Retire 283

283 Retaliation (3)

“In the dramas Sandra watches, everyone does this.”

Alex mimicked taking out a wallet as he spoke. No matter how much he tried to lower his voice, it just sounded like a child pretending to be an adult.

“FBI. We request your cooperation… Was that it?”

The three hunters, all wearing identical FBI jackets, let out a sigh in unison.

“We’ll handle that, so please… just behave yourself, okay?”

“Can’t I do something fun too?”

“This isn’t something we’re doing for fun!”

“I know that much.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“If it’s something you have to do anyway, you might as well enjoy it.”

Alex turned his head away with a sulky look, but the scenery outside the window was just as boring.

Then, suddenly, Alex’s eyes widened as he asked,

“Can I play some music?”

“Look… Actually, sure. Go ahead… play it.”

Kang So-yoon, a veteran hunter of eight years with the Special Operations Division of the Korean branch of the International Paranormal Association, muttered in defeat. Soon, a bright melody, completely at odds with the gloomy mood in the car, filled the space.

‘Why did the Master insist we bring this kid along?’

She knew the reason, of course. That was the only reason they were calmly letting him ride with them. If not for that…

Unlike Choi Dae-hyun, who was openly annoyed, the younger Ji Yu-geon was making an effort to draw something out of Alex.

‘He’s at that age where he’s full of enthusiasm.’

Kang So-yoon glanced at her junior with lukewarm eyes. He was the type who could get by anywhere. Honestly, after seeing what he’d been up to at Yangseong High these past few months, she wondered if he shouldn’t have opened a café or a restaurant instead of becoming a hunter.

“So, is there something you’ll be able to find out when we get there?”

“Find out?”

“Hope-san was the one who warned us that Lehmann had noticed the kids, right…?”

“Hope-san? That makes me sound old. I’m not your dad, just call me Alex.”

Alex laughed brightly.

“I left a mark on the kids before sending them off.”

“A mark?”

“Sandra checks on the kids regularly, but you never know what could happen. Honestly, what I was worried about wasn’t Henry, but a dungeon break.”

“Dungeon break…”

A surprisingly practical danger. Well, it was more likely than being targeted by the head of an American crime syndicate.

“If they got caught up in something like that, it’d be dangerous. I worked so hard to save those kids!”

Alex launched into a lengthy explanation of all he’d done to spirit the children away.

Even Kang So-yoon, who’d been listening with half an ear, started to pay attention. She knew Alex and Sandra had rescued the kids, but hadn’t known the details. It couldn’t hurt to know.

“…That’s how I did it!”

But after listening, Kang So-yoon’s expression grew strange again. The other two looked the same.

“That’s even possible?”

“Yup!”

“How?”

“Just well?”

“Well?”

Choi Dae-hyun, who was driving, asked quite seriously,

“Are you… a magician? Is that your unique magic?”

“Haha, no. I’m not a magician. Not a unique magic either.”

“But…”

“People’s minds aren’t as sturdy as you’d think.”

Alex smiled nonchalantly.

“It’s just a little interference. With people you’re meeting for the first time, it works surprisingly well.”

“So, that’s…”

“Is it hard to understand? But the world’s full of secrets! Where’s the fun in knowing everything?”

If this really were just for fun, he would have quit long ago.

But before anyone could object, Alex waggled his finger.

“If it bothers you, just think of it as a unique magic. I’m not a magician, definitely not a great magician, but I can imitate something similar, can’t I?”

“…Imitate, huh.”

Well, if that’s the case, maybe it’s poss—

…Possible?

…Is it?

No way!!

Screeeech!!!!

The car skidded violently on the road. Choi Dae-hyun whipped around to look at Alex. Ji Yu-geon pressed himself against the window, eyeing Hope warily—everyone felt the same chill.

Hope just smiled calmly.

“So, what do you think?”

“Th-that just now, was that…?”

“Since you know me, it wore off quickly, right? But for people who can’t sense mana, or are tired or distracted… it can last quite a while. And there’s usually nothing to break the distortion.”

Hope looked around.

“Good thing there’s no one else around. It’d be bad to get in an accident while wearing an FBI jacket.”

“…You…”

“It’s instinctual, so I can’t control it much, but… I can guide it. That’s how I was able to fool the investigators with those crude fake corpses.”

Hope lowered his voice again, imitating the FBI agents he’d seen in dramas.

“The children are dead. It was the work of a monster from the dungeon. A tragic case…”

“……”

“When I get older, I won’t be able to use this method anymore. Even now, it’s a lot weaker than when I first spirited the kids away.”

Hope shrugged.

“Anyway, I really did go through a lot. Who do you think kept interfering with the investigators’ perceptions while trailing after them, all to make those fake corpses convincing? After all that effort, Henry can’t just mess it up!”

Kang So-yoon came to her senses.

She nudged Choi Dae-hyun’s shoulder. The car started moving toward their destination again, though at a slower pace than before.

Hope, oblivious to the hunters’ reactions, continued talking.

“Anyway, originally it was because of dungeon breaks, not Henry. I used that as an excuse to pull the kids out, but if they got hurt in the process, I’d feel bad, right? Wouldn’t that be unfair?”

“……”

“That’s why I left a mark!”

Unbothered by the others’ unease, Hope spoke cheerfully.

Kang So-yoon suddenly remembered the question Ji Yu-geon had first asked Hope.

Why was Hope coming along?

“I set it up so I’d know if they came into contact with an abnormally strong mana wave. Monster or whatever…”

For the first time, Hope’s face twisted.

“But if I get an alert from all the kids I spirited away at once?”

“…All at once?”

“I know. It’s a trap.”

Hope’s expression returned to calm.

“……You told someone else, right?”

“Hahahaha.”

Hope burst out laughing.

“But even so, I can’t just not go, can I?”

---

Alex Hope’s “ability” shone once they arrived on site.

“FBI. You should have been notified.”

“Uh, well…”

The local police exchanged awkward glances.

“But is that kid FBI too?”

The officer looked at Hope, standing idly behind the three hunters.

At best, he looked like a runaway under FBI protection.

Before Kang So-yoon, using the alias Robert Kim, could say anything, Hope stepped forward and greeted them with a friendly smile.

“Hello! I’m Gabriel Blake. I’m not an investigator, I’m an analyst, so I’m not as stiff as these guys.”

“Ah… So, what brings you here…?”

The officer still sounded wary, but his guard visibly dropped.

“You know why that child is in the witness protection program, right?”

The officer nodded.

“I protected her during a previous case. Having someone familiar around should help her feel safe.”

“She’s been pretty scared.”

“Oh, really? Last time I saw her, she was all smiles and so bright.”

“She’s the same here, but with all the sudden changes, it’s understandable…”

“I’m glad I pushed myself to come! Well, it wasn’t really a stretch. I’m involved in the case, after all.”

Hope smiled shyly.

He seemed so mild-mannered that the three hunters, recalling everything they’d seen and heard about Hope, had to tense their brows to keep their expressions in check.

From what they’d seen, Hope wasn’t this sociable. It was as if he’d handed over all his personality and social skills to Sandra Gamble!

At least as team leader, Kang So-yoon was the first to recover.

“Ah, here are the necessary documents.”

“Let’s see… Would you like to see the child first?”

“Would that be possible?”

The officer barely glanced at the documents before turning back to chat with Hope. Kang So-yoon, dazed, followed after him.

And what did she find?

An uncanny lack of friction.

Choi Dae-hyun stared at Hope as if he were a possessed doll. Kang So-yoon couldn’t blame him—she was looking at him the same way.

Given the involvement of a child, the atmosphere in the interview room should have been tense, but even the officers who had glared at Kang So-yoon quickly warmed up when Hope started talking.

At some point, Hope was even holding a cup of coffee. Not the terrible stuff brewed for hours in the break room, but a specialty café drink topped with whipped cream.

Of course, the three hunters got nothing.

“……”

The wider Hope’s smile grew, the more the police escorted them around, the more Kang So-yoon realized just how real this “distortion” was.

And it gave her chills.

“I’d honestly prefer if it were magic,”

Ji Yu-geon whispered, making sure no one overheard.

“If this isn’t magic, that’s even scarier…”

Kang So-yoon agreed completely.

Regardless of what the hunters thought, Hope, weaving easily through the police, finally got to meet the child under protection.

Judging by the way the girl, with her hair neatly tied, lit up at the sight of Hope, it was no lie that they knew each other.

“Oh! It’s the pretty oppa!”

“Hi, Sohee. Wait, you changed your name, didn’t you? Sophia? How have you been? Have the police officers treated you well?”

“Yeah!”

The girl clung to Hope’s waist, chattering away. Even if the police had harbored doubts about Hope, seeing this would have dispelled them.

The same was true for the three hunters. They knew the children thought dead were alive, and had heard from Hope how they’d been spirited away, but seeing proof with their own eyes was different.

“It must have been scary, all of a sudden. Are you okay? Is there anything you’re uncomfortable with? If you tell me, I’ll pass it on to the officers for you.”

“N-no, I’m fine.”

The conversation in Korean made the American officers nod. They knew the child was Korean, so they assumed she was just happy to speak her native language.

That worked for them, too. It made sense that three East Asian FBI agents had been dispatched.

Kang So-yoon knelt down beside the girl.

“Hi, Sohee.”

“…Hello.”

The girl, who had clung so easily to Hope, eyed the three adult men warily. It was only natural.

But Kang So-yoon had a secret weapon. She pulled out an envelope she’d carefully brought from Korea.

“……?”

“Tae-woo oppa asked me to give this to you.”

“Mister, you know my brother?!”

The girl’s wariness melted away into a radiant smile.