“Am I just being completely delusional?”
Cheol-woo began rubbing his throbbing head, feeling the relentless pulse of pain that seemed to reverberate through his skull.
He decided to take a moment to sort out his conspiracy theory, aiming to untangle the web of deceit that had ensnared him.
Geummyeong Security had been in cahoots with KM Games from the very beginning, colluding to orchestrate plans to take him down.
They hired a drug-addicted femme fatale whose role was to conceal illegal substances within the confines of his personal space, which ultimately caused his contract to completely disintegrate into nothingness.
Just like that, he was in debt and had no choice but to join Geummyeong Security, as recommended by the CEO…
“Does any of this even make sense?”
Looking at it in this moment, all the various elements and components appeared to align perfectly, but there remained an overwhelming sense that it was still excessively contrived and artificial.
Would they indeed embark on such an elaborate campaign and expend so much effort solely to bring someone like him into their fold?
Who exactly was he beneath it all? Just an ordinary guy equipped with marginally swifter reflexes than those around him?
If that alone were sufficient to warrant attention, there would likely be an enormous number of individuals whom Geummyeong Security would be strategizing to recruit, each one possessing similar or even greater capabilities.
Despite how reasonable and logical it all appeared on the surface, Cheol-woo found himself unable to embrace or come to terms with this entire scenario.
Click-clack.
Click.
He repeatedly racked and released the slide on his handgun, engaging in this action over and over again, and with each cycle, the rhythmic motion provided a sense of tranquility that soothed his otherwise troubled mind.
“Bah. Let’s drop this.”
Cheol-woo let out a deep and long sigh of relief as he finally arrived at a decision that felt right and necessary for his current situation.
He had disregarded the careful and urgent warnings issued by his sister, who had implored him not to become entangled in shady business dealings that could jeopardize his future.
Initially, he had believed that making a significant amount of money in a short span of time, even if it required him to engage in morally questionable actions, was a risk worth taking if it meant he could finally settle his mounting debts and reclaim his financial stability.
However, upon this painful realization that he had been deceived into becoming a part of this dubious enterprise, everything had suddenly begun to change for him.
Once someone betrays your trust and stabs you in the back, who is to say that they won’t do it again in the future, especially when loyalty seems as fickle as it has become in his current circumstances?
At that moment, the only burden that had been weighing him down was the looming cloud of debt, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that the next entanglement could delve into something much darker and more sinister.
He had often heard cautionary tales about how individuals become ensnared in the dangerous and treacherous criminal underworld.
They start off getting tied into one illicit deal, and before they realize it, they find themselves trapped in a web from which there is no escape.
If there was any chance for him to extricate himself from this precarious situation, he understood that the time to act was now, before he fell any deeper into the dangerous abyss of illegal activities that could cost him everything he held dear.
“You bastard! You call that a report worth bragging about?! You should be out there searching every inch of the city!”
“Y-Yes, sir! I’ll send the team out right away!”
As soon as Chief Jeong barked his order, Team Leader Kim, feeling a surge of urgency and anxiety, rushed out of the office in a state of panic, his heart racing as he processed the gravity of the situation.
After the office door slowly shut behind him with a soft thud, Chief Jeong, clearly agitated, furiously tapped at his phone screen with his fingers, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet room, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear his frustration.
[Yeah. What is it?]
“Chief, we lost Han. Completely. As of 3:00 AM today.”
[Haah…]
Chief Yoo’s profound exhalation resonated clearly through the receiver, emphasizing the weight of the moment.
In an all-too-enthusiastic manner, they had rushed in without proper strategy or discernment the previous day, akin to a disorganized group of inexperienced individuals, only to be met with a strong and effective counteroffensive that forced them to withdraw in haste.
Now, in the wake of this chaotic engagement, they had completely lost her, a situation that was exasperating and enough to push anyone to the brink of madness.
Alright, he could come to terms with the aspect of their being counterattacked and having to retreat.
They had gone in with guns, and the target had responded with a “junkie.”
It wasn’t surprising that a few staff, including Team Leader Woo, ended up dead.
But how the hell did they still manage to botch the pursuit?
Were the grunts slacking off? Or was it their own people?
Or maybe both?
Chief Yoo clenched his fist, struggling to suppress the urge to tear Jeong apart.
[Whatever. It’s not like she had anywhere to go. We’ll find her. But still—there was a junkie involved and no one died? You were lucky you were on site, Jeong.]
“I wasn’t on site.”
[Wait, what? Then who took care of the junkie?]
“The rookie did.”
[The rookie? How? Did he grab a rifle or something?]
“No. He used a pistol—shot it right through the eye socket.”
[…Huh?]
Shot it in the eye socket?
A junkie—an entity that rends, tears apart, and viciously attacks everything within its surroundings—was shot directly in the eye?
It seemed impossible for such an act to have occurred while the creature was in motion.
He must have been audacious enough to press the muzzle of the weapon straight into the creature’s eye and then pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The sheer thought of getting so close to it and still managing to walk away unharmed?
That was utterly illogical.
He hadn’t even the faintest idea of what a junkie truly was.
He was completely unaware if it was a human being or some other type of creature, nor did he have any understanding of what its vulnerabilities could possibly be.
And in that split second, he figured it all out and took it down?
[Haah…]
Chief Yoo let out a breathless exhale.
That rookie—he was the real deal.
There were an abundance of highly skilled individuals present in the world.
Simply attend a shooting competition and you would observe individuals swiftly firing six shots from a revolver in a mere span of two seconds, or accurately striking targets while not even having the benefit of direct sight on them.
There were extraordinary talents pervasive in the realm of marksmanship.
However, the sheer bravery required to pull the trigger on an object that resembled a human being, without any pause or second thoughts, in a situation where life and death hung in the balance—that level of courage was far from ordinary.
[A guy this talented got a taste of blood and still wants to quit? Does that make any sense?]
“He probably didn’t know what kind of job this really was and got scared. He’s just confused. I’ll handle it so he doesn’t bring up quitting again.”
[And how exactly are you planning to handle it?]
“He’s got an older sister. Ever since their parents died, it looks like the two of them have been leaning on each other. If debt doesn’t keep him in check, we might need to get to her.”
[Hmm. Fine. Handle it your way. I’ve got to go after Han now—you know, the one you let slip away.]
The call abruptly ended.
Chief Jeong closed his eyes tightly, shutting out the surrounding world and the overwhelming pressures that accompanied it.
A chill ran down his spine, a sudden and penetrating sensation that seemed to echo the weight of his responsibilities.
He exhaled sharply, a forceful breath intended to clear his mind and regain his focus, then yanked the office door open with determination, revealing the space beyond.
“Huh?”
Something felt off about the way the door opened.
It hadn’t been fully shut?
And if the door hadn’t been fully closed… that meant it wasn’t soundproof.
“Sir. Please accept this. I’d like to resign.”
Cheol-woo, out of breath, got up from his seat and marched over with a resignation letter in hand.
Staring straight into Cheol-woo’s eyes, Chief Jeong clicked his tongue.
Did he overhear…?
“Why the resignation? Is it because of the team members who died? That was just a one-time thing. There’s no real danger anymore. You don’t have to worry.”
“No, it’s not that…”
“If it’s not that, then what? You want to do something you can proudly tell people about? You know what you sign first when you get into a big corporation? A non-disclosure agreement. Even if you work at some prestigious company, you still can’t tell your family what you actually do. If you think about it that way, this place and a big company aren’t all that different, are they?”
“….”
“Think it over. There’s nowhere else that’s going to pay you this much.”