Irresponsibility Chapter 1.2

Baek Geonhyuk slowly observed the white face. The skin, pale and bloodless under the fluorescent lights, the long eyelashes trembling finely, the slightly red tip of the nose, and the wavering pupils.

He is going to cry. Perhaps because his eyes were large and clear, the reddened rims of his eyes stood out.

That is why a face like that is effective. How many people would be deceived by that face, which looks like it could not do a single bad thing?

At twenty-three, he should be at an age of growing cunning, but Joo Yeoun was remarkably pale.

‘Boo.’

A mischievous urge suddenly welled up, and he gave him a little scare, which made him jump in surprise. The little thing must have a small liver, too.

Baek Geonhyuk predicted that before even a few hours had passed, Joo Yeoun would spill everything, even adding things he did not know. There would be no need to push him hard or threaten him. For ordinary people like Joo Yeoun, simply creating a light atmosphere was enough, and anything more than that was problematic in the first place.

You cannot torture a civilian in the same way you would a terrorist, can you?

Baek Geonhyuk left just like that. They had obtained information that the cartel was meeting a broker in the Middle East, so every minute and every second was urgent.

He returned to Korea a week later. The operation was a bust, perhaps because they had sensed something and fled. There was some disappointment, but after being in the hot air, smelling the chilly March air of Korea did not feel entirely bad.

‘Good work. Let’s dismiss here.’

‘Yes, sir. You worked hard.’

After sending home the team members who went on the operation with him, Baek Geonhyuk headed to the company.

He did not work according to a set schedule, but when he was not on an operation, he usually left for the day in the evening. However, one team member had remained at the company. It was the team member who had not participated in the Middle East operation and had been in charge of Joo Yeoun’s interrogation.

‘You have returned, team leader.’

‘Yeah. You are working hard.’

Baek Geonhyuk glanced at the clock as he sat down. It was a little past 21:00.

‘When are you planning to leave?’

‘I am scheduled to leave within an hour.’

“Mm-hm.” He answered softly and clicked the mouse. It seemed he would be staying longer. He had to write a report on this operation and also get up to speed on what had happened while he was away. The matter concerning Joo Yeoun was one of them.

He did not have high expectations of having obtained any major information, but he was curious. About the reason Joo Yeoun came to transport the drugs.

It probably was not for pocket money. Might he have absentmindedly moved the bag without even knowing what was inside? He must have been shocked out of his wits when he found out drugs were discovered in that bag. Making idle guesses, Baek Geonhyuk asked.

‘What did Joo Yeoun say?’

But an unexpected answer came back.

‘I am sorry. There is no updated information.’

It meant Joo Yeoun had not opened his mouth. He thought the man would have gone home long ago, but he was apparently still in the interrogation room.

‘Really? That is unexpected.’

Baek Geonhyuk turned around. When their eyes met, the subordinate straightened his back and stood at attention.

The subordinate’s name was Kim Jinwoo, and it had been three months since he joined the company, but he had not yet shed his military habits. He had carried out operations in the same unit as him, and because the gap in their ranks was vast, he was especially disciplined in front of him. Although being too much like a soldier was not a good thing.

‘Did you try to scare him a bit?’

‘…Yes. I did.’

Baek Geonhyuk tilted his head. It really is unexpected. There is no way Kim Jinwoo would have looked like a pushover. Baek Geonhyuk gazed blankly at his stoutly built subordinate before speaking.

‘I will have to meet him.’

‘Sir? Yes! Understood.’

Kim Jinwoo, who had let out a dazed sound, replied. Then, just as he hesitated and was about to open his mouth again, Baek Geonhyuk turned his gaze to the monitor and said.

‘In about 15 minutes.’

‘…Yes, sir.’

It was a hesitant answer. Baek Geonhyuk, who glanced at him, thought idly, has that guy finally loosened up his military discipline a bit?

And a short while later, Baek Geonhyuk stood in front of the interrogation room.

He was the type to let team members handle their assigned tasks autonomously. He believed that following one’s instincts and judgment on-site was more efficient than reporting and getting approval for every single thing. Having had experiences of not being able to do so when he was in the military, he respected his team members’ decisions even more. He had handpicked his team members, so should he not trust them?

However, he felt that holding him for a whole week was excessive. The right course of action would have been to send him back early on and then track him.

He understood Kim Jinwoo’s judgment, though. Just being kidnapped and brought here would make most people cooperative, so if someone still did not open their mouth easily, one could try applying a little more pressure. Provided, that is, the subject was a heinous criminal.

Even though they did similar work to when they were in the military, this was civilian society. Since they investigated independently without the help of other agencies and frequently encountered ordinary people, there was a definite difference in that aspect. It seemed he would have to give Kim Jinwoo a separate warning.

First, he had to send Joo Yeoun back.

Is he still hiding something with such nerve? Or is it a series of unbelievable coincidences? Recalling the perfectly white face he had seen a few days ago, he opened the door.

‘…….’

And, he was met with a sight completely different from his memory.

A face drenched in blood, hair fallen forward, a limp body slumped in a chair. A trickle of blood slowly flowing down a cheek where brown blood had dried.

Drip. A drop of blood that had formed on his chin fell to the floor. At the same time, all expression vanished from Baek Geonhyuk’s face.

He closed the door he had opened and turned around to look down at his subordinate. A low voice flowed out.

‘Explain.’

Under the cold gaze, Kim Jinwoo stood at attention and opened his mouth.

‘I determined that he might be deeply involved with the organization and proceeded with a high-intensity interrogation starting two days ago.’

‘Was the background check not completed beforehand?’

Baek Geonhyuk uttered the words quietly.

Family relations, criminal record, school records, and so on. Nowhere was there anything to suggest that Joo Yeoun was connected to a criminal organization.

‘The grounds for it.’

‘A spy app was discovered on Joo Yeoun’s mobile phone.’

A spy app, installed without the user’s knowledge, could completely control the user’s phone. It could run other apps or access stored information, and it was also possible to create and delete fake messages. For that reason, it was also used as a means of secret communication by criminals.

‘There were also suspicious points during the interrogation. When the intensity of the interrogation was gradually increased, he did not show the reaction of a typical civilian.’

Kim Jinwoo shut his mouth at the sound of a short sigh.

‘Finished?’

‘…Yes, sir.’

‘So you are saying you tortured a civilian based on suspicion alone.’

Baek Geonhyuk, who spoke as if muttering to himself, looked down at Kim Jinwoo coldly.

‘What is this situation right now?’

‘…I made a wrong judgment. I am sorry.’

‘I will see you tomorrow. You can go for now.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Baek Geonhyuk slowly closed and opened his eyes. His gaze soon turned to the interrogation room door.

A moment later.

‘Ah…’

Baek Geonhyuk stopped in the middle of the hallway and covered his eyes. His head was throbbing unpleasantly.

The order from above was simple. Do not cause any trouble and cover it up quietly. It meant to kill Joo Yeoun.

Whether Joo Yeoun went out into society and blabbed about this incident, or whether the people around him became enraged by Joo Yeoun returning as a wreck. Both were scenarios that the higher-ups despised. They always chose the group over the individual, and secrecy over life.

He was sick and tired of it. That such an order had come down in a matter of mere minutes.

Expression vanished from Baek Geonhyuk’s face as he lowered the hand covering his eyes. He headed to the interrogation room. There was no hesitation in opening the door and sitting in the chair opposite the blood-soaked Joo Yeoun.

Joo Yeoun, with his head hung low, was motionless. Only a hoarse sound occasionally leaked out from between his bangs, wet with blood and sweat.

Baek Geonhyuk watched for a while. At the hideously swollen face and the powerless body leaning as if supported by the table.

The company had the characteristics of a military. Disobeying orders was not an option.

He got up. As he walked around the table and stood in front of Joo Yeoun, an unpleasant, coppery smell stung his nostrils.

‘I don’t kno…’

Looking down at Joo Yeoun who was muttering nonsense, he reached out his hand. His fingertips touched the slender, blood-smeared neck. As he gently gripped below the chin with his thumb and index finger, as if to support his head, Joo Yeoun looked up at him.

Through the strands of hair tangled with blood, the black pupils were clear. As if saying something. He kept his gaze fixed on that blackness and stared silently.

When the eyelids slowly closed and their gazes broke, it felt as if a long time had passed.

When he let go of the hand gripping the neck, Joo Yeoun’s body slumped forward. Thud. His damp head hit his stomach.

“How is he?”

“The same.”

Baek Geonhyuk stared at the closed door and pictured the scene inside. Did he get under the bed again?

Joo Yeoun often hid under the bed. He would come out if told to, but he would sit on the bed with his body trembling violently.

It was the same when the doctor visited. He almost mistook him for being calm because he was receiving treatment quietly, but Joo Yeoun’s body was always trembling faintly. It was closer to being frozen in fear, and it was difficult to have a proper conversation.

Moreover, he would have a fit just by seeing Baek Geonhyuk, so even entering to bring him meals had to be done cautiously.

“This is a big problem. I think he is going to need professional treatment.”

Baek Geonhyuk stared blankly at the wooden door with some of its paint peeled off.

Joo Yeoun’s mind was severely broken.

It might have been an obvious result. The torture Joo Yeoun had received was the kind reserved for serious criminals. It was nearly impossible for an untrained civilian to endure.

That was why Kim Jinwoo had determined that Joo Yeoun possessed important information. Normally, people would pour out even trivial stories, but Joo Yeoun had only consistently repeated that he did not know and did not say anything else.

Baek Geonhyuk respected Kim Jinwoo’s judgment. However, his method was completely wrong. As he looked at the place where a boy, beaten to a pulp, was, his gaze sank darkly.

He soon closed his eyes slowly and opened them again. After a low click of his tongue, an indifferent voice flowed out.

“Then why is there no trustworthy psychiatrist, Hyunkyu.”

“…Indeed. My mistake is great.”

“Yeah.”

Baek Geonhyuk, who gave a rough nod, added.

“He lowers his guard a bit around you, at least, so let us watch him more. And keep wearing those damn glasses.”