Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Power Deployment #6

“I-I will kill both of you!”

Tae-hyuk didn’t shrink back an inch, despite there being a blade in front of his eyes .

“Try stabbing once . Have you ever killed anyone?”

Tae-hyuk laughed .

A strange madness could be felt in his laughter .

The voyeur was overwhelmed and screamed .

“Aaaagh!”

“Use your fingertips to feel the other person’s heartbeat and the feeling of it slowly disappearing . Realize the feeling of taking someone’s life . Determination is needed to murder someone . ”

Murder . It was the best and the worst crime .

Tae-hyuk had the memory of spending 10 years in a prison with the worst criminals in the country . He had met with dozens of murderers .

Therefore, Tae-hyuk was able to know that the voyeur absolutely wasn’t a killer . He was merely an accidental murderer .

Could he really kill anyone from now on though? He could never swing the knife .

Tae-hyuk took a step closer .

“You aren’t a murderer, so don’t hold a knife!”

“Aaaaack!”

The voyeur stepped back and his feet stepped on thin air .

It was a clear corridor . However, it wasn’t really a corridor .

Flutter-

The paper hanging from the ceiling collapsed, as it couldn’t withstand the weight of a human . As it fell, a hidden staircase was revealed .

Tae-hyuk had hung a painting of a corridor right before a staircase .

“Kuaaaaak!”

The voyeur rolled down the staircase, collapsing on the ground as he lost consciousness .

“I would like it very much if you go to prison . ”

Tae-hyuk recovered the painting he installed .

The place where the opponent fell was the plan B that he had prepared . Thus, he put the operation, the one that he thought of ahead of time, into motion and succeeded perfectly .

Tae-hyuk rubbed his cheeks with his hands as he felt his sweat flooding down the side of his face . He inwardly sighed with relief .

‘I’m glad I didn’t have to use plan C . ’

It was to use Robbery to steal the opponent’s weapon . Unlike his other plans, that one had a high possibility of a struggle . It was the one last bastion of self defence .

Tae-hyuk reached out to Lee Hana who was sitting down with a blank expression .

She blinked a few times and regained her spirit as she held Tae-hyuk’s hand .

“… Did you draw this?”

She was looking at the fake corridor that Tae-hyuk drew .

Tae-hyuk laughed .

She was definitely an artist . She was more interested in the painting than the fact that the voyeur was caught .

“I still have a long way to go . If you look more closely, then you will find out that it is fake . What does Hana sunbae think?”

“Uhahat… Yes . It is really clumsy . However, I was still completely tricked . That, the voyeur… He was our school’s assistant principal . He threw himself on the stairs . It is really perfect . ”

Hah! A man like that was doing such dirty things…

“Ah, it is a relief . Even Hana sunbae was deceived . ”

Hana reached out to the voyeur who had lost consciousness .

“In fact, at first I thought he was going to kill you . Then, you got him to talk . I didn’t know that he would be so frightened . Yes, yes . I have to praise you . ”

“Ahaha… He fell before I could stop him . ”

Hana smiled brightly, as if she hadn’t just been threatened with a knife .

“I sympathize with you . It is like when I have bad luck in front of handsome boys… Ahu!”

“A voyeur who knows the structure of this school… If this fact is known, then the media would be noisy . ”

“Ahaha… this school will become famous . ”

“It will just become notorious . ”

“Well… If fact, I think there is one more case of mistaken identity . ”

Tae-hyuk said to Lee Hana . “You are mistaken . ”

“I thought of you as an aspiring artist . But you’re not, are you?”

“……”

Tae-hyuk didn’t answer Lee Hana’s question .

But she reached an answer anyway .

“You are a forgery specialist . ”

Tae-hyuk laughed . He realized that he couldn’t deceive her when it came to art .

“Aiyah, this person is still alive . ”

Tae-hyuk checked the status of the voyeur who had fallen down the stairs . Despite losing consciousness, he was fine .

“Hana sunbae . I have a request . Please don’t tell my story to the police, and just say that the voyeur got excited and fell down the stairs . ”

“Yes . ”

Lee Hana easily nodded without asking why .

“It is like talking about a painting . ”

“Yes . ”

The artist and forger understood each other .

[You have tricked the opponent with a perfect imitation of reality . ]

[The proficiency of the Forgery skill is now 99 points . ]

[The proficiency can’t rise anymore . ]

Tae-hyuk returned to the art room and erased his tracks .

Lee Hana called the police . They would soon come and find the trail of the voyeur . Before that, Tae-hyuk got rid of any evidence that revealed that he had been here .

Then he looked at the message on the Demon Revealing Mirror .

‘The skill proficiency is 99 points!’

There was only one step left before he perfectly mastered the Forgery skill .

‘Now painting won’t increase the proficiency anymore . ’

Tae-hyuk only needed to complete the last step now .

He already guessed how . He needed to deceive the original owner of the Forgery skill, Big Mama . After doing so, he would take back the Rosario that she had . He would be able to achieve his desired objectives .

“… Then, what are you going to do now?”

“The uninvited person has to disappear . ”

Lee Hana, who was sitting on the desk of the art room, laughed .

“Indeed, you’re not a student of this school . I looked up the list of all students and there weren’t any transfer students on there . ”

“I think that you are quite sharp . ”

Lee Hana swung her legs, her ankle moving in the moonlight .

“Are you leaving now?”

“I got what I wanted faster than I thought . It was literally the best use of my abilities . ”

“Uhahat! By the way, what is your name? Can you at least give me your real name?”

Tae-hyuk thought about it for a brief moment . It had been less than a week, but he had learned a lot from Lee Hana . She was his mentor in the ‘Forgery’ skill .

“… Seo Tae-hyuk . ”

Lee Hana reached out .

“It is nice to meet you, Seo Tae-hyuk . Alas, good-bye as well . I enjoyed our nightly meetings . ”

They exchanged their first greetings and goodbye at the same time .

Lee Hana finished her greeting and jumped down from the desk .

“Once again, thank you for everything Sunbae . ”

The police sirens were heard from outside the window .

It was time to disappear .

* * *

Tae-hyuk looked at the Trail of the Sunset in front of his eyes .

Of course, it was a fake . It was a painting that didn’t exist in this world .

Big Mama had been looking for this painting for over a decade . She jumped into the world of imitation art and presented countless forgeries to the world, becoming the crime syndicate representing South Korea . In the end, after 10 years, Big Mama discovered the disastrous truth . The Trail of the Sunset had been burned .

That was the last piece of information that Tae-hyuk had on Big Mama . It was indeed an empty feeling .

Tae-hyuk knocked on the door of Big Mama’s store with a complicated expression on his face .

“Omo, Tae-hyuk came . You are a little late today . ”

Big Mama was still busy working .

Tae-hyuk placed the covered painting he brought in front of Big Mama .

“What is this?”

“Mama, no . I will speak bluntly to Big Mama . Make a deal with me . ”

Big Mama’s eyes widened . It was a face that showed she knew nothing . However, Tae-hyuk knew that this was a trick .

“Kim Sang-hyun stole Rosario . Big Mama has it?”

“Yes . But this must mean that you have something to replace it . ”

“Of course . ”

Big Mama’s eyes narrowed . It was faster than she thought .

She used Tae-hyuk to get rid of Kim Sang-hyun . He had hidden many things during their transactions, so she deliberately gave out some faulty information . She didn’t know what method Tae-hyuk used, but he got rid of Kim Sang-hyun .

This opponent wasn’t an ordinary kid . Big Mama had planned to take advantage of Tae-hyuk as her assistant . She planned for him to stay for a year so she could watch his condition . Anyway, he had his own things that she wanted from him . He wouldn’t escape from her hands just yet .

That was what she had thought .

Tae-hyuk pulled off the cloth and showed Big Mama the painting .

“T-This…!”

Big Mama’s eyes showed astonishment .

She had been looking for it for several years .

“… The Trail of the Sunset . ”

Big Mama started to check if the painting was authentic . However, no matter how much she looked, it was genuine .

“Where on earth did you find this? Huh?”

Tae-hyuk said .

“Did you hear about how Yoo Cheol-ho was caught a while ago?”

“It is a famous story, so I can’t not know it . ”

“He was actually caught through a tip that I gave . ”

“……”

“Thus, I received his bounty . However, the prosecution wasn’t the only one to give the bounty – the Sungjin Group gave one as well . The daughter of the vice president was one of Yoo Cheol-ho’s victims . Therefore, I went to see them to get the bounty . ”

“… You have been there . Then, how did you get this?”

“Isn’t it natural to bring a stolen item to a stolen goods broker?”

It meant that this was stolen .

“Ahaha! Tae-hyuk is right . ”

She was a stolen goods broker . She bought stolen goods at a reasonable price .

“So, how much will you buy it for?”

Big Mama was confused .

“… I thought you brought it to make a deal for Rosario . ”

“Aish, surely not . Isn’t this worth at least two billion?”

“Stolen goods can’t receive their original price . It will only amount to around 10% of its market price . ”

“Wow, that is quite a massive profit . ”

“Then Rosario?”

Tae-hyuk spoke naturally .

“I will take it as a down payment . ”

He would receive money and the Rosario .

Big Mama laughed pleasantly .

“Ohoho! As expected, my eyes regarding people aren’t wrong . You will definitely be a big shot . ”

“Thank you . Anyway… So what will it be?”

“… Rosario and 100 million . ”

“Wah, you will give me Rosario and 100 million? Big Mama is incredible . ”

“Well, I am also a storekeeper . ”

Tae-hyuk laughed .

This was a satisfactory deal . In fact, the price he had in mind was around 50 million won .

The Trail of the Sunset didn’t even exist in this world . But in the future, his fake would become the new genuine product .

A fake becoming real . It was the final gateway to mastering the Forgery skill .

“Then, will you make the deal?”

“Well . No matter how I think about it, I am losing profit . I will be satisfied with this . ”

“Hahah… Is Big Mama really damaged by this?”

All of a sudden, Big Mama dragged Tae-hyuk into an embrace . A rich fragrance wafted out from her body as it became dark .

“Didn’t you fall in love with me at first glance? Let me answer you . ”

“Oof! Ooof!”

Big Mama hugged Tae-hyuk harder . Tae-hyuk struggled for breath as his face was buried in her chest .

It was a happy moment .

“This little guy! You are still 10 years too early!”

Big Mama finally freed Tae-hyuk, who was gasping for air .

“… Pant pant . I thought I was going to die . ”

His face was completely red .

“Then wait a few days for the money . I will give Rosario to you straight away . ”

“… By the way, Big Mama . Can I ask one thing?”

“What?”

“The quote for the painting was clearly two billion . 10% of that is 200 million . Perhaps… Is the hug you gave worth 100 million?”

“Omo . It isn’t that cheap . Don’t you think this is enough? Didn’t you even touch my chest?”

“…O-Okay . ”

Tae-hyuk was at a loss for words . Indeed, she was a scary woman .

Big Mama pulled out Rosario from a deep place and gave it to Tae-hyuk .

“So, this is the down payment . ”

“I will receive it well . ”

“Then, I will prepare the money . ”

“Yes . ”

The deal was established .

The fake Trail of the Sunset became authentic .

A message flashed on the Demon Revealing Mirror .

[Crime Skill: Forgery has been acquired . ]

-You can create one item after the analysis has finished .

-The quality of the finished object depends on your dexterity stat .

-You are able to devote your mind to the artwork under the influence of the skill .

He finally got Forgery!

The temporary skills window was now free . He could get a new skill .

‘X-ray Vision! Something like X-ray Vision . X-ray Vision . ’

Tae-hyuk grinned .

“I will be back in a few days, so I will be going now . ”

“Wait a minute . ”

Big Mama stopped Tae-hyuk from leaving . Then she told him one thing .

“I guess the hug isn’t enough . There is a man who is after you . ”

“… After me?’

“Yes . I have a picture . ”

“I am grateful . ”

She didn’t just describe the person, but showed him a picture .

“Here . ”

Big Mama extended a small picture .

Tae-hyuk’s face stiffened the moment he saw it .

“Do you know this person?”

“… I know . ”

A man in his early 40s was drawn .

Tae-hyuk never forgot that face . It was natural .

His name was ‘Park Jung-hwan . ’ Tae-hyuk was sentenced to death because he was accused of killing him .

‘… Crazy . Why is Park Jung-hwan going after me? What the hell is this?!’

He didn’t express it because Big Mama was watching .

However, Tae-hyuk was inwardly screaming .

The smell of a conspiracy .

“Then, I will go now . ”

“If you ever need a background check, then please ask Mama . Of course, it isn’t for free . ”

Maybe this wouldn’t be the end of his relationship with Big Mama .

It was his hunch .

* * *

Tae-hyuk returned home and gave Rosario to his sister .

“… . T-Tae-hyuk . How did you get this?”

“Noona . I am Seo Tae-hyuk . Noona’s little brother, Seo Tae-hyuk . Haha, that is a joke . Kang-suk hyung helped me . ”

“I-I see . Kang-suk?”

At that moment, he heard Kang-suk’s score rising in Ha-ran’s mind .

‘Speaking of Kang-suk hyung . He seems busy these days . Did something happen?’

“Tae-hyuk!”

Ha-ran suddenly hugged Tae-hyuk .

‘Ugh . Isn’t today the second time that I ran out of air?’

Park Jung-hwan had been hiding in seclusion since a few years ago . But what the heck was he doing now? Was he not just a simple murder victim?

Tae-hyuk’s head was filled with such thoughts .

“Oof! Oof!”

“Noona is worried about you every day . However, it is good to work hard . Promise me you’ll take care of yourself . ”

“…Yes . ”

Tae-hyuk’s eyes reddened after hearing that Ha-ran was worried about him .

Ha-ran held Rosario in her hand and said .

“The most important thing that Mother left isn’t this Rosario . ”

Then she hugged Tae-hyuk even tighter .

“It is you and Tae-min . ”