DB Vol 5 Part 7

The Gye family decided to build up their capital power because it was their only remaining card. But the alliance of Ji Geun-oh and other Esper families united over Guides was strong, and no matter how much money they made, they couldn’t use it. After all, money was nothing to Espers compared to Alpha seeds.

Still, money was all they could grasp. Even though the Gye family was ridiculed for doing loan shark business and criticized even within the North. But this method, which they had thought futile until now, was becoming a great strength at a crucial moment.

“It seems there’s also a fight within the Yang family. They demanded that the Hong family send back the Gye family’s Espers, but the Hong family put forward a condition. They asked to send as many Yang family Espers instead. Yang Cheon-hyo argued that Espers should be sent, but the internal opposition seems to be tougher than expected.”

The Chief Secretary’s voice mixed with laughter as she added.

“We only meddled with the Hong family, but the Yang family is dividing on their own.”

“Because there are still those in the Yang family who think of the family first.”

If one thinks of the family first, not blinded by money or other gains, there’s only one issue to consider in this situation. Could monsters be waking up in the Yang family’s farms too?

They probably can’t afford to lend all their hands to others when they’re struggling to protect their own land. Except for Yang Cheon-hyo, who roughly knows how the monsters woke up.

“How’s the state of the Hong family?”

“It’s being sorted out quickly since we joined. If we send a second support team in the evening, the situation should be over by tomorrow at the latest.”

“What about civilian casualties?”

The Chief Secretary handed over a report as if she had been waiting. There was significant property damage, but what she looked at was civilian casualties. It would be best if it were zero, but there were two numbers. It was fortunate that there were almost no deaths.

“It seems the Hong family had built underground shelters very well.”

“The previous Hong family head was truly a wise person. The deceased vice head was exactly like him.”

But now the Hong family has become a precarious tower that could be shaken if pushed with money from outside.

“Send support supplies surely and abundantly. Be generous so that any Esper from other families can use them too. And release support funds to civilian damage areas as well.”

“Should we select specific areas?”

Gye Min frowned as if to say, “What nonsense?”

“What selection? Spread money everywhere the Gye family’s footsteps have touched. The remaining people in the Hong family will probably put damage recovery on the back burner anyway.”

“Yes. I heard they’re now fighting each other to get more support funds for damaged areas internally. They’re desperate to fill their own pockets.”

The Chief Secretary clicked her tongue and muttered as if strange.

“It’s truly surprising. Just because the vice head and a few Espers disappeared, the Hong family has become a quagmire so quickly. It seems criticism of the Hong family is spreading on the scene. There’s a lot of discontent among Espers about how the Hong family head didn’t even show his face.”

“Didn’t the Hong family head’s son go?”

“Yes. The temporary vice head visited the scene, but they say he literally just showed his face in the back. So it aroused more anger from the Espers on site. It’s strange. If he fought together on the scene at this opportunity, he could have gained the trust of the Espers, right?”

At the Chief Secretary’s question, the Gye family head burst into cold laughter.

“Because they didn’t need to gain trust until now. That trust was naturally obtained by their innate status. So they probably don’t feel the need to make an effort in the future either. And although the Hong family head’s son is A-rank, he has never fought on the scene. He probably hasn’t even seen monsters in person more than a few times.”

“I’m newly grateful for how great our vice head is.”

At the word ‘grateful,’ Min’s face instantly contorted.

“What gratitude, it’s just doing what should be done. Don’t say such things in front of that kid. He’ll get spoiled.”

As the Chief Secretary just smiled awkwardly, Min asked without smoothing her frown.

“Where the hell is that guy?”

“We can’t confirm. He has turned off his tracker. But.”

The Chief Secretary added with a smile.

“We can confirm Ji Won-woo’s location. He’s at Hwang Sang-cheon’s residence now.”

Alright, Gye Min nodded as if understanding. That unpredictable brother sticks to Ji Won-woo like goldfish poop.

“Did he cross over well to the farm where Ji Won-woo was at dawn?”

Yes, the Chief Secretary answered and again expressed admiration for the vice head.

“To show such ability just by being properly guided. I can’t help but think his existence is truly a blessing for the North.”

“Just think it. Never say it out loud.”

Gye Min warned fiercely and then muttered indifferently.

“It’s an ability that would be a curse anyway without a guide.”

Everyone considered it a curse until Ji Won-woo appeared. Gye Min, her daughter, her brother. The whole family’s life was a living hell because of this damned ability. Perhaps feeling sympathy from Min’s expression, the Chief Secretary quietly greeted.

“Thank you for enduring until now.”

Although Gye Min knew what the Chief Secretary’s gratitude meant, she couldn’t feel proud. After all, it was as good as the tide turning with just one Ji Won-woo. Just because one Guide appeared. That meant they could return to living hell anytime if they lost that one.

“This is just the beginning. We have to endure more.”

Gye Min muttered and turned her gaze out the window. It was almost sunset, but her daughter, who had started going out once, seemed to have gotten a taste for it and was out playing again. When her body was sick, she only tried to hide in corners, but as the pain disappeared, the child’s world expanded.

Faintly, she heard a voice calling for “Kko-kko”. Although Gye Min couldn’t hear well like her brother, she could catch the child’s voice from this far away.

Jae-hak was probably trying to keep the child within Min’s line of sight through the window, only moving around within the range she could see. In fact, this situation still didn’t feel real. Sometimes it felt like she was dreaming. To think they would be saved by the son of Ji Geun-oh, whom she’d like to chew up and spit out.

“How is Yoon’s condition?”

“He seemed to be in a bad mood during the last communication.”

Gye Min raised her eyebrows and turned her head.

“I’m asking if he was able to do the guiding. He’s the only one who can fill the gap left by the Espers who left the North right now. But why is he in a bad mood?”

“All I heard was that as soon as he returned at dawn, Ji Won-woo held his hand and guided him. Judging by the fact that there were at least five ‘fucks’ in between those words, he seems to be in quite a bad mood.”

A “fuck” involuntarily came out of Gye Min’s mouth too. No, this crazy bastard. He’s dissatisfied even when holding hands and being guided? Does he want his feet to be held or what?

*

Hwang Sang-cheon discovered several abilities he didn’t know he had while coming to the North and helping Won-woo with operations. One of them was outstanding patience. He felt this acutely while supporting the brute from behind. He thought he might be a living Buddha at this point. After working with the brute once, he felt he could now work with anyone like a 20 year best friend. Because he had been sitting next to him giving crazy orders for a while now.

“Spread the rumors properly.”

Sang-cheon was typing and writing a post when he couldn’t help but ask.

“Why are you so desperate to promote Hong Seung-wook like this?”

What Gye Yoon had asked was to exaggerate and spread Hong Seung-wook’s achievements. At first, he thought it was crazy talk, but when he threatened to mention Nani again, Sang-cheon joined Hong Seung-wook’s fan cafe and started writing praise posts he never thought he’d write.

“Lower your voice.”

At Gye Yoon’s rebuke, Sang-cheon glanced across the hallway at the room. Won-woo seemed to have been hit with all the fatigue from working all night at once and fell asleep as soon as he arrived at Sang-cheon’s house. And for some unknown reason, Gye Yoon, who was in a bad mood, was sticking to Sang-cheon’s side like this, not sleeping and tormenting him.

“But even if I don’t spread rumors, Hong Seung-wook’s name is already spreading on its own. While the Hong family head and temporary vice head didn’t even show their faces at the scene, everyone is only praising Hong Seung-wook for fighting monsters at the forefront from the beginning. Moreover.”

Sang-cheon moved the mouse and showed the miracle of Hong Seung-wook spread on other communities, not just fan clubs.

“They say he poured an enormous amount of water on the monsters at once to stop them from rushing into the nearby city at dawn. It seems to be a method of blocking the monsters’ airways with water. They say the monsters that died instantly like that filled an area the size of a soccer field.”

Isn’t it amazing? Sang-cheon continued to read out his achievements admiringly.

“According to a colleague who was far away, although the monsters struggled, they were annihilated in an instant… Wow, to be able to kill so many so quickly.”

As he was thinking that this is why everyone respects and looks up to high ranking Espers, he heard an indifferent mutter from beside him.

“Originally, sound travels faster in water.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means shut up and do what you were doing quickly.”

Gye Yoon retorted unpleasantly. Sang-cheon looked at the highest ranking Esper, for whom he felt not even 1g of respect, with disapproving eyes and asked again.

“So why are you trying to promote Hong Seung-wook like this? Even if I don’t do it, Hong Seung-wook has already emerged as a hero of the Hong family now.”

“Hero, that’s good.”

Gye Yoon seemed satisfied, slightly twisting his mouth as he glared at the monitor.

“He needs to go higher. That way he can’t betray his family.”

*

War is a valley heading towards death where you can’t even breathe properly. But when you get used to that long war, a life of stepping on someone’s blood instead of dirt is no longer horrifying. Perhaps knowing this, Aunt didn’t want Won-woo to jump into the fight.

She had never said not to do it even once, but advising him to think carefully several times was as good as telling him not to do it. Ironically, the aunt’s death became the catalyst for Won-woo to jump into the war. At that time, he needed a target for revenge. Since Espers killed the aunt, he thought he should kill all Espers.

Revenge was important, so it didn’t matter if he died. So after jumping into the war, he was never afraid of fighting even once. Because after everyone he considered a comrade died, even his remaining emotions seemed to evaporate and disappear. After finishing operations like a machine like that, it was always similar.

Washing off dust and blood, habitually surveying the surroundings, chewing instant food, lying on the bed and slightly resenting the sleepless night. Falling asleep as if fainting after an operation was a luck that might happen once in a hundred times.

So when Won-woo opened his eyes, he stared at the dark ceiling for a moment, a bit dazed. Where is this? What time is it? Fortunately, the answer came with the question. Ah, it was Director Hwang’s residence. He didn’t know the exact time, but seeing that it was dark outside the window, it seemed to be night.

Then how many hours had he slept? His stamina wasn’t particularly weakened either? His head was used to prolonged insomnia, but he was confused by his body suddenly going out of sync.

Why had he fallen so deeply asleep? Just as he was about to get up to figure out the incomprehensible situation, something suddenly popped up from the floor next to the bed.

Huh, what’s that? Won-woo unknowingly pulled his upper body back. He also raised his arm to attack if necessary but froze in place. He first realized that the round shape rising from the floor was a person’s head, and then he heard a question from the owner of the head. Although it was mumbled hoarsely as he wasn’t fully awake yet, his voice was still incredibly good.

“Are you hungry?”

“Gye Yoon-ssi?”

Won-woo called out to the other person and narrowed his eyes to see better in the darkness. But he could barely see Gye Yoon running his hand through his hair. Instead, he could tell from his voice that he was displeased.

“Were you expecting someone else besides me?”

Who would expect someone to suddenly get up from under the bed?

“No. Of course, I didn’t expect you either. Why on earth are you lying on the floor?”

“The bed is narrow. I wanted to lie down together, but because Hwang nagged… Haa. Shit.”

The bed I’m lying on now? Won-woo only then realized that the guest room bed he was lying on was for one person. However, there was a word that bothered him more than why he wanted to lie down together on his bed.

“Hwang? Surely you’re not referring to Director Hwang, your adoptive father, like that?”

“…Of course not. I called him father. Won-woo, you seem confused after waking up.”

Gye Yoon, who woke up later, not only replied shamelessly but also slandered him.

“I’m more sober than you, Gye Yoon-ssi. But if you call Director Hwang like that again, I’ll really get angry.”

“What happens if I make you angry?”

Was it his imagination that there was a hint of excitement in Gye Yoon’s voice? Won-woo tilted his head and opened his mouth.

“Nothing much. I just won’t look at you.”

“…”

“Is that too weak?”

No, too strong. Along with the slow answer, his voice flowed into the darkness as if melting.

“If you get angry at me, it seems you won’t forgive me for life. Since there won’t be a chance you won’t see me.”

His voice was so soft that Won-woo wanted to make excuses. That his heart was pounding even at this nonsense because of the voice. If not, it would mean he liked that obsession. Of course, Won-woo didn’t want to admit it.

“Well, it’s so dark in this room that I can barely see you.”

Is that all? I can’t see you if I just cover my eyes with my hand. At Won-woo’s rebuttal, a short laugh burst from Gye Yoon. That was also a problem for Won-woo. No matter what he said, Gye Yoon reacted as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

So when he laughed, Won-woo couldn’t think of how to respond. As if trying to change the subject, Won-woo asked again to Gye Yoon, who was still sitting on the floor.

“By the way, if you can’t lie on the bed, why are you lying on the floor? Do you need guiding?”

He saw the head move sideways in the darkness.

“I told you. That I like you.”

It came out indifferently this time too. During the brief silence when Won-woo didn’t respond, it felt like his voice filled the time and space to a suffocating degree. So it took some time for a response to come out of his mouth.

“That’s certainly a convenient excuse.”

It wasn’t easy to see his expression in the dark. Yet, Won-woo was certain that Gye Yoon’s lips had curved.

“It’s convenient but troublesome. I didn’t understand why I wanted to hold onto you for such a troublesome reason. If it was just for guiding, there’s an easy way to keep you by my side.”

“What’s the easy way?”

“Damage your brain, stab your eyes, cut out your tongue, and crush your limbs leaving only one hand. It’s easy to make you a machine that only does guiding, isn’t it?”

There was a small laugh mixed in Gye Yoon’s voice, so Won-woo got slightly goosebumps. For some reason, that laugh was like a child telling him it’s fun to catch insects and remove their wings and legs one by one.

At that moment, Gye Yoon moved his arm in the darkness and grabbed Won-woo’s hand. Just from Won-woo’s slight flinch at the unexpected contact, strong force entered Gye Yoon’s hand. Won-woo looked down at their hands with eyes accustomed to the darkness and asked as if muttering.

“Does that mean if the feeling of liking disappears, you’ll eventually use the easy method?”

“It won’t disappear.”

“We don’t know the future. But well, it’s okay. I’ll use the easy method before that too.”

Won-woo suddenly drew out Gye Yoon’s energy from the held hand. Not carefully creating a flow through a small gap like when guiding, but pulling out his energy through a larger hole.

All the Espers who experienced this uniformly became dizzy and couldn’t regain their senses. Sure enough, the hand holding Won-woo twitched. Won-woo let go of the energy he had grabbed and opened his mouth.

“Still, I won’t amputate your limbs.”

He thought he had shown power that wasn’t inferior to the other, but Gye Yoon’s reaction was different from his expectation. He leaned his forehead on the bed and laughed, his shoulders shaking.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because I like it. Do you know the stronger you are, the more thrilling it gets? Enough to make my dick gets hard.”

“…Take care of that dick on your own.”

He laughed out loud again. Won-woo was a bit flustered as this was the first Esper who wasn’t afraid of his power. Until now, the better abilities Espers had, the more fear they felt towards Won-woo’s power.

It seemed they were shocked as it was their first experience of becoming powerless like ordinary humans. But Gye Yoon was different. Is it just that Gye Yoon’s personality is strange?

“Want to see me take care of it?”

His voice was mixed with expectation, causing an absurd laugh from Won-woo.

“What if I run away while you’re acting like a pervert like that?”

“I’ll have to catch you. I’m confident I can catch you no matter how many times you run away. Of course, there’s an easy way to keep you by my side forever, but I’ll keep catching you.”

He gently stroked the back of Won-woo’s hand with his thumb.

“So if you want to get angry, just close your eyes.”

Angry? How could I be angry when you’re holding me so tightly? The tighter he held him, the more he threatened to catch him no matter how many times he ran away, the more satisfaction spread like a comfortable nest.

He couldn’t resist the desire to test if he would continue to crave him even if he rejected him. Won-woo got goosebumps as he reconfirmed his twisted view of affection. Then he heard Gye Yoon’s murmur.

“I can’t tell if you’re afraid of me or not.”

Won-woo averted his gaze even though there was no way their eyes could meet in the darkness. Rather than having such inner thoughts discovered, it was better to be misunderstood as being afraid. Of course, he didn’t want to admit being afraid either.

“It’s because I’m hungry.”

Gye Yoon nodded in agreement.

“I thought so and tried to wake you up, but you didn’t get up.”

“You tried to wake me up but I didn’t get up?”

Yeah, he replied casually and added.

“They say that can happen if your body is weak.”

Me, weak? Won-woo let out an exasperated sigh.

“Ha, that’s something Kko-kko would laugh at.”

“That devil really does laugh.”

Gye Yoon replied seriously. The title “devil” was also full of hostility. For an S-rank Esper to be so wary of just one chicken. It was really something for a chicken to laugh about.

“Just in case, don’t touch Kko-kko.”

“…”

So you were planning to touch it. Won-woo repeated with force what he had thrown out as a joke.

“Don’t even think about plucking a single feather from Kko-kko. Hwan likes it so much.”

Gye Yoon turned his head to the side and muttered a curse barely audible.

“Fuck, everyone just revolves around that damn chicken…”

“It’s because Kko-kko is cute.”

Gye Yoon turned his head.

“You’ve never even seen Kko-kko, have you?”

Won-woo wanted to tease him more, but seeing him genuinely upset, it was hard to suppress the smile pressed tightly on his lips.

“It must look like a chicken. Then it would be cute, right?”

“No, it looks like a devil. Fuck, should I have sent it away with the monsters in one go?”

Pfft! Won-woo couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, bending his waist. A chicken defeating monsters. Imagining a chicken flying up and kicking away monsters with its hind legs, he couldn’t stop laughing. After laughing like that for a while, he noticed the other was quiet and awkwardly covered his mouth with his hand.

“There aren’t many Espers who can send monsters away in one go. Let alone a chicken.”

“Yes, there are even fewer now. Especially since many Espers have died.”

Won-woo paused and recalled what he had done before falling asleep. Come to think of it, how did it turn out?

“Have all the Hong family monsters been dealt with?”

“I don’t know about the monsters, but many Hong family Espers have been dealt with. Only real trash is left in the Hong family now.”

Ironically, those who could be easily manipulated with money became allies of the Gye family.

“And then?”

At Won-woo’s question, Gye Yoon laughed silently. He really liked his question. He thought he might feel guilty about the damage caused by monsters or be intimidated by depression, but not at all. There was a firmness in his voice to continue sweeping away enemies.

“And then, we need to strike at the real enemy.”

For over a week, public opinion continued to boil like a furnace. The media reported daily on the tragedy of the Hong family, and the achievements of the Gye family inevitably rose along with it. Even those who didn’t view the Gye family favorably were grateful for their help in this incident.

This was because the Yang family, whom they believed to be allies, sent almost no Espers, citing the reason of protecting their own land. Moreover, the Gye family poured out generous support to the affected residents, enough to make anyone’s jaw drop.

‘Residents spending comfortable nights in temporary container housing sponsored by the Gye family.’

‘Gye family expands loan support for residents in affected areas.’

‘Gye family Espers protecting the North despite the pain of guiding. The secret of their remarkable achievements was their fighting spirit that shone even in hardship.’

‘Hong family enters atmosphere of reconciliation with Gye family. Will this lead to Guide support?’

Initially, articles favorable to the Gye family poured out. However, as if by agreement, articles attacking the Gye family began to appear all at once a few days later.

‘How did the Gye family, lacking guides, stop the monsters? Did monsters really appear?’

‘Why did monster seeds suddenly ignite? Expert opinion suggests it was an artificial phenomenon.’

‘Anonymous tip claims Gye family, driven to the edge by lack of guides, researched monster seeds.’

At some point, rumors began to spread that it was a self orchestrated drama by the Gye family. As the rumors grew and public opinion turned against the Gye family, they didn’t offer any particular opinion. However, the situation changed again when Guide One intervened in this situation.

The Hong family agreed to send guides promised to the Gye family, but Guide One openly issued a statement of opposition. The reason was that the Gye family might be behind this monster incident.

Only then did the Gye family speak up. More precisely, it was someone’s video. It was a confession made by a bound A-rank teleportation Esper.

‘I have been spreading rapidly growing mutant seeds in the North all this time.’

He was an Esper from the Yang family.

“You stupid bastard! Didn’t I tell you?! To hold off on making a statement from Guide One since the Esper with mutant seeds disappeared!”

Yoon-im’s angry voice filled the director’s office of Guide One. Even Seong-hyeon, who had known her for a long time, had rarely seen her shout with veins popping on her neck.

Even then, he had only seen it when she was young. After she matured, she had never abandoned that elegance in any situation. But now she was screaming at the top of her lungs, forgetting her image.

“I thought you could at least do the basics even if your head was empty and making hollow sounds, but it wasn’t just empty, it’s a pile of garbage filled with stinky trash. How else could you commit such a stupid act!!”

Seong-hyeon barely held back from cursing and roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“You think I wanted to do this? Father was going crazy, what could I do? He told me to crush the Gye family immediately, fuck, who knew those bastards really caught a Yang family Esper?”

As he spoke, he widened his eyes as if feeling wronged.

“How the hell does the Yang family do their work? That Esper suddenly disappeared and went around spreading seeds in the North on his own? Isn’t Noona responsible for that plan? The situation has become a mess because you didn’t do your job properly.”

He retorted grumblingly, barely able to speak up because his weakness was caught. And after glancing at her, when he met his sister’s cold gaze, he quickly added in a mumble.

“Well, I’m just saying it’s not only my fault.”

“You’ve always been stupid but greedy. That’s why you can’t admit when you’re wrong and always blame others. It would have been better if Won-woo was smart and capable.”

“Ha, if you like that useless D-rank bastard so much, why don’t you find him right now and put him in this position!”

When Seong-hyeon couldn’t hold back and shouted, Yoon-im looked at him with cold eyes.

“Be grateful for life that you’re not that D-rank. If you were, you would have been father’s experiment subject.”

“Fuck, I’m telling you I’m not D-rank!”

“Then tell father that.”

At the mention of father, Seong-hyeon’s mouth clamped shut. He was the one who called his sister here. He needed help. He used the media a bit to look good to his father who was fuming over the Gye family’s achievements. It worked well for the first few days and his father’s mood improved, but the problem was the Hong family.

They said they promised to send guides to the Gye family. Ji Geun-oh was furious again and said he couldn’t send one, but the Hong Family was firm.

So Guide One took the reckless step of saying they wouldn’t supply Guides to the Hong family, but this time it didn’t work. Rather, they were upset, saying Guides were being used as weapons to attack Espers.

Moreover, they threatened to withdraw all family affiliated Guides from Guide One.

“Noona, what do we do? Are we just going to watch as the Hong family sends Guides to the North?”

But even Yoon-im seemed to have no solution, just pressing her lips into a hard line. Seong-hyeon asked her reprovingly out of frustration.

“Why did you spread mutant seeds all the way to the Hong family in the first place? You could have at least told me in advance.”

“We didn’t do it to the Hong family.”

Are you sure? When he looked at her with suspicious eyes, Yoon-im gritted her teeth as if suppressing anger.

“Mutant seeds ignite quickly on their own. They grow and burst their eggs in just an hour or two, so we could plant seeds where the Gye family couldn’t see and turn it into monsters. But not the Hong family. All the eggs that were attached to existing monster trees in the Hong family burst.”

“If not mutant seeds… why did they burst then?”

Yoon-im said nothing. Knowing it would be difficult to get an answer, Seong-hyeon frowned in frustration.

“Then we should let them know the Hong family wasn’t because of mutant seeds. Why are we taking the blame for everything unfairly?”

An incredulous laugh burst from Yoon-im’s lips.

“Ha, you think we want to take the blame? What do you think will happen if we talk about mutant seeds with our own mouths? Oh, you’re wronged, do you think we’ll get sympathy? Don’t be ridiculous. We’ll only arouse more suspicion about how we know so much about mutant seeds.”

Seong-hyeon froze with a shocked face before barely managing to throw out one word.

“The situation has become fucked up.”

Yoon-im agreed with her brother’s words. The situation had really become shit. At some point, the Hong family suddenly collapsed, and now the aftermath was spreading to the Yang family. Within the Yang family, the eldest son’s vice head faction rose up over this incident. And they were interrogating their enemy Yang Cheon-hyo about the mutant seeds.

They were displeased from the start that Yang Cheon-hyo joined hands with Ji Geun-oh, a guide, to dominate the Yang family. Guides should just play a supporting role, how dare they try to stand side by side with Espers.

Yoon-im, as a Guide, had experienced firsthand how disgusting that conservative Yang Family was after her marriage. She probably would have cheered even if Ji Geun-oh wasn’t her father. Because it was satisfying that Guides could control Espers. Of course, that power was ultimately all given by Yang Cheon-hyo, the Esper.

“What do we do now?”

At her brother’s question, Yoon-im once again threw a contemptuous glance. If it had been Dong-hyeon at a time like this, they could have at least discussed properly.

Father and Yang Cheon-hyo were not easy to see face to face, perhaps because they had secrets they didn’t tell even Yoon-im. But she was lucky enough to hear them fighting.

“It has to be a Purifier. Only a Purifier can wake the monsters! Fuck, who awakened?”

“But I checked everything at the lab. There were no awakened Guides. Really. Everyone who came to the lab just died from experiments without any results. You know? How much I wanted to create that monster called a Purifier because of the Alpha seeds. If only you hadn’t used too many Alpha seeds…”

“What’s the problem with me using my own seeds?”

Even Yoon-im swallowed at Yang Cheon-hyo’s cold voice. She had suspected it for a long time. Where did the Alpha seed that suddenly fell into her father’s hands come from? So it really was given by Yang Cheon-hyo.

“Are you sure there are no guides who escaped from the lab?”

“I’m sure. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I personally handled each one of those cases. There are no Guides who awakened as Purifiers in the lab.”

“Then that means they awakened outside.”

Awakening. Yoon-im’s eyes narrowed. How can one awaken? As if answering her, Ji Geun-oh’s voice was heard.

“What? The only way to become a Purifier is to cross the threshold of death?”

“Yes, find someone like that.”

“Easier said than done. How do we find someone who’s deliberately hiding…?”

“What about your son?”

Yoon-im’s eyes widened as she eavesdropped, holding her breath. Son? Could it be Won-woo?

“You haven’t found him yet, right? Didn’t your son change after he nearly died at the monster farm?”

Ah. Ji Geun-oh’s exasperated sigh was heard.

“It’s not him. He got the Alpha seed injection.”

“Right, the Alpha seed. That’s poison to Guides. They can never become Purifiers… Then there’s only one possibility.”

“You think he crossed over through the door like you?”

Door? As Yoon-im tilted her head, Yang Cheon-hyo’s resolute voice was heard.

“That’s impossible. Only the old man can open the door, and it’s not in a state to be opened now.”

That was all Yoon-im could overhear. She couldn’t eavesdrop any further due to Yang Cheon-hyo’s subsequent words.

“Still, it bothers me. So you understand, don’t you, niece-in-law? Stop acting like a rat there and find Ji Won-woo.”

Startled by the chilling voice that pierced her ears, Yoon-im retreated and fled from the place. But even in her fear, she could deduce a few important pieces of information.