Ch.8Chapter 8. Informant

On a night when the moon was barely visible.

Juliane frowned at the chirping sound of crickets.

She was already irritated about being in the countryside full of insects.

“What kind of bus schedule is this……”

She couldn’t help but feel angry waiting for a bus that came only once every 30 minutes.

This place had asphalt roads, so neither monorails nor maglev taxis operated here.

Transportation that used wheels had long been extinct in the urban areas around the Station.

Who would have thought such a rural area would exist just a few kilometers away?

Just as Juliane sighed, a phone ring was heard.

It wasn’t coming from outside.

It was an alarm created by her implanted phone sending electrical signals to her brain, making her hear it in the form of sound.

Juliane checked who was calling through a visual signal and tapped below her ear to answer.

“Hey, Juliane, did you enjoy your date?”

“Please stop mocking me. Let me just ask you this. Why did it have to be me?”

“Where else could I find an employee as skilled in acting as you? Hahaha.”

Juliane’s brow furrowed at the same boisterous laughter as always.

As a new recruit in the Justice Department, she had been assigned to monitor Jinsoo Kim.

Having received a special pardon rather than parole, he couldn’t officially be placed under probation by the Justice Department.

But Jinsoo Kim was a violent criminal who had raped and murdered a mother and daughter, and had received evaluations stating he showed no signs of rehabilitation at various labor camps.

Under pressure from the Audit Office, they had granted him a pardon, but they couldn’t just release him into society.

Moreover, Jinsoo Kim seemed to be minimizing his exposure to the outside world, as if aware of the Justice Department’s surveillance.

The Justice Department’s decision was to deploy an employee to approach Jinsoo and conduct close monitoring.

Juliane had been selected for that role.

“So. Is it going well?”

“I think I just need to stay put. He’s the one going crazy over me.”

Initially, she had planned to observe from a distance for a long period, collecting superficial information.

And then approach him afterward.

But Jinsoo Kim had started hitting on Juliane first, which significantly accelerated the plan.

Today’s date had been arranged so hastily that she hadn’t been able to prepare much.

Still, she had managed to plant essential listening devices.

Under the living room table.

“Haha. How was it?”

“What do you mean? I haven’t found out anything yet. He was still pretending to be normal in front of me.”

“Try to make more progress. I still think that Jinsoo guy hasn’t given up on stupid businesses like electromagnetic wave blocking stickers. He might even be involved in drug trafficking by now.”

“Yes, yes……”

Seducing a rapist and murderer to extract information from him……

No matter how much the bonus was—500 percent—it was disgusting.

This was actually illegal too.

Juliane had seriously considered just reporting him to the Audit Office and collecting the reporting fee instead.

“By the way, did you know?”

“What?”

“Jinsoo Kim adopted an orphan.”

“Huh? What? He adopted an orphan?”

“Yes. He has a silver-haired girl at his home.”

“Any signs of assault or molestation? Were there any?”

Her superior’s mouth moved as fast as if it had a motor attached.

Perhaps it was because he had handled domestic violence cases for a long time.

It seemed to be a topic that naturally attracted attention.

“The first thing I saw when I arrived was Jinsoo Kim putting the child in an armlock.”

“Hmm. This might be easier than I thought. Collect a bit more evidence. We might be able to charge him with child abuse.”

“Yes. But……”

“But?”

“I think it might be harder than expected. I talked with the child, and she seems thoroughly brainwashed. I don’t think she’ll testify against Jinsoo Kim.”

“Persuading her to do so is your job. There are guidelines for situations like this, you know? I’ll give them to you when you return.”

“Can’t you just send them online?”

“These things are better learned on paper. Stop arguing and come get them in person.”

“Sigh……”

He’s such an old-fashioned person.

Juliane sighed deeply and shook her head.

Both Jinsoo Kim and her superior were similarly analog-type humans.

But Jinsoo Kim didn’t seem that old……?

Maybe it was because he had been isolated from society for a whole decade.

“How old does the child seem?”

“Roughly…… I think about 15. It’s a bit ambiguous, but if she’s Asian, she’d be around 18 or 19.”

“Hmm. What a striking coincidence, or maybe……”

“What do you mean?”

“Jinsoo Kim. If his dead daughter were alive, she’d be about that age. 17? No, 18. Maybe he took her in because he couldn’t forget his daughter.”

“Dead daughter?”

“You didn’t know? Man, you didn’t properly check his profile. Jinsoo Kim. That guy was married before and had a child.”

“Did he divorce after the child died?”

“No. The child’s mother committed suicide. The cause isn’t properly documented. It’s speculated to be due to domestic violence.”

This was news to her.

To think that an agent conducting close surveillance didn’t even know about the target’s past……

Juliane bowed her head in shame and resolved to thoroughly review the documents on Jinsoo Kim as soon as she returned.

***

“Hey. Come here.”

“……Why?”

“Learn how to do the dishes. I need to put you to work now.”

“Dishes? What’s that?”

“Cleaning plates.”

“Why should I do such a thing……”

“If you don’t, I’ll reveal your identity.”

“Those dishes. How do I do them?”

Cuss pouted and trudged over to stand beside Jinsoo Kim.

Why on earth did she have to live following this man’s orders?

She wanted to run away and live freely, but he kept threatening to reveal her identity, so she couldn’t.

The only way out was to kill Jinsoo Kim.

But due to this body’s insufficient abilities, her first assassination attempt had failed.

Now Jinsoo would likely be on guard against her attacks.

It was quite a headache.

“Juliane. Is that the female’s designation?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But call it a name.”

“Is such a woman considered attractive to human males? I somewhat understand. As a child-bearing animal, she should have wide hips. And large breasts for efficient milk production would be attractive.”

“Well…… I don’t think about it that deeply, but you’re not wrong.”

“I understand why you’re attracted to her. But why would she choose you? Aren’t you lacking in appeal as a human male?”

“Hey. Don’t you know my style is popular these days? Well, I guess an alien wouldn’t know.”

Cuss stepped back slightly and shook her head.

It seemed he hadn’t noticed despite her obvious hints.

The fact that Juliane didn’t like Jinsoo Kim at all.

He seemed completely unaware that she was approaching him for purposes other than reproduction.

She recalled what had happened earlier. When she was engrossed in watching the strange machine that displayed two-dimensional images.

At that time, Juliane, who had been sitting at a distance, had stealthily approached her.

Honestly, it was annoying.

She had considered showing her tentacles to drive her away. No human had ever not been terrified by these tentacles.

But she refrained, fearing Jinsoo’s angry fists would follow. She had just been subdued after trying to stab him.

If she provoked his anger any further, she’d likely get beaten up after Juliane left.

But the moment she heard Juliane’s first words:

“It’s been tough, hasn’t it? Don’t worry. Big sister will help you.”

She immediately realized that Juliane hadn’t come for reproduction or anything like that.

Knowing that, Juliane didn’t seem so bad.

This woman was hostile to and deceiving Jinsoo.

She instinctively felt certain of this after hearing just a few words from Juliane.

“How long have you been living with your father?”

“Father?”

“You don’t call him father yet? Then, comfortably. How long have you been with Jinsoo?”

“Since today.”

“Since today……”

For some reason, Juliane’s expression became serious.

She was already serious, but now she looked even more so.

It was like the expression of a human who had realized a monster had infiltrated the ship.

“Doesn’t Jinsoo hurt you?”

“He does. A lot.”

He hits me at the drop of a hat. He twisted my arm just for holding a knife.

He’s just a terrible person.

Thinking she had finally found an ally, Cuss excitedly talked while keeping an eye on the kitchen.

“He beats me for everything.”

“Yes, yes. You must have been scared……”

Scared?

Not particularly.

Why would she fear such a lower life form?

“This is a secret from Jinsoo, but I actually work for the Justice Department.”

“Justice Department?”

“The Justice Department is…… an organization that punishes people who’ve done wrong, like Jinsoo. If Cuss helps a little, we can punish Jinsoo. What do you think?”

“By punish, do you mean kill?”

“Hmm…… Capital punishment might be difficult. He probably won’t die, but he’ll be isolated in a place called prison.”

“Then, no.”

“No, no. It’s okay. I’ll make sure Jinsoo can never approach you. I can do that legally.”

“Still, no……”

Prison. Or jail. Or labor camp.

Isn’t that the place Jinsoo barely escaped from, even turning a blind eye to my Earth mission?

If he were to return there, Jinsoo would lose his mind.

With nothing left to lose, he wouldn’t hesitate to reveal my identity.

That would be problematic.

Unless they killed him outright.

Putting Jinsoo in an ambiguous bad situation was actually more dangerous.

Juliane repeatedly tried to persuade her, but the answer was already decided.

Although they were allies in their hostility toward Jinsoo, she could never join hands with Juliane.

This was because she was firmly in the grip of that damn Jinsoo Kim.

“By the way. What did you talk about with that woman?”

“……”

At Jinsoo’s voice, Cuss quickly returned from her reminiscence to reality.

He wasn’t completely oblivious.

He seemed to have noticed that she was hiding something.

Perhaps she had been caught because she wasn’t yet accustomed to “managing expressions” with a human body.

“Ah, we didn’t talk about anything.”

“Let’s not do this. Okay?”

When Jinsoo roughly ruffled her hair, her body flinched.

It seemed her body had already learned helplessness against violence.

Jinsoo’s fist, which was clenched as if he was about to flick her forehead

“Haah.”

“……?”

Soon relaxed, and his palm came to rest on Cuss’s head.

Cuss was puzzled, bewildered by the unfamiliar sensation.

“Let’s be honest with each other. You’ve seen my dick, and I’ve seen what you looked like before TS, so…”

“TS? What’s that?”

“Look it up in the dictionary later. Don’t interrupt me while I’m talking.”

“Ouch.”

Immediately, a flick landed on the crown of her head.

It didn’t hurt at all.

It wasn’t unpleasant either.

“We’re both tired of putting on a facade and acting outside. Do we need to hide things from each other too? I don’t like that.”

“……”

“Choose. And remember, you have to take responsibility for your answer.”

Should she tell him about what Juliane had said?

Cuss fell into deep thought.

Certainly, being able to reveal her alien monster nature in front of Jinsoo, after pretending to be human all the time, would be a significant benefit both in terms of energy consumption and mental health.

But was it right to expose the identity of the Justice Department employee who could potentially “screw over” Jinsoo?

“Hmm.”

It’s not like it would be wrong.

“That woman Juliane. She said she’s a Justice Department employee.”

She made her choice after careful consideration.

It seemed more beneficial this way.

It definitely wasn’t because she feared being pulverized by Jinsoo’s hands if she kept resisting.