Chapter 345 – Part 2 – Misunderstanding

It was surprising that Do Eun-jeong belonged to a rebel group, but.

‘The Great Heroes are the final target?’

It was also surprising that they were targeting a common enemy.

‘Well, since they’re fighting against the Association, the Great Heroes would be the greatest adversaries.’

Though he was surprised it wasn’t just a simple criminal organization, he quickly regained his composure.

There were likely opposing forces everywhere.

Especially in this crazy world where power was prioritized over human rights.

“Hah…”

Choi Seong-min, who had been acting surprised, soon looked at Do Eun-jeong with serious eyes.

“Why are you revealing such an important secret to me? Treason is a serious crime. If I report you, it’s only a matter of time before you’re caught by the Association, isn’t it?”

“You won’t do that. I trust junior Seong-min.”

“How well do you know me?”

“I can tell just from how you saved me in the dungeon. How warm and righteous junior Seong-min is. Do you think I recommended you to the organization for no reason?”

“……”

Even without reading her thoughts, he could feel firm belief in her eyes.

‘These aren’t empty words. She really trusts me and revealed her identity.’

He could also read her intention for revealing her identity through her thoughts.

‘She’s trying to recruit me.’

He knew this, but deliberately pretended not to.

“What’s your reason for telling me this?”

“I want junior Seong-min to join our organization.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious. Everything I just said is all true. Our organization needs talent like junior Seong-min.”

“Are you telling me to become a terrorist right now?”

“Regrettably, yes.”

“You know who I work under, right?”

He mentioned the Great Hero, but Do Eun-jeong didn’t seem to back down.

She even smiled meaningfully.

-Song Chi-hyeon was killed by junior Seong-min.

-Junior Seong-min who killed a Great Hero would definitely want to join our organization.

Reading her thoughts, her tone was full of conviction.

‘To make such a definitive judgment just because the weapons are similar.’

She was thinking of him as the culprit without even seeing his face clearly, which was somewhat irritating.

Though he was indeed the culprit.

‘I need to completely escape suspicion.’

Choi Seong-min spoke with a resolute expression.

“I have no intention of joining such a dangerous organization.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m satisfied with my current position. And the person I serve is none other than a Great Hero. To think you’d reveal being a rebel in front of a Great Hero’s direct subordinate. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this for old times’ sake, so don’t say such things elsewhere. Not unless you have multiple lives.”

“But junior Seong-min…”

Do Eun-jeong paused briefly, then spoke as if she had made up her mind.

“You killed your superior.”

“What nonsense is that out of nowhere?”

“I… know. That junior Seong-min killed Great Hero Song Chi-hyeon…”

“What?”

“Don’t pretend not to know. I’ve figured it all out. Junior Seong-min is the black mask, right?”

If it were an ordinary person, they would have panicked, but Choi Seong-min had predicted everything.

Not only that, but his acting skills were also top-notch.

“What nonsense are you talking about right now?”

When he asked back with an absurd expression, Do Eun-jeong was slightly flustered.

It was too natural to be acting.

“D-don’t play dumb. Did you think I wouldn’t know just because you wore a black mask? Junior Seong-min saved me today.”

“I have no idea what you’ve been talking about since earlier. Could you explain from the beginning? Senior?”

When he spoke as if he really didn’t know, Do Eun-jeong finally began to doubt her speculation.

“Didn’t you come to Team Crush’s office today?”

“Why would I go there?”

“Hmm…”

-D-did I get it wrong?

To Do Eun-jeong, who was inwardly panicking, Choi Seong-min asked again.

“What happened? What’s this about a black mask and saving you?”

“Ah, well…”

Do Eun-jeong carefully told him about the tragedy that occurred at Team Crush in the morning.

“A-all the team members died? You’re not lying, are you?”

“Unfortunately, I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”

“Haa…”

Emotions like surprise, shock, despair, and sadness appeared on Choi Seong-min’s face in sequence.

Do Eun-jeong couldn’t help but be fooled by that realistic facial acting.

-If he had been at the scene, he couldn’t possibly make such an expression.

Anyone could see it was the expression of someone who really didn’t know.

Seeing this, Do Eun-jeong blamed herself.

-To make mistakes and slip up twice…

Following her mistake of thinking he knew about her organization, she had mistaken him for the culprit who killed Song Chi-hyeon.

“So a man in a black mask saved senior Eun-jeong? From a hooded assailant?”

“It wasn’t just any assailant. I saw him up close and it was definitely Song Chi-hyeon.”

“Why would the Great Hero target Team Crush?”

“I don’t know the reason either. But the person who attacked was definitely Song Chi-hyeon. He even mentioned junior Seong-min’s name with his own mouth. I don’t remember exactly what he said though…”

“My name…?”

Choi Seong-min, who was acting surprised, asked about another part.

“Then what made you think I was the black mask?”

“The dagger that person used was similar to junior Seong-min’s dagger.”

“You mean this?”

With a swooshing sound, a dagger appeared in Choi Seong-min’s hand.

“Huh?”

Do Eun-jeong tilted her head.

What was summoned was a silver dagger, not a red one.

“Weren’t you using a dagger that glows red?”

“I sold that long ago. It became useless from C-rank.”

“Ah…”

The weapon was different.

Of course, he could be lying while holding a different dagger, so her suspicion wasn’t completely cleared.

But.

“You said the black mask overwhelmingly defeated the Great Hero, right? But as you know, my combat power is 250,000. There’s no way I could overwhelm the Great Hero with 600,000.”

“……”

With the continued refutation, Do Eun-jeong had to admit she had completely barked up the wrong tree.

“Do you still think I’m the black mask even after this?”

“I, I must have been mistaken. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not the only thing you were mistaken about.”

Choi Seong-min showed his phone.

A call was coming in, and Song Chi-hyeon’s name was on the caller ID.

“If the Great Hero were dead, he wouldn’t be calling like this, would he?”

“Ah…”

Watching the flustered Do Eun-jeong, Choi Seong-min laughed inwardly.

‘Checkmate.’

Now the seeds of suspicion would be completely gone from Do Eun-jeong’s mind.

“Let me take this call for a moment. Yes, Great Hero.”

Choi Seong-min got up from his seat and went outside the restaurant, pretending to talk with Song Chi-hyeon.

Do Eun-jeong was probably too embarrassed to even lift her head right now.

‘Not only did she mistake me for the black mask, but Song Chi-hyeon, whom she thought was dead, was clearly alive…’

She might kick her blanket several times tonight.

Of course, all of Do Eun-jeong’s speculations were correct.

‘There’s just no solid evidence.’

Choi Seong-min, who had gone outside the restaurant, took out Song Chi-hyeon’s phone from his pocket and ended the call.

‘If I hadn’t pretended to receive contact from Song Chi-hyeon, she would have continued to suspect me.’

Do Eun-jeong had an unexpectedly persistent side after all.

After killing an appropriate amount of time, Choi Seong-min returned to his seat and spoke apologetically.

“What should I do? I need to go urgently because of the Great Hero’s call…”

“Ah… it can’t be helped.”

“The meal was good. Then…”

As Choi Seong-min was about to leave, Do Eun-jeong stopped him.

“Wait, let me ask just one thing before you go. How was Song Chi-hyeon’s, no, the Great Hero’s voice? Did he seem fine?”

“Yes. It didn’t sound like the voice of someone who had been stabbed dozens of times with a sword.”

“Ah…”

Do Eun-jeong lowered her head in embarrassment.

-I really must have seen wrong.

At the time, she thought it was Song Chi-hyeon, but thinking about it again, it was uncertain since he was covered by a hood.

-Maybe hearing junior Seong-min’s name was also a hallucination…

Doesn’t it say that one’s entire life flashes before their eyes like a panorama at the moment of death?

It wouldn’t be strange if the name of someone she often thought about was heard like a hallucination.

“I really must have been mistaken.”

“That’s possible. It would be hard for a normal person to maintain clear consciousness in such a situation.”

“…Right. Anyway, you’re saying you have no intention of joining our organization?”

“Yes.”

Though they shared the same goal of targeting Great Heroes, Choi Seong-min had no intention of joining hands with the rebels.

‘I don’t need comrades. I can do enough by myself. Most importantly, I can’t trust the organization’s capabilities…’

If it was an organization of misfits, joining would only bring losses.

‘There’s no reason to board a worn-out sailboat. Unless it’s a sturdy ship.’

If even one organization member got caught, they could all be tied up like sausages and executed.

No matter how he thought about it, joining the rebels was a negative factor.

At Choi Seong-min’s firm refusal, Do Eun-jeong nodded as if giving up.

“I understand. I won’t ask you to join anymore. I was rude. And what I said today…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything today.”

“Thank you.”

“Then see you next time.”

He said that out of courtesy before leaving.

Though he didn’t know if there would be a next time.

* * *

Worried wrinkles appeared on butler Hwang Seok-gyu’s face.

It was because of Song Chi-hyeon, who hadn’t appeared even as lunch approached.

“Butler Hwang. What about the Great Hero?”

“He hasn’t come in yet.”

“Then what about the cooking?”

“For now, prepare the Great Hero’s portion so he can eat anytime. He might come in on time.”

But contrary to what he told the cook, Song Chi-hyeon didn’t return even after lunch passed.

Eventually, the prepared food was thrown away and puzzlement appeared on Hwang Seok-gyu’s face.

‘What is he doing and where that he still hasn’t come in?’

The Great Hero had left early in the morning saying he had urgent matters to handle.

‘I don’t know what business he went out for…’

He knew that three corpses had been made.

Because he had heard the news from the cleaner in the morning.

‘It seems there were people who needed to be killed urgently…’

Murder was no different from daily routine, so it wasn’t a problem at all.

The real problem was why he still hadn’t come in.

‘Strange. He shouldn’t have any particular schedule…’

Could it be that he wouldn’t return home even when evening came?

Worry came first, but he couldn’t ask.

It would be rude to ask the master when he would come in.

‘Could something have happened…’

While he was worrying, the mansion door opened and someone entered.

It was Song Chi-hyeon.

“Have you arrived? Great Hero.”

When Hwang Seok-gyu brightened and bowed, Song Chi-hyeon casually raised his hand in response.

“Yeah.”

Though his outfit was different from when he went out in the morning, his appearance and voice were unmistakably Song Chi-hyeon’s.

“Did you handle the urgent matter well?”

‘Asking when you already know?’

Song Chi-hyeon, who had been looking at the butler briefly, opened his mouth.

“Of course. I handled it.”

“Did you have lunch? If you’re hungry, shall I prepare a meal?”

“No need. I already ate.”

Song Chi-hyeon spoke curtly and walked toward his office, leaving the butler behind.

Thud-

Only after entering his private space did Song Chi-hyeon, no, Choi Seong-min, relax his expression.

‘Reading his thoughts, it seems I wasn’t discovered.’

Looking at the butler’s thoughts, he clearly regarded him as Song Chi-hyeon.

‘The problem is that the person I need to be most careful of in this house is the butler.’

The butler’s name was Hwang Seok-gyu.

He served as both butler and secretary.

But that was only his public role.

His real role was as a spy monitoring Song Chi-hyeon.

A spy sent from Kwak Min-cheol’s side at that.

‘Song Chi-hyeon probably never dreamed of it. That there was an enemy in the closest place.’

Since he had approached by deceiving thoughts like himself, Song Chi-hyeon had no choice but to be unaware.

‘If I hadn’t seen the butler contacting Kwak Min-cheol before possession, even the current me would have been deceived.’

The butler’s role was to disguise himself as a secretary and report Song Chi-hyeon’s every move to Kwak Min-cheol.

‘He probably found out what Song Chi-hyeon did this morning by asking that cleaner guy.’

Even if the matter of killing Team Crush reached Kwak Min-cheol’s ears, it wouldn’t be a problem.

‘As long as there’s no clear evidence, I can just deny it like Song Chi-hyeon has been doing.’

Since the Great Hero act would only last a month anyway, enduring shouldn’t be a problem.

‘But I can’t be played by the butler’s hands like Song Chi-hyeon was.’

Even if it was only for a month, he had no intention of exposing his activities and meekly taking it.

Choi Seong-min pressed a number on the intercom in the office.

-Yes, Great Hero.

“I have something to discuss, so come to the office immediately.”

-I’ll be right there.

It was the butler’s voice.