Free Web NovelI already knew Im Haekyung’s intel network was impressive, but this was off. I’d never told anyone I was tracking Cheonmyeonggyo.
'Who even knows? Joo Seowon, and... maybe Do Yehyun?'
At that moment, the conversation I’d had with Song Hwayoung replayed in my head.
“Still, Hunter Seo. Don’t take mental-type hunters too lightly. You don’t know what could have happened without you noticing.”
“......”
“You might be doing spy work without even knowing it.”
No way—had Do Yehyun been brainwashed and leaked information without realizing it? Or maybe Haekyung’s side had just put someone on me.
Whichever way, this was basically a ritual summoning me to be suspicious.
“Have you been stalking me by any chance?”
I asked crookedly; he shook his head with a smile.
“No. Stalking isn’t the only way to gather info.”
“That’s weird... Lately, info I never said keeps floating around outside.”
“Mm... lately?”
Seong Uijae had deduced his part through a skill.
Haekyung answered me straight.
“You went to Busan not long ago. You joined an auction at a hotel there. That building belongs to a religious group.”
“Sounds like stalking.”
“Product of coincidence. One of my staff happened to be nearby. They said they witnessed you striking up a conversation with a believer.”
“Do they even know my face?”
“You’ve been to Haeseong’s building before, haven’t you?”
Well... true. I’d gone with Do Yehyun to pick him up.
'An awfully exquisite coincidence.'
So not through Do Yehyun, then?
Curious, he asked,
“The name’s Cheonmyeonggyo, right? Why the sudden interest? Because there’ve been a lot of related incidents lately?”
“Yeah, that. And.”
“Hmm...”
“I’m also... personally interested.”
In the original, Im Haekyung wasn’t exactly tangled up with Cheonmyeonggyo. Maybe he got dragged in because of me. I’d prepared answers in case he pressed me out of personal curiosity, but instead he nodded easily.
“Fair enough. You’re the type to act the moment something piques your interest.”
True.
In a gentle, persuasive tone, he made the offer again.
“Anyway, whatever it is you’re after, if I help, it’ll go faster.”
So what if it’s faster. The info would leak all over. Besides, aside from the fun, my most basic reason to hunt Cheonmyeonggyo was to see Jin Haedo’s skill with my own eyes. With Haekyung next to me? He’d be a massive hindrance.
Then he dropped something abrupt.
“Weren’t you planning to hire a hunter with a tracking skill anyway?”
“......”
“I heard you basically bought one with money. That... Joo Seowon, was it?”
Not wrong, but coming from him it sounded... off. Less like a contract, more like human trafficking.
'He really knows a lot.'
He lined up facts like he meant to persuade me.
“Relying on a single tracker will take time in all sorts of ways.”
“You’re a little too interested in me.”
“Exactly. You keep making me curious and then disappearing. Of course I’m interested.”
It wasn’t surprising he knew about Joo Seowon, but bragging that his intel outclassed Joo’s—that was a bit surprising. He was offering to bring that level of intel to my case.
'Why go that far?'
The better the terms, the more suspicious the situation...
So maybe I should weigh whether it’s worth it even if some information leaks. If it’s strictly about value, the decision was basically already made.
After thinking it over, I spoke.
“I’ll consider changing jobs.”
“How long do you need?”
“A few months.”
Right. I could head to Haeseong after SH collapses anyway.
'At minimum, it’s not a losing move. And it’s not a lie.'
He agreed readily with a nod.
“I’ll allow it.”
“And you don’t have to help with everything.”
“So there are parts where you need help?”
Right.
I nodded and grinned. Since he already knew most of it and was asking to cooperate, a perfect task came to mind—something only he could do. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
“Yeah, I’ve got one. Something no one but you can handle...”
I let the sentence trail; he tilted his head slightly, brow faintly furrowing. Fine—he’d understand ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) when he saw it.
***
About an hour later, I got in the car with him. Destination: obviously, my place.
“You keep asking for weird favors.”
“You’re just too optimized for them. Can’t be helped.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
Bottom line, what I’d asked him for was to extract a confession from the cult bastard locked up at my place. Honestly, that was the best way to pinpoint Cheonmyeonggyo’s location.
'It’ll take time to provoke Ryu Taejun or to trust Haekyung.'
Thus I was on my way home with a slightly reluctant Im Haekyung.
“Head that way, please.”
“You live here? Nice neighborhood.”
“Yeah.”
We arrived; I left the simple parking to him and stepped in first.
“Huh?”
Sitting on the floor with his back to the sofa, fiddling with a laptop, Joo Seowon snapped his head up at the sound of the door and frowned, puzzled.
“...You’re early.”
“Can’t I be?”
“...Do Yehyun isn’t here yet.”
“Yeah, figured.”
He closed the laptop and glanced toward the room where the cultist was locked up. Nothing happened while I was gone, right? Well, even if something had, he’s a B-rank hunter—he’d have handled it.
I asked to check the status.
“Nothing happened?”
“Yeah. I heard a few loud thuds inside, but when I looked in, he was fine.”
“Good.”
The item was doing its job. I gave him a quick rundown.
“We’re going to get his confession now. ‘Confession’? Is that the right word? Admission?”
“...What?”
He scowled and stood.
“First off, I couldn’t source the item today, so I’m not—”
“Yeah, I’m not asking you to do it.”
“...You’re going to? Hey, don’t—like this morning—”
“I’m not going to beat him.”
So much for trust. I flicked a glance toward the door.
“I brought someone to help.”
“...Someone to help?”
Perfect timing—the doorbell rang. I looked him straight in the eye, grinned, and opened the door to let the guest in.
“Parking’s a pain. You’ve already got two cars here... Ah, hello.”
“......”
He started complaining the moment he stepped in, then saw Joo Seowon and put on a friendly smile.
“First time meeting in person, right? I’ve heard a lot.”
“...Hello.”
Joo flinched at the sight of him, fell silent for a beat, then naturally stepped forward and offered a hand first. Haekyung shook it smoothly and let go just as fast.
“Hunter Joo Seowon?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“This is our first time, right?”
Joo nodded, then curved his lips and asked, freeweɓnovel.cøm
“What brings you here...?”
“Ah, Jehyun asked me to help with something. I heard there was a bit of a commotion here this morning?”
“Aaah~ because of that...”
Before I knew it, Joo’s eyebrows were bobbing as he chatted comfortably. After seeing him fume around the house all the time, watching him do social niceties felt new.
Either way, he squinted up his eyes in a smile and traded small talk with Haekyung. I watched them for a while, and when I got bored, I cut in.
“Guild Master?”
When he looked over, I gestured with both hands toward the door.
“He’s in here.”
“Trying to get rid of me quickly, huh? You stayed at my place long enough.”
“Place...?”
Joo’s face briefly clouded with puzzlement. I’d planned to hand-wave it later, but Haekyung apparently had no intention of moving on without explaining.
“Jehyun stopped by my place for a bit.”
“Ah...”
Joo nodded like that sufficed, then met my eyes and narrowed his brows slightly. Explain later?
'There’s nothing much to explain.'
Anyway, I left him behind and swung open the door to the room where the cult bastard was.
“Alright, then—have a look.”
Inside, the cultist I’d worked over that morning—far from fine—was lying on the floor bound tight, completely recovered otherwise. He wriggled and twitched, trying to say something, but with his mouth thoroughly gagged, the delivery wasn’t great.
Haekyung stared at the sight for a moment, then looked back at me with a faintly crooked smile.
“Jehyun, this is a bit much...”
“For the record, he’s got some mental issues, so I restrained him.”
He clicked his tongue once, then went straight to the man on the floor and personally pulled the gag from his mouth. The bastard immediately started shouting from where he lay.
“Believer Kim tried to harm me!”
Even exhausted, he bellowed. Haekyung promptly stuffed the gag back in.
