Originally, I had planned to resolve this a bit more quietly.
“Hey, Lee Yuji. You f*cking bastard!”
I never thought there would be someone clinging to the car door like that, swearing at me!
I mean, aren’t we supposed to be partners?
Is it really okay to point a gun at me like that?
Could the quest penalty of being shot to death actually mean getting shot by my Team Leader?!
Seeing Pi Sowon leaning halfway out of the electric car door, looking as if she were seriously considering shooting me dead, I hurriedly pulled out a jackknife from Seo Gilsoo’s clothes.
“Are you crazy? Do you even know what that is before you cut it! You crazy b*stard!”
‘Aaaargh. She’s going to climb up here any second.’
I shouted towards Choi Woojin… meaning Gamer.
“Stop that person!”
You’re the one driving!
“I’m really just going to cut anything, okay?!”
I pretended to grab any random wire and cut it, as if I were the culprit carrying out the hostage situation.
But even with this threat, Gamer’s response was:
…zzzzzz
The image appearing on the electronic display was a sleeping fox.
In other words, completely ignoring me.
‘Ugh. That thug-like b*stard.’
To think someone like that is the protagonist!
Feeling like I was about to have a stroke, I cried out.
“If you help me just this once, I promise I’ll definitely repay the favor next time! Just help me this once!”
[How are you going to repay the favor?]
A voice that sounded intrigued.
I had no idea what intrigued him, but—
“Just anything. I promise I’ll do one thing you ask.”
…I answered obediently.
The next moment.
Pi Sowon’s hand distanced itself from Bus 316.
Gamer had moved the car, separating Pi Sowon from the bus.
[You know this is really crazy, right?]
Choi Woojin said.
“It is crazy, but why on earth are you helping?”
I’m genuinely curious. How could I possibly be of such great help to Choi Woojin?
[I’ve always liked crazy things.]
And the response that came back was, as expected, something a lunatic would say.
‘Aaaaargh! Ikseong is truly the only sane person in this novel!’
It was the moment I thought that.
[Are you really going to dismantle the bomb?]
Ikseong’s voice could be heard.
I looked up at the CCTV.
Because Choi Woojin is probably broadcasting that CCTV feed to Ikseong as well.
I looked at the CCTV and spoke calmly, as if telling him not to worry.
“Yes.”
[It’s crazy.]
“Then why aren’t you stopping me?”
[I would have stopped you if I could. But looking at it now… I don’t think I can.]
I tried to imagine Kwon Ikseong’s face, which I couldn’t even see on the CCTV.
That ’emotionless and serene’ face constantly described in the novel.
Thinking of that face brought a smile to my lips for some reason.
[Why… are you smiling?]
“No, it’s just. I figured you’d be making that face again. That sullen face.”
I said with a smile, not even realizing it.
“But then again, you always trust others. Without fail.”
[…]
I glared at Pi Sowon, who was swearing and threatening to shoot me with her rifle, and added.
“…Unlike someone else.”
Saying that, I looked down at the wires.
Then, the numerous black wires began to emit different colors one by one.
Red, blue, and yellow wires.
And instinctively, I picked up one of those wires.
‘This is it.’
I raised the jackknife.
[Hey! Are you really…!]
Pi Sowon’s voice could be heard. I spoke to her quietly.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to die.”
* * *
[No, it’s just. I figured you’d be making that face again. That sullen face.]
Hearing those words, Kwon Ikseong looked at his own face reflected on the navigation screen he had ripped out from the car and brought with him.
He was inside a helicopter, wearing a communication headset.
Across from him was the youngest member of the Equipment Management Team, trembling while wearing a headset.
The bomb disposal expert he had barely managed to secure.
“Is it really okay to do this without authorization from the higher-ups?”
He was trembling, looking at his smartwatch that kept ringing with calls.
There was no need to look; the caller was definitely Hong Jaegyeol.
Currently, Kwon Ikseong was leading the helicopter alone without flight permission, with the Equipment Management Team rookie on board.
Instead of answering the youngest’s question, Kwon Ikseong looked at Lee Yuji on the screen.
On the screen, Lee Yuji smiled at him.
And then—
[But then again, you always trust others. Without fail.]
Saying those incomprehensible words, she raised the jackknife.
It was as if… she had been watching him for a long time.
Kwon Ikseong held his breath.
Everything on the screen seemed to move in slow motion.
Her lifting the wire, the blade touching the wire, and the rubber covering the wire slowly parting as the blade made contact.
He focused on the sounds, the smells, everything.
To check if the smell of explosives seeped through the strong scent of aviation fuel.
He didn’t know what use that would be.
He was currently on a helicopter chasing Bus 316, and couldn’t possibly arrive in time to save Lee Yuji.
Even so, he just focused on his senses. Just out of habit.
And that 1 second, which felt like 1 hour, passed.
Continuously.
On and on.
“…”
[…]
[…]
Silence flowed through the communication equipment.
He looked at Lee Yuji on the navigation screen.
She tilted her head while looking at the cut wire.
[…It seems the timer device has stopped?]
[What?]
The flustered sound came from Pi Sowon.
[Hehe. I think I dismantled it perfectly.]
Lee Yuji smiled as if she were proud of herself.
[Hey, hey, wait a minute!]
Despite Pi Sowon’s attempts to stop her, Lee Yuji nonchalantly took off Seo Gilsoo’s vest.
But as expected, nothing happened.
[What, what did you do?]
[Um…]
Lee Yuji seemed to ponder, then tilted her head again and said.
[I guessed?]
[…]
[…]
A silence fell upon everyone.
[Ah, did I not tell you? I’m actually really good at guessing! Especially multiple-choice questions?]
Pi Sowon’s thunderous voice poured out.
[This isn’t a multiple-choice question, you brat!]
Listening to Pi Sowon’s thunderous swearing echoing loudly, Kwon Ikseong took off his communication equipment.
Kwon Ikseong spoke to the youngest member of the Equipment Management Team, who was trembling across from him.
“…The situation is over.”
“Excuse me? Did the bomb explode?”
The youngest member of the Equipment Management Team looked down with a panicked face.
He seemed to be looking for something like bomb smoke, but there was no way he could find such a thing.
“The bomb has been dismantled.”
“Whaaaat?”
The face of the youngest from the Equipment Management Team contorted.
“Was there a production-class Hunter there?”
Kwon Ikseong hesitated for a moment at the youngest’s question before answering.
“She just…”
“…?”
“Said she just guessed.”
“Pardon?”
The youngest’s voice cracked, but Kwon Ikseong had something a bit more urgent to attend to.
He finally answered Hong Jaegyeol’s endlessly ringing call.
[Hey, you crazy b*stard! Why are you doing something you never do? Are you crazy? Launching a helicopter without a flight permit? Do you really want to get shot down? Why are you acting like Pi Sowon!]
The expected angry shout echoed in his ear.
Something he never did.
He smiled bitterly at those words.
Lee Yuji was wrong.
He didn’t trust her. Because he was currently taking independent action without authorization from his superiors, doing something he would absolutely never do.
Something he had never done even once.
Breaking the rules as an investigator, breaking his own principles.
He was doing that right now.
Because he couldn’t trust Lee Yuji.
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