Tap!
I chased after the Hunter sent by Spiderweb, organizing my thoughts as I ran.
So they were watching us after all.
He said he understood when I told him not to monitor us, but there’s a limit to how shaless one can be. This is exactly why I can’t trust Eun Woojeong.
If he was waiting for to leave, that ans he noticed the battle in the office too.
More than noticed—he probably already knows Cha Sahyeon was abducted.
That’s why he had one of his n stationed in the back alley. He must’ve anticipated that I’d co looking for him to get information about where Cha Sahyeon was taken.
And considering he didn’t co himself or pass along the information directly, but made move instead...
He’s not planning on giving it away easily.
Most likely, Eun Woojeong is going to demand sothing in return. He might even suggest a new deal.
Depending on whether the Hunter nad “Cover” has beco more or less valuable in his mind, I’ll find out through this negotiation.
About thirty minutes passed as I rushed through the night sky without pause. Finally, the Hunter guiding ca to a stop. Just like when I first t Eun Woojeong, it was on the rooftop of a tall building.
The guide gave a small bow, as if to say his job was done, and quickly disappeared.
Whoosh—the wind blew from sowhere, tousling my hair beneath the brim of my hat. At the sa ti, a razor-sharp killing intent shot toward my shoulder from behind.
Clang!
I struck it precisely with the sheath I had been holding, and the silver chains that had been flying at lost their path, quivered in the air, and dissolved into particles of light.
"That was my way of saying hello. You could’ve at least acknowledged it."
“What a fucking greeting.”
When I turned my head, I saw him standing there casually with his arms crossed. As always, a mask covered his face beneath his flowing silver hair, swaying gently in the wind.
There was no ti for pointless chatter like asking how he’d been. I spoke in a low voice.
"You already know why I ca, don’t you?"
“Hm.”
"Give the location."
Eun Woojeong, still masked, brushed his fingertips across his lips and shrugged.
"Well, okay. Dragging this out just to wear down your patience wouldn’t benefit either."
"......."
"Just as you guessed, I didn’t remove the surveillance from Hunter Cha Seohu’s office. I already received a report on the abduction incident earlier this morning."
Eun Woojeong sat down on the edge of the rooftop railing and continued with a tone of amusent.
"Actually, we weren’t the only ones watching that place."
"Soone else was?"
"You didn’t know?"
He nodded as if it made sense.
"Yeah, they were monitoring from a distance—probably worried Cha Seohu might detect them. They likely only tracked who entered and left the building. They were too far away to sense any Awakener energy, so they wouldn’t have been able to tell who was a Hunter and who wasn’t."
"That’s not what I asked."
“I’m talking about Guildmaster Kwon Taehyuk.”
Kwon Taehyuk? Then that’s Yesung?
That really was unexpected. Why the hell would Kwon Taehyuk be watching the office?
Did # Nоvеlight # he figure out the abduction too?
The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it quickly.
If he had, the Yesung Guild Hunters would’ve shown up at the office already. Maybe even Kwon Taehyuk himself.
The Kwon Taehyuk I knew wasn’t the type to overlook sothing like this.
If he was watching from that far away, then it’s likely he didn’t notice the abduction—or even that Hunters had co to the office.
In the end, Eun Woojeong’s intel was my only option right now.
And that bastard knows it, too.
aning this whole detour was just idle chatter.
Frustration and impatience surged up inside , but showing it would only put at a disadvantage. I forced down the curse burning at the back of my throat.
"What do you want?"
"You’ll give it to if I tell you?"
"You're the one who called all the way here instead of handing over the information for free. Just cut to the point. I’m not wasting more ti."
I was the one in need. That was an undeniable fact.
Whatever this bastard proposed, I was prepared to accept it—so long as it ant rescuing Cha Sahyeon. I could deal with the consequences later.
But what was odd was Eun Woojeong’s attitude.
Even though I’d already laid the groundwork, he didn’t speak right away. He tapped his fingers lightly against his crossed arms for a good minute before finally opening his mouth.
"To be honest... I was planning to bring this up after seeing the results of the second ranking match."
Makes sense. Our first deal was contingent on maintaining Rank 1.
I had planned to continue our deals based on the influence I’d built up as “Cover,” even if I lost the top spot... but with how things turned out, Rank 1 didn’t matter anymore.
"It’s not a problem for . The information I have now is stronger and more certain than anything related to that lab you asked to look into."
"......."
"So, shall we negotiate again using this instead?"
Eun Woojeong intertwined his fingers and looked at gently.
"The information I’m offering is the location where Hunter Cha Seohu’s little brother was taken. Thanks to you showing yourself, I kept gathering data and confird not just the place but also the number and scale of the Hunters stationed there. I’m confident this is valuable intel."
He tilted his head.
"What can you give in return?"
A relaxed question from soone holding all the cards. Cha Sahyeon’s location and the enemy’s composition—it was perfect intel with no flaws.
Yeah, I expected this much. I responded calmly, without wavering.
"I said, tell what you want."
Make your offer first, you bastard. You didn’t summon here just for fun.
"Hmm... Alright."
Maybe he was disappointed I didn’t lose my composure. He sighed lightly and spoke again, voice a few degrees colder.
"I’m curious about sothing."
"What is it?"
"Your skill."
"I told you last ti, didn’t I?"
Eun Woojeong let out a dry chuckle.
"That was an amusing joke. You really expect to believe that? I didn’t think you’d keep that bullshit up even now."
"What if it wasn’t a joke?"
"Really? Then answer this."
Clink.
Several chains materialized out of thin air, filling the surrounding space. They radiated outward from Eun Woojeong like the strands of a spiderweb.
"When exactly did you enter Cha Seohu’s office?"
"What?"
"We were monitoring every entrance to the building and checking for Awakener energy in real ti... but your energy suddenly appeared inside the office."
"......."
"You must’ve used a teleport item or a related skill. Then why was it seven hours after Cha Seohu was injured? Why couldn’t you go earlier? And what happened to him afterward?"
"......."
"That’s what I want to know."
Inside the mask, I bit my lip.
No excuse would work. Maybe with soone else, but this guy wasn’t soone you could fool with lies.
"And the other request is the sa as last ti—your face. I just can’t let that go."
"You're asking for two things?"
"Isn’t the intel worth that much? Honestly, I’m the one getting the short end here. But you’re the desperate one, after all."
A chuckle leaked out from behind his mask.
I slowly closed my eyes as I listened. Taking a deep breath, the suffocating anxiety clouding my head eased a little.
He’s right. If not for Spiderweb, I wouldn’t even have the hope of saving Cha Sahyeon.
But still—
Sorry, but just sitting here and getting screwed over isn’t really my thing.
The corner of my mouth curled on its own. Having made up my mind, I opened my eyes and walked forward without hesitation.
I ignored the chains tightening around from all directions and moved straight ahead. I stopped right in front of Eun Woojeong and spoke.
"I have a new deal to propose."
Eun Woojeong, who had been silently watching approach, raised his head.
"A new deal?"
"Information I possess."
I cut myself off mid-sentence and smiled deliberately, eyes narrowing. Even with my hat and mask on, at this distance, he’d definitely see it.
"I’ll trade it... on the condition that you keep your mouth shut about it for three months."
“...What are you talking about?”
From within the darkness of the mask, I could feel Eun Woojeong’s eyes focused on .
"If you’re playing word gas—"
"As if. If you consider the value of the information, it’s more than fair."
I leaned in closer, slowly lowering my upper body until our faces were just inches apart. I brought my lips to his ear and whispered past the edge of his mask—
"Isn’t that right... Eun Woojeong the Actor?"
“......!”
User Comments
0 comments from readers