“You!”
“Hey. I would say it has been a while, but it hasn’t been that long, right?”
The man waved his hand through the air. Sungyoon was familiar with this man.
“Sung Hyunwoo!”
As always, Hyunwoo looked the same: calm and easygoing. He didn’t look like someone who had betrayed humanity.
‘No. A person like him is probably more capable of betraying humanity.’
“That startled me. Why are you yelling so loud?”
Even though these words came out of his mouth, Hyunwoo didn’t look surprised at all.
“Ah! Are you trying to warn the person outside? You're quite proactive in many ways.”
Sungyoon flinched, and his expression hardened. He had tried his best not to be too obvious, but there was no need for it. Hyunwoo already knew someone was outside.
“Is that Jimin?”
Sungyoon became tense when Hyunwoo turned his gaze outside.
“Don’t be so nervous. I’m not here to fight you today.”
“You want me to believe that?”
“Don’t believe me then. Will you fight me while protecting Jimin? Do you think you can do it?”
Sungyoon had no answer for Hyunwoo's wicked words.
He had easily won against a higher rank Connector only because they had fought on Earth. There was no guarantee that the same thing would happen in a fight against Hyunwoo. In fact, the possibility of him getting messed up was higher.
The power difference between the two of them was that large.
‘I have to evacuate Jimin first.’
As Sungyoon tried to come up with a solution, Hyunwoo spoke up in a friendly manner.
“Why don’t you come in too, Jimin!”
Hyunwoo shouted.
“Leave her be.”
“Hmm? Ok! I don’t really care.”
Hyunwoo readily agreed with Sungyoon, and this behavior confused Sungyoon.
‘What's he up to?’
He was sure Jimin now knew who was inside the house. She would be calling this in. Sungyoon was facing off against Hyunwoo; her course of action would be obvious. Hyunwoo knew this too, yet he was calm, and it made Sungyoon all the more suspicious of Hyunwoo.
“What are you thinking right now?”
In the end, Sungyoon decided to be direct.
“What? Are you asking why I’m so composed? Even if the police come, they can’t stop me. It’ll be a while before anyone powerful enough to trouble me can arrive here. Also, I don’t plan on staying here long.”
Hyunwoo didn’t say what Sungyoon had expected. He didn’t ask if Sungyoon was going to run away, or made any statements about not letting Sungyoon and Jimin go.
However, it didn’t change the fact that Sungyoon’s priority was protecting Jimin and the preservation of his own life.
Tuhnk!
Hyunwoo sat down on the sofa again. He got comfortable and crossed his legs as if this were his house.
“What are you doing? Sit! You're going to make the ceiling fall.”
Sungyoon looked at him for a moment, then carefully sat in the opposite seat.
“Why are you here?”
“There’s nothing much to it. Didn’t I treat you especially well in the past? I’m just here to give you some advice.”
“Please cut the bullshit.”
“Why do you think I’m bullshitting? Which part? Do you dispute the fact that I’ve treated you well or are you skeptical that I’m willing to give you advice? I don’t know what you're thinking right now, but I’m telling the truth. I’ve told no lies.”
Hyunwoo opened his arms wide as if to expose his heart. However, it was such an exaggerated gesture that it made his words sound insincere.
“I’m sure you guys are having a hard time in recent days.”
Sungyoon realized that there was already an open bottle of hard liquor on the table. Hyunwoo took the bottle and calmly poured the liquid into a cup. Sungyoon glanced to the side and saw that a bottle was missing from his liquor cabinet.
“Ah. I’m borrowing this for now.”
Hyunwoo was aware of what Sungyoon was doing, so he shook the bottle.
Sungyoon couldn't help but think that Hyunwoo had a thick skin.
Hyunwoo picked up the cup and downed the liquor. The liquor-filled cup became empty in an instant. The cup hadn't contained a single ice cube, but Hyunwoo had drunk the liquor straight without any problem.
“I don’t care if you treat my words as bullshit or not. I’ll just say what I have to say, then leave.”
Tahk!
Hyunwoo heavily placed the cup on the table.
“Did you check the USB I gave you?”
“Are you talking about the information on how to defeat Grenoid? It was interesting, but considering the source of the information, I have a hard time believing it.”
“Yes. I guess it's to be expected.”
Hyunwoo chuckled even though Sungyoon had basically insulted him.
“However, it's the truth.”
Hyunwoo poured himself another cup.
“That place has what you all desperately want: the method to stop the monsters from attacking Earth.”
If Hyunwoo was right, humanity had to acquire this method at all costs. At their current trajectory, they would only walk down the path of extinction without putting up any resistance.
It might be considered a loser’s mentality to make such a quick determination of their current situation, but a consensus had developed even amongst the higher-ups. Everyone was pessimistic.
“Let’s say you're right. Why are you telling us this?”
Sungyoon suddenly remembered the Mayor's words.
“Are you perhaps a spy? Did you infiltrate the monsters for humanity's sake?”
Hyunwoo burst out laughing. His laughter was loud and violent as if he had heard the world’s funniest joke.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Is that what they are saying about me?”
“I’m guessing that’s not the case by your reaction.”
“Did someone say those words in front of Plu-El?”
“She hated it.”
Hyunwoo’s laughter became louder, and tears appeared in his eyes. He clutched his stomach as he laughed. As if that wasn’t enough, his body bent over like a shrimp as he pounded the table.
“Man, that was a funny story.”
Hyunwoo finally calmed down. However, as if he didn’t have control over his laughter, he kept having fits of laughter.
“Yes, yes! I have to pay you back for making me laugh so hard! I’ll answer your question!”
Hyunwoo mumbled. It seemed he had come for that purpose anyway. He looked at Sungyoon.
“Who brought up that conjecture?”
“The Mayor.”
“I have a message for him.”
Hyunwoo’s eyes were still full of mirth. However, contempt and ridicule appeared within them too.
“Tell him to stop thinking about such bullshit. He should stick to doing his job and take care of the immediate problems in front of him.”
“In the end, you just confirmed that you betrayed us. What do you want? Authority?”
“Authority? Well, it isn’t bad to have it.”
Hyunwoo's attitude showed that he wasn't really interested in it.
“I will tell you this. There are indeed things I desire, but for now, I don’t want to tell you what those are. If you need to know the reason I’m doing this, you can make it up for all I care. You can think of me as a person crazy about wealth or a person thirsting for power. I don’t really care.”
Hyunwoo directly placed the bottle to his lips. The bottle had been only half empty, yet Hyunwoo chugged the strong liquor in a flash.
“Hoo~! As always, this is good stuff.”
This liquor was from a brand Hyunwoo enjoyed. Satisfaction appeared in his eyes, and he placed his hand in his pocket.
Sungyoon became tense. Fortunately, Hyunwoo didn’t bring out his weapon, but his wallet. He took out a couple of bills. It seemed he was paying for the liquor he had consumed.
At a glance, Sungyoon could tell the amount was far above the retail price of the liquor bottle.
“I added a little extra.”
Hyunwoo mumbled as he put his wallet away. Money was useless to him.
“Since my business is done here, it's time for me to go. I’m sure people will soon arrive here to interrupt this meeting.”
He glanced at his watch as he stood up from the sofa.
As Hyunwoo headed toward the front door, Sungyoon felt conflicted watching his back.
‘Should I really let him go like this?’
He was fully armed, and Hyunwoo wasn’t. Moreover, the only one capable of activating Gems in an instant was him.
If he attacked, he could overwhelm Hyunwoo. Even if Hyunwoo was an amazing Connector, without his Gems, he was just a little stronger than a normal human.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Hyunwoo’s words took Sungyoon by surprise. Then, Hyunwoo lazily brought his hand up.
Sungyoon saw a sword in his hand.
‘When did he?’
The sword's appearance shocked Sungyoon. He hadn’t seen any movements that indicated Hyunwoo was trying to activate his Gems.
‘Did he activate it in an instant like me?’
Hyunwoo didn’t pay attention to Sungyoon’s dismay as he put away his weapon.
“Even I wouldn’t come here without making any preparations. This is especially true when I’m meeting a monster like you, who can activate a Gem in an instant. Right now, you can't win against me.”
Hyunwoo calmly put his shoes on. After he tapped the nose of his shoes on the ground, he opened the front door. Sungyoon carefully followed Hyunwoo out.
Jimin was standing at the corner of the front yard, and her phone was in her hand. She looked at the two of them.
After contacting the authorities, Jimin had been a nervous wreck as she waited outside.
She now looked at Hyunwoo. No, she glared at him.
Sungyoon quickly went across the yard to stand in front of Jimin. The probability of a fight breaking out was low, but he had to protect her.
“You're a great couple. Should I give you a wedding gift?”
“We don’t want it.”
“We don’t want it.”
Hyunwoo had been about to take out his wallet once again, and he cackled.
“You're a married couple through and through.”
“Let me ask you this question.”
Jimin ignored his joke as she spoke up.
There was an edge to her voice, and her fingers were trembling a little. She calmed herself by taking a couple of deep breaths, and she unconsciously placed a finger on Sungyoon’s armor.
“Did you really kill my father?”
“Yes.”
Hyunwoo said without any hesitation. His words, expression, and attitude were as calm as ever.
He had revealed the truth about killing his best friend; he did it in front of his best friend’s daughter. Yet, he had such an attitude. It was unimaginable.
“… Why?”
Her voice was strained as if a rock weighing several tons had settled within her throat. She felt as though she were forcing air through a constricted tube. However, this didn’t stop her from speaking.
“Why did you kill him?”
She looked at Hyunwoo, who had stopped laughing.
“Was it really about money? Is that really… He was your close friend.”
Her voice steadily grew louder.
“So why did you do it!”
In the end, she let out a wail and became unsteady on her feet. Sungyoon propped her up.
“Friend....”
Hyunwoo looked at the sky.
There was a slender crescent Moon in the night sky. It looked like the sneering lips of a human. Hyunwoo lowered his gaze. A coldness had appeared in his eyes.
“Was I really his friend?”
“What?”
“Your father wasn’t as kind as you make him out to be.”
Hyunwoo looked at Sungyoon.
“I’ll guarantee this. If your father were alive, you probably wouldn’t have been able to marry your current husband.”
After dropping those incomprehensible words, Hyunwoo turned around. He was overtly showing that he no longer intended to continue this conversation.
“Woo Sungyoon. Do not forget about the advice I gave you.”
Leaving behind those last words, Hyunwoo disappeared into the dark night.
Sungyoon and Jimin had no plans of chasing after him. The two of them just stared at the location where Hyunwoo had disappeared as sirens filled the air.
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