# Chapter 108
“I’m not sure if it’s connected to the club incident, but there have been reports of multiple low-tier superhumans frequenting the area. It seems they’re targeting superhumans.”
Heesu and Sano, who had led the raid on the illegal research facility a few years ago, occasionally collaborated like this afterward. Even Sano, who was uncooperative with most matters, was compliant when it came to illegal research facilities.
Although he had been letting his guard down recently, Heesu was keeping a close eye on this area again after the club research facility incident. These insufferable bastards never seemed to be completely eradicated no matter how many times they were cut down. It was maddening, but naturally, he couldn’t ignore it.
“I don’t mind destroying it, but send the ringleaders to me.”
As Heesu was about to finish with those words, he hesitated briefly and added one more thing.
“Also, any materials showing they’re connected to the Superpower Management Office.”
*
After the meeting with Heesu, Iyeon left the Superpower Management Office with a light step. Come to think of it, it wasn’t such a big deal, but after anxiously waiting so long to meet him, it felt as refreshing as having a troublesome tooth pulled out. If this was Heesu’s intention, he could be considered a master of playing hard to get.
Since he was already out, he planned to visit D.S and pick up the gemstone. He also hadn’t fixed the goggles that were damaged at the club research facility… Every time he touched the goggles, he noticed the roughly torn connection jack. He might get scolded if she found out the seal part was exposed, but there was no helping it. After several weeks, Iyeon finally made up his mind and turned his steps.
D.S’s workshop was a bit far from the Superpower Management Office. Although he had only taken the subway, time had already flown by. Since it would be evening by the time he arrived, Iyeon called D.S. He planned to bring some dinner as a bribe.
[Hello.]
“Hello. D.S-ssi?”
D.S’s voice was as indifferent as usual. But since he could hear wind sounds through the phone, Iyeon asked in slight confusion.
“Are you outside?”
[Yeah. I’m just entering the workshop now.]
“Ah, that’s fortunate. I was planning to visit the workshop too.”
[Where are you?]
“Almost there. Just passed the convenience store. Is there anything you’d like for dinner? I’ll buy it on the way.”
[Just order delivery when you get here. There’s nothing good to eat nearby.]
Her attitude was cool. If delivery was more convenient, then delivery it was. Iyeon, accustomed to the conveniences of civilization, promptly nodded.
[I’m near there too. Ah… I see you.]
She can see me? Iyeon looked up and scanned his surroundings. Soon, he spotted a tall woman listlessly waving her hand.
“D.S-ssi!”
He hung up and ran over. D.S was dressed casually without even a bag. She seemed to be on her way back from a short trip out. The two naturally joined up and headed toward the workshop together.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, remember the gemstone I left before? The one I gave you when Subin noona collapsed.”
“Yeah.”
“The director wants to analyze it.”
“Okay, sure.”
D.S seemed to be in a particularly good mood today. It was the perfect timing to confess his guilt.
“And I wanted to get my goggles repaired.”
“Are they broken?”
“No, they got a bit torn during a previous request…”
“Torn?”
D.S’s eyes immediately sharpened. Perhaps it wasn’t the appropriate time yet. Iyeon hesitated and turned the goggles to subtly hide the torn connection jack part from D.S’s view.
“There’s… something like that. I’ll show you at the workshop.”
“I don’t think what you say will be much different.”
Despite her sharp observation, Iyeon stubbornly maintained his ignorance. D.S seemed to consider it a futile resistance that would be exposed anyway, as she laughed derisively before letting it go.
“Why isn’t he with you for once?”
It was instantly clear who D.S was referring to. Since they had been together constantly lately, it seemed they were perceived as a set by those around them.
Even after learning Sano’s name, she never directly spoke it aloud. It was her own way of maintaining secrecy.
“It’s not like he and I are one body; we can go places separately…”
“Did you fight?”
At the abrupt question, Iyeon sighed. Why does everyone I meet ask the same thing?
If they had actually fought, it would have been easier. At least then, it would mean Sano was angry at something Iyeon had said.
But this way, he couldn’t even understand what the problem was… couldn’t see it, so couldn’t ask about it… The frustration that had been building up inside him inadvertently flowed out like a complaint.
“We didn’t fight; I’m just being unilaterally ignored. I’m being treated like I’m completely invisible.”
“Do you have any idea why?”
“…He did drink the night before… but I don’t think I made any major mistakes.”
If he had made a mistake, Hyegang would have hinted at it. But given his silence, it wasn’t that sort of issue.
“He needs to speak for me to know…”
His voice was sulky as he grumbled. D.S stared at that face intently.
“Do you like him?”
“What?”
Iyeon quickly turned his head to look at her. He was so surprised that his voice cracked.
“Wh-what are you saying? Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Well, you’re talking like it’s a romantic concern.”
“D.S-ssi, if you’re very tired, you should close the workshop early today.”
“Don’t be flippant.”
When D.S glared at him with a “tsss” sound, Iyeon vehemently denied it while even waving his hands. Liking Je Sano? Him? It was an imagination he feared would appear in his dreams.
“How is this a romantic concern? Haven’t you ever experienced being suddenly ignored by a friend?”
“I usually played the role of ignoring others.”
“What? Why?”
Iyeon stopped walking and asked. It was an intense reaction, as if he were the one being ignored by D.S.
“Why… because it was annoying to deal with them.”
“…Annoying?”
The majority of people who approached D.S as “friends” had a great interest in her family and slyly approached her. She was sick of them mentioning her family at the end of every sentence.
Even the few who weren’t like that were still connected through family interactions, and they weren’t close enough to have personal conversations, so there was no reason to contact them after she left home. D.S only began forming proper human relationships after opening her workshop.
Instead of explaining all this in detail, D.S compressed it into one sentence.
“Just, you know, at some point I became disillusioned.”
“Can that happen?”
Iyeon muttered blankly. He looked somewhat shocked.
“People’s hearts don’t always flow in a direction you can understand.”
“…Well, that’s true, but.”
Even while reluctantly answering, his unwillingness to agree was evident. D.S confidently took another step.
“Hey, just confess.”
“No, that’s not it, I’m telling you!”
“Yeah, right.”
It seemed he had been caught up in D.S’s conversational style. His instinct warned him that he would keep hearing similar talk for the entire trip, so Iyeon forcibly changed the subject.
“What do you want to eat for dinner? I’ll treat.”
As he made a big fuss, D.S briefly looked him over, as if taking her time, before turning on her phone. It was an attitude of graciously letting it go. The menu discussion that started this way grew increasingly heated and continued until they reached right in front of the workshop.
“So don’t order the makchang?”
“Ah, that’s a shame though…”
“We already have gopchang, noodles, and yeomtong. Choose one between sundae-bokkeum and makchang.”
“Can’t we order both? I’ll eat it all.”
“What kind of pig are you?”
The hand that had grabbed the workshop’s shutter, which she had lowered earlier, trembled. Both D.S, who showed a puzzled reaction, and Iyeon, who had been conversing with her, looked toward the shutter she was holding.
“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s cold.”
The shutter that completely blocked the entrance was cold as if it had been dipped in ice.
Though it had gotten dark and the temperature had dropped a bit, it was still unmistakably a summer night. There was a limit to how cold the metal could get.
The unnatural phenomenon evoked an ominous premonition. D.S hurriedly lifted the shutter. With a loud “drrrr” sound, the workshop’s door opened. Thanks to the light she had left on before going out faintly illuminating the inside of the workshop, it wasn’t difficult to assess the situation.
The scene revealed by the light was devastating.
The drawers and cabinets were all open, with clear signs that someone had hastily searched through them. The components and tools that should have been neatly organized inside were rolling around haphazardly on the floor. The machines that were being serviced were also jumbled messily on the desk.
It was clearly an unauthorized intrusion.
She had only been away for about 10 minutes. If someone had searched through everything like this in that time, they couldn’t have gone far. Iyeon, who had checked the interior of the workshop, approached with a serious expression and looked at the monitor together.
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
