◈ Episode 053

Finding the characters required a cumbersome process. The geography was unfamiliar to me, so I had to take several side roads and even go back to areas I had already been to.

"I think I've given up on you by now."

Westcreek spoke, stroking the hood on his head. He had been touching it all along, and it seemed he wasn't used to the feeling.

Kim Yi-hyeon was also wearing a hood. In order to have a similar impression to the locals, he even wore a flowing dress reminiscent of traditional Central Asian clothing.

"I still don't feel like people are looking at me… Is it because I'm a foreigner?"

"It would be convenient if I could cover my face with this."

Among the passers-by, there was not a single person with their face completely covered.

The fact that Atlanta has this culture is not mentioned in the game. It is more convincing to see it as Legion control rather than a backstory.

Because of that, I had a hard time shaking off the tailing.

"I can't say 100 percent, but there's nothing I can do. It's been almost… two hours since I left the hotel. I've been walking around this much, so if I can't shake it off, then I guess I'll just have to endure it."

"...hmm."

Kim Yi-hyeon tilted his head at the strange gaze.

"why?"

"Wasn't it a personnel mistake? There must be someone more suitable for this kind of operation. Even considering that I haven't figured out the characteristics of the agents yet… At least Ghost would have been better than me."

It's not that West Creek is lacking, but rather that they are specialized in different areas. He is a pure combat agent. He is not a total stealth expert, but he can't be as good as Ghost.

"That's true. I have no complaints about you."

I brought him here knowing everything. If possible, I wanted to keep Ghost on the professor's side… But I didn't plan on recruiting another elite agent. He wouldn't listen to orders or eat.

"Rather, it's Turkam who's anxious. It'd be good if he didn't get caught doing something stupid."

I had asked Turkam to do something else. It was a typical information gathering job, going around bars. To be honest, it was just a side job, but it was important in its own way.

"Wouldn't you be foolish enough to do so?"

"Well, is that so?"

He's the most normal of the Gaenodap trio. His in-game performance is just trash.

'This is not the time to be worrying about others.'

After wandering around for a full two hours, we arrived at a restaurant 20 minutes away from the hotel. The tables were sparsely occupied. Depending on the time of day, the restaurant can be quiet or crowded at times.

'Lavesque... that's right.'

The name of the restaurant and the interior matched her memory. Kim Lee-hyun entered the restaurant and sat down in a corner seat.

Soon, a waiter came over and handed me a menu. He looked neat and tidy, but his face was so plain that I almost forgot him.

"Please call me when your order is decided."

"Yes, thank you."

He backed away with a polite but not excessive attitude. While staring blankly at her back, Kim Yi-hyeon recalled the description in the game.

― He is a young Turkic man who can be found anywhere, but it is difficult to remember him after seeing him once.

― His plain appearance was a long-standing complex of his. But it is not like that anymore. Rather than overcoming it, he realized it when he became an adult.

― His ordinariness in doing 'work' was a great strength, because he could be an old man or a boy depending on his disguise.

It was fortunate that he was still breathing normally. If he had been eliminated by the Legion, it would have been annoying.

He's not the type of guy who'd die that easily.

"Hyun, you know this place well."

Westcreek, who had been looking around with his eyes, spoke up. He said he would investigate and immediately asked why he had come into the restaurant.

"I have connections in many places, but even so, my reach isn't as wide as Kushan's."

Kim Yi-hyeon just shrugged his shoulders at the questioning gaze. Soon, West Creek's eyes fell on the menu.

"...I've never tasted any of this food before, but can I look forward to it?"

"Since seafood is the main dish, you can vary your taste."

He nods his head in agreement. At first glance, it seems like he accepts it without saying anything, but once the operation is over, a detailed report will be sent to the director of the research center.

Even though I knew it, I brought West Creek with me.

'I can get over this much.'

It may be a stretch to call it a relationship of trust, but Dustborne has been cooperating with the rappers so far. They won't be kicked out just because there are a few suspicious things going on now.

Of course, if we act individually with West Creek, we can rule out the possibility of something like that… but there is a high possibility that another problem will arise. More immediate and direct than raising Kushan's suspicion.

Kim Yi-hyeon turned his head toward the waiter again. After a short wait, the waiter looked this way. As if he had noticed it too late, he quickly walked over.

'You're a good actor.'

Clearly, he must have been keeping an eye on this table. Two outsiders suddenly appeared in this current situation. There was no way he would let his guard down.

"Have you decided on your order?"

"Yes. In this lasagna, this is...."

After finishing ordering as best as I could, I added to the waiter who folded the menu and put it at his side.

"Oh, and."

Kim Yi-hyeon gestured to the window. Outside the window, a clear blue sea spread out.

"Can I close the curtains?"

"You mean… the curtains?"

"I'm allergic to water. The ocean in particular is horrible. Just looking at it makes me break out in hives, so it's hard to bear."

The waiter fell silent. After an untimely silence, he nodded slightly.

"All right."

He pulls the curtains himself and heads to the kitchen. He glances behind him as he walks a few steps. For a brief moment, their eyes meet and then part.

"Whew. Now I can live."

Kim Lee-hyun leaned back comfortably. Looking across, he saw West Creek staring intently at him.

"what's the matter?"

"No, I just suddenly got curious."

When I asked, "What?" he tilted his head.

"Is this a real allergy?"

"I guess so? Maybe."

"That must have been quite a struggle."

Kim Yi-hyeon rested his arms on the armrests of his chair and rested his chin on them.

"That's right."

* * *

It was after I finished eating.

Kim Hyun and West Creek left the restaurant and went to the back of the building. Soon, the back door opened as if it had been waiting.

Waiter uniforms, chef's uniforms. Three men and women who looked like nothing more than ordinary employees. They approached the two and covered their eyes with cloth.

"Follow me. Don't do anything stupid."

"Okay."

"Don't even answer."

He started to move as if he was being led. After walking only a few steps, Kim I-hyeon felt a sense of unease.

'… … Are everyone's methods the same?'

I had the same experience with the No Face incident. This time, West Creek was by my side… It was exactly the same except that the goal wasn't combat.

The fact that they are the forces of the underworld.

The move didn't take long, as there were significantly fewer CCTVs than in Cilicia, and no patrol drones flying around.

The place they arrived was a basement that had been converted from a wine cellar. It was a room with just a table and a chair. The guides untied the cloth and put the two into a room that looked like an interrogation room.

Two men stood on either side of the door, as if to lock in an outsider. Meanwhile, a woman sat cross-legged on a chair.

"Please wait for now. I don't know if you are the client or the spy, but the boss will listen to you personally."

Kim Yi-hyeon exchanged glances with West Creek. Then he responded to the woman's words.

"Thank you. For treating me so politely."

"There's no use in being sarcastic. It's a necessary procedure."

"I never said anything sarcastic. I meant it sincerely."

The woman watched Kim Yi-hyeon's actions with her eyes narrowed. Like her, she pulled up a chair and sat down. There was not even a hint of rebellion.

Rather, I felt a certain sense of leisure. Even though I was dragged to a place I didn't know, I seemed to think that no problems would arise for me.

"You guys… where are you from?"

"What, you said to wait a moment?"

"...That's right."

The woman closed her mouth with a trembling face. As she had said, whether they were spies or whatever, she had no right to question them as she pleased.

About 10 minutes of quiet time passed.

Tong, tong.

Rhythmic footsteps could be heard outside.

This basement was particularly noisy. It was difficult to completely hide one's presence unless one walked lightly with bare feet.

The sound came closer and then suddenly stopped. The guards at the entrance turned the doorknob and pulled it. The woman was already standing up.

A man appeared beyond the open door. The waiter from earlier. He entered the room, lightly patting his subordinates on the shoulder.

The waiter said with his still featureless face.

"Where, did you like the food?"

"Just so-so."

Kim Yi-hyeon licked his lips to check the remaining taste in his mouth. It wasn't crazy delicious, but rather just edible. The expression "so-so" was just right.

"Thank goodness. The chefs do a great job."

"Can I say you did a good job?"

"Of course. I don't think it's good for a store to be too crowded. I like anything in the middle."

The waiter glances at Westcreek. He looks him up and down before muttering, "Hmm."

"Is this person a bodyguard?"

"That's true. The road here was so rough."

"aha."

He seemed convinced. The waiter placed both arms on the table and clasped his hands together. He smiled, his chin resting on his thumbs.

"So, where are you from?"

The atmosphere changed in an instant. As Westcreek flinched, three of his subordinates reached for his product. It was unclear whether it was a gun or a blade.

The subordinates won't be a problem. Kim I-Hyun can handle them on his own without having to ask for West Creek's help.

But waiters are different.

'Honestly, I didn't want to get involved.'

It's painful to say, but Polaris doesn't only have good guys. As there are numerous conflicts, new villains appear whenever there's a chance.

Even though Atlanta is an unusually peaceful country, it is still a human society. Rats and parasites are bound to live there.

Al Qamar. A criminal organization established as an antagonist in one agent's side story.

The story unfolds through flashbacks without the professor's intervention. At the time the agent was in charge, Atlanta was destroyed in the event.

In other words, it would have been normal for them to disappear without even the slightest contact with the rappers. This time, Kim Lee-hyun was planning to use them.

"I didn't know I had to give my information to make a request. It's okay to tell me, but are you just going to write it off as a request fee?"

"That's not true. We don't dig the ground to do business."

The expression on his face was strangely creepy. Kim Yi-hyeon didn't show it, but he was quite nervous.

'It was good that we brought West Creek.'

The leader of Al Qamar. He has a difficult spell to deal with. He has a very bad matchup with Chelsea and Asterique.

West Creek is the complete opposite. He is what is commonly called a 'counter' agent. For this particular case, there is no other bodyguard as trustworthy as he is.

So, it's okay to go a little too hard.

"You won't believe me straight away even if I tell you, so look into my personal information on your own."

"Don't worry. I'm already doing it."

"It's fast too."

Kim Yi-hyeon snorted. He didn't ignore Al Qamar's information power, but he liked it anyway.

Even if their identity is revealed, what can they do? This is a country that is far from rap.

After a pointless argument, the person in charge changed the subject and got back to the main topic.

"Well, I have many questions, but let's hear the story first. What kind of request is it?"

"I want information."

After catching his breath, Kim Yi-hyeon continued.

"Tell me everything about what's happening in Atlanta. Who's occupying this place and what their purpose is."