Chapter 80

Two weeks have passed, and although I haven’t caught any solid evidence yet, I did find out one thing.

There was this guy who was really loyal to Shin Joo-tae.

‘His name was Kim Jong-won, right?’

Shin Joo-tae seemed to trust him a lot, and it looked like he was practically handling all of Shin Joo-tae’s work.

When I checked his status window, there wasn’t anything particularly special about his traits, but I remember his title wasn’t great.

‘It’s been two weeks… and no significant progress.’

I was planning to keep surveillance for a month, but since two weeks have passed with no results, I’m starting to feel a bit uneasy.

‘…Is the spy not Shin Joo-tae?’

If Shin Joo-tae isn’t the spy, then all this effort is for nothing.

‘Damn it, if you’re going to show me the first round’s records, at least show them properly…’

I got annoyed because the records were cut off midway, and now I’m stuck with this mess. If I at least knew the spy’s name, it would’ve been easier to investigate.

‘Yoon Yeon seems to be looking into it too, but it doesn’t seem like she’s had any success either.’

It’s an unavoidable outcome for her. It’s not that she’s incompetent. Since the spy hasn’t been identified, she can’t delegate the task to anyone else. In other words, she has to investigate alone.

But she can’t entrust the investigation to the Information Clan or other agencies because she’d have to provide clan information, which isn’t an option.

‘In the end, I have to do it myself.’

At least I’ve retrieved the Chimera. I need to check it again today.

‘Damn it… I really hope there’s something meaningful in there.’

I immediately ordered the Chimera to replay the recording.

‘I’ll skip the useless parts.’

After skipping through a few meaningless parts, I finally started hearing a crucial conversation.

—

『 Hyung-nim, by the way… what are you planning to do about that matter? 』

The voice belonged to that lackey who always followed Shin Joo-tae around.

『 We need to take it slow. Yoon Yeon, that woman, is very suspicious. 』

『 If you wrap this up properly… won’t you move up in the ranks? 』

‘….Ranks? Is this punk talking about the Outlaw Clan’s ranks?’

From the context, it didn’t seem like they were talking about the Myth Clan’s ranks.

『 The chances are pretty high. But, my goal isn’t the position. 』

『 I understand. 』

『 Remember this. Once the operation starts, we must capture Yoon Yeon alive. 』

‘Sigh…’

『 By the way… when is the operation starting? The guys are all hyped up, and I heard some of them can’t even sleep because they’re so excited. 』

『 It’s still a ways off. At least three more weeks. We’re still working out the details, so wait. 』

‘Three weeks. So they haven’t finalized the plan yet.’

『 But Hyung-nim, about that rookie staying in the clan… why is he even here? I heard rumors that he’s in a relationship with Yoon Yeon… 』

『 Shut up, you punk. 』

『 …Sorry, Hyung-nim. I misspoke. 』

『 Relationship? What relationship? Damn it, that rookie is just here for business. If there really is something going on… I’ll tear him limb from limb. 』

‘This guy’s got some violent words. Whether it’s you or me who gets torn apart, we’ll see.’

Now that I’ve secured the evidence, it’s not me who’s going to hell—it’s this guy.

『 Yes… By the way, will you get to meet the boss this time? If you make a big enough contribution, it seems possible. 』

‘The boss.’

Naturally, this unexpected topic caught my interest. I focused intently on the conversation.

『 There’s a chance. I’ve only met two of the executives, so it would be nice. 』

It seems the boss of that group is extremely cautious. Even Shin Joo-tae, an executive, has never seen his face. That was quite shocking.

‘…Does he not even know the name?’

If I can find out any information about their boss, that would be ideal.

『 If it’s you, Hyung-nim, I think it’s possible. The boss will definitely acknowledge you. 』

『 Kid, stop flattering… 』

Unfortunately, the useful part of the conversation ended there. Nothing more meaningful came up.

But this much was already a significant gain.

After all, if I catch and interrogate him, more information will come out. For now, this much is enough. No, actually, it’s more than enough—it’s a huge win.

‘I need to discuss this with Yoon Yeon first.’

There might be more spies besides these two, but once I interrogate them, everything will come to light, so it doesn’t matter.

I headed straight to Yoon Yeon’s office, where she was busy with work.

“What’s going on?”

“I found out who the spy is.”

“…Sit down first. Sit and talk.”

As she suggested, I sat down and got straight to the point.

“As I suspected, Shin Joo-tae is the spy. Oh, and Kim Jong-won, the guy who follows Shin Joo-tae around, is also a spy.”

Yoon Yeon made a very complicated expression upon hearing this. She must have been shocked since Shin Joo-tae was someone she trusted and had known for a long time.

“…Sigh.”

I understood how she felt, so I waited patiently for her to collect herself.

“…You have evidence, right?”

“Yes, let me play it for you.”

I started playing the recording from the Chimera.

As Yoon Yeon listened, her face hardened, and when a particular part came up, she clenched her fists, unable to contain her anger.

『 Remember this. Once the operation starts, we must capture Yoon Yeon alive. 』

『 By the way… when is the operation starting? The guys are all hyped up, and I heard some of them can’t even sleep because they’re so excited. 』

『 It’s still a ways off. At least three more weeks. We’re still working out the details, so wait. 』

“This… damn bastard…”

Yoon Yeon cursed at the mocking tone of the conversation. Her expression showed she was trying her best to suppress her anger and betrayal.

‘It’d be weird if she wasn’t angry.’

The fact that a subordinate she trusted and had known for so long was an outlaw—and one who harbored such lowly desires toward her—was infuriating.





Since it was Hwang, it would be strange if she acted like it was nothing.

I was curious about how long they had known each other, so I cautiously asked her.

“…How long have you known each other?”

“…Over 2 years. It’s been 4 years since I joined here, and Shin Joo-tae has been a member since I founded the clan.”

‘Huh…’

I don’t know since when he had been colluding with the Outlaw, but according to Yoon Yeon, he could have been acting as a spy for up to 2 years.

‘What a gutsy bastard.’

In a different sense, I couldn’t help but acknowledge him. At this level, he’s practically got his guts spilling out.

“So… in the end, the spies are these two?”

“Who knows. There might be more… I think we’ll have to interrogate to find out.”

“……”

If Yoon Yeon’s initial emotions were anger and betrayal, now she seemed to be feeling self-blame. It seemed like she was blaming herself for not managing the clan properly.

‘Does she think she’s incompetent?’

I understand her feelings, but she’s not incompetent. Seeing how I also failed to properly grasp the situation in the first round, it shows how thoroughly they hid things.

If I hadn’t seen the records in the library, it’s highly likely that this round would have proceeded the same as the first.

“…I don’t think you need to blame yourself. They probably hid it so thoroughly that it was naturally hard to notice.”

Yoon Yeon chuckled at my attempt to comfort her and spoke up.

“…Thanks for the comfort. It’s true that I failed to manage the clan properly.”

Well, it was more of a polite gesture. I said it in case she was blaming herself too much. Knowing Yoon Yeon, she’ll probably grow from this experience.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“Of course… I’ll have to interrogate them thoroughly.”

After finishing her words, Yoon Yeon called the deputy waiting outside the office and gave her instructions.

“Park Seo-hwa.”

“Yes, unnie. Did you call for me?”

“Bring Shin Joo-tae and Kim Jong-won here. Quietly.”

“…Yes.”

Perhaps sensing something unusual from Yoon Yeon’s expression, the woman who appeared to be the deputy quickly left the office.

Not long after, the deputy brought Shin Joo-tae and Kim Jong-won into the office.

“…I heard you called for us.”

I almost burst out laughing when I saw Shin Joo-tae’s expression.

‘Of course, you’d be nervous if you had something to hide, wouldn’t you?’

Only he and his deputy were called. It’s no wonder he felt something was off.

There’s also something called atmosphere. He must have felt that something was wrong.

Kim Jong-won, standing next to Shin Joo-tae, also seemed to sense something was off, his anxious face catching my eye.

Yoon Yeon remained silent for a while before quietly speaking up.

“…Park Seo-hwa, wait outside the office for now.”

“Yes, unnie.”

As Yoon Yeon sent her deputy out of the office, Shin Joo-tae’s pupils slightly shook.

“…May I ask why you called us? Also, why is Lee Yun-seong from the Eternity Clan here…?”

‘Sigh… You should manage your expression, kid.’

“…Why do you think I called you?”

At Yoon Yeon’s counter-question, he tried to maintain composure as he answered. He must have been thinking a lot due to Yoon Yeon’s unusual attitude.

“Perhaps… is there something you need us to do? Whatever it is, we’ll follow your orders. If it’s a request…”

‘Pfft…’

He was desperately trying to avoid the worst-case scenario he imagined.

“It’s not a request, so don’t worry.”

“Then…?”

“You should know better why I called you.”

At Yoon Yeon’s words, both their faces stiffened.

“…What do you mean…?”

Creak—

Yoon Yeon got up from her chair and walked between the two, who were standing stiffly. She passed them and stood with her back to them before speaking.

“Do I really have to say it out loud?”

“…I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Did I make some mistake?”

“Sigh…”

Yoon Yeon looked incredulous at Shin Joo-tae’s feigned ignorance. Even I was internally applauding his shamelessness. No further explanation was needed.

A person’s face couldn’t possibly be this thick.

‘Come to think of it, his title was ‘Actor on Stage,’ wasn’t it?’

He must have been an actor or performer on Earth. Just looking at his face, you could mistake him for someone who genuinely knew nothing, showing how skilled his acting was.

But to me, who knew the whole situation, this whole scene felt ridiculous. Yoon Yeon probably felt the same.

To put it in a metaphor, it’s like the police questioning a suspect with all the evidence in hand, and the suspect is still feigning ignorance.

In other words, it’s a situation where it’s hard for me to hold back my laughter.

‘Pfft… What a moron.’

The investigation had already narrowed down, and with all the evidence clear, I couldn’t help but laugh at his desperate attempts to act clueless.

I couldn’t hold back and let out a slight laugh.

“Ha, hahaha!”

Perhaps annoyed by my laughter, Shin Joo-tae’s lackey shot me a fierce look and spoke up.

“…Why are you laughing, Lee Yun-seong?”

‘Is he just dumb, or can’t he read the situation?’

Shin Joo-tae gave his lackey a look, but the lackey didn’t seem to catch on.

“Ah… You’ll understand when you hear this.”

‘You’ll soon know why I’m laughing.’