TS 019

The car came to a stop on a deserted forest road. Han Suryeon looked around at the pitch-black surroundings.

“Never thought a place like this existed in Seoul.” 

“Do you think I’d take the wheel for no reason? Despite what you might think, I come to Korea every now and then.” 

Kim Hye-na shoved the rental car keys into her pocket and tied her hair up haphazardly.  She’d rented the car under the name of a distant relative on her mother’s side.  The Center had provided a car, but she didn’t want them tracking her movements, so she had prepared in advance.

“You seemed to know who sent him.”

She said casually, walking towards the trunk. It was hard to imagine Han Suryeon stuffing a person into a dark, cramped space.

Clank. The trunk opened to reveal a man curled up inside. He scrambled out as soon as he realized it was open. 

“Ugh…”

He immediately threw up on the ground, his body trembling. He must have been terrified. 

“There’s only one person who would send someone like this, Hanna.”

Han Suryeon, who had been strolling around, observing his surroundings, finally focused his attention on the man writhing on the ground. 

“Pavel sent you, didn’t he?” 

“Pavel?  That’s the guy we’re after, right?”

Her bewildered question was quickly drowned out by the man’s frantic voice.

“Y-Yes! That’s right! He sent me!”

Pavel was the name of the ant Han Suryeon was after. It was unclear why he had infiltrated Kasatka, but he had been a Guild member for quite some time before he killed a teammate and fled. 

‘Perhaps he was persuaded to switch sides.’ 

He’d fled, yet he was trying to contact them? Han Suryeon’s curiosity was piqued. 

“I wonder how he found out where we were…” 

“I-I don’t know anything about that! Mr. Pavel just told me to deliver a message and gave me a time and place to meet you.” 

His trembling jaw seemed to indicate he was telling the truth. Han Suryeon glanced at Kim Hye-na, silently asking if she had any ideas. 

“I don’t think we did anything that would’ve exposed our location…”

“Well, we can ask him directly. Why did Pavel send you?”

Even if they had been followed, it didn’t matter much.  Confidence was a luxury afforded to the pursuer. 

“I-I don’t know the details, but… he said he wasn’t in a position to come himself.” 

“What’s your relationship with Pavel?”

“I’ve worked for him for a long time.”

Han Suryeon scanned the man’s appearance. He looked utterly ordinary, a face you could see anywhere in Korea.  

‘Strange.’ 

It was strange that Monomorium was in Korea. It was strange that Pavel’s subordinate was Korean. This coincidence felt… deliberate. Was there something about this place? He wondered to himself, his expression bored. 

“Hold on, Leader. How do you know this guy was sent by Pavel?” 

“N-N-Nikita! He said you’d understand if he mentioned Nikita.”

At the sudden mention of the name, a cruel smile twisted Han Suryeon’s lips. Nikita was the name of the Guild member Pavel had killed.

“Why did Pavel send you?”

“H-He’s begging for his life!” 

Han Suryeon’s smile widened, a low chuckle escaping his lips. The man gulped, fear flickering in his eyes. 

“He said he didn’t kill Nikita… He said he was framed.  He said he was kidnapped and forced to leave Russia. He contacted me after he escaped, saying he wasn’t in a position to come himself, since he was on the run.”

“What bullshit! You saw him kill Nikita with your own eyes, Leader.”

“Yes, I did.”

“You’re not actually believing him, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Han Suryeon chuckled, a cold, mocking sound. 

“He says he didn’t kill my teammate, so I should spare him?” 

“Y-Yes! That’s what he said.”

“Ha…”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. The man flinched at the simple gesture.

“I don’t see why I should. It doesn’t change the fact that Nikita died because of him, regardless of whether he was the one who killed him or not.”

The man licked his lips nervously, his voice barely a whisper.

“M-Monomorium…” 

“….” 

“H-He wants to offer information about them.”

“Not interested.”

The man stared at him, his eyes wide with disbelief. 

Han Suryeon genuinely had no interest in information about Monomorium. Whatever they were doing, whatever their goal was, it was of no concern to him.

‘I have other things I care about.’

He hadn’t come all the way to Korea to deal with Monomorium.  The Center might think otherwise, but this trip was personal. 

“Our Team Leader would be interested, though.”

Han Suryeon mused, thinking about the object of his interest. He tapped a finger against his lips, considering his options. 

He wasn’t going to kill Pavel immediately, even if he did meet him. He needed time to find out why he’d infiltrated the Guild.  Which meant that his plea for his life was… valid, for the time being. 

“H-He said it’s… v-valuable information.” 

He wasn’t naive enough to take the man at his word.

‘And I don’t have to.’

But it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about Pavel. The Center would be mobilizing soon, and Yoon Taehwa would also be curious about his whereabouts.

Besides, he had a feeling that meeting Pavel would shed some light on the terrorist attack earlier that day. He doubted Pavel was behind it, but he must know something.

“What’s Pavel’s range of movement?” 

The man stammered out an answer. It was similar to what Kim Hye-na had said an hour ago. 

“That’s all he wanted to say?”

“Y-Yes, that’s all.”

“Alright. Good work.”

Han Suryeon patted the man’s head condescendingly. As the man forced a smile, getting to his feet, Han Suryeon spoke. 

“Well then, I’ll be on my way… Gah!” 

His body was suddenly yanked into the air. 

“Sorry. Pavel knows my habits.”

His tone was light, conversational, as if he were discussing the weather. 

“I have to kill you to signal that I accepted his offer.”

He was going to meet Pavel.

‘Not in the way Pavel intended, though.’

The man’s choked gasps for air quickly died down. Han Suryeon tossed the lifeless body into the trunk. Kim Hye-na closed it without a word. 

“What are you going to do with him?”

“I’m going to meet Pavel. I’m not going to kill him right away, so it’s not a lie that I accepted his offer, right?” 

“You’re actually believing him? That Pavel didn’t kill Nikita?”

“Well… I don’t think the video was fabricated. But there’s more than one way to kill someone.”

If a close-range or psychic ability user was involved, they could use someone else as a weapon. If that was the case, there was another traitor within the Guild, and they needed to find out the truth, no matter the cost. 

“That’s true… Are you going to share this information with Team Leader Yoon Taehwa?”

“Keep it to yourself for now. You’ll be coming with me when I meet Pavel.”

Kim Hye-na simply nodded, knowing better than to question his orders. The priority now was to figure out how to dispose of the body. At least he died relatively cleanly. 

This is why she preferred dealing with close-range ability users. An important detail suddenly crossed her mind.

“By the way, Leader, how long has it been since you received Guiding?”

“Why are so many people concerned about my Guiding status these days?”

“Just making sure. You didn’t receive any in Russia either, did you? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Three months and fifteen days…?”

“What?”

Han Suryeon touched his wrist, his expression annoyed. 

“It’s fine.”

His aura was still calm. 

“But what if you lose control here?”

Han Suryeon took a slow, deliberate breath and considered the question. A playful whisper escaped his lips. 

“Pray that my Prince Charming comes to save me?” 

“Prince Charming…?  What?” 

“It’d be like a fairy tale if we sealed it with a kiss. Don’t you think so?” 

Perhaps pushing himself to the brink wasn’t such a bad idea.

* * *

Yoon Taehwa, his eyes glued to the documents in front of him, shifted his gaze upwards. Han Suryeon was staring at him, his chin resting on his hand, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. He frowned involuntarily as he noticed Han Suryeon’s split lip, displayed for all to see. 

“Does it bother you?” 

Han Suryeon poked at the corner of his own mouth with his pinky, the finger that had been propping up his chin. Even the slightest pressure would dislodge the scab, sending blood trickling down. 

“You do.”

“Is the Team Leader conscious of me?”

It was a talent to interpret “bothersome” as “conscious of.” Yoon Taehwa scoffed, and Han Suryeon, straightening up, slammed his hand, the one that had been cradling his face, down onto the documents.

Yoon Taehwa’s gaze followed the movement. 

“Shouldn’t a Team Leader listen to his teammate?”

“Since when were you my teammate?” 

“Technically?”

“Ah, technically. And what does my teammate want to say?”

Yoon Taehwa crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. 

“You’re ignoring me after doing this to my lips?”

His gaze was drawn to those lips. A tiny bead of blood welled up at the corner, probably from where it had brushed against Han Suryeon’s finger. His cheek was slightly swollen. 

“Anyone would think this was a one-sided attack. It was mutual.”

Of course, Yoon Taehwa wasn’t unscathed. He just wasn’t the type to flaunt his injuries like Han Suryeon. The rumors about their fight had already swept through the Center, earning him unwanted attention, which was annoying, to say the least. 

“The only way lips get split open mutually is… well, you know. But I don’t seem to recall kissing you.  Maybe I forgot because you were choking me too hard.”

The experience of being choked must have left a lasting impression on him. Instead of reacting to Han Suryeon’s suggestive words, Yoon Taehwa simply stretched his lips into a thin smile, his reptilian eyes boring into the other man. 

“Ah, you want to bite my lips again, don’t you?” 

Han Suryeon’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected reaction. His eyelids lowered slowly, hiding his gaze. 

He was looking at something just below Yoon Taehwa’s lips.