SYNO Chapter 1

Name Object: A Name Object is engraved with a person’s special information.

‘The person’s name. The name of their destined partner. The person’s weakness.’

The only way to erase a weakness from a Name Object is through continuous skin contact with one’s destined partner, or by falling in love with them.

There is no romance.

Many seek their destined partners to erase their weaknesses.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Two men, pinching their noses, walked through a garbage-strewn street. In this chaotic place, their suits made them quite conspicuous.

“Hey, uh, boss. Are you sure that ‘Ssangryeong’ guy is really in a place like this?”

The man looked around suspiciously. A robber picking a homeless person’s pocket, a drug addict injecting themselves with bloodshot eyes. Every person in sight was of that sort.

“How many times do I have to tell you, you punk! He’s definitely here!”

Robert, tired of searching, snapped irritably. But in truth, he wasn’t so sure himself. He just assumed Ssangryeong would be here, as he was always found in such back alleys.

“Why do I always get stuck with these kinds of missions…”

Their mission was, to put it simply, “Find the Name Detective Agency Owner.”

Ssangryeong was a welcome guest to all organizations. Across the whole continent, there was no “Name Detective Agency” as accurate as Ssangryeong’s.

The problem was that the owner of the agency was a very capricious man.

Ssangryeong, who was said to be at the eastern shelter yesterday, would be found in the western underpass today.

“Damn it!”

Whack!

It happened the moment Robert kicked a random homeless person’s clothes in frustration.

“Ugh… robber bastard…”

A mumbling voice came from below. It was a familiar, beautiful voice.

Robert raised his eyebrows. His sharp gaze reflexively darted downwards.

“Cold, shiiit…”

The voice shivering from the cold, having had their clothes stolen, sounded very much like Ssangryeong. However, the face belonged to a wrinkled, white-haired old man. The old man was curled up like a pill bug, looking like he was about to turn into a ball.

Another dead end?

Robert’s temples throbbed.

“Hey, old man! Why are you sprawled out sleeping here? Do you want to freeze to death? Do you want to get your head blown off by a stray bullet? Huh?”

After venting his frustration, Robert turned around sharply.

“Ssangryeong, you bastard, where are you hiding?”

It was then, as he was about to continue on his way,

“Hey, boss? Boss Robert!”

The newbie, who had been constantly gauging Robert’s mood, muttered softly. Listening to the timid voice, Robert’s blood pressure rose again.

“Haa… You punk, as a member of the organization, you can’t even speak properly-!”

Just as Robert was about to slap him, he froze. He had spotted what the newbie was pointing at.

“A s-sign! Isn’t this Ssangryeong’s thing?”

The newbie flared his nostrils. Likewise, Robert gulped. He hurriedly pushed the newbie back.

“Shhh. Shut up.”

What the newbie had found was indeed a sign. A sign scribbled haphazardly with a pen that looked like it was picked up off the street, its ink running dry.

[I DON’T DO ADULTERY INVESTIGATIONS
CONTRACT KILLINGS, FUCK OFF
I DON’T COLLECT EVIDENCE]

[WELCOME TO THOSE CURIOUS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE’S NAME PAIRS / OTHER PEOPLE’S WEAKNESSES]

It was worse handwriting than that of the children in the marketplace. Such handwriting was quite rare, so Robert had to cover his mouth.

His trembling eyes slowly rolled sideways. Then, he met the eyes of the old man he had just berated.

“…….”

Robert held his breath for a moment.

The listless eyes, hidden within the old man’s wrinkles, were a subtle golden color. Distinctly yellow eyes…rarely seen in the Dependent Nation…

“A, are you Mr. Ssangryeong?”

Even as he asked, he hoped it wasn’t so.

Just moments ago, he cursed Ssangryeong at the top of his lungs and committed the atrocity of kicking the clothes of the old man presumed to be Ssangryeong.

‘It can’t be Ssangryeong, right?’

He knew that Ssangryeong, to maintain his fugitive life, wore disguises. However, he always disguised himself as a young man.

‘There’s no way he’d suddenly be an old man, right?’

“Aren’t you gonna move?”

“Huh?”

The old man glared downwards. Robert followed his gaze and was horrified to find he was stepping on the old man’s hand.

“Ah! Ahh! I apologize, Mr. Ssangryeong! I didn’t see…”

The old man, frowning deeply, raised his upper body.

“That hurts like hell. How much do you weigh?”

“Around 90 kilograms…” 

“What are you going to do about this injury?”

The old man held out his stepped-on hand.

“How much are you going to pay me for the medical expenses?”

There wasn’t a scratch to be seen, but Robert responded smoothly.

“Well, regarding the treatment, our organization…”

“Forget that, give me the money.”

“…….”

“I’ll give you a special discount and only take 10 gold.” 

Having been ignored several times, Robert closed his mouth. Ssangryeong was never one to listen to others.

Furthermore, 10 gold for a stepped-on hand? That was a huge sum, enough to buy two houses in the Dependent Nation.

Robert closed his eyes dizzily and then opened them again, drawing the character for patience¹ three times in his mind.

Be patient.

Ssangryeong is a valuable client.

Ssangryeong is a money source.

“Alright. I’ll make sure to take care of the medical expenses later…”

“Cut the crap.”

He roughly rubbed his hand, which bore the imprint of Robert’s shoe, against his clothes. A pale hand was revealed.

Regardless, Ssangryeong scoffed.

“Do you expect me to believe the words of thugs like you? Give it to me now.”

“How can I possibly give you 10 gold right now…?”

As Robert became flustered, Ssangryeong looked him up and down, taking in his neat suit.

“You can sell that suit. The pawnshop is over there.”

Ssangryeong’s long, white finger pointed to a shabby pawnshop tucked away in a corner. The rundown appearance clearly suggested it wouldn’t offer much for his suit.

“If I go, will you agree to talk, Mr. Ssangryeong?”

“Just go.”

Ssangryeong, looking annoyed, picked at his ear and began picking up the clothes that were scattered on the ground. This meant he was about to disappear again.

‘He was so hard to find!’

Robert’s eyes widened, and he immediately started running towards the pawnshop.

“Hey, newbie! Make sure Ssangryeong doesn’t go anywhere. If you can’t even do this, you’re fucking expelled from the organization! You got it?!”

Along with a small whisper.

Left alone, the newbie gulped. He felt a persistent gaze piercing the side of his face.

“Hey.”

“….Yes?”

Naturally, the gaze belonged to Ssangryeong. The man was in the process of removing the old man’s skin he had been wearing.

“You.”

The newbie couldn’t take his eyes off as what looked like human skin began to peel off. The wrinkled old man had transformed into a strikingly handsome man, the kind rarely seen.

“Did the Sacris Organization send you?”

“N-no. I’m from Lu…”

“Lucas sent you, then.”

“Yes.”

Ssangryeong nodded as if he understood and chuckled.

“Is that guy a goldfish? I thought I told him I wasn’t taking requests for a while.” 

Calling someone a “goldfish” implies they have a short memory.

The newbie’s hands began to sweat.

Everyone in the underworld knew that Ssangryeong was lying low after coming to the Dependent Nation.

But what choice did he have? An urgent case had come up, and if he didn’t lure Ssangryeong out right now, his own head would be on the chopping block.

“P-Please. Couldn’t you just accompany us once?”

“No.”

The newbie hurriedly chased after Ssangryeong as he walked away.

“I heard… you like money. Our boss said he’ll pay you as much as possible.”

“Do I look like I want to die chasing money?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you know? I’m the guy who ran away from the Home Nation.”

The newbie’s eyes wavered. He knew that story; it was famous.

The Home Nation, a paradise for the wealthy, was the opposite of the Dependent Nation, a lawless land.

It was legendary rumor in the Dependent Nation that Ssangryeong, a native of the Dependent Nation, had run rampant in the Home Nation. The fact that he escaped from the Home Nation unscathed was also big news.

“If you know, then get lost. Don’t get involved with me and end up buried alive.”

Ssangryeong pursed his lips.

His chilling words were not empty threats. It was said that the new ruler of the Dependent Nation had dispatched men to find Ssangryeong.

‘He said he’d kill him if he’s caught, didn’t he?’

Just as the newbie hesitated,

“It’s the beggar mister!”

“We found him! Beggar mister!”

Some children began clinging to Ssangryeong’s legs.

“Beggar mister, we’ve been looking for you!”

The children calling him that looked more like beggars than he did.

“Can’t you give us just 1 silver? Pretty please, just this once!”

The newbie, wondering what was going on, looked around. Then, he caught sight of Ssangryeong with an uncharacteristically troubled expression.

“Ah, shit, get lost! Don’t you get it? Do you know me?”

“You’re the beggar mister!”

“How do I look like a mister? You little brats. Get lost! Before I kick you.”

Even though he was cursing with every fiber of his being, the children weren’t afraid and clung to Ssangryeong’s legs without a hint of fear. They seemed to be enjoying his curses.

“Hehehe, why are you so grumpy again? Did you get robbed by a bandits? Is that why?”

“These little…!”

Ssangryeong blew on his fist as if he was about to hit them. The children then ran around as if fleeing.

Ssangryeong, watching the children, glanced at the newbie behind him. Then, putting his hands on his hips, he furrowed his brow.

“Haa, are you guys idiots? How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t talk to me when I’m with a scary-looking guy. You dumbasses.”

Muttering under his breath, he pulled out a worn coin purse from his pocket. Then, thud, he tossed it at the children’s feet.

“Get lost. You little beggars.”

“Wooo! Money!”

“Thank you, beggar mister! See you next time!”

“I said get lost, damn it!”

The children were quite obedient. As the children disappeared with beaming smiles, Ssangryeong muttered countless curses.

Soon, his dark gaze landed on the newbie.

“Hey.”

“Y-Yes?”

“You didn’t see those kids.”

“….Yes?”

Suddenly, a piece of information flashed through the newbie’s mind.

Ssangryeong’s past, of wandering through slums as a child.

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

The newbie answered meekly. Relieved, Ssangryeong was about to continue on his way when the newbie’s gloomy voice followed from behind.

“If you just accompany us…”

Ssangryeong, disbelieving his ears, raised his eyebrows.

“What, you fucker?”

He turned his head.

The naive face he met next was that of an opportunistic man, common in this line of work.

“I don’t want to do this either. So please, I’m begging you, Mr. Ssangryeong.”

Ssangryeong gritted his teeth.