Chapter 155
Chapter 155
It Isn't Always Like That
***
Only silence hung over the Mystic TF Team meeting. Neither the assailant nor the stalker was a subject that would benefit from leaking outside. Even if that did happen, it would amount to no more than gossip; it wouldn't cause any greater upheaval.
However—
"This one is serious."
At President Holland's words, everyone let out heavy sighs as if by prior agreement.
The death of a hired fixer was far more than an ordinary entertainment agency could handle. Even more so if it was connected to Mystic.
When they had taken over from B&B, they had believed the road ahead would be smooth. Instead, they had struck an unforeseen reef and now faced the prospect of running aground.
"If it's a murder case, even B&B will find it burdensome."
"Strictly speaking, it isn't a murder case."
The conclusion reached by the Public Enforcement Corps was sudden death.
The fixer's cause of death had been myocardial infarction, and the investigation found no evidence that he had been threatened in any way.
That was the forensic result.
Since it was supported by evidence, it had to be regarded as a coincidence—
"But the reporters won't see it that way."
That was why Holland's worries only deepened.
"What should we do?"
"Fortunately, the fixer died far away from the agency. We have plenty of room for excuses. The first priority is making sure this doesn't come to light."
"But the very fact that we hired him could become a problem."
If someone exposed it, wild rumors would spread.
And they would spread beyond control.
Everyone's gaze turned toward Chieftain, the head of the TF Team. It was obvious what kind of answer they expected.
"I'll personally make sure that matter is handled. In the worst-case scenario, I'll announce that I hired him on my own."
Holland nodded in satisfaction.
"First, we'll reinforce our personnel, and as for the Public Enforcement Corps..."
Requesting their cooperation would have been the proper course of action, but doing so would amount to admitting that something had happened to Mystic.
It was then that Chieftain interjected at just the right moment.
"How about hiring another fixer?"
"Another one?"
"This time, we bring in someone whose abilities have been thoroughly verified. You saw it yourself, didn't you? It had a suppressive effect. That proves our approach wasn't wrong."
"...Handle it as you see fit."
That seemed to conclude the meeting, but the most fundamental question remained unanswered.
What if the fixer had fallen victim to the stalker?
Then could such a thing even be called a stalker? Could it be proven?
And—
What would become of Mystic, now that they had become the target?
***
Mystic's dedicated producer, Raju Sable.
Having once experienced an incident so devastating that he had even considered retiring, he found the atmosphere surrounding Mystic deeply unsettling. More precisely, he feared that the tragedy of the past was about to repeat itself.
So he asked for reinforcements.
From someone who would spare no effort if it concerned Sakuya.
"So something like that happened to Miss Retro."
After hearing about Sakuya's recent situation from Raju, Ga-on couldn't suppress a sigh.
Whenever he had asked about her idol activities, she would brush it off by saying she was busy, always wearing a smile, so he had believed everything was fine. He had never imagined she had been enduring such hardships.
He felt guilty for having been so inattentive all this time.
And the thought that a deviant was circling around her only filled him with indignation.
As countless emotions swirled inside him, Ga-on took a moment to reflect.
"...I apologize for bringing you such news, Mr. Ga-on."
"No, you came before it was too late."
Sakuya probably hadn't contacted him because she didn't want to trouble him. In that sense, it was fortunate that Raju had come instead.
"It may already be too late. The fixer we hired suddenly died, and now everything has become complicated."
"He didn't die suddenly."
"Pardon?"
"He became a target the moment he was hired. It was probably done as a warning."
"But... to commit murder without hesitation? If the Public Enforcement Corps investigates, they'll catch them soon enough."
He was probably convinced that an entertainment agency wouldn't act recklessly, but more than that—
"They're confident they won't get caught."
That was a pattern often seen among intelligent criminals.
Whether that was truly the case could be confirmed from this point onward.
"Let's check the residence first."
***
The Poem.
It was a famous luxury brand in the area. The apartment building itself was a premium fifty-one-story high-rise. Mystic's residence—or rather, former residence—was on the thirty-ninth floor.
The furniture and appliances remained untouched, while the complete absence of personal belongings proved the unit was vacant.
"Unfortunately, the agency probably cleared away anything that could have served as evidence. They don't have the ability to distinguish what matters. Instead..."
A data file arrived through short-range communication.
What Raju sent him was a list of the missing items.
In other words, the traces of the stalker's desires.
"A handkerchief, a cup, a toothbrush... This is beyond disgusting."
The stalker's intentions were so blatantly obvious that Ga-on could only rub his throbbing temple.
"What do you mean?"
"They only took items that came into contact with her skin."
"..."
The thought of the lover he had suddenly lost caused Raju's emotions to surge.
Knowing exactly why, Ga-on gently patted him on the shoulder.
"If you can't bear it, wait outside."
"No. They're the children I took responsibility for. Shouldn't I at least know what happened?"
"I'm not going to stop you—"
Something brushed against his senses in that instant.
Feeling an unusual presence from outside the window, Ga-on immediately pulled Raju toward him.
The moment they hid behind the curtain, something scanned the interior.
"Mr. Ga-on?"
"Shh."
The thing peering into the living room was a small drone. Having noticed it a moment too late, Raju asked,
"Aren't you going to track it down?"
"It's a cheap model, and there's no sign it's been modified. It's a disposable unit they prepared with the intention of abandoning it if necessary."
It wouldn't have been difficult to shoot it down, but even so—
"We won't find anything. We'll just be telling them someone's on their trail."
After taking another look outside, Ga-on pulled a probe from inside his coat. The moment Dobby popped out into the open, he immediately began complaining.
[You said this was an idol dorm! You said there'd be idols here!]
"It was an idol dorm, and there were idols. I only told the truth."
Dobby continued grumbling nonstop, but Ga-on calmly connected the probe to the wall pad.
Dobby had grown considerably while solving numerous requests together.
His aptitude as a Diver had already been first-rate, and with experience added on top of that, he had become capable of dismantling most security systems without even leaving his seat.
Connecting to the apartment's shared database took no time at all.
[I went through the CCTV recordings. There's nothing.]
"No entry records?"
[No. No footage of anyone coming here.]
When Ga-on opened the file Dobby sent, it was exactly as he had said.
There wasn't a single person shown approaching the thirty-ninth floor. Even when they went back a month, the result was the same.
No suspicious individuals appeared in the hallway, the elevator, or the building's main entrance.
"So they've already finished altering the footage."
Since they had even replaced the metadata, they were undoubtedly skilled in electronic warfare. The stalker was presumed to be either a Diver or a Tuner.
And a highly capable one at that.
People often said the severity of a stalker's obsession reflected an idol's popularity, but this had gone far beyond that.
"Which means they're an active professional."
After looking around the apartment, Ga-on frowned.
"There aren't any hidden cameras."
Had they anticipated that the relay signal could be traced back? It seemed they hadn't installed any in the first place.
"Is that a bad sign?"
"It always is when your opponent is this meticulous."
"Even if you're the one handling it, Mr. Ga-on?"
"That isn't always the case."
***
Viewing the body in the morgue required the appropriate procedures.
Fortunately, the world had an excellent means of negotiation called money.
"I can only give you thirty minutes. After that, the doctor will be back."
"Don't worry. I'll disappear as if I was never here."
"...Cabinet number ten."
Strictly speaking, he could have used his status as a Grade 9 Advisor, but the payment just now also included hush money.
Since there would be no official record, it was a profitable deal.
Ga-on walked over to the dedicated freezer and pulled open cabinet number ten.
The young man hired by the agency was named Steven Cha.
According to Fernandez, he was a rookie without even a nickname. Even so, he had enough little tricks to his name that he had taken on all sorts of requests.
In other words, he was a fixer making a living one job at a time.
The kind who would have been classified as a detective or private security contractor in the past.
Creeeak—
Opening the body bag, Ga-on silently studied Steven's face.
"For now, it's unlikely that the upper class is involved."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because the body wouldn't still be here."
"Ah... I hadn't thought of it that way."
It was almost surprising the body hadn't already been cremated and reduced to an urn.
Moreover, the corpse was in excellent condition.
"Nothing's been harvested. For this era, that's surprisingly ethical. Makes me want to use this place after I die."
"Please don't joke about things like that."
"I only say it because it's a joke."
He meant it ironically, expressing that he would never actually end up here, but Raju couldn't have understood that.
Shaking his head, Ga-on carefully examined the corpse.
After all, if there was anyone who could be called an expert on dying, it was him.
The hospital and the Public Enforcement Corps had both failed to find any evidence and concluded it was a sudden death.
But his eyes saw it clearly.
"Too peaceful."
A myocardial infarction was accompanied by excruciating pain.
However, death's shadow descended even faster.
Fear overtook pain, making it impossible to keep a composed expression.
Yet Steven's face was as calm as the surface of still water.
It was almost as though he had never even realized he was dying.
This wasn't an ordinary heart attack.
Either an undetectable drug had been used...
Or an ability specialized for killing.
Neither possibility was encouraging.
"There's no doubt that he has a way to kill his targets perfectly."
"That makes it sound like a psychopathic murderer is after the girls."
"He'd probably say he's just a young man devoted to pure love."
If it had been something tangible like bullets or blades, Ga-on could stop them with a very high probability regardless of their speed or mass.
But underhanded methods like this were another matter entirely.
Of course, he wasn't afraid of dying.
What frightened him was the 'fact' that he had died.
Most people might overlook it, but a stalker would find it strange.
A body that didn't stay dead no matter how many times it was killed.
If he could uncover the stalker's identity at that point, that would be ideal.
But the world was never that accommodating.
There was a far greater chance that he would expose his weakness without gaining anything in return.
Needless to say, he had to conceal his ability as much as possible.
From that perspective, getting hired as a fixer was the worst possible choice.
He would simply end up following the same path as Steven.
He needed to remain close to Mystic without attracting attention.
As it happened, there was one position at the agency that fit those conditions perfectly.
Someone who was always by the girls' side...
Yet whom everyone overlooked.
"Do you happen to have an opening for a manager?"