noveldrama
Chapter 239
Chapter 239
A week and a day had passed since monsters rained down from the sky.
It was a small, dark room with a single light hanging from the ceiling. The interrogation room at the Awakener Bureau. Uijae sat in a squeaky metal chair, tapping away at the keyboard with long fingers. Across the narrow metal desk sat Jungbin, who rubbed his smooth chin thoughtfully.
“Let me summarize one last time. You left the assembly hall, handled the situation outside, witnessed Yoon Gaeul being kidnapped, chased the truck, and arrived at Prometheus's headquarters. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“You infiltrated the facility, confirmed that the kidnapped Hunters were inside the lab, witnessed the research in progress, and found Song Joheon, who was somehow connected to Prometheus. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“How many Hunters were there?”
“There were about ten in the cages... but I’m sure there were more.”
“I see. And as for leaving Yoon Gaeul behind, that was out of respect for her decision?”
“Yes.”
Jungbin let out a small sigh, staring at the laptop screen. Uijae clasped his hands together on the desk. He had provided most of the necessary information—though he had left some things unsaid. Eventually, Jungbin nodded.
“Alright, the interrogation is over. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Uijae let out a groan as he cracked his neck. The interrogation room at the Awakener Bureau was the same as always—stuffy, cramped, and strangely oppressive. He massaged the back of his neck. Noticing the fatigue, Jungbin, still staring at his laptop, gave an awkward smile.
“Thank you, J. This was really helpful. It’s just procedure, nothing we could do.”
“It’s no problem. You all waited a week for me, after all. Normally, this would’ve been done the same day.”
He had invaded Prometheus's headquarters, confronted the organization that had nearly brought about the apocalypse, relayed their alliance proposal to the Director, and dealt with the long-standing traitor Song Joheon. J had been a whirlwind of activity. The Awakener Bureau had been eager to hear his side of the story, but J had…
Jungbin threw in a sharp remark.
“I must say, it was a bit of a shock when you just dropped Song Joheon off in front of the Director’s office and disappeared.”
Indeed. On that day, J had suddenly appeared, dropped off the dazed Song Joheon at the Director’s office, knocked on the door, and vanished like the wind. Uijae turned his head away slightly. Jungbin’s smile remained pleasant, but his words were cutting.
“If Lee Sa-young hadn’t shown up after that, we wouldn’t have known what was going on, honestly.”
“I’m sorry about that…”
“No worries. I’m sure you had your reasons, right?”
Uijae rolled his eyes. Thankfully, his face was hidden behind the mask. *Reasons*, huh. Would grabbing Sa-young by the collar and fighting in the car count as a reason?
*“You keep sticking your nose in places it doesn’t belong…”*
*“Stop trying to pry into things, it’s irritating.”*
*“You know that’s meddling, right?”*
*“I told you, you’re not needed.”*
The way Sa-young had spat out those words, it was as if his sharp tongue had turned into a snake’s. In the end, Uijae had grabbed Sa-young by the collar. Baewon, sitting in the driver’s seat, had screamed for them to stop, pulling the car over to the side of the road. Song Joheon, woken by the chaos, had clung to Uijae’s waist, trying to stop the fight. It was a disaster.
*“Damn it! Just stop already!”*
*“I can’t! Everything’s falling apart!”*
In the end, Uijae had kicked the door off the van. Since no one would open it for him, he had no choice. He ignored the warning beeps and Baewon’s sobbing. Then, he glared at the dazed Song Joheon.
“Are you coming with me, or staying with him?”
“Where do you mean?”
“The Awakener Bureau, of course. Time to turn yourself in.”
“…”
Song Joheon had responded with a face like he’d swallowed something bitter.
“I’d rather go with you. Better than staying in this mess.”
It was a reasonable decision. The car, with a sobbing Baewon and a furious snake, wasn’t exactly a safe place. Unfortunately, Baewon had pulled over far from the Bureau, and Song Joheon had been stumbling weakly, still under the effects of the drugs.
In the end, Uijae had carried him like a sack of potatoes and began the long journey to the Awakener Bureau. Sa-young had simply watched them go, his eyes fierce and unyielding, but he said nothing.
…That definitely counted as an unavoidable circumstance. Probably.
Uijae nodded.
“Yes, there were some unavoidable circumstances.”
“And you can’t explain what they were?”
“No.”
“Hmm. Song Joheon said that you and Lee Sa-young had an argument, wrecked the car, and then treated him like cargo as you brought him to the Bureau.”
*He knows everything already.* Uijae answered gloomily.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…Why did you wreck the car?”
“…They wouldn’t open the door.”
Maybe cutting out the context was the problem? Jungbin’s expression shifted. For some reason, he looked like he felt incredibly responsible. He carefully reached out and clasped Uijae’s hand gently.
“J.”
“…Yes?”
“As humans, we have a tool called communication. You’re aware of that, right?”
“They were the ones who stopped talking first—”
“Right. I’m sure Lee Sa-young did something. But you shouldn’t give up on communication. You have to keep trying. You have to find common ground…”
Jungbin’s grip on Uijae’s hand tightened. Sweat beaded on his temple, as if he was recalling some terrible memory. He squeezed his eyes shut and muttered.
“I know he’s incredibly difficult to deal with, but… you’ll find common ground eventually. I’m sure of it.”
“Alright, alright. I get it.”
“I believe in you, J. Besides, doesn’t Lee Sa-young like you a lot?”
“…”
Uijae squinted at Jungbin. *Like me?* Would someone who likes you tell you that you’re not needed? The resentment he’d been holding onto for a week still hadn’t faded. It seemed like it would linger for a long time. Jungbin finally let go of his hand. Uijae knew that only Sa-young could resolve this grudge.
But…
“By the way.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Where is Lee Sa-young right now?”
He hadn’t been able to see Sa-young! The guy who normally showed up even when you didn’t want him to was nowhere to be found. Uijae had borrowed Baewon’s phone, tried calling, tried using a payphone, even wandered around near the Wave Guild pretending to take a walk, but there wasn’t even a glimpse of him. Minggijeok, who also tended to disappear when needed, had cut off all communication as well. Uijae had even stomped on shadows out of frustration.
He had even snuck into the Guild Master’s office to hide out for a whole day, but still no sign of him. Only Baewon had come and gone, bringing food, worried that Uijae might break something again.
Jungbin looked troubled and shook his head.
“I’m not sure. He’s not one to report in regularly… Did you ask Baewon?”
“He doesn’t know either.”
“Hmm… what about the Seowon Guild?”
“The Seowon Guild?”
The image of a man with white hair floated in his mind.
“Yes. Lee Sa-young’s personal doctor is Nam Woojin. Given his condition, he visits regularly… You could try asking him.”
“…”
“Or…”
Jungbin leaned forward. Uijae followed suit, leaving only enough space for a fist between their faces. Jungbin whispered.
“Have you heard of an informant named Mackerel?”
“Yes? Yes.”
“He’s good at finding people. It might be worth asking him.”
Jungbin straightened up, as if nothing had happened. Uijae clicked his tongue.
*Do I know Mackerel?*
He sighed and stared at the flickering light above. *Know him* didn’t even begin to cover it.
“Have a good trip, sir~! No matter what the government official says, stay strong and push forward, alright? Go, go! You’ve got this! Use your charm to completely baffle that bureaucrat!”
“Ah… Go, go…”
He had even been seen off by the apron-wearing Mackerel brothers, armed with spatulas, on his way to this very meeting.
---
“So you want me to find Lee Sa-young?”
“Yeah. I’ve got some things to say, and he’s nowhere to be found.”
The younger Mackerel, who had been feeding bread crumbs to the fish floating around him, responded.
“Well, that’s normal for him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s always been hard to find. Given his abilities, he rarely shows up in crowded places. He works quietly behind the scenes.”
*Is that so?* Uijae’s expression shifted. Then why had he been sitting so comfortably in that soup shop? He could clearly recall how Sa-young had shown up regularly to annoy him. The younger Mackerel, who hadn’t stopped typing, nodded
.
“He’s… a bit of a terrifying figure among Hunters.”
“His personality is… difficult, isn’t it?”
“So can you find him or not?”
“I can find him, sure. But how about you check this place first?”
A red goldfish floated over and landed in Uijae’s palm. With a **pop**, it transformed into a yellow sticky note. On it was scribbled some messy writing, with details of someone’s personal information and…
**[Current Location: Seowon Guild]**
Mackerel mimed shooting a finger gun and winked.
“You asked me to look into it yesterday, and I’ve already found it.”
“…”
Uijae crumpled the note in his hand. It was the information he had asked Mackerel to find—the whereabouts of the doctors and researchers who had worked at the hospital when Sa-young had been admitted.