IRNH C73

Chapter 73

A rustling sound.

In the man’s hand were several small bags filled with purple pills. When he pulled them out and crooked his pinky finger smugly, Sihyeon’s brow furrowed sharply.

Drugs.

Sihyeon immediately reached out, grabbed Taewoon’s arm, and pulled him behind his back.
Taewoon didn’t resist—not even a little—and simply stood there quietly behind him.

“That’s not what I’m here for.”

His teeth ground together on their own, making his words come out crushed.
For some reason, having Taewoon behind him made him even more anxious.

“Oh, yeah? I know a place that’ll blow your mind. Completely different from places like this.”

“Not that crap. Recommend a place that does psychometry.”

“Oh! I know those too. Someone cheating on you? Hehe.”

Sihyeon wanted to grab this sleazy clown by the collar and land a punch right in his smug face.
But the man kept giving information—surprisingly useful, considering how cheap and unserious he looked.

“Most places are fake. Even in Vegas, that kind of ability isn’t common, right?
Go here. This one’s the real deal.”

The man lifted his hand, covering his mouth as he whispered.

After listening to his hushed directions, Sihyeon gave a short nod.
He ended the conversation quickly and turned away—
because the guy had once again started rattling his drug packets at him in a suggestive manner.

“Taewoon, stuff like that is seriously bad. You know that, right?
Not that any of that trash would work on you anyway.
But still—don’t show any interest, okay?”

Walking through the crowd, Sihyeon began lecturing quietly… which turned into a full five-minute nag session.

Truthfully, cheap synthetic drugs like that wouldn’t affect either of them in the slightest.
But indulging recklessly in pleasure-seeking was dangerous on principle, so he drew the line early.

More than anything, Taewoon’s silence was bothering him.

“Don’t worry.”

The answer was slow, but it came.
Sihyeon let out a relieved breath.

“Yeah… I trust you.”

I trust you—but I sure as hell don’t trust the scum that’ll try to cling to you.

Thinking about what kind of shady people might try to approach Taewoon made his head ache.
He couldn’t exactly nag him about making the right friends like a worried parent…
but he could, at the very least, investigate every single person Taewoon ever befriended from now on.

—Wondering what your spouse has been hiding? Bring us an item! Nothing stays secret here.

—Looking for cheap custom weapons? Come inside!

—Revenge isn’t empty—it’s satisfying. Assassinations available.

Is this America or back-alley Seoul?

The moment they stepped onto 37th Street, Sihyeon clicked his tongue at the flood of sketchy signboards.

37th Street—the place the man had mentioned.
A barren, empty-looking entrance… and then, suddenly, all the flyers vanished like illusions.

That alone confirmed he was in the right place.

But the scenery was unexpected.

Instead of the dark, grimy alleys of noir movies, the street was bright—almost cheerful.
Sihyeon scanned the area discreetly as they walked.

“Master, this way.”

“Ah. Right.”

Hearing Taewoon’s voice snapped him out of his daze.
He tapped his own cheek lightly—focus.
This area had fewer people than the main street, but it was far more maze-like. If he wasn’t careful, he could get lost.

He caught a glimpse of a group bickering over a sword, looked past them, and saw a small sign further back.

Soon, the once-blurry sign came into clear view.
The exterior was shabby, but the sign looked newly installed—which somehow made it feel less trustworthy.

Still, Sihyeon decided to follow the tip and grabbed the door handle.

If this one’s not real, I’ll just check the others. He said the real one is here, anyway.

Creak.

As expected, the rusted door screamed with unbearable noise.
Sihyeon flinched at the sound, but quickly masked his reaction and stepped inside.

“Anyone here?”

The interior was surprisingly well kept—spotless, even.
Sihyeon released his folded arms and tapped the counter.

“Coming! One moment!”

A chaotic clatter sounded from within.

“What can I help you with—oh.”

Sihyeon froze.
He’d expected a foreigner, but the man who emerged looked unmistakably Korean.
The man also paused mid-greeting, clearly surprised.

“…I need a psychometric reading.”

But in this era, nothing was impossible.
Sihyeon quickly remembered his purpose and pulled out a shard of broken glass.

It was a piece of the mirror Taewoon had found in Lee Gyuhwan’s room a month ago.
Too much time had passed—he wasn’t sure if any information remained.
But right now, even the smallest lead was precious.

“Ah, psychometry. One moment… hmm.”

“Careful. That thing might break.”

“A-ah, of course…”

The owner’s careless hand slowed instantly at Sihyeon’s warning.
Just before he touched the shard—

“Oh, right. Will you accept a trade?”

The man suddenly asked for confirmation of a transaction before using his ability.

Swish.

In the same instant, Sihyeon’s hand was at the man’s throat—
his inner energy sharp enough to crack the air—
and Taewoon held a blood-red blade-like aura against the man’s temple, leaving only a hair’s breadth of space.

“W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! You can’t use weapons in this district!”

“What did you just do to me?”

“…Huh?”

Sihyeon stared him down coldly.

The moment the man spoke, something—some kind of energy—shot toward Sihyeon.
It wasn’t dangerous; Sihyeon’s kill aura had torn it apart instantly.
But that didn’t change the fact that he’d been attacked.

“Open your mouth. Or I’ll kill you.”

“W-Wait! W-Wait, please!”

The man trembled violently, unable to move with blades at his neck and temple.
His reaction only made him more suspicious.

Did the Villain Union track me down here?

“Three… two—”

“It—It was a skill!”

“I know. One.”

“I’M SORRY! PLEASE SPARE ME! I have a sweet little sister—she only has me! Please don’t kill meee!”

The excuse was so cliché that Sihyeon relaxed a fraction.
The Villain Union wouldn’t beg—
they’d attack even harder.

“Explain what you did.”

“I-I didn’t attack you… No, okay, maybe it looks like that but—”

“Speak clearly. You want to die?”

Everything about the man screamed pathetic con artist.
He was trembling so hard he looked ready to faint, and his eyes were starting to water.

Just a street scammer…
That guy earlier really was just bait.

Sihyeon sighed.
He’d gotten too lax—thinking he could handle everything alone.
In a place full of unknown abilities, that was reckless.

He rubbed his forehead, wondering how to deal with this idiot—

“DON’T HURT MY BROTHER!!!”

“Sua?!”

The door burst open.

A tiny child ran inside and spread her arms wide, standing firmly between them and the man.

She looked eight or nine at most.
Sickly pale, but with bright, defiant eyes—
exactly like a little kid facing down a villain hurting her big brother.

Sihyeon closed his eyes briefly.

Holy crap… the “sweet little sister” was real?

“I wasn’t going to kill him…”

The man—Byeongchan—swallowed his retort of You definitely said you’d kill me… and held back tears.

Honestly, today had been awful from the start.
He had taken it as a sign to ward off bad luck—
but apparently it was just the trailer for something worse.

And of all days, he had to run into a monster like this.

He hadn’t even seen what happened.
One blink, and suddenly something cold had pressed against his throat and head.
He wasn’t inexperienced—he was used to dealing with danger—
but he hadn’t had the chance to use his ability at all.

“S-Sua! Go back inside! Don’t come out!!”

“Nooo! My brother isn’t a bad person!! It’s all my fault!!”

Sihyeon grimaced.

Yes, the man had used some kind of ability on him—
and Sihyeon had simply responded appropriately.

But now, he looked like the villain robbing civilians on the streets.

Then the girl—already crying loudly—clutched her chest and collapsed.

“SUA!!”

“…Great. Now what.”

Sihyeon caught her before she hit the ground.
At the same time, he gestured at Taewoon to stand down.

But Taewoon didn’t move.

“This man attacked you.”

The low, cold voice surprised even Sihyeon.
This was the longest sentence Taewoon had spoken in hours.

It stung a little—but he shook his head.
The man’s mana was weak—no threat at all.

Finally, Taewoon relented, shaking red droplets off his hand as he lowered it.
Loose strands of cut hair floated down in the shabby shop.

Footnotes

Psychometry — An awakened ability allowing someone to read memories or information from an object by touching it.