Deal Breaker - Chapter 20
Should he attempt hypnosis, even if it would somewhat reduce credibility?
But sacrificing credibility for information that someone’s life depended on was out of the question. Analyzing the current situation and the target’s reactions in a split second, he decided to try a different approach and locked eyes with the man.
He erased the memory of Hyeji and himself suddenly barging in. Then, he implanted another suggestion: that everything he’d experienced was just a dream. It required him to use more of his power than expected, but this was an ability he would have had to use for cleanup anyway.
Kanghyeon’s calculation hit the mark right away. The man, as if someone had flipped a switch, began spilling confidential information in response to the agent’s questions. During the questioning, the agent kept shooting glances of astonishment at Kanghyeon.
The most powerful psychic-type S-Class Esper in existence. In other words, Kanghyeon possessed advanced mental control and infiltration abilities—telepathy, hypnosis, suggestion, memory manipulation, and mind reading. Just hearing the names of his abilities was enough to make someone shudder, and their power was overwhelming.
Currently, there were about 300 psychic-type Espers registered with international organizations. Even having only one of those abilities would make you highly sought after by governments and agencies around the world.
Kanghyeon, who possessed all of them, was like a set of ultra-rare items. Naturally, everyone wanted him and feared him at the same time. But to Hyeji, he was just her employer, the one she had to clean up after.
She wasn’t afraid of him, but did she want him… maybe? To put it bluntly, he was her meal ticket. Maybe it was obvious she wasn’t scared because Kanghyeon often joked that six years as his secretary had made her fearless.
Sweat began to bead on her meal ticket’s furrowed brow. The veins at his temples bulged so much she could practically see his pulse. His pulse was much faster than usual. His eyes, gradually bloodshot, remained fixed on the target.
A single suggestion wasn’t enough. To maintain the suggestion until he extracted all the information he wanted, Kanghyeon had to use his power continuously, without rest.
My meal ticket is getting worn out.
Noticing that both his power and his self-control were starting to run out, Hyeji reached over and clasped the fist resting on his knee. Without looking away from the target, Kanghyeon opened his hand, and Hyeji pressed her palm against his sweaty one, fitting them together with no gaps. Their fingers intertwined as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
A familiar sensation tickled her palm. Kanghyeon’s ragged breathing gradually became more regular, but it was still rough. Just holding his hand wasn’t enough to fully calm the turbulence in his waves.
If only I could do radiative guiding, too.
Of course, if she could, she probably wouldn’t have become this man’s exclusive Guide.
As soon as he obtained all the information he needed, Kanghyeon manipulated the target’s memory, erased all memory of this incident, and implanted false memories, then placed him under suggestion. The British agent, supporting the now-dazed man as if he were drunk, led him back to the hotel.
The two of them left the car at staggered intervals and returned into the view of the surveillance cameras. In the meantime, they ruffled their clothes as if they’d just had a secret rendezvous in a secluded corner of the parking lot, and Hyeji ostentatiously wiped her perfectly dry lips with the back of her hand.
“Ugh…”
As soon as he got into the sports car parked at the other end of the garage, Kanghyeon let out a low groan and roughly loosened his bow tie. Either the target had received training to resist mental manipulation, or it had just been far more exhausting than expected.
Hyeji didn’t bother with the usual polite question, “Are you okay?” Anyone could see he was not. There was only one thing to say at a time like this.
“Do you want to do it now?”
Her gaze flicked to the luxury cars parked on either side of them. This was enough to block people’s and cameras’ views. If the car shook, so be it. As long as nobody saw, it was fine.
But Kanghyeon shot her a look like she was some kind of pervert. Not like they hadn’t done it in a car before, so why was he acting so prudish all of a sudden? Just as she thought this, her head throbbed as if she’d been flicked. He’d read her mind.
“Secretary Noh, where do you think we are?”
Was he getting delirious? That’s what happens when you waste your powers on mind-reading for no reason.
“We’re in a car parked in the hotel’s underground garage.”
As she answered, she pulled the long skirt of her dress up over her knees, but Kanghyeon pulled it back down and shook his head.
“That’s not what I meant. This is an Islamic country. What do you think will happen if we get caught having s*x in public?”
They’d get thrown in jail, no questions asked. Maybe they’d even make the news: ‘Korean couple arrested in Dubai for public indecency’. If that story got back to the Center, she’d die of embarrassment. Honestly, though, what worried her more was the legal fees she’d have to pay to avoid jail.
