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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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It was 3:30 PM.
A large café stood on the main street in front of Seongeun Girls’ Middle School.
Choi Jin-seo sat restlessly at a corner table on the second floor, the innermost one, an untouched drink in front of her.
Kwon Tae-ho would arrive soon. Alone, without his aide, as she had requested.
However, it wasn’t her own will, of course.
‘Can I really do this…?’
Jin-seo was here on the Truth Church’s orders.
Her mission: to get Kwon Tae-ho to ingest the Heavenly Maiden’s blood.
She took a small bottle from her pocket. It was about the size of a single-use eye drop container, the amount of blood inside equally minuscule. This amount wouldn’t be enough to brainwash Tae-ho immediately.
But as seen in Lee Ha-yeon’s fight, even a small amount of ingested blood could influence a person’s actions.
Even if complete control was impossible, slightly restricting Tae-ho’s movements would be enough. That was the Truth Church’s assessment.
In other words, success was preferable, but failure was acceptable.
That was the extent of Jin-seo’s assigned mission. Which meant that was also the extent of her perceived value within the Truth Church.
Realistically, the chances of success were slim. If discovered, she could, in the worst-case scenario, be treated as a criminal.
The reason Jin-seo couldn’t refuse such a dangerous mission was, naturally, because her parents were being held hostage.
The Truth Church never explicitly threatened her. But unspoken pressure was still a form of threat. Jin-seo had no choice.
Having betrayed Ha-yeon once, Jin-seo had already waded too deep into the Truth Church to escape.
“Huu…”
Overwhelmed by tension, fear, and pressure, Jin-seo couldn’t even bring herself to sip her drink.
She wished she could be brainwashed by the holy water and carry out the orders with a joyful heart.
Unfortunately, Jin-seo wasn’t so fortunate.
Those ignorant of the Church’s true nature felt joy and ecstasy upon drinking the holy water, leading them to worship their god.
However, Jin-seo, who feared and opposed the Church, only felt her fear multiply after drinking the holy water. Afraid of the Church, afraid of the Heavenly Maiden, afraid of losing herself, Jin-seo had no choice but to desperately follow the Church’s orders.
-Buzz.
Jin-seo’s phone vibrated. A message from Kwon Tae-ho.
She replied, and a short while later, Tae-ho came upstairs, carrying a coffee. Jin-seo stared at the coffee in his hand.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has.”
“Why did you want to meet alone?”
There were no unnecessary embellishments. To Tae-ho’s direct question, Jin-seo recited the excuses the Church had prepared.
“I’m… I’m scared. I can’t trust anyone anymore. It feels like everyone around me is a watcher planted by the Truth Church…”
“What happened?”
“…”
Jin-seo suppressed the guilt stemming from her lies and spoke.
“Ha-yeon… she betrayed us.”
Tae-ho’s brows furrowed deeply.
“Betrayed? Not captured?”
Faced with the worst-case scenario, Tae-ho tried to deny it.
“Yes. Ha-yeon betrayed us. She told them everything about me, and about the Enforcer Office.”
However, the reply remained cold.
‘So she’s been brainwashed after all.’
He had thought she could resist with her Possessed Spirit. It seemed the Truth Church’s brainwashing methods were more potent than he’d anticipated.
Tae-ho sighed and took a sip of his coffee. Jin-seo continued in a trembling voice.
“B-because of that, my mom was captured by the Church, and my dad and I are going to be punished soon. I was originally summoned to the Church headquarters right after school… B-but I was too scared to go alone, so I contacted you, Enforcer…”
“I understand you’re scared, but meeting me directly might not have been a good choice. From what you’re saying, they might have already attached a watcher to you.”
“A… a watcher…?”
That was only natural. They wouldn’t leave Jin-seo, who was facing “punishment” and could flee at any moment, unattended.
Tae-ho calmed the trembling Jin-seo and surveyed the surroundings.
People who looked like watchers…
‘There are a few suspicious individuals.’
Their behavior was slightly unnatural, or their gaze occasionally flickered in their direction.
But those were only circumstantial. He couldn’t question every suspicious person, and it would be difficult to identify watchers based on their outward appearance alone.
Thinking so, Tae-ho turned his gaze back to Jin-seo. She avoided his gaze, guilt evident in her expression.
“I… I didn’t know there’d be a watcher. But… if I go back like this, my family is finished, so… I needed help…”
With her gaze fixed on the table, Jin-seo spoke in a tearful voice.
“Please help me…! Even Ha-yeon betrayed me, the only person I can trust now is you, Enforcer…! I-If even your assistant with the Truth Church, then…”
“Is that why you asked me to come alone? Because my assistant could also be with the Truth Church?”
Jin-seo nodded. Tae-ho took her hand and reassured her.
“It’s okay. At least my assistant and I are definitely on your side. So don’t worry.”
“R-really…”
Jin-seo lowered her head, seemingly relieved. Her gaze flickered towards the coffee in front of Tae-ho.
“…”
After a brief pause, Tae-ho stood up. Jin-seo looked up at him, startled.
“I’ll be right back. I just need to speak with my assistant. Wait here.”
With that, Tae-ho left the café. At the same time, Jin-seo clenched her fist.
‘N-now’s the time!’
She took out the bottle of the Heavenly Maiden’s blood. Without hesitation, she was about to pour its contents into Tae-ho’s coffee.
However.
-Grab.
Just before she could pour it, someone grabbed her wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Gasp…!”
The person who grabbed Jin-seo’s wrist was a striking young woman. Her hair was dyed bright blonde, and she wore large sunglasses. She looked like a movie star from a magazine spread.
But then, Jin-seo recognized the tightly closed eyelids behind the sunglasses. She had recently met someone who always kept their eyes closed like that, despite not being blind.
“A-Assistant…?”
“I was waiting in disguise, suspecting you might have already turned to the Truth Church. And as expected, my suspicions were correct.”
Yoo-seol, speaking casually, glanced at the other patrons. The café’s customers briefly looked their way at the commotion, but quickly returned to their own affairs, seemingly unconcerned.
Except for one person.
“Found him.”
Yoo-seol’s gaze landed on a customer in the corner of the café. The man, who had been staring at them, abruptly stood up when he felt Yoo-seol’s gaze.
His judgment was fairly quick. But it was too late.
“Hey.”
Kwon Tae-ho, who had pretended to go downstairs, blocked the man’s escape.
“Wh-what do you want?!”
“You’re the watcher sent by the Truth Church, aren’t you?”
“N-no, I’m not.”
At the man’s reply, Tae-ho glanced at Yoo-seol. Having already removed her sunglasses and activated her crimson Eyes of Truth, she shook her head.
“He’s lying.”
“Lying? That’s impossible—”
“And usually, when someone asks, ‘Are you a watcher?’ the response should be ‘What are you talking about?’ not ‘No, I’m not,’ right?”
“Damn it…!”
Realizing there was no escape, the man used his superpower against Tae-ho. It was an ultrasonic wave that disrupted balance, causing the target to stumble.
“Oh.”
The moment Tae-ho’s body swayed from the ability, the man tried to shove him aside and run.
-Crash!!
“Ugh…”
But in the next instant, Tae-ho’s palm slammed into the man’s cheek. The man flew several meters and crashed into the café wall before collapsing.
“Thanks. I didn’t have grounds to arrest you, so at best it would have been a voluntary escort, but you just gave me a reason.”
Tae-ho skillfully handcuffed the unconscious man and approached Yoo-seol and Jin-seo.
“Then, since there are so many eyes here, shall we move somewhere else to talk?”
The four headed to Tae-ho’s car parked behind the café.
Tae-ho took the driver’s seat, while Yoo-seol and Jin-seo sat in the back. The apprehended man was placed in the passenger seat.
“So.”
Tae-ho turned to face Jin-seo. He subtly glanced at Yoo-seol, who nodded and activated her Eyes of Truth.
“Lies won’t work from now on. Tell me the truth.”
“…”
“Let’s start with why you did this.”
Inside the car, Tae-ho and Yoo-seol questioned Jin-seo. She had lost her will to resist the moment her attempt was discovered. It didn’t take long for them to understand the situation.
Lee Ha-yeon had been captured by the Truth Church. Jin-seo was being blackmailed; her parents were being held hostage. She had been tasked with getting Tae-ho to drink the Heavenly Maiden’s blood, the source of the holy water.
“So this is it.”
Tae-ho muttered, turning the confiscated vial over in his hands. Jin-seo hung her head, tears welling in her eyes.
She couldn’t even bring herself to apologize. Even with her parents as hostages, she had betrayed Ha-yeon and tried to trick Tae-ho.
She was resigned to arrest. Her only worry was her parents, captive in the Church’s hands.
“Hmm…”
Tae-ho studied Jin-seo for a moment, then glanced at the passenger seat. The man lay slumped there, still unconscious from Tae-ho’s strike.
“Hey. Wake up.”
-Slap. Slap. Smack. Smack!
“Gah?!”
Tae-ho slapped the man awake. He gasped, his eyes fluttering open. He looked around, his gaze finally landing on Tae-ho, who held up the vial of Heavenly Maiden’s blood.
“You were sent to make sure Choi Jin-seo succeeded, weren’t you? If she failed or double-crossed them, you were supposed to harm her parents.”
“…”
“You’re giving me quite the glare. Anyone would think I’m the villain here.”
-Pop.
Tae-ho opened the vial. While the man watched, bewildered, Tae-ho poured the Heavenly Maiden’s blood into his own mouth and swallowed it.
“E, Enforcer-nim?!”
“Why?!”
“Hmm, surprisingly sweet for what’s supposed to be human blood. And I feel… strangely invigorated.”
An ordinary person would have likely collapsed from the rush of pleasure and hallucinations, but Tae-ho remained perfectly composed. He held the empty vial up to the man.
“Now, tell the Truth Church: Choi Jin-seo completed her mission.”
“Enforcer-nim! Are you insane?! Do you even know what that stuff is?!”
“I know what it is. Don’t worry. This much won’t kill me. At worst, I’ll have a stomachache.”
“You can’t be serious…”
“You.”
Ignoring Yoo-seol’s stunned expression, Tae-ho tapped the man’s cheek.
“Tell the Church: Choi Jin-seo completed her mission. They can release her mother now. Tell them she’s completely submitted to the Church.”
“Enforcer, surely…”
“Do it.”
At Tae-ho’s insistence, the man took out his phone. He struggled to type a message with his handcuffed hands, then showed it to Tae-ho for confirmation before sending it to his superior.
“There. Your mother should be safe for now, right?”
After confirming the message was sent, Tae-ho gave Jin-seo a small, reassuring smile, his expression otherwise calm.
“Why?”
Jin-seo stared at Tae-ho, tears streaming down her face.
Why?
She had betrayed Ha-yeon and tried to set a trap for Tae-ho. Yet, he had willingly consumed the Heavenly Maiden’s blood—practically poison—for her sake.
Why? What reason could he possibly have?
“I’m an Enforcer.”
Tae-ho calmly answered Jin-seo’s unspoken question.
“I protect citizens from criminals. That’s an Enforcer’s job. I simply did what I had to.”
“Uh… uh…!”
At that simple answer, the dam holding back Jin-seo’s emotions finally broke.
“Sob…! I… I’m so, so sorry…! I… I… Waaaaah!”
Jin-seo finally fully grasped the gravity of her actions.
These people risked their own safety for the safety of others, without expecting anything in return.
What had she done to such people? Finally understanding, Jin-seo could only sob uncontrollably.
“Sob…! E, Enforcer-nim…!”
Yet, despite everything, Jin-seo spoke.
She knew it was a shameless request. But she couldn’t bear to keep it inside.
“Ha-yeon… please… please save Sister Ha-yeon…!”
She begged him to save Ha-yeon, who had been captured because of her.
To that plea, Kwon Tae-ho gave a confident thumbs-up.
“Leave it to me.”
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Slap. Slap. Smack. Smack! LMAO
