IRNH C51

#51

A high-pitched whine filled the air—

Click.

Ha-jung lifted the freshly printed, still warm A4 sheets and neatly placed them atop a growing pile about a span high.

Most civilians might think hunters only handle gate raids, but that wasn’t quite Ha-jung’s role.

Before being a hunter, she was half a civil servant after all.

A brief look around revealed the place was far from somewhere connected to battle; thick with the scent of ink, the surroundings felt more like an office than a warzone.

Ha-jung lifted the paper cup beside her and fixed her gaze on the next pages streaming from the printer.

“Senior!”

During the intense days of paperwork, a familiar voice drifted in from behind.

“Oh, Kyungjin.”

“This is the psychometry report for the Hanjildong incident you requested.”

“Thanks, I owe you a coffee later.”

“Uh, no thanks. Unless you want to after work…”

Ha-jung flipped through the documents in her hand swiftly, tapping the shoulder of the hesitant junior to cut off personal conversation.

“See you later!”

“Ah, senior!”

Grabbing the finished stack of reports under her arm, Ha-jung briskly turned and hurried to her office.

She swept away scattered papers, pens, and stacked cups, then lined up the imported reports neatly on a tidier surface.

“Hoo… let’s see what this is all about.”

Rustle.

She flipped through documents in a navy file, her brows gradually tightening.

Though it wasn’t her jurisdiction, she had struggled to access information swiftly.

Yet she had asked her juniors to gather data because it concerned Sihyeon.

‘They mentioned the intruder clearly named Jeong Sihyeon… and that we have someone who can do psychometry… They mentioned the Villain Alliance, and a battle broke out among them.’

“What exactly caused Bintto to be hurt among those who came together?”

Psychometry is the ability to read recent memories by touching objects.

Though it’s used limitlessly in cartoons, internal investigators could only use it a few times per day, making the process lengthy.

The long-awaited results weren’t very detailed, suggesting a 60% likelihood of a relationship between the intruder and Sihyeon.

Ha-jung recalled her friend’s angry, vengeful expression vividly.

And how terribly bad at lying her friend was.

“Sigh, damn. What’s going to happen now?”

Her bright red hair tossed wildly again.

Though 60% might seem unimpressive, here 50% was the dividing line between partial and extreme certainty.

Sihyeon trusted himself but suffered a headache thinking investigators might be assigned because of the report.

If it were the Sihyeon she knew, he would already be moving for revenge, making her worry about interference.

“Should I tell him to keep a low profile for now… Tsk.”

Sinking into her chair, twirling a pen between her fingers, Ha-jung sprang upright.

She suspected her friend wouldn’t listen and needed to find more useful information.

-Only 10% accuracy was detected extracting memories from objects.

Also weighing on her mind was a line at the report’s end.

Knock knock knock.

Shortly after, Ha-jung’s feet halted at a translucent glass door.

“Come in.”

She knocked, then softly opened the glass door without hesitation.

“Hi.”

“…Ha-jung? What brings you here?”

Inside was a room plastered with files and paperwork, almost suffocating with busyness.

Ha-jung ignored the familiar setting and briefly glanced at the nameplate ‘Chief Park’ before going straight to business.

“Long time no see. Can I ask you something?”

“Ugh, you really haven’t changed since you joined.”

“Well, that’s my strength.”

“Alright, alright. What is it?”

Ha-jung smiled slightly at the colleague’s weary expression and spoke.

“The recent Hanjildong attack incident—”

“…What about it?”

“What does it mean that the memory matches only 10% between objects?”

“Don’t pry.”

Before she could ask more, the abrupt answer silenced Ha-jung too.

She paused and frowned deeply.

“Just drop it. It’ll resolve itself favorably with the tenant, and the landlord will get compensation. Enough.”

“Hey, are you crazy?”

“Yes, so just leave. This matter is over.”

Sihyeon was speechless and bewildered.

Though not close friends for long, they had once been grouped under the first ordinary awakening cohort.

Her friend hadn’t behaved like this before.

“I’m off for external work now.”

Her colleague spoke casually with no change of expression, prompting a curse from Ha-jung inwardly.

She took pride in her work despite low pay and heavy tasks.

But now, distrust surged toward her organization.

Thrown out like a stray, Ha-jung stood stunned at the door.

Clenching her jaw, her eyes burned with rebellious fire.

She strode out, pulling her phone from her pocket.

-Jeong Sihyeon.

Her fingertips trembled briefly before she steadied and pressed dial.

The car heading to Seoul was soaked in gloom.

Except for Taewoon, who leaned against Sihyeon, indifferent.

“Once in Seoul, I’ll meet Captain Kim Seongbin first.”

“Right. I also got an urgent call from Ha-jung, so I’ll drop by. Oh, and a friend too.”

Kyu-min nodded nervously as he had just learned three more had gone missing, and the captain was attacked.

He had secretly been told of a safe house unknown to others but wanted to verify faces first.

“As for Yujun, just go home and deliberately appear where people are. The media keeps tabs on your whereabouts, so you’ll be safe for now.”

Though Yujun hadn’t heard details, the usually lively Kyu-min was quiet, sensing the seriousness.

Perking up at Sihyeon’s story, he responded sharply.

“Got it… It’s not that dangerous, right?”

Sihyeon felt proud of Yujun speaking freely now.

He reached out to pet his head but saw white fingers entwined among his own, so he merely smiled awkwardly.

Plans for serious talks with Taewoon were ruined by the sudden incident.

Even his carefully arranged words were half forgotten.

He lacked confidence to set boundaries strictly.

‘What if he runs away again?’

Sighing taken for granted, he skillfully swallowed his sigh.

He tilted his head toward Taewoon leaning on him.

Things would work out somehow.

Soon the old self emerged clearly.

Sihyeon was not one to overthink.

He leaned on Taewoon, closed his eyes, and silently kept quiet until they reached the destination.

“Hyung! We’ve arrived!”

“Already?”

Sihyeon snapped awake and raised his phone.

Though only about thirty minutes had passed, he was still groggy.

• “Be careful coming here after arrival.”
• “Crazy guy, no answer again?”
• “There might be investigators. Take a detour.”

But after checking a message from Ha-jung, his drowsiness vanished.

Frowning, he sat Taewoon upright in his arms, who rested nearly completely against him.

He read the messages again.

‘What kind of damn situation is this? Investigators?’

Were the investigators not Ha-jung? It was absurd and ridiculous to think he would be monitored so closely.

“Damn… my money, my home, my comfort…”

Sihyeon muttered with narrowing, unfocused eyes.

He bit his teeth and quickly stood, sending a telepathic message to Taewoon.

{Taewoon, hide your presence and follow when I signal.}

{Yes.}

Click.

The rear door of a car parked on a wide street opened.

Two tall, handsome men stepped out into a bustling college district.

Moments later, blending into the crowd, their forms vanished without a trace, as if sinking into the ground.

Footnotes:

1. “Psychometry” is a supernatural ability to read memories from objects’ residual energy.
2. “Villain Alliance” refers to an antagonistic group in the story’s setting.
3. “Soul Capture” is a technique to extract thoughts or memories, usually at death.