In the dark space that looked like a warehouse, only the sound of the ventilation fan resonated. There were at least 50 people standing around Seol-hu. A boy wearing a light gray mask that covered only the right side of his face looked at Seol-hu and then opened his mouth.
“It seems you’ve come to your senses now, so please cooperate. SABRE Alpha Team Leader Cho Seol-hu.”
Seol-hu opened his eyes at the voice, which was not strong but had a hint of hostility. His expression was blank, showing no sign of surprise, but he seemed to have come to his senses. He blinked several times, perhaps his vision was blurry, and looked around. Then, his eyes met with those of someone wearing a black mask, often referred to as the Phantom of the Opera. Since only part of the face was covered, the rest should have been visible, but perhaps because of the darkness, he couldn't see well. He opened his mouth.
“Listen carefully to the questions and answer them sincerely. Well, it would be better to tell the truth. After seeing your answers, I will consider whether to send you back or let you go forever.”
"Is there anything you can gain by kidnapping me? I don't have any credible information, so there's no money to extort."
"Ha, you thought we kidnapped you because we needed money, but listen up. We have a lot of money too, ugh."
“Shut up, Nonel.”
Off hit the back of Nonel's head and told him to shut up.
"Why wouldn't there be something to be gained by kidnapping you? I could probably find out about the internal affairs of the Guard, or even orders from the government if I did well."
"Oh, don't even think about not saying anything. I'll wait until you say something. You probably didn't even eat lunch, so wouldn't it be better to say it quickly and then go eat something?"
Even after hearing Kel and Nonelu's words, Seol-hu's expression stopped changing and he just narrowed his eyes. A man wearing a sky-blue butterfly-shaped mask that covered only the eyes raised his hand and spoke.
"Uh, quick, I have a question. Just now, uh, I heard a growling sound in your stomach."
"Oh, hey, Princip. When did I? When did I do that?"
“Please… don’t fight among yourselves….”
Neon, wearing a red mask that covered his entire face, answered in confusion, and the boy wearing the fox mask sighed and stopped them both. The boy, whose eyes were covered with a thin cloth, asked Seol-hu, whose expression was noticeably distorted.
"Ignore them and ask me a question. If I heard correctly, you said you knew about the ANGELS, a special team of guards. Just tell me everything you know about that team. You'd better not hide anything."
Seol-hu answered with a frown on his face, as if he had no intention of showing his expression.
"I only know that there are ten people in total and that they are responsible for special missions not assigned to other departments. Oh, and I heard that the team leader has the second-highest authority over information, after the director."
"Okay, then this question is mine. You can call me Angels, and Ai!"
Seol-hu's expression softened slightly at Ai's out-of-place liveliness. He wore a dark gray crying mask and continued asking questions in a cheerful voice.
"I heard all ANGELS positions are vacant right now. So you could probably figure out who was there by comparing them to the list of retired employees. Don't you? You're saying that the Alpha Team Leader, who has the second-highest level of information access after the Director, can't check the list of retired employees? As far as I know, even regular employees can see the list of retired employees. Of course, the level of information is different."
"...The list of retired employees from two months ago is off-limits to anyone except the director. I don't know why."
"This time, I'll ask the question."
A man wearing a white, smiling mask, particularly noticeable in the dark space, stepped out from the back of the crowd and spoke. As he passed, the crowd naturally parted.
"I heard that Yoon Jeong-han from Team BLACK 5 also retired this time. If you know anything about him, please tell me everything."
"What if you don't like it?"
"It's just like Nonelu said. Of course, we'll wait while eating something."
"…."
"I thought you were unlucky just now."
"…."
"Don't be annoyed. Just answer correctly and I'll let you go."
"…."
Seol-hu's expression didn't show any particular emotion, but he continued speaking as if he was using mind reading.
"That's what it says. Off, load the M-Pt rounds into the gun."
"OK."
But when the words "M-Pt bullet" came out of his mouth, Seol-hu showed a rare expression of bewilderment. Off aimed a pistol from an unknown source at Seol-hu.
"What, are you going to shoot that?"
He spoke calmly, as if nothing had happened, but his voice was trembling. Seol-hu, who kept glancing at Off, who was gripping the trigger with his finger as if ready to fire at any moment, looked frightened.
"It's a prototype, so it doesn't last long, but it can easily knock off a finger joint. Well, just answer me and I won't shoot."
“…I have one question.”
"Go ahead. I'll answer everything I know."
"What is it about that person that makes you so curious?"
"Isn't that obvious? There must be a reason for that."
"…."
"I answered your question, so answer yours."
“…Mr. Yoon Jeong-han is known not only by the BLACK department but also by the entire guard…”
"Do you understand?"
"…I don't know if it's okay to say this, but among the guards, he was known as 'Mad Dog.' When a new employee joined a department that was going to be deployed in the field, it was an unspoken welcome ritual to send him out to the field with Yoon Jung-han. I heard he had been working there since the guard was founded, but I'm not sure for sure. The former team leader, Choi Seung-cheol, said that Seraphim, the team leader of ANGELS, was probably Yoon Jung-han. That's not certain either. No one knows why he retired. Other than that, not much…."
Seol-hu, who had tried to speak calmly, looked around again, taking in the surroundings. After hearing the answer, Off lowered his gun and locked the safety. Even Non-elu, who was furthest from Seol-hu, sensed that Seol-hu was being overly cautious. However, he, wearing a white mask, simply stared at her in silence.
"…Right, so that means the guard is hiding something? Just looking at how they don't even know who retired or why. Besides, isn't it strange that someone who's been there since the guard's founding would suddenly retire? If that's the case, it seems like it was a pretty good fit."
"What do you know so much about guards that makes you talk like that?"
"At least I know more than you. Past, present, and perhaps future."
A cold gaze peeked through the mask's eye sockets. It was an ominous gaze, far removed from the mask's smiling eyes.
"Let me offer you a piece of advice. The Guard is a government agency, and it's inevitably subject to government interference. With the government in this state, do you really think the Guard is functioning properly? Can you really trust them completely?"
Seol-hu fell silent. But that silence didn't last long. The one who broke the silence was a boy wearing a pale gray mask that covered only the right side of his face. The upper part of his face was hidden by the shadow, but he looked quite young. The boy opened his mouth. His voice was laced with hostility.
"Our ANGEL has no intention of causing any harm to Team Leader Cho Seol-hu right now, but you never know what's going to happen on the ground. See you next time."
Although it had faded compared to the beginning, it still contained hostility. At that moment, Seol-hu rushed at the person wearing the bright yellow death mask. The person did not react at all even when Seol-hu rushed at him. Since the mask had no holes, it was not surprising that there was no immediate reaction. When he and Seol-hu collided and fell, the surrounding scenery melted away. The people wearing hats pulled down low were nowhere to be found, and only about ten people, their faces covered by masks or other objects, stood on guard and watched Seol-hu.
Seol-hu, who was bewildered by the changed scenery, came to his senses and looked at the person wearing the death mask as he tried to escape while taking him hostage. At that moment, Seol-hu's expression shook greatly.
*
Name (Age) - Choi Seung-cheol (28)
Codename (Mask) - Non-el (black mask covering only the upper face)
Unique Ability - Salt Water Power (Status Change O)
Name (Age) - Yoon Jeong-han (28)
Codename (Mask)-???[?] (Snow White Smiling Mask)
Unique Ability-???(??)
Name (age) - Hong Ji-su (28)
Codename (Mask) - Ofanim (a light gray mask covering the left side of the face)
Unique Ability-??? (Rear Support)
Name (age) - Moon Jun-hwi (27)
Codename (Mask) - Dominions [Nion] Dominions (red mask covering the entire face)
Unique Ability-???(??)
Name (Age) - Kwon Soon-young (27)
Codename (Mask) - Principalities [Principalities] Principalities (butterfly-shaped sky-blue mask)
Unique Ability-???(??)
Name (Age) - Jeon Won-woo (27)
Codename (Mask)-???[?] (Fox Mask)
Unique Ability-???(??)
Name (Age) - Lee Ji-hoon (27)
Codename (Mask) - Non-Alla (Black Phantom of the Opera Mask)
Unique ability-???(??)
Name (Age) - Seo Myeong-ho (26)
Codename (Mask) - Cherubim (Hoodie Mask)
Unique Ability - Shapeshifting (Can take the form of any creature)
Name (Age) - Kim Min-gyu (26)
Codename (Mask) - Angels [A] Angels (dark gray crying mask)
Unique Ability-???(??)
Name (age) - Lee Seok-min (26)
Codename (Mask) - Non-ellu (black mask covering the entire face)
Unique Ability - Sleep (Puts the opponent to sleep)
Name (Age) - Boo Seung-kwan (25)
Codename (Mask)-???[?] (a light gray mask that covers only the right side of the face)
Unique Ability-???(??)
Name (Age) - Choi Han-sol (25)
Codename (Mask) - Virtuese (Dark Purple Veil)
Unique Ability - Illusion (making things that do not actually exist visible or audible)
Name (age) - Lee Chan (24)
Codename (Mask)-???[?] (thin dark blue cloth eye patch)
Unique Ability-???(??Strength??)