Chapter : 98
Return (3)
Having a large site, modern facilities, and the latest equipment didn’t automatically mean someone wasn’t a con artist. Scams were not easy. To pull off a convincing one, you needed at least this much. Especially when you were targeting psychics…
“Director, where are you?”
“He’s in the inner office. Should I tell him you’re here?”
The staff at the reception, already familiar with Kang In-kyu’s face, didn’t seem too surprised.
“What about the people beside him?”
“Oh, that’s my team…”
Suhyun kicked Kang In-kyu’s heel sharply.
“Ugh!”
“Still drunk from yesterday? Oh my…”
Pretending to support him, Suhyun whispered into his ear:
“Don’t call me team leader.”
“Huh?”
“Trying to make me suspicious? Say we’re colleagues—interested in psychic enhancement.”
“Oh, okay.”
Kang In-kyu smiled awkwardly.
“They’re my teammates. I brought them because they’re interested in the training I’m receiving.”
“Oh, the director will be pleased. I called ahead, and he said it’s okay for you to come in.”
“Then let’s go. I’m dying to get stronger.”
Suhyun didn’t sound joking at all. Kang In-kyu felt like he was walking on thin ice as they went upstairs.
“I’m Kang In-kyu. May we come in?”
“Oh, Kang In-kyu, please do!”
The door opened automatically. For a con artist, the room was surprisingly simple. Except for the front window offering a full view of the vast grounds outside, there was nothing remarkable.
“…!”
Suhyun, who had expected the face of a pathetic con artist, felt as if he’d been hit in the back of the head.
‘Kim Jong-tae, what the hell is he doing here?!’
Kim Jong-tae. He wasn’t a powerful psychic or an exceptional fighter. He was a merchant.
Most merchants loved money, but he took it to another level—as if he had sold his soul for it. He would make a deal with anyone for the right price, whether in Korea, China, or Russia; legal or illegal, it didn’t matter.
The last Suhyun had heard, Kim Jong-tae had been on the run, trying desperately to escape after being discovered selling Korean artifacts to China and passing confidential information to them.
Thanks to the information he sold, two teams had been destroyed. If it had been Suhyun’s team, he would have torn Kim Jong-tae apart personally.
And yet here he was.
“I heard from downstairs that he’s your colleague?”
“Yes, the team leader.”
“?”
Kang In-kyu looked at Suhyun, confused.
‘I’ll check on Kim Jong-tae later.’
Because of his past behavior, he was cautious. Lies that could easily be uncovered with minimal investigation had to be avoided.
“You said colleague…?”
“Yes, we work together. I don’t strictly separate rank as a team leader.”
“I see. Kang In-kyu, you have a good team leader.”
“Hahaha…”
Kang In-kyu agreed that Suhyun was a good leader, but Suhyun’s words were far from the truth. He carefully observed Kim Jong-tae’s expression.
Although he had the intelligent, innocent look of a person who wouldn’t be suspected of being a con, his eyes betrayed faint caution.
‘He’s wary.’
It was natural he’d be surprised; suddenly, his team leader appeared while Suhyun was working on him. Kim Jong-tae was skilled at hiding his emotions, but Suhyun could sense his true thoughts.
“So, what brings you here? Do you want to undergo training as well?”
“If we could, yes. But we’ll soon need to move on to the next job.”
“That’s a pity.”
“However, what I heard from Agent Kang In-kyu was slightly different.”
“Oh? What did you hear?”
“There’s a drug that can enhance a psychic’s ability in a short time…”
“Oh, I think there’s a misunderstanding.”
‘This bastard…’
Kim Jong-tae stepped back, clearly wary of Suhyun’s sudden appearance.
‘If he discovers my identity, things will get troublesome…’
Kang In-kyu was an easy target, but if Suhyun got involved, hiding anything would be impossible. Con artists chose their targets carefully; few risked deceiving someone who could easily kill them. If danger arose, Kim Jong-tae would retreat immediately.
‘If he runs, so be it.’
Suhyun had made up his mind. If Kim Jong-tae escaped, it was fine. He had come merely to confront the con artist. If he gained something useful, good; if not, it didn’t matter.
“There is no method to enhance psychic abilities in the short term. As with all things, shortcuts don’t work. The only path is the proper way.”
Although giving a psychic lecture to Suhyun was absurd, he appeared credible. That was why psychics willingly paid and trained here.
“So, there’s no enhancement drug?”
“No, no… It’s not that there isn’t one. There is. But I think you misunderstood its effect. The drug doesn’t immediately increase your powers like doping. It simply makes it easier for those putting in effort to improve.”
Ruili listened with interest, but to Suhyun it sounded like nonsense.
“If psychic power is like water filling a glass, the enhancement is just a drop on top. There’s no instant effect, but it helps certain people over time.”
“That’s good enough.”
“!”
“I want to buy it. How much is it?”
“The price is a bit high, and currently we’re out of stock. Sorry. We have a lot of psychics here… We’ll contact you as soon as we have more.”
“Is that so?”
Suhyun didn’t believe it. It was clearly a stall to gauge his intentions.
‘Let’s appear more desperate.’
He spoke in a serious tone.
“I’m sorry to trouble you, but please contact me first when the stock arrives. We urgently need this drug.”
“Really? May I ask why?”
“Because of the Dragon Slayer project, there’s a gap. This opportunity won’t come again. If we can strengthen our team’s psychics in a short time, anything will do.”
“…”
Kim Jong-tae squinted, trying to discern if Suhyun was sincere.
“I sincerely request it.”
“Understood. I’ll try my best.”
“Also, I’d like to ask something…”
“Yes?”
“I want to verify if the drug really works.”
Even desperate people must appear meticulous. Suhyun didn’t care if it was real or fake, but to avoid suspicion, he had to act obsessed.
“Do you have any reference materials?”
Suhyun expected Kim Jong-tae to respond with mild annoyance that there were none. But Kim Jong-tae smiled.
“That’s easy.”
With the press of a button, a wall turned into a screen. A training video of psychics played, with date and time in the corner.
‘Energy type.’
A common ability, shooting circular energy bolts.
“!”
Suhyun’s eyes flickered. Kim Jong-tae hadn’t lied—the psychic in the video truly had enhanced abilities.
‘It’s not fabricated.’
He could tell at a glance.
“Would you like to see more?”
“No, this is enough. Thank you.”
“Yes, we’ll contact you as soon as more arrive.”
Outside, Suhyun clicked his tongue.
‘Good thing the Development Planning Bureau’s involvement isn’t public.’
Although Uncle Joe Company had expanded suddenly, it was still a relatively weak team on the surface. Without careful investigation, one might not uncover its government ties.
“What did that conversation mean? And the enhancement drug—is it real?”
Ruili, thoroughly accustomed to human society, asked plainly.
“It can’t be real. If such a drug existed, they wouldn’t just sit there—they’d take it anywhere.”
“But the video showed it worked.”
“Yes. It clearly has an effect.”
Kim Jong-tae seemed to have more videos of other psychics as persuasive evidence.
“?”
“There must be side effects.”
Side effects severe enough to prevent commercialization elsewhere. Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.
“What kind of side effects?”
“You’ll have to find that out yourself.”
“…”
Ruili cursed Suhyun silently while carrying a box out. For her, lifting equipment from such a facility was as easy as bending a child’s wrist.
‘By the way, when will this human lift the addiction?’
Having worked with Suhyun in Dokji, she had a good read on him. He was intriguing—a combination of qualities rarely seen in other humans. She couldn’t predict his goals, so being near him was never boring. Plus, he treated Ada and Ethan decently, so he wasn’t malicious at heart.
Even if he detoxed someone, she could work with him until something more interesting came up—if asked, that is.
And considering all the effort so far, detoxing him was fair. Of course, Suhyun didn’t hear a word of it.
- How can I trust you?
“I brought it.”
“You’ve worked hard. Take a rest.”
“Do you think I can’t see what I brought? That’s impossible.”
“Then stay by my side.”
Suhyun opened the sealed box and took out the contents: bottles of shimmering liquid and syringes.
“As soon as it’s morning, we’ll have the components analyzed.”
“It’s a drug?”
“Excuse me?”
“To explain is complicated…”
Suhyun reached out, uninterested in a lecture on complex chemical formulas.
“Just explain simply.”
“…Simply put, it’s highly addictive. Looks like several compounds mixed… Some couldn’t be analyzed, probably originating from Planet Cameron.”
Many substances from Planet Cameron were still unidentifiable.
“Thank you. Also… please don’t record this.”
“Understood.”
No researcher was bold enough to refuse Suhyun’s request. He walked out deep in thought.
‘This bastard…?’
It was very Kim Jong-tae-like. If he had set up a facility and only sold cheap drugs, it would have been unbelievable.
‘The profit from turning psychics into addicts?’
Almost infinite.
Psychics were money trees—just plug in the straw and watch. Gather unemployed psychics, slowly addict the promising ones, and once addicted, the money would flow endlessly.
While cruel, Suhyun remained calm. He was past being shocked—he was already thinking about how to use this information.
‘The loach muddying the water needs to be sent elsewhere.’
With a light whistle, Kim Jong-tae changed clothes. Normally ostentatious from head to toe, he now dressed as modestly as possible to gain psychics’ trust.
“Today… which fools shall I…”
Adjusting his tie, he pondered whom to persuade.
‘I need to investigate Kang In-kyu as well.’
From what he’d heard, they seemed promising clients: mercenary teams desperate to seize the Dragon Slayer project opportunity. But one always tests the ground first.
“Huh!”
Something struck him. His vision darkened, his body stiffened.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in a windowless basement.
“Sleep well?”
“Y-You…!”
Kim Jong-tae’s pupils shook wildly as he recognized Suhyun’s face. Dozens of strategies and thoughts flashed through his mind, trying to figure out how to respond.
