Chapter 142 : The Chase (2)

Hocheol, not being particularly communication-impaired, explained the entire situation, cutting off any possibility of misunderstanding or misconception.

Thanks to this, Jian's misunderstanding was quickly resolved.

However, despite the good resolution, Hocheol was not entirely pleased.

That ominous side of her, which she usually didn't show in front of him, was far from ordinary.

Jian's bizarre obsession and possessiveness were excessive to the point of being serious.

For Hocheol, who had taken it upon himself to be her guardian, this was a rather difficult problem.

Alright, let's think positively.

It's better than being violent, isn't it.

It took the violent Jeong Hocheol of his villain days three months just to realize something was wrong with him, and over half a year to even mimic a human being.

If he gave her that much time, she would probably become normal too.

Probably.

He could only harbor such a vague hope.

So for now.

Hocheol pushed Jian's forehead, who was clinging to his arm.

"I said, get off."

"Not yet!"

In the back Seat of the car, Jian, who had secured the spot next to Hocheol, clung to his sleeve and forearm, relentlessly rubbing her face and head against them.

She had to erase that scent, or something.

For Hocheol, who couldn't smell anything of the sort, it was completely incomprehensible.

"What on earth is that smell you're talking about?"

"It's really strong!"

A pheromone that directly stimulated the brain.

It wasn't a major issue that Hocheol couldn't perceive it.

That was normal.

It was Jian, who perceived it with her sense of smell, who was ridiculously exceptional.

"You've got a good nose, really."

Honestly, Jian still couldn't understand why she had been scolded earlier.

The scent left on Hocheol's clothes was that of a blatant, seductive pheromone.

For Jian, whose goal was ownership of Hocheol, it would have been strange if she hadn't been angry at the shameless attitude of someone trying to mark him out of turn.

Of course, in that order, she was naturally number one.

Watching the two of them in the rearview mirror, Sohee clicked her tongue in disbelief.

"Honestly, the two of you sitting in the back with the front passenger seat empty. It's a little. No, it's quite displeasing. This isn't right."

"You can say that again."

Hocheol replied, sounding a little apologetic.

This was not a situation he had intended.

On the way to the Black Market in the Boong Boongie MK3.

Earlier, Jian had stood in front of the passenger door, so he naturally assumed she would sit there.

So Hocheol had naturally settled into the back seat.

But then Sohee got in, and Jian, at the last minute, squeezed herself into the back seat instead of the front.

"And in the end, I'm the one who gets all the blame."

In reality, just because Jian wanted to go out and Hocheol allowed it didn't mean the two of them could just go out.

Jian's outing was on a completely different level from Hocheol's.

Hocheol's outings were a matter of differing stances, while Jian didn't satisfy any conditions.

She was cooperative, but that was ultimately just an investigation into her past crimes.

And when Hocheol wasn't around, she wasn't all that cooperative either.

She had not atoned, nor was she repentant.

Just because she was a little strong, because she was a minor.

For those reasons alone, granting her this much freedom was an unprecedentedly generous treatment from the Association, and even this was causing considerable dissatisfaction internally.

And now, a free outing on top of that?

Of course, the Association was not going to permit it.

"You should be grateful. Really. If it weren't for me, you would never have been able to go out."

That's where Sohee's role was crucial.

Her guarantee, plus her arguments that an outing was the most appropriate measure for Jian's current condition and mental care, and so on.

She had actively demanded it, prepared to take full responsibility if any problems arose, and had obtained the privilege of a temporary outing.

"Yeah. You went through a lot. You always did."

Saying that, Hocheol's gaze drifted down to look at Jian.

Now, as if rubbing her own hair scent on him wasn't enough, she was chewing on his sleeve.

Feeling his gaze, Jian spat out the clothes she had in her mouth.

She mumbled her lips.

A voice so soft that not only Sohee, but even Hocheol could barely hear it.

Hocheol silently narrowed his eyes.

Only then did Jian, startled, speak properly.

"Thank you..."

"Right. That's how it should be."

Sohee burst out laughing in disbelief.

"This is a bit too blatant, getting a forced thank you."

"Still, it's better than letting it slide, isn't it?"

"That's true too."

No need for a forced thank you?

That was just the masturbation of people who had never even received a forced thank you.

No matter how insincere and fake it was, for the one who had gone through the trouble, it was better to at least hear a thank you, even like that.

"But just words won't do."

She tapped the steering wheel with her fingertips.

"Instead, I'll be having what I want for lunch."

"Alright."

As they were talking, they soon arrived at the Black Market.

This was Hocheol's third visit since his release, but it was the first time he had come in broad daylight.

The magnificent entrance of the LUNAR Auction.

Of course, the main gate was now firmly shut.

No lights, no people.

But the majesty of the building remained.

No, in fact, under the bright sun, he could even feel a grandeur that had been hidden by the splendor of the night.

"Whoa."

Sohee and Jian exclaimed in unison.

Jian knew about the existence of LUNAR and had sent her subordinates there several times, but this was the first time she had seen it in person.

"I'm just going to take a quick look around!"

"Go ahead."

Saying that, Jian ran towards the main gate of LUNAR.

"By the way, I haven't really heard the plan for today."

At Sohee's question, Hocheol raised a hand and counted on his fingers.

"I have about three things to do here."

He had already clearly set the priorities.

First, find the 'Sage' in the back alleys of the Black Market.

The top priority was to get the location and status of the doctor from the organization Hocheol was looking for.

"If I find him there, I'll come back here."

Borrow LUNAR's manpower.

Unlike the Association, which had many questions about tracking and securing, LUNAR was indebted to Hocheol.

They would cooperate immediately without questioning the circumstances.

For Hocheol, who wanted as few people as possible to know, there was no more suitable collaborator than LUNAR at the moment.

"That's the second priority. Well, I think this will be the last time I get a free ride like this."

In fact, Hocheol's role was only to borrow manpower and act as an intermediary.

He wouldn't be doing much of the actual moving around.

"It's a free ride, then."

It was perhaps natural for Sohee to mutter that after hearing the explanation.

"Is that person called the Sage really that good at finding people?"

A third entity, neither a hero nor a villain.

For Sohee, who had been a mere civil servant until she met Hocheol, she had no related knowledge.

"In the field of finding people, he's honestly unfairly overpowered. The term 'cheat code' isn't there for nothing."

Of course, the probability wasn't 100%.

Just last time, with Jian's organization, he had failed to find them, hadn't he?

But even if he couldn't find it through the Sage, that in itself was a clue.

The remaining possibilities were only three.

Abroad, a gate.

Or already dead.

That alone would drastically reduce the scope of the investigation, so there was no loss.

But a sudden question made Sohee tilt her head.

"In that case. Wouldn't it be better to just ask for information about the organization you're looking for or related information?"

Hocheol had of course considered that, but had quickly given up.

"He's such a cranky old man, he would never help."

How many heroes, villains, hunters, and government agents must have approached the Sage to get the information they wanted?

But among them, there was no precedent of anyone obtaining information of a different kind than finding people.

In the first place, he was a man who only chose to watch and interfere in things that amused him, and who didn't take sides with either heroes or villains.

"What if you try to find out by force?"

"He's an old man who dodges those situations like a ghost. If anyone comes with that in mind, he just disappears and goes into hiding."

In a few years, he'd probably become a real ghost, but even now, he was just as ghost-like.

"And he's petty, so he always gets his revenge."

Of course, among them, there were those who tried to use the Sage through kidnapping, confinement, torture, and so on.

But they failed from the kidnapping stage, and the price was disastrous.

A man who knew most of what happened in this country, when he set his mind on revenge, the methods were endless.

Sohee asked, looking a little worried.

"What if the person you're looking for is dead?"

All this trouble to come here.

No, it wasn't really trouble, but. Hadn't they come in vain?

Hocheol, however, nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he watched Jian admiring the LUNAR Auction.

"We'll just buy her clothes and be done with it. That's why you two came here in the first place, wasn't it?"

That was the third priority of things to do here.

The black market within the Black Market.

The place they entered was a place so gloomy and ominous that the expression was not at all an exaggeration.

It was still bright daylight, but here, even the sun couldn't push away all the deep shadows.

The worn-out signs cast an eerie light, and the stench rising from the drains was not just from stagnant, rotten water.

An unpleasant current that scanned people, a sticky and insolent gaze was directed at Hocheol.

No, to be precise, it was directed at Sohee and Jian next to Hocheol.

Last time, when he came with Se-ah, he had worn clothes so expensive they made one gasp, thanks to LUNAR's help.

Thanks to that, no one had dared to pick a fight or send an insolent gaze.

But today, it was just simple ready-made clothes.

"Ugh. This is so unpleasant."

It was natural for Jian to mutter that.

If she had her way, she would have expressed this displeasure immediately, but.

"Just bear with it for a little while. This could be useful if it comes to it."

Hocheol kept calming her down.

Even Hocheol himself, unlike usual, was not raising his presence, but was just pretending to be an ordinary person.

He intentionally drew their gazes, luring them into a false sense of security.

If the situation he was worried about occurred, this would all be useful.

Arriving at an alley, Hocheol stopped.

"Tsk."

He sighed with his hands on his hips.

Last time he came with Se-ah, the Sage wasn't in that spot.

He must have moved quite a while ago, as it was impossible to even find traces of anyone having stayed there.

"This is annoying."

That cranky old man had probably already sensed his arrival.

And yet, if he was waiting somewhere instead of meeting him here.

His purpose was obvious.

"Hide-and-seek. I'll humor you with a game of Go, but this is just annoying."

How much longer would he have to wander these wide back alleys?

The paths here were mostly a dense web of alleys, so just not getting lost was a task in itself.

He probably wanted to watch them struggle here.

Hocheol had no intention of playing fair either.

It wasn't for nothing that he had suppressed his presence all this way, knowing full well that flies would be drawn to him.

Hocheol turned around.

"Just nine of them. A little few, probably because it's daytime."

At some point, nine men had surrounded Hocheol's group.

Was the timing bad?

If it were night, there would have been 20 of them.

Each of them held a weapon like a knife, a piece of wood, or a steel pipe.

The desires and emotions in their eyes were all unpleasant things.

The man at the front raised a knife to eye level and flicked it up and down.

"Alright. Take off all your clothes, the man gets lost. The women stay here."

There was no funny point, but he chuckled as if it were a great joke.

And as if in agreement, the others also burst out laughing.

Is this some kind of back alley humor?

"I like how pure they are."

There's no need to hold back at all.

Hocheol smiled faintly.

Ordinary people with no traits at all.

Even if they had them, they were barely above the level of back alley thugs.

It would be meaningless even if there were thousands of them, but there were only nine.

It was a natural result for them to each take a hit from Hocheol and be rolling on the ground in less than a minute.

But this was not the end.

If he ordered these guys to find the Sage, what idiot would obediently do as they were told?

They would just pretend to look for a bit and then run away.

That's why Hocheol put his hand in his pocket.

In his hand was a white cylinder the thickness of a finger.

He peeled off the wrapper and lightly pushed the end with his thumbnail.

With a tok sound, a pill smaller than a fingernail fell to the ground.

Hocheol said to the thug who had fallen at the front.

"Eat that."

A pure white pill.

So suspicious that it looked dangerous.

They were not stupid enough to obediently pick it up and eat it.

Of course, they kept their mouths shut and refused.

Of course, for Hocheol, it didn't matter.

He instead raised his foot and pressed down on the thug's neck.

Gguk—

"Ggeuheuaaaaak!"

He screamed in pain as if his neck was about to break.

Hocheol took the opportunity to force the pill that had fallen on the ground into his mouth.

The remaining eight watched the scene and gasped.

By the time they realized they had messed with the wrong person, it was already too late.

Among them, there was one who, even with his neck being crushed, kept his mouth shut, trying his best not to swallow the pill.

But Hocheol had no intention of being considerate to them.

He removed the hand covering his mouth and pulled out his two front teeth.

No, it was more like he tore them out.

He then put the pill through the gap between his teeth.

And so, all nine of them swallowed the pill.

Hocheol sat down on some nearby junk.

"It takes an hour for those ingredients to be absorbed into the heart and brain."

He crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"So find the person I'm talking about within an hour. If you can't, well. That's a shame."

Hocheol didn't specifically explain what the ingredients he mentioned were, but no thug asked.

They each clutched their throats and tried their best to empty their stomachs, but.

"If it were me, I'd use the remaining hour more meaningfully."

At those words, even their retching stopped.

The only thing in their ashen faces as they looked at Hocheol was fear.

"Right. Now we can talk. Find the person I'm talking about. Then I'll let you live."

Hocheol then described the Sage's appearance, and without anyone having to be told first, they disappeared into the alley.

The back alley, quiet once again.

Sohee gently rubbed her arm and stood in front of him.

"I was wondering why you let them follow us without chasing them away. Did you predict all of this?"

"Not predicted. I just thought a situation like this might happen, so I prepared for it."

If the Sage had been quietly here, it would have been fine to chase them away then.

"By the way. When did you prepare that pill?"

From the way things were going, it seemed to be some kind of poison.

No matter how she thought about it, Sohee couldn't figure out where, how, why, or when Hocheol had obtained such a drug.

"Ah. This?"

Hocheol took out another pill and popped it into his mouth.

"It's just a glucose candy. They were advertising it as a new product where all the nutrients are absorbed into the body within an hour."

It was what the Bureau Chief had given Hocheol after the investigation had ended, when he had asked for something to eat.

"...Well, you never said it was poison."

"Which do you think these guys have seen more of, glucose candy or poison? To them, a white pill the size of a fingernail is either poison or drugs. One of the two."

He smirked and held out a wrapped candy.

"Want one?"

"...No thanks."

After waiting for about 20 minutes, one of them returned, sweating profusely.

"F-found him!"

"Ah. Good."

He got down from the junk.

"This is the fun of hide-and-seek."