ACSPGC 15

Chapter 15….

Pee So-won cleared his throat and hurried to change the subject.

“Anyway. What are we supposed to do now? We weren’t officially assigned to the Geumho-dong weapons trafficking case. Our job was the Jeongmun High murder case, and the primary suspect, Kang Wol-yeon, has completely shut his mouth.”

And that part was true.

From the moment Kang Il-yeon was taken into custody by the Hunter Investigation Unit, Kang Wol-yeon refused every statement.

Kang Il-yeon was in some unknown state of poisoning, so proper testimony was impossible anyway.

‘I can’t disappoint the Chairman… I’m useful… I’m someone who deserves to receive “medicine”… I…’

According to the Healer, he just muttered nonsense like that and kept trying to self-harm.

But since no one knew what exactly the “medicine” was that he’d been dosed with, there was no solution.

I know—I’m just not planning to tell.

Kang Il-yeon must never receive that “medicine” again.
It doesn’t heal him—it destroys him.

It’s a dungeon byproduct with mind-control effects!

No matter how talented he is as a production-type hunter, who on earth does something that disgusting to a nineteen-year-old kid?

He needs to be punished. Properly.

Thinking that, I opened my mouth.

“Um… but I think we may not need Kang Wol-yeon’s testimony—”

“Who said you could interrupt me and talk whenever you want?”

At Pee So-won’s words, I clicked my tongue and raised my hand.

“Fine. Speak.”

Ugh. This psychopath.

Dear Mom, Dad.
I think I’ve ended up on a team… with a psychopath.

“We don’t need Wol-yeon’s testimony! From what Il-yeon told me, there should be another real murder weapon. The weapon found at the scene only had blood. No flesh, no tissue. That’s not consistent with an actual stabbing. The real murder weapon should be different!”

I rushed the words out before Pee So-won could shut me up again.

He frowned.

“You’re telling me that in that short time, you got all that out of that lunatic?”

“I’m just…”

I scratched the back of my head and grinned.

“…really good at getting along with people.”

“….”

Watching his expression rot was kind of satisfying, so I quickly added:

“When I gently brought up Kang Wol-yeon, he talked. Their bond felt like real brothers. That’s how I got him to open up.”

“And what exactly made you think they were loving brothers? You realize talking about Wol-yeon could have provoked him and gotten you killed.”

He said sharply.

“Then it would’ve been a dog’s death.”

A dog’s death?
How rude.

Still, if he wants to know—

“He’s nineteen.”

I answered plainly.

At that, Pee So-won’s expression shifted slightly.

“He knew his brother was falsely accused. And… Wol-yeon cherished the keychain Il-yeon gave him.”

Even without “the original story,” the circumstantial evidence was overflowing.

Proof that Il-yeon cared about Wol-yeon.

Twisted, unhealthy, yes.
But still obvious.

Their eyes reacted instantly whenever the other was mentioned.

They may act tough, but they’re still not even adults.

No one hides feelings that well at that age.

Even that self-important Lee Yu-gyeom couldn’t lie to me without getting caught.

Back in 10th grade, he didn’t have money for cram school but pretended he didn’t need it.
He got caught immediately.

He almost cracked his shinbone when I punished him…

Even as an F-rank, if I take a proper stance, my strength increases tenfold thanks to muscle memory from training.

Back then, I didn’t control it well and broke a few household items.

Always… control your strength…

With that lesson in mind, I continued:

“I was sure Il-yeon wouldn’t hurt someone protecting Wol-yeon. And of course he’d cooperate in the investigation.”

“….”

Pee So-won stared at me for a long moment.

“You believed that.”

He seemed lost in thought for a second, then looked away.

“How sentimental. What does that kind of soft-heartedness even solve? That ‘real weapon’ never appeared anywhere. Il-yeon and Wol-yeon will go to prison together—”

“It’s at the Chairman’s house. The murder weapon. Kang Il-yeon testified to it.”

A complete lie.

He didn’t testify.

But I know.

The Chairman’s son hasn’t disposed of it yet.

In the original story, that brat never confessed the truth to his father until it was too late.

“So what now? Storming a civilian’s home with weapons instead of keychains?”

“Nope. They’ll open the door.”

“What—”

“Oh, because the ownership of that Geumho-dong warehouse is weird. It’s under a foundation, but that foundation operates with the same funds as Jeongmun High’s foundation. And when we traced that fund’s source, we found one name: Chairman Jang Hae-yeol.”

I slid forward the file folder I’d hidden behind me and smiled sweetly.

“I may have gotten a little help… from Team Leader Kwon?”

Well, sure, I may have hinted a few things.

Pee So-won’s face instantly hardened—

—and a quiet whistle sounded behind us.

He glared at the source, but Byun Gu-do casually looked away, pretending it wasn’t him.

He avoided Pee So-won’s stare, peeked at me, and gave a subtle thumbs-up from beside the partition.

I… got praised!

The search and seizure of the Chairman’s house happened fast.

People argue a lot about whether the Hunter Investigation Unit should exist, but one thing’s certain—our authority in cases like this is absolute.

When the golden time is missed in hunter-related crimes, the result isn’t “one person dies.”
It’s “an entire city gets blown off the map.”

And it wasn’t even difficult.

In the closet of a boy named Jang Ho-jin, who lived on the 2nd floor, we found a murder weapon identical to the one Wol-yeon had.

But this one had pieces of human flesh still attached.

We also found a sticky-sole item Il-yeon made for avoiding CCTV and witnesses.

“They’ll argue it in court, but Wol-yeon will be released tomorrow. Ho-jin will be transferred to detention. Wow. A perfect case of evil punished and justice served, right?”

And then—

In the hospital room where Kang Il-yeon was transferred for healing treatment…
a woman was standing.

Or rather, hanging upside-down.

Stuck to the ceiling.

“…You…”

Kang Il-yeon wondered if the bits of sanity he’d recovered were already slipping again.

That woman’s cheerful voice was definitely the same one he’d heard inside the subspace.

The masked investigator.

But how was she here…?

And why… on the ceiling…?

“Did you use my item?”

Yu-ji tilted her head, then suddenly remembered and climbed down from the ceiling.

“Oh, right. I didn’t even realize I was up there. My body turns all floppy and I just… want to stick to things. Hehe. I want to lie on the bed right now, but—!”

Yu-ji opened her eyes wide and stared at him.