TS 015

He had spent approximately sixteen years working at the Center. Before becoming the team leader of Team 1, he experienced numerous hardships, including dealing with people who constantly criticized him verbally. Reflecting on his first encounter with Han Suryeon, it seemed his peculiar manner of speaking wasn’t meant to provoke him intentionally. Nonetheless, his life hadn’t been smooth enough for such comments not to ruffle his feathers.

“It appears our Team Leader’s taste is harder than I thought…” His gray eyes shifted towards leather gloves clenched tightly around his cheeks and jaw. Slowly, Yoon Taehwa moved his hand to wipe away blood from his pale cheek.

“Should we start with the leash?”

The one being touched calmly raised his face and asked with a gentle smile. His demeanor was serene.

“Will you do it if I fill your request?”

“If our team leader fills your request?”

Yoon Taehwa smirked. Despite appearing docile, he wouldn’t let anyone get away with anything easily. His finger traced lipstick-like patterns on his soft cheek before slowly moving towards his neck. Han Suryeon remained still like a fragile bird even when vulnerable to attack.

‘His reason for acting so obedient is obvious.’

He judged that despite having his vital spot under his control, Yoon Taehwa couldn’t harm him. This judgment wasn’t based on trust but rather from confidence – he believed it wouldn’t matter even if he tried something.

‘I wonder how long he can maintain this act.’

The index finger slowly moved towards the center. The blood on his black gloves traced long streaks across his white skin. Normally, these marks should appear as brutal scars, but due to his relaxed demeanor, they resembled a leash around his neck instead.

The tough beast hide stopped precisely above his throat. Yoon Taehwa raised his gaze and stared at Han Suryeon. Their eyes met immediately, indicating he had been watching him all along. Despite having a potential threat at his neck, Han Suryeon didn’t falter or swallow nervously. His composed attitude was befitting of a leader in an elite team.

Yoon Taehwa raised an eyebrow slightly and gradually loosened his grip. The partially tightened leash complemented his pretty face quite well.

“Would you like a gag too?”

“If it’s your preference…? What color do you like? Black? Or maybe red to match this?”

Han Suryeon seemed to have similar thoughts as he fidgeted with his own collar and tilted his head. Yoon Taehwa let out an ambiguous sigh before turning towards their destination. According to the blueprint, there should be a large chamber on the right side.

“Have you heard about the type of demihumans here?”

“They seem like crabs.”

“We’ll need to dig deeper then. Can you handle them?”

Yoon Taehwa tossed his military knife while asking this question. Han Suryeon effortlessly caught it and responded with a bright smile instead of words.

“What do we do with this guy?”

“He can’t walk anyway, so leave him here. If he gets killed amidst the chaos, it’s not our problem.”

“Yes sir.”

He released the man’s hair, letting him collapse helplessly like trash.

Yoon Taehwa once again checked the man’s condition. The angle of his broken leg was such that regeneration wouldn’t be much help here. An Esper’s regenerative ability was useful, but it didn’t mean fractured bones would automatically realign themselves during healing.

He won’t die though. Before leaving the hallway, Yoon Taehwa used the radio to relay the situation.

“It’s me.”

—Yes, Team Leader. This is Team 2.

Kim Dohee’s voice came from upstairs:

“We’re about to start the sweep, so call for the janitor.”

—Understood. We’re currently waiting on the 20th floor. Should we come down?

“No. I’ll handle this.”

With eighteen hostages and seven terrorists remaining, he wanted to avoid any further complications.

—Alright, then we’ll stay put. How many minutes until you join us?

“Ten.”

It was a short answer.

“Huuu…”

Just minutes ago, shrill screams had filled the air. People huddled together as tightly as possible, trembling uncontrollably. Their initial relief at seeing the Center’s ability users quickly turned to terror when the terrorists raised their guns, causing them to scream again.

However, this chaotic situation didn’t last long. Instinctively realizing that loud noises would aggravate the terrorists, they fell silent.

“Pant, pant…”

Yoon Taehwa tightened his grip on the knife while observing his opponent’s labored breathing. The demihuman reverting to human form could mean only one thing:

‘Looks like it’s getting tired.’

As expected, the mottled fur began gradually disappearing from its body.

“You must be Yoon Taehwa?” the canine-type awakened asked, simultaneously brushing back his blood-soaked hair.

‘Two left.’

Demihumans were born in human form. They usually transformed into their animal shape during adolescence, and it required effort to change freely between forms. When severely agitated, they would revert to their demihuman state, but when exhausted or near death, they tended to return to their original human appearance. This was what Yoon Taehwa had observed so far.

“Must be nice. To be born with such a good bloodlines that you don’t have to go through this kind of hardship, huh?”

Instead of replying, Yoon Taehwa gazed at Han Suryeon standing behind the man.

“From the moment we’re born, fuck, life’s already so different. Isn’t it unfair?” The man smirked before directing his gaze back towards Taehwa.

“I suppose you wouldn’t understand.”

“What?”

Yoon Taehwa was well aware of his own good fortune. He also acknowledged that it was unfair. However…

“I don’t understand how my background is related to your actions.”

“Fuck, if I were born with the Taeseong bloodline, I wouldn’t have to do shit like this!”

The man spewed nonsense. Instead of listening to the demihuman’s bullshit, Yoon Taehwa kept track of Han Suryeon’s movements with his eyes alone. It truly was amazing to see all their abilities bound together like this.

‘I thought he would be slightly flustered.‘

Han Suryeon realized his ability had been suppressed and blinked several times before starting to move with his knife. This occurred right after all firearms were rendered ineffective.

It was done impulsively, but Yoon Taehwa didn’t regret it. He had seen Han Suryeon using his ability sufficiently, so he wanted to see how he would fare without his powers. He was curious about what extent his physical abilities could be utilized if he couldn’t rely on his supernatural abilities.

‘If I end up facing them one-on-one…’

His gaze persistently followed one person, and Han Suryeon turned towards him as if sensing his stare.

“…..”

The eyes of two terrorists met across the civilians caught between them. Amidst the chaotic situation, their gazes clashed, causing Yoon Taehwa’s fingers to involuntarily tremble slightly.

“You’re ignoring even my words now?”

Just as Han Suryeon began moving,

“Haa…”

He felt annoyed at being interrupted, and he let out an involuntary sigh. With only two terrorists remaining, it would be better to quickly finish this situation and then properly observe his surroundings.

“I don’t know why I should care about your messed up life.”

“You bastard!” Misinterpreting Yoon Taehwa’s genuine question as sarcasm, the man charged forward. In response, Yoon Taehwa kicked the gun lying near his feet towards him.

“Ugh!”

The man stumbled after stepping on the gun and fell over. This was the moment Yoon Taehwa had been waiting for. He swiftly moved in. His opponent, bent halfway at the waist to regain balance, made it easy for Yoon Taehwa to lock his neck between his armpit and apply pressure.

“Urgh!”

He lowered his gaze and tracked the man’s arm movements. The man held a knife in his right hand. Due to their close proximity, there was an opening at his side where Yoon Taehwa could strike.

Before the military knife could stab him in the stomach, Yoon Taehwa swiftly rolled over onto the man’s back, reversing their positions.

“Ackkk!”

The man swung his arm towards the pressure on his neck but missed as Yoon Taehwa quickly moved aside without hesitation. He adjusted his grip on the knife and thrust it forward.

With a sharp sound, the blade deeply penetrated human skin.

“Fuck!”

A vein bulged on the man’s forehead from the sudden pain in his stomach. Before he could swing again, Yoon Taehwa stepped back.

As expected, it was difficult to deal with demihumans in close combat. Their high muscle density meant they didn’t pass out quickly, and knives had to penetrate deeper compared to when dealing with Espers.

“Ugh, you bastard, I’m going to kill you.” Yoon Taehwa glanced down at his blood-soaked leather gloves before raising his head again. The hostages who were initially huddled together had long since retreated to a corner for safety, while Han Suryeon was delivering another punch to the stomach of a different man. It seemed their fight had escalated into barehanded combat.

Their eyes met once more, as if he sensed him watching him again.

Spit. Han Suryeon spat out blood and flashed a wide grin. With one swift motion, he grabbed his opponent by the neck.

“Urgh! Let go!”

The man tried to scratch at him with his nails, but he easily held him aloft with his powerful arm.

“….!”

Suddenly, a silver object entered Yoon Taehwa’s field of vision. He reflexively raised his arm and blocked the knife. The tip sliced through his uniform and grazed his skin, but he was used to such minor wounds.

Before the blade could reach him again, he quickly scanned his surroundings. Within seconds, he spotted a chair against the wall, using it as a springboard for a leap.

“Where do you think… Argh!”

He pushed off forcefully from the tips of his toes, vaulting over the man’s shoulder like pole-vaulting. Despite being a demihuman, there was no way this adult male, well over six feet tall, could handle the sudden weight. As soon as the man staggered, Yoon Taehwa swiftly extracted a wire from his sleeve and wrapped it around the opponent’s neck.

“Gakkk, gaaah!”

When someone’s neck is choked, they instinctively try to breathe. The man didn’t even think about stabbing his opponent with the knife he held; instead, he desperately tried to tear at the wire wrapped around his throat. As he flailed and twisted, Yoon Taehwa was able to face Han Suryeon directly.

“…..”

The veins on his strained hand slowly relaxed as the captive figure crumpled to the ground. This occurred simultaneously with the demihuman losing consciousness due to strangulation by the wire.

Yoon Taehwa had no intention of clinging onto the falling body and rolling down together. He jumped off before it collapsed, landing safely on the ground. Soon, the massive frame of the demihuman crashed like a sheet of paper near him.

“I-It’s over! We’re alive!”

“You came from the Center? Thank you, thank you so much!”

Amidst relieved sobs and heartfelt expressions of gratitude, Yoon Taehwa focused solely on one person rather than comforting them. His gray eyes, reminiscent of snow-covered landscapes, persistently met his gaze.