Chapter 42: A Dangerous Negotiation

It was a terrifying and chilling situation, but when someone suddenly shoved their fingers into my armpits, I couldn’t help being ticklish.

I jumped up and instinctively stepped back.

My unintended act of resistance seemed to make the room suddenly quiet.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, I quickly realized what they were thinking.

If I didn’t obediently follow their orders, they would torture me until I became useful to them.

If I didn’t want to suffer unnecessarily, lowering my head would be the smartest move.

I wanted to stay as safe as possible until I could meet Han Jun again, so I forced an awkward smile and explained.

“I—I’m just very ticklish. Haha… ha.”

Jo Jun-cheol stayed silent in a creepy way for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing when I awkwardly smiled.

“Ahahahahahaha.”

I had no idea what he found so funny, but his hysterical laughter made him even scarier.

After laughing like that by himself, he plopped down on the sofa and began telling a story.

“Ahahaha. What a cute young man. Seeing such an innocent youth reminds me of my days as a recruit.”

And just like that, I stood there awkwardly while Shin Doong-ho nodded along, forced to listen to Jo Jun-cheol’s military stories for an entire hour.

You lunatic, stop talking about the army already.

He talked even more than a boss at a company dinner.

He told stories about getting first place in shooting training when he was a recruit.

About bullying a useless soldier until the guy wrote a suicide note.

About beating stray dogs that wandered near the base to death.

About killing a cat that lived off leftover military food and ripping its body apart, causing chaos in the division.

“Back when I was a recruit, I was pure too—just like you. But when you try to survive, you can’t help becoming ruthless.”

What kind of nonsense was that?

Was killing innocent animals because your superiors stressed you out something a sane person would do?

Jo Jun-cheol was completely insane.

Maybe this was what people meant by a psychopath.

Then I heard the creak of the sofa leather and the sound of military boots.

He was approaching me.

I swallowed nervously.

When Jo Jun-cheol stood in front of me, the blindfold was slowly removed.

Now I could see his face.

“Nice to meet you, Kim Do-hoon.”

A man who looked to be in his early thirties was smiling at me.

He had a slender jaw and a gentle-looking face.

Overall, he gave off a soft and kind impression.

His appearance was neat, like someone intelligent—more like a company employee than a soldier.

I couldn’t bear to keep looking at his face and lowered my gaze.

Jo Jun-cheol stared at me and continued in a playful tone.

“Oh? Have you completed your military service?”

“…Y-yes. I have.”

Jo Jun-cheol tapped my cheek lightly before turning to Shin Doong-ho.

“If he had been in my division, I would’ve taken good care of him. I used to bully a lot of guys who looked like this. They’re not the type to cry easily when pushed around, and they can take a beating. Perfect for playing with.”

Filthy bastard.

“But you can’t tease them too much just because they’re cute. They start screaming about suicide. Or they report you to the higher-ups. It’s exhausting. I had to live carefully like that—watching the guys under me too. I had to think hard just to avoid causing trouble.”

Then just don’t bully them in the first place.

I felt incredibly lucky that I had never encountered someone like him in the army.

People like him—who torment others subtly without leaving evidence—are the most despicable and draining.

“But now the world has become so nice that people like us can live comfortably. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Shin Doong-ho forced an awkward smile and nodded along.

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

He looked exhausted trying to keep up with the real lunatic Jo Jun-cheol.

“So what do you want? After losing your territory like that.”

Jo Jun-cheol smiled as he looked at Shin Doong-ho.

Finally, Shin Doong-ho explained the reason he had come all this way.

In the end, he asked for psychics to support him in killing Han Jun.

“Hm. Since you introduced me to such a good friend, I should introduce you to some good friends too.”

What kind of power did Jo Jun-cheol have?

While watching him carefully, I saw an ominous black aura flickering around his body.

Black… what was that?

Was it some kind of energy reflecting his rotten personality?

I had been staring too intently when he suddenly turned his head and our eyes met.

His eyes were so chilling that I quickly looked away.

“Take our friend somewhere so he can rest.”

Where were they taking me?

It wasn’t going to be a torture room, right?

I was worried about myself—but also about the Han Jun I had left behind.

Jun… I miss you.

Please hurry and get me out of here.

I almost started crying.

One of the men in the room led me to another place.

Contrary to my expectations, it was just an ordinary reception room.

For someone who supposedly enjoyed torturing people, Jo Jun-cheol seemed surprisingly humane toward psychics.

Probably because we were useful.

Still, I had a feeling there was a bigger scheme behind this.

If it were just a simple cooperative relationship, Shin Doong-ho wouldn’t be so terrified of him.

I sat stiffly in a chair, waiting to see what they would do to me.

Time passed slowly.

Hours went by.

No one came to see me.

I was completely ignored.

By the time evening approached, I had finally managed to cut the rope binding my hands.

I walked around the room, debating whether to stay here or escape.

What if Shin Doong-ho had already gathered other psychics and attacked Han Jun?

The thought made me uneasy.

I even considered jumping out the window.

But when I looked outside—

What the hell?!

In the garden of the National Assembly building, dozens of monsters were wandering around, drooling.

They weren’t even guarding the place properly.

Jo Jun-cheol had simply allowed monsters to roam freely.

His insanity was on full display.

If I tried escaping on foot, I’d become monster food instantly.

“Damn it. That bastard Shin Doong-ho!!”

I slammed my fists against the sofa, swearing revenge on the man who had sold me out after I saved his life.

Punching the desk would hurt my hands, so the sofa had to suffer instead.

“I see you’re very angry.”

Jo Jun-cheol walked in.

A man in a black suit followed behind him like a bodyguard.

A black aura swirled around the man’s chest and head.

His eyes were lifeless, as if he were being controlled by that energy.

They looked like the eyes of a corpse.

The moment I saw them, I quickly straightened my posture and stood with my hands behind my back.

If I wanted to survive, I had to act submissive.

Jo Jun-cheol smiled gently at me.

His narrow eyes curved softly.

If I didn’t know his true nature, I might have thought he was a kind older brother.

“Relax, relax. Sit down here.”

He sat in a chair and gestured to the seat across from him.

When I quietly sat down, Jo Jun-cheol crossed his legs and examined me from head to toe.

“So, what’s the situation?”

“Huh?”

“That friend of yours. What kind of ability does he have? Shin Doong-ho lies so much I can’t trust a word he says. It’s hard to believe a gangster outright.”

Look at that—people of the same kind hating each other.

I decided to try persuading Jo Jun-cheol.

I had no desire whatsoever to be on the same side as this psychopath.

But meeting Han Jun again was the priority.

Someone like Jo Jun-cheol would always support whichever side had more value.

So I explained that Han Jun was more capable than Shin Doong-ho—

but not stronger than Jo Jun-cheol himself.

If he thought Han Jun was more powerful than him, he would kill him immediately.

So I presented Han Jun as someone valuable but flawed—too useful to kill.

“He’s very gentle. Really kind, listens well, and he’s so gullible he’d probably buy a hundred electric heating mats if someone recommended them.”

People like Jo Jun-cheol loved gullible targets.

They could sense people who were easy to manipulate and use.

“Really?”

His eyes lit up.

“When he worked at a boxing gym, he was such a sucker. He worked six days a week for a tiny salary. No vacation, no overtime pay, nothing. From morning until evening, he did everything alone. I’ve never seen someone such a pushover.”

These kinds of people love pushovers.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s why I stuck around him. He’s strong, but way too kind. Honestly, I didn’t even realize the city had become this chaotic because I lived comfortably thanks to him.”

“I heard you also have abilities?”

“Oh, I only discovered them recently. I lived comfortably before, so I never had to use them. It only appeared when I fought Shin Doong-ho. And healing powers might help others, but how do they help you survive? If I go outside alone, I’d just die to monsters.”

I talked endlessly, trying to appeal to Jo Jun-cheol.

Please, please believe this.

Inside I was desperately praying while outwardly pretending to be naive and harmless.

“I just have to cling to strong people like you or Jun to survive. Haha.”

“So you heal them when they’re injured. Mutual benefit?”

“Yes, exactly.”

As I nodded quickly, Jo Jun-cheol suddenly pulled a knife from his coat.

I stiffened immediately.

But instead of attacking me, he cut deeply into his own arm.

“Ah!”

I gasped in shock.

Jo Jun-cheol chuckled and held out his bleeding arm toward me.

“Try healing it.”

So he wanted to test my ability.

This was easy.

I used my power on his arm.

White light seeped into the wound, and the cut disappeared completely.

“Interesting.”

Jo Jun-cheol examined his arm, now healed except for a trace of blood, and murmured in admiration.