Summons

Thud!

Despite being a bundle of papers, the sound was as dull as being hit by a baseball. The young man, as if struck by electricity, trembled and crouched on the floor, clutching his head. Cha Eui-jae pointed a finger at the cowering youth.

"These days, hunters are all style and no substance, huh?"

The next moment, he jumped to his feet and punched the wall. Bang—! A hiccup was heard amidst the explosive sound. Just beside the spot where he had punched, another navy-blue head slid out from the wall. The youth emerging from the wall also collapsed to the floor.

Cha Eui-jae withdrew his fist and looked back and forth between the man collapsed at his feet and the other man still writhing on the floor, clutching his head.

Their hair color, body shape, and even their faces, at a glance, were strikingly similar. So much so that one might suspect they were the same person. Cha Eui-jae squinted his eyes.

"…What the hell is this?"

"Aaahhh…"

"Is everything okay in there?"

Jang Mi-sook called out in a loud voice. The crouched youth and Cha Eui-jae both looked up simultaneously. Cha Eui-jae grabbed the youth by the scruff of his neck and gestured with his chin towards the door, signaling him to answer wisely. The youth nodded repeatedly and replied.

"Everything's fine."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

Jang Mi-sook's footsteps gradually faded. Cha Eui-jae let go of the neck he had been gripping. The youth rubbed his neck, where a bruise was already beginning to form, and grumbled.

"All the info was wrong. They said you were kind and gentle, but you threw punches without warning."

"Who told you to hide in the wall like a rat?"

"I didn't expect you to attack right away."

"That wasn't an attack; it was a takedown. How was I supposed to know if you were an enemy or not?"

"That makes sense."

"I had to eliminate the potential threat."

"You're making too much sense; it leaves me with nothing to say."

The youth approached the other young man still curled up on the floor and crouched in front of him. Side by side, they looked even more identical. The first thought that came to Cha Eui-jae's mind was…

'Clones?'

That was it. Maybe it was because he had seen so many strange things in his life. Cha Eui-jae directed a question at them.

"So, which one of you is the Mackerel?"

"Which one?"

The crouched youth struggled to his feet. As the other youth, who had been chattering away, brushed his long bangs aside, a handsome face was revealed. His navy-blue eyes, matching his hair color, sparkled with amusement.

"We're both the Mackerel."

After the situation had settled, Cha Eui-jae and the two claiming to be the Mackerel sat across a table from each other.

It felt oddly unsettling to see two identical faces sitting side by side. The Mackerel who had been hit by the business card still radiated a gloomy atmosphere as he crouched, while the other Mackerel, whose neck had been grabbed, casually held a soju bottle in one hand and a cider bottle in the other, weighing his options.

"What would you like? Soju? Cider?"

"Cider."

"Sure thing."

The Mackerel who had poured the cider with both hands pushed the glass toward Cha Eui-jae with a bright smile.

"Have a drink, and try some sashimi. My hyung's really good at slicing fish."

The word "hyung" caught Cha Eui-jae's attention. He picked up his chopsticks and asked.

"Are you two brothers?"

"We're identical twins. Don't we look exactly alike? It's like looking in a mirror all the time."

"…"

The gloomy Mackerel nodded silently. Though his long hair covered his face, his body shape and the glimpses of his face showed they did resemble each other quite a bit. The talkative Mackerel drew two human shapes in the air.

"Well, to introduce ourselves briefly… We're the Mackerels. We're information brokers. I handle all the business and customer interactions. My hyung is shy, so he works from behind the scenes. When people talk about the Mackerel, they're talking about me. Most don't even know there are two of us."

"For someone so shy, he's sitting here just fine."

"Well…"

The younger Mackerel draped his arm around his brother's shoulder and pushed him towards Cha Eui-jae. The elder Mackerel's navy-blue eyes, large and round, peeked out between his disheveled bangs before he jerked back, trembling. The younger Mackerel chuckled.

"We're fans of J. Especially my hyung."

"Huh?"

The older Mackerel fumbled to pull out a pair of horn-rimmed glasses and put them on. The younger Mackerel pouted.

"But you threw a business card at a fan. And you got violent."

"Hey, who threw it first?"

"Old fart."

At this point, Cha Eui-jae was dumbfounded. The nerve of this guy! Cha Eui-jae had simply returned the favor to the disrespectful brat who had thrown something at his face during dinner. The younger Mackerel waved his hand, and the hole Cha Eui-jae had punched in the wall was replaced by a new one, as if the shop itself had changed.

That must have been his awakened ability. Calming his anger, Cha Eui-jae asked.

"Are you both awakened?"

The two Mackerels exchanged glances. The younger Mackerel scratched the back of his head, looking troubled.

"Wow… You really came without knowing anything. This is new. Did Lee Sa-young tell you nothing?"

"Nothing."

"No rules or anything?"

"Nope."

The Mackerels started whispering to each other. Judging by Jang Mi-sook's reaction and the younger Mackerel's response, it seemed Cha Eui-jae had come here without knowing something that was apparently obvious. Did Lee Sa-young intentionally keep him in the dark?

'…It's scary to think Lee Sa-young might have done this on purpose.'

Cha Eui-jae glanced around anxiously. In movies, isn't this the point where you're supposed to deny it, saying that he wouldn't do such a thing? But knowing Lee Sa-young, it wasn't out of the question. Lee Sa-young was always full of secrets, more so than Cha Eui-jae. It was infuriating. He could even guess the kind of excuse Lee Sa-young might use.

'You're not going to be with me all the time, right?'

'I'll explain everything when the time comes.'

'Don't you trust me…'

Damn it. Cha Eui-jae clenched his teeth. I know Lee Sa-young too well!

As Cha Eui-jae seethed over Lee Sa-young's infuriating attitude, the Mackerels were still whispering among themselves. The younger Mackerel's voice rose slightly.

"So Lee Sa-young just threw J in here and left? What kind of nerve is that? Are they really not on good terms? Then why are they together? Or does Lee Sa-young just want to see J wreck the whole fish market? Is this some kind of revenge?"

The tone of his words seemed a bit off. Wasn't this basically treating J like a walking time bomb? One of Cha Eui-jae's eyebrows raised. Though it wasn't visible behind his gas mask.

"Ah, no. Wait a second."

The older Mackerel stammered, finally speaking up. He wiggled his fingers and mumbled.

"There was an urgent client looking for him. So, I got them connected."

"Oh, right. Room number?"

"Room 4."

"Are they still talking?"

"Y-yeah. Still in conversation."

"Is that so? …Then it's time to attract some customers."

The younger Mackerel's demeanor shifted. It was the look of a merchant, the same one Cha Eui-jae had seen countless times leading up to this place. The younger Mackerel's navy-blue eyes gleamed with energy as he whispered slyly.

"So, sir."

He clasped his hands together with a gentle smile.

"What can I help you with?"

"What? All of a sudden?"

The younger Mackerel extended two long fingers.

"There are two types of people who set foot in the fish market. Those who buy information, and those who sell it."

"…"

"Which one are you, J? Either way is fine. You seem to have a lot of valuable information."

"No."

"Hmm?"

"There's a third option."

Cha Eui-jae flicked his chopsticks. The ceiling light shattered. With a crackle, the room plunged into darkness. He took the brief moment to remove his gas mask and put on his black one.

He cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing clearly.

A distorted voice spoke.

"The one who's here to beat you up."

A dark shadow lunged at the Mackerels.

***

A moment ago, at the Fish Market.

The hem of a black coat fluttered. Although the surroundings had turned into a chaotic mess, the steps continued without hesitation.

After walking for some time, a small security booth came into view. An elderly man, who had been dozing off, sensed a presence and opened his eyes. A hand clad in black leather gloves took out an old wooden plaque from the inventory and presented it. The plaque had the character for "death (死)" inscribed on it.

"I'm here to meet someone."

"Hmm, head to room 4."

The old man mumbled as he slid the wooden plaque into a slot inside the security booth. The firmly closed door slowly slid open, revealing a long corridor with flickering red lights. Lee Sa-young began to walk slowly. Between the long walls, there was a single gap adorned with a string curtain.

As he lifted the densely hung beads, the small beads clattered down onto his hair. The small room, bathed in red light, contained a square table with two chairs and a long fish tank filling one wall. Inside the tank, a few bright red goldfish swam energetically.

One of the chairs was already occupied. Blonde hair shimmered beneath a scarf tied around her head. The woman slid down her sunglasses slightly, revealing her eyes.

"Finally, you're here?"

"…"

"It's really hard to see your precious face."

It was Honeybee.

Lee Sa-young didn't respond and leisurely walked over, seating himself in the chair opposite Honeybee and crossing his legs. As if on cue, a shadowy figure appeared and set down a cup in front of them. Steam rose from the cup. As the steam dissipated, Lee Sa-young spoke first.

"You must have gotten word that I was coming."

"You can relax; there wasn't a leak. I just came here every day. Until you arrived."

"…Every day?"

"There was a good reason."

Honeybee untied her scarf. Her hair, which had been tied up, tumbled down.

"I asked the Mackerel to connect me with you if you ever showed up."

"It must be urgent."

"It is. And serious too."

Honeybee tapped the table lightly before speaking.

"Matthew is in critical condition."