DB Vol 3 Part 15

From the outside, it wasn’t apparent, but the building was completely empty. Gi An-seok had climbed to the fourth floor trying not to make any noise, then stopped in front of a room. Thanks to his night vision goggles, he could see inside even in the dark, including the floor visible through the open door crack.

The empty building had dust and various trash scattered inside, but the trash that caught Gi An-seok’s attention was just one in front of him now. Something like a torn energy bar wrapper. Gi An-seok opened the door a bit more.

Creak.

As the small noise sounded, he raised the tranquilizer gun in his other hand. At a glance, the interior seemed empty, but thick pillars supporting the ceiling at intervals created blind spots.

And Gi An-seok’s eyes caught another wrapper. Near one of the pillars. As if dropped while moving in a hurry, there was also a bit of half-eaten content next to the wrapper.

This could be bait to lure him. No, he considered it bait. To lure him in and set a trap to buy time, or perhaps to attack. The latter was less likely. Because he was a Guide. Especially if he was someone who couldn’t even run far away out of fear and was just hiding in one place.

Creeeak.

Gi An-seok opened the door wide and stepped inside, no longer hiding his footsteps.

“Mr. Ji Won-woo. Your family is very worried and looking for you.”

Tap, tap. Letting out a kind voice, Gi An-seok walked to the center and stared at the pillar opposite the one near the wrapper. If Won-woo was still here, his intention was obvious. It would be a one-dimensional tactic of luring him with the wrapper, hiding behind the pillar near the door, and trying to escape outside when he moved away.

These guys are always the same. Gi An-seok inwardly sneered, recalling the Guides who had been caught trying to lure him like this. It would be even better if they turned their back and ran.

“Your brother is blaming himself a lot right now. He’s wondering if you might be hiding because you’re scared due to how he treated you carelessly all this time.”

Tap.

Gi An-seok stepped towards the pillar near the door. Then, taking another step forward, he lowered his voice.

“Your brother promised. He said he’d forgive any wrongdoing, so please come back and help him. You know your eldest brother is injured, right? It seems your second brother will be managing the business for a while. He wants you to trust him and become his right-hand man. He says the only one he can trust is—”

Family. As he was about to spit out this final lie, he quickly went around behind the pillar. But it was empty. Ah, not here? He didn’t let his guard down and moved to the next expected pillar.

“You don’t know how much your brother is waiting. Mr. Ji Won-woo, are you listening to me?”

The interior was so quiet it felt like his voice lingered like an echo. But he had a hunch that Won-woo was here. Originally, in pursuits, there were times when one had to follow their instincts rather than evidence, and this was one of those times.

Unable to shake the feeling that he was definitely in here somewhere, he didn’t give up searching the interior and reached the end of the large room.

But there was no one. Fuck, this can’t be right? Did he hide in another room and slip out? But his colleague was waiting outside the building. If anyone had come out of the building, he would have been notified immediately via the communicator.

Gi An-seok glanced out the window once and quickly turned his body towards the door. If he was still in the building, maybe he should catch a rat and check its memory… At that moment.

“I don’t believe you.”

A whisper was heard right behind his head. Gi An-seok quickly raised his head and lifted the tranquilizer gun at the same time. But a foot coming down from above kicked his head strongly first.

Thwack!

As Gi An-seok stumbled backward after being hit hard on the head, unable to even scream, Won-woo jumped down from the ceiling and unhesitatingly struck his abdomen. His movements were so fast that Gi An-seok didn’t even have time to dodge or defend.

Thud!

Gi An-seok, dizzy from the head blow, tried to get up somehow. But the opponent didn’t give him a chance and immediately approached. When a strong hand roughly grabbed his hair, Gi An-seok could only be dragged along, muttering “Uh” in confusion.

Won-woo’s attacks were precise and without any unnecessary movements. Gi An-seok reached out to grab his opponent, but his resistance was as powerless as a child’s. The opponent had already grasped Gi An-seok’s head and was unhesitatingly slamming it into the floor. His head hit the floor hard, so mercilessly.

Bang!

The last thought that crossed Gi An-seok’s mind before losing consciousness was one: that he felt like prey that had been hunted in an instant.

‘Bzzt.’

Since Gi An-seok entered the building, static started to be heard as if there was a problem with the communicator. Gi An-seok’s colleague, the teleporter, wanted to remove the communicator, but remembering how Gi An-seok would make a fuss, he forcibly endured. Working with that bastard who treated him like a dog was shitty, but he had no choice.

Because that man had caught his weakness. But as he worked with him, it turned out to be quite a lucrative job, so he was half doing it voluntarily. That’s why he was patiently focusing on the static noise even now.

But the static started to grow louder. What the hell? He had no choice but to take the communicator out of his ear and tap it on his palm. Fuck, Gi An-seok, I told you not to skimp on equipment costs…

“It’s not broken.”

The moment a low voice flowed in as if whispering in his ear, chills ran down his spine. He moved on instinct before his mind could process the situation. He immediately used his ability to teleport. Because he hadn’t properly prepared to use his power, the distance was short, but he moved to the opposite side of the building, so he wouldn’t be attacked.

“Haa, fuck…”

What the hell? He calmed his startled heart and looked around with wide eyes. Of course, if the person who suddenly approached had teleportation abilities, they could follow him, but that was impossible since they wouldn’t know where he had teleported to.

Still, he couldn’t stop looking around warily. And just as he thought he was safe and tried to breathe in, he froze. He couldn’t breathe. It was as if his breathing organs had malfunctioned, and he couldn’t take a breath.

“Kkugh…”

Even the choking sound didn’t come out properly as he clutched his chest with both hands. And then someone walked out in front of him. A man wearing a hood pulled down.

Who is it? How did he follow me? The eyes of Gi An-seok’s colleague were filled with terror and questions. But the only answer he got was the man silently reaching out and grabbing his neck.

Gi An-seok’s colleague tried to use his last strength to teleport again. At this, a light of amusement appeared in the opponent’s eyes. As his body began to fade due to using his ability, the opponent gripped him even tighter. For a moment, all the surrounding sounds temporarily disappeared. Gripped by the neck, his consciousness quickly faded. In less than a few seconds, his body went limp.

When Gye Yoon let go of the neck he was still holding, Gi An-seok’s colleague collapsed to the floor like he was melting. Looking down at the body that was no longer breathing, Gye Yoon belatedly gave the answer to how he had followed him after he teleported.

“That’s what you get for making noise.”

Gye Yoon muttered, looked up at the building, and recalled Won-woo’s advice.

‘The key to catching Gi An-seok is the teleporting Esper who accompanies him. Since you said you’d catch him, I’ll leave it to you, but remember this. Don’t get cocky thinking your opponent is weaker than me. Don’t say things like “You’re going to die now” trying to act cool like a movie protagonist. I’ve seen too many people mess up their missions putting on airs like that. The moment you catch him, without hesitation, eliminate him before he can disappear.’

Won-woo’s words sounded like those of a hunter accustomed to finding and eliminating Espers. Well, hadn’t he already seen Won-woo easily beat up an Esper? It was quite strange, but now wasn’t the time to delve into this curiosity. Won-woo had said this about Gi An-seok,

‘Gi An-seok? We won’t kill him. That man is a lottery ticket.’

What kind of lottery ticket? Gye Yoon’s footsteps towards the building quickened, and then his body disappeared in an instant.

When his sister, who had just left, returned, Ji Seong-hyeon thought another part of the Ji family had been attacked. Because his sister’s expression was so fierce. She entered, roughly opening the door while tightly gripping one hand. As she was someone who never showed excitement at any moment, Seong-hyeon stood up in surprise.

“Why, what…”

“Did you show Dong-hyeon to that tracker Gi An-seok?”

“Well, he was the last witness who saw Won-woo…”

“Did you let him touch him?”

Touch? Ji Seong-hyeon was about to nod, recalling Gi An-seok grabbing Ji Dong-hyeon’s head. But he hesitated seeing Ji Yoon-im’s expression. Realizing something was wrong, he stood pale, and Ji Yoon-im immediately understood the situation just by looking at his face.

“So Director Shin’s words were true.”

Director Shin? Recalling his brother’s right-hand man, Ji Seong-hyeon barely managed to keep his face from contorting. Whatever the situation was, now was the time to completely prostrate himself before his sister.

“Call him.”

“Wh-who?”

“Gi An-seok. Call him in right now.”

“But Won-woo…”

“Seong-hyeon. I don’t want to see you in the hospital unconscious like Dong-hyeon.”

Despite the concerned content, his sister’s voice was ice-cold. Gulp. Ji Seong-hyeon immediately picked up his phone while inwardly cursing. Damn it, did Gi An-seok cause some problem?

“Ji Seong-hyeon is an idiot who only acts on emotion,” Won-woo said nonchalantly, pointing at Gi An-seok, who was tied to a chair unconscious.

“He probably let Gi An-seok touch Ji Dong-hyeon to find me. He’d only be thinking about scoring points with this opportunity.”

Gye Yoon, standing beside him, grasped Won-woo’s words and asked,

“You suspect Gi An-seok saw some secret while viewing Ji Dong-hyeon’s memories?”

“It’s not a suspicion, it’s a certainty.”

Gi An-seok frequently blackmailed people with secrets obtained this way. This was actually his main source of income. That’s why in the original world, Gi An-seok was called a lottery ticket. Just getting hold of the secrets of Espers that Gi An-seok knew would be a considerable asset.

There was even a reward for the team that caught Gi An-seok. Unfortunately, another team claimed that reward, but Won-woo was able to see that team’s report. There was one frustrated note from the person in charge,

‘This bastard absolutely won’t open his mouth.’

“The key is how to make him talk…”

As Won-woo muttered, Gye Yoon stepped forward.

“Let’s wake him up first.”

Gye Yoon raised his fist towards Gi An-seok.

***

“You can’t find him? Fuck, why can’t you find Gi An-seok? What are those Guide Center bastards who went with him doing?”

Ji Seong-hyeon was about to jump up and down. After briefly hearing about Gi An-seok from his sister, he had hurried to find him, but it was too late.

“Gi An-seok insisted on acting alone, saying he needed to check first. When he didn’t return at the promised time…”

As Secretary Yang trailed off his report, Ji Seong-hyeon couldn’t control his anger, stomping the floor.

“Fuck, fuck! That son of a bitch! Quick, search Gi An-seok’s house and office thoroughly!”

When Secretary Yang hesitated, Seong-hyeon turned to him with bulging eyes.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you moving quickly?”

“What if Gi An-seok didn’t run away, but someone took him?”

“Who would take him? He went to look for Won-woo…”

Ji Seong-hyeon stopped and glared at Secretary Yang.

“Are you saying Won-woo kidnapped Gi An-seok? How could a Guide kidnap an Esper? Unless someone helped…”

Ji Seong-hyeon’s eyes widened as if realizing something from his own words.

“Right, fuck, he must have a collaborator. Otherwise, there’s no way earthquakes strong enough to shake buildings would be felt repeatedly at places where that Won-woo bastard caused trouble.”

“But to cause an earthquake, you’d need at least an A-ranks ability user. Only a few among physical Espers can do that. We’ve compiled a list of possible Espers, but most had alibis when the incidents occurred. None are related to your brother either.”

“Who are the Espers without alibis?”

Secretary Yang hesitated before answering.

“The Gye family’s vice head has an ability that could cause such earthquake phenomena.”

Ji Seong-hyeon frowned.

“It’s not that bastard. If he had used his ability to that extent, he should have gone rampage.”

“That’s right. Unless he received guiding. But… Mr. Ji Won-woo is a Guide, isn’t he? And he has a wavelength range that can guide anyone.”

At Secretary Yang’s words, Seong-hyeon burst out laughing.

“Fuck, he’s the lowest D-rank trash among Guides, what guiding? Even if that wasn’t the case, it’s not Gye Yoon. He’s the type to grind his teeth at the Ji Family, there’s no way he would team up with Won-woo.”

Then who on earth could it be? Who helped Won-woo? He couldn’t come up with an answer. That’s when Secretary Yang cautiously offered a different opinion.

“He might have received help from an Esper, but we should also consider Mr. Ji Won-woo’s actions so far. Isn’t it too strange? Not only the assault on the Esper at the Guide dormitory, but what’s more puzzling is breaking into Guide Center, knocking down the chairman, and setting fire to the data room. He accomplished something no Esper has ever done.”

“So you think that’s impressive?”

“In my eyes, yes.”

Before getting angry, Ji Seong-hyeon reconsidered Secretary Yang’s words. He had made excuses to his sister, blaming Won-woo, but he had also vaguely heard from Yoo Geon-young that Won-woo had changed. The way he beat up the Esper, subdued his older brother, and now Gi An-seok’s disappearance.

“He must have collaborators, and Won-woo must have changed too. Like a completely different person.”

No, could it really be Ji Won-woo? Having failed to find Won-woo and now losing Gi An-seok, Ji Seong-hyeon needed an excuse. Looking at the sky turning bluish with the approaching dawn, he cursed inwardly. Time was running out.

“Bring one of Won-woo’s team members. Quietly, without Yoo Geon-young, the team leader, knowing.”

If he wanted to avoid death, he had to pin all the blame on Won-woo. Even then, he might not escape a near-death experience. Ji Seong-hyeon clenched his fists and glared at the rapidly brightening sky. Fuck, Won-woo didn’t really take Gi An-seok, did he? He fervently hoped that if that were the case, Won-woo would rather be dead.

Isn’t he dead? Won-woo was staring expressionlessly at the battered Gi An-seok, but inwardly he clicked his tongue. Gye Yoon had really kept waking An-seok up. Continuously beating him until dawn, knocking him out and then beating him again. Won-woo was used to beating and subduing people, but Gye Yoon’s technique was different. Without using any Esper powers, he kept beating him for hours just short of killing him. Won-woo couldn’t help but ask.

“How long are you going to keep just hitting him?”

Because every time Gi An-seok tried to say even a word, the beating would start again. They needed to extract information from him, but he was being hit every time he opened his mouth. Won-woo wondered if there was some strategy behind this.

“Are you trying to play good cop, bad cop?”

Won-woo asked quietly, worried that Gi An-seok lying on the floor might hear, but Gye Yoon reassured him.

“He’s unconscious. And we don’t need to play roles.”

“Are you trying to make him talk by keep hitting him?”

“There’s no need for him to open his mouth. It’s not like we have any specific information we want anyway.”

Won-woo swallowed his disbelief at Gye Yoon’s words.

“Then why did we bring him here? Isn’t this your family’s safe house?”

Won-woo looked around. The place Gye Yoon had brought him to was a small farm on the outskirts of the city. In fact, it seemed too modest to be owned by the family that ruled the North, but if it was a safe house, it could be a disguise.

“Yes. It’s safe here, so we can beat him at our leisure.”

Won-woo asked incredulously at Gye Yoon’s answer.

“Do you really not need any information from Gi An-seok?”

“We’ve lived well enough without Gi An-seok anyway. But.”

Gye Yoon added a caveat while staring down at Gi An-seok.

“Since he’s seen us, we can’t let him die easily.”

Won-woo glanced at Gi An-seok again and thought, huh? It seemed like Gi An-seok’s shoulder had twitched slightly. Could he be awake?

“When you say you can’t let him die easily, how much more torture are you planning?”

“Five years.”

“…That’s long.”

“That’s the limit. Usually, when we throw people into animal cages, no one lasts longer than that.”

Ah. Won-woo nodded slightly but was a bit surprised inwardly. So the reason for beating him just short of knocking him out was based on five years of know-how. Whether it was an exaggeration or not, Won-woo had no intention of arguing. He had seen Gi An-seok’s body move slightly again. There was no way Gye Yoon hadn’t noticed this. Gye Yoon had said he didn’t intend to play roles, but Won-woo wasn’t a fool to believe everything at face value.

“But Gi An-seok knows a lot of important information. Especially if he’s seen my brother’s memories, I’d like to hear about that.”

The corner of Gye Yoon’s mouth lifted slightly. It was like a smile that found Won-woo’s quick-wittedness endearing.

“Don’t get your hopes up. If he had seen any remarkable memories, he would have tried to negotiate with me long ago.”

“That’s because you wouldn’t let me speak, ugh, speak at all… urk!”

Suddenly, Gi An-seok lifted his head and cried out with indignation. However, it was difficult for him to speak properly with his torn and swollen face, and he couldn’t finish his sentence. Gye Yoon’s foot kicked his head. After silencing Gi An-seok with just a kick, as if annoyed, he turned to Won-woo.

“Are you sure you don’t have any luggage to take?”

Ignoring Gi An-seok’s groaning, he changed the subject, and Won-woo followed suit, taking his eyes off Gi An-seok.

“No, I don’t. There are a few things I need to buy right away, though…”

“Ha, no matter how you try to run from your family, you…”

As soon as Gi An-seok interrupted again, Gye Yoon’s foot moved, and Gi An-seok rolled over with a ‘Ugh!’ sound. Won-woo and Gye Yoon resumed their leisurely conversation as if he didn’t exist.

“Tell me. I’ll buy them for you.”

“I’ll buy my own things.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“I don’t want to.”

“…Why not?”

It was a blunt reply, but there was a hint of disappointment in it. Won-woo, unsure whether this was also an act, decided to play along for now.

“You’re too conspicuous. I’m on the run, you know.”

“That’s why I’m saying no matter how you try to run from the Ji family… urgh, w-wait!! The Gye family!!”

Gi An-seok, who had interrupted again, shouted out loud this time, worried that they might stop him from speaking.

“If what the Ji family did to the Gye family is revealed, you’ll end up dying at the hands of the Gye family!”

As Won-woo and Gye Yoon silently stared at him, he finally caught his breath and looked relieved.

“What I saw inside Ji Dong-hyeon’s head, ack!”

This time, it was Won-woo’s foot that caused his scream. Won-woo kicked his shin hard and deliberately sneered.

“The Ji family is already an enemy of the Gye family. Are you trying to say that’s a secret now? And don’t speak informally.”

“Aagh! W-wait… huff, no, the Ji family is hiding… urgh, something more. I definitely saw it! Inside Ji Dong-hyeon’s head, something that would make the Gye family start a war immediately if they knew…”

“Bullshit.”

As Gye Yoon stood up as if about to take action again, Gi An-seok’s face turned pale.

“They manipulated the Guide information!!”

“What Guide?”

When Won-woo asked, Gi An-seok turned to him and bit his lip. Seeing his hesitation, Gye Yoon’s foot mercilessly kicked his chest. Gi An-seok coughed up blood and squeezed out his words.

“Urgh, the Ji family, haa, manipulated the Guide information. The Guide information that matches the Gye family… es-especially the wavelength matching the vice head of that place, it’s all fake.”

Perhaps because only a weak light was on in the room, Gi An-seok still didn’t know the identity of Gye Yoon, who was wearing his hood pulled down low. He couldn’t see properly as his eyes were swollen from being beaten as soon as he arrived. Won-woo glanced at the mention of the vice head. Gye Yoon remained expressionless even when the conversation turned to him.

“How is it fake? Did they manipulate the wavelength range?”

Gi An-seok groaned in pain and shook his head.

“That’s obvious. But do you think they could enjoy mocking the Gye family with just that?”

Enjoy? Won-woo’s question was erased by Gi An-seok’s following hoarse voice.

“They killed all the real ones.”

A strange silence fell. But Gi An-seok, unaware, added while gasping for breath.

“The Guides who could guide Gye Yoon… all of them, huff huff, were found and killed by the Ji family.”

Won-woo was momentarily at a loss for words. Unconsciously, his gaze turned to Gye Yoon. He still looked expressionless, as if he had heard something insignificant. Then he looked at Won-woo and asked dryly.

“Do you have something to say?”

When Won-woo glanced at Gi An-seok, Gye Yoon casually reassured him.

“It’s okay. That bastard can’t hear.”

“Gi An-seok’s words might not be true.”

“It doesn’t matter whether they are or not.”

“Why doesn’t it matter?”

Well. Gye Yoon turned back as if wondering why Won-woo cared.

“Even if there were Guides suitable for me, the Ji family wouldn’t send them anyway. So it doesn’t matter whether the Guides are all dead or alive. My end will be a rampage anyway.”

The nonchalant tone made it weigh even heavier on Won-woo. How long had he lived with an unstable body prone to rampage to speak like that? Won-woo almost asked without realizing. If he had never been happy at all.

In this world, he wasn’t involved with Ji Won-woo and his body was fine like this. Yet why was he still shouldering death in the same way? But in the end, he couldn’t ask anything.

Instead, he watched with complicated eyes as Gye Yoon stepped forward. Unlike before, he crouched in front of Gi An-seok with a vicious gaze.

“What about the other people in the Gye family?”

Gi An-seok groaned and barely opened his eyes, but soon closed them again as if his vision was still blurry.

“Haa, others…?”

“You said the Gye family would wage war if they knew. The Ji family didn’t just mess with the vice head’s Guide. Right?”

“Of course, ugh…”

As he answered, blood spilled from Gi An-seok’s mouth again. Gye Yoon’s hand was already gripping his neck. Turning pale from lack of breath, Gi An-seok choked out the information.

“That house’s… baby… They said the Gye family should be nipped in the bud, so they manipulated all the Guide information matching that house’s child too.”

“You mean they’re all fake?”

“Yes. And they deliberately leaked wrong information… urgh, they said they enjoy watching the Gye family fret and fawn over Guides. Haa, I found a few real ones myself, urgh, and handed them over to the Ji family, so I’m sure. All the Guides for that kid were completely wiped out…”

Thud. Gi An-seok collapsed to the floor unconscious. Gye Yoon, who had let go of him, stood up and called someone with his still expressionless face. Won-woo, unable to interrupt him, focused on his ice-cold voice.

“Check the wavelength of the Guide we brought after giving the seed, right now.”

***

Ji Seong-hyeon had never resented the brightened sky so much. Although he had only stayed up for one night, his face had aged as if years had passed. His sister’s visit in the meantime felt like the visit of a grim reaper. She looked around the room briefly and then turned back, seeing Seong-hyeon standing alone nervously.

“No-Noona!”

When Seong-hyeon called out, Ji Yoon-im turned her cold eyes.

“You couldn’t find Won-woo, and you lost Gi An-seok. That must be your limit.”

“No, it’s not my fault… Okay, of course I made a mistake. But it was all because of Ji Won-woo! That bastard deceived us all!”

Ji Yoon-im’s eyes were filled with contempt as she looked at her brother.

“Even the excuse you barely came up with is subpar.”

Ji Seong-hyeon ran to Ji Yoon-im, who was trying to leave, grabbed her arm and pleaded.

“No, Noona, listen to me. I don’t care if father beats me or if the family disowns me. But I have to say this. We were all fooled by Ji Won-woo, that bastard.”

Ji Yoon-im, as if she didn’t want to hear anymore, coldly ordered her brother.

“Let go. Unless you want to lose even the Ji surname.”

Flinch. Ji Seong-hyeon was startled and let go, but soon blocked his sister’s path and shouted.

“I’m telling you this was all planned by Ji Won-woo! That bastard became a completely different person. His team member testified. Ji Won-woo suddenly lost his memory and changed into a different person! It’s true, Noona. That bastard might not be Won-woo but just someone with the same face…”

Honestly, Ji Seong-hyeon didn’t expect this excuse to work at all. He knew it was far-fetched. He was just trying to blame everything on Won-woo and reduce his own guilt even a little bit. But his sister’s reaction was strange. Her expression hardened, and then suddenly she grabbed Seong-hyeon’s arm and asked quietly.

“You say he’s like a different person?”

“Huh? Yeah. I even found a witness. Oh, here, listen to this recording.”

As Ji Seong-hyeon hurriedly played the recording of Won-woo’s team member, Ji Yoon-im’s expression hardened more and more. Then she took out her phone with a serious face. She seemed about to contact someone, but her phone rang first.

As letters appeared on the small screen, Ji Yoon-im’s eyebrows twitched. Before Ji Seong-hyeon could ask what was wrong, she turned on the TV in the office. In the early morning news, Ji Geun-oh appeared with a haggard face, apologizing.

[It’s all my fault as a father. I had hoped that my son with mental issues would somehow be well-treated and become a contributing member of society, but I apologize on his behalf for secretly stopping his medication and causing problems. It’s even more devastating because I believed my son had already fully recovered when Won-woo committed this act. I will expel my son, who attacked an Esper and caused death, from Guide Center.]

The handsome middle-aged man, with tears in his eyes, kept apologizing while bowing deeply. Although his father’s acting was always impressive, Ji Seong-hyeon focused on his sister’s face rather than the screen. She was grinding her teeth. It was a habit she showed when things went wrong. But why? Father’s apology was perfect, with no room for criticism. Then Ji Yoon-im’s murmur was heard.

“Could Ji Won-woo also be a different person?”

One of Seong-hyeon’s eyebrows rose. ‘Also’? Then who else had changed?

***

Chief Jung found Gye Yoon’s order strange. Check the wavelength? Although the Guide brought in with the seed had refused to guide Hwan and even resorted to the extreme action of cutting his wrist, the Gye family was currently trying to coax him gently to win his favor.

So he was worried that checking the wavelength might upset him. But the worry soon turned into a different concern. As soon as the word “check” came out, the Guide turned pale and started trembling. Only then did Chief Jung realize something was amiss. He immediately called Gye Yoon with shaking hands.

“Vice Head.”

[The check?]

“We couldn’t take the Guide to the machine room so we didn’t check, but…”

Chief Jung trailed off and then spoke with more force in his voice.

“He became quite frightened at the mention of checking the wavelength.”

[…]

“Vice Head?”

[That Guide.]

Even before Gye Yoon finished speaking, Chief Jung felt a chill as if his breath had stopped.

[Kill him.]

While Gye Yoon had stepped out to make a call, Won-woo sat down on his knees in front of the unconscious Gi An-seok. He opened a water bottle and poured it over his face. Perhaps because water entered his nostrils, Gi An-seok coughed and barely opened his eyes.

“Are all the Guides matching Gye Yoon really dead?”

Gye Yoon seemed to take his niece’s Guide problem more seriously than his own, but for Won-woo, Gye Yoon was more important. Gi An-seok couldn’t make expressions with his swollen face from the beating, but his eyes were full of mockery.

“A Ji… cough, worried about a Gye.”

Won-woo silently grabbed Gi An-seok’s hand and twisted it behind his back.

“Urgh!”

Gi An-seok curled up in pain, but Won-woo didn’t let go of the twisted hand and asked again.

“Didn’t I tell you not to speak informally?”

“Ah, there aren’t any… let go… Aagh!”

“Are you sure there aren’t any?”

“Y-yes, I’m sure. Urgh! The memory I saw… was a conversation between Ji Dong-hyeon and Ji Geun-oh.”

Although he got an answer, Won-woo twisted the hand further. His fingers were now completely broken, bent backward to the point where they were touching the back of his hand. Gi An-seok writhed in pain, but Won-woo calmly asked the next question while holding his hand.

“Why is Ji Geun-oh trying so hard to eliminate the Gye family?”

This was completely different from the world Won-woo knew. Of course, the Gye family had fallen early by siding with the Purifier and becoming the enemy of all Espers, but even before that, Ji Geun-oh hadn’t particularly considered the Gye family as an enemy.

Rather, as they were the rulers of the North who needed to be impressed, he had groveled before the Gye family. So why, in this world, was Ji Geun-oh directly involved in the death of the previous Gye family head, and why was he so desperate to bring down the Gye family afterwards? What grudge did he have?

“That’s… urgh, what I wanted to know too… I was trying to find that while looking inside Ji Dong-hyeon’s head…”

“But you couldn’t find it?”

“No. I found it. Ji Dong-hyeon said to someone…”

Gi An-seok mumbled in a crawling voice and then passed out again, unable to bear the pain. However, Won-woo didn’t need to wake him up again to ask.

“‘I don’t know why father is trying so hard to eliminate the Gye family,’ Ji Dong-hyeon said.”

Gye Yoon’s voice informed him instead. Won-woo looked at the man who had returned, then lowered his gaze to the cell phone in his hand.

“Did you check at home?”

To the question of whether the wavelength of the Guide brought in with the Alpha seed was really false, Gye Yoon replied briefly.

“Yes.”

There was no further explanation, but Won-woo didn’t ask more. Without saying it, he could tell that both of them were thinking the same thing. Why? Why on earth was Ji Geun-oh trying so hard to bring down the Gye family?

“At first, I wanted to know the reason too, but not anymore.”

Gye Yoon added, turning to Won-woo.

“My sister is still suffering like an idiot trying to find that reason, but I’m not. I know people can be malicious without reason, so I don’t want to give too much meaning to Ji Geun-oh.”

“That’s right. There’s no need to suffer just because we don’t know the reason.”

Won-woo nodded lightly, but inwardly he was conflicted. The Ji Geun-oh he knew was not someone who would bring down others with meaningless malice. He was too petty and greedy to enjoy such amusement. As someone who only moved based on whether there was a benefit for himself or not, there must be a big reason why he was trying to bring down the Gye family.

Like Gye Yoon’s sister, Won-woo also intended to find the reason for this. But for now, there were bigger problems to solve. Won-woo looked up at Gye Yoon’s expressionless face. He was surprised at how much sympathy and concern he felt for him. His indifferent and low tone of voice made Won-woo want to hold his hand and comfort him. But on the other hand, he was reluctant.

The Gye Yoon from the other world had already suffered because of him. There was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen here too. So he had to help but keep his distance. Create emotional distance. He told himself this, but his resolve crumbled like a sandcastle at the low murmuring voice.

“But thanks to that will to find the reason for that malice, my sister is still alive. How ridiculous.”

“Don’t you have the will to live, Gye Yoon-ssi?”

Gye Yoon looked down at Won-woo silently. It seemed like he had something to say. But he just turned his head and answered briefly.

“No.”

Won-woo stared at him intently, but Gye Yoon avoided his gaze and changed the subject.

“Oh, congratulations. Ji Geun-oh has officially expelled Ji Won-woo from Guide Center.”

“If there’s no risk of rampage from guiding, do you still not want to live?”

Gye Yoon slowly turned to Won-woo with his brows furrowed.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said Ji Won-woo has been expelled from Guide Center as he wanted.”

“Now you won’t have pain. Don’t you want to live?”

As Won-woo kept asking, ignoring his words, a chill briefly passed through Gye Yoon’s eyes.

“Are you going to guide me for life?”

“…”

“If not, shut your mouth.”

Right, if he wasn’t going to guide him for life. No, he could. Now that he knew who he was, he could gladly do it. But the obsession to keep his distance made Won-woo hesitate. Still, he wanted to hear Gye Yoon say he wanted to live. It was hard to give up this desire.

He had seen people like Gye Yoon on the battlefield. Once, Won-woo had been similar. Not knowing when they might die, they had no joy and didn’t truly accept it. Those with one foot in death can never live in the present. The future death dominates their life.

That’s why he envied Seona, who could deeply immerse herself in the webtoons she was a fan of, and admired Sang-cheon, who genuinely enjoyed what he liked. The two he met again still knew that joy. But why Gye Yoon? Why was Gye Yoon the only one who couldn’t escape unhappiness even here?

It hurt inside. He wanted him to be happy. He sincerely wished for him to enjoy life. Won-woo lowered his gaze to the floor, afraid that Gye Yoon might detect his emotions.

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

Won-woo took a deep breath.

“To the North.”

***

Gye Min just looked down at the Guide dragged before her with cold eyes. The Guide was trembling like an aspen leaf and kept repeating the same words.

“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it. I really didn’t want to. The Ji family… they said it was just changing some numbers a little, that it would never be found out and there wouldn’t be any problems… It’s true.”

And then he finally bowed his head to the floor and sobbed.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

His appearance was truly pitiful, but even Jae-hak, known as the warmest-hearted in the Gye family, couldn’t offer words of comfort. No, he couldn’t even breathe properly now, not knowing how to swallow the rising indignation. The information about the Guide brought in with the Alpha seed was actually obtained at great cost.

But that was fake, the Guide was fake. It was impossible to gauge from where they had been deceived by the Ji family. After years of repeating this despair, many people belonging to the Gye family were so steeped in a sense of defeat that they had lost the will to fight.

So Gye Min often heard opinions that she should bow her head first and join hands with the Ji family. But Jae-hak couldn’t suggest such an opinion. Look, hadn’t those who shook the child as a hostage completely cut off the child’s lifeline behind their backs? Jae-hak could no longer stop his wife if she declared war now.

“Keep this Guide alive.”

At Gye Min’s order, the Guide was surprised and pleaded.

“I can’t testify. I absolutely can’t. Just kill me instead. If I testify, my whole family will be hurt. Please. Just kill me quickly, sob…”

The Guide pleaded tearfully, but Gye Min turned around with an expressionless face and asked Chief Jung.

“The People’s Committee vote?”

“It just ended.”

“And?”

Chief Jung hesitated for a moment before announcing the result.

“It passed. One representative chosen by the Guides can now become a member of the People’s Committee.”

What Ji Geun-oh had so desperately wanted had come to pass. Gye Min, still showing no emotion, turned and left the room. Jae-hak followed worriedly, but was stopped by someone.

“She said not to follow.”

The one who stopped Jae-hak was the head of the guard unit that always accompanied the Gye family head when she went to defeat monsters personally.

“Captain Lee, where is the family head going?”

Captain Lee, looking down at Jae-hak with her tall stature, informed bluntly.

“I can’t tell you.”

“Then at least tell me this. Are you going with the family head, Captain Lee?”

It was an easy answer, but she hesitated before nodding.

“Yes.”

At her answer, Jae-hak’s expression hardened. Unless it was a monster problem, the only time Captain Lee moved together was when there was a fight with other Espers. Surely they weren’t really going to war?

***

Ji Seong-hyeon could only think that he had truly survived. As the People’s Committee vote passed, the entire atmosphere reversed. Having obtained the power he had so desperately wanted, his father was too busy enjoying this pleasure to remember all the problematic issues.

Ji Seong-hyeon, who came to the celebration party, was smiling on the outside but was extremely tense, trying not to face his father as much as possible. So focused on his father, he didn’t notice someone approaching from the side.

“Congratulations.”

To the congratulatory words he had heard dozens of times today, Ji Seong-hyeon replied halfheartedly while looking towards where his father was. But the other person didn’t leave and spoke again, mentioning a name he didn’t want to hear.

“Have you found Ji Won-woo?”

Fuck, who the hell is talking about that Won-woo bastard… Ji Seong-hyeon turned around abruptly and swallowed his curse upon seeing who it was.

“Ah, Esper Hong Seung-wook.”

Seeing someone he had wanted to be involved with appear before him, a smile naturally flowed.

“When did you arrive? Have you eaten? If not, I can arrange a quiet place for you.”

But he, who always maintained a stiff politeness and stepped back, refused again with ‘It’s fine’ and repeated his question.

“Do you know any news about Ji Won-woo?”

“Why are you curious about that bas… Won-woo?”

“Because he’s a colleague.”

Colleague my ass. Ji Seong-hyeon wanted to spit out a curse but forcibly maintained his smile.

“If he’s a colleague, you should know too, right? That Won-woo has changed like a different person.”

Seung-wook didn’t give any answer, but Ji Seong-hyeon didn’t miss how his eyes wavered slightly. What, has Won-woo changed so much that even Hong Seung-wook could notice?

“How much has Won-woo changed? His face is still the same, isn’t it?”

“So you haven’t found him?”

“Well, I can’t say whether I’ve found him or not yet… Wait.”

As Seung-wook was about to turn around and leave, Seong-hyeon hurriedly grabbed him.

“Let’s talk somewhere quiet first.”

“You haven’t found him, right?”

“It’s a bit difficult to talk about that here…”

“Why? Because the Gye family is involved?”

The Gye family? Why are those bastards suddenly mentioned? But then he remembered that they had framed the Gye family for the Guide Center invasion. Ji Seong-hyeon, who had wanted to have a drink alone with Seung-wook under the pretext of information, smiled ambiguously.

“I can’t say that for certain either.”

His attempt at deception seemed to work as Seung-wook thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I understand.”

“Understand what?”

But Seung-wook left without answering, turning his body, and Seong-hyeon immediately frowned.

“Fuck, he’s playing hard to get.”

***

Although Jae-hak had a large, spacious room and office in the Gye family household, at some point he began spending most of his time in front of a firmly closed door. It was right here that he received news that his wife had gathered Espers as if preparing for war.

‘The situation doesn’t look good. Shouldn’t you try to stop the family head, even now?’

An employee who delivered the news expressed concern via text message, but Jae-hak couldn’t bring himself to rise from where he sat leaning against the wall. He had no grounds to stop his wife even if she was waging a war.

After losing the first child like that, and now unable to protect the second, how could one express her feelings? Even Jae-hak wanted to rush into his family’s house with a sword in hand.

Moreover, the TV was busy showing Ji Geun-woo being praised as if he had already become a member of the People’s Committee, showcasing the lavish party they were throwing. The loud music and people’s laughter seemed to mock the downfall of the Gye family. Jae-hak felt that the house had never been so deathly quiet as it was today.

“Haah…”

He rarely showed signs of giving up, but today he curled up with his head between his knees. If only it weren’t for the sudden cold voice he heard.

“Move aside. Stop being so pathetic.”

Huh? Jae-hak raised his head in surprise at the familiar voice.

“Yoon!”

Jae-hak jumped to his feet, grabbing Gye Yoon’s arm and speaking hurriedly.

“Quick, try to stop your sister. It seems like she’s about to do something… Huh?”

Jae-hak, who was urgently informing Yoon, noticed someone standing behind Gye Yoon and his eyes widened. Whoever it was, they were trying to enter the room.

“Hey…! You can’t go in there.”

The person wearing a deeply pulled black hood half-turned their head at Jae-hak’s words. The black hooded jacket seemed too big and loose, as if it wasn’t their own. So their face wasn’t fully visible, but it was clearly an unfamiliar person. However, Gye Yoon gave permission to the stranger.

“Ignore him and go in. She’s in there.”

And Gye Yoon blocked Jae-hak as he tried to step forward.

“Yoon, what are you saying? Who is that person?”

But he couldn’t get an answer. Instead, he had to watch as the man who was about to enter his daughter’s room bowed his head slightly in greeting and went inside.

“Hey! You can’t go in there…”

“It’s the Guide.”

“…What?”

As Jae-hak stopped talking and blinked his eyes, Gye Yoon followed into the open door and instructed,

“Prepare some food… for Hwan. She’ll be hungry when she wakes up.”

The interior looked rather bleak for a child’s room. That was Won-woo’s first impression. It seemed there was minimal furniture, probably to prevent the room’s owner from getting hurt if they couldn’t control their power. Won-woo quickly moved towards one of them, the bed.

He heard Gye Yoon sending away the person who had been guarding inside, but Won-woo’s attention was focused solely on the small child on the bed. The child, about 3 years old, looked different from other children of that age Won-woo had seen. The hair was messy, and the clothes were not just wrinkled but torn to rags. Moreover, there were traces of dried tears all over the face, as if the child had cried themselves to sleep.

Won-woo looked down at the child who was said to have been barely put to sleep with drugs. So it’s you. The little one who doesn’t say anything. Won-woo gently brushed aside the hair covering the child’s forehead, then knelt beside the child. Slowly, he took the small hand that was like a flower petal.

-Continued in Volume 4-