Choi Haegang aimed his sword at the neck of Seo Sinwoo, who was crawling toward him. He intended to cut him down immediately if he tried anything.
“Instead of just standing there blankly, why not lean against something behind you?”
“…..”
Even after offering advice, Choi Haegang didn’t move.
Must be uncomfortable.
If he wasn’t going to move on his own, there was nothing to be done about it. Seo Sinwoo rubbed his head against Choi Haegang’s leg.
“Lift your leg, please.”
Looking suspicious, Choi Haegang nevertheless obediently raised his leg as told.
The sole of his black combat boot was covered in mud and unidentifiable lumps, filthy beyond words.
Seeing that, Seo Sinwoo muttered inwardly.
Ugh, f**…*
An instinctive sense of disgust rose up. At least the Boss stayed indoors and was clean.
…Think positively. His mouth was already filthy enough from the murky underground sewer water anyway. If he could just close his eyes and get through this, and it would be over after this, it’d be worth it.
As he hesitated and then brought his tongue close, Choi Haegang flinched as if startled. Seo Sinwoo, thinking it must have been his imagination, continued his action.
“Stop…”
“…..”
A small, wet sound echoed in the cold space.
Suppressing his nausea, he went a little further in, and the sole touched his nose. At the same time, the slightly trembling sword grazed his neck, drawing blood.
“Stop!”
“Ugh!”
Choi Haegang shoved Seo Sinwoo’s face away with the sole of his boot. Seo Sinwoo, who had been bent over, fell backward.
“What are you doing?”
“Wasn’t this what you meant?”
Choi Haegang’s brow furrowed sharply as he rubbed the sole of his boot against the ground. Seo Sinwoo, tongue still out, stared blankly at him for a moment before smiling as if he understood.
“Or does our hunter prefer being the one sucked off?”
Choi Haegang cut him off flatly.
“I have no such filthy tastes.”
“Filthy tastes?”
Choi Haegang shot him a glance full of contempt. Seo Sinwoo blinked, as if he hadn’t expected to be rejected, then smiled again.
“That’s a shame, if that’s what you think.”
It was a light reaction. Propping himself up on his bound arms against the floor, he raised his upper body.
He didn’t seem the least bit offended even at the open display of disgust. Choi Haegang let out a short sigh.
Had licking his boot sole been some kind of joke too? From the start, the fact that an Awakener of that man’s caliber had been captured so easily might mean he had other motives.
“?”
Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, Seo Sinwoo tilted his head. Even so, the corners of his mouth remained loosely curved upward. It was a smile etched into his very being.
He himself didn’t seem to realize that this relaxed appearance only deepened the other’s suspicion.
Feeling mocked, Choi Haegang changed the subject.
“Is there no other way for you to prove yourself?”
“Such as?”
“It’s simple. If you tell me information about your organization, I’ll let you go free, Seo Sinwoo.”
A carrot to entice cooperation. The promise to release him in exchange for information was a lie, but inside the dungeon, there was no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping. Even recording devices malfunctioned in this space.
He himself wasn’t a moral person like Yeom Hajae. Because of that, he also knew that reform wasn’t easy. It was far easier to kill a criminal than to reform one.
However, he was already deeply entangled with Seo Sinwoo. There was a possibility that Atlas had been placed on the watch list of the villain organization.
For the safety of his guild members, before killing Seo Sinwoo, he needed to find even a small clue about the organization he belonged to.
This wasn’t part of the original plan, but…
Choi Haegang glanced at the kid collapsed in the corner.
If the kid’s ability were exploited for crime, it would be extremely dangerous. An ability that any organization with shady dealings would be desperate to get their hands on, by any means necessary.
A mere low-level operative wouldn’t normally be concerned about recruitment like this. Combined with the exceptional ability that occasionally showed despite his attempts to hide his cards, Seo Sinwoo was clearly a more dangerous individual than expected.
“I’ll guarantee your safety too. Using every means at our disposal.”
Atlas itself wasn’t large in scale. But his own combat strength had surely been proven.
If what Yeom Hajae claimed was true—if Seo Sinwoo was a good person bound to the villain organization through some kind of coercion—
He wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity like this.
An ordinary person would want to live a normal life, unconnected to criminal organizations. Unless they were with the organization by their own choice.
Choi Haegang carefully observed Seo Sinwoo’s reaction.
He’d demanded a confession, but he wasn’t expecting much right away. A positive answer, or even a faint nod, would have been enough.
“…..”
This was a man who, even with his life on the line, joked around by licking someone else’s shoe. He didn’t expect much.
Seo Sinwoo placed a hand on his chest. It seemed like an unconscious movement. The standoff continued for a moment, and a tense atmosphere filled the underground sewer, where only the sound of flowing water echoed.
For just an instant, the smile faded from the corners of Seo Sinwoo’s mouth.
“Negotiations have broken down.”
A refusal so clear it was almost cold. In effect, a declaration that he wouldn’t betray the organization.
The atmosphere immediately turned cold.
As I thought—it’s unlikely he’s with the organization against his will.
He’d even rejected the offer of help to escape the organization.
Convinced his instincts hadn’t been wrong, Choi Haegang’s eyes settled into a hard look. Facing him, Seo Sinwoo shrugged.
“I’m hurt. I thought I did my best, but to be doubted this much…”
His tone showed not the slightest trace of regret. Something was clearly hidden behind that smiling face.
Choi Haegang cut him off coldly.
“As I thought, you can’t be trusted.”
“I’d like you to trust me, though.”
As Seo Sinwoo tilted his head slightly, water dripped from his wet hair.
“If I cooperate to the best of my ability until we get out of this dungeon, will you trust me a little more then?”
This was a man who, until just a moment ago, had been constantly looking for a chance to escape. If he gave him freedom under the pretext of cooperation, similar situations would likely repeat themselves over and over.
While he hesitated for a moment—
“Mmh…”
“Oh dear, the kid’s going to wake up.”
Seeing the kid stir, Choi Haegang lowered his sword.
“…Cooperate.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Seo Sinwoo’s voice brightened, as if he’d already gained an ally.
“Is that the end of our conversation?”
Seo Sinwoo turned his body and held out his arms, bound behind his back.
“First, untie this, please.”
Choi Haegang didn’t answer. Turning around in confusion, what Seo Sinwoo found facing him was the hard sheath of the sword.
Thwack!
A dull pain spread from a spot that was already bruised.
“Ow, ow…”
Seo Sinwoo, fallen to the side, writhed. Inside, he was hurling curses at Choi Haegang. Conveniently erasing from his memory the fact that he’d tried to sneak off with the kid while Choi Haegang was away.
Choi Haegang grabbed Seo Sinwoo’s bound wrists and forced him to his feet.
“The restraints stay on.”
“Excuse me?”
Seo Sinwoo asked back in disbelief, but Choi Haegang said nothing more and walked over to the kid.
He’d realized something from this string of events. When it came to dealing with this man, Seo Sinwoo, there was no such thing as “moderation.” There was no need to hold back the way he would with ordinary people.
“Mmm… what’s going on?”
Choi Haegang took the half-asleep kid’s hand and helped them up. It was time to move again.
***
The kid stared intently at the man ahead of them. His wrists were bound behind his back. The chafed wrists looked painful just to look at.
…Not that it’s any of my business whether it hurts or not.
The kid scoffed, turned their gaze away, and moved closer to the hunter beside them.
“What happened?”
“…..”
“Why’d you tie him up? That bastard did something, didn’t he?”
No matter how much they asked, Choi Haegang gave no answer. Just then, Seo Sinwoo, walking ahead, suddenly turned his head. The kid, feeling caught talking behind his back, shut their mouth guiltily.
Instead of scolding them, Seo Sinwoo grinned, his cheekbone bruised dark blue.
“We were just having a grown-up conversation.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean.”
“It’s nothing the cap kid needs to worry about.”
“I told you not to call me that weird nickname…!”
“Then why don’t you tell me your name?”
“…..”
“If you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
He was clearly doing this on purpose to get a rise out of him. He would never fall for that man’s tricks.
Deciding not to engage, the kid organized their thoughts.
After deciding to rest, they’d fallen asleep almost instantly, surprisingly. They’d slept so deeply they hadn’t even dreamed. But waking up, Seo Sinwoo’s condition looked strange.
Seo Sinwoo said they just talked, but… did the two of them fight?
Choi Haegang’s mood had turned extremely sharp. Being near him felt like walking on thin ice.
More concerning than that was Seo Sinwoo’s condition. Not only did he have new wounds that hadn’t been there before, but his old wounds seemed to have reopened too, blood seeping through the bandages.
He’d better not die from that.
Shaking their head at the thought that had crossed their mind unbidden. The other man was someone involved in murder.
Die! Just drop dead already.
…But.
Still, he couldn’t die. Once they got out, Seo Sinwoo had promised to take them to the person who killed their dad.
Dad.
Out of habit, the kid raised a hand. They reached for the necklace, but for some reason their neck felt bare.
Right, it should be in my pocket…?
“…..”
“?”
The kid, searching their pocket, suddenly froze. Choi Haegang and Seo Sinwoo stopped walking too.
“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s gone.”
“What?”
“My necklace… it’s gone.”
A silver cross necklace. Currently the only remaining trace of their family. Realizing they’d lost it, the kid’s face turned pale.
Meanwhile, Seo Sinwoo, his expression unchanged, thought to himself.
Oh, that thing.
