NOVEL NEXT Chapter 106
Chapter 106
“Hmm.”
Lee Si-hyun was sitting in the living room, spreading out papers and jotting something down in his notebook.
It was not a household account book.
He was listing the names of the inmates.
The names and contact information were lined up in a row.
These were not ordinary inmates.
They were all inmates with Hunter licenses he had encountered at the Special Detention Center.
They were members of the Yangji Guild or potential future members.
Among them, those written with purple ink were especially noteworthy.
They were inmates from the 6th Floor.
All were expected to be B-rank Hunters or above, crucial powerhouses of the Yangji Guild.
He had met all 20 inmates on the 6th Floor.
Among them were those with sentences so harsh that they couldn’t be of any help.
However, it was still necessary to meet them to maintain inmate order, so he did not exclude them from the interviews.
Anyway, they were all as he had imagined—except for one.
Kim Cheol-hyung.
Inmate from Unit 1, Room 10 on the 6th Floor.
An Awakened Being who repaid every grudge in blood and earned the notorious title of “Avenger of Blood.”
Naturally, he was a notorious figure.
But he was different from what he had expected.
His demeanor was exemplary, and he had not committed any violent crimes like murder.
So, he assumed Kim Cheol-hyung was like a “sword hidden in laughter,” perhaps someone to be wary of.
However, talking to him in person revealed otherwise.
He was not a wolf in sheep’s clothing but rather a sheep dressed as a wolf.
In simple terms, he was quite normal.
“I think it’ll be alright,” Si-hyun mumbled.
Currently, D-rank Hunter Lee Hae-chang was temporarily acting as the guild leader.
At the moment, it didn’t matter.
But as the guild grew bigger and more high-ranking Hunters joined, it would be increasingly difficult for him to lead.
A change needed to happen anyway.
Then it occurred to him that the man Kim Cheol-hyung would be perfect for the position.
First of all, he was an A-rank Hunter, a level that wouldn’t fall behind any other guild leaders.
His tall stature and handsome face would also enhance the guild’s image.
Above all, he liked that his mental faculties were sound.
No matter how much one might have paid for their crimes, it felt a bit unsettling to have someone with a history of heinous acts like sexual assault or robbery as a guild leader.
“Alright, I’ve decided.”
Si-hyun muttered again, writing “Guild Leader” next to Kim Cheol-hyung’s name.
◈ ◈ ◈
Bang.
The door swung open hard.
Someone barged into the Information Bureau Head’s office, but Wayne’s expression remained unchanged.
He was still as cold as ever.
The newcomer was a beautiful woman with cat-like eyes.
She was Lin Xue, the Awakened Being of Hyris who had just returned from New Zealand.
“Did you have a good trip?” Wayne asked in a monotone.
“I heard Kashir is dead?” Lin Xue asked, skipping the meaningless pleasantries.
“That’s correct.”
“Well, good riddance. You must be pleased,” she said, flashing a bright smile.
She walked over, sank deeply into the sofa, and crossed her legs.
“Can I smoke?”
“Do as you like.”
Lin Xue pulled out a menthol cigarette from her pocket and held it between her lips.
She didn’t take out a lighter.
Strangely, with a snap of her fingers, a small flame ignited at her fingertip.
She lit her cigarette with it.
“Phew.”
Taking a deep drag, she exhaled the smoke.
Wayne, silently observing, finally spoke up.
“There is one more dead.”
“I know. That trash, Bayan, also kicked the bucket,” Lin Xue said.
“Yup. The deputy chief is harboring a tremendous grudge over it.”
“A grudge? I mean, that kid probably went insane and killed someone, so what did he expect?”
Lin Xue took another deep drag from her cigarette and exhaled.
“It seems you haven’t heard the full details yet.”
Wayne said.
“What details?”
“Who killed Kashir and Bayan.”
“If it was in Korea, it’s only Ryu Geon-woo who could pull that off, right? I can’t think of anyone else who could have killed Kashir in that country.”
Lin Xue squinted at Wayne with narrowed eyes.
Apparently, she hadn’t heard.
The relationship between the Sword Master and her was far too famous for most of the Intelligence Bureau staff to be unaware.
So, it seemed Wayne decided not to mention it intentionally.
“It wasn’t Ryu Geon-woo.”
“Who then?”
“The Sword Master.”
“….”
In that instant, Lin Xue’s eyes widened as if struck.
She froze momentarily, then flung her cigarette butt to the ground.
She crushed it under the heel of her high boot.
“Say that again.”
“I said it’s the Sword Master.”
“Changjeol, if it’s your word, it mustn’t be a lie… but is it really him?”
“From the information that came in, yes. He has Acureruts with him and even used Hellfire.”
“Ah…”
Lin Xue sighed, her face a mix of complex emotions.
“Is he really in Korea?”
“That’s not the case.”
Wayne explained the incident that took place in Korea to her.
Lin Xue rested her chin on her hand, quietly listening.
Once he finished his explanation, she spoke up.
“Have you found his whereabouts?”
“Not at all; there isn’t a single lead yet.”
“That’s what I’d expect.”
Lin Xue rose from her seat.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes, if the deputy chief asks, say I went to Korea.”
“It probably won’t yield any results.”
“I know. I’m just going for the sake of it.”
◈ ◈ ◈
The 6th Floor had changed.
It was hard to believe, but there was no denying it.
The staff was still flabbergasted by the surprisingly transformed atmosphere of the ward.
“Stand at attention!”
The morning inspection proceeded smoothly like water flowing.
There were absolutely no points to criticize.
The inmates were organizing the common area like they were all housekeeping professionals.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“You’ve worked hard, Section Chief.”
The gaze of the Duty Chief looking at Si-hyun had changed.
It held a look of someone witnessing something miraculous.
It was almost a little burdensome.
However, Si-hyun had become accustomed to such looks and responded without a care.
“Security Department Head, you received the instructions, right?”
“Ah, yes. Please organize the storeroom.”
Although it was a bothersome and tedious task, seeing two Assistant Duty Officers made the Duty Chief appear fine with it.
“Also, please check the items. If anything is missing or lacking, document it and submit a request.”
“Yes.”
“Managing the inmates while organizing the storeroom might be cumbersome, but please put in the effort.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Then.”
As Si-hyun was opening the ward door to head to Unit 2, the Duty Chief noticed and opened the door for him first.
A customary action, but Si-hyun found it a bit burdensome and unnecessary.
It felt odd for the older Duty Chief to be so polite when he had hands of his own.
He had said he would do it, but perhaps it was taken as a polite gesture, so the Duty Chief kept opening the door.
It seemed best to just get used to it.
Si-hyun finished checking Unit 2 and entered the Ward Office for a short break.
Initially, it felt like an awkward space, but now it was comfortable like home.
He brewed some coffee and leisurely sipped on it.
It was a way to relax his body before starting serious work.
It might just be a feeling, but starting work this way felt less exhausting than jumping in right away.
Si-hyun sipped his coffee while mentally organizing the tasks he had for the day.
There wasn’t much change.
The repetitive nature of daily life applied to both inmates and correctional officers alike.
But he liked that it was Friday.
The night shift correctional officers would gain nothing from it being Friday, but those on the day shift wore different expressions as soon as Friday rolled around.
Si-hyun was no exception.
◈ ◈ ◈
Before lunchtime, he stopped by Unit 1 to check on the inmates’ conditions.
The inmates started their meals before the correctional officers, so there were already several who had finished eating.
Kim Cheol-hyung from Room 10 had also finished his meal and was reading a book.
He was blatantly scholarly.
Whenever he had free time, he would open a book and read.
Unlike the other inmates who were engrossed in genre novels, he was devouring academic texts.
He looked like an elite from Princeton.
“Section Chief.”
As Si-hyun approached Room 10, Cheol-hyung closed the book he was reading and shot him a curious glance.
“What is it?”
“I have a bad feeling today.”
He spoke with a serious voice.
The sudden remark made Si-hyun stare at Cheol-hyung blankly.
It sounded like something a fortune-teller would say.
He pondered how to react to such a statement.
“I have a bad feeling.”
Cheol-hyung repeated.
His face was serious, suggesting it wasn’t a joke.
“Bad feeling?” Si-hyun finally asked back.
“Yes.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means just what it says. Bad things usually happen on days like this.”
“No….”
Si-hyun laughed incredulously, treating it as a joke.
During the interview, Cheol-hyung mentioned that he had a knack for sensing things since childhood.
At the time, he thought it was just idle talk.
But now it seemed he had some superstitious tendencies beneath that high education level.
He could only think of that serious demeanor in that light.
“What you think doesn’t matter, but please don’t take my words lightly.”
“Well, are you saying I should be careful because something might happen?”
“I don’t know.”
“…”
Si-hyun’s face became one of incredulity.
He hadn’t realized this aspect of him.
He thought since he was an intelligent person who was not a serious criminal, he would handle things well enough to be made the guild leader, but now he was reconsidering that decision.
“Well, um… alright.”
Si-hyun gave a vague reply and moved away from Room 10.
As he exited the ward, he had already dismissed Cheol-hyung’s words from his mind.
◈ ◈ ◈
Lunch consisted of bossam and lettuce wraps.
It was a dish not typically on the menu.
However, occasionally, staff members would treat inmates to a special dish as a thank you for attending their ceremonies.
Usually, the added foods would be meats, fruits, or rice cakes.
In this case, one staff member prepared it to express gratitude for attending a wedding.
On such days, the atmosphere in the dining hall was better than usual.
If the food was delicious, that naturally made sense.
“This Section Chief.”
As he was focused on his meal, the Security Department Head opened his mouth.
When Si-hyun raised his gaze to meet the Head’s eyes, he found him staring back.
He quickly swallowed the food he was chewing and replied.
“Yes, Head.”
“Lately, rumors about you have been spreading far and wide.”
“Is that so? What kind of rumors?”
“They say you’re not human.”
Cough, cough…
Si-hyun choked on the food that hadn’t quite gone down, covering his mouth as he coughed violently.
It took a little while for him to calm down enough to apologize.
“I’m sorry. The food just got caught unexpectedly…”
“It’s alright; it happens while eating.”
“Thank you for understanding. More importantly, what exactly does that mean…?”
“They say you’re a monster and not a human.”
Cough…
“Here, water.”
The Security Department Head offered a cup of water.