Chapter 112. Cleanup

Beep-beep—Beep-beep—

The morning alarm blared loudly.

Normally, Ho-cheol would have been up before the alarm, as it was second nature, but not today.

Only after it rang for a few minutes did he slowly drag himself out of bed.

Barely able to open his eyes, he ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

“Ugh, my head.”

His head throbbed painfully.

The first hangover of his life brought a discomfort unlike any mental attack he’d endured during his villain days.

He groggily turned off the phone’s alarm and glanced to the side.

In the corner of the bed, So-hee was curled up like a cocoon in the blankets.

Thanks to her wild sleeping habits, he’d been left without covers, forced to sleep like a shrimp on the edge of the bed.

And last night, she’d bragged about her drinking prowess, only to get so drunk she knocked over all the snacks, leaving him to clean up the mess.

Suppressing the urge to give her a smack, he poked at the crown of her head sticking out from the blankets.

“Hey. Get up. We’re supposed to go to the Association today.”

“Mmmngh…”

She mumbled incomprehensible noises for a while before finally saying something coherent.

“Leave me behind…”

“What are you talking about? What about your surveillance duty?”

“My… surveillance duty… ended at midnight yesterday.”

“Why’s this the first I’m hearing of it?”

“Forgot to tell you… The Association’s sending a car…”

With that, she pulled the blanket over her face, as if to say, Don’t bother me.

A faint snoring sound came from under the covers.

“What the…”

Ho-cheol was baffled, but it made sense when he thought about it.

He’d only just learned So-hee was a heavy drinker, and it was the first time she’d suggested alcohol.

That made sense—she’d been on a 24/7 surveillance duty.

Even if she’d been a bit more relaxed lately, she wasn’t the type to blatantly break rules like drinking.

So that’s why.

Her surveillance duty was over.

Was a new watcher being assigned, or was the surveillance itself done?

Instead of relief, he felt a strange pang of disappointment.

He shook his head, staring at the blanket for a moment.

There was no time for sentimentality—his morning schedule took priority.

Ho-cheol called the Association to send a car, grabbed some clothes, and headed to the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror, he furrowed his brow.

From his neck to his shoulders and chest, vivid red marks stood out, like insect bites.

Well, technically, they were bites—just not from bugs.

So-hee was the culprit.

“Why the hell would you bite someone like this?”

Ho-cheol muttered, grimacing as he rubbed the teeth marks on his neck.

She’d bitten so hard that, even hours later, the marks were still clear.

He hadn’t known, but So-hee’s drunken behavior was utterly shameless.

Her drinking capacity was impressive, even to a first-time drinker like him, but once she crossed her limit, she became a walking disaster.

“Not even a mosquito.”

He resolved never to drink with her again.

With that, he grabbed the showerhead.

* * *

Riding the car sent by the Association, Ho-cheol arrived at the Intelligence Department.

He’d been to the headquarters and the Legal Department several times, but this was his first time at the Intelligence Department.

On the surface, it looked like any ordinary building, but the atmosphere surrounding it was heavy.

The level of armed agents and their weapons, discreetly positioned, surpassed even those at the Legal Department.

Despite its reputation as the most cold and rational branch of the Hero Association, the lobby felt chaotic.

Ho-cheol could guess why, but with So-hee absent and an unfamiliar agent guiding him, he didn’t bring it up.

He followed the agent’s lead.

They took a special elevator for agents, descending dozens of meters underground to the entrance of the Intelligence Department’s most secretive investigation room.

Through the one-way glass, transparent from the outside but opaque from within, he saw Ji-an.

It must have been a break, as she leaned back comfortably in her chair, her long red hair tied tightly in a bun.

Keeping his eyes on Ji-an, Ho-cheol asked the agent beside him.

“So, is she cooperating with the investigation and giving statements?”

“Yes.”

The agent looked exhausted, which was understandable.

Investigating years’ worth of information accumulated during her villain activities—down to the smallest details—was no easy task.

Every detail was scrutinized, verified against the Intelligence Department’s data, cross-checked, and then organized.

The Intelligence Department’s investigations were notoriously meticulous and complex.

Moreover, the list of villain informants within the Association that Ji-an had provided a few days ago had doubled their workload.

“However…”

The agent trailed off.

“She’s cooperative, but… quite intimidating.”

“What do you mean?”

Before the agent could respond, the investigation resumed inside the room.

The investigating agent adjusted their pen and said.

“We’ll cross-check the list of executives one more time.”

Ji-an frowned.

“You’ve already asked about that three times today. You said that was the last one—how many more times are you going to repeat it?”

She slammed the table irritably.

Her answers were compliant, but her attitude was defiant.

The aura and pressure she exuded were so intense that even Ho-cheol, standing behind the glass, could feel it.

The agent facing her trembled, dropping their pen.

Ho-cheol clicked his tongue.

“So that’s what you meant by intimidating.”

“Yes. The investigating agents are quite uneasy. Being in the Intelligence Department, they know exactly how strong she is and what she’s done, which makes it worse.”

Normally, high-risk villains like her would be locked in Zero—Chain and questioned remotely.

But due to Ho-cheol’s request, she was being treated not as a villain but as a mere witness.

There were no means to restrain her—only a single pair of ordinary handcuffs.

The fear that she could snap her fingers and end someone’s life was palpable.

Ho-cheol’s expression grew complicated at the explanation.

“Did I make a bad call?”

He hadn’t anticipated this side effect.

He’d only considered Ji-an’s perspective, minimizing her restraints.

But he hadn’t realized it would burden the regular agents.

“I feel a bit bad about this.”

The agent’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting Ho-cheol to apologize so readily.

But they quickly regained composure.

“It’s fine. There’s no physical threat, at least. But the issue is after the investigation. She can’t stay in the Intelligence Department forever.”

“Right.”

Watching the investigation continue in its tense atmosphere, Ho-cheol shook his head.

“This won’t do. You said the primary investigation is done, right?”

“Yes.”

“Since they called me here, it’s probably to take her away.”

Muttering, he opened the investigation room door and stepped inside.

The moment the door opened, Ji-an, who had been radiating a menacing aura, lit up at the sight of Ho-cheol.

“Ajusshi!”

She perked up, her cuffed hands flapping excitedly.

Ho-cheol stood beside her, placing a hand on her head.

“Are you cooperating with the investigation?”

“Of course!”

She nodded vigorously.

The agent across from her looked half-dazed.

Where was the prickly villain who’d been intimidating them?

“No acting threatening or snapping at people?”

“Uh, um…”

Ji-an lowered her eyes.

How did he know?

Did these guys snitch?

Bowing her head, she rolled her eyes sideways, glaring at the agent.

“I can hear your eyes rolling from here.”

She quickly averted her gaze.

“It’s just… uh…”

Unable to answer properly, Ho-cheol sighed.

At least she wasn’t outright lying—that was something.

He sat on the edge of the table beside her.

“It’d be nice if you cooperated properly. Was it tough?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Ji-an slumped.

She had her own side of the story.

Was she intimidating the agents just because she had a bad personality?

Well, her personality wasn’t exactly great, but if anyone was picking a fight, it was them.

As Ho-cheol had said, she’d tried to behave at first.

But the looks she received during the investigation weren’t just hostility toward a villain.

Disgust, anger, and an indescribable revulsion wrapped around her.

In her years as a villain, she’d never cared about others’ opinions or suppressed her emotions.

If someone had dared look at her like that in the past, she’d have gouged out their eyes and twisted their limbs to feel satisfied.

But for Ho-cheol’s sake, she held back.

Her superhuman patience was why it had only amounted to mild irritation.

Not seeing Ho-cheol for days had added to her stress, too.

Ho-cheol stared quietly at Ji-an’s pitiful expression.

After a brief silence, he asked?

“So, how’s it been staying here?”

“…Honestly, it’s been a bit tough.”

The hostile, grating looks filled with unpleasant emotions.

Even aside from that, how could living 24/7 in handcuffs be comfortable?

But feeling Ho-cheol’s hand on her head, Ji-an steeled herself.

For him, she could endure more.

“But since you came to see me, it’s okay now. I can handle it better. I won’t get annoyed anymore.”

Just visit me a bit more often.

Ho-cheol didn’t respond.

Instead, he thought.

Just a few words, but the conversation made it clear.

Once the investigation was over, as a minor, she’d likely be sent to a facility rather than a prison.

But it was hard to imagine her adjusting well there.

Her strength aside, it was obvious she lacked significant ethical and moral grounding.

Ho-cheol wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue himself, but there was a difference between knowing better and choosing not to act on it versus not knowing at all.

The latter was far more dangerous.

She’d probably cause some kind of trouble later.

Even now, she seemed precarious.

She behaved in front of him, but that was it.

First, we need to make her a person.

That was his conclusion.

Ho-cheol got off the table.

“Why endure? If it’s tough, you should get out.”

Ji-an’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Can I leave? Where to?”

Ho-cheol reached out and removed the handcuffs from her wrists.

“You’ll need a few things to get out. Luckily, I know a sucker who can help. Let’s go see them first.”

And so, he took Ji-an to the academy’s dean’s office.

* * *

It took the dean a considerable amount of time to process the situation unfolding before him.

“Huh.”

An unexpected visitor.

And this guy had brought along an extra headache.

“Seriously.”

Twice as exasperated as usual, he was at a loss for words, only letting out unconscious exclamations.

In the middle of a faculty meeting, Ho-cheol had called with an urgent matter, and now this.

Rubbing his face, the dean muttered.

“So, I didn’t quite catch what you said earlier. Say it again. You want me to do what?”

Ho-cheol shrugged nonchalantly.

“Be her guarantor.”

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