SOG Ch 74

“Don’t seize innocent people.”

Well, why not make him a half-wit so he can’t escape. Won Seong-il secretly laughed at the leader who took lukewarm action against the hostage and brought up an excuse he had prepared.

“I’m going to get some guiding. I wanted to taste the Center Guide.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Male guides are a pain in the ass, a pain in the ass. They’re all about being arrogant and cocky…”

“Male guides aren’t a pain in the ass; it’s Seung-bin’s cocky face that’s a pain in the ass.”

Won Seong-il’s shameless attitude to the end made the leader lose his face.

Choi Seung-bin was a million times more faithful colleague than Won Seong-il. He wondered how long he would have to endure Won Seong-il’s words and actions that incited strife within the team just because he was the only Esper.

“There’s time to suspect your team members, but aren’t you carefree? Are you not going to catch the hostage? Is this a way to let the escaped rat live?”

Won Seong-il’s sarcastic voice added a touch of cold water to his bubbling temper.

‘Let’s hold on just a little longer. Just until the hostage situation is over.’

His words were somewhat reasonable. If he went out through the back door, he would be at Owol Mountain. Once he crossed the ridge, he would be on National Route 471. Closed shops and convenience stores had CCTV cameras. They had to catch the hostage before he reached those places.

It was fortunate that the escaped hostage was not familiar with the geography of this place. Besides teleportation, Won Seong-il also had an ability that temporarily increased his speed. It would be a great help in retrieving the hostage.

‘… It’s a real problem.’

Even after the hostage situation was over, it was uncertain whether they could keep this troublesome guy in check as long as his abilities were intact.

“Go out first. Track him down.”

The leader suddenly felt like he had lost to the guy and his shoulders slumped.

“Anyway, I’m the one who’s always gotta chase after him.”

Won Seong-il grumbled and left through the back door.

The leader let out a tired laugh. It was fortunate that Won Seong-il was cooperating, albeit reluctantly. He didn’t know when Won Seong-il would turn the tables and fight back with all his might, but for now, it hadn’t happened. Not yet.

The leader rubbed his tense neck and woke up everyone in their hideout.

“The hostage escaped.”

Before tracking him down, he didn’t forget to check on Han Roy. The kid, who had been struggling like a fat fish, was sound asleep for some reason. Although his restraints were securely in place, he decided to leave at least one guard behind.

As the one responsible for losing the hostage, the guard’s complexion turned pale. Right after the hostage was captured, it was not too late to find out who was to blame. So the leader spoke, restraining his anger.

“Kang San, stay behind and take charge of Han Roy. Seo Jun-hyung, and Jo Han-hee, will search the boat. The rest of us will go to Owol Mountain. If we can’t find him, except for Kang San, everyone else will gather on National Route 471. Make sure the hostage doesn’t get to the National Route.”

As a result, the guard and Han Roy were the only ones who remained inside the fishing site-building.

Of course, Seon Jae-chan, whose presence could not be seen with the naked eye, was also present.

…

Inside the apparently empty study room. To conserve his abilities, as soon as they left the study, Seon Jae-chan deactivated his concealment and crawled out from underneath the office desk where he had been hiding. There was a momentary conflict inside him.

‘Is this an opportunity?’

Only Han Roy and the guard were left outside. There were only two people heading to the boat area as well.

After contemplating various options, Seon Jae-chan eventually raised his head.

‘I need to find the code first.’

Right now, there are only two hostages, but if they can’t stop Black Swan, the entire Union will be in a situation similar to being a hostage within a few years. He saw this fishing spot as a compressed version of Black Swan’s inevitable future reality, and he was determined to achieve the best possible result.

Jae-chan’s skinny neck passed over. Instead of leaving a child like Han Roy in a dangerous situation, he was ready to become a pawn on the chessboard without hesitation.

Regardless of the danger, he had to find it.

It was then, while rummaging through the study, sweating profusely, that he heard a faint noise.

Creak…

A small creaking noise was heard. It was the sound of the hardwood floor being stepped on.

It wasn’t heard from the kitchen, and the guard who was supposed to be guarding Han Roy showed no reaction. Seon Jae-chan swiftly dived back under the desk, scrunching his body into the narrow space. He squeezed his body into the narrow space like a matchbox and pulled the chair closer.

He hoped he had misheard, but the door soon opened. A fan-shaped beam of light spread across the dusty interior of the study, casting a dusky glow over the dusty interior of the study.

Jae-chan immediately made his body invisible. His ears began to ring due to excessive use of his abilities. At the same time, Seon Jae-chan’s face distorted in surprise.

‘…’

The concealment state suddenly became unstable.

His once-transparent body started flickering like a faulty fluorescent lamp. He thought it was still fine, so why was this happening now?

His nerves were tinged with anxiety. This ability was a complete drain on his energy. He cursed the inefficiency of his ability for a moment, but he chose to deactivate the transparency status.

‘It’s better to be discovered hiding than to be discovered to be an Esper.’

He glanced at the clock hanging on the study wall. It was 2:45. Simultaneously, the sudden intruder revealed their presence. Jae-chan was pressed against the underside of the desk, staring in cold sweat at the back of the person who had entered the study.

It was Won Seong-il.

“…”

The guy was glancing towards the federal door cautiously. It seemed like he hadn’t noticed that Jae-chan was hiding on this side. But, unfortunately, he was silently approaching the desk.

In the tense moment when Jae-chan thought he was going to be exposed, Won Seong-il lowered his body towards the wall. He moved one of the frames of freshwater fish specimens scattered on the floor.

What was revealed between the frames he removed was a concealed safe.

Beep, beep, he hurriedly entered the password and opened the safe. Seon Jae-chan tried to remember the password but his eyesight flickering due to wavelength instability.

During this time, a satisfied smile crept up on Won Seong-il’s lips.

‘…Good.’

Won Seong-il looked at the code with satisfaction. It was clear that he had been planning to get the code for a long time. The leader and Brain did not even give Won Seong-il the password because they were afraid he would act rashly and arbitrarily. He was understandably dissatisfied.

He had considered using his abilities to infiltrate the study at first. However, teleportation significantly disrupted his energy in a split second, so guiding was necessary. And Choi Seung-bin, who was nothing more than a bootlicker, had no intention of cooperating with Won Seong-il.

A plausible plan came up to him just a few hours ago.

The moment the wall collapsed, Won Seong-il impulsively took another hostage. Of course, an unexpected situation occurred where the hostage changed in the middle.

‘Take me hostage instead.’

It seems that someone with a hero complex or some fool volunteered to act as a hostage.

Anyway, he succeeded in bringing one more hostage other than Han Roy to the fishing spot. After receiving plenty of guiding, Won Seong-il waited for his colleagues to fall asleep.

The plan was as follows: Instead of Han Roy, who was as good as insured, he would secretly release the newly acquired hostage. He would take advantage of his teammates’ relentless pursuit of the hostages to secure the code.

It would be fine if something went wrong and the hostage managed to escape. He’d simply move their hiding spot with his special ability. And his colleagues would once again look up to him.

He descended to the first floor quietly in the late in the morning. Fortunately, the guard had gone to the bathroom at that very moment. Won Seong-il quickly entered the multipurpose room where the hostages were being held.

The only one who greeted him was Han Roy, who was sound asleep.

‘The hostage is gone.’

Won Seong-il’s mind rolled as if he had encountered a steep incline in the unexpected situation.

When he checked, he found that the back door was also open. If the hostage had escaped long enough for the military or someone else to arrive, it would be difficult to check the safe for which he had finally determined the password. He had no choice but to inform them of the hostage’s absence.

‘Isn’t the hostage captured yet? Are they issuing a warning in case the rat fled?’

He even encouraged the leader to order a search. He was afraid that his plan would go awry.

Won Seong-il, who was in charge of the Owol Mountain search team, waited for the moment when he would be left alone. He slid down the mountain slope just in time. So far, he has returned to the fishing spot’s front door and sneaked into the study to avoid being caught by the guard.

“…”

A light flashed through Won Seong-il’s eyes as he searched for the code in the safe. In addition to the code, there were many unexpectedly interesting things.

He took it all out for now. He placed the freshwater fish picture frame at an angle and covered the safe again.

‘Just take a picture and put the documents back.’

He wanted his colleagues to be unaware of his actions as much as possible.

Won Seong-il took out his phone and moved to the desk. He was anxious because he didn’t know when his colleagues would arrive.

He hid behind the desk where the boss had been sitting and lingering. He also spread out the documents on the floor in front of him. It was when he turned on the flash to ensure a good photo.

He found a pair of sneakers beyond the wheel of the uncovered chair.

And the strangely unwavering eyes hidden deep inside the desk.

“…”

His first thought was, ‘That bastard leader conducted a poor search again.’ The second thought was, ‘Ah, fuck, what should I do with this?’

Should he gouge out those eyes? No, he should gouge out the tongue, not the eyes. … But if he cut out the tongue, the leader would surely become suspicious…