Boy Monster Chapter 23

According to NIS guidelines, if the veracity of the information you want to extract is ambiguous, you should also play a false card. A false card that looks real. A method of deceiving the other party into thinking you accept their proposal, extracting the necessary information, while giving them false information in return. It was an extreme battle of wits.

Jae Eunho made a quick decision. He would give partially false information and extract real information from him.

As long as nothing about Hwonwoo leaked out, it would at least be a draw.

He was a cunning intelligence officer who had lived for over 100 years, and the other was an impulsive, violent young man of unknown origin and age, wandering in the darkness. The odds of Eunho extracting information from him and putting him back in prison were very high.

Hiding a sly smile, Eunho gave his belated answer.

“If I descend into hell with you, I need assurance that I’ll be able to meet the monster.”

Jae Eunho slammed the file shut and sat down. Shi Taehyun’s expression transformed into one of amusement, as if the previous moment, devoid of any laughter, had never happened. An exaggerated voice, like that of an insurance commercial, boomed out.

“Of course! Don’t worry. A meeting with the monster is 100% guaranteed! Come down with me to the darkest, dirtiest place in Korea. I’ll be your sexy companion, no need to worry about sexual desires or chat apps!”

“Tell me your motive for trying to kidnap me and your affiliation. I need at least one sure card if I’m going to gamble.”

“Alright, alright, enough with the fuss. First of all, those guys who tried to take you from me, they weren’t Filipinos. I expected that much from you, right?”

Yes, I assumed as much.

He listened to what Shi Taehyun had to say. Standing next to the desk, Shi Taehyun laid out surprising information with a nonchalant expression.

“They said they were going to kill me and kidnap you. I cleaned up their joints a bit before killing them yesterday, and they were all complaining. It was ordered by some chuunibyou guy named Assassin Achilles, and the Filipino drug cartel was just a cover. The real mastermind is someone else.”

Half-doubtful, half-surprised, Jae Eunho focused on his words. Even if he didn’t believe that the assailants had tried to kill Shi Taehyun, “Assassin Achilles” was an unfamiliar name. If Shi Taehyun hadn’t made it up, he’d obtained valuable information.

He didn’t mention Choi Jungkyung’s account of witnessing a psionic on their side. There was no need to reveal that information first. Shi Taehyun didn’t seem to know about it.

“Judging by the fact that you don’t know exactly which country or where the organization behind this is located, they’re good at covering their tracks, and they don’t seem like an ordinary group. You’ve made a formidable enemy, Chief. What are you going to do? You’ll need me, right?”

It was certainly a formidable group. Enough to possess and train agents with supernatural powers other than Korea’s Hwelju and Yeonri. Shi Taehyun continued his statement.

“And those guys, they weren’t just distributing drugs, it seems. You know that executive who was poisoned in the holding cell? They say there was a powder he secretly requested a composition analysis for before he died. You’ll need to meet with the researcher and investigate what that powder is.”

“…What? You’re saying they were distributing drugs, not narcotics?”

“Yes! I don’t know anything more than that. And what else did you ask? My affiliation?”

Startled by the unexpected talk of powder, Jae Eunho didn’t notice him approaching.

“My affiliation? Your body, sir.”

Shi Taehyun, bursting into laughter at his own words, buried his head in Eunho’s shoulder. Instead of his arms, which were restrained by the straitjacket, he leaned his head against him and took a deep breath. Jae Eunho pushed away his messy, bleached hair and stood up.

Shi Taehyun, who had tumbled onto the chair because of Eunho’s sudden movement, didn’t even bother to adjust his awkward position.

“So, the thing is… with annoying villains running around, what time do we have to waste here? Let’s get out of this detention center. We need to go out and have some hot times together in the sticky underground. Don’t you want to know where that monster who died a long time ago is hiding?”

“……!”

“I know where he is. I just don’t know the backstory.”

Ignoring Shi Taehyun’s absurd suggestion to leave the detention center, Jae Eunho continued his interrogation.

“If you’re not with the Filipino cartel, how did you get on the smuggling ship?”

“I’m quite the master of disguise. I replaced the head of a similar-looking guy.”

“Why did you target me from the beginning and investigate me, and how did you access the classified files…?”

“Now, now, now. I won’t tell you anything from here on out for free.”

As if to appease Eunho, who was rubbing his forehead in stress, Shi Taehyun softened his voice.

“I’ll explain everything in due time. Now, you’re going to contact your NIS superior right now and tell them, ‘Shi Taehyun poses no risk of escape, and will be granted a 10-day furlough due to insufficient evidence.’”

“Furlough…?”

Eunho scoffed.

“Insufficient evidence? Do you remember that you confessed?”

“Of course. But it hasn’t been released to the press yet. Only a few people know about me. You can just lie to the higher-ups and say you’re going to investigate me. With our pretty Sa Yeonri teacher’s influence, insufficient evidence should be a piece of cake, right?”

Shi Taehyun, having uttered a strangely modified proverb, leaned back against the desk leg. He had expected it, but he wasn’t an easy opponent. He had a feeling he was going to have quite the headache.

“There are some bothersome guys hanging around… but what we’re going to deal with from now on is between the two of us.”

Shi Taehyun, his head tilted completely back, whispered,

“I’ll take care of all the obstacles. Just hold my hand, sir.”

Oh, right, I don’t have hands right now… Jae Eunho, tearing his gaze away from Shi Taehyun, who was smirking, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyelids. Now that the dizziness was gone, fatigue washed over him.

:･⚜️⊹.️

Until he obtained the final information about the monster, this matter had to remain a secret from everyone. The conversation about Sa Hwelju being alive couldn’t leak out either.

He decided to hide it not only from Lim Geonhwi, but also from his allies Choi Jungkyung, Deputy Director Oh Jigeun, Monk Chogwang, and even Monk Jiguk. Until he had concrete results, it had to remain completely confidential. Jae Eunho didn’t want to make a mistake with this choice. No carelessness could be tolerated.

Getting furlough approval from Deputy Director Oh Jigeun and Monk Chogwang was quite tricky. It was deemed reckless.

“Let that guy out? That’s like releasing a lion into our midst. It’s reckless and dangerous.”

“There must be a reason he’s asking to be let out. We just need to keep track of his movements and who he contacts. You heard that there’s supposedly a psionic on the side of those who tried to kidnap me, right? This isn’t a simple matter. It’s not something that can be solved just by reading his mind. The psionic investigation didn’t reveal anything significant.”

It didn’t feel good to lie to his colleagues. Jae Eunho hadn’t been able to delve into Shi Taehyun’s mind yesterday. It wouldn’t be easy to attempt psionic detection on Shi Taehyun until he knew Sa Hwelju’s whereabouts. But it couldn’t be helped. The cards had already been dealt.

“You’re in too much danger. It’s clear that there’s a third party targeting you.”

At Monk Chogwang’s words, Eunho felt a sense of reassurance.

“Still, we need to make the first move and find out who’s behind them. That’s the only way we can negotiate or gain something.”

Thinking he needed an effective excuse, Jae Eunho played his last persuasion card.

“And… above all, we can’t lose Sa Hwelju, can we?”

Monk Chogwang silently took off his suit jacket. He rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing the prayer beads and tattoos that covered both wrists, and took out ritual implements from his bag. He said that since the shaman who had given him talismans since he was young had passed away, he had the necessary talismans tattooed on his body. Monk Chogwang, who had entered the priesthood alone and lived for decades as a Dharma protector of the nation, possessed the ability to foresee good and bad fortune.

Eunho was worried that Monk Chogwang might foresee the lie, but fortunately, after chanting scriptures for a while, Monk Chogwang remained calm.

“There is a Maitreya Buddha who lives simultaneously in the human and heavenly realms. This being will control and possess Sa Hwelju.”

A fervent light of the Buddhist path emanated from the old man’s pockmarked face. After completing his divination, Monk Chogwang gave his approval.

“It seems we have to make a move anyway. Alright, let’s use that guy to get what we need. Investigate using S.E.T.U agents, without the Joint Chiefs of Staff knowing.”

“Alright. It’s still best to refrain from reporting to the higher-ups.”

“Let’s hold off on telling them for as long as we can. I’ll take care of the aftermath, so Chief Jae Eunho, just focus on achieving your objective.”

With Monk Chogwang offering his strong support and giving his approval, Deputy Director Oh Jigeun, despite grumbling, also expressed his willingness to cooperate.

“Looks like I’m on 24-hour emergency duty again! Just try getting hurt or neglecting your psionic gauge management!”

“Deputy Director, how about we divide the psionic gauge management tasks while we’re at it?”

Seeing Eunho remove the bandage from the wrist where his IV had been, Deputy Director Oh Jigeun couldn’t easily protest. As Deputy Director Oh Jigeun jokingly backed down, Monk Chogwang also joined in teasing Eunho.

“Chief Jae Eunho is an expert on the theory of bang-jung-sul, after all. It’s because he’s a solo player who’s studied the field.”

“The First Grade Ji Hwelju said so. He’s pushing for Chief Jae Eunho’s solo escape project.”

“Are you going to keep teasing me?”

Before leaving headquarters, Eunho made a request to Deputy Director Oh Jigeun.

“We need to quickly find out what that mysterious drug was that the murdered cartel executive requested an analysis of. Let me know as soon as the results are out.”

“Alright. In the meantime, you focus on the Sa Hwelju investigation.”

The severe dizziness he’d experienced in front of Shi Taehyun had completely subsided after a day. Jae Eunho had to rest at his residence until his psionic abilities recovered. Moreover, due to the risk of kidnapping, he was only permitted to leave for emergency calls.

However, today was his first tutoring session with Shi Taehyun.

He asked Deputy Director Oh Jigeun to make a fake emergency call. At 9 p.m., as planned, an urgent call came from Deputy Director Oh Jigeun, and Jae Eunho left his home and boarded the subway.

Footnotes:

1. Chuunibyou (中二病) is a Japanese slang term for “eighth-grader syndrome,” referring to adolescents who have delusions of grandeur, often believing they have special powers or are from another world.
2. A furlough is a temporary release from prison, usually for a specific purpose and period.
3. Bang-jung-sul (방중술) is a Korean term referring to techniques or practices related to sex. Often used in a context of traditional medicine or Taoist practices.