# Chapter 117
Now that the situation was settled, it was time to move. Iyeon asked Jeongheon.
“Jeongheon-ssi, do you have a phone?”
Hyegang answered almost immediately.
[Hello?]
“Oh, Hyegang.”
[Hyung? Whose phone is this?]
“I was kidnapped earlier.”
[What?]
Hyegang was understandably shocked. Despite the instantly raised voice, Iyeon calmly explained the situation.
“You remember Seo Young-ssi who worked with me in the Superpower Task Force? She kidnapped me, but I talked it out and got released. I’m inside the property now, and my bag should be outside the fence. I’ll retrieve it on my way out. I don’t know where my phone is… Ah, and I also ran into Yu Jeongheon-ssi by chance, and he’s with me now.”
The barrage of information might have overwhelmed someone else with surprise, but Hyegang had worked with Iyeon for years. He quickly grasped the situation and responded calmly.
[I wondered why you weren’t answering. Are you injured anywhere?]
“No. My neck feels a bit numb, but… ah, I’m not saying that to make you feel guilty. Everything else is fine. I’ve learned something, but it’s a long story so I’d rather not explain it now. I think I need to investigate a bit more.”
[Got it. First, find your phone.]
“Okay.”
After ending the call, Iyeon returned the phone to Jeongheon. By now, the floor had completely thawed, revealing its original color.
“Young-ssi, I have one last question.”
When Young’s gaze rested on him, Iyeon spoke as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Do you know anything about Kim Cheoljae-ssi?”
Young looked somewhat surprised. Then a straightforward confession spilled out.
“So you know each other… Actually, he’s the one who told me to bring you here.”
“What?”
Young had originally planned to dump Iyeon far away. But during the brief report after knocking him out, Dr. Kim, upon seeing Iyeon’s face, had immediately ordered her to bring him to the facility.
“Then was it Kim Cheoljae-ssi who offered to make me stronger too?”
“Yes.”
Dr. Kim was currently the chief researcher at the factory, and Young had been the first person he performed a superpower implantation on. Perhaps because she was his first patient, Dr. Kim paid special attention to Young. That’s why she had gained such strong abilities. He was also the one who readily hired Young when she, having nowhere else to go, said she wanted to work here.
“Why me?”
“I’m not sure about that.”
Well… he could roughly guess.
From the moment Dr. Kim first saw Iyeon’s ability, he had mentioned Morpho. Considering that Lee Seeun had possessed a superpower bracelet containing Iyeon’s gi-ryeok, it wasn’t a one-sided acquaintance.
If so, he probably knew something about Morpho’s materialization ability—or more precisely, Iyeon’s gi-ryeok—and judging by his surgery offer to Iyeon, he seemed curious about related abilities. He might have thought Iyeon could substitute for the materialization ability, or maybe he even intended to implant the materialization ability into Iyeon for experimentation.
On the surface, it looked like an utterly ordinary logistics warehouse, but upon closer inspection, it was an illegal factory conducting superpower implantation experiments. A perfect new workplace for Dr. Kim, who had previous experience running an illegal research facility.
Though he’d be fired today.
“Thanks for the information. I’ll be going now. How many people are here approximately?”
“Between twenty and thirty. Combat personnel are under ten. But they’re scattered throughout the property, so you won’t have to face them all at once.”
Despite saying this, Young seemed slightly concerned and added:
“I could go with you.”
“It’s fine, you should go ahead. Please report this to the authorities. In about… 30 minutes?”
Iyeon looked at Young.
“And while it’s entirely up to you, I’d really prefer if you made the report yourself.”
“I was planning to anyway.”
Young answered as if it were obvious. Her face, unhesitatingly stating her intention to confess, looked somewhat relieved.
“And it was you two who attacked D.S-ssi’s workshop and stole the gem, right?”
“How did you—”
“She’s my business contact. And that gem belongs to me.”
It all made sense if Young had gained strong abilities through surgery. Dr. Kim must have found D.S’s seal in the collapsing club research facility and sent Young to search the workshop. Then they happened to discover and retrieve the gem.
“That was yours? It was exactly like the ones we use here.”
“Well, let’s just say I… borrowed it from somewhere…”
Another reason to capture Dr. Kim had emerged. If he escaped, there was a possibility that D.S could be harmed again.
“Anyway, she was really angry about it.”
Young’s expression hardened slightly.
“I… I’m truly sorry about that.”
Young’s voice trailed off apologetically, saying it was her first time doing something like that. Iyeon patted her shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’m partly responsible too, so I’ve agreed to compensate for it. Just apologize to her later.”
Now it was really time to disperse. Iyeon smiled and waved his hands. He watched the three of them leave the warehouse first before coming out last. He now had a 30-minute time limit.
The inside of the property was just as Young had described. People occasionally passed by, but they were usually too busy with their own tasks to notice Iyeon, and the factory itself was sparsely populated.
He needed to find his phone and Dr. Kim quickly. Iyeon hurried his steps. There was no need for a complex plan. He just needed to capture Dr. Kim.
Finding information and bringing it to Sano would be helpful. …Then it would be okay to contact him first, right? Hiding his desperate thoughts, Iyeon entered another warehouse with a cheerful gait. This was where Young had said his phone would be.
Fortunately, the warehouse was completely empty. Looking around, he found his phone rolling among various piles of odds and ends. It seemed like this was one of many warehouses used for casually storing antiques.
My precious electronic device… Iyeon quickly picked up his phone, dusted it off, and carefully turned on the screen. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be damaged. He immediately called Hyegang.
“I found my phone.”
[Good job. Kim Cheoljae-ssi’s location hasn’t changed. Keep going as planned.]
“Got it.”
[Be careful. Call if anything happens. I’ve secured the CCTV too. When I checked it again, I found it had been replaced with different footage. I’ve cleared it, so it’s usable now.]
“Ah, okay…”
Iyeon hesitated. If Hyegang was watching the situation through surveillance cameras, Iyeon couldn’t use his true ability. That would make capturing Dr. Kim much more difficult.
But he couldn’t ask for the CCTV to be turned off either. Hyegang would naturally ask why.
After being exposed to Jeongheon and Young, there was no reason not to tell Hyegang the truth now. He could just close his eyes and blurt it out. But, but…
Iyeon hesitated so long that he missed the timing to casually make the request. The longer the silence stretched, the harder it became to speak up. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Hyegang’s voice flowed through the phone.
[Just do it. I’ll take care of the cameras.]
“…Huh?”
[Just make sure you don’t leave any traces, right?]
It was as if he’d read Iyeon’s mind. Caught off guard, Iyeon mumbled blankly.
“How did you…”
[Hyung. I’m your operator.]
“…”
[Analysis is my job. There’s no way I wouldn’t know.]
Just guessing, Hyegang muttered quietly.
[Besides, it would be extremely difficult to use your ability without your bag, and saying you’ll retrieve it on your way out after finishing the job seems suspicious anyway.]
Sometimes when I look at you, hyung, you’re incredibly sloppy. Hyegang’s voice sounded teasing, but it was slightly drooping with dejection.
Are you satisfied now? The words Iyeon had proudly said to Young came back to haunt him.
Momentum could be stopped by releasing the force. Stop lying. Iyeon repeated to himself the words he had said to Young. Like Young had done, he exhaled with a “ha.” The tension in his shoulders seemed to ease a little.
After taking a deep breath, Iyeon whispered into the phone.
“When this is over, let’s talk.”
[Huh?]
“I have something I want to tell you.”
It was an abrupt declaration. Hyegang’s response didn’t come immediately, but Iyeon waited patiently. After a long while, a small voice barely made it through.
[Okay.]
After ending the call with Hyegang, Iyeon hesitated a bit before heading out of the warehouse. The call history he glanced at unconsciously showed Sano’s name. It was a missed call record from the morning. Just seeing those few characters made his heart flutter.
Should I make one simple call? It’s nothing major, but just to let him know I’ll be gathering information, so he should be ready to meet… Since capturing Dr. Kim is certain, it’s okay to contact him in advance, right? Iyeon mumbled rationalizations as his fingers twitched. His phone had been turned off when he called in the morning, but hadn’t Jonghee received a call in the morning? If so, it should be on now. So…
“Ugh.”
After much hesitation, Iyeon squeezed his eyes shut and touched the screen. Soon, the faint sound of the call connecting flowed out. Ring… ring… The sound, seemingly about to cut off but not quite, inherently caused tension. Just as he was anxiously swallowing and staring at his phone…
[What is it?]
He answered. Iyeon’s eyes widened. Uh, um. He definitely had something in mind, but now that the call was connected to Sano, it wouldn’t properly come out of his mouth. If he hangs up during this hesitation, that would be bad. Iyeon squeezed his hand tightly as if to shake off the tension.
“Um, where are you right now?”
Even to Iyeon himself, his voice sounded too unnatural. Sano seemed to sense it too.
[What’s going on?]
“Nothing’s happening, no, I mean something might happen soon, just letting you know.”
[Have you been drinking in broad daylight?]
Iyeon was intimidated by the cold voice. It sounded even more so because of the accent that was added as if coming from someone who detested alcohol.
“No, that’s not it. Morpho—”
[Morpho?]
“You said you needed the remains, right?”
[Ah.]
The disinterested voice continued languidly.
[I don’t need them anymore.]
His heart jumped.
“…Huh? Why?”
Iyeon stumbled over his words in confusion. The information was engraved in his brain as if experiencing a buffer. Morpho’s information was no longer needed. He blankly repeated that fact. The voice, seemingly unconcerned with the panicked person on the other end, mercilessly stated the truth.
[I already got them.]
It took a few seconds for the meaning to sink in. If Sano had found the remains, then he no longer needed any more information.
That meant Sano had no reason to stay with Iyeon anymore.
“Is… is that why you left?”
Not knowing what to say, Iyeon blurted out whatever came to mind. The cold back, the chilly face, the front door that wouldn’t open. All these things led to a conclusion that became increasingly clear. The situation he had only thought of optimistically was gradually piecing together.
[Yes.]
