Under Creature Chapter 7.2

“…What?”

His expression hardened. Yigeom continued speaking calmly, his voice monotone.

“Judging by his ability, I don’t know the exact location. It’s probably somewhere near water.”

Baesangwoo flew into a rage once more.

“Where in the world isn’t there water!!”

He was a hot-tempered person. Just as Baesangwoo’s clenched fist was about to come down on Yigeom’s head again, Dohyun, who had been listening silently, pulled Yigeom towards him.

“Stop hitting him. He hates being hurt.”

“I hate being bothered too, you know!?”

Dohyun continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard him.

“And just be satisfied with Yoon Yigeom and me looking for evidence. Don’t involve the kids.”

Honestly, Seo Dohyun didn’t want to be involved in this. It wasn’t Latter’s job, and he didn’t care whether or not it was reported to the vigilante group. There wouldn’t be any penalties for them.

Despite that, the reasons he was participating in the search for evidence were, first, because Yoon Yigeom seemed to want to do it, and second, because Baesangwoo was like a benefactor who had taken care of Doa since childhood.

Yoon Yigeom would get involved in this matter whether Dohyun liked it or not, so there was nothing he could do, and he didn’t want to get the kids involved unnecessarily. But….

“Why are we excluded! I can do it too. What about you, Cha Jewoo?”

“M-me…uh! Uh, yeah. Of course.”

Having witnessed numerous occasions where incidents occurred when only Yigeom and Dohyun were together, or where they tried to resolve situations without them, Doa and Jewoo pleaded to be included this time.

As if to prove they weren’t so shameless as to prolong their lives by hiding in the shadows of Seo Dohyun and the later-joined Yoon Yigeom.

“You guys just stay at the lodging….”

“Forget it!”

Doa yelled at Yigeom, who was trying to stop them. Cha Jewoo also pursed his lips with a determined face and nodded his head. They don’t listen, they call their guardians to school… This is truly puberty.

Baesangwoo calmed them down and said,

“Then let’s plan our strategy first.”

🦅࿐

Creak—. The door to Jewoo’s room closed, and Yigeom came out. Doa, who had been waiting outside, seemingly worried about her friend, asked,

“How is he?”

Yigeom placed the bouquet of flowers he had brought from the room into Doa’s arms and replied.

“He’s about to die. Go in and see for yourself.”

“…The floral scent is too strong to go in.”

Doa covered her nose and averted her gaze.

A certain amount of floral scent is pleasant, but the overwhelming fragrance filling the room had everyone evacuating. Only Yigeom had briefly gone inside to check on the progress.

That’s right. They were currently preoccupied with making flowers using Jewoo’s ability.

They concluded that if a Blood Hunter had built a creature breeding facility nearby, they must have acquired iron, the material for the cages, from Ireon. Therefore, it was a given that the Blood Hunter, whoever they were, visited Ireon.

All they had to do was find a suspicious person visiting Ireon to obtain iron someday. And currently, Jewoo was diligently making flowers to track those traces.

One might wonder what Jewoo’s ability had to do with tracking, but they were serious. It was due to a scheme devised by Yigeom.

The most ideal way to find a suspicious person was to keep an eye on the entire interior of Ireon. However, it was absurd for just five people to monitor the vast area of Ireon.

They might even be noticed and the suspect could escape before they could be caught.

Then, how about using Yigeom’s ability to view the entire interior of Ireon like CCTV? Although there could be side effects from excessive use of his ability, it was the most decent and plausible suggestion so far.

Now, they had to create the “CCTV”. If Jewoo made flowers with his ability, put them in glass bottles filled with water, and then decorate the interior of Ireon with these flower vases like interior decorations? They could create the most ideal CCTV.

Baesangwoo had boasted that they could rely on him to disguise the vases as interior decorations, so that’s what they were doing. Everyone agreed with Yigeom’s suggestion, and it had been over an hour since Jewoo started making flowers in earnest.

Since the space was large, Jewoo had to mass-produce flowers, which was a struggle. Tomorrow morning, they would bring glass bottles, arrange the flowers, and begin their surveillance in earnest.

Tonight, Jewoo would suffer, and from tomorrow, it would be Yigeom’s turn.

Yigeom recalled Jewoo’s condition when he had just entered and left his room. Jewoo looked extremely emaciated, as if the side effects of excessive ability use only affected him.

It seemed the mountains of food he usually ate were all becoming nutrients for the flowers he was creating.

“For now… let’s prepare a lot of food for Jewoo.”

Tonight’s late-night snack would likely be twice the usual amount.

🦅࿐

The second day after arriving in Busan dawned.

They decided to go out briefly after breakfast to buy glass bottles for the flowers. Baesangwoo left early in the morning, saying he had some business to attend to alone, and Yigeom and Doa were sitting in the lodging lobby, waiting for Jewoo and Dohyun, who hadn’t arrived yet.

“I’m starving. Why aren’t they coming down?”

Doa grumbled as she gulped down some cool water.

“I know, right.”

Yigeom responded casually and continued observing the Hunters coming and going in the lobby.

‘They’re all technicians, huh.’

And a few years ago, Namgoong Sanha would have been one of them.

Yigeom turned to Doa and spoke.

“By the way, since when were you close to Jewoo? You guys seem really close.”

“Him? Since he joined Latter. And if we’re close, what are you guys?”

He had nothing to say to that. Then, he suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Cha Jewoo when he visited the high school as his guardian.

‘Seo Doa was at least cute when she was little, but now she’s completely… ugh, don’t even get me started.’

If they became close after joining Latter, it must have been recent, so what did that mean?

“You’re saying you first met after joining Latter?”

When Yigeom asked again, Doa nodded, asking why he was repeating himself.

“Yes. Why?”

“…….”

Then, when did Cha Jewoo see Seo Doa? Yigeom asked without thinking.

“Jewoo said he saw you when you were little. He said you were quite cute.”

“Me, when I was little?”

Doa blinked, wondering what he meant, then nodded as if she understood.

“Ah, I see. My brother must have shown him my old pictures. It’s a bit embarrassing to say myself, but even I think I was really cute in my childhood pictures.”

“Ah, is that why.”

Just as he was about to accept the meaning of Jewoo’s past words, the thought suddenly occurred to him, ‘Then, what about Seo Dohyun?’

Since the two looked so alike, they must have been similar when they were young, but cute? He couldn’t imagine it, and a small laugh escaped him.

“Huh? Why are you laughing? Oh, you don’t believe me? I was really cute when I was little. I can’t let this go. I’ll find a picture and show you.”

“No, it’s okay. I believe you.”

He didn’t want to superimpose Seo Dohyun’s face onto Seo Doa’s childhood face.

After chatting for a while, Seo Dohyun walked into the lobby.

“Oppa. Where’s Cha Jewoo?”

“Jewoo said he’ll rest a bit.”

“…Cha Jewoo? He said he’s not eating?”

Doa, who had been stuffing her cheeks with food like a hamster, widened her eyes in disbelief. It seemed yesterday’s work had been quite exhausting.

“Oppa. He wasn’t coughing up blood or anything, was he?”

“No. It’s not that serious. Let’s pack Jewoo’s portion separately.”

Since she was asking about blood, the blood that flowed from Yigeom’s eyes yesterday must have been quite shocking. And Yigeom was worried about him as well.

Should he get him some tonic or something?

After they arrived at a nearby restaurant and ate for a while, Dohyun suddenly said,

“Jewoo decided to drop out of this.”

“…Huh?”

Doa, who had been stuffing her cheeks like a hamster, widened her eyes.

“Why? Is he very sick?”

“If he’s sick, he should rest. Yeah, tell Jewoo to rest.”

Yigeom answered quickly. He had made almost a truckload of flowers, so of course he would be tired. Furthermore, last night, when Doa enthusiastically asked to be included in the search for evidence, Jewoo had a slightly reluctant expression, and he might have agreed just because he got caught up in the atmosphere.

Even if all they had to do was find evidence, it was essentially following a Blood Hunter’s trail. Moreover, a creature breeding facility. Just from a glimpse, he saw over ten of them. It could be life-threatening, so of course he might not want to do it.

Yigeom understood his feelings perfectly.

‘Please save me.’

On the other hand, he himself… didn’t want to, but it felt like those words were a request for help directed at him. Since he’d already seen it, what else could he do? Even if he didn’t want to, he had to.

Even if that person was dead, now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop.

And, perhaps Dohyun’s fear of death had lessened somewhat after dying and being revived several times thanks to his ability, judging by how boldly he acted even in life-or-death situations.

Most people would probably react like Jewoo, trying to protect themselves. Seo Doa was Seo Dohyun’s younger sister, so she was an exception.

“Doa, do you want to drop out too? How about taking care of Jewoo?”

Doa hesitated at Dohyun’s quietly offered suggestion, then refused. She’d wavered momentarily due to her concern for Jewoo, but if she backed out too, Yigeom and Dohyun would be left to handle the situation alone, and she couldn’t let that happen.

“…Why would I take care of him? He’ll be fine after a day’s rest. I’m okay.”

“Alright.”

He didn’t try to dissuade her, but Dohyun fiddled with his ear piercing, seemingly displeased with her answer.

Seeing this, Yigeom muttered,

“Doa is almost an adult, let her do what she wants.”

He understood Dohyun’s aversion to these kinds of incidents, especially those involving Blood Hunters, because of Doa’s kidnapping seven years ago. But she would be an adult in a few years. She couldn’t always remain under Seo Dohyun’s shadow. And….

“If anything happens, I’ll take care of her.”

At Yigeom’s words, the siblings looked at him in surprise, as if they hadn’t dreamed such a sentence would come out of his mouth.

“What. Why. Just eat.”

“Oppa, you were the one who hid behind me when we hunted that mantis-like creature a long time ago, right? Right? That was you, Yoon Yigeom, right?”

“Want me to act like that now? I wouldn’t mind.”

Doa’s enthusiasm deflated at Yigeom’s reply, which implied he would do it if she asked.

“Oh, come on, that’s no fun. It’s only fun when Cha Jewoo is here.”

At the thought of Cha Jewoo making a fuss about how Gyeom-hyung had changed, Yigeom’s face crumpled. Meanwhile, Dohyun chuckled softly and said,

“Gyeom-ah. Then I’ll trust you with her.”

“…Whatever.”

Yigeom replied curtly and lowered his head to his food.

After finishing their meal, they searched nearby factories for a large quantity of glass bottles. Fortunately, they found a place with stock, paid for the bottles, and loaded them into the trunk.

“Maybe we should have just gotten them from a flower shop.”

Doa muttered, still worried about Cha Jewoo, who had even skipped a meal due to being sick.

Just like they had visited several factories to find glass bottles, if it weren’t for Jewoo, they would have spent twice the amount of time searching flower shops.

Yigeom patted her head roughly.

“It’s not a pre-order, and even flower shops can’t get that many flowers in a day. We’re lucky Jewoo worked hard. Let’s go thank him.”

“Okay.”

Doa replied dejectedly. At times like these, she was just a child.

And when they arrived at the lodging with their arms full of glass bottles, Jewoo, unpacking the food Dohyun had brought, exclaimed with rice flying from his mouth,

“Those stems need to be trimmed! Ah, Seo Doa! Yellow flowers would suit that one better. Dohyun-hyung, where did you get this takeout? It’s really good. Or maybe everything tastes good because I’m hungry.”

“A nearby restaurant.”

‘…Is he really sick?’

Yigeom, filling the glass bottles with water and arranging the flowers, suddenly felt a reasonable doubt.

“Gyeom-hyung. Blue doesn’t really fit there. Pink would be more harmonious.”

Thanks to Jewoo, who was serious about flowers, the flower arranging was slowing down even more. Doa, as if she’d forgotten her earlier concern for Jewoo, tossed a flower aside and grumbled,

“Ugh, if you’re going to keep nagging, just do it yourself!”

“What? Do you even know who made all these flowers? My whole body aches.”

It was quite amusing to see Doa shut her mouth and diligently focus on flower arranging after hearing those words. And Seo Dohyun….

“Hey, why aren’t you doing anything? Come and help.”

“I’m going to buy medicine for Jewoo. I’ll get some eye drops while I’m at it.”

“…….”

Whether it was an excuse or genuine concern, Seo Dohyun had successfully escaped for now. Except for Jewoo, who was eating, and Seo Dohyun, Yigeom and Doa trimmed flowers until their hands were sore.

When Jewoo finished eating and joined them, the speed increased exponentially. Jewoo was quick with flower arranging, as he enjoyed it regularly.

After a while, as they neared completion, Baesangwoo, who had gone out earlier in the morning, returned, as did Seo Dohyun, who had gone to the pharmacy.

After everyone took the necessary medication, Jewoo decided to rest at the lodging, and the others headed to Ireon.

🦅࿐

“Oh my, sir. What is all this…?”

“Ahaha! My friend, it’s a change of atmosphere! A change of atmosphere! I looked around yesterday, and the interior wasn’t very good. Flowers brighten things up, don’t they? Ahahahaha! Right?”

“Ah… ah, yes. That’s true.”

Baesangwoo laughed heartily and patted the manager’s back vigorously. Latter, excluding Jewoo, placed flower vases throughout Ireon, leaving no corner untouched, as if they were installing CCTVs.

“But sir, this is so sudden….”

“Tsk! Do you know how much money I spent on these flowers? Are you going to disregard my sincerity?”

“Oh, of course not. Sh…Should we put a vase here too?”

“…Hmm, it would look nice there.”

In reality, they had simply procured the vases after Cha Jewoo created the flowers with his ability, but the manager, unaware of this, was sweating and flustered.

Even though the manager of Ireon held a high position, Baesangwoo also had a standing within the vigilante group, making him someone difficult to treat carelessly. It was a little awkward that he was being so informal, but what could he do when the man was so disarmingly friendly?

While Baesangwoo kept the manager occupied, the others, having finished arranging the vases on the second floor, came down to the first floor and continued working.

“Doa, the view is interrupted. Put one here.”

“Here?”

“A little more to the left. Yes, there.”

Jewoo was resting at the lodging, and Dohyun and Doa moved the vases inside Ireon. Every time they did, the water in the glass bottles rippled.

It was effectively a CCTV system created openly using Jewoo and his own abilities.

Now, all they had to do was find a suspicious person visiting this place. Finding them wasn’t the end; they had to follow them and gather evidence. But Yigeom prayed that this matter would be concluded within seven days, no matter what.

If he missed any more classes, he was sure his grades would plummet, possibly even resulting in an F.

Dohyun approached Yigeom.

“Is it done now?”

“I want to put one in the utility room, just in case.”

Yigeom checked the building guide map of Ireon that Baesangwoo had given him, examining every corner and using his ability to see if there were any blind spots he had missed. After using his ability, even briefly, he made sure to use the artificial tears Dohyun had bought.

“I’ll put one in the utility room.”

“How?”

Even so, that was a staff-only area, wasn’t it?

“I’ll just say it’s the manager’s order.”

“You’re going to lie.”

He stated his intention to deceive so casually. Besides, even if it was the manager’s order, it was a private space.

“So, you don’t like it?”

However, Dohyun looked like he would do anything to place a vase in the utility room.

“…No. Go ahead and do it.”

They weren’t in a position to be picky.

After their discussion, Dohyun disappeared into the utility room with a vase in hand.

Just then, Baesangwoo, finished talking with the manager, patted Yigeom on the shoulder and whispered,

“I put one in the manager’s office, too.”

“I checked earlier.”

While checking if the CCTV, visible only to him, was properly installed, he had noticed one in the manager’s office and assumed Baesangwoo had done it. He clicked his tongue and grumbled,

“Aw, you’re no fun.”

After completing the installation of all the CCTVs, Yigeom waited in Baesangwoo’s van in the Ireon parking lot. It would have been nice if he could use his ability from the lodging, but since it was far from Ireon, the signal would be cut off from the meticulously placed vases. So, he had no choice but to wait here.

Seo Dohyun got into the car.

“What about dinner?”

“Not really.”

Yigeom replied as he restored the seats, which had been reclined as much as possible to resemble a bed, back to their original position. There hadn’t been anyone acting suspiciously. In the first place, the criteria for ‘suspicious’ was vague, and everyone was naturally just doing their own thing. Or maybe he had missed something.

“It’s closing soon. Let’s go eat nearby.”

“Okay. When it closes.”

Ireon closed early. The shutters came down at 6 PM. Since it was a department store used exclusively by Hunters, different from regular department stores, it operated this way.

Yigeom looked out the window, beyond the department store entrance.

“Get some rest.”

Dohyun, almost habitually now, placed his hand over Yigeom’s eyes.

“We agreed you’d rest for at least 10 minutes every hour.”

He’d been recklessly using his ability, worried that someone might come and go during those 10 minutes.

These were the eyes that had bled yesterday. Dohyun had said they would heal in a day, but because he’d been using them continuously today without rest, they were getting worse instead of better.

Thinking he should rest now that closing time was approaching, he deactivated his ability.

Soon, the shutters came down, and Baesangwoo and Doa, who had been waiting inside Ireon, got into the car. That day, without any results, they returned to the lodging, picked up Jewoo, had dinner together, and then rested in their respective rooms.

Yigeom went outside for some fresh air, fiddled with his phone, and replied to messages from his friends that he had been putting off. There were still no texts or calls from Kang Taeha.

‘Where is he, and what’s he doing?’

Even when he called, all he heard was the message that the phone was turned off, so he had no idea what Taeha was up to.

“What are you doing?”

Startled by the voice that appeared without warning, he quickly turned around to see Seo Dohyun standing there.

“I saw you.”

“Just… getting some fresh air.”

“Can’t sleep?”

Dohyun met his gaze. It was likely to check the condition of his eyes.

“They’re better than yesterday.”

“You’re not saying they’re back to normal.”

“Because they’re not back to normal.”

“Want to take a walk?”

At his words, Yigeom didn’t bother replying and walked ahead. Dohyun followed behind. As always, aside from work-related topics, there wasn’t much conversation between them.

On the one hand, this silence felt more familiar and comfortable now. Yigeom wasn’t very talkative either, so he actually preferred this quiet stillness.

The weather had warmed up recently, so it wasn’t very cold. As they walked aimlessly, they somehow arrived at Ireon. The lodging and Ireon were only a three-minute drive apart, so it was a short walk.

“Why here?”

“I was just walking without thinking.”

Yigeom plopped down on a wooden bench outside Ireon and closed his eyes. He doubted anyone would be there at this hour, but since he was here, he tried using his ability.

Feeling the presence of someone sitting next to him, he thoroughly searched inside Ireon, but as expected, there was no one. Just then, he caught sight of a rustling figure.

“The manager?”

The light was on in the manager’s office, and he was still there. Had he not finished his work?

Yigeom decided to observe him for now. It pricked his conscience to peek into someone’s private life. As he was about to deactivate his ability, someone appeared. He had memorized the faces of the employees while exploring Ireon yesterday and today, but this was a new face.

‘Who is that?’

The manager and the man seemed to be arguing. No, rather than arguing… it looked like the manager was unilaterally expressing his anger.

Yigeom closed his eyes and frowned. It would be great if he could hear their conversation. If only he could see their lip movements, he could at least make an educated guess, but he was in a position where he could see neither.

“What’s wrong?”

“The manager is talking to someone.”

At those words, Dohyun stared up at the area where the manager’s office was located. Since the windows weren’t open, it was impossible to tell if the light was on.

Dohyun waited silently for Yigeom to grasp the situation and explain.

Soon, Yigeom opened his eyes.

“He’s gone. A person I’ve never seen before.”

“What about the manager?”

“Still in his office.”

Dohyun stared intently at the closed shutters of the Ireon entrance. Would he come out that way? Or he could also use the back door he had seen on the floor plan. In any case, he decided to make a move.

“Stay here.”

Since the possibility of him opening the shutters and coming out the front was low, he told Yigeom to wait at the front entrance and headed towards the back door.

Just then, someone rushed out through the back door. He immediately activated his ability to catch the person, but stopped upon seeing his face.

“Mister?”

“What, why are you here?”

It was Baesangwoo. He looked around and asked Seo Dohyun,

“More importantly, did you see the person who just came out?”

“You’re the only one who just came out.”

Dohyun rubbed the knife in his pocket, contemplating. If the suspicious person Yigeom mentioned hadn’t come out the front, this was the only other exit. Had he been too late, or was the suspicious person Baesangwoo?

Considering Yigeom’s comment about “a person I’ve never seen before” and Baesangwoo’s ability, he removed his hand from the knife.

“I didn’t see anyone. Were you chasing him too, mister?”

“Yeah. You too?”

Baesangwoo shuffled closer to Dohyun and asked,

“By the way, you… you just suspected me, didn’t you?”

“A little.”

Dohyun answered honestly.

“This kid! You’ve known me for years, and you don’t know me? Am I that kind of person?”

The fact that Dohyun didn’t push away Baesangwoo, who slung an arm around his shoulders while scolding him, was Seo Dohyun’s way of showing maximum trust.

They reached the front entrance where Yigeom was waiting.

“Mister Baesangwoo? Why are you here…?”

Yigeom asked, rising from the bench.

“I should be asking you guys that. I thought you were resting in your rooms, but when did you get here?”

He had infiltrated Ireon after dinner to investigate further, but why had these guys come all the way here? Baesangwoo scratched his head and grumbled.

“Were you inside too, mister? I didn’t see you…”

If he had been inside Ireon, there was no way Yigeom wouldn’t have seen him.

“That’s my ability.”

“Ability?”

Baesangwoo explained his ability: Transformation. He could transform into any object he desired. Infiltration, like fishing, requires endless patience before catching a fish. After dinner with Latter, Baesangwoo had secretly entered Ireon through the back door and used his ability, specialized in infiltration and concealment, to lie in wait near the manager’s office. After observing the situation for a while, transformed into an object, he finally found a clue.

“Ah, so that’s why a fire extinguisher suddenly appeared next to the pillar outside the manager’s office.”

He had thought the manager had placed it there after they had dinner, but it was Baesangwoo transformed. Yigeom muttered softly, and Baesangwoo asked in surprise,

“Wh-what? How did you know? I transformed perfectly. Even the manager didn’t notice.”

People are generally less aware of things in spaces they don’t consider their own. They might briefly wonder when something appeared, but they quickly assume someone must have put it there. That’s why Baesangwoo often transformed into a fire extinguisher, the least conspicuous object, when investigating buildings.

“No, I also thought someone must have put it there. Until I knew your ability.”

“Ah, I knew it! Haha. I’ve never been caught with this trick before.”

Baesangwoo chuckled, scratching his nose awkwardly.

“Mister. I heard the manager was talking to someone just now. Did you hear anything?”

At Dohyun’s question, he answered with a serious expression.

“Yeah, I heard it.”

Then, grinning, he pulled a voice recorder out of his pocket and shook it.

“And I did this, too.”

They left Ireon and found a safe place to play the recording. The “safe place” being Baesangwoo’s van.

“The vigilantes came because of you!”

“Why is it my fault? And it wasn’t the vigilantes, it was just Baesangwoo. He said he came to look at weapons.”

“Do you believe that? You didn’t do anything that would leave a trace, did you?”

Yigeom listened intently to the voices coming from the speaker, holding his breath. One was the manager’s voice, and the other was the voice of the unfamiliar person.

“Yeah, I really just looked around. I didn’t leave any other traces…”

“That’s why you shouldn’t have touched anything.”

“You agreed to the ambush too. Why are you putting all the blame on me?”

“…We can’t just stand by and watch Adam monopolize the information. And whatever his scheme is, Baesangwoo is acting strangely, decorating the area with flower vases. For now, don’t come here until I contact you.”

The recording ended there.

Yigeom looked at Dohyun and Baesangwoo with trembling eyes. The conversation in the recording sounded suspiciously like something Blood Hunters would discuss.

Baesangwoo, trying to hide his bitter feelings, muttered, thinking about how the manager, whom he had known for a short period of less than two years, could be a Blood Hunter.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

And if the manager truly was a Blood Hunter, if someone in such a high position was infiltrated by Blood Hunters, then there were likely more of them hidden within Ireon, their identities concealed.

Yigeom recalled the recorded conversation.

Judging from the dialogue, the manager and another person were the culprits who attacked Baesangwoo, and it seemed likely that the manager agreed to it, while the other person carried out the act.

Other than that… Adam was monopolizing information? What information? Was it related to the attack?

Lost in thought, he unconsciously started biting his thumbnail, and Dohyun stopped him. Embarrassed, Yigeom put his hands in his pockets and pretended to ignore him.

“Let’s call the vigilantes.”

Baesangwoo said decisively.

The person who attacked him wasn’t Kim Yiseong, but the manager. He didn’t know why Kim Yiseong had lied about not being there at that time on that day, but the real culprit had been revealed, and although there was no direct evidence that the manager was a Blood Hunter, it was safe to assume he was involved.

For now, they had grounds to call the vigilantes, as they had evidence of the attacker. The vigilantes currently in Busan would arrive soon.

Baesangwoo quickly contacted his subordinates. Meanwhile, Seo Dohyun listed the recent incidents in his head and speculated about their motives.

“You said they attacked you to find out A’s identity, right?”

“That’s right.”

They couldn’t let Adam monopolize the information. So they carried out the attack. Then, the conclusion was clear.

“Adam seems to know A’s identity.”

Adam knew A’s identity, and a Blood Hunter from another organization, unhappy with this information monopoly, attacked Baesangwoo in a rush to find something. It all made sense.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Damn it. I still don’t know. Baesangwoo frowned and muttered softly, agreeing with Dohyun’s deduction. There was no other motive that came to mind.

Moreover, based on the previous speculation, this place was a hideout for another organization, not Adam, and the creature breeding facility was also likely managed by that organization.

“But how did Adam not get caught?”

When Yigeom asked, Baesangwoo sighed and muttered,

“Well, we’ll have to investigate that from now on.”

A was cautious and wouldn’t reveal their identity easily. Even he, who had known A for years, didn’t know their identity, so how did Adam…?

He had to inform A, just in case, and tell his subordinates to gather a team and come to Busan… While planning these things, Baesangwoo suddenly frowned and ruffled his hair.

“Argh. I just want to retire and go rest in some remote countryside.”

“Go ahead.”

“You punk! Do you think that’s easy!?”

Seo Dohyun lightly ignored Baesangwoo’s scolding, and Yigeom asked again,

“Then, since we called the vigilantes for this, is our job done?”

Initially, their goal was to find the creature breeding facility, but they had identified the attacker and obtained a recording of the manager, who was suspected to be a Blood Hunter.

They had reported to the vigilantes through another channel, but once they arrived, wouldn’t Baesangwoo take charge and find the location of the breeding facility?

It seemed like they could withdraw now.

He wondered if they could return to Seoul now that they’d finished their work, but Baesangwoo looked at Yoon Yigeom.

“Ah, about that. I have a favor to ask.”

The reason they had called the vigilantes was to apprehend the two individuals suspected of attacking Baesangwoo and being Blood Hunters.

That alone was a sufficient result. However, what they were looking for was the location of the creature breeding facility and evidence of it.

Even if they secretly searched for the location of the breeding facility while arresting the culprits, it would all be for naught if the culprits noticed their comrades being captured and quickly moved the facility elsewhere.

The most important thing was the location of the breeding facility. Their objective hadn’t changed. They could apprehend the Blood Hunters later.

“Yoon Yigeom, let’s use your ability a little more.”

This happened on the night of the second day.

🦅࿐

On the afternoon of the third day.

Yigeom, Jewoo, and Doa came to try on their custom-made suits after receiving a notification that they were ready.

“How are they? Please feel free to tell me anything, whether the pants are a bit longer than you expected, or if the sleeve buttons feel loose. We have a tailor shop next door, so alterations can be made immediately.”

They kept quiet about the manager. Baesangwoo had told them to pretend they didn’t know anything until the vigilantes arrived, and they hadn’t found the creature breeding facility yet.

Yigeom hadn’t slept a wink since yesterday’s incident.

Anxiety gnawed at him, wondering what other places might be compromised if the manager of Ireon was a Blood Hunter.

Surely not the lodging? Here? There? He wandered around, using his ability to repeatedly check on Jewoo and Doa in front of their rooms to make sure they were safe.

He figured Seo Dohyun and Baesangwoo could survive anywhere, but he was worried about the students.

Then, Seo Dohyun briefly went into Jewoo’s room in the middle of the night, saying he had something to tell him, and Yigeom ended up staying awake until morning.

“I’m good! The color came out beautifully, just as I chose, and the fit is perfect!”

Jewoo, energized after a full day’s rest at the lodging, smiled brightly, examining his reflection in the mirror.

“I’m okay too. But how do you tie a necktie?”

“Silly Seo Doa. You don’t even know that? Come here.”

Yigeom also checked his own attire and was satisfied. Seo Dohyun approached and asked,

“Do you like it?”

“It’s not bad.”

The “Latter” inscription on the back of the tie bothered him, but since it wasn’t visible, it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t a company uniform, so he wondered why they added the Latter logo…

Yigeom fiddled with the uniquely shaped sleeve buttons of his jacket, lost in thought.

‘Yoon Yigeom, let’s use your ability a little more.’

His ability only allowed him to see things; he couldn’t even pinpoint the location. What was he supposed to do with that? This morning, he tried to revisit the scene he had witnessed before, but it was impossible.

Had he inadvertently, automatically linked with the water at that time?

“What are you thinking about?”

Dohyun leaned close, narrowing his eyes.

“Just… I’m thinking this might take a while, so maybe we should send the kids back to Seoul first.”

“Are you worried?”

“So what if I am?”

Yigeom retorted sharply. Even though Jewoo wasn’t showing it, he could tell that his condition wasn’t normal.

The side effects from the excessive use of his ability seemed to have subsided, but he suspected Jewoo had spent the whole day at the lodging using it as an excuse.

Even now, while he acted bright and cheerful as usual, there were times when his face was clouded with worry.

Dohyun must have been worried about Jewoo too, which is why he went to his room briefly last night.

“Maybe we should send Jewoo back first…”

“Hyungs, what are you talking about?”

“…About how nice the suits turned out.”

Yigeom evaded the question, pretending to adjust his tie.

“Right? By the way, hyung, you have a classic suit. A three-piece… with a vest!”

“It just happened.”

When the employee had asked about the vest, he’d casually replied that it would be nice to have one. If he didn’t like it, he could just not wear it.

“Is it the suit, or is it the model? Ah, it must be the face. Hmm, not bad.”

Doa, channeling a fashion designer, scrutinized Yigeom and muttered in a serious tone.

‘What’s with her?’

“But where did Mister Baesangwoo go? He wasn’t there when I knocked on his door, and it seems like he’s been out since morning. Gyeom-oppa, haven’t you seen him? He was in the lobby at dawn.”

“I saw him. He has something to do and said he’ll be back in the evening.”

After a sleepless night, he had been drinking coffee in the lodging lobby when Baesangwoo came down early in the morning and left, saying he would investigate further on his own. They had agreed to meet again that evening, after Ireon closed, to thoroughly investigate the breeding facility.

Of course, they planned to leave Doa and Jewoo at the lodging then.

“Will you be wearing the suits, or would you like them packaged?”