TS 021

Yoon Taehwa exited the panic room and immediately headed towards the video surveillance room. He needed to review the footage of what had just transpired.

As the sole occupants of the entire floor, the five of them enjoyed a spacious and well-equipped environment. Located on the 34th floor, the surveillance room was part of their expansive office suite. With the central elevator as a reference point, the lounge was situated directly across, while the meeting room and panic room were to the right. The surveillance room and their private quarters were situated on the left.

“I didn’t tell you to follow me.”

Yoon Taehwa maintained his brisk pace as Han Suryeon trailed behind him like an eager puppy. The only difference being the disconcerting amount of blood splattered across the other man’s face, hair, and hands, making the puppy analogy somewhat less endearing.

“I’m waiting for your answer, Team Leader.”

“Fishing for compliments? I’ll give you one after I’ve seen it for myself.”

He wanted to see firsthand how Han Suryeon had ‘trained’ the new recruit.

While the surveillance cameras in the basement training room were prone to malfunctioning due to interference from the Espers’ abilities, the ones in the panic room were a different story. Since the room was designed to suppress abilities, most of the training that took place inside involved pure hand-to-hand combat. As a result, equipment failures were a rare occurrence.

“So, I should just wait patiently until then? Like a good little puppy, hoping for a pat on the head?”

Han Suryeon sidled closer, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he spoke. Despite the rather crass ‘puppy’ analogy, his tone was devoid of any real mockery. In fact, he almost seemed… sincere.

“If you want a pat on the head…”

Yoon Taehwa stopped in front of the surveillance room, turning to face Han Suryeon with a raised eyebrow. He pointed a finger down the hallway, towards the opposite end, where Han Suryeon’s private quarters were located.

“You’re going to need to clean yourself up first.”

A slow smile spread across his lips. Han Suryeon’s eyes narrowed reflexively, the whites briefly flashing before disappearing beneath his lowered lids.

“I only held back because it would’ve been too obvious if I used my ability. I thought you enjoyed the smell of blood, Team Leader.”

“That doesn’t mean I want you tracking it all over the Center. Now go wash up.”

For Espers, the first order of business after a dungeon clear or a mission was a thorough decontamination. Returning to the Center covered in blood was frowned upon, as it could be distressing for the Guides and administrative staff. While Espers in urgent need of Guiding were prioritized, most headed straight for the showers.

Yoon Taehwa, for one, wasn’t fond of his subordinates parading around in blood-soaked clothes.

“As you wish. I’ll wash up real nice and wait for you on my bed.”

The casual mention of a bed he never used was absurd. Yoon Taehwa suspected Han Suryeon was actually staying at some high-end hotel. It made sense, considering his busy schedule. He spent his days as an Esper, chasing down Ants, and by the time night rolled around, the last thing on his mind was probably a good night’s sleep in a plain Center-issued bed.

While all the members of Team 1 had been assigned private quarters on the 34th floor, they rarely used them. The rooms were primarily utilized for overnight stays when missions required them to be on standby or for catching a few hours of sleep between deployments. Yoon Taehwa himself preferred his own place, an apartment located away from the bustling Center, in the quieter part of Yeouido.

Han Suryeon met Yoon Taehwa’s unimpressed look with a playful smirk before turning on his heel and disappearing down the hallway.

“Honestly…”

The absurdity of it all was starting to edge out annoyance, bringing a reluctant smile to Yoon Taehwa’s lips. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Kim Dohee.

—Yes, Team Leader.

Kim Dohee’s cheerful voice answered on the second ring.

“How’s our newbie?”

—Oh my God, you wouldn’t believe it! Did you do this, Team Leader? This is some expert-level handiwork!

“You know I hate messes.”

—Right? You prefer things…clean. Bloodless. Though I doubt that makes it any less terrifying for the recipient of your unique brand of discipline. By the way, which one of our Espers is responsible for turning that poor boy into a human punching bag? Wait, don’t tell me, it was that Russian guy from the…

His jovial tone was at odds with the fact that they were discussing a severely injured subordinate.

“I asked about his condition.”

—Four weeks. He’s out for four weeks. Leave it to you to find new and creative ways to break an Esper. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.

“Four weeks?”

Considering the regenerative abilities of an A-rank Esper, those injuries would’ve been fatal to an ordinary human. Yoon Taehwa placed his hand on the keypad lock, his voice flat.

“He’s conscious at least?”

—Oh, he woke up alright. Started crying and apologizing profusely. Swore he’d never talk back to a Guide again, said he’d worship the very ground they walked on.

Their training methods seemed to be working as intended.

—Apparently, he can’t even remember what hit him. Said he blacked out from the pain.

“As long as he’s alive. I’m hanging up.”

The moment he ended the call, the door to the surveillance room swung open, revealing three heads huddled around a monitor. Startled, Hae Na-eun, Kang Jaemin, and Kim Su-an turned to face him.

“What are you doing here?”

They were supposed to be in the meeting room. Yoon Taehwa raised an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation.

“We were, um…curious. About the video.”

“Way to state the obvious, Jaemin-ah. We were caught red-handed.”

It seemed they were all here to verify a rumor Hae Na-eun had likely dug up. Yoon Taehwa glanced at the monitor, catching a glimpse of Han Suryeon just before he made his move on the recruit.

‘I’m not sure if I should be letting them see this…’

After a moment’s deliberation, he nodded towards the screen.

“Play it.”

A little peek wouldn’t hurt. It was highly unlikely that a single training video would be enough to expose Han Suryeon as Kasatka’s notorious leader.

‘We’ll have Pavel in custody by tonight anyway…’

Pavel’s capture meant Han Suryeon would be long gone.

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Jaemin, ever the obedient maknae, pressed play.

The footage began with the new recruit entering the panic room, his demeanor cocky, almost defiant. Han Suryeon, without a word, grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground. The camera angle wasn’t close enough to make out his expression, but he didn’t seem particularly angry.

“Whoa, this is insane… Su-an hyung, do Blacks always go this hard?”

“No way. Han Suryeon’s just… extra. Don’t you think so, Na-eun noona? You’ve been working with the Team Leader longer than… well, you’ve been here a while.”

“Team Leader level, for sure.”

Yoon Taehwa tuned out their chatter, his gaze glued to the screen as he analyzed Han Suryeon’s every move.

“That’s gotta hurt.”

Kang Jaemin winced, clutching his stomach in sympathy as he watched Han Suryeon mercilessly stomp on the recruit’s midsection with his heavy combat boots. The attack was precise, calculated to inflict maximum pain and damage.

The camera shook briefly. The recruit, acting on pure reflex, had instinctively activated his ability, ice shards erupting from the ground and brushing against the lens. He was clearly terrified, fighting for his life.

‘Let’s see how he handles this…’

Unfazed by the icy projectiles, Han Suryeon continued his relentless assault.

“Oh!”

Kang Jaemin gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. Just as a massive icicle, easily the size of a man, shot up from the ground, aiming straight for Han Suryeon’s unguarded back, it shattered, exploding into a million pieces.

“Mesmerizing.”

As if to echo Hae Na-eun’s hushed whisper, the scene unfolding before them was nothing short of breathtaking.

The ice shards, fragmented in an instant, glittered like a thousand tiny diamonds catching the light. Han Suryeon, his ash-blond hair dusted with glittering ice crystals, seemed almost ethereal. His striking features, framed by the shimmering ice, created an image so captivating, so strangely holy, that it left them speechless.

It reminded Yoon Taehwa of Russia, of snow falling softly on a quiet street.

And of Han Suryeon, walking those streets alone.

“As I thought…”

A peacock suited him far more than a crow.

“You’re here early. I even left the door unlocked for you, Team Leader.”

Yoon Taehwa tore his gaze away from the monitor, turning to face the source of the voice. Han Suryeon, fresh from the shower, emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam trailing behind him. He’d clearly washed his hair as well. It was still slightly damp, water droplets clinging to the strands.

“It’s been about thirty minutes.”

“I wanted to look my best. It’s not every day that my beloved Team Leader graces me with his presence in my humble abode.”

‘Dressed like that?’

Yoon Taehwa’s gaze swept over Han Suryeon, taking in his attire, which could hardly be considered ‘dressed’. His top was nowhere in sight, and a towel, precariously wrapped around his lower body, was all that stood between him and indecent exposure.

“You’re making me blush.”

It was impossible to miss the blatant scrutiny in Yoon Taehwa’s gaze. Han Suryeon, catching his eye, pressed a hand to his chest, feigning modesty. His cheeks were flushed, likely from the hot shower.

“Does our Suryeon get shy around other men too?”

“It depends on who I’m with…”

“Ah, so you get shy around me?”

“Well, you are incredibly handsome, Team Leader.”

“You don’t have to flatter me.”

Yoon Taehwa let out a short, humorless laugh, his eyes once more traveling the length of Han Suryeon’s toned physique.

As expected, he was even more striking without his usual attire. During their previous encounters, he’d been covered from head to toe, first in that long black coat and then in his standard-issue Esper uniform, making it difficult to get a proper read on his physique.

‘Now I understand why it took me so long to knock him unconscious.’

Truth be told, physical differences had never mattered much to Yoon Taehwa. Fights, in his experience, were won with skill and strategy, not brute strength. However, when facing an opponent with comparable skills, those differences could become a deciding factor.

Beneath the striking features and deceptively delicate name, Han Suryeon was a weapon.

‘Not much in the way of vulnerable spots either.’

Objectively, Yoon Taehwa knew his own physique was far from average, but some advantages were simply a matter of genetics. Han Suryeon, even if only half, had Russian blood running through his veins. It was only natural that he would be… built differently.

“Team Leader.”

Yoon Taehwa’s gaze snapped up. Han Suryeon, eyes crinkled in amusement, posed a question.

“Enjoying the view?”

The question, delivered with a mischievous lilt, seemed to hang in the air, made even more suggestive by the blush warming Han Suryeon’s cheeks.