Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 242.2

Seeing him pant for breath, Ryu Jaekwan, realizing how taut and cornered he’d been, felt a rush of mixed emotion.

How a senior feels when he realizes that every member of his field team, except himself, was swallowed by a supernatural disaster in the blink of an eye and will be tortured for decades before dying.

At the same time, he choked up.

‘That guy…!’

That guy who’s always the one to try the most dangerous thing alone!

Still, the lump in his throat subsided quickly.

After all, both he and Agent Grapes had made it out in one piece.

Instead, he fixed on the small bead hanging at Agent Choi’s waist.

Someone was already inside that makeshift glass prison.

The one who’d introduced themself as a reporter back in Jisan Village.

An employee who goes by the odd name ‘Ms. Falcon’.

“…Did you put her in there on purpose?”

“Yeah. She was dragged into this for nothing, so I did this for now so a civilian like her wouldn’t get hurt.”

Without saying it outright, he implied she’d been cooperative. Agent Choi finally cracked a grin and stood.

And Ryu Jaekwan managed just one line.

“From now on, please, please stop doing reckless things.”

“Haha…”

No answer came from Agent Choi.

“Heavens, how touching.”

The supernatural disaster pinned by two ritual jakdu.

Daydream Inc.’s Director Ho.

He was smiling.

He didn’t so much as frown at being skewered, didn’t let out a single pained groan.

Instead, he calmly raised both hands and set them on the surface of the massive jakdu blades that had nearly cleaved his chest in two.

Even as the sizzle of burning flesh sounded, those smiling eyes didn’t change.

‘…Truly.’

To the point you had to wonder if he was restrained at all.

“By the way, will you return our company employee now? You’ve been holding on to him.”

“…!”

Ryu Jaekwan stepped back at once.

Agent Choi’s eyes went cold beside him.

His habitual smile disappeared completely.

Feigning the gesture of covering his own mouth with a hand, he bent down toward the fallen ‘Kim Soleum’ and nodded, as if listening to something coming from him.

“What’s that, Grapes-ie? Mm-hm, good idea.”

Then he looked back at the fox plague impaled by the jakdu and smiled.

“Grapes says he’s resigning.”

“Is that so? If he says so himself, nothing we can do. Would you wake him up?”

“No.”

Blue sparks jumped in Agent Choi’s eyes.

“Why wake a sleeping kid. We’ll take good care of him, and you go get some rest in prison.”

He looked around at his colleague.

“Right? Bronze…”

“……”

But Ryu Jaekwan did not concur.

Agent Choi caught the subtle look.

And, relieved past the point of sense, a question he’d put off flared up. One needed to grasp the situation.

How, exactly, did they get out of the box?

“Bronze.”

Why is it that, though he came out the same, Kim Soleum still hasn’t come to in all this chaos?

“Oh dear… looks like he won’t wake up.”

“……”

“Shall I try?”

“Shut up.”

“Employee 130666, it’s time to wake up and stand by for duty.”

At that moment/

130666 rose.

Black smoke.

It billowed thick between the black uniform, lantern-yellow light flashing, a strange presence pressing heavy on the dust-caked ground.

The horned thing stood motionless, coat hanging, casting a black shadow.

‘……’

Something was wrong.

‘This is.’

Different from before.

A moment ago, even with the clearly inhuman silhouette, there had been something you could feel.

An air in its bearing and responses.

Things that made them call him ‘Grapes’ without hesitation the moment they saw him.

But now…

Something forced into a human silhouette.

A prickle up the spine, an agent’s inductive instinct.

‘A supernatural phenomenon.’

Even so, his mouth moved.

“…Grapes?”

The smoke turned first.

Gaslight flared over the dusky black pooling underfoot.

A gaze from beneath the horns.

Inappropriate form of address

Reason : Unofficial

“……”

Agent Choi was at a loss for words. His lips worked a few times before he finished a sentence.

“Then… what should I call you?”

No official title

Recommendation : Registration number 130666

“…Call you by a number? Are you—”

“Wait.”

Ryu Jaekwan cut in urgently.

“Agent Grapes. What’s your current condition? Is the pain ongoing, or are you still hearing any strange whispering?”

The smoke did not move.

The black-clad employee of the Special Division stood still, then after a few seconds displayed letters.

Unable to confirm

“……”

“Oh dear.”

Ho Yoowon’s laughter sounded.

“Looks like it’s not the state you were expecting?”

“You…!”

“Employee 130666. Since a company executive is restrained, would you pull these out?”

Black smoke surged at the jakdu.

“…!”

Clang.

The ritual jakdu blades wrenched free and fell, striking the ground with a clear, hard ring.

As Ho Yoowon, now freed, began to rise, Agent Choi started forward and tried to pull another means of restraint…

But the smoke barred him.

“…!”

Warning : Security-risk act

On repeated attempt, containment level shall be adjusted

“……”

Danger.

The nape prickled, like facing something truly dangerous.

“…You,”

His trembling eyes saw something corrupt beyond the smoke.

“What did you do.”

“Nothing.”

Ho Yoowon spoke in a tone of feigned regret.

“Seems the box left an ill effect. Don’t you think?”

“The box? Sounds like something you or your cult company did.”

“Who knows.”

A laugh.

“But here’s the thing. I’ve no intention of answering… so you can keep wondering.”

“……”

Agent Choi drew the jakdu back.

Watching the being he had once worked alongside, squared off against him…

“One thing I do know for certain.”

The jakdu pointed at the malign presence beyond the smoke.

The Black-Tortoise Team 1 agent pronounced.

“Daydream Inc.’s Director Ho Yoowon is a supernatural disaster.”

A formal designation.

Salt Goblin

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