Chapter 111: The Murder of Irihyeon

It was as if a midwinter cold wave had swept through the office.

A chilling air lingered, and no one could easily open their mouth.

Everyone had clearly understood the news, yet no one answered Hwang Jiyu’s dazed question.

“That can’t be true.

H-How could Rihyeon be dead.”

A scream close to a wail tore through the silence of the office.

That shredded voice seemed to act as a signal.

Only then did the frozen thoughts of the team members begin to move again.

“It could be a false report.

Just like how that article before turned out to be wrong.”

Yueden, the calmest among the team, offered a possibility.

Judging by his expression, it did not seem like he truly believed it himself.

Rather, he appeared to be trying to calm Hwang Jiyu and Im Chan, who were on the verge of panic.

“Right.

Y-Yeah.

It must be a false report.

There’s no way something like that would happen to Rihyeon.”

The team members nodded along with Hwang Jiyu’s words, pretending to agree.

But Hwang Jiyu herself clearly could not believe what she was saying.

Blood welled where she bit down hard on her lip.

“Team leader.”

The oppressive atmosphere broke the moment Jaeyul appeared.

As if he were the only one they could rely on, the team members looked at him with expectant eyes.

“You’ve all heard the news.”

Jaeyul spoke without visible agitation, as if he already knew.

That did not mean he was fine.

He was clearly shaken, judging by how stiff his face looked despite his efforts to hide it.

“That news isn’t real, right.

It’s a false report, isn’t it.”

“I don’t want to believe it either… but it’s true.

Rihyeon is dead.”

At Jaeyul’s confirmation, Im Chan’s legs buckled.

He collapsed onto the floor, his face covered in wounds from who knew where.

The last shred of hope vanished completely.

There was no longer any way to deny Irihyeon’s death.

If Irihyeon had died inside a gate, the panic would not have been this severe.

Deaths happened frequently inside gates.

But how could anyone believe that someone perfectly fine until yesterday, someone overflowing with the power to protect himself, had died inside his own home.

“This makes no sense.

Why would Rihyeon make a choice like that.”

Perhaps because of that, the mood naturally shifted toward assuming Irihyeon had taken his own life.

After all, there was no ordinary person who could kill someone of his caliber.

“That’s not it.

I haven’t confirmed everything yet, but it looks like he was murdered.”

Unlike when the news of his death first broke, there was little reaction in the office.

The idea was so absurd that it felt unreal to them.

“Everyone stay here and don’t leave your seats.

They’ll be starting witness interviews with the team soon.”

An investigation.

This could become troublesome.

I need to prepare a countermeasure quickly.

Why do I need a countermeasure.

Obviously… because I was at Irihyeon’s house last night.

11 hours earlier

— October X, 11:00 PM —

Strangely, the deeper the drinking went, the more violently my emotions surged.

Everything became extreme.

Things I liked felt excessively good, and things I disliked felt unbearably hateful.

Even the fact that we were supposed to be celebrating Team Leader Oh Seong-gyu’s birthday no longer mattered.

Of course, I could regulate the mana in my body and burn off the alcohol instantly.

But I did not want to yet.

The same faces kept floating through my mind.

Jaeyul for what I liked, Irihyeon for what I hated.

But the more I thought about it, the more I resented Jaeyul too.

I could have died alone inside that gate because of Irihyeon.

So how could Jaeyul calmly go out on a date.

Well… I am not certain it was a date.

But in my mind, the two of them were already passionately in love.

Doing all sorts of things together.

It is not that I want to interfere just because I cannot have him.

At least by my standards, their behavior is incomprehensible, and that is what infuriates me.

Imagining Jaeyul and Irihyeon being all lovey-dovey makes me crave alcohol again.

I should drink a bit more.

“Shouldn’t we stop him now.

Why is he drinking so stupidly.

Did he get dumped or something.”

“Hey.

You need to be dating first to get dumped.”

The chatter beside me snaps me out of my haze.

These bastards really seem to think I am some pathetic loser.

Even I date sometimes…

Well, when was the last time again.

The alcohol makes it hard to remember.

It is definitely not because it has been too long.

Ugh.

I hate them too.

I really wish the world would just end already.

Wait.

Come to think of it, do I really need to wait for Seon Jaeyul to destroy the world.

The Jaeyul I have seen up close does not suit that kind of violence.

He probably does not even want it.

More than anything, the more I think about it, the less I like the idea.

Drowning his hands in countless lives.

Standing in a place where he must bear all of humanity’s malice.

I would feel guilty leading Jaeyul down that path.

If he can live a normal life just fine…

Does he really need to become a villain who ends the world.

Maybe… just maybe…

Letting Jaeyul live the life he wants is enough.

And if the world truly needs a villain…

I can do it instead.

Why did it take me so long to think of this.

I do not need to involve Jaeyul at all.

I can handle it myself.

“I’ll head out first.”

Having reached the end of my thoughts, I quickly burned off the alcohol in my body.

As I stood up, the eyes of everyone at the table clung to me.

“It’s just getting started.

Where are you going.”

“…My dog is home alone.

And I’m tired.”

Neither of those is a lie, yet my conscience stings.

Because my real business is something else entirely.

“Hey.

We said we’d drink until morning.

Why are you leaving.”

Park Bomyeong whined like a child, flailing his arms and legs.

The floor of the bar shook from his brute strength.

That guy really needs to stop drinking too.

“Well then, I guess I’ll head out too.”

As I stood up, others who wanted to leave followed suit.

That was when I noticed something odd.

Hwang Jiyu stood up first and subtly exchanged a glance with Im Chan.

What exactly is going on with those two.

They move around together so secretly.

They might have been involved in Irihyeon’s schemes too, which annoys me.

But they come much later.

Just wait a little longer.

— October X, 11:59 PM —

“Ang.

Ang.”

I came home just in case, and as expected, Jaeyul was not back yet.

“Sorry I’m late.

What were you doing.”

Only Poppy greeted me at the door.

Seeing his tail wag so hard it looked like it might fall off was some comfort.

Poppy really is the best.

I hugged him and walked into the living room, asking about his day.

“Hm.

What were you doing.”

But Poppy did not answer.

He rolled his eyes diagonally and stared into the distance.

That meant he had done something he could not tell me.

“Huh.

Why is that moved.”

As I stepped into the living room, something felt off.

The display cabinet along one wall was tilted.

It was so heavy that it should not have budged at all.

As I approached it, a faint whooshing sound brushed past my hair.

Wind.

Suddenly… wind.

“Grrr….”

“Poppy… what is that.

Care to explain.”

The wind was coming through a hole in the wall behind the cabinet, near the floor.

It was just large enough for a small puppy to squeeze through.

“Did you really go in and out through there.

From this height.”

Judging by how he licked my hand and acted cute, that seemed to be the case.

So I uncovered one of Poppy’s secrets.

Still, that was a relief.

I had imagined his paw turning into a human arm, doing vein authentication, and walking out proudly.

A dog hole is much more normal.

Though I still have no idea how he broke through such a thick wall.

“It’s fine.

As long as you didn’t get hurt.

Just be careful from now on.

Alright.”

Instead of scolding him, I stroked Poppy’s back.

Unlike certain people, he never causes trouble.

I can forgive a little mischief.

“Poppy… what should I do.”

“Ang.”

Feeling stifled, I vented to him a bit.

Honestly, ever since I confirmed Jaeyul was not home…

No, since the bar earlier, I had already made up my mind.

I decided not to make Jaeyul play the villain.

Of course, if he insists, I will not stop him.

And I will respect Jaeyul’s daily life as well.

It might sting for a while…

But I will not show bitterness toward him meeting other people.

“So… I should kill him, right.”

But I cannot extend that generosity to Irihyeon.

No matter how much Jaeyul likes him, Irihyeon is unforgivable.

I will punish him for daring to try to kill me, Poppy, and Jaeyul.

Without dirtying anyone else’s hands.

With my own.

“I’ll be back, Poppy.

I might be late, so go to sleep first.”

I set Poppy down on the sofa, grabbed my clothes, and left the house.

Blending into the darkness, I headed for Irihyeon’s home.

— October X, 1:40 AM —

I checked the mailboxes on the first floor to confirm Irihyeon’s unit.

I already knew the building, but I needed the exact number.

The fifteenth floor.

The entire floor was his residence.

Perfect.

It was a luxury villa with no neighboring units, so no sound would leak out.

I waited for about an hour until late at night.

I wore a mask, a face covering, a hat, thick winter clothes, and gloves.

Even if CCTV caught me, I made sure my identity would never be exposed.

So far, it seemed none of the cameras in this building had captured me.

Creeeak.

I had climbed all the way up the emergency stairs, wondering how to open his door.

Then I noticed the back door by the stairwell was already open.

A small badge was wedged in the door, preventing it from closing properly.

It was a Seoul Center No. 2 badge, one I recognized well.

Without thinking, I touched it.

Then realized my mistake and put my gloves on.

I had already touched it bare-handed.

Just in case, I took the badge with me and slipped inside carefully.

The door led directly into the kitchen.

I passed through it, then through a dining room far too large for one person.

Fortunately, it did not seem like Jaeyul had come here.

Or perhaps he had already left.

If he had been here, everything would have fallen apart.

This worked out well.

Feeling slightly more at ease, I moved forward.

Even after entering the spotless living room, Irihyeon was nowhere to be seen.

I stopped in front of what looked like the master bedroom and steadied myself.

“Huu….”

I will carry out my revenge with my own hands, without anyone’s help.

It may be excessive, but I am done giving Irihyeon chances.

Every time I did, he stabbed me in the back.

He may be an A-rank esper, but in a one-on-one, I am confident I can win.

All I need is a single moment within arm’s reach.

Once I resolved to do it myself, I felt strangely lighter.

Starting with Irihyeon, it might even be fun to take on the villain role Jaeyul cannot.

Half tense, half expectant, I opened the door.

The room was swallowed in thick darkness, as if blackout curtains had been drawn.

But the moment I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.

The suffocating stench of blood.

Reflexively, I hit the light switch by the door.

“…What the hell is this.”

Under the bright light, the scene was horrifying.

At the center of white bedding dyed red lay a body so mutilated it was hard to recognize its shape.

Blood splattered everywhere, as if deliberately displayed.

Someone had murdered Irihyeon.