DB Vol 3 Part 14

Who exactly is this person? Seona had already known Won-woo and had several conversations with him, but this question arose again.

The person before her was completely different from the information Seona had been hearing. When he easily mentioned revenge and massacre, it sounded like he was speaking lightly of something he could really do, sending chills down her spine.

Before considering Won-woo as a benefactor, Seona had already fallen for his abilities. Enough to believe and follow whatever he said. But even Seona couldn’t readily accept the proposal he was making now.

“You want us to go to the North together?”

While Seona managed to ask calmly, Sang-cheon was too shocked to speak. Won-woo bowed his head to both of them with an apologetic face.

“I’m sorry for surprising you.”

“No, I was surprised, but there’s no need to apologize. But does this mean you’ve definitely decided to go to the North, Won-woo-nim?”

When Seona asked, Won-woo nodded, saying “Yes.” Belatedly, Sang-cheon pointed to himself in disbelief.

“But me too, I have to go too?”

“Because it’s dangerous. The Ji family will track me, and they’ll eventually find out that I’ve been frequenting Mr. Hwang’s office. I’d like you to come with us before the Ji family takes action.”

But I have everything here? As Sang-cheon was about to object, Won-woo smiled.

“Besides, wouldn’t it be better to be near your beloved adopted son?”

Beloved. As if they had heard the most horrifying word in the world, not only Sang-cheon’s but also the adopted son’s expression soured. However, as soon as Won-woo turned to look at him with a “Isn’t that right?” the adopted son spoke artificially,

“Yes, I’d love to take you to the deepest mountains at the coldest end of the North soon.”

“You’re not taking your father home?”

“…He’s quite shy with strangers.”

“Still, with me and Gye Yoon-ssi there, you’ll adapt well. You’re okay with that, right?”

This time Won-woo turned to Sang-cheon. Angry at his adopted son’s filial piety in trying to send him to the remotest place at minus 20 degrees Celsius in the far north, he hurriedly smiled.

“Is it okay? Oh, of course it’s okay! I’ll stick by my adopted son no matter what. I’m going to stay right by his side!”

“That’s a relief. So you’re coming with us then?”

“Yes, if my adopted son is going… I should… go too.”

As Sang-cheon belatedly realized the bombshell of moving, the smile disappeared from his face. He staggered as if shocked and collapsed onto the sofa, but no one paid him any attention. Won-woo now earnestly asked Seona,

“Please come with us. I’m not asking you to participate in my revenge at all.”

“I know. You don’t seem like that kind of person, and I’m not the type to do things I don’t want to do either. It’s just that I don’t trust the Gye family yet.”

“We don’t need your trust.”

As Gye Yoon cut in with a cold tone, Seona retorted angrily, also speaking informally,

“I need it. If the Gye family is going to be Won-woo’s ally.”

Perhaps due to the hostile atmosphere between the two, Sang-cheon, who had collapsed on the sofa, raised his worried gaze. He thought Gye Yoon might attack Seona while cursing, but he just asked back with an expressionless face,

“So you’re not coming?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Though Seona herself didn’t know, Gye Yoon was aware of how much Won-woo cared for her. So in the worst case, if Seona said she would stay, Won-woo might withdraw his plan too. But he couldn’t forcefully subdue her in front of Won-woo, so instead he suppressed his temper.

“If you want, I can pull some strings to officially transfer you to the Northern Center. You’re not really hunting monsters properly here anyway, right? It’s different in the North. There, they only care about Esper abilities, whether you’re mixed, purebred, or whatever.”

“I don’t need those conditions. I just need to confirm that the Gye family won’t harm Won-woo. I also need to verify your true nature, since you’re known as a brute.”

“That confirmation. Do it now.”

As Gye Yoon stepped forward, wariness deepened in Seona’s eyes. In the tense atmosphere, Sang-cheon looked at Won-woo, ready to flee if necessary. He had been lost in thought and noticed late, belatedly defending Seona,

“Ms. Han Seona is right. It’s right to go after confirming and understanding everything sufficiently.”

“But I can’t just stay behind and let Won-woo-nim go first.”

“I’ll stay too. Until you’re convinced, Seona.”

Though Seona wasn’t used to showing emotion and had a blunt expression, her eyes wavered with emotion. Gye Yoon looked at their exchange with a very displeased gaze.

He was truly upset. Why bother bringing along both Sang-cheon and Seona? It was as if those two were the top priority. His insides twisted with undeniable jealousy.

So Seona, who had been moved by Won-woo, inadvertently turned her eyes and flinched when she saw him. No matter how well she had stood up to him before, even Seona felt chills down her spine when an S-rank Esper emitted killing intent.

Instinctively, she moved closer to Won-woo’s side, the safest place. That sight further upset Gye Yoon. Why should I let her live? Gye Yoon agonized as he asked one last time,

“You really don’t want to come North?”

“I told you, I need to verify if the North is safe for Won-woo.”

That damn verification, shit. Gye Yoon looked at Won-woo while suppressing curses as much as possible. Reluctantly, he decided to use the information about Han Seona he had received from Chief Jung. According to the report, she had one hobby. Of course, he didn’t expect this kind of thing to work at all, so he said it halfheartedly,

“It’s safe. Why else would a famous webtoon artist work in the North? Drawing something about a gracefully mad raging swordmaster something.”

“‘Gracefully Mad Raging Jajinmori Swordmaster Eolssu’?”

Even just acknowledging it was an annoying title. As Gye Yoon frowned and nodded briefly, Seona’s answer came,

“If the North is that safe, I’ll go right away.”

“…”

Though things went as he wanted, Gye Yoon’s mood got even worse. However, whether Gye Yoon’s mood was ruined or not, Seona and Won-woo were engrossed in talking about that webtoon for a while.

Even Sang-cheon joined in, showing interest by saying, ‘No way, is it that amazing?!’, and Seona’s eyes lit up. Sang-cheon was someone who had a 99% chance of being an otaku. If he was recruited, he would be a fan worth a hundred people. However, there was someone who interfered with their friendly discussion.

“If it’s decided, let’s move right now.”

Gye Yoon poured cold water on the conversation while checking a message he just received from Chief Jung. Chief Jung had urgently informed him of something,

“Gi An-seok has been hired by the Ji family.”

Seona, who knew his name, immediately stiffened, while Sang-cheon, who didn’t know, looked puzzled. Gye Yoon’s gaze turned to Won-woo. Won-woo tilted his head, then seemed to recall something and softly uttered one word,

“Ah, the rat bastard?”

Everyone turned to look at him in surprise at the sudden nickname. Won-woo gave an awkward smile.

“Isn’t that Gi An-seok’s nickname?”

Seona shook her head at his question.

“You must be confusing him with someone else. Gi An-seok is a mental Esper who can read memories. He’s very skilled in tracking. The teleporter Esper who accompanies him is also quite capable. That’s why his price is astronomical. Gye Yoon is right. If Gi An-seok has moved, we need to hide immediately. It’s better if we split up. If he’s on our trail, we’ll all be caught soon.”

Seona spoke urgently and turned away, missing what Won-woo muttered. Only Gye Yoon heard it. A voice that sounded somewhat amused,

“It is the rat bastard.”

***

“You say he’s coming of his own free will?”

Even with Chief Jung’s report, Gye Min showed suspicion rather than excitement. Though her brother said he’d bring him, honestly, she didn’t have high expectations. That’s why she had to run around trying to find her daughter’s Guide again. In that situation, it was good news that Gye Yoon had succeeded in recruiting, but she didn’t lose her cool. Because the other party was from the Ji family.

“Why would someone from the Ji family want to join hands with the Gye family?”

She was still suspicious that this might be a trap set by the Ji family. Chief Jung was also uneasy about that point, but there was one thing he believed,

“The Vice Head said so. He said Ji Won-woo is sincere. There’s no one in this world who can deceive the Vice Head with lies.”

Right, because he’s a lie detector. Still, Gye Min couldn’t let go of her doubts.

“Is it possible that bastard believes it’s sincere because he’s swayed by emotion?”

“What emotion do you mean?”

As Chief Jung asked in confusion, Gye Min gave him a look of disdain.

“What else? Love.”

Ha, the brute? Chief Jung almost burst out laughing, then remembered that Ji Won-woo was a Guide. There’s a saying that Espers are obsessed with Guides for a reason, right?

Moreover, since Gye Yoon had suffered from extreme pain, even if he didn’t feel love for Ji Won-woo who relieved that pain, his judgment could be clouded by obsession.

“Come to think of it, he did give one strange order.”

“What was it?”

“He said to kidnap some webtoon artist and move them to the North.”

“Why?”

“Just… said they’re a popular artist.”

Irritation spread in Gye Min’s eyes.

“That crazy bastard. He’s reading webtoons at a time like this?”

Chief Jung also read numerous webtoons, but he kept his mouth shut, pretending not to.

“Then how should we handle Ji Won-woo’s case?”

“What else? Even if his true intentions are suspicious, we have to bring him in.”

And they had to bring him in quickly. Gye Min answered indifferently and scrolled up the screen with the news article with her finger. After the breaking news last night that the Gye family was the main culprit in attacking the Guide Center, the Gye family still hadn’t made any response even though morning had come.

“But before that, Ji Won-woo needs to be thoroughly abandoned by the Ji family. Only then can we completely get him in our hands.”

Gye Min tapped the news screen and asked,

“When is the People’s Committee vote?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Before that, we need to hear Ji Geun-oh say he’s disowning Ji Won-woo. We shouldn’t leave any excuse for the other side to take him back.”

“Time is tight.”

“It’s the same for them. So even if we tighten the noose, they won’t be able to hesitate due to suspicion. Why are you smiling?”

Ah, well. Chief Jung quickly erased his smile and informed her,

“The Vice Head said the same thing. That it’s advantageous because Ji Geun-oh won’t have time to be suspicious. And he also said to respond like this.”

As Chief Jung softly relayed Gye Yoon’s words, Gye Min frowned.

“Yoon said that?”

“Yes. I was surprised too.”

“It doesn’t seem like something he would think of.”

Gye Min muttered suspiciously, but her deliberation wasn’t short. Glaring at the face of her enemy in the article, she nodded.

“Do it as he said. We’ve always been dragged along, but this time, let’s make them anxious.”

For the past two days, it had been a series of chaotic days with misfortunes pouring down on the Ji family. But when the Guide Center was attacked, the situation was reversed at once.

It’s the Gye family again. Just like the Guide killers. People’s sympathy poured towards the Ji family, and they expected to see what kind of excuse the Gye family would make. Would they get angry again, claiming innocence? However, the Gye family’s announcement was different from expectations.

‘We express our deepest condolences for the Guide Center incident and the injured Chairman Ji Dong-hyeon. Currently, there is no evidence that the Gye family is involved in the Guide Center incident, and we have not received any requests for cooperation from the police or Esper agencies regarding related suspicions. However, as this accident is truly unfortunate not only for guides but also for Espers, the Gye family declares that we will provide all cooperation if any help is needed.’

Given that they usually issued sharp rebuttals to the Ji family’s affairs, the Gye family’s polite response was surprising. Of course, many people sneered, saying they were just covering their tracks. But for some, the Gye family’s calm response was accepted as more truthful. After all, while Guide Center kept releasing articles claiming the Gye family was the culprit, there was no evidence.

Afterwards, the Ji family, of course, released dozens of rebuttal articles. They also dug up all past incidents, claiming they were done by the Gye family. But the Gye family’s gentlemanly response, which spoke up again in the afternoon, once again puzzled people.

‘We fully understand the Ji family’s desire to hide their child’s flaws. However, we believe it is not right to falsely accuse innocent outsiders as enemies.’

Their child’s flaws? To those who were puzzled, a rumor spread. The fact that the one who infiltrated and burned the Guide Center was Ji Geun-oh’s son, Ji Won-woo. And people remembered an incident they had forgotten. The Esper who was beaten to death by a Guide.

And that afternoon.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave work, a video of an Esper being beaten by a Guide started to spread. Although the Guide’s face wasn’t shown straight on, it was undeniably Ji Won-woo.

A Guide assaulting an Esper. And a member of the Ji family at that. The Ji family, who had been receiving sympathy as unfortunate victims, found themselves back on the chopping block of criticism in less than a day.

While Gi An-seok was skilled at tracking someone by reading people’s memories, he didn’t do much legwork himself. Being a mental Esper, his physical abilities were similar to ordinary people, so he usually utilized others for physical tasks.

So right now, all he was doing was comfortably sitting in a chair and grasping the heads of those brought in by Guide Center’s Espers one by one.

“Nothing. Next.”

After checking the memories by grasping the head, he pushed away the head of who knows how many people by now. The owner of the head, having lost consciousness, collapsed to the side. Then, as if they had been waiting, a Guide Center employee brought another limp person before him. All those waiting were in a drugged sleep, and the reason was simple.

Reading memories from the head of someone awake caused the subject to scream in pain, and Gi An-seok disliked this noise as it was too loud. Thanks to this, countless people had been captured since dawn without knowing why, losing consciousness and having their memories forcibly read, but there was some progress.

As it became difficult to trace Ji Won-woo’s whereabouts after he killed the Esper and the Guide Center building was bombed, Gi An-seok turned the time back a bit further. The day when the Guide dormitory first caught fire. Where did he stay when the dormitory burned? And as evening fell, finally, Gi An-seok smiled, showing his yellow teeth.

“Ah, found it.”

In CCTV footage and people’s memories, a building that Ji Won-woo entered appeared. And on the 4th floor window, a blurry business sign was visible.

‘Hwang Sang-cheon Laboratory – All kinds of electronic device repairs’

Gi An-seok immediately stood up. He had a feeling. He’d caught the thread. Once he found a clue for tracking, things always went smoothly from there. Now no one could escape his grasp. As soon as he sensed his prey was close, he moved to catch it himself. He was also quite pleased with Ji Won-woo’s face that he’d seen through people’s memories.

And with the help of a teleporter, he arrived in front of the building in less than 5 minutes. Inside, Guide Center employees who had arrived earlier were forcibly breaking down doors, searching the interior, and dragging everyone out.

Gi An-seok leisurely walked around from the first floor, rummaging through people’s heads as if taking a stroll. Then, in someone’s memory, he caught a glimpse of Ji Won-woo going up the stairs.

Going up floor by floor like this, he finally reached the 4th floor and looked over all the people who had been captured. But he couldn’t find any clues in the minds of those on the 4th floor.

“Are these all the living ones?”

A Guide Center employee nodded at Gi An-seok’s question.

“Yes. Except for the innermost Hwang Sang-cheon Laboratory. That place was empty.”

The employee added as if remembering,

“There was one rat in a transparent case, maybe a pet.”

Hearing this, Gi An-seok’s eyes lit up with interest as he entered the Hwang Sang-cheon Laboratory alone. He took out the rat from the case in the corner and held it in his hand.

No matter how much people’s memories served as clues, there was a limit since people don’t stay in one place like CCTV. So he needed beings that were more numerous than people and could enter closed places to see everything. For Gi An-seok, that being was rats.

Everyone had business secrets, and Gi An-seok’s secret was catching rats in buildings and viewing their memories. In fact, his ability, like other Espers, only worked on humans, but thanks to long experimentation and effort, he became able to briefly peek into rats’ memories.

The only drawback was that even one attempt caused the rat’s head to explode and die. And this time too, as always, the rat provided him with an important clue. Only human legs entered the rat’s vision, which lacked red color. But the important thing was the sound.

‘I’ll be hiding in xxx for a while.’

Ji Won-woo’s voice. Gi An-seok silently laughed, baring his teeth, while holding the exploded rat corpse in his hand.

“Got you.”

***

“How did you know?”

Gye Yoon’s question was heard just as Won-woo was chewing on an energy bar while watching out the window. Beside his feet were wrappers from previously eaten energy bars and a half-empty water bottle. Since arriving here, all he’d done was eat these while monitoring outside.

As if surveillance was his daily routine, he stood by the window like a fixture for a long time without moving. Gye Yoon was more surprised by this than by Won-woo’s patience.

How could he be so accustomed to stakeouts? Not just that. Evading tails and going into hiding, the habit of suspecting even food and not eating just anything, skilled fighting techniques,  everything seemed as natural as if he did it daily.

“Know what?”

Won-woo asked without taking his eyes off the outside. What do you mean what, Gye Yoon had many questions. First, how did he know about this place? He looked around the dusty, empty interior. Gye Yoon was leaning against a wall near Won-woo. The 5-story building they were in was closed off despite being in the city center.

But since there were no outward signs, it wasn’t easy to notice it was an empty building. So it was perfect for hiding secretly. Gye Yoon was curious about more than just this. How did he know about Gi An-seok, why did he act like a trained soldier, and so on.

But nothing came out of Gye Yoon’s mouth. Even though those questions were important, it irritated him and twisted his insides that Won-woo was only looking out the window and not even glancing at him.

“Chick. How did you know my nickname?”

Won-woo flinched as if he momentarily stopped breathing. Gye Yoon immediately noticed Won-woo’s confusion. So he thought Won-woo would look at him now, but Won-woo continued to keep his gaze fixed outside.

Ah, he’s deliberately avoiding him. Gye Yoon didn’t like it. He had such lively conversations with Sang-cheon and Seona when they were together, but now that they were finally alone, he couldn’t even make proper eye contact.

“I remember hearing it somewhere.”

As Won-woo made a halfhearted excuse, Gye Yoon immediately pressed,

“Where?”

“I don’t remember that.”

It was an unfriendly answer, but Gye Yoon didn’t really care about ‘Chick’ in the first place. He had only said it to get Won-woo to make eye contact. But Won-woo focused only on the outside as if surveillance was the most important mission in the world.

“Mr. Ji Won-woo. Am I making you uncomfortable?”

As Gye Yoon asked the question, he focused on every sound Won-woo made. He could clearly hear his heartbeat and breathing. He wanted to know if Won-woo was flustered this time too. He wanted to confirm that Won-woo was reacting to his words even a little. But as soon as he tried to listen, it was as if he hit a wall, and the force was blocked from leaving his body.

“You said you can hear sounds so well, right? That you’re basically a lie detector. It’s better not to use your power on me.”

Won-woo muttered in a calm voice and then shoved the rest of the energy bar into his mouth. Although he felt a gaze so intense it stung his skin from the side, Won-woo didn’t turn his head. The reason was simple. In fact, Won-woo was only pretending to monitor the outside, while being acutely aware of Gye Yoon with his whole body.

Now that he was certain of who Gye Yoon was, he was confused about how to treat him. Unlike with Sang-cheon or Seona, he couldn’t simply show happiness towards him. Just as it had been difficult to define his feelings towards him in the original world in one way. Ridiculously, the only feeling that remained until now was one: guilt.

“Are you hiding something from me?”

The voice from reality pulled Won-woo out of the past.

“A lot.”

“That’s interesting.”

Won-woo involuntarily turned his eyes at that reply, spoken in a voice that didn’t sound interested at all. Gye Yoon curved his lips as if he’d been waiting for this. His smiling face was now familiar, but knowing his true identity made Won-woo’s heart flutter anew. Ah, so he smiles like that. He can smile like that.

“Is it bad that I’m interested?”

Won-woo turned his gaze away in confusion, but his reply came out sharp.

“You’re wrong. Your lie detector isn’t very impressive.”

“Of course. It wasn’t even working.”

Gye Yoon added while staring at the expressionless Won-woo,

“I just guessed by looking at your face.”

“It’s an incorrect guess.”

Despite the cold response, Gye Yoon didn’t lose the smile on his lips. But his eyes grew cold. Just when he thought Won-woo’s attitude had softened a bit, now that they were alone, it seemed he’d reverted to that initial prickly demeanor.

“Most people don’t know, but I have good eyesight too. So I’m curious why Mr. Ji Won-woo looks at me like a lover who’s come back from the dead.”

Gye Yoon deliberately exaggerated to provoke Won-woo, but Won-woo didn’t show the desired reaction. He just stopped breathing. Every word and tone of Gye Yoon’s voice made Won-woo’s heart ache. Would he have spoken like this if he could talk? A lump rose in his throat, but he forcefully suppressed it.

“You’re wrong again. My dead lover doesn’t resemble you at all, so I wouldn’t make such a mistake.”

The smile slowly faded from Gye Yoon’s lips.

“You had a lover?”

“Many.”

“Was the dead lover more special?”

What started as a joke made Won-woo burst into a hollow laugh as he saw the other’s eyes sharpen.

“Well. All my lovers are dead, so I don’t know who was more special.”

“That’s fortunate. That they’re all dead.”

Gye Yoon muttered expressionlessly, but turned his gaze aside. It still seemed like displeasure, which puzzled Won-woo. Surely he doesn’t think it’s not a joke?

“Yes. About twenty of them, all dead.”

“So that means anyone alive isn’t your lover, right?”

“Who’s alive?”

“Hong Seung-wook.”

“Ha, that person is…”

Won-woo started to laugh in disbelief but stopped. No, Hong Seung-wook wasn’t the issue, but did he really believe that twenty people had died?

“What about that person?”

Seeing the eyes demanding an answer, Won-woo stopped laughing. He really believes everything I say.

“We’re not in any relationship. …Though I can’t be 100% sure since there are parts I don’t remember.”

He added just in case, and Gye Yoon muttered to himself.

“Well, you can kill him when you remember.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, tell me when you remember.”

“…Do you think I would have had twenty lovers?”

“Guides and Espers all have countless relationships, don’t they? They all cling together and roll around if their wavelengths match. It’s rarer to find those who don’t engage in guiding sex.”

Won-woo finally understood why he had taken it as truth. Ah, right, Esper society was promiscuous. But it seems it was even more, much more promiscuous than he thought.

“Then did you also have over twenty lovers, Gye Yoon-ssi?”

“…”

He who had been silent turned his head slightly. He always wore his hood pulled down, so when he turned his head like that, his profile wasn’t visible. It made it difficult to observe his expression. As Won-woo tilted his head to try to see his face, he faintly heard a curse.

“Ah, shit,”

“Pardon?”

“I said it’s not twenty.”

“Ah, right, your wavelength is narrow. You probably had fewer opportunities for guiding sex.”

“…Yes, well.”

Gye Yoon turned his head back and asked gruffly.

“Given that Mr. Ji Won-woo had over twenty lovers, I guess you quite enjoyed guiding sex with Espers?”

He was too busy killing every Esper he saw.

“…Well, I suppose so.”

Won-woo mumbled in response and turned his gaze back to the window. An awkward silence fell for a moment. Won-woo felt needlessly anxious about the lie he’d never told before. So, thinking of continuing this topic, he belatedly opened his mouth.

“By the way, about Gi An-seok who’s coming soon…”

“It’s a lie.”

“…”

After another brief silence, Won-woo frowned and asked.

“What is?”

Gye Yoon ran his hand through his hair, his gaze still fixed outside. His voice sounded gruff.

“The lovers. I didn’t have any. As you said, there were no Guides with matching wavelengths, and I didn’t have the luxury of meeting anyone to roll around with because of the pain.”

It was unexpected. The content of the confession sounded quite innocent, to the point where that expressionless face seemed like it might be hiding embarrassment. Won-woo’s insides churned like waves again. So he has this side too. A mixture of wonder and emotion welled up. Won-woo sighed and tried to confess as well. That he was also lying.

“I also lied…”

“Then the lover you met when you lost your memory, whoever it is, might come back to you later?”

“…I suppose.”

He was ultimately tripped up by the memory loss. Won-woo, whose confession had gone down the drain, was flustered and avoided his gaze. However, an unexpected question made him turn his head again.

“Don’t tell me your current lover is Han Seona-ssi?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Won-woo denied it in shock, but Gye Yoon stared at him intently as if confirming the truth and slowly asked again.

“You don’t have a lover right now, right?”

“No, I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I sleep with colleagues. Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

Why, you ask. Won-woo frowned and stated firmly.

“If you get involved with a colleague like that, you can’t work together afterward. I can’t do something that would distance me from people on my side.”

However, Gye Yoon tilted his head skeptically, as if unsatisfied with Won-woo’s answer.

“There are exceptions to everything, aren’t there?”

At those words, Won-woo asked with a serious expression,

“Is there that much office romance in the Gye family?”

“I don’t know. I was too miserable to pay attention to others.”

His voice sounded nonchalant, but Won-woo’s expression grew heavy. The word ‘miserable’ from his mouth hit his heart like a hammer. He had hoped that the person whose face and identity he didn’t know would be happy in this world.

Although not as much as in the original world, he had suffered for a long time here too. Knowing this, an emotion that was hard to ignore welled up again. Won-woo averted his gaze and replied, pretending to be unbothered,

“You’ll have time from now on. Do whatever you want and find happiness.”

“…”

There was no response, but Won-woo didn’t turn to look at him. As he focused on the window, goosebumps rose on the side of his body facing Gye Yoon. He turned his head in confusion and froze.

Gye Yoon was looking down at him from a distance close enough to touch, though it wasn’t clear when he had approached. He should have pushed him away and blocked him with a cold gaze, but meeting his eyes reminded Won-woo of him from the past, causing him to miss the timing to step back. Gye Yoon stared at Won-woo and muttered as if talking to himself,

“Why are you suddenly helping me like this?”

“I told you. The enemy of my enemy is my ally.”

“Do you care about your ally’s happiness too?”

“Should I not?”

As Won-woo asked coldly, Gye Yoon twisted his lips. After seeing it a few times, Won-woo could now distinguish whether his smile was genuine or fake.

“Then can I do whatever I want under the pretext of happiness?”

He asked jokingly with a low laugh. The smile curving into a long arc was quite charming, but what caught Won-woo’s gaze was his eyes again. Their gazes met for a moment. As the smile disappeared from Gye Yoon’s lips, silence filled its place.

It felt eerily quiet, as if everything around them had been erased. Gye Yoon silently looked down at Won-woo, then tilted his head to the side and slowly lowered his head. He got so close as if he was about to kiss him, but Won-woo’s muttering stopped him.

“As long as you don’t touch me.”

“Because we’re colleagues?”

As Gye Yoon paused his movement, Won-woo took a step back and answered indifferently,

“And I’m not that attracted to you.”

“That means you might do it if you were aroused.”

Gye Yoon returned to his gruff demeanor, but his unsmiling eyes observed Won-woo intently. As Won-woo was about to deny it, saying “No,” Gye Yoon lightly announced,

“He’s here.”

At those words, Won-woo turned his head to the window. In the darkness, a man standing in front of the building was visible. It was Gi An-seok, whom they had been waiting for all day.

Most of the people Gi An-seok had pursued until now were runaway Guides. Naturally, most of his clients were Espers, but the place that made the most requests was the Guide Center, run by Guides. Thanks to this, Gi An-seok could pride himself on knowing Guides better than anyone else while chasing them.

Usually, there are two types of runaways. Those who just run as far as possible without looking back, and those who curl up and hide in crowded cities.

The former was actually easier to find because their long journey exposed them to more people. Those hiding in cities were all or nothing. Sometimes they were found quickly due to witnesses, but if they had hidden like rats without witnesses, it was a waiting game until they crawled out.

And whenever the opportunity to catch these rats came, he always detached from other pursuit teams and went to catch them alone with his subordinate. This was because there had been times when he went for the final catch with the client’s pursuit team and had his achievement stolen. It was a ploy to avoid paying the request fee. So he always caught them with his own hands at the end and handed them over.

Someone had asked him if it wasn’t dangerous. He had laughed so much when he received that question. A Guide being dangerous? Well, even rats lash out when cornered, so they all struggled not to get caught. But they were just Guides, so it was laughable. From Gi An-seok’s perspective, there was a thrill in subduing them, and it was more exciting when they struggled desperately.

So now, his whole body was on edge with excitement. Just thinking about catching Ji Won-woo soon made the center of his pants bulge. How surprised would he be when he realized his hiding place had been discovered? He’d probably panic and try to run away? Gi An-seok’s lips curled up in anticipation of catching him and immediately pulling down his pants to thrust into him right there.

“Hey. Focus well on the communicator. Don’t act like an idiot who can’t even hear me calling because you’re busy doing something else, like last time.”

As Gi An-seok warned the air, a disgruntled response came through the communicator,

[Ah, seriously. It was just once that I was late.]

The teleportation Esper who had brought him here was waiting outside, and his only role was to come running like a dog when called. Gi An-seok turned sharp eyes towards the darkness where the sound came from.

“Fuck, just once? Want me to count all the times you almost messed things up?”

[…Understood.]

As the other backed down, Gi An-seok finally surveyed the five-story building shrouded in darkness. So he’s in there, huh?

“We can catch him. The pursuer contacted me saying they’ve got Ji Won-woo’s tail.”

Ji Seong-hyeon confidently informed his sister, Ji Yoon-im. He was currently at Guide Center. It wasn’t the building that had been in chaos due to the fire, but as it was the place handling practical affairs, it also housed his older brother Ji Dong-hyeon’s office.

Although he had frowned at first at the old man’s taste in interior design, what mattered was that this office was the seat of the one who effectively controlled the Guide Center. Ji Yoon-im remained expressionless, as if not believing Ji Seong-hyeon’s assertion.

“Bring Ji Won-woo before my eyes. You’re still running your mouth before getting results, as always.”

“I’m telling you, we’ll catch him soon.”

“Right, you need to catch him before dawn. That’s the only job you’ve been given, and if you can’t even do that, how do you think Father will view you?”

At the word ‘Father’, tension spread across Ji Seong-hyeon’s face.

“Dawn? What’s happening at dawn?”

“Some association members have notified us that they’re withholding their approval votes because of Ji Won-woo’s actions.”

It was the vote Father had longed for so much. How many drinking parties and gatherings had Ji Seong-hyeon been forced to attend to gain those approval votes?

“Fuck, those council bastards turn their backs now after taking so much from us?”

“Public opinion is not good. The Gye family’s reaction was different from our expectations, so people think we’re framing them for crimes.”

“Not good? Haven’t you seen the internet? Everyone’s on our side.”

Ji Yoon-im twisted her lips, showing a silent sneer.

“What does the opinion of the incompetent masses matter? Only Espers have voting rights. We need to control their public opinion. But.”

Ji Yoon-im lowered her voice, revealing her discomfort.

“With the Gye family acting so docile, there’s discontent among the Espers. They’re saying how dare the Ji family, who are Guides, frame and attack Espers.”

“How dare they? They’re the ones who dare to walk around freely thanks to our Ji family?”

After all the Ji family had done for Espers.

“Wouldn’t they avoid resenting us because of the Alpha Seeds?”

“You think the Gye family is just sitting idle? It seems the Gye family head is using her brain quite cunningly this time. They must have been cornered until just recently.”

“Weren’t they not just cornered but falling off a cliff? Why are they scheming behind the scenes when they don’t even have Guides? Fuck, those Gye bastards.”

Ji Seong-hyeon observed his sister’s expression as he raged. She seemed annoyed but not angry. That meant this situation wasn’t entirely bad.

“So did the Gye family throw around some money? How are we going to persuade the association members then?”

“You just need to catch Ji Won-woo.”

Ji Seong-hyeon frowned, trying to gauge her meaning.

“Don’t tell me… you’re planning to make Won-woo kneel and beg at the People’s Committee?”

Though she found her brother’s childish idea pathetic, Ji Yoon-im praised him verbally.

“You’re not completely stupid. Whether he begs or cries, Father’s idea is to have Won-woo testify at the People’s Committee. For the vote, we need to prostrate ourselves as they want. We need to make them think we mean no harm to them. That way, they’ll take our side without much thought.”

“If I can’t bring that Won-woo bastard…”

“There shouldn’t be such an ‘if’, Seong-hyeon.”

Ji Yoon-im warned her brother sharply, looking at him with indifferent eyes.

“Then it’ll be you lying in the hospital.”