The debut of the new hero was accompanied by a brilliant spotlight. However, it was fleeting. While the hooded man fought, it was the masked man who resolved the incidents breaking out elsewhere.

  Yet, it didn't take long for the new hero to become the city’s problem child. No one denied the fact that he protected civilians from those who had gone berserk under the influence of Tools. However, he had to pay too high a price for it. It was a cost that far exceeded what the police could handle.

  Today, the new hero caused another major incident. A very major one, in fact. To stop a rampaging individual, he completely demolished an entire floor of a building.

  Naturally, the expressions of the police officers who knew the inner workings were dark as night. Meanwhile, the culprit himself showed no significant signs of remorse for his actions.

  "Oh, come on. Why are you like this? Things like this can happen when you're working," Ha-hyeon said nonchalantly.

  But Seok-yeong was no longer fooled by his feigned innocence. Instead, he was simply furious.

  "I told you to subdue the opponent, not destroy the surroundings, didn't I?"

  At Seok-yeong's words, Ha-hyeon let out a sigh. He was forced to think, at least a little, about the offense he had committed.

  "It couldn't be helped. It was to save people."

  Seok-yeong burst into a hollow laugh at Ha-hyeon's remark. Then, suppressing his emotions as much as possible, he spoke.

  "Fine. I admit it couldn't be helped to save people. But why that building of all places? Do you think I don't know you aimed for it on purpose? Do you really think I don't know there were plenty of other places to smash the opponent besides there?"

  Ha-hyeon feigned ignorance at Seok-yeong's accusation. By now, Seok-yeong could tell—it was Ha-hyeon’s way of refusing to admit his mistake.

  "I understand why you did it, okay? But take it easy. If we run out of budget, even we can't cover for you."

  Seok-yeong sighed as he spoke. Seeing his face, which looked as though it had aged several years, Ha-hyeon seemed to feel some guilt and hung his head low.

  "...I'm sorry."

  Seeing Ha-hyeon apologize so readily, Seok-yeong didn't stay angry. He felt like nagging him more, but he knew it wouldn't change anything. Besides, Ha-hyeon was still young. An adult's job was not to force their circumstances on him, but to lead him to realize things on his own.

  "As long as you understand. But really, pay a little more attention. If you don't need to break something, just let it be. Civil servants are ultimately bound by budgets, so there's a limit to what we can do."

  Seok-yeong sighed once more. He thought that since he had said this much, it would be alright to give a little praise.

  "Still, you did well with the subdual. It would have been perfect if you hadn't thrown them there... Your skills have definitely improved significantly."

  Seok-yeong watched Ha-hyeon's reaction as he spoke. Thinking that the boy would react immediately to such things since he was still young, he told him that aside from the excessive destruction, he had improved a lot.

  "Really?"

  As expected, Ha-hyeon reacted. To him, praise and recognition seemed to be a source of immense joy. Seeing Ha-hyeon like this, Seok-yeong smiled bitterly. He wondered, if Ha-hyeon's fate hadn't been twisted so strangely, how his parents would have treated him.

  Why was he so hungry for praise and recognition? He couldn't ask right now, but Seok-yeong decided he should pay more attention to that point as he continued.

  "If no other incidents break out today, I'll buy you a set meal. In return, you pay attention too."

  "Yes!"

  Ha-hyeon just grinned at Seok-yeong's words. That smile contained a surprising amount of innocence. Seok-yeong could only feel a sense of bitterness once again at the sight.

  Discharge from the hospital was imminent. Lee Young felt strangely about that fact. Since she had nowhere to go immediately, she decided to stay at Min-ah's house.

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  She wasn't sure if she could comfortably accept living in a stranger's home, but she had nowhere else to go. Everything Lee Young once had was already destroyed. There would probably be nothing left even if she went home. All she had left was her body. Lee Young felt that no one could be as stranded as she was.

  To her, Min-ah's care would be an indescribable help. Until she recovered enough to be independent, Lee Young had to borrow the strength of others. Having people she could trust help her would likely be a great aid to her mental recovery as well.

  Unfortunately, Jihyeon said he couldn't live with them because he was hiding his identity. Lee Young wanted to be in the same space as him, but the fact that she couldn't made her feel regretful. Still, she couldn't show her disappointment.

  This was because Jihyeon was paying the full cost of her living at Min-ah's house. Lee Young hadn't expected an individual, rather than the state, to support those expenses. Because of that, she felt a bit burdened. She was grateful, but at the same time, she didn't know what to do. It was especially so because when Jihyeon said he would take care of her, she had only thought of it vaguely.

  "It's better to only think about recovery for now. Living outside is different from being treated in a hospital. And if you can help someone in need, you do it. You're still young, so you can just pay it back later when you're older, right?"

  Min-ah said as she looked after Lee Young. Lee Young was simply grateful for Min-ah. It was even more so when she recalled the fact that no one in her family had ever looked after her like this.

  However, regardless of that, Lee Young was feeling uncomfortable. It was because she had noticed Min-ah's feelings for Jihyeon. No, anyone could clearly see the emotions between Min-ah and Jihyeon. Jihyeon claimed he was rejecting them, but he wasn't unaware of Min-ah's feelings. Moreover, while he rejected her in words, seeing him take care of her made jealousy arise naturally.

  Of course, she couldn't hate Min-ah. But it was also difficult to control her own emotions. Her feelings, which she didn't know what to do with, were like a bomb. Lee Young was afraid of that. She was afraid she might make a mistake by being consumed by emotions she shouldn't harbor. But she was also afraid of being alone anymore. Everything was just unsettling.

  But time flowed on. Soon, she would be discharged and go to Min-ah's house. A thick-skinned person might say to worry about it then, but Lee Young was still young.

  "Ha..."

  If a nurse saw her, she would have been scolded for chasing away her luck, but Lee Young let out a sigh in spite of herself. She felt as though there were still many things she had to resolve.

  The research was almost nearing its end. Jihyeon felt relieved that his theory had become somewhat concrete. Through the device he completed, the police would be able to handle those who went berserk to some extent.

  Of course, there was still a lot to research. Since the Tools were not items made with local technology, there were still many parts for Jihyeon to study. While there were numerous "black box" components, there was a limit to interpreting them with Jihyeon’s abilities. For now, the limit was preventing people from going berserk. Of course, that alone would change a lot and be a great strength to the police.

  However, just because there was an idea didn't mean it would be materialized immediately. A sense of desolation, like building a skyscraper in the middle of an empty field, weighed down on Jihyeon.

  But still, he had made significant progress recently and was able to complete a prototype based on that. In particular, the knowledge gained while recovering Lee Young was a very big help.

  So, this was the equipment that was completed. Thinking that equipping it on the waist would be the best option, Jihyeon looked at the device. Resembling a transformation belt from a hero show, this would be very useful in the future. Once he could version it up and make mass production possible, his work would be finished.

  Of course, testing would be necessary, but it would be several times better than using the Tools without any safety devices.

  "Well then, let's see..."

  Jihyeon decided to take the prototype to Seok-yeong. Jihyeon thought Seok-yeong would surely be a big help regarding the testing. However, there was one thing Jihyeon hadn't considered. It was something truly unexpected, and he never dreamed it would stop his research.

  "You're saying the research is halted because there's no need to take risks if there's a civilian collaborator?"

  When he brought the equipment, the words Jihyeon heard were completely unexpected. Who would have known they would declare a research halt at the stage just before completion? So, Jihyeon asked as if it were absurd at Seok-yeong's words. Seok-yeong nodded at his question.

  "It probably includes political reasons. It's... likely so..."

  Jihyeon gave a bitter smile at Seok-yeong's words. Although he was flustered at first, he immediately understood what the political reasons were.

  "I see, they're getting scared because it involves human experimentation. I know it can't be helped, but the research itself still needs to continue."

  Jihyeon expressed his regret. Seok-yeong nodded as well. As much as he had supported Jihyeon's research, his regret was greater than anyone's.

  "That's how it is. Since the collaborator could be a traitor... It's different from us using the Tools ourselves..."

  Seok-yeong spoke, revealing his complex emotions. No matter how much they had a collaborator, the police needed a final safety device. However, due to various issues such as the budget, it was clear that the higher-ups would not easily grant approval.

  "Anyway, just in case, let's look for some friends who can help secretly. Surprisingly, there are those who want to use Tools."

  Seok-yeong sighed as he spoke. The psychological trauma of the police regarding the Tool rampage incidents was much deeper than expected. Even if the higher-ups didn't grant approval, those in the field were looking for ways to handle things with their own hands.

  Probably all the other police officers were waiting for the completion of this. But to be told not to do it when it was almost finished—Seok-yeong felt the decision was utterly absurd.

  "I'll leave it here for now. Since I don't know how the people above will react."

  Jihyeon said as he gave the equipment to Seok-yeong. Seok-yeong took it and stared at it for a long time.

  "I hope it works properly, just as intended."

  Jihyeon only gave a faint smile at Seok-yeong's words.