Chapter 217
“Now then, that’s what he said… What do you think?” Moon Issak pressured as he clasped his hands, fingers interlocked, on the table.
His attitude expressed that he believed in neither Bae Jaemin nor me. To put it more accurately, he held an ambiguous demeanor like that of a judge who resolved to listen to both sides’ arguments.
I gave him a bemused gaze and asked, “Did you mention me to Bae Jaemin?”
“I thought about doing it when you ignored my messages… But I’m especially generous to Lee-kyung-ssi.”
“……”
“You aren’t going to refute Bae Jaemin’s explanation? It did seem quite plausible.” Moon Issak didn’t even bother to hide his curiosity.
I sighed, “Stop twisting my words. The real relationship between Jung Garam and Bae Jaemin was vastly different from what Bae Jaemin claimed. If you haven’t been afflicted with dementia ever since the Tower of Command, you could easily root out the lies through a little digging. Didn’t Moon Issak-ssi come to me because Bae Jaemin had said something so unbelievable?”
While I answered, I looked at him while tilting my chin up, deliberately daring him to find something wrong with my words.
Moon Issak was an opponent I couldn’t afford to allow him to drag me around and exploit my timid personality. The investigator squinted at my bluffs; then, with an air of resignation, he said, “However, why does Choi Lee-kyung-ssi, an uninvolved party, know about such personal matters? Lee-kyung-ssi wasn’t even a User back then.”
Once again Moon Issak did not answer my questions. I suddenly wondered if the man carried another voice recorder on his person; though such doubts plagued my mind, I pulled myself together. After all, Moon Issak must have noticed Bae Jaemin’s lies by now. Furthermore, the fact that he’d come to me about my personal history after hearing such lies must mean…
‘He needs me. Or, he thinks I’ll be a necessary tool in the future…’
I must be of some use. Therefore, this may be part of his initial steps to keep me within his grasp. Where I’d heard this information–what I could possibly know–had become a matter of importance to the investigator.
Moon Issak was definitely a hot-tempered man–and he definitely had many aspects to him that would be cause for cautious pause–but breaking through my front door was, in some way, performative. He was trying to gain dominance, an advantage, for our ‘future’ dealings. It was rare for someone to break down another’s front door without prior calculation of the consequences; in fact, it was especially uncommon for a ranker to act so rashly.
If Moon Issak was seriously considering a collaborative relationship with me, then I think I could end this conversation quickly. So, without feeling too much strain, I answered his question with a question of my own. “Moon Issak-ssi, do you perhaps have any close acquaintances among Users? It doesn’t have to be a Ranker. Or, perhaps, a friend among the high-ranked guilds.”
My question was vague as possible–while still giving off an air of danger–because I needed my words to sound significant. It didn’t matter whether or not Moon Issak answered this question. This was simply a war of wits.
Moon Issak adopted a languid, relaxed smile–wider than mine–and leaned closer on the table between us. Then, he began to answer my questions. “Who knows. These days, I think Lee-kyung-ssi and I have built something special together.”
Of course, there was no guarantee he’d give me a proper response. However, I ignored him and kept flinging questions at him. “What about anyone that could become your weak point?”
“You’re talking about a family member or a lover? I have none. However, Lee-kyung-ssi still has living parents, and he’s quite close friends with Kim Sangyoon, yes?” Moon Issak said without hesitation; he had probably uncovered this data during a background check.
The moment he mentioned my parents, my body briefly flinched, but I relaxed because I felt Seo Dawon lightly pressing on my shoulder. It felt like his touch contained the silent promise that the Mage would not allow Moon Issak to lift a single finger against my parents. So, I was able to say what I wanted to say without feeling intimidated, “Actually, asking you to interrogate Bae Jaemin about those matters is the same as asking Bae Jaemin to kill you.”
Moon Issak still smiled, but the vibe had changed. Then, with a low voice, I nudged him insidiously, “Don’t believe me? I’m certain enough to make a bet: you’ll die quietly within a month. Don’t think Bae Jaemin can do it? He managed to make that grand Red Lotus guild a distant memory in three years.”
Only then did Moon Issak completely drop his smile. Though his words remained insincerely professional, he had dropped honorifics. “Bae Jaemin would kill me just for asking him about Beatrice?”
“Yes.”
“That line of inquiry is related to a secret that would severely damage Bae Jaemin?”
“It’s central–the core, perhaps–to that secret.”
“And if I tell him that you tipped me off?”
“He’ll kill me and you. After all, Moon Issak-ssi and Bae Jaemin-ssi are not partners.”
Moon Issak, who had been asking questions one after the other, still had an indecipherable expression. He didn’t seem angry at being deceived; he didn’t seem flustered either. He simply leaned back against the chair’s backrest and placed his chin in his palm…as if he were discussing someone else’s dilemma.
Soon after, he took out a lightly-used cigarette, lit it, and hollowed his cheeks as he took a drag from the cigarette. I continued to stare at the investigator’s pupils which were now hidden by the cigarette smoke.
“I thought you were a total pushover…” Moon Issak murmured.
“…….”
“I guess you weren’t that perverted.” 1
His voice that wafted through the lazy smoke was unexpectedly light and amused, as if he had heard some entertaining joke.
After that, he continued to smoke without saying another word. Then, after rubbing the cigarette butt against my table, he completely ignored my frown and spoke languidly, “Sure there were rumors–that Bae Jaemin was suspicious. His other guild members were all exterminated, but only he alone came back alive. There were too many ambiguous testimonies as well. During the first investigations, there were things that didn’t add up. Of course there were many people that liked to chatter and make noise about that. There were quite a few media outlets that were preparing to report on the dungeon expedition as well.”
“……”
“But, one day everyone’s interest suddenly cooled off. The biggest issue, beyond that, was that the people digging into the case gradually disappeared. Some people from the investigation team moved on to join a media company where Bae Jaemin owned 15% of the shares, some died or went missing within dungeons… Furthermore, the documentary on the expedition, which Channel H had been preparing for over 1 ambitious year, was banned from broadcasting its contents at the request of the bereaved families. Seo Dawon’s parents included among them.”
“……”
“The civil administrators that were requesting for a re-investigation from the Dungeon Association died within the dungeons. The quick-witted folks probably clamped their mouths shut.”
“……”
“Those who truly didn’t really care about the truth of that situation, like me, weren’t really looking to question things anyways. Even I had only recently heard about these rumors from a retiree I spent painstaking effort to contact while investigating.”
While silently listening to Moon Issak’s explanation, I was a little shaken by the news that Seo Dawon’s parents banned the documentary broadcast of their expeditions. However, Seo Dawon didn’t react much.
Moon Issak took out another lightly-used cigarette, bit it with his lips, and chewed on it gently for a few minutes. Then, he quietly asked, “HaHae, Virtuoso Workshop, and Red Dragon as well… There are so many people involved. Are there more culprits I don’t know about?”
I hesitated to answer, but, from all that Moon Issak had said so far, I judged the investigator had no intention of withdrawing from our mutual cooperation. I whispered quietly, “If you’re asking about guilds, Opera should also be included.”
“……”
Judging from the investigator’s silence, he must have been surprised that [Opera] was involved. Well… Considering Seo Dawon and Ryu Hyerin’s relationship before [Red Lotus]’s extermination, his confusion at Hyerin’s involvement was understandable.
However, Moon Issak crushed the tip of his cigarette with his teeth before throwing it away. “Hm. Was it a Lover’s quarrel?”
“What?”
“I’m talking about Seo Dawon. Was Ryu Hyerin upset bc that guy couldn’t fix his habits and returned to being a dirty dishrag…” 2
“Of course not!” I lost my temper and bumped into the table.
Moon Issak looked at me as if he saw something strange; I bowed my head, belatedly feeling a rush of embarrassment.
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