The Thug Hides the Villainess

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055 – The Poison That Kills When Eaten #3

On the morning when the male students headed to school, the air in the basement, slowly warming towards summer, was still chilly like winter.

This was due to the events of the morning.

“Wishing for a cycle machine? Did you come here for a picnic? This isn’t a training ground!”

Seoga-eul snapped at Yu Yeoreum.

The sharp, bee-sting-like barbs of her criticism struck deep into Yu Yeoreum’s heart.

Yu Yeoreum recalled what had happened earlier.

Before the male student, Hanam-jin, arrived at the basement with the morning newspaper, Yu Yeoreum had hesitated for a long time before expressing her wish.

It was her desire for a cycle machine to be placed in this basement.

While she couldn’t ask to be let out or for permission to write a letter home, asking for a cycle machine seemed like a negotiable topic.

“Health management is important.”

Although Yu Yeoreum responded with a cynical tone, part of her was sincere.

Being cooped up in this basement for too long made her feel like she was losing muscle, which gnawed at her.

Yu Yeoreum just wanted to do something meaningful instead of wasting her time in here, and a cycle machine was all she asked for.

Yet, Seoga-eul was criticizing Yu Yeoreum’s attitude.

“Wow, are you the type to wag your tail at boys and take all the good things for yourself? This is shocking. What was it? When a senior confessed to you in middle school, didn’t you brush him off saying you weren’t interested in romance?”

Seoga-eul and Yu Yeoreum were alumni of Baekhwa Middle School.

Though they had never been in the same class, one was the only daughter of a global conglomerate, while the other was the daughter of a leading political figure in Korea, leading them to exchange light greetings with each other.

The Yu Yeoreum Seoga-eul remembered was a girl who kept her hair cut short for a student, primarily wore the school’s gym uniform, and who was more popular among the girls than the boys. Nevertheless, some male students approached Yu Yeoreum to ask her out.

Given that Baekhwa Middle School was referred to as a “noble school,” the boys who showed interest were the sons of ministers or some chaebols.

However, Yu Yeoreum turned down all of their advances.

“It’s because I have no interest in that kind of thing,” she would say.

So rumors circulated that perhaps Yu Yeoreum wasn’t into boys at all—having seen those actions, it was clear it had merely been pretense all along.

“Yu Yeoreum, are you some kind of hooker?”

Seoga-eul openly condemned Yu Yeoreum for sweet-talking the male student for the mere sake of a “cycle machine.”

Yu Yeoreum flared up.

“What do you mean? What did I do to deserve that much scorn?”

“Do you think I don’t know you’re flirting with Hanam-jin? You keep making eye contact, pretending to bump into him, and then apologizing! Are you nuts? It’s disgusting.”

Yu Yeoreum’s face flushed bright red.

She never expected Seoga-eul to see through her subtle attempts to charm the boy to get a cycle machine.

‘As expected, Seoga-eul is way more experienced in the art of seduction than I am.’

Yu Yeoreum thought back to what she’d known of Seoga-eul since middle school.

To Yu Yeoreum, Seoga-eul was the epitome of pretense.

Every single action, even the unintentional dropping of a handkerchief was a calculated move.

Isn’t it tiring to live like that?—Yu Yeoreum thought but felt no particular desire to say anything about it. No reason to.

However, after being trapped in the same room, Yu Yeoreum felt the unfairness of knowing so little about Seoga-eul.

Still, she held the upper hand.

After all, Yu Yeoreum had gained a cycle machine through the male student.

Beyond just acquiring a machine, realizing that she could broker deals with male students was a significant gain.

So when Yu Yeoreum regained her composure, Seoga-eul snapped at her again.

“Are you really thinking of going through with this? Do you even know what happened to Baek-Yeoul, who tried to mess with me?”

Hearing the name Baek-Yeoul sent Yu Yeoreum’s memory back to her middle school days.

Seoga-eul had been very close friends with Baek-Yeoul back then, to the extent that they looked more like sisters than friends.

Best friends.

Even Yu Yeoreum, who didn’t know their relationship well, could see they were inseparable. But after entering high school, Seoga-eul’s relationship with Baek-Yeoul grew cold drastically.

To be precise, it was more like Seoga-eul unilaterally tormented Baek-Yeoul.

Yu Yeoreum suddenly became curious.
Why did Seoga-eul bully and ostracize Baek-Yeoul, who had once been her friend?

They had clearly been super close back then.

# # #

The main building of the Seo Nam Group.

On the top floor, there was a penthouse.

So what about the floor beneath it?

That would be Chairman Seo Do-cheol’s office.

So that was why balding executives kept bustling in and out of the floor right below the penthouse.

Jin Ramyeon had repeatedly warned me before getting off the elevator, “Whatever you do, don’t cause trouble.” Was I really that untrustworthy?

Who could be as docile as me?

Ding dong-.

Thus, I arrived at the chairman’s office.

Chairman Seo Do-cheol looked even more haggard than the night before. His office was so cluttered that it hardly resembled a chairman’s office.

The flowers and plants in the pots were all uprooted, and shards of glass lay scattered everywhere. Did he break an aquarium?

Poor dead fish.

“Chairman, this is Inspector Jin Li-hyun. And here we have…”

“Father-in-law, I’m Hanam-jin. Good to see you again.”

“Hey! You! You’re supposed to stay still; why do you keep causing trouble?!”

Jin Ramyeon immediately exploded at that.

However, Chairman Seo Do-cheol’s gaze was fixated not on us, but on the tablet PC on his mahogany desk.

He seemed so engrossed in it that he hardly realized we were there.

When I glanced over, I saw a video of Seoga-eul playing.

Thunk-.

Chairman Seo Do-cheol continued to replay the 30-second video several times before finally shifting his attention. Then straight to the point he went, without any embellishments.

“Here, ‘Zero Cola Fresh’ is something only a select few among the executives knew about. It’s a thing that charges the vitality of Awakened Ones. How did the hostage-taker know about it?”

“Could it be an insider’s doing? I think the demands he made were a kind of warning. Just like saying he’s an insider who knows vital information about Seo Nam and to not mess around—something like that.”

No way, I really just wanted to drink fresh cola.

I wished it would be released soon.

“Then what does it mean for him to request the drinks to be in glass bottles?”

Chairman Seo Do-cheol asked.

This time, Jin Ramyeon shook her head, saying, “I have no idea.”

And then she looked at me.

“Brother, what do you think with your ridiculous logic?”

Why do they want drinks in glass bottles?

It simply tastes better.

“The hostage-taker might just prefer drinking drinks. Even if they’re the same drinks, if they’re in a cold glass bottle, they taste better, right? PT bottles, on the other hand, taste the worst.”

“After kidnapping the daughter of the Seo Nam chairman, it took them a month before sending a message. Do you think a meticulous fellow capable of leaving no trace would make such a demand just because he likes a drink?”

It’s real though.

Not being able to communicate my true feelings in this situation is truly frustrating!

Feeling suffocated, I decided to steer the conversation away to drinks instead.

“Father-in-law, what do you think about this first issue? There’s a condition that the transactions between Billunners and Seo Nam must be disclosed. According to the demands, it means that Gaeul’s survival probability increases, right?”

“……”

Chairman Seo Do-cheol looked at me.

Then he asked Jin Ramyeon.

“Why is this kid here?”

“Starting today, he’s my assistant for a few days. He’s a trustworthy friend.”

“Send him away.”

“Of course. Brother, could you step outside for a moment?”

What?

Under such circumstances, I was mercilessly kicked out of the chairman’s office.

However, I had a concept of “feelings,” and the conversations exchanged beyond that thick door were partially audible to my sensitive ears.

━ In my opinion, there’s a possibility that it was the work of Billunners, including Gu Se-jun. Secondly, there’s a chance it’s a retaliation from President Nam Tae-geon. Thirdly, it’s always the Je Wang Group eyeing my position.

Chairman Seo Do-cheol had pointed out three suspects.

Billunners, the President, Je Wang Group.

Of course, they were all wrong.

With so many enemies, it’s impossible to get a grasp of who might be after him.

In any case, Chairman Seo Do-cheol did seem to have suffered an upset stomach after taking my poison.

After a few more doses, he was bound to empty everything he had been holding inside.

Concerning the final backstage of the incident I was investigating and the definitive evidence that would tighten the noose around their necks.

While I was having such thoughts, a man, presumably the chairman’s secretary, came over and handed me a glass of cola.

“Here’s ‘Zero Cola Fresh.’

“A bit early, but it’s the product that will be hitting stores starting this week. Do you want to give it a try?”

Clink, fizz-!

The sight of bubbles swirling up made me quickly bring my mouth to it, turning my mouth into a festival that reached down to my throat.

This is the taste.

My head also began to spin.

With my brain activated, I thought that it might be a good idea to slowly change the location where Seoga-eul and Yu Yeoreum were held.

Given that the investigation would soon accelerate, I couldn’t keep them next door indefinitely.

To be honest, it had been a miracle not to get caught up until now.

“Please find Gaeul.”

Just then, the secretary spoke to me.

“Name: Kim Secretary

Status: 《Worry》 – Deeply concerned for Seoga-eul’s disappearance.”

“Gaeul is really a good kid. She doesn’t deserve to be treated so horrifically.”

“Seoga-eul does seem like an angel.”

# # #

“Hanam-jin, you need to change your position.”

After spending a long time speaking with Chairman Seo Do-cheol, Jin Ramyeon informed me of my transfer.

“You’ll be joining the ‘Great Labyrinth’ exploration team starting tomorrow. I’ve already wrapped up discussions with the team leader there, so there shouldn’t be any issues. You know Jeon Som-i, right? It’s not a good connection, but….”

Who is Jeon Som-i again?

Are you referring to the model in that viral video where she fell and flashed her underwear?

The model girl.

Suddenly, the idea of exploring the labyrinth with the model girl came to mind.

Am I being switched to that side?

“Why?”

“Jeon Som-i has deep connections with Wang Ja-hyeon. Everyone knows Wang Ja-hyeon was quite interested in Seoga-eul. And also, according to access records, Wang Ja-hyeon was the last person to see Seoga-eul.”

On the day Seoga-eul was kidnapped, Wang Ja-hyeon did visit her.

It seems like that’s why he’s being seen as a suspect in the kidnapping.

“If it’s Wang Ja-hyeon, just like ‘Zero Cola Fresh,’ he may have access to insider information known only to Seo Nam Group. After all, ‘Je Wang’ and ‘Seo Nam’ used to be one.”

“So, you want me to play the double agent?”

“That’s exactly it. Get close to Jeon Som-i and dig up some information on Wang Ja-hyeon. Since you were the one who captured the Judge, it’d look suspicious if you approached Wang Ja-hyeon right away, so take your time with it.”

Not particularly enticing.

When I showed my subtle reaction, the candid Jin Ramyeon continued.

“Chairman Seo Do-cheol mentioned that the ‘evidence’ you’re looking for is highly likely to be with Je Wang. I don’t know what that means, but he believes you’d understand if he said it.”

Evidence.

There’s a high chance the evidence of Chairman Seo Do-cheol ordering the arson at N Mart is with Je Wang—right?

If I can secure that evidence, I’ll be able to make Chairman Seo Do-cheol squirm.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

With that feeling, I switched my position to become part of the ‘Great Labyrinth Exploration’ team for mid-term exams.

“Have you ever been to the Great Labyrinth?”

“No.”

In fact, I had never been to the real ‘Great Labyrinth,’ not even the ‘simple labyrinth’ utilized for training at Yeongsa High School.

It was said to be a realm of fairies?

As I held a measure of excitement, Jin Ramyeon said,

“Let’s go check it out today as a field trip. There’s an entrance to the labyrinth in the basement of the Seo Nam headquarters.”

Really? That implies that Seo Nam Group holds exclusive access rights to the Great Labyrinth.

Truly deserving of becoming a global conglomerate after ten years.

Finally, when I stood at the entrance of the underground labyrinth,

before the impressively grand stone structure akin to the gates of hell, Jin Ramyeon said,

“Wait. I’ll talk to the staff to get the door opened. Normally, you need ten Awakened Ones to push to open this door.”

Whooooom-.

At that moment, the ring on my hand, ‘Seed,’ began to vibrate eerily, and the firmly shut door creaked open with a loud noise.

Guuuuuh, thud-!

“Huh? Why is it opening on its own?”

Even Jin Ramyeon, who usually had a great intuition, looked around as if bewildered by the situation.