“No way.”“Then neither can you.”“Do you think he’s capable of doing a man’s share?”“What can’t he do? You even set him up with equipment.”Boss Gil, forehead wrapped in a cool sheet and hooked to an IV, waved his hand tirelessly.Ever since he’d realized Joo-o’s usefulness, he kept offering these uneasy suggestions: use Joo-o in the black market deal instead of Muhae.Meanwhile, Dr. Jeong had simply finished administering injections and medicines, then leaned against the wall in silence, neither agreeing nor objecting.In the cramped bedroom—barely fit for four adults—only Muhae’s and Boss Gil’s voices bounced back and forth.“You said it’s nothing special. He just needs to memorize a few lines and fetch the parts, right?”“But something could go wrong. The guy doesn’t even know what he’s doing—do you want him to get screwed over?”Boss Gil fell silent at that cutting retort. He looked uncomfortable, perhaps realizing it was a shabby idea.Yet his eyes still asked, What’s the problem? Perhaps a natural reaction.To them, Joo-o was just some stranger they’d barely known. A stranger was expendable—so long as he served their purposes, they could exploit him humanely enough.“Muhae. If you get screwed, that kid trailing after you will get screwed too.”“That’s—”“If you worried about that, you shouldn’t have stuck him by your side. And why bring him into a place like this?”“……”“He’s the type who’d suck you dry for every dil—and now he’s acting all innocent.”Honestly, Muhae himself lacked compassion too—he couldn’t argue that.Life wasn’t kind to the warmhearted. And even knowing that opposing this felt alien to him…‘Damn it.’Using Joo-o as a shield made Muhae uneasy. Especially aware of Joo-o’s gaze following him a few steps behind.The conflict had been rising without concession when in a soft falsetto voice, Joo-o interjected, tipping the scale.“It’s okay. I’ll do it.”Muhae frowned and spun to look. Joo-o stood beside him, nodding.“I can do it.”“He says he can do it.”“Do you even know what you’d be doing?”“Even if I don’t, I’ll do well.”“That’s what he says.”“Boss, please be quiet. You’re sick, and your voice keeps opening.”“What, kid?”“If you think about it, I’m not the one being stubborn…!”“Enough.”Boss Gil snapped, and Dr. Jeong gently pressed his forehead back down onto the pillow.Finally stepping into the argument, Dr. Jeong spoke in his soft voice.“Muhae’s right. It’s cruel to burn someone else’s life for our gain.”“……”“But you know, it’s not entirely clean work either—so many caveats and conditions.”“I know. But it’s not so urgent that we need someone clueless.”“He’s not clueless, I think…”Dr. Jeong murmured as he glanced at Joo-o: the tall young man almost as tall as Dr. Jeong himself, perfectly normal in every visible way.Joo-o’s lips had been curling in a slight smile ever since.“Then do as you wish.”“Jung Han-young!”“It’s your responsibility in the end. We only advise. The risk and reward are yours.”Dr. Jeong pinned Muhae’s forehead once more to quell any protest, ending the debate.Muhae—finally getting the answer he’d sought—quieted, oddly abashed.…Of course. He’d only taken Joo-o in for the reward. Though Joo-o’s efforts had earned him a good sum, he valued utility over sympathy or gratitude.And now that Joo-o had witnessed the Company’s secrets, as Boss Gil warned, sooner or later he’d have to consider Joo-o’s fate too.By any means, he’d have to silence him or force him to stay on the same boat. A harsh measure, but past conspirators hadn’t been wrong.“Um…” Joo-o, staring at the air, began muttering to himself.“I wonder how the story will go if this happens…”Muhae shot Dr. Jeong a look, as if to ask if that was normal.“Hmm. It’s fine. Guess we start from here.”Joo-o tugged Muhae’s sleeve. Whether he heard any of the discussion, his expression was full of excitement.Muhae wanted to tell him to shut up and go home, but a cold part of him whispered that this was the best path.Frowning, Muhae clenched his jaw, muscles bulging along his chin.“That’s it for today. Go rest.”Dr. Jeong gestured toward the door. Indeed, Boss Gil’s eyes drooped, paying for his earlier fever.“He does this sometimes.”Dr. Jeong shook his head, as though to reassure. Muhae gave a clipped greeting, then pulled Joo-o away by the arm.‘I’ll do it. I can do it too.’From that moment, Joo-o followed Muhae repeating those words—an insistent, desperate plea like when he’d asked to tag along.The deadline for the deal approached, and Boss Gil threatened to go himself. Waiting another month felt like stagnation.Finally, Muhae—tired of ignoring Joo-o’s words—relented and included him in the plan.Once Muhae decided, things moved swiftly.“You hear me?”“You hear me?”Boss Gil, still weak, hurriedly gathered supplies and sent them over to Dr. Jeong’s side.A small camera to catch the surroundings, bone-conduction speaker behind the ear, self-defense tools…Overkill, but it was Boss Gil’s way of showing he cared.“Don’t mess with the receiver. Memorize everything?”“Yep.”“Tell me step by step, from the start.”“Um, stand still. If someone asks who skipped the party, say you came with me.”“And?”“Follow along. If you put your hands in your pockets, stay still. Say you gave the housewarming gift to the yellow house at the intersection.”“And then?”“Go to the grocery store, buy Tornado, look around, then come to where Muhae is!”“Right. And if I tell you anything mid-task, drop everything and do that first.”“Don’t worry.”Joo-o shrugged and pointed to the lens on his jacket, face resolute.Since joining the deal, he’d been acting like a new recruit chosen by a secret society.“Rest up. We start when it gets dark.”“Got it. Can I stay in Muhae’s bed?”Before Muhae could answer, Joo-o climbed onto his bed, as if knowing permission was a given.His innocent eyes seemed aware he was doing Muhae a favor. Laughing, Joo-o buried his face in the pillow.His back, which had puffed up as he inhaled, suddenly collapsed.As his clean feet wriggled under the sheets, Muhae felt an odd flutter and checked the watch on his wrist.[CME Q2 Outsource: Exploration & Combat Schedule]Of all days, the Company had just sent down the schedule. Muhae meticulously selected from the list of missions.He couldn’t bear to watch Joo-o wrapping himself in the blanket or rolling around.He didn’t meet those admiring glances. Choosing missions sometimes did that to him—unintentional but habitual.“Muhae. Your watch is beeping.”By the time he’d stalled with vague excuses, it neared 8:00. Muhae sent Joo-o ahead to the rendezvous and warned him again.“Pay attention, and remember what I told you.”“Okay.”“I’ll be watching too. If anything seems off, do exactly as /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ I say.”“Got it.”They entered Boss Gil’s house to find a scene Muhae had never seen before.One wall of the living room was cleared of clutter, and a massive projection glowed where the junk once stood.―Hmm, hmmm♪ la-la-la♬Joo-o’s camera picked up a familiar hummed tune.“What is this…? Is it really necessary to watch it so grandly?”“Get old, kid. You won’t see the small stuff.”“But you said it wasn’t a dangerous part. Why so secretive?”“True… but some of these are not for me.”Boss Gil, once trampled by Goryeo City’s authorities, shrugged. Though he smiled, his illness was still evident.Muhae clicked his tongue and focused on the dark alley in the projection.“What about Dr. Jeong?”“He doesn’t care. Do it yourself.”He didn’t truly not care, Muhae thought, but chose to look away.―We’ve arrived.As Boss Gil spoke, the video steadied. Joo-o spun the camera to capture the surroundings.The street was grim, with few streetlights and distant buildings. The darkness looked more dangerous than expected.―Someone’s coming.At Joo-o’s alert, Boss Gil swallowed nervously. In the gloom, a large mercenary approached.Damn. Clearly a mercenary. Muhae sighed.Someone who couldn’t get work inside the residential zone—where on earth did he find brand-new special parts to peddle?

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