far better than sleeping in a container in this cold weather.
Thinking about it that way, a sense of pride washed over me for having pulled it off.
Before heading to the waiting area, I turned a corner to go find Go Sangwon.
“Ugh!”
Someone suddenly burst out and collided with me.
The other person was quite tall. I barely managed to keep my balance without falling, and looked up.
Black short-sleeved shirt, bleached hair with roots grown out, lifeless eyes.
Over that youthful-looking face, the image of someone with dull, seaweed-like long hair overlapped.
“!”
He looked much younger now, so it took me a moment to realize.
It was Jang Ijung.
The spy bastard who’d sold my information to Choi Haegang.
The little shit who’d played a huge role in getting me tortured.
Was he around even back then?
To begin with, he hadn’t really had much of a presence.
“Ah…”
A short gasp from across from me snapped me out of my thoughts.
He was staring intently at my clothes. I followed his gaze and looked down.
Ice cream was smeared right in the middle of my chest.
Of all flavors, it had to be chocolate—the brown stain stood out sharply against the white shirt.
“……”
“……”
Faced with the horrible sight, neither of us said anything. And then—
“Sorry.”
Jang Ijung left a half-hearted apology and tried to walk past.
Smack!
I grabbed his arm.
I wasn’t sure why he was lurking around here, but the only thing further inside was the boss’s office. There was a good chance this guy had come to see the boss too.
Out of the goodness of my heart, I decided to give him some advice that would do him good.
“Hey, you’d better not go in there right now.”
“?”
Jang Ijung frowned and looked at me. His expression was full of confusion, like he had no idea what I meant.
“The boss is really pissed off right now.”
I gave him a friendly smile and stuck out my tongue.
There was probably still a mark on it.
“……”
“Ha, you don’t wanna get hit, right?”
Jang Ijung’s expression relaxed as he asked.
“So when should I go?”
“Follow me.”
I tapped my index finger against my ear twice.
It meant the boss was listening. The office really did have poor soundproofing. Though I had no idea if sounds from out here carried into the office.
Using that as an excuse, I pulled Jang Ijung’s arm. He let himself be dragged along obediently.
I took Jang Ijung downstairs to the first floor and ordered chocolate ice cream and an Americano.
“…?”
I spoke to Jang Ijung, who sat there blinking.
“The desserts here are good.”
As I set the tray down, Jang Ijung’s gaze went to the ice cream.
“It’s because I’m the one who ruined your ice cream earlier. I felt bad.”
I said it casually and sat down across from him.
Only then did Jang Ijung pick up the spoon. After one bite, he seemed to find it tasty, because his pace picked up.
I watched, satisfied, from across the table.
Good thing his guard is down.
He might look like a pushover on the surface, but Jang Ijung was the Association Chairman’s secret weapon.
But even knowing that, I couldn’t just get rid of him right in front of me right now.
There was the penalty issue, too… Rather than killing a spy whose identity I knew and risking unpredictable consequences, it was better to keep him under my control, on my own leash.
Honestly, I was curious what the Association Chairman had been thinking, planting a spy in this organization.
Why bother investing six whole years of effort watching over such a small, barely-known organization?
It was excessive for something as simple as gathering information.
Especially since Jang Ijung had spent six years quietly, without causing any major trouble.
Until I died, that is.
As long as I didn’t know the Association’s purpose, the danger wouldn’t be completely eliminated.
If I played my cards right with Jang Ijung, I might be able to get information out of him in return.
While I was lost in thought, Jang Ijung—having polished off the ice cream—spoke up.
“Thanks. This is my first time here, so I don’t really know my way around.”
Instead of “hideout,” he’d said “here.”
He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, mindful of listening ears.
I matched his approach and asked indirectly as well.
“Is that so? How long have you been with the company?”
“Um… a month? I don’t really remember.”
If he couldn’t even remember that, what was the point of him?
Just as I was starting to feel doubts about his usefulness, Jang Ijung leaned back comfortably in his chair and licked the spoon.
“I want more.”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Is this an act?
It was possible this dim-witted appearance was all an act, too. But even if it was, there was nothing I could do about it right now.
I’d better not let my guard down around Jang Ijung.
Still, it was lucky that he’d only recently joined. It would be easier to build a good image with him going forward.
I needed to make it clear that I wasn’t with this group of villains by choice.
The empty bowl in front of Jang Ijung looked just like the first step toward a smooth relationship.
“Glad I met a nice person right from the start. What’s your name?”
“Seo Sinwoo.”
Jang Ijung pulled the spoon out of his mouth.
“Seo Sinwoo?”
His blunt gaze swept over me from head to toe. He looked surprised.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“…Not really. Just thinking rumors really can’t be trusted.”
“?”
Rumors?
I couldn’t just let that go.
“What did you hear?”
“Well, that’s…”
He stirred his melted ice cream, drawing out his words. Then he started glancing at me.
I smiled gently, signaling he didn’t need to worry about being rude, and Jang Ijung opened his mouth.
“That just brushing past you gets your pockets picked clean, that you kill allies without discrimination, that collecting cats’ eyeballs is your hobby…”
“Ha-ha!”
I laughed it off, as if I’d heard a funny joke, cutting him off.
“What a load of nonsense.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course. Why would I collect cats’ eyeballs?”
Jang Ijung stuck his hand in his pocket and rummaged around.
“My pocket’s still fine. Good thing.”
Of course it is. There’s nothing in there but candy.
While I was smiling silently, Jang Ijung asked.
“Earlier… what happened?”
“I caused some trouble at a job recently. Got chewed out pretty badly for it.”
“Trouble?”
“Yeah…”
I sighed dramatically on purpose, so the wound in my mouth would show.
Jang Ijung looked curious but didn’t ask further.
“Be careful not to get scolded. The boss is scary when he’s angry.”
“I’ve never been scolded.”
“Is that so? Ha-ha… that’s good then.”
It felt like talking to a child.
If I push too hard on a first meeting, it’ll look suspicious.
I checked my watch and said,
“I think it’s about time to go now.”
“Yeah.”
Jang Ijung, who’d been leading the way out of the café, suddenly turned back around.
“Oh, I’m Jang Ijung.”
“See you again sometime, Ijung.”
I waved at him, meaning it as encouragement.
After Jang Ijung disappeared like that—
“…….”
I rummaged through the front pocket of my jacket, where I’d felt something foreign at the moment of colliding with Jang Ijung.
Something strange came out. A gold ring set with a square emerald.
I had no memory of picking up something like this.
[Ring of Healing: Recovery Speed +200%]
“What?”
Seeing a translucent window pop up, it seemed related to the quest window…
I quietly summoned the window.
[Quest: Settle Your Karma.
!If a certain amount of time passes without completing the quest, a penalty will be applied.]
[Karma: 59,495]
Compared to before I entered the Dungeon, it had decreased quite a bit.
Was this some kind of reward?
After eyeing it suspiciously for a moment, I put the ring on my finger.
Somehow, the stinging feeling on my tongue seemed to ease up a bit…
I couldn’t quite tell.
I ended the day with an uneasy feeling.
And a week later…
“Confirmed. Please put on your mask and enter through that way.”
I ended up attending the Association’s 10th Anniversary event together with Jang Ijung.
