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Instead of scolding, Baek Sa spoke in a persuasive tone, looking down at Assemblyman Tak with a dry gaze. Assemblyman Tak, who seemed displeased by the implication of being older, furrowed his brow for a moment before smoothing his expression.

“Are you afraid I might devour him, Baek Sa?”

With a sly smile, Assemblyman Tak tried to defuse the situation, but Baek Sa merely offered a composed smile. Whether intentional or not, the two stood face-to-face like adversaries, causing Ha-gyeom to dart his eyes nervously, observing their interaction.

“Or is it because your affection for this kid is something special?”

Assemblyman Tak’s remark, which touched upon his dynamic with Baek Sa, drew the attention of everyone nearby. Leaders and Espers, who had been preparing to leave, paused, whispering among themselves or watching the scene unfold with intrigue.

“If I’ve offended you, I apologize. It was just a bit sudden….”

Feeling the weight of the stares fixed on them, Ha-gyeom hastily intervened with an apology. The earlier advice to keep Assemblyman Tak in good spirits for the sake of the mission seemed irrelevant, as Baek Sa openly displayed his displeasure after apologizing on Ha-gyeom’s behalf, even furrowing his brow in discontent.

Assemblyman Tak, however, narrowed his eyes knowingly.

“Oh, I see I’ve intruded on your little love line! If that’s the case, my apologies. I was just trying to look after the kid since he seemed nervous. No ulterior motives here, Baek Sa, so relax! Hahaha.”

…How did it end up like this?

Even the onlookers couldn’t suppress their laughter, causing Ha-gyeom’s face to flush with embarrassment. Though he knew the spreading rumors weren’t far from the truth, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy about how his relationship with Baek Sa kept becoming the subject of jokes or casual conversation.

Even if, as a strategy, it might help to dispel any lingering suspicions.

At that moment, a silver-haired woman approached and spoke.

“Skilled guides always seem to end up with Baek Sa. Or should I say Assemblyman Tak?”

Her soft tone carried an unmistakable sharpness.

Throughout the meal, the leaders had only exchanged trivialities aimed at fostering rapport. Ha-gyeom, who had expected an abundance of valuable information from the gathering, was quietly disappointed—until the silver-haired woman’s remark sparked his interest.

“‘End up with me,’ you say, Assemblywoman Kang? What about the guides under your care? Aren’t they also vital resources and assets of 0 District? It feels a little embarrassing to call them mine specifically.”

Assemblyman Tak responded lightly, while Assemblywoman Kang glanced sharply at the man standing beside her, referred to as the Parrot. The man remained unfazed, showing neither embarrassment nor pride. Ignoring him, Assemblywoman Kang fixed her piercing gaze on Ha-gyeom and asked:

“This child is still inexperienced, isn’t he?”

“The rumors must have spread quickly. But Dr. Cha mentioned that his latent energy is unparalleled, you know.”

Her words hung in the air, laden with implications that drew everyone’s focus back to Ha-gyeom once again.

It wasn’t new information, having already been heard often at the Center. However, Assemblywoman Kang spoke with a meaningful expression.

“Even more so than Ah-rang?”

The name that had been lurking in his mind suddenly came out, causing Ha-gyeom to quickly rein in his growing reaction. Instinctively, he glanced at Baek Sa, but the mention of Ah-rang’s name didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest. His response was as detached as ever, delivered in an unfeeling tone.

“Ah-rang is already dead, so wouldn’t any comparison be meaningless?”

The coldness of his voice was enough to make the back of Ha-gyeom’s neck prickle. As he rubbed the chill away, Assemblyman Tak backed up Baek Sa’s words.

“We’ll have to see just how far this kid can go.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Oh, but Assemblywoman Kang, you’re not under this jurisdiction, are you? You’re just here to focus on research, so there’s no need for you to worry about the dirty work. Aren’t you our proud provider of food supplies? Thanks to you, we had an excellent meal today. You probably didn’t know I included your name in my pre-dinner prayer, did you? Hahaha!”

Assemblyman Tak joked, and Assemblywoman Kang responded with a gentle smile. The atmosphere quickly turned amicable, but even the most oblivious person could sense the underlying tension between them.

“Well, I hope it proves useful in some way.”

Assemblywoman Kang’s final remark left a brief silence in its wake. Ha-gyeom couldn’t tell how much importance the leaders placed on maintaining harmony, but he instinctively knew this meeting wasn’t solely about fostering good relationships.

Only now did he realize that Assemblyman Tak might have invited him to the gathering either as a show of power or to check other leaders’ advances. While Baek Sa seemed accustomed to such undercurrents, Ha-gyeom wasn’t, and his clenched palms were now damp with sweat.

Finally, the leaders began to leave one by one. Ha-gyeom lightly held onto Baek Sa’s offered arm, exchanging nods with the departing leaders. Once they disappeared, he had to endure the lingering stares of the Espers following them—filled with curiosity, caution, and ambition.

Yeo Jin-joo, passing by, even whispered pointedly as she met his eyes.

“Who could compare to Ah-rang?”

Ha-gyeom missed the timing to respond to Yeo Jin-joo as she brushed past him, left only to mull over the name internally.

Ah-rang….

Since the moment he had arrived here, Ah-rang’s presence had clung to him like a ghost. Could his path truly be nothing but the one Baek Sa had already walked? Everyone still seemed unable to let go of that name.

The more he thought about it, the heavier the weight in his chest became. Feeling stifled, he looked up at Baek Sa, who only gestured toward the outside with a tilt of his chin, signaling it was time to leave.

---

Sitting at Baek Sa’s table, Ha-gyeom sketched the dining table they had just used for the meal onto a sheet of paper. Baek Sa, sitting beside him, glanced at the clumsy drawing and let out an open, teasing chuckle.

“…I’m not trying to create a masterpiece here,” Ha-gyeom muttered.

“I know. Keep going.”

Even as he said this, Baek Sa continued to gently rub Ha-gyeom’s back. The gesture was prompted by Ha-gyeom admitting, as soon as they’d returned to the room, that he hadn’t been feeling well.

Despite the unpleasant experience, Ha-gyeom didn’t voice any complaints. From the moment they arrived, through their showers, and now as they sat at the table, he showed no signs of gloom or resentment. Knowing Ha-gyeom’s tendency to suppress his curiosity and quietly endure, Baek Sa kept his watchful gaze on him the entire time.

“Exactly twenty people…”

Ha-gyeom drew twenty circles around the rectangular table, marking where each person had been seated. Inside each circle, he filled in details about the leaders that stood out in his memory: bald heads, large eyes, or ridiculous clothing.

As Ha-gyeom finished the rough sketch, Baek Sa leaned closer, resting his chin on Ha-gyeom’s shoulder. The warmth of Baek Sa’s hand still rubbing his back and the damp strands of hair brushing his ear made Ha-gyeom swallow nervously.

Before he could dwell on the proximity, Baek Sa overlapped his hand with Ha-gyeom’s, taking hold of the pen together.

“The key players are five. You can ignore the rest.”

With decisive strokes, Baek Sa slashed through fifteen of the circles, leaving only five near Assemblyman Tak.

“Assemblyman Tak manages the core facilities here: the power plant, purification systems, drug manufacturing plant, and brothels. They call them essential, but they’re really the hotspots for crimes like labor exploitation and human trafficking.”

The closeness of their bodies made Baek Sa’s breath warm against Ha-gyeom’s skin. Both of them still slightly damp from their showers, Ha-gyeom steadied his breathing as he processed Baek Sa’s words.

“The white-haired woman sitting across from Assemblyman Tak is Assemblywoman Kang Sung-mi. She’s a former researcher who oversees food, livestock, and agriculture. If something happens to Assemblywoman Kang, feeding the population becomes an immediate issue, so the other leaders treat her with utmost care.”

Baek Sa moved their joined hands to draw another circle around Assemblywoman Kang’s spot.

“The skinny man next to her is Assemblyman Chae Jong-seok, in charge of managing Espers. Across from him, the man with glasses is Assemblyman Ji Ui-chan, responsible for population control. And next to him, the woman with the bobbed hair is Assemblywoman Park Hee-young, who oversees order among administrators. For now, focus on Assemblyman Tak and Assemblywoman Kang. They’re the most influential among the leaders, so you can take your time learning about the rest.”

Ha-gyeom absorbed the information quickly, committing it to memory. Unlike at the Center, where information could be physically stored, here he had to rely entirely on his recollection.

Soon, Baek Sa let go of the pen and reached for a lighter. Without hesitation, he set fire to the paper Ha-gyeom had scribbled on. In an instant, it burned to ash, leaving only charred marks on the table.

The fleeting evidence disappeared, but Ha-gyeom’s mind held onto the crucial details.