Chapter 114: The Pieces Begin to Fall Into Place

Dudududung.

Judging by the sound of a character dying, Eden still hadn’t managed to reach an ending again.

“Pwahaha. I’ve never seen someone this bad at games before!”

How many rounds had it been already?

The match between Park Bomyeong and Eden had become a perfect losing streak for Eden.

And yet they kept playing anyway, simply because there was nothing else to do.

More than three days had passed since Irihyeon’s death, but the investigation was still ongoing, leaving the Seoul Second Center practically paralyzed.

Gates had to be opening all over the place, yet no one seemed to care.

Looked at another way, it probably meant they were having trouble identifying the culprit behind Irihyeon’s murder.

Just yesterday, they’d even started investigating high-rank espers across the entire country.

The fact that Im Chan and Hwang Jiyu still hadn’t been arrested suggested that Park Bomyeong’s testimony hadn’t fully convinced them yet.

No—

It had only been a single day.

I should wait a little longer.

While I was lost in thought, I suddenly felt a chill creep through the office.

At some point, the space had fallen into a breath-held silence.

The sounds of gaming and casual chatter had vanished completely.

“Everyone, stay seated.

Just be ready.

We can move after we see how things play out over there.”

I didn’t immediately understand what Jaeyul meant.

But it became clear soon enough.

I could feel many presences approaching the office.

Not just one or two—enough that even I could sense it.

“Everyone, remain where you are.”

As expected, an armed tactical unit stormed into the office.

There had to be at least thirty of them.

Leading them was the same investigator from the Support Agency who had questioned us before.

“What is the meaning of this?

What are you planning to do with force like this?”

“Ah, Team Leader, please don’t misunderstand.

We’re only here to apprehend the murder suspects and will leave immediately after.”

Wow…

Did Bomyeong really do it properly…?

For them to move this fast, they must have secured some level of evidence.

Unless… they were just desperate enough to grab anyone they could.

“You’re saying the suspects are here?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

The investigator raised his left hand, and the muzzles of the tactical unit’s guns converged on a single point.

The red laser dots from their weapons all pointed toward Hwang Jiyu and Im Chan.

“What—what is this?!

Why would I kill Ri-hyeon?!

Are you insane?”

They shouted in protest, but their bodies remained frozen in place.

No matter how powerful an esper was, getting shot like that would still mean death.

Unless you were a physical-enhancement type like Park Bomyeong.

“You can explain that during the interrogation.

Subdue them.”

“Te-Team Leader!

Jaeyul!

It’s not us!

You know what kind of relationship we had with Ri-hyeon, right?!

You know, don’t you?!”

Even as their arms were twisted behind their backs and bound with special restraints, they desperately begged for help.

But aside from Hwang Jiyu and Im Chan, none of the other team members showed much reaction.

“See?

I told you.

I said they were the culprits.”

Park Bomyeong was fixated on being proven right.

Eden watched with a face that said, “That could be true.”

And Jaeyul—

“Please conduct a thorough investigation.”

He had no intention of taking the hands they stretched toward him.

Why?

Because I had already finished laying the groundwork.

“What was the usual relationship like between Irihyeon, Hwang Jiyu, and Im Chan?”

“…Well….”

“Did it seem like an unequal relationship?”

“Yes….

They were academy classmates, but strangely, Irihyeon felt more like the master… no, the leader.

Jiyu and Chan always followed him one-sidedly.”

“That aligns with previous statements.”

“Even if Jiyu and Chan really did something like that to Ri-hyeon… honestly, I wouldn’t be that surprised.”

“Why is that?”

“N-No, it’s nothing!

I don’t have anything definite, so it feels wrong to say.”

“That’s fine.

I’ll take it only as reference.

Please go on.”

“…Sigh.

If you put it that way….

After we returned from the SS-rank gate, I saw Jiyu and Chan whispering about something secret for days.

Whenever someone approached, they stopped talking.

On the day of the incident, Jiyu stood up from the drinking party first and signaled Chan.

I’m not sure, but maybe something happened between the three of them inside the gate….”

“A problem?

What kind?”

“I wasn’t inside, so I don’t know.

But the fact that Jiyu and Chan supposedly got lost in the gate also doesn’t sit right with me.

They’re young, but skilled.

Why would they lose their way?

Anyway, after that, they shared a lot of secret conversations.

Ah—of course, I could be mistaken.”

“This was very helpful.

You may go.”

I offered a light greeting and stood up.

After Hwang Jiyu and Im Chan were detained, individual questioning of the team members followed one by one.

It felt like a supplementary investigation meant to solidify the charges against them.

So I deliberately highlighted the points investigators should find suspicious.

In cases like this, motive mattered above all else.

That was why I casually slipped in the story about the gate incident.

If the interrogation went well, they might even confess that the fake disappearance had been ordered by Irihyeon himself.

“However, we’ve received statements saying you didn’t get along with Irihyeon.”

Of course.

When people are cornered, they throw anyone they can under the bus.

That statement must have come from Im Chan or Hwang Jiyu.

“That can’t be true.

When we first became a team, there was the usual tension of hierarchy settling, sure.

But after that, we relied on each other a lot.

If you ask the others whether I had problems with Ri-hyeon, you’ll get the same answer.”

On the surface, we’d always acted like close teammates.

Though all of it had been Irihyeon’s scheme, this time I benefited from it.

To anyone watching, it would have looked like a warm, tight-knit team.

“That is the majority opinion.

We only asked to confirm.”

The investigation wasn’t over yet, but I had a good feeling about it.

I was curious about who really killed Irihyeon.

But finishing the revenge I hadn’t been able to complete was just as important.

I didn’t want to miss this chance to clean up Irihyeon’s thorn-in-the-side friends along with him.

—Hwang Jiyu!

It was Hwang Jiyu who tried to kill Ri-hyeon!

I just tried to stop it…!

The moment Im Chan shouted that from inside the interrogation room beyond the glass wall, everyone fell silent.

Unable to withstand being framed as the culprit, Im Chan made a confession no one had expected.

I hadn’t expected it either.

Hwang Jiyu… tried to kill Irihyeon…?

“…What the hell is he saying right now…?”

Our entire team was allowed to monitor the interrogation from the observation room.

If their statements contradicted each other, we were supposed to correct them immediately.

I hadn’t realized Im Chan’s mouth was this loose.

He was betraying Hwang Jiyu without hesitation.

Even if they were released without charges later, their relationship was clearly over.

—Why would he try to kill him…?

Because he made us do something strange…

We—no, Hwang Jiyu too—ended up in danger because of it!

—What kind of thing was that?

All of us, myself included, focused on Im Chan’s mouth.

The others were curious about what dangerous thing he meant.

I was wondering how far he would go to save himself.

—He… he trapped Jin Se-hyeon in the gate to kill him….

We pretended to get lost in the gate because of that plan.

And when it was about to be exposed, Jiyu couldn’t hold back her anger….

Wow….

I really didn’t expect him to spill that much.

“Th-That’s insane….

What are those guys even doing…?

How does more keep coming out the more you dig?”

No one could stay calm.

The shock kept piling up.

Selling out a dead friend just to survive—what an impressive friendship.

But those words didn’t entirely help me.

I had deliberately avoided saying during my own questioning that Irihyeon tried to kill me in the gate.

If that fact came out, I’d become the suspect with the strongest motive.

—Ah!

Jin Se-hyeon!

It could be him!

Ri-hyeon tried to kill him, so he must’ve wanted revenge!

That’s it—no doubt about it!

Just like that.

At Im Chan’s confident accusation, everyone’s gaze turned toward me.

The Support Agency prosecutor with us also immediately looked suspicious.

Im Chan’s previous statement had been detailed enough that this, too, sounded convincing.

Haah…

What a mess.

“W-What are you talking about…?

There’s no way Ri-hyeon tried to kill me.

He treated me so well….”

I had no choice.

I’d just act oblivious.

As if I hadn’t even noticed the malice directed at me.