Dirty Sweet Baby Chapter 113

As they passed through the lobby, boarded a military vehicle, and headed to the Research and Development Center, Heeheon was quietly lost in thought. A calm light played in the grayish-brown irises reflected in the car window.

‘Cha Moogyul is dangerous…’

Why would the Chief say something like that to me?

Heeheon took a slow, silent deep breath and glanced at the seat next to him. Cha Moogyul, wearing his seatbelt, was leisurely watching the view outside the window as always.

No, he had only thought that was the case.

His eyes met Cha Moogyul’s dark ones in the window’s reflection, and only then did he realize that Cha Moogyul had been watching his reflection the entire time.

It must not have been just for today, but since before that…

“…”

Heeheon slowly blinked his eyelids and stared blankly at Cha Moogyul’s image formed on the glass pane.

At that, Cha Moogyul’s lips, which had been impassively shut, slowly curled up. He was smiling languidly, having noticed that Heeheon had spotted him.

He mouthed words through the window. He didn’t make a sound, only moving his lips, but Heeheon could read what he said.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Looking forward to it, what?

The corners of his beautiful eyes curved deeply as he looked at Heeheon. His beautiful pupils were shining ardently and contentedly. Like someone who had finally grasped something they had longed for for a very long time. Like someone who had been counting the days and looking forward to this day.

Cha Moogyul looked delighted and excited. Heeheon could also feel the subtle excitement emanating from him.

‘Is he looking forward to the imprinting?’

Heeheon tried to examine his face in a little more detail. But at that bad timing, the vehicle came to a stop.

It seemed they had already arrived at their destination. The Research and Development Center.

A researcher was waiting for the two of them in front of the building.

“This way, please. Esper Cha Moogyul, Guide Baek Heeheon.”

She was a middle-aged woman in a white coat and glasses. Introducing herself as Head Researcher Park Juhye, she led the way. Only after scanning their identification tags and receiving temporary, restricted access passes to wear around their necks could they enter the Research and Development Center building.

“It’s a bit quiet here. Unlike the Central Administration Building where personnel are running around without a moment’s rest, everyone here is cooped up in their labs.”

The researchers Heeheon had seen until now were all only interested in charts and figures, but Head Researcher Park Juhye was a friendly person. She was kind and gentle. But in her eyes, a strange, clear madness could be felt.

“α-93362pe4x is an unprecedented specimen. In order to figure out the principle by which it nullifies waves, we plan to anesthetize it right on site, transport it directly to the Research and Development Center, and dissect it while it’s still alive.”

It occurred to him that perhaps she wasn’t being kind and gentle to Cha Moogyul and Baek Heeheon, but rather to the personnel who could capture the α-Creature in question.

All the way through the wide lobby, onto the elevator, and through several doors, Head Researcher Park Juhye explained in a soft tone how much the researchers were focusing on and preparing for this mission. That was not all.

“Above all, the fact that you two are imprinting is also unprecedented. There is no record of binding the cores of two late-bloomers. Imprinting itself is classified, and the top brass doesn’t recommend it, so there are few cases. I suppose it’s because the mortality rate essentially doubles.”

She talked on and on without stopping. Her eyes, delighted that the imprinting of late-bloomers was something new, were incredibly passionate. To be this sincere about only research. Though they had met for less than a few minutes, Heeheon could immediately understand why Researcher Park Juhye had risen to the high position of Head Researcher.

“Besides, for Awakened who have imprinted, their cores become bound, so their guiding efficiency with any Awakened other than their imprinted partner inevitably drops a little.”

“What do you mean by efficiency dropping?”

“Well, you should generally see it as their grade dropping by one level. In Guide Baek Heeheon’s case, you’re an A-grade guide right now, right? After imprinting, you’ll probably have an efficiency of around B-grade. Instead, you’ll be able to guide your imprinted partner, Junior Lieutenant Cha Moogyul, with maximum efficiency.”

“Ah… so there’s a trade-off in terms of guiding efficiency.”

“That’s right, that’s right. But the prognosis also differs slightly from person to person. I’ll show you the details on a tablet, so you can read through it carefully. And since this isn’t a simple matter, you will undergo a preliminary examination first before proceeding with the imprinting procedure.”

The place they finally arrived at was a complex examination room. A highly specialized examination room that could only be entered after passing through a double sterilization device and a shielding door. It was packed with even more complex equipment than what he had seen in the infirmary, and there were also devices whose purpose was difficult to discern at a glance installed here and there.

Researcher Park Juhye handed them two tablets. They contained key information such as detailed information and instructions on imprinting, a top-level secret, and the examination procedure. It was abstruse and difficult, full of technical terms, but the broad strokes were just as Heeheon had known.

By imprinting, the wave patterns of the two Awakened’s cores would be synchronized and bound, allowing them to exhibit the highest level of guiding efficiency, but on the other hand, if one of their cores was destroyed, that too would be synchronized, leading to death.

Also, just as Researcher Park Juhye had explained, it was also written that after imprinting, guiding efficiency with other Awakened generally decreases. It seemed there were exceptions, but Heeheon could become a B-grade guide after this.

‘It really is a double-edged sword.’

Cha Moogyul underwent the preliminary examination first, using various devices, and Heeheon watched him from beyond a safety booth. Just as in the vehicle, he still had a languid smile on his lips.

His gaze was as blatant as if he had shed a layer of skin. He seemed to be looking at Heeheon with affection. So deeply that it was difficult to fathom each and every one of his feelings.

Cha Moogyul passed without any particular issues and was deemed eligible, and along with that, his smile became even more vivid and dazzlingly bright, as if the sun had risen.

It was dynamic. As if he had won all of Baek Heeheon.

‘…Haah.’

Next, Heeheon was examined. A slight sweat beaded on his palms. He felt queasy. A feeling as if the floor was spinning and his body was being pulled toward one corner, like when one gets motion sickness.

Suddenly, a sense of déjà vu washed over him.

<Were you, by any chance, calculating for things to turn out this way…>

<Please take good care of Junior Lieutenant Cha. That fellow is dangerous. I’m sure you know as well, but…>

As he went through the various devices, the examination proceeded without any particular issues, but halfway through, a red lamp blinked and a beeping warning sound rang out. Head Researcher Park Juhye paused for a moment and conducted a re-examination. Heeheon took a silent deep breath and bit the inside of his cheek lightly.

‘Was I too naive?’

Cha Moogyul’s declaration of war, which he had heard sometime ago, replayed in his mind.

<I’m not so lazy as to strip you bare without calculating the consequences. I’ve set up a tight safety net so that nothing, no one, not even you, hyung, can dare to interfere and get in the way.>

<Baek Heeheon’s life, including his life and death, I’ve already claimed it.>

Perhaps he had been underestimating just how much Cha Moogyul could control. In fact, Cha Moogyul might have been a more meticulous and competent planner than Heeheon had thought. If Cha Moogyul had been able to control things as he wished, whether it was the Central Military Chief or top-level secrets…

<A sword needs a scabbard.>

‘…’

At that moment, the warning sound rang out again.

The beeping stopped, and Researcher Park Juhye approached, showed him a chart, and let out a deep sigh.

“Hoooo… Guide Baek Heeheon. It hasn’t been long since you were discharged from the infirmary, has it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Your recovery is quite slow. Your core hasn’t fully recovered yet. It would be difficult to synchronize the wave patterns right now.”

“What do you mean by difficult…?”

“As of now, you cannot imprint. We need more time.”

Heeheon’s eyes widened as he looked at Cha Moogyul. His eyes met his head-on, and their joy and sorrow diverged. His face had become as pale as marble and hardened, and the gaze pouring out of his eyes was like a silent darkness.

Should he describe that face as simply disappointed, or…

Cha Moogyul clenched his jaw tight. His jaw muscle twitched, and his expression sank heavily. Heeheon silently watched that face for a while before asking the head researcher again.

“How much time is needed?”

“To be on the safe side, about two weeks.”

“Then the dispatch date will have passed. For the α-Creature capture mission, I mean.”

“Ah, is that so… Then you will unavoidably have to imprint after you complete the mission and return.”

Heeheon clenched his hands and balled them into tight fists. His nails dug into his palms, leaving marks. The throat from which he forced out his voice was so hot it felt like it would burn.