94

“Meeting with the leaders?”

It was something Baek Sa had mentioned before. Ha-gyeom’s eyes widened as he repeated the words, and a thought crossed his mind: The time has finally come.

Excitement rippled through him, but it was quickly joined by a wave of nervous tension. Though Baek Sa hadn’t explicitly stated it, Ha-gyeom felt in his gut that this was his first mission as Baek Sa’s partner.

The only leader Ha-gyeom had encountered before was Assemblyman Kim—a frivolous man who chose to send his son to his death rather than donate an organ to save him. He couldn’t imagine what the other leaders might be like.

As Baek Sa adjusted the folds of his shirt, he spoke calmly.
“All the leaders will be present, so it’s better to appear formal.”

“Is it because of that assemblyman you mentioned before? The one who found me impressive?” Ha-gyeom asked.

“Yes.”

Ha-gyeom remembered the day he was rewarded with his private room after the collection mission. Baek Sa had hinted at this back then. While they hadn’t been able to discuss it fully due to the ever-watchful CCTV, now, in Baek Sa’s room, there were no such barriers to asking questions.

“Who is he?” Ha-gyeom pressed, his curiosity spilling over.

Baek Sa, as though to temper Ha-gyeom’s growing impatience, gently smoothed out the collar of his shirt.
“Assemblyman Tak. He was an acquaintance of my mother when she was alive and is now one of the key leaders here.”

The candidness of Baek Sa’s response struck Ha-gyeom. He couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of awe at the depth of the connections Baek Sa had just revealed.

“When I came here disguised as someone who’d lost his memory, Assemblyman Tak recognized me and used our past connection to bring me under his command. Unlike the other leaders, he’s special in that regard. For me, it was a stroke of luck, a chance to reach this position.”

It seemed even that connection wasn’t something Kim Hye-jeong had orchestrated. Baek Sa had never talked about the process that brought him here, so Ha-gyeom perked up his ears, intrigued.

‘…You disguised it as an accident to infiltrate this place?’ Ha-gyeom caught hold of one of the many questions floating in his mind and asked aloud.

Baek Sa turned the question back on him. “Was it an accident for you?”

It had been an accident—yet not entirely. Ha-gyeom had known about the trap laid for him and willingly stepped into it under Kim Hye-jeong’s orders.

‘No,’ Ha-gyeom admitted to himself before answering, “No.”

Though Ha-gyeom had never gone into detail about the contrived accident that had brought him here, it seemed Baek Sa had already pieced it together. Just as Ha-gyeom opened his mouth to continue, Baek Sa tugged lightly on his shirt collar and glanced at his watch.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but the meeting is about to start. I’ll explain everything in detail later.”

The abrupt end to the conversation left Ha-gyeom no choice but to nod. He understood that the circumstances of Baek Sa’s arrival weren’t the priority right now, especially with something as important as the leader’s meeting on the horizon.

The core of Baek Sa’s mission was to uncover the inner workings of the leaders’ organization. If he could attend a meeting with them without any obstacles, it meant he’d already made significant progress.

As Ha-gyeom stood in front of the mirror, checking his appearance, Baek Sa spoke again.
“Assemblyman Tak likely only intends to build a sense of familiarity with you for now. There’s no need to rush to uncover anything or to get overly close to him. Keep your guard up just enough, engage when appropriate, and show him you have no qualms about becoming one of them. That’s all you need to do.”

Although Ha-gyeom had no idea what form the meeting would take, he nodded, trying to imagine it in his head. ‘In a gathering led by the district’s leaders, there likely wouldn’t be much of a chance for me to show off my abilities. As long as I handle Assemblyman Tak, who specifically requested my presence, there shouldn’t be any major issues,’ he thought.

“But haven’t you already earned his trust?” Ha-gyeom asked, tilting his head. “Why do I need to do this too?”

If Baek Sa already had a solid understanding of the leaders, gaining Assemblyman Tak’s trust might not bring much additional value. While Ha-gyeom was willing to play along, he couldn’t help but ask the question. However, the sudden coldness that settled on Baek Sa’s face only deepened his curiosity.

Baek Sa stepped closer, pressing his chest against Ha-gyeom’s back. The warmth of his body enveloped Ha-gyeom as their eyes met in the mirror.

“There’s just one step left,” Baek Sa murmured. “A step I can never take.”

Even someone as established as Baek Sa couldn’t cross that final line. As Ha-gyeom tried to process this, his thoughts returned to the mission Baek Sa had mentioned on the cliffside.

‘To become one of them and reach the deepest roots of this rot.’

If it was the deepest roots…

“Does crossing that final step mean discovering the identity of the leader?” Ha-gyeom asked softly.

“That’s right.”

Baek Sa’s eyes slowly swept over Ha-gyeom through the reflection in the mirror.

“To meet the leader, you have to go through key figures like Assemblyman Tak.”

“…”

“And to capture the leader’s attention, you need an exceptional guide. The leader isn’t interested in Espers—only in guides.”

In the mirror, Baek Sa’s eyes rippled like waves.

“There’s not much information about the leader, unlike the other leaders. But there’s one known fact: an S-class guide who participated in a mission led by Assemblyman Tak had a private meeting with the leader. No Esper has ever met the leader.”

This time, it was Ha-gyeom’s eyes that trembled, widening in shock. A private meeting with the leader? If that information was true, the weight of the mission he was about to undertake was far heavier than he’d anticipated.

‘Who was the guide who had that private meeting with the leader?’

Ha-gyeom quelled the question burning in his mind, forcing himself to remain composed. He didn’t want to appear frightened before things had even begun. Instead, he looked into Baek Sa’s eyes through the mirror, grounding himself in the connection between them.

Baek Sa, as if sensing Ha-gyeom’s inner turmoil, spoke again.

“For now, focus on the task at hand. If you manage to gain Assemblyman Tak’s trust, the next opportunity will naturally follow.”

“…Yes.”

Even though the mission seemed to be approaching its conclusion, Baek Sa showed no signs of excitement. Perhaps it was because, just as Kim Hye-jeong had used him as bait to infiltrate this place, Baek Sa was now using Ha-gyeom in the same way.

Baek Sa had tried to send him back to the Center, which only reinforced Ha-gyeom’s certainty that his future wouldn’t be an easy one. Still, he didn’t want the mission to weigh down their relationship like a blade hanging over their necks.

Turning away from the mirror, Ha-gyeom looked up at Baek Sa, meeting his gaze directly. Baek Sa, as if anticipating this moment, reached out to gently stroke Ha-gyeom’s cheek. The touch broke Ha-gyeom’s restraint, and he couldn’t hold back the question that had been building inside him.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you…”

“…”

“Have you been well?”

Ha-gyeom couldn’t help but think of that night on the cliff, a memory that left him feeling like he was falling every time it resurfaced. The person he had always admired had become someone he pitied, and the emotions he had long harbored for Baek Sa had grown into something immense, something bordering on overwhelming possessiveness.

Still, he was glad he could ask such a simple question without hesitation, even amidst all this turmoil.

Baek Sa nodded without pause, and Ha-gyeom caught the faint smile that curved his lips.

“I’ve been well.”

---

Ha-gyeom stepped into the elevator, frowning as he glanced up at the blank display panel where numbers should have been. The faint screech of the elevator’s movement, paired with its persistent vibration, left him uneasy. He couldn’t predict where it would stop, and the thought of the leaders conducting such a secretive meeting in a place this far underground sent a chill down his spine.

The elevator jolted to a halt, signaling their arrival. Stepping out, Ha-gyeom found himself in a corridor that, like the surroundings he’d just left, exuded an eerie, desolate atmosphere reminiscent of an abandoned building. The air was cool, and questions clawed at his throat, but he swallowed them down, trailing half a step behind Baek Sa as they proceeded forward.

The silence was so profound it made his ears tingle. When they reached the end of the hallway, Baek Sa pushed open a heavy, firmly shut door, and a cacophony of noise spilled out all at once.

“…!”

Startled, Ha-gyeom reflexively covered his ears, frowning at the sudden burst of sound. It took a moment for him to adjust to the lively atmosphere, and only then did he lower his hands.

The interior was far brighter than he had expected and already packed with people. The warmth and conviviality in the room starkly contrasted the grim corridor they had just walked through.

‘…What is this?’

What shocked Ha-gyeom the most was the sheer opulence of it all. The long tables were laden with sumptuous meats and fresh vegetables, accompanied by elegant tableware. The attendees’ attire was extravagant—completely at odds with the hardships of a world ravaged by monster invasions.

It was an alien sight to Ha-gyeom, who hadn’t experienced much of the pre-apocalypse elite society due to his young age. The scene was so dissonant that it left him feeling dizzy and out of place.

Following Baek Sa, Ha-gyeom stepped further into the room, still trying to process the surreal atmosphere. Several Espers, including Park Ha, who was seated at the table, had already turned their heads toward them. Moments later, the leaders themselves, belatedly noticing their arrival, shifted their gazes to the newcomers.

“…”

The room seemed to pause as all eyes fixed on Baek Sa and Ha-gyeom.