TS 020

Even though he knew Han Suryeon’s gaze was lingering on the mole beneath his lips, Yoon Taehwa casually picked up the crumpled document. He knew the reason they handled sensitive information on paper instead of tablets was to prevent hacking, but he couldn’t deny the inconvenience.

“…There’s something else I want to bite.” 

“What.”

Yoon Taehwa’s reply was flat, lacking any real interest. It was a stark contrast to his eyes, which were scanning the document intently. 

“Why are you answering so halfheartedly?”

Yoon Taehwa frowned, tapping a finger on the document. Ninety percent of what Han Suryeon said was pointless banter, so pressing him would only lead to a flippant response. 

“Our Suryeon is known for his sincerity. Anyway, are you sure he’s here? It’ll be a waste of time if we miss him.” 

His finger rested on the image of a rundown apartment building. The runaway ant’s current residence, according to their intel. 

“Don’t you trust me? How hurtful… Didn’t the Center confirm it? I bet there are other teams working on this separately.” 

“Other teams? …I suppose there could be.”

Yoon Taehwa conceded readily. 

“You make it sound like you don’t know.”

“I don’t.  I’m just speculating that the higher-ups might have formed a separate team.”

Even as the Team Leader of Team 1, he wasn’t privy to every decision made by the Center. He was excluded from a considerable amount of operations. 

‘Since Han Suryeon is my responsibility, it’s possible the Director formed another team to handle this.’

He simply hadn’t paid attention to the movements of other teams; they were outside his purview.

“I would have done the same. Bringing in an esper from another country is a gamble for the Center.” 

“That’s true, but… It’s upsetting to hear you say that.”

“As if.”

Yoon Taehwa chuckled, the sound devoid of humor. He wasn’t mocking Han Suryeon; he simply found the other man’s feigned hurt amusing. 

“I’m serious… Why don’t you believe me, Team Leader?” 

“You have to give me a reason to.” 

“How can I make you believe me?”

“Behave and listen to me. …So this is the guy who’s supposed to be contacting Monomorium.”

He flipped to the next page, revealing a photograph of the man they were supposed to capture alive. Unlike before, his name, Pavel, was written in Korean.  The background in the photo confirmed they were in Korea, not Russia. Contrary to their initial assumption, the target seemed to be Korean.

‘There are more ethnic Koreans operating in Russia than I thought.’

Then again, considering the man was an ant, perhaps he was Korean by affiliation, not by blood. Yoon Taehwa turned the photo towards Han Suryeon.

“Is this him?” 

“Nice picture.”

The man in the photo looked anything but nice. His face was pale, with dark circles under his eyes. Things weren’t going well for him. 

“Don’t worry about the Monomorium intel. He definitely knows something.” 

“Confident, aren’t you?”

“It’s my intel.” 

Han Suryeon smirked. 

He didn’t need to ask how he’d gotten the information. He had his suspicions, but he didn’t doubt Han Suryeon’s resourcefulness. If the Enforcement Leader of a major Guild like Kasatka had personally dealt with this, the information was bound to be accurate. 

“We’ll extract the information about the ants after we capture him. Then we’ll hand him over.”

“I’m not going back on my word. We agreed on this before we came here.” 

Yoon Taehwa ignored his slightly mocking tone and continued reviewing the rest of the documents. The target was holed up in a densely populated area, which meant capturing him would require a delicate approach. Pavel must have chosen this location for that very reason.

‘The question is, should we keep him under surveillance or capture him immediately?’

Keeping him under surveillance for a few days would allow them to learn his patterns and, with luck, they might even encounter the Monomorium contact. 

‘The Center’s target is the contact, not Pavel…’

Their goals were different. Which meant Yoon Taehwa needed to make the most efficient decision.

“How many days do you want to keep him under surveillance?”

Han Suryeon’s casual question made him realize his dilemma must be written all over his face.  He rubbed his cheek, tossing the crumpled document onto the table. There was no need to lie, not when they both knew what the other wanted.

“Honestly…” 

“Do whatever you want, Team Leader.”

His nonchalance made Yoon Taehwa suspicious. 

“It’d be better for you to catch him quickly, wouldn’t it? Isn’t it a loss for the Guild if your elite team leader is gone for too long?” 

“If we were that fragile, we wouldn’t have made it this far.” 

“You don’t have any other motives?” 

“Wow, you caught me.”

His voice was so devoid of surprise that Yoon Taehwa’s interest waned. After some calculations, he reached a decision. It would be better to wrap this up quickly. 

“We need to get everything in place… We’ll take him down as soon as we finish planning. The others will stay on standby. You and I will handle this.” 

“I thought you’d wait for him to make a move.”

“It’ll be troublesome if he disappears. He’ll go into hiding if he knows we’re onto him. It’s better to catch him quickly and squeeze him for information. He’s bound to crack.”

He couldn’t afford to lose the opportunity they had while waiting for something better to come along. Yoon Taehwa enjoyed taking risks in the field, but he also liked it when things went according to plan. 

“I promised to listen to you… Fine. But don’t we need to consult with the higher-ups? Isn’t the Center different from a Guild because it’s under government jurisdiction?”

Government jurisdiction meant going through official channels, just like the endless paperwork piled on his desk.

Government oversight brought stability, but it also came with a loss of efficiency.  The Center was no exception. 

There were protocols in place for immediate action in case of dungeon breaks or terrorist attacks.  But for planned operations like this, authorization from the higher-ups was required. 

“Do you think I’m Team Leader of Team 1 for no reason?” 

Yoon Taehwa leaned his temple against his hand, raising an eyebrow. He smirked, and Han Suryeon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You make it sound like you can make your own decisions. That’s a lot of trust.” 

“It’s not trust in me, it’s just… logical. They know I’m not going to betray the Center. It’s easier to let competent people do their jobs.”

While it allowed him to operate freely, he wasn’t fond of the preferential treatment. The Center’s trust wasn’t based on his loyalty. It was based on his background. They believed that someone born with everything wouldn’t betray his own country. 

“You’re going to handle the planning?” 

“Want to do it?”

“Korea is out of my jurisdiction.  Better to leave it to someone familiar with the territory.” 

“I’ll leave it to Hae Na-eun. I’ll oversee it, of course.” 

He usually entrusted Hae Na-eun with the planning.  She had a strategic mind, unlike some of his other teammates who tended to rush into things. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“What.”

“Someone like you wouldn’t get summoned by the higher-ups, would you? Why were you called in yesterday? I wanted to spend the night with you.”

“Yesterday? Oh, that.”

He brushed off the latter part of the question. He had been summoned just as he was about to meet Kim Hye-na, so he’d missed his opportunity. 

“There was this rookie who I put on the blacklist. They couldn’t take it anymore and filed a complaint with the higher-ups.” 

He had completely forgotten about the rookie. Right after listing up the candidates, he went to find Han Suryeon, and he’d been stuck with him ever since, leaving him no time to focus on anything else. Because of that, he hasn’t dismissed him, so it seems he hasn’t received any guiding yet.

‘If Kim Dohee didn’t remove them, it means they weren’t in danger.’

He had taken them off the list yesterday. He had no time to waste on trivial matters like a rookie’s mental well-being.

“Blacklist?”

“He insulted Guides.”

Han Suryeon tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought. The movement was elegant, almost as if he were playing the piano. 

“Want me to handle it?” 

Handle what? Yoon Taehwa stared at him, waiting for an explanation. 

“They must be holding a grudge against you. Someone needs to put them in their place. Since I’m your teammate, it would be more effective.”

He didn’t hesitate to suggest using an outsider to discipline a Center esper. 

“Suit yourself.”

Yoon Taehwa readily agreed. It was a chance to see how Han Suryeon “put someone in their place.”

* * *

“You’re saying what?” 

Hae Na-eun, her face completely neutral, repeated what she had just said. 

“The rookie you personally blacklisted… has been hospitalized. Team Leader Kim Dohee said they might not make it.”

“Noona, you’re making it sound really serious. They’re not going to die, but they did get… messed up pretty badly.” 

It had been only a few days ago that he had given Han Suryeon permission to “handle” the rookie. He hadn’t expected him to act on the very day of the operation.

“Where’s Han Suryeon?”

“Isn’t he still in the panic room?”

“I see. Carry on.”

Yoon Taehwa stood up and made his way towards the panic room. He wasn’t going to scold him.  He had given the order, so it was his responsibility to make sure it was handled cleanly. 

‘It had to happen while I was busy coordinating with Kim Su-an… I should have checked on him.’

He’d review the footage from the panic room after he got the details. 

“…..”

The moment he stepped into the panic room, the metallic scent of blood assaulted his senses. His eyes met with the man standing in the middle of the room.

“Team Leader.” 

Yoon Taehwa, staring at Han Suryeon’s calm, smiling face, shifted his gaze to the floor. It was covered in blood. Kang Jaemin’s description had been accurate. While he knew an A-rank esper wouldn’t die easily, he couldn’t help but be impressed by the skill it took to inflict this much damage.

“I listened to you this time, Team Leader.”

Han Suryeon ran a hand, stained red with blood, through his messy hair.

“Do you trust me now?” 

“…..”

“You said you’d believe me if I behaved.”

His bright smile was as pure as a lily.