NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83
Chapter 83: The Unexpected Death
“Wait? He’s dead?!”
Kang Baek’s eyes widened in shock.
Since he was next to the victim, he had no idea what had happened here.
He heard a scream and rushed over, only to find Kang Tae-eun writhing on the ground before suddenly stopping.
“Could it be that my brother…?”
“No way, man.”
Lee Si-hyun spoke as if he were asking who could be so clueless.
“I didn’t lay a finger on him.”
“…Then what the hell happened?”
“That’s what I want to know too.”
Even though he said that, Si-hyun had a rough idea of why Kang Tae-eun ended up like this.
The black cross’s taboo, which he felt while interrogating Han I-seol’s younger sibling, was designed to prevent the release of certain information.
This time, however, Kang Tae-eun’s overwhelming ability seemed to have shattered that taboo, nearly letting the information spill out.
Kang Tae-eun, ensnared by the taboo, likely endured unimaginable pain.
Not just any pain, but something that ultimately led to death.
For that reason, the situation had taken a turn no one expected.
“What do we do now?”
Kang Baek looked at the deceased Kang Tae-eun.
“We didn’t kill him, so what do you want to do?”
Si-hyun emphasized the fact that they didn’t do it.
Sure, there was a connection since his question led to this outcome, but he felt no weight on his conscience.
After all, it was a death row inmate who had escaped and committed two more murders, attempting a third.
It was just a dead man who was destined to die.
“Should we report it?”
“You haven’t reported it yet?”
“Yeah, I was about to call when I heard the scream.”
“Then we should contact the Special Investigation Department right away.”
“The Special Investigation Department? Ah… That guy was Kang Tae-eun, right?”
Kang Baek nodded and continued.
“But his face has changed so much… Do you think they’ll believe it?”
“The fingerprints seem intact, so if we run a fingerprint check, his identity should come up.”
Si-hyun casually lifted Kang Tae-eun’s finger to inspect it.
“Oh, you’re right.”
Kang Baek scratched his head.
“How’s the woman doing?”
“She calmed down a lot more than before.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Ah, but she said she’s a correctional officer from the Seoul Detention Center.”
“Really?”
Si-hyun raised an eyebrow in surprise.
In the end, it turned out they had saved one of their own.
“Yeah, that’s what she said. By the way, this operation is turning out way better than expected. We rescued two women in danger and caught Kang Tae-eun… or rather, he was caught.”
Kang Baek recalled Kang Tae-eun’s death and changed the verb to past tense.
Either way, it was indeed a brilliant accomplishment, and it was only natural that pride would show on Kang Baek’s face.
At this level, nobody could complain about being proud of the outcome.
“Yeah, it would have been a disaster if we hadn’t supported. I told you, I felt this strange fate. That was why I decided to step in.”
Actually, it was because of the quest, but…
Now that I think about it, I still hadn’t completed the quest related to Kang Tae-eun.
It seemed the quest would only be completed after delivering Kang Tae-eun’s corpse to the Special Investigation Department.
“Ugh, if that’s the case, I’ll just say I felt fated too.”
Kang Baek said with a chuckle.
He took Si-hyun’s words to be just a playful jab.
“Sure, sure. Ah, but speaking of which.”
Si-hyun suddenly looked as if he remembered something.
“Yes, brother?”
“Is it possible to measure magic power on a dead person?”
“Well, I don’t think so? Just a second.”
With that, Kang Baek pulled out his smartphone and started searching.
“Um… yeah, it seems it’s not possible.”
Kang Baek quickly responded after his search.
“Got it. Thanks for checking.”
Si-hyun’s face brightened up.
Thinking about it again made him feel like the situation was turning in his favor.
It was undeniable that he had knocked down Kang Tae-eun.
Even if he requested cooperation to hide it, there was no way three people could perfectly align their stories.
If Kang Tae-eun had been captured without a hitch, it would have revealed that he was an A-Class Awakened Being the moment they attempted to measure magic power.
If that were the case, he would suddenly find himself touted as the incredible individual who single-handedly took down an A-Class Awakened Being.
He was only at a C-Class level, and he hadn’t gotten strong enough to be satisfied with that.
Besides, according to his license, he was still D-Class.
If a D-Class were to question how they took down an A-Class, there was no doubt he would find himself in a tricky situation.
In that sense, it was fortunate that Kang Tae-eun had died.
With two witnesses besides him, it was bound to get out that Kang Tae-eun was an Awakened Being.
But since they couldn’t measure magic power, they wouldn’t even think he was A-Class.
Having been taken down by a D-Class, they would likely settle for believing he was a low-level Awakened Being.
And if things played out like that, he wouldn’t face any troublesome situations.
No matter how he thought about it, he felt lucky.
Had Kang Tae-eun survived, he would have had to convince Kang Baek and the woman to line up their stories, which was a method fraught with anxiety.
“Ah, but what rank was Kang Tae-eun? I heard you mention A-Class earlier…”
Kang Baek spoke up.
Now that he thought about it, during their fight, he had probably blurted out, “You’re not A-Class, right?”
“Ah, that A-Class thing? That was just some light trash talk during the fight. You think I actually thought he was A-Class? He’s nowhere near A-Class! Fighting him felt more like he was a weak D-Class.”
Si-hyun replied as casually and naturally as possible to Kang Baek’s comment.
“Yeah, I thought it was ridiculous too and was wondering why you said that, but it was just taunting.”
Kang Baek had never seen an A-Class Awakened Being.
He had only heard that less than 1% of Awakened Beings were A-Class and that they were incredibly formidable.
It was unfathomable for him to imagine an A-Class with such a stellar reputation being taken down by a D-Class like his colleague.
Though there were still some doubts.
“But you fought really well. Your movements were more than impressive than I thought…”
“Haha, you’re really painting me in a flattering light, Kang Baek. This is company secret stuff, but you wanna hear it?”
Si-hyun replied with a grin.
Of course, his mind was running vigorously to concoct a plausible answer.
“Ooh, what is it?”
Kang Baek asked with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
“Well, you see, there’s a skill that increases abilities in dark places. So, that’s how I was able to move like that. I was just really lucky in multiple ways.”
Si-hyun borrowed Kang Tae-eun’s ability and slapped on an explanation.
Since it was something that actually existed, it was a believable explanation for something hastily made up.
“Oh, so that’s how it was.”
Kang Baek nodded, looking convinced.
He couldn’t stand the sight of blood, so he had never properly participated in a raid; therefore, he didn’t really know much about Awakened Beings.
This was the first time he’d ever seen an Awakened Being fight up close.
So he accepted Si-hyun’s explanation with a vague understanding.
“Yeah, yeah. Speaking of, it’s about time we contact the Special Investigation Department. I’ll handle it so you stay with the lady. In situations like this, leaving someone alone can make anyone uneasy.”
Si-hyun shifted the conversation to prevent persistent questions.
“Ah, got it.”
Suddenly remembering that he had left the still-nervous woman alone, Kang Baek turned his body and hurried back.
Si-hyun took out his phone and searched for the number of the Special Investigation Department saved in his contacts.
◈ ◈ ◈
It had been exactly 11 months and 17 days since Kang Tae-eun had escaped when a call was made to the Special Investigation Department.
Due to an ongoing emergency response to a murder case believed to be involving Kang Tae-eun, an exhausted police officer mechanically answered the phone.
He thought it was going to be yet another annoying call that had come through numerous times before.
However, upon receiving the call and exchanging a few words, the police officer’s expression dramatically changed.
With a serious yet excited demeanor, he continued to converse.
Just as the lengthy conversation drew to a close, the police officer jumped up from his seat with force.
The chair scraped loudly against the floor as it fell backward, but the officer didn’t care.
“We’ve found him!”
The officer shouted, causing everyone in the room at the Special Investigation Department to turn their attention sharply to him.
“The correctional officer who came to support the Special Investigation Department found and captured Kang Tae-eun at Cheonggye Mountain!”
The officer exclaimed with gusto once more.
“Are you sure you saw him? Is it really Kang Tae-eun?”
Someone asked.
Given that countless personnel had searched high and low and found nothing, it was hard to believe that a correctional officer had managed to capture him suddenly.
“Well… his appearance has changed completely, so it’s not possible to identify him by looks alone. He apparently underwent full facial surgery. However, he did assert he was Kang Tae-eun.”
“What? Surgery? Are we sure we didn’t randomly catch someone weird?”
“No way, it’s entirely plausible. I told you last time that guy probably changed his face completely. That’s why he hasn’t been caught until now.”
The police’s words sparked a fervent debate within the Special Investigation Department.
“Both the reporter and the witnesses are adamant that it’s him. For now, this information is the most credible, so we need to mobilize personnel urgently. Oh, and one more thing.”
Everyone’s gaze fixed on the officer’s mouth.
“They say the captured Kang Tae-eun died shortly after.”
“What?!”
“He’s dead?”
“Dead?”
“Believe it?”
“Does that even make sense?”
In that moment, the chatter in the Special Investigation Department exploded like a market.
“Quiet! Quiet down!”
A middle-aged man with a grim demeanor sitting at the command post shouted.
The noisy scene fell silent almost immediately.
“First, assemble a team. We need to grab any straw we can. Two murders have occurred, and we can’t keep going about without any results while causing high-ranking officials to be uneasy. Hurry up. I will go personally.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“A lot has shown up.”
Lee Si-hyun muttered as if in awe.
This was the first time he had seen so many police officers in his life.
The mountain’s base, where only Kang Tae-eun’s and his own car had been parked, was now ablaze with police vehicles.
“Wow, I’m shivering.”
Kang Baek said.
“You’re not a criminal, so what’s there to be scared about? Relax, relax.”
“I’m shaking too.”
The woman who was abducted by Kang Tae-eun, Jeong Ah, said with a trembling voice.
In reality, she desperately wanted to escape the haunting memory of this traumatic experience.
However, she was a key witness, and her saviors were still here, so it didn’t feel right to leave before the situation was resolved, so she held her shaking heart in place and stayed.
“Just speak according to what you saw and heard, and there won’t be any problems.”
Si-hyun spoke in a calm voice to reassure Jeong Ah as people began to arrive.
He didn’t know much about police organizations, but there were plainclothes officers, uniformed officers, and detective teams among them.
Thanks to his experiences in social life, he quickly identified who among them was the higher-ups.
Walking through with plainclothes surrounded by others, he spotted a middle-aged man who looked like he wouldn’t joke around.
Upon getting closer, he seemed like someone who wouldn’t spare them a single greeting and walked directly toward where Kang Tae-eun’s corpse lay.
He began observing the deceased for a while.
“Hmm, from what I’ve heard, his face has changed completely. Is it really Kang Tae-eun?”
The man muttered, looking skeptical.
He was Park Cheol-gon, the director of the Special Investigation Department and head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigation unit.
Park Cheol-gon was an ambitious man.
So, when he got the chance to lead the Kang Tae-eun case, which had garnered public attention, he saw it as a golden opportunity to make a significant achievement.
However, contrary to his expectations, the investigation had hit a snag.
To make matters worse, two additional murders suspected to be executed by Kang Tae-eun had occurred.
With no results and these incidents piling up, he was utterly on edge.
Each day was a source of extreme stress.
Thus, when there was a possibility that it could actually be him, he jumped up from his seat and hurried over.
He was in a state of total eagerness.
“Anyway, let’s get a fingerprint to verify the identity.”
“Yes, understood.”
As Park Cheol-gon spoke, a man who looked like a detective immediately moved to take the fingerprints.
“By the way, why is he dead? Tsk tsk.”
Park Cheol-gon frowned and clicked his tongue.
To find out how he had been hiding and who had helped him, he needed him to be alive.
The dead speak not a word.
With a frustrated expression, Park Cheol-gon stood up and approached Si-hyun’s group.
“Who is the reporter?”
Si-hyun’s eyebrows twitched.
Kang Baek’s and Jeong Ah’s expressions darkened as well.
It was rude to speak in such a familiar tone without a greeting.
While there were often complaints online about police officers doing just that, experiencing it firsthand was bewildering and made them feel bad.
“That would be me.”
Si-hyun’s voice turned naturally stiff.
“Who was the one that fought with the person presumed to be Kang Tae-eun?”
“That would be me.”
Si-hyun replied once more.
“Hmm, I see. Just wait here.”
Park Cheol-gon crossed his arms and turned away.
If the corpse were confirmed to be Kang Tae-eun, a thorough investigation would follow.