《Success Oriented Guide》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Translated by Springlila It would be great if we could throw away useless feelings of unrequited love like useless documents. The underground base of the anti-government terrorist organization ¡®Black Swan.¡¯ Seon Jae-chan, a 27-year-old A-class guide chasing them, the youngest team head of the Central Management Headquarters intelligence department on the rise, had never failed anything except love. Blood poured from his throat. His mouth was filled with a bitter taste. The explosion blew him up and knocked him to the ground multiple times. His hearing has been gone. His entire body hurts as if it were on fire, but the world was deafeningly silent. His eardrum had to have shattered. It will be difficult to recover. While chasing a Black Swan with his colleagues, he fell into a trap like an anthill. Dust slowly settled over the raged body. Jae-chan was spread out on the base floor, staring intently at the steel ceiling with bones exposed. Immediately, the colorful light flickered and then the light was turned off. ¡®¡­ Team Leader¡­! ¡­ hand¡­ no¡­!¡¯ All of a sudden, his co-workers were screaming. Cough. Blood spattered. A terribly quiet world. Only the hot bloody smell was evident. The pain that cuts through his whole body¡­ It would have been great if the unexploded ordnance had exploded closer to him. He could have left without seeing anything in an instant. Seon Jae-chan cast a thoughtless glance at a person who was not moving beyond his colleagues. Even though he was buried in the explosion¡¯s debris, he looked at his long time unrequited love. Go Woo-jin. Wind attribute S-class Esper. A person who was once a close friend, a first love, and a person who was appointed as his imprint partner, but never became his. Go Woo-jin cherished a guide. The guide was Nam Hae-sol, who had been saved from the explosion by Jae-chan not long ago. Woo-jin¡¯s lover. Jae-chan swallowed the hot blood as he glanced at her, who was well-protected in Woo-jin¡¯s strong arms. He made another eye contact with Go Woo-jin. He had succeeded in so many projects, but Woo-jin was the only exception. He¡¯s done a lot of bad things in order to have Go Woo-jin. He used the power of his family he was so reluctant to, becoming the guide director¡¯s mean limb and signing a contract with his stepmother to pressure Go Woo-jin. But in the end, he failed miserably. Feelings that would have been abandoned sooner if it was a project. He couldn¡¯t let it go so easily, yet it had to come to an end. He should have ended it sooner. An empty laugh erupted. Still, the reason why he couldn¡¯t let go of his gaze on Go Woo-jin was because he sensed the end of his life. After a long, persistent gaze, their eyes finally met. Go Woo-jin¡¯s eyes were lifeless. Just like dust that scatters. He felt emotions in his black eyes when he couldn¡¯t take his gaze away from him. He must have been disgusted by the look, and that was when he looked away. As he always did in front of Go Woo-jin from some time ago, without shame. ¡®Ceiling¡­ Surveillance cameras, lenses¡­¡¯ He turned his gaze and repeated those words to his colleagues. He found it just before the lights went out completely when he was thrown because of the explosion. He was not sure if his eardrums were damaged and his colleague was getting what he was talking about. Relying on the ringing of the vocal cords and the fluttering of the lips, ¡®ceilings, surveillance cameras, lenses.¡¯ He repeated as clearly as possible. Even if he died, he wanted everyone to get out safely. Ceilings, surveillance cameras, lenses. Jae-chan, who had been repeating like a broken robot over his colleagues crying, suddenly felt the body temperature touch his hand. His bloodshot eyes widened. ¡­ Go Woo-jin, who had just approached him, was holding his hand. He held Nam Hae-sol with one arm, sat next to him, and held his hands. His face was pale as snow and his young expression was silent as if he was only mourning his comrades¡­ It was enough. Ah, Woo Jin-ah. Remorse warmed up in the corners of his eyes. Originally, Go Woo-jin was such a warm person. A person who is willing to reach out to even the worst person in life. He has made such a friend suffer in the name of unrequited love. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, Woo-jin¡­ It was something that should have been said earlier. A regretful force entered the twitching fingertips. Hot tears streamed down his blood and dust soaked cheeks. He couldn¡¯t even apologize to Go Woo-jin, who would be left behind. He just cried. It was fortunate that he saved Nam Hae-sol. His life which was dying from the explosion wound contributed to Go Woo-jin¡¯s happiness for the first time. I should¡¯ve let you go earlier. I should have wished you happiness instead of obsessing and longing for you. His heart felt like it was being ripped apart by regret. He felt he knew how to live properly now, but it was all over. He was relieved at the same time. Go Woo-jin will now get away from him and fly away. Just like the wind that is his attribute. A faint smile spread across his lips as he closed his eyes. As such, Team Leader Seon Jae-chan, a ¡®snake¡¯ of the intelligence service, a human ampler, and a success-oriented human specimen, died during the Black Swan sweeping operation. The world had turned white. Only the calm wind on his broken ear feels like a blessing. * He once heard that heaven is unique. It was said that when people died, they went to the heaven they imagined. So, was this the kind of heaven he was thinking of? Seon Jae-chan looked around in bewilderment. Central Management Center Liberal Arts Building 2nd Classroom. It was a place where the white light that had occupied the field of his vision for a while after death disappeared and was revealed. ¡°The windless zone is a metaphor for an area where infinite ¡®energy¡¯ temporarily stagnates.¡± The expert¡¯s voice from the platform was clear, yet it did not reach Jae-chan¡¯s ears. He took a look around. Terraced seats, roughly 40 students spread out with their laptops, and a lecture screen. Clearly, the Guide¡¯s education officer was correct. It was strange. Heaven couldn¡¯t possibly look like this. He kept looking around, perplexed, until he came to a stop in front of the promotional placard that said, ¡®Frontier Seminar: Strategies for Using the Windless Zone.¡¯ ¡®A windless area?¡¯ His eyes widened when he found the phrase. At the same time, the expert¡¯s voice dug into his ears. ¡°Where the energy that is the source of the psychic manifestation is too concentrated, all of Esper¡¯s abilities and senses are ¡®nullified¡¯ in an instant.¡± That was true. An ¡®energy nullification phenomena¡¯ occurred while entering Black Swan¡¯s underground base, a windless zone. This was why, no matter how hard he tried, the healing Esper who accompanied him couldn¡¯t save Seon Jae-chan¡¯s life. ¡°Perhaps you will encounter a windless zone while on a field mission.¡± Jae-chan heard Professor Noh¡¯s speech become clearer as though the speaker¡¯s volume increased. ¡°You have a high probability of seeing the Aurora at some point in your life. However, the chances of encountering the Windless Zone, which has made the energy nullification area as famous as a black hole, are extremely slim.¡± Now that he saw it, the expert was a well-known professor of Esper phenomenology, whom the liberal arts center had repeatedly invited. He remembered hearing a seminar about windless locations before. Maybe it was then? Seon Jae-chan realized that this was a moment in the past. The Guide Bureau used to invite celebrities to hold seminars once a month. It seemed to be one of those memories. Were his memories could be this realistic? ¡®No. It¡¯s neither memory nor heaven.¡¯ It¡¯s like¡­ It seemed real. His five senses were fully active. Everything that caught his eye, the professor¡¯s voice, the occasional light typing sound, the feel of his thin short-sleeved shirt, the cold air from the air conditioner on his bare arms, even the cramped toes in his sneakers. He took a look around. Park Yu-ram, a former classmate he hadn¡¯t seen in years, sat there as if it were reality. She was looking serious while playing a game on her laptop, pretending to look for lesson materials. Fingerprint-stained glasses, pale lips, long, loosely tied hair¡­ His mouth opened blankly as he observed Park Yu-ram. What. Why was it so realistic! His toes in his sneakers wiggled like crazy. Professor Noh¡¯s voice broke through again in Seon Jae-chan¡¯s ears, who opened his eyes. ¡°Actually, twenty-one years ago, Noah Airy had acquired foresight through the miracle of the Energy Nullification Area. As is well known, she later became the defender of the American Confederation, the undefeated goddess.¡± He wrinkled his brow slowly. He straightened his eyes and crossed his arms. He wanted to see how far this overly realistic dream would go. ¡°She is the proof of a miracle.¡± A miracle in the windless area. According to the theory, when you were swept away by an intangible explosion that appears in highly concentrated energy with a very rare probability, you gain the ability to transcend your psychic ability, like Noah Airy. Yes, it was an unproven theory. Just as the probability of winning the lottery changes from 0% to 0.00000012% when you buy a lottery ticket, even if you accidentally enter a windless area, the probability of being swept away by an explosion of energy was extremely small. Even if Seon Jae-chan and his team broke through a very small probability at the base of the Black Swan, it would not have been him who achieved a miracle. Because he¡¯s dead. Alright. There will be no miracles, and he must have died. But why did this feel so real? It felt like he was alive. The realistic feelings were scary now. Jae-chan once again looked at the classmates next to him, the invited professor, and the lecture hall. While sitting like that, the moments of chasing a black swan, getting caught up in an explosion, saving Nam Hae-sol, and letting go of regrets for Go Woo-jin felt more like a dream. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 SECTION 1. Twenty-one again Translated by Springlila The seminar ended two hours later. Meanwhile, Seon Jae-chan had been pinching his body 20 times, asking a colleague next to him to hit him, fumbled to take out his cell phone to look at his face (which had been smashed 6 years ago), and was mesmerized by his youthful face. He was even criticized by the professor. The crowd of Guides dispersed after a brief question-and-answer session and discussion. Jae-chan¡¯s mind was as hectic as the hallway which was full of people at the time. ¡°Seon Jae-chan, you crazy, why are you so fucking mean!¡± The event item was gone because of you! Park Yu-ram, a classmate who followed him, slapped him on the back and made him realize it again. It was extremely painful. It wasn¡¯t a dream at all. This was reality. Avoiding the palm of Park Yoo-ram, who was as good as a volleyball player, he stared at the well-organized corridors of the liberal arts center where people left. It felt like only yesterday that Black Swan¡¯s raid destroyed this place¡­ Maybe, really. Perhaps the miracle of the windless area had sent him back to six years ago. He went back to the past. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s heart began to beat faster little by little. *** One day in the past, in his early twenties. The Guide Bureau hosted a celebration for new guides who had completed their probationary period. The venue was decorated with the sound of firecrackers and champagne exploding here and there, as well as loud laughter that made the eardrums tingle. Seon Jae-chan attended as a senior Guide and was sipping a glass of champagne. Unlike his brightly smiling face, his insides seemed to be twisting. He never considered¡­ Go Woo-jin came as a companion of the new guide, Nam Hae-sol. At this fucking hairless party, which was decorated with pearl balloons and bubble flowers, they were brightly smiling like a real couple. Seon Jae-chan didn¡¯t pay attention to the two friendly people and only drank the transparent champagne, not knowing what it tasted like. The fortunate thing was that Go Woo-jin and Nam Hae-sol happened exactly as he ¡®expected.¡¯ As expected, measures have already been taken. Before getting more drunk, Seon Jae-chan took a clear step toward Go Woo-jin and Nam Hae-sol. ¡®Congratulations on completing your probationary period, Guide Nam Hae-sol.¡¯ He congratulated her while observing her light-colored dress. The luxurious material of the dress, the obviously high price, and her obvious financial situation. Several thoughts ran through his mind. It was obvious that Go Woo-jin had bought her dress. The twisted stomach tightened even more. ¡®I have something to say to Woo-jin. Can you please leave for a moment?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s okay. Stay here.¡¯ Go Woo-jin then opened his mouth. A low voice accompanied by extremely restrained emotions. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s eyes widened. He wasn¡¯t dressed in party clothing, just his Esper military uniform, and he protected Nam Hae-sol like an escort knight. For a brief moment, the corners of Jae-chan¡¯s lips rose in the opposite direction, as if his feet were collapsing at Woo-jin¡¯s dependable demeanor toward others. He knew how to deal with Go Woo-jin in such a situation. It was extremely difficult to have the heart, but it was easy to tightly grip the reins. ¡®Well, having Nam Hae-sol here would make it better.¡¯ That one sentence was enough. Seon Jae-chan, who read the story of the shepherd boy as a child, never said anything nonsense. Go Woo-jin¡¯s eyes narrowed at that confident tone. The eyes of the two people, who were once close friends and pair guides, were intertwined as if frozen. In the end, Go Woo-jin sent Nam Hae-sol away. ¡®Say it.¡¯ It was said as soon as the Guide Nam Hae-sol moved away. Still, Go Woo-jin¡¯s worried gaze continued to follow her as delicate as a single flower that has fallen on the other side. ¡®A new gardener came into my parents¡¯ house. I personally recommended it.¡¯ Seon Jae-chan continued to speak while narrowing his eyes and holding back the shimmering drunkenness. ¡®That person¡¯s name¡­ Was it Mr. Nam Myung-sung?¡¯ Go Woo-jin¡¯s eyes slowly returned to Seon Jae-chan. His cold-like ice gaze struck him like lightning. As the fierce gaze locked on him as if it was going to pierce his stomach, emotions arose that he couldn¡¯t tell whether they were joy or despair. He then laughed uncontrollably. ¡®Oh my gosh. Do you already know Nam Hae-sol¡¯s father¡¯s name?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t decide whether to be happy because he could talk to him or depressed because Go Woo-jin was close enough to Nam Hae-sol that he knew his father¡¯s name. Seon Jae-chan twisted the corners of his mouth in the midst of conflicting emotions. He lifted the champagne glass from his grasp. ¡®Don¡¯t worry. He was a good man. That man loved working at my house. Well¡­ I don¡¯t know what will happen if he makes a mistake.¡¯ There was no limit to what a person could do. Jae-chan tapped Woo-jin¡¯s broad shoulder in silence. He turned his back. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s lips rose slowly as he walked without hesitation. As he was sure, Go Woo-jin was following him. ¡®What do you want.¡¯ A very low-pitched questioning voice was heard. When Jae-chan turned around slowly, he met his calm, but dark eyes, which concealed the eerie depth of his gaze. That¡¯s the question Woo-jin-a. What do I want? Jae-chan was lost in thought. If he had run into himself a few years later, he expected to be stabbed in the back of the head one after the other in an attempt to calm himself down. *** Back to the present. Central Management Headquarters Guide¡¯s Accommodation. ¡­! Seon Jae-chan, who had dreamed of a moment in the past, awoke bouncing out of bed. His heart was pounding so hard. Crazy¡­ You were crazy, you crazy! He hurriedly looked around while hurling abusive language at his former self. He lived in the Guide¡¯s dormitory until he was transferred to the intelligence agency. He barely regained his sense of reality as he gazed out the window, and saw the setting sun in his eyes. Thank God. The truly regrettable events haven¡¯t happened yet. He also did not threaten Go Woo-jin with Guide Nam Hae-sol¡¯s father, and the tragic events that followed have yet to happen. He stretched out his arms as he felt relieved. He looked at the clock on the wall. 18:39. He slept for over an hour despite only intending to close his eyes for a few minutes after work. It was the third day since he had returned to the age of twenty-one. In the aftermath of the dream, Jae-chan, who was reflecting on a few events from his past, sighed in distress. He had no idea when he was caught up in the emotion of obsession beyond unrequited love. He was well aware of it now. Only for Go Woo-jin that he became an idiot and the worst villain. In addition to threatening Nam Hae-sol for being a guide, there were many things that he regretted. He got out of bed after burying his face in one hand and swearing at his former self for a long time. He intended to wash his hair and cool down his head. Seon Jae-chan came out from the warm bathroom twenty minutes later, carrying a towel over his shoulder. The air conditioner blew cool air over his damp skin. Beep. He adjusted the temperature with the remote control and looked around. It was because he was still unfamiliar with his own reflection in the mirror. Six years later, his eyes were cold enough that he was nicknamed ¡®Snake,¡¯ and his cheeks were clean despite having wet hair. A small dot in an ambiguous location that had been ripped out along with a deep wound was lodged on his slimy cheek instead of a half-moon-shaped white scar. He looked like a docile person like this. No matter how he looked at it, he wrinkled his brow at the stranger that was himself and sat down in front of the laptop. The desk was cluttered with various printed materials, library books and papers, and tablet PCs. He hasn¡¯t been able to sleep for the past three days. It was difficult to accept the reality, but he needed to plan for the future ahead of time. In fact, he wanted to run out as soon as he realized he had returned to the past. He wanted to see Go Woo-jin. He had been struggling with this feeling for over ten years. Didn¡¯t Go Woo-jin hold his hand for the first time in years just before he died? It was a sweet touch between an Esper and a Guide. Like a drop of water on dry lips, he wanted to feel it again right away. But the bitterness of failure was stronger than the sweetness of a moment. If he acted according to his impulses, If he acts on his impulses, he will end up living a hellish life, just as he has in the past. Meanwhile, he could be defeated by the Black Swan and die again. That was how he got over his desire to see Go Woo-jin. Instead, he made a plan. He was pushed to work as a Guide during the day, but after work, he stayed up all night organizing his past in his room. Everything was listed, including the sequence of events, the context, the people involved, facts, speculations, and rumors. So, what was completed in three days was the project in front of him. [SUCCESS PROJECT] He scuffed the mouse wheel. A table of contents containing only the names of major events that will take place over the next six years was revealed. Separated into personal and public events. [Personal Events] 1. Kim Geun-won¡¯s death 2. Parents divorced 3. Aunt Esper¡¯s disease 4. Go Woo-jin¡¯s sight loss Woo-jin has lost his sight. Even thinking about it again makes him feel as if his heart was being pierced. It was because of the Black Swan. He had the most perfect eye surgery but how uncomfortable it must have been. Seon Jae-chan took a deep breath. He decided to protect both Go Woo-jin and his calm eyes this time. Chapter 3 1. Kim Geun-won¡¯s death No. 1 is also related to Go Woo-jin. It was also the first thing to happen in chronological order. It was the 20th of August, an incident that would take place a few days from now. It was the day after the biggest typhoon of the year passed, so he was lucky enough to infer the date. Kim Geun-won was Go Woo-jin¡¯s close older brother and a wide-ranging guide. When Seon Jae-chan, the pair guide, was unable to go on-site support, Kim Geun-won played the role. After Kim Geun-won¡¯s death in an absurd accident, Go Woo-jin suffered as if he had lost his family. And¡­ One of the guides who came to succeed Kim Geun-won later was Nam Hae-sol, and she. ¡°¡­¡± ¡®It is not selfish to try to save Kim Geun-won.¡¯ Jae-chan clenched the mouse as he hesitated. He deserved to live. He didn¡¯t mind imagining Go Woo-jin and Nam Hae-sol smiling at each other anymore. Rather, he was happy when he imagined Go Woo-jin smiling with his usual twinkling eyes. He continued to scroll. [Official Incident] 1. A large number of explosives were found buried at a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the inauguration of President Gyeong Jeon-seok 2. Universal Park hostage 3. The kidnapping of the President¡¯s niece Hanroy 4. A group of guides suffered a mental disorder while in pursuit of a drug distribution group 5. Protests and explosions at nuclear power plants in Area 5 6. Rebel ¡®Black Swan¡¯ appeared 4 years later ©¸ Link to ¡®Black Swan¡¯ related incident Jae-chan paid attention to the last item #6. ¡®Black Swan¡¯. An anti-government radical terrorist group that is rapidly emerging four years from now. It was too late at first to realize the truth because they assumed it was just an Esper gang. It was too late when it was later discovered that there were spies in the intelligence service, and when the traitors were apprehended and a countermeasure was hastily prepared. It was after Black Swan had engulfed the entire society, like mold digging into the dark beneath the wallpaper. In fact, six years later, Black Swan had occupied the eastern portion of District 1 by force. ¡®The Ross Clinic incident happened then.¡¯ There was a clinic in the east where his aunt was hospitalized for Esper¡¯s disease. Jae-chan¡¯s blood dried out every day during the Black Swan executions. Because his aunt was the only precious person to Jae-chan along with Go Woo-jin. ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense for such a huge group to suddenly rise.¡¯ Surely it will still be active. There must be a link between these. Jae-chan went through the big events that he had listed again. This time, Jae-chan was planning to go out to the field and dig the traces of them with his own hands. Prepare thoroughly and gain the upper hand in the war. He bit his lip and scrolled up again. [Project Goal: ( )] There were still blanks left. The most important aspect of this project was its goal. Jae-chan¡¯s life goal before returning was to be ¡®successful.¡¯ The strong eat the weak, and the weak were eaten by the strong. The winner takes it all. He considered it to be a firm life motto. He accelerated up the promotion road. He became the best by successively changing the color of the rank, the epaulets, and the youngest title one after another. He was not happy at all. In the first place¡­ ¡®I wanted Woo-jin.¡¯ He wanted to be successful in order to have Go Woo-jin. He thought that Go Woo-jin would love him if he dressed up with success. He thought that if he became more successful and well-known, Woo-jin, who had been estranged from him for some time, would return to him. It was the thought of a 20-year-old nerd who was emotionally immature. Go Woo-jin was simply tired of his selfish behavior and walked away. Seon Jae-chan opened the messenger app as soon as he remembered it. Unlike other chat rooms at this time of year, Woo-chat jin¡¯s window was quiet. He only sends text messages twice or three times per month, but they were left on read. Jae-chan checked the last text message he sent. [Woojin-ah, did you get home safely? Haha You look a bit tired today~!! 2:53 a.m] What was this stupid ¡®haha¡¯? And the tilde? Why did he use the exclamation mark? The content was also strange. It has been a certain period of time since it was sent. Aaaaak. ¡°¡­¡± It was once again the worst. The messenger was also the core device, which was only used for business purposes, and former Central Intelligence Agency team leader Seon Jae-chan used it for other meanings. Haa. Jae-chan sighed deeply. ¡®It was kind of a miserable thought to have a man like this.¡¯ Jae-chan straightened his upper body as he leaned over the keyboard. He typed again. It was embarrassing, but he wrote down his previous life¡¯s hidden purpose. [Previous life goal: to have Go Woo-jin.] A terrible hidden goal that made you cringe. Tap-tap e tapped the backspace key twice. This should never be pursued. A new goal was needed. The opposite of the strong eating the weak, and the weak being eaten by the strong was win-win cooperation! Jae-chan remembered the moment he died. Woo-jin gripped his hand tightly. The body¡¯s warm temperature. He was proud of himself for saving Go Woo-jin¡¯s lover, Nam Hae-sol. He was glad. He hadn¡¯t tasted such a perfect sweetness in years. Win-win cooperation. Jae-chan¡¯s fingers tapped on the keyboard vigorously while he muttered his plan. [New project goal: To help Go Woo-jin.] Seon Jae-chan revised the text while contemplating the new goal on the screen. [New Project Goal: To help those you care about.] Blink, blink. The cursor cast a clear light. ¡®To help those you care about.¡¯ He liked it. His previous life, which was solely dedicated to Go Woo-jin, was riddled with failures. He currently had only Go Woo-jin and his aunt as precious people, but he thought it would be a good idea to have more precious people. He also thought that, unlike sacrifice, the word ¡®help¡¯ meant ¡®survival.¡¯ It was also possible to help someone by defeating and surviving the Black Swan. This time, he had a feeling that he would be able to live well. Hope sprouts. This was the time to make a proud promise to live a successful life. Bam! Bam! A knock on the door startled him awake. Jae-chan stood up with the laptop running a temporary security program. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering the phone?¡± It was Park Yu-ram who came to the guide¡¯s dorm. She was exhausted and stood sullenly outside the front door, wearing her glasses. He appeared to be too preoccupied with the past. Jae-chan analyzed the cause of her puffing. Come to think of it, it seems like he hadn¡¯t seen Park Yoo-ram in the past few years. And she kept yelling. ¡°You promised to return the books and papers by yesterday!¡± Tsk. Jae-chan clicked his tongue. ¡°Sorry. I will return it today.¡± ¡°Whatever, do it now! Do you know what I heard from the librarian?¡± Yoo-ram pushed Jae-chan away. She entered the room without hesitation. Jae-chan bought dinner three days ago in exchange for making Park Yu-ram lose the chance to get the event item. During the conversation, Jae-chan recalled how she used to volunteer at the central library, so he unofficially borrowed dozens of books and papers on the condition that he return them within two days. There were materials among them that could only be read inside the library, so it was a situation that could make her angry in various ways. ¡°Hurry up.¡± Yu-ram said as she looked around the guide¡¯s dormitory, which had two beds in one large room. Jae-chan, who turned on another light, was concerned about being alone with a 21-year-old girl, so he hung his roe foot on the front door. He threw the towel over his shoulder and grabbed the folding suitcase from the built-in wardrobe. Yu-ram¡¯s face softened as he unfolded it and began to place the materials to be returned. ¡°Why do you need all this information?¡± She asked. In fact, it was mostly useless information. Other information was also distributed evenly to avoid suspicion later. It was a precautionary measure that Jae-chan could take right now. ¡°I suddenly have a strong desire to read something. Have you never been so before?¡± He asked roughly. Librarian volunteers seemed to like books. Eventually, she affirmed. ¡°There are times like that for me, too. When I want to read books. Not so many, though.¡± Yu-ram blinked over her round glasses as she responded. She was actually in a state of panic. She couldn¡¯t believe she was having such a normal conversation with the genius young master, Seon Jae-chan. The change began three days ago at the cultural center. Jae-chan approached her first, making an odd request to hit him and even asking for help. He asked to lend him about a hundred books as if he was possessed. Yu-ram honestly spat out on Seon Jae-Chan¡¯s clean face rather than just staring. ¡°You are unexpected.¡± ¡°What.¡± ¡°You know. I hit you really hard, but you didn¡¯t wince at all. No matter how much you asked me to do it, I was a little nervous when I hit you. Besides, we eat together and you asked for help. It was weird. Guys like you don¡¯t make much contact with someone like me, do they?¡± Yu-ram was embarrassed again after saying it all. ¡®Ah, guys like you¡­¡¯ It was time to apologize and make excuses. Jae-chan then replied. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I am aware that I am a jerk. I used my parents¡¯ support, going out with anyone, and avoiding field work.¡± Seon Jae-chan told the facts. He said it casually. In fact, he only hung out with high-class guides from a good family at the time. He was still a jerk, but it had been much worse in his youth. He was at his peak at twenty-three years old. A steadfast opportunist with an unstable gold spoon. It was the story that was going around behind him. His nickname ¡®snake¡¯ did not change even after he left the intelligence service. Chapter 4 Jae-chan¡¯s temperament had been strained by his difficult social life, desperate failures, and death. It would have been difficult to change the selfish attitude that had developed over time if it hadn¡¯t been for that. ¡®Avoiding fieldwork in particular was a problem.¡¯ Go Woo-jin, who always responds with ignorance, was enraged. In contrast to general guides, who were always at the forefront, Jae-chan was assigned to the office job first. Even if he went to the field, he would only be responsible for rear support. ¡®This time, I have to go on my own. Only then can the Black Swan¡¯s truth be captured.¡¯ It was not enough to just sit at the desk and look at the report. It was time for Jae-chan to solidify his mind once again. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll just say this much. Not too much.¡± Yu-ram, who thought Jae-Chan was disheartened, said in the sudden silence. ¡°You can do better from now on.¡± She wrinkled her nose. Jae-chan laughed at Park Yu-ram¡¯s words, which she correctly pointed out. All right. He should do better from now on. Yu-ram also smiled as she straightened the glasses on the tip of her nose. ¡°If you¡¯re finished, let¡¯s go. However, your roommate seems to be as good as the rumors say.¡± She pointed to the empty bed. Jae-chan, who was pushing the carrier¡¯s wheel, abruptly stopped. Roommate. He arrived at the center when he was 14 years old and insisted on a double room for a long time before being assigned to the intelligence service. He didn¡¯t care who his roommate was because he had many, but when Yu-ram said that, it was said that his roommate was famous. ¡®It¡¯s the summer when he was twenty-one years old¡­ At this time, my roommate¡­¡¯ It was when Jae-chan¡¯s lips wrinkled strangely that he remembered a face. ¡°What?¡± Yu-ram lifted her head and checked her pockets. Beep, the two pagers were ringing urgently. Tempo Red. The face of his roommate, whom he remembered in an emergency three or four times a year, vanished to the other side. Jae-chan, on the other hand, immediately remembered the emergency at this time of year. His feet came to a stop and stiffened. ¡°Seon Jae-chan! Aren¡¯t you going?¡± Yu-ram, who was running ahead, called out. Hurry! When he heard the signal, he picked up the ID card that was lying on the desk. He began to run, waving his name tag string, but he was not at ease. ¡­ He¡¯d run into Go Woo-jin if he went this way. He wasn¡¯t quite prepared to meet him yet. Jae-chan¡¯s head was spinning even after he joined the other Guides on the way. *** Central Administration Headquarters Emergency Guidance Center. There was a commotion around the area with the beeping sirens and the Espers coming one after another. Dozens of stabilizing equipment installed throughout the center quickly filled up. The emergency center manager shouted in the midst of the commotion. ¡°Guide without ID card! Come this way! Come over here!¡± Park Yu-ram, who came from Jae-chan¡¯s room, was the case. She ran to get a temporary guide card, and Jae-chan hung the ID card he brought with him on the tracksuit. ¡°Guide!¡± The apprentice called them at the entrance. As he ran, Jae-chan felt the thoughts of Go Woo-jin, which had filled his head with nothing to worry about disappeared. ¡°This is an emergency!¡± The apprentice shouted. The sharp waves emitted by the fainted Esper on the emergency bed stiffened Jae-chan¡¯s fingertips, but he clenched his teeth. Ignoring the tingling sensation that was acting like a trauma, he stuck next to the running emergency bed. When Tempo Red comes up, all guides in the center must keep Esper calm until a pair guide or a guide with a high matching rate arrives. This Esper was now his responsibility. ¡°What is really going on with this? The on-site guides say they can¡¯t guide them all!¡± The apprentice pushed the emergency bed and shouted outrageously. This was the reason why Tempo Red appeared in an event that should be normal. ¡°Yes, I heard. Was this esper sedated?¡± Jae-chan rushed forward, grabbing the unconscious Esper¡¯s hand. He began guiding right away. It smelled like smoke on a fire scene. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± The perplexed apprentice nodded. ¡°He took anti-epinen! It¡¯s physics esper!¡± Jae-chan turned to face the unconscious Esper. A man who appears to be in his late twenties. The mind state was a mess, whether it was due to the constitution not working well with the guiding or because it was too much. Jae-chan was guiding with one hand while turning on his phone and checking the app with the other. Ring. The guide app recognized the chip inside the Esper just in time. [Heo Moon-gi (Esper C) ¨C Seon Jae-chan (Guide A) Expected Matching Rate: 25%] The expected match rate was calculated and provided by the program based on the results of the national Esper-Guide wavelength screening conducted at the beginning of every year. The member of an apprentice¡¯s team who fixed the bed also saw the matching rate. ¡°I¡¯ll install the amplifier!¡± The apprentice shouted. The amplifier was a device that forcibly and momentarily boosted the matching rate. It is only used in an emergency because frequent use is prohibited. Jae-chan tucked his phone away in the pocket of his workout clothes. The wheeled amplifier arrived. The device bears the logo of J company, the largest multinational pharmaceutical medical company in the union. When Jae-chan stared at the letter ¡°J¡± in the logo, a flashback to the past immediately entered his thoughts. ¡°Guide! Are you going to put the amplifier on?¡± The paramedic who activated the device shouted. It was because the guide was still guiding. The matching rate was only 25%, no matter how A-Class it was, guiding without an amplifier was like pouring water into a bottomless pit. If the grade is a lethality, the matching rate is the same as the hit rate. Whether it was a bomb or a pistol, you have to aim and see the target accurately to have an impact. ¡°Please install it. I¡¯ll be the guide. It¡¯s better than nothing!¡± Jae-chan said quickly. What a useless thing to do. The apprentice clicked his tongue while still attaching electrode pads to Esper¡¯s limbs. On the other hand, Jae-chan was adjusting himself to the wavelength of the tangled Esper. He closed his eyes habitually and he could feel the densely intertwined influx more clearly. Jae-chan was sensitive to wavelength during the national standard guide inspection, which may have been due to the fact that he had been guiding since he was in his early teens. Before regressing, at the age of 27, he pulled off the impressive achievement of increasing the fundamental matching rate against all Esper. Thanks to that, he was given the exaggerated nickname of ¡°Human Amplifier¡±. The question is whether the guiding skills of that time are still possible¡­ ¡®It¡¯s working.¡¯ Even though the Esper¡¯s wavelength had a rather dense texture, it had a weak repelling force. It meticulously and painstakingly melted the guiding wavelength, as though conforming the casting¡¯s shape to the formwork¡¯s peculiar shape. The knotted threads started to untangle themselves bit by bit. ¡°Huh?¡± The apprentice made a startled sound. Beep. The amplifier showed a progressive rise in the wavelength stability. 46, 51, 56¡­ It finally surpassed the stable value of 60. Even with no amplifier. The apprentice team looked at the guide electrode that he had in his hand, which had not yet been removed from the plastic. ¡°It seems that there was an error in the expected matching rate.¡± Jae-chan said as an excuse after opening his eyes. In fact, he was surprised too. He didn¡¯t expect that his guiding skills would remain unchanged from before his return. It appeared that guiding ability was based on mental experience separate from the body. They just needed to wait for Esper¡¯s pair guide to show up. It happened as Jae-chan was about to release his hold on him. The Esper¡¯s eyes opened abruptly. Jae-chan felt a sense of rejection that had been delayed for a moment as he faced the greedy stare as though seeking water. ¡°Heo Moon-gi Esper, wait a minute!¡± Despite the apprentice¡¯s shouts, it was already too late. The semi-conscious Esper hugged the guide. Seon Jae-chan gave up on the physical Esper¡¯s dominance over him once he instantly and imperceptibly grasped his body. He had simply made the decision to give one hug in his all-out effort to survive. Esper¡¯s odd relationship with the Guide resulted in numerous instances of this happening. ¡­ One hug is enough, right? It was a time when Esper was startled because Jae-chan had wrapped his waist too tightly. Somewhere, a wind blew across Jae-chan¡¯s hair. A powerful arm simultaneously encircled his body. Jae-chan turned around as his back and shoulder came into contact with what felt like a rock-like muscle. ¡°¡­ ?¡± He was met with dark, ferocious eyes. Ah. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s mouth widened. He had no choice but to do so. Over his forehead, his black hair was slightly disheveled. Expressionless face. Black eyes that seem to be penetrating through the person. A massive wavelength that suddenly poured into the body. It was Go Woo-jin, the one he thought about as he ran here. *** The apprentice thought today was full of surprises. He saw an A-Class Guide, and the 25% matching rate stabilizes the Esper even without the amplifier. These two were surprising enough, but he couldn¡¯t believe seeing an S-Class Esper up close like this. The S-Class Esper, who couldn¡¯t be counted with hands, was like a celebrity in the union. That was why the A-class guide was also surprised. Everyone was the same in front of celebrities. ¡®But was Esper Go Woo-jin the type to blow cold wind like that?¡¯ The apprentice team took a look at Go Woo-jin, who had much bigger proportions that looked like a different race. Go Woo-jin was popular among S-Class Espers, possibly due to his attractive appearance and young age. Naturally, he was frequently featured in the media¡­ Chapter 5 TW: Sexual harassment (Past tense) ¡®After all, I can¡¯t trust the broadcast.¡¯ It was unlike the way he softly smiled while holding the rescued abandoned dog. Eek. The crew took a step back after thoroughly inspecting Esper Go Woo-jin¡¯s eyes. Beastly eyes. The inhuman ferocity that only Espers can create is slammed into their black eyes like a tiger who revealed its fang. He understood that the guide was frozen. ¡°Guide! Please especially guide Esper Go Woo-jin! ¡± The apprentices rushed out of the seat, fiddling with the pager. Meanwhile, Seon Jae-chan, a pitiful guide who receives Go Woo-jin¡¯s gloomy gaze, had a different thought. ¡®Oh my gosh¡­¡¯ Go Woojin, you¡­ ¡­ ¡­ You were so pretty. He also thought Park Yu-ram, a classmate, was young. That was why Park Yu-ram, who was not very close, quickly became comfortable with him. He thought of the chick apprentices with young faces who followed him as the team leader and called him team leader every time they saw him. Jae-chan was subtly weak in the face of young people who couldn¡¯t stand up to him or compete with him. But 21-year-old Go Woo-jin. ¡®Really pretty.¡¯ Woo-jin was wearing a black and blue combat uniform. There was smoke and a musty odor all over the military uniform, most likely from the fire, but it didn¡¯t feel disorganized. Jae-chan looked at Go Woo-jin¡¯s smooth stretched nose, slightly rounded jawline, and straight forehead covered in soot. And Jae-chan stared at him with his mouth open and his eyes shining. It was all the more shocking because he had never seen Go Woo-jin as a youngster. Go Woo-jin was like an older brother, always mature, patient, and tall¡­ The object he desired to rely on was such a young existence. He was both beautiful and sad. Jae-chan was moved by his clear eyes. Seon Jae-chan was caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. Only after Go Woo-jin pushed him away did he come to his senses. ¡°¡­Are you all right?¡± He asked while holding the emergency bed. Perhaps Go Woo-jin hugged him because of his instinctive desire for guiding. It had to be because he had temporarily regained his rationality. Jae-chan smiled cautiously as he met the cold eyes staring at him. Those are the same eyes. Still, it is soft in comparison to the contemptuous gaze a few years later. ¡°Excuse me. Could you please go somewhere else¡­¡± Esper Huh Moon-gi, who was conscious at the time, made a painful sound. Normally, the wavelength has little effect on the Esper, but Go Woo-jin had so much energy that it appeared to afflicted him because he had just recovered. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the guiding room.¡± Jae-chan lowered his voice. At the same time, he noticed Go Woo-jin¡¯s eyes turning red. Even his soft breath from the small gaps between the teeth could be heard. They made their way to the nearest guiding room. Go Woo-jin was the first to enter and then Jae-chan closed the door. People¡¯s shouts, pagers, amps running, and so on were further away. There was only silence left. Woo-jin¡¯s face, which had appeared dazed for a moment, frowned uncomfortably at first glance. Jae-chan, who was surprised by his sternly wary gesture, remembered one thing. ¡®Crazy.¡¯ Why did you do that, 21-year-old Seon Jae-chan? When Jae-chan was guiding in an enclosed space, he would hug Go Woo-jin as if he had been waiting for the moment. He even had skinship with guiding as an excuse. ¡®I¡¯m really trash.¡¯ Knowing how terrible unwanted skinship is, why did he do that back then? A sigh came out of his mouth. Jae-chan, who was concerned, moved slowly. One step at a time. White sneakers with crumpled heels approached the large military walker. Go Woojin raised his head. With every step closer, Jae-chan stopped as if he was getting permission. If he didn¡¯t react, he took another step. ¡°¡­¡± Finally, the two got closer. Jae-chan gently took his large hand in his, as if he were touching a delicate small animal or a wild beast that would bite him. Jae-chan was aware that his eyes were following him, but he did not look at them. With his other hand, he slowly drew the stool against the wall while attempting to guide him. He sat there, and Go Woo-jin sat on the extra bed slowly. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll start.¡± He asked for permission. After stepping on his selfish desire to kiss his large, well-shaped hands, Seon Jae-chan began guiding him seriously. The hand was thick and warm, and it was too difficult to hold with both hands. The unique cool body scent is easily caught, even beyond the stinky smell of smoke. Jae-chan tried not to be distracted by Go Woo-jin, who took over his five senses. The wave that was churning like a tsunami subsided after about 20 minutes of hard work. It was done faster than expected. ¡®Is the matching rate with this guy also increased?¡¯ At the time it has been a long time since Nam Hae-sol, an A-class guide who had an excellent matching rate became Woo-jin¡¯s pair, and the exact matching rate has not been measured for a long time. Go Woo-jin and Nam Hae-sol had a 92% matching rate. A matching rate of more than 80% is also excellent, and a matching rate of more than 90% became a hot topic. The matching rate between Go Woo-jin and himself, on the other hand, was only 67% when it was last measured three years ago. Rather, it was a number that fell by the wayside when compared to when they first formed the pair at the age of 18. ¡®How much will it be now?¡¯ He was curious but then shook his head. It¡¯s not important. After all, he had no need to guide Go Woo-jin anymore. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± It was time to let go of the wave as soon as the wave stabilized. Woo-jin pushed him away first, his focus returning to his tired eyes. Startled. Jae-chan¡¯s hand, which had bounced off hard, stopped in the air. A wary, piercing gaze flew in at the same time. His heart ached. Suddenly, he thought, what if that cold gaze looked at him warmly? What if he told Go Woo-jin about his return? And that he has changed, then¡­ Would it be possible to build a good relationship with Go Woo-jin? ¡®Wake up.¡¯ He needed to come to his senses at the very least. He couldn¡¯t believe he had so many regrets. He¡¯s only seen Go Woo-jin once, but he already thinking of something else. Where did your promise to abandon your greed and help your loved ones go? He has already done bad things to Go Woo-jin countless times. He turned to face Woo-jin. The words he chose to tell him when they first met were said firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He wanted to put him at ease as soon as possible. In order to do that¡­ ¡°I will quit being your pair guide.¡± He had to keep the most terrible thing away from Go Woo-jin, and that was him. *** ¡°I will quit being your pair guide.¡± Inside the quiet guiding room. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s voice, who was sitting on the stool, rang out. It was a decision he made the moment he realized he had returned to the past. Even while guiding just now, Go Woo-jin could not let go of his vigilance. He remembered how comfortable he looked when he was guided by Nam Hae-sol in the past. After a long period of feeling inferior, Jae-chan finally studied the guide Nam Hae-sol¡¯s facial expressions, tone of voice, and behavior. He was told he couldn¡¯t learn it in a single day, but he did. In other words, he wasn¡¯t very good at making Go Woo-jin feel comfortable or happy. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Go Woo-jin spoke up for the first time. It was a low, clear voice that was slightly hoarse. A line was slowly drawn between his straight forehead. Seon Jae-chan struggled to endure the pain in his stomach. Didn¡¯t he repeat it endlessly at the moment he died? He should have let him go sooner. ¡°You don¡¯t have to wait any longer. I¡¯ll tell the guide bureau that we aren¡¯t a pair anymore. I¡¯m going to ask them to remove my name from your guide list.¡± Of course, the imprint will go beyond the water. He gave up emotionally two years ago after seeing Nam Hae-sol and Go Woo-jin grow closer. Jae-chan, who had returned, had given up on the imprint once more. He quickly let go of his vain dream. ¡°You won¡¯t see me from now on.¡± Despite the sadness in his heart, he liked the calm voice that came out. Seon Jae-chan, as a member of the intelligence agency, was skilled at handling emotions. He didn¡¯t want to make Woo-jin uncomfortable if he expressed his regret, but it was a good thing. It was time to deal with the loss that was twisting in his heart. A loud noise was heard all of a sudden. Jae-chan raised his head in response to the noise. The twisted red lips, as if in shock, came into view. Dark brows that were wrinkled to the peak. ¡°It¡¯s always your way. The confession, no notice of termination.¡± Jae-chan looked at Go Woo-jin with a bewildered look. Because of words that he couldn¡¯t understand for a moment. Confession? ¡­ While organizing the ¡®SUCCESS PROJECT¡¯ file, Jae-chan consciously tried not to recall his personal memories with Go Woo-jin. It was hard just to think about the immature moments that only filled his greed. So, he put off the whole memory associated with him. Oh. A memory came rushing back later. Seon Jae-chan brought up a memory that had been buried deep in his head. No way¡­ Unexpectedly at this point in time, he hesitantly put in his mouth the biggest black history of his life that had been forgotten. ¡°I¡­ Have I already confessed to you?¡± He was so embarrassed that his voice rang out trembling. Chapter 6 Go Woo-jin raised his black eyes as if confused, then hardened his lips once more to be scary. ¡°What do you mean already. Just in case you¡¯re wondering, confession means you came to my house in a frenzy and screamed. Do you have anything else to confess?¡± Damn it. Jae-chan heard Woo-jin¡¯s words and realized that it was a possible situation. It was the worst. Hey, you crazy bastard! If he had returned, he should have gone before he confessed to this guy! There was a difference between the heavens and the earth between one-sided love and confession of one-sided love. Jae-chan remembered the moment of confession that he had either completely forgotten or buried. When was it? He thought it would be this summer¡­ Argh! Just thinking about it made him scream as if he was standing on an acupressure plate. ¡°¡­Well. That¡¯s.¡± He couldn¡¯t speak. He was so embarrassed that he suddenly became a fool. What he claimed to be a confession when he was 21 years old was not an honest confession. He shoves a bottle of soju down his throat and speaks in gibberish because he was drunk. He was the type of person who remembers everything even if he was drunk, he thought he was eating the blanket after sleeping for a while. He even saw a therapist to get rid of his shame. ¡®Haha, everyone has embarrassing memories. When you try to remember something, the wrinkles in your brain deepen. Allow it to enter your mind and reflect it. Oh, I¡¯m embarrassed, and I¡¯m letting go.¡¯ He got goosebumps just thinking about his smiling psychiatrist. Because of the shock, he floated to a distant world for a moment before returning to reality with a sigh. He shook his head. ¡°That is¡­ I was drunk and out of my mind.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe everything the drunkard says, do you?¡± Seon Jae-chan made the decision to escape. Confessing after drinking was the darkest history of his life, but it helped establish the excuse. ¡°You didn¡¯t confess.¡± Go Woo-jin asked quietly. Jae-chan was distracted as he nod his head. ¡°Yes.¡± He took a step back while answering. Creak, he pushed the chair back by applying force to the front of the sneaker. He was clearly embarrassed, but he believed there was nothing he could do about it. It was because the confessional moment he had barely buried in his immature days was vividly revived, causing his face to warm up. ¡®Go Woo-jin is so handsome! I like Go Woo-jin! I love you, you bastard! Go Woo-jin is handsome! Whaaa. I like you! Whaaa.¡¯ Jae-chan wanted to run away like a rhinoceros. Why did you do that, crazy bastard? His stretched neck was a bright red color. ¡°I was drunk and said something wrong.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure where he should look. He considered persisting until the end. He sincerely hoped that Go Woo-jin would dismiss his confession as drunkenness. Anyway, Nam Hae-sol will appear before the end of this year. It was already August. He wanted Go Woo-jin to get along well with her without worrying about his terrible confession and without any emotional burden. ¡°¡­¡± With one hand, Go Woo-jin covered his face. His usually calm and polite face had become distorted. His tightly closed lips let out a low voice after a while. ¡°You were drunk and confessed like that. Now you say it wasn¡¯t like that.¡± The cold silence lengthened. ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that the guide contract will also be unilaterally terminated?¡± Jae-chan raised his head when he heard Go Woo-jin¡¯s question. Woo-jin quietly straightened his disheveled collar in front of his partner, who held his hands together like a student being punished. He drew the collar and adjusted the sleeves¡¯ buttons. Seon Jae-chan remained silent. Woo-jin took a deep breath and asked. ¡°Why is everything so easy for you?¡± Seon Jae-empty chan¡¯s hands shrugged in response to the question. It was as if the eyes that met were heated. This time, those beautiful eyes may be filled with contempt. ¡°Why do you do everything all by yourself? How much longer do I have to put up with your one-sided whim?¡± A voice that was full of anger was uttered quietly. Seon Jae-chan thought it was a mistake. They were always thinking in different ways. He believes it would have been better to dismiss the confession and cancel the pair contract as soon as possible. It seemed that his standards have caused confusion for Woo-jin again. Should he have said it more carefully? But how? Working with Go Woo-jin is never easy. He wanted to get through it despite how difficult it was, but the fact that he couldn¡¯t always do so made it difficult for him. ¡°It¡¯s nice to hear that you won¡¯t appear in front of me, though.¡± Woo-jin sighed and wiped his dry face once more. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s chest dropped to his exposed face as his large hand fell on his knee. He didn¡¯t realize it at the time, but the twenty-seven-year-old him could read Go Woo-jin¡¯s expression. A face filled with emotional anguish. Confusion like a lost child is reflected in the gaze disguised as calmness. ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡­ I. I made it hard for you again. Perhaps it was the result of focusing on the Black Swan and ignoring the emotional concerns. ¡®Seon Jae-chan¡¯ must have been a disaster as bad as Black Swan in Go Woo-jin¡¯s life, but he thought too simply of the chaos he would experience emotionally. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The words of apology came out of nowhere. The pain-bearing face wrinkled as he exhaled. He turned his gaze down to the ground. As he had done in previous years when he stood in front of Go Woo-jin. In front of the twenty-one-year-old Go Woo-Jin, he transformed into the twenty-seven-year-old Seon Jae-chan and stared at the ground once more. ¡°It has been difficult for you. I¡¯m sorry. The only thing I can do is apologize like this¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jae-chan¡¯s eyes were filled with emotions that he couldn¡¯t hide. Go Woo-jin had also resigned due to the mistrust that had built up over the years. He has neither the mind nor the time to recognize the altered Seon Jae-chan. The two non-intersecting gazes were looking in different directions. This guy is selfish even with apologies. That was why Go Woo-jin was so determined. Because the other person appeared to be capricious until the end. He pushed the bed with his palm, staring only at the bowed head, not knowing what his intentions were. Woo-jin exhaled with a cold expression as one foot landed on the floor. ¡°If you¡¯re really sorry, don¡¯t cancel the pair.¡± ¡­ ¡°Keep being my guide.¡± My guide. Contrary to the seemingly romantic word choice, the tone is like an active volcano just before an explosion. Jae-chan remained silent, his lips twitching. He had no idea the wind was messing with his hair. Go Woo-jin¡¯s suppressed anger was pushing the air in sync with his Esper attribute. Go Woo-jin immediately went out after a cold snap. The wind also died away. The sound of the door quietly closing until the very end mirrored Go Woo-jin¡¯s personality, and Jae-chan¡¯s heart was bitter. It was as if his chest was engraved with a stone. It was all something they had to put up with. Jae-chan lingered for about a minute and took a deep breath. He slowly pushed open the door. Woo-jin had already disappeared. A long time had passed, and the guiding center had become stable. In the crowded corridors, guides sigh and stretch their legs. Jae-chan¡¯s eyesight was also drifting due to excessive guiding for a long time, but he leaned on the wall. He walked out of the building slowly. His collar fluttered in the damp wind. It was the natural wind. He raised his head and gazed up at the dark blue night sky. The blue-grey clouds moved quickly to the west with the wind. Jae-chan checked the portal site on his cell phone. He found the article he was looking for by touching the screen. [{Breaking News} Typhoon No. 13¡­ On the 19th, near the 1st district. ¡°200km/h¡±] Jae-chan stood there, feeling the wind blowing like it was the eve of a storm. The point at which the attempt to cancel the pair contract was unsuccessful. This summer¡¯s strongest typhoon was heading north as if devouring everything. * Around 2 p.m on August 18, one day before Typhoon No. 13. ¡°Look. Guide food poisoning case! Lunchbox discrimination controversy!¡± Park Yu-ram, who was having lunch in the library staff break room with Seon Jae-chan, yelled. The two were sitting side by side in a long chair, biting a sandwich in front of a windy front window. Even though it was lunchtime, it was dark outside, most likely because Area 1 had already been hit by the typhoon. An intermittent wind whistled through Yu-ram¡¯s raised voice. The trees beyond the window shook their long branches like a rock festival crowd, but Jae-chan listened only to Park Yu-ram¡¯s voice in the tranquility isolated from the heavy metal created by the typhoon. ¡°It¡¯s completely different from the name. Esper¡¯s lunch box was the royal king¡¯s lunch box, and the Guide¡¯s lunch box was the husband¡¯s lunch box!¡± Husband! That makes no sense! Yu-ram spoke enthusiastically about an emergency in which the Tempo Red incident appeared three days ago. On the day of the incident, there was a large fire in the factory¡¯s eastern section. The fire department requested assistance because the ignitable material was a special substance, and the center dispatched Espers. As usual, there would have been no problem if Espers had been guided immediately after extinguishing the fire. The problem was with the lunch boxes that the center provided to the on-site Guides. The Guides who ate their lunch boxes because of the long wait suffered from acute food poisoning as a group. Chapter 7 The Espers abused their abilities and relied solely on the abundant guide personnel as they were unaware that the guides were fighting for their lives due to vomiting and abdominal pain. In the end, the Espers were brought in as a group after believing only the on-site guidance and demonstrating their abilities beyond the safety level, which was the entire story of the incident that day. But the problem did not end there. After investigating the lunchbox delivery pany, it became known that the lunchboxes given to Espers and Guides during fieldwork were pletely different. The fire had spread in the wrong direction. ¡°We need to protest the United Guides Committee as a group. We must make a powerful statement. Food poisoning is food poisoning, but we have to start by addressing excessive discrimination!¡± Excited Yu-ram, with her hair disheveled as much as a roadside tree hit by a typhoon, showed the news with enthusiasm. Jae-chan just shook his head as he munched on his sandwich. That was it. Yu-ram looked at Jae-chan, who disagreed with her despite being a Guide as well, and picked up a take-out cup. He felt refreshed as he sucked the carbonated drink through a straw. ¡°But you. Are you really going to eat lunch here?¡± Yu-ram, who was obsessed with one thing at the time, looked back at Jae-Chan. ¡°You¡¯re avoiding them.¡± The ¡®them¡¯ that Yu-ram refers to were originally the group with whom Seon Jae-chan was friends and hung out. High guide rating, promising future, and a nice family. Seon Jae-chan has been avoiding ¡®them¡¯ for the past few days. ¡°I¡¯m going to stay away from them now.¡± Jae-chan replied. It was because most of the perfect ¡®them¡¯ would be held accountable in various ways six years later. Selling Jae-chan¡¯s information to a superior, clinging to him like a parasite, or being a traitor by joining Black Swan. He used to think he had good friends, so how e he only chose those idiots? ¡°Then why are you eating with me? Do you want to be friends with me?¡± Yu-ram had a particularly straightforward personality. It was convenient because he didn¡¯t have to calculate from the answer¡¯s perspective. ¡°I want to eat with you. I like to eat with someone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a good lunch partner. Look, I¡¯m always the only one talking.¡± ¡°Yeah. I hate talking.¡± Jae-chan crumpled the wrapping paper from his sandwich. He wiped the powder from his mouth with a napkin before opening the second sandwich. ¡°Just being with someone is nice.¡± Jae-chan, who had been brazenly taking a big bite of the fatty chicken sandwich, paused. He felt like he¡¯d made another selfish statement. He was lonely and wanted someone to be by his side, but he didn¡¯t think about the needs of the person who could fulfill that needs. He ate the sandwich with hesitance. It¡¯s been like this recently. After Go Woo-jin left the emergency guiding center two days ago, Jae-chan kept looking back at himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I apologize for the inconvenience.¡± Jae-chan swallowed the sandwich and said. If he said he didn¡¯t like sightseeing, he was willing to go somewhere else to eat. ¡°Huh? No problem.¡± Yu-ram, who had been blinking her eyes, took out her second sandwich from the paper bag. She wrinkled her nose as she peeled off the thin coated wrapping paper layer by layer. ¡°A free meal is always wele.¡± Seon Jae-chan bought all of the sandwiches and drinks. These were the organic sandwich shop¡¯s most expensive premium menus, even with an avocado option added. ¡°Tell me if you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Awesome. Will you continue to do this in the future? It¡¯s scary now. Shameless is your virtue.¡± Jae-chan chuckled and bit into his salty chicken sandwich. He then pulls out his cell phone. Yu-ram was taken aback for a moment when she realized he was really only going to eat. Well, good is good, isn¡¯t it? Not to mention quality free meals¡­ Yu-ram remembered Jae-chan from a while ago. The appearance of apologizing with round eyes, as if suddenly stepping on someone else¡¯s foot while eating a sandwich. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to look lonely.¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s because he is so shy. I¡¯m worried about nothing. Well, I should worry about myself. Yu-ram licked the sauce that flowed to her lips and evoked miscellaneous thoughts. Meanwhile, Seon Jae-chan was looking at his cell phone carefully. It was because when Yu-ram showed the article a while ago, he caught a glimpse of Go Woo-jin¡¯s face on the main portal. [Seven S-class Espers, ¡°Economic effect of 8.6 trillion won¡±] Looking at it, it appeared to be an economic article with only Go Woo-jin¡¯s photograph as the main focus. Thank God. It was not about an accident. He couldn¡¯t remember everything that happened, no matter how smart he was. Even after the emergency incident two days ago, he didn¡¯t remember the contents until after it happened. Relieved, he bit the sandwich again. He skimmed through articles about defense budget savings while enjoying the chewiness of the bread and the fantastic bination of crunchy lettuce. The photo of Go Woo-jin on the main page was attached halfway through. [¡øAugust 14, 578, Mentosa Island, District 4. Go Woo-jin Esper (S-class) a member of the special operation unit succeeded in suppressing the pirates in two days.] It was a picture from a few days ago. Woo-jin was seen disembarking from an armed ship as if he had just finished a field mission. He is dressed in a military uniform, with slightly disheveled black hair, eyes that are still sharp from the ferocity of battle, and an assault machine gun E7A11 worn on one shoulder, which has been improved to fit his robust physique. The 14th was the day right before Woo-jin visited the emergency guiding center. According to the article, he went looking for him after suppressing the rough waves of various missions. ¡®If you¡¯re really sorry, don¡¯t cancel the contract. Be my guide.¡¯ Go Woo-jin had said that that day. Jae-chan looked at the neat looking face in the article and launched the Guide app. [Go Woo-jin (Esper S) ¨C no call] The siren sign continues to die in black and white next to Woo-jin¡¯s name. There were no calls or messengers. Go Woo-jin has been silent ever since he left the emergency guiding center. ¡®I thought I¡¯d serve you as a guide right away.¡¯ Jae-chan thought that Woo-jin would call him right away. At this time, he hated being in the field, so summoning him to a field mission would be an excellent means of revenge. However, the guide notification app was silent. ¡®If it¡¯s not revenge, what¡¯s the reason to keep the pair contract?¡¯ If Woo-jin didn¡¯t want to call him, he should be paired up with another A-level guide as soon as possible so that he could receive guiding fortably. Jae-chan didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. Jae-chan was confused as he couldn¡¯t read Go Woo-jin¡¯s mind again. But. It was not only yesterday or today that Go Woo-jin was difficult to understand. Despite his S-class status, he accepts any mission, devotes himself wholeheartedly to activities that were not profitable, and so on. He was a different type of person than Seon Jae-chan from the start. Jae-chan opened the portal site again. He searched for Go Woo-jin¡¯s name impulsively. [Personal Information] Go Woo-jin (Esper, S-Class) Birth: December 31, 557, 21 years old Attribute: Physical/element plex type Affiliation: Aesop (E-SOF, Esper Special Operation Force, Esper) 1st Special Operations Unit) Family: father Go Young-chang, mother Yoon Seo-mi (¡­) Jae-chan, who had been looking that far, suddenly thought of Woo-jin¡¯s parents who were just as famous as Go Woo-jin. Go Woo-jin¡¯s father, chairman Go Young-chang, was an A-Class Esper and the owner of a multinational pharmaceutical and medical device pany. ¡®J¡¯ pany. The world¡¯s largest distributor and supplier of Esper-Guide-related medicines and medical devices. Woo-jin¡¯s mother was also quite famous. Yoon Seo-mi. She is the heiress of the YN Group, a major conglomerate family, and the director of the ¡®Tera¡¯ art museum. In fact, Go Woo-jin was not her biological child. He was the outside-born son of Chairman Go Young-chang. Seon Jae-chan had previously approached her in order to obtain Go Woo-jin. It was one of his biggest regrets. ¡°You really like Esper Go Woo-jin.¡± A voice suddenly rang next to his ear. Park Yu-ram, who had stuffed a sandwich into one cheek, bowed her head and looked at the screen. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°What do you mean no? Even that day the atmosphere around you was unusual.¡± Yu-ram remembered seeing Esper Go Woo-Jin and Jae-Chan at the emergency guiding center. It was the first time she had ever seen her rade, who is usually cold and calm-faced, so captivated. That¡¯s why rumors spread like wildfire. For two years, rumors had circulated that Seon Jae-chan, a guide from a prominent Esper family, was hanging onto Go Woo-jin, an S-class Esper. Yu-ram felt sorry for Jae-chan. She didn¡¯t realize it from afar, but Jae-chan, who spoke with her briefly, belonged to the normal axis. That¡¯s not bad in terms of appearance. Yu-ram glanced at him. Seon Jae-chan, who was chewing on the sandwich slowly with his lips tightly closed and his calm eyebrow frowned. Perhaps it¡¯s because he looks normal, but he also looks pretty good. Still, the fact that Go Woo-jin didn¡¯t like him¡­ ¡®Go Woo-jin is a total hetero.¡¯ It was clear that he did not like men. Couples that transcend gender are mon, perhaps because of the uniqueness of Guides and Espers, but it was a social environment in which such couples were often regarded as strange. Crossing the wall would have been difficult if he was naturally heterosexual. She feels sorry for Seon Jae-chan, who has an unfulfilling love. ¡°Not really. I¡¯m thinking of quitting the pair.¡± Chapter 8 ¡°What? Have you given up on your unrequited love?¡± Yu-ram asked casually while stirring the soda with a straw. Jae-chan was dumbfounded. She was under the impression that he liked Go Woo-jin. He realized once more that rumors of his unrequited love were rampant. He should have gone back much further than this. It was unfortunate. That evening. On the way home from work. Jae-chan was holding an umbrella and a convenience store bag in one hand. He bought bonbon chocolate and honey yakgwa for snacks. He arrived at the dorm after crossing the soiled sidewalk caused by rain and wind. Wet sneakers in the rain are unavoidably unfortable. He shook the umbrella. Jae-chan¡¯s room was on the first floor. While walking through the high-ceilinged lobby, Jae-chan noticed that the dormitory door was open. His roommate is back. Surprisingly, Jae-chan had a good reputation as a roommate. It was because he did not make close friends with his roommates, but he was very ignorant about their way of life. He didn¡¯t care if his roommate lived dirty, misused his belongings, hung their underwear on the doorknob, or set 100 alarms in the morning. Still, he remembered this roommate being a bit unfortable. Like sneakers soaked in rain. ¡°¡­¡± The long umbrella with dripping water and a convenience store bag were collected and held in one hand. He was fiddling with his phone. It happened after he had been standing in the hallway for a while. The two could be heard laughing through the gap in the slightly opened door. One was a woman¡¯s voice, and the sound got closer and closer. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go, beloved golden dung! See you again! ¡­Huh?¡± Jae-chan ran into a woman who was pushing the door without hesitation. He wondered why she was so confident, turned out she was a well-known employee of the management office. A woman who can naturally go in and out of the male Guide¡¯s dormitory. ¡°Oh.¡± The employee had just reapplied the curved bright red lips. She smiled briefly and walked away. Jae-chan went inside. The unlit indoor air was lukewarm, and a plex and subtle smell floated around. It was the moment he lost his appetite while holding the bag in one hand. ¡°Hmm. Isn¡¯t the timing terrible?¡± The roommate laughed. In the dark with the door sensor lights turned off. A silhouette of him leaning on the bed with his hands behind his back was reflected. His big feet twitched nervously at the end of his long legs. Jae-chan sighed and went inside after hanging the umbrella. He raised the lamp stand. The room lit up with orange light. ¡°You should have e a little earlier.¡± His roommate¡¯s voice, which appeared to be talking, continued. ¡°Look at you, I called a woman just in time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jae-chan turned around and opened the window after placing the phone on the table. He had been in the typhoon¡¯s sphere for a long time, so an unusual wind swept into the room. It was ventilated, and he responded by feeling more at ease breathing. ¡°Then I would have taken a video of you and handed it over to the management office.¡± Jae-chan said pointing his chin at the phone he had put down. ¡°It is against the rules to bring the opposite sex into a room. It can be a reason for eviction.¡± In the brightly lit room, he fixed his gaze on his exposed roommate. True to his nickname, Golden Dung, the man had curly, golden brown hair. A uniform shirt with a loose fit and visible underwear. The way he sat with his thick legs spread out haphazardly reminded him of an arrogant stallion. It was said that one of his parents was of mixed American descent. The name Jae-chan couldn¡¯t recall seemed to be a foreign name. ¡°It¡¯s against the rules. Why are you being so strict with this little thing?¡± The roommate swept his hair with his hand. Rich, powerful golden brown hair cascaded down his brow and backed down like a cloud. The double eyelids and clear eyes were bent beneath it. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m much healthier than your ¡®player¡¯ brother? You siblings are both famous. I heard your older brother is going around with all kinds of women?¡± ¡®Player¡¯ was the nickname of Jae-chan¡¯s only older brother, Esper Seon Eun-soo. Despite being an A-class, he was as famous as an S-class Esper. This was because he belonged to a very rare ¡®special-spirit series¡¯ among Esper¡¯s attributes, which are classified as physical, elemental, healing, and special. Of course, Seon Eun-soo¡¯s nickname ¡®player¡¯ also contributed to his popularity. Because Seon Eun-soo¡¯s habit with women was terrifying. ¡°If my brother had been in the dormitory, he would have been kicked out.¡± Jae-chan didn¡¯t even flinch at the remark about his family. It was actually a good thing. Seon Eun-soo was one of Seon Jae-chan¡¯s most despised people. ¡°It¡¯s a bummer. Is it okay to swear at your family?¡± He listened to his roommate¡¯s words with the back of his ear and wiggled his unfortable toes. He placed the snack bags on the desk. ¡°It is also against the rules to swear other people¡¯s family members. You bastard broke the rules, broke the rules.¡± His roommate laughed at the sound of him saying everything was against the rules. He rolled his eyes like a fox and looked at Seon Jae-chan as he took off his thin coat. His lipstick-smeared lips even glistened. ¡°It must be against the rules for you to be my roommate. To you, I am the ¡®reason¡¯.¡± Jae-chan, who was putting his wet coat on the chair, stopped. Jae-chan¡¯s roommate was being sarcastic and mocking the rumor that he likes Go Woo-jin. Their eyes met. At the same time, the light brown eyes that were roundly smiling frowned. ¡°Fuck. Don¡¯t even try to stick with me¡­ Dirty bastard.¡± Jae-chan laughed to himself at the words he heard. It was exactly as he remembered. The unnamed roommate behaved the same as in the past. He smiled lightly. He stood up straight and stared at his roommate¡¯s eyes full of disgust. ¡°The discriminatory hate speech is also a reason for eviction, you bastard.¡± Jae-chan¡¯s eyes sharpened as he spoke softly. He didn¡¯t take his gaze away from him, and he drew his uniform tie loosely around his neck. He was considering taking the reins of the foal, who was running wild with no fear of the world. * ¡°You kinky bastard, fuck off!¡± In the past, the two of them frequently clashed because his roommates had that attitude. Despite the fact that Seon Jae-chan adapts to all types of lifestyles, he does not tolerate direct conflicts. I will die only after you die, there was even a fistfight. Because of the loud shouting of bastards, fucking bastards, and other abusive languages, the entire room was so messed up that both of them were almost kicked out of the official residence due to reports straight from the other room. He wouldn¡¯t have been as strong for four months if his roommate hadn¡¯t moved to the American Confederation soon after. Of course, this horny bastard returned to the country where his parents were for personal reasons, not because of Jae-chan. He can¡¯t mess around like he did in the past. Thinking about it, Seon Jae-chan ran to his roommate. He had his tie that had been untied. ¡°You crazy bastard! Homo bastard!¡± The horny bastard started shouting. Despite his inferior height and physique in parison to his opponent, Jae-chan began training in close bat at the age of 14 when he entered the center. The guide director added the special bat training after joining the 25 intelligence service. Even if it¡¯s a physics-based psychic that goes beyond human limits, it¡¯s worth dealing with a bastard who only knows how to take care of his muscles. Kuung! The weight of the two fell on their roommate¡¯s bed after a couple of short breaths. Squeak, the bed spring was making a noise. ¡°Hey! hey¡­!¡± His roommate shouted and struggled with his outstretched limbs, but it was futile. He couldn¡¯t even lift his head because his ruthless forearms had hardened and his neck had been pressed down under pressure. ¡°-Hick, don¡¯t touch me! I said don¡¯t touch me!¡± However, the reaction was not what he expected. Jae-chan had previously only used the thigh in fistfights, but now that his body had been suppressed, he was beginning a match. He hates big men. Unexpectedly, Jae-chan looked at the blurry side face, wriggling arms, and trembling shoulders, then pulled out the blanket. He pressed against him with one hand and quickly covered his entire body and head. He rolled over his body. ¡°This¡­ this bastard¡­?! -You bastard, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Ironically, the guy seemed to have e to his senses because he couldn¡¯t touch him. The intended atmosphere, similar to that of normal wrestling, was then created. He pressed down on the man who was kicking around on the blanket and grabbed him with his elbows. ¡°Ugh, cough! Urgh¡­ Crazy bastard!¡± The sound of a tight surrender burst out from the quilt. The palms protruding from the cracks hit the bed. It was only then that¡¯s all. ¡°Ugh¡­ Hahhhhh¡­ crazy¡­¡± The roommate did not e to his senses even after Jae-chan let him go. This was the scene he had hoped for. Jae-chan crept down from the exhausted roommate and took the phone from the desk. He launched the app and placed it against his panting roommate¡¯s ear. ¡°Listen.¡± When the button was pressed, the previous situation began to clearly repeat itself. This is the benefit of regression. Unlike when he was swept away by the situation, he could predict what would happen, so he began recording the moment he hesitated in front of the door. He turned up the volume. Chapter 9 -You should have come a little earlier. Look at you, I called a woman just in time. The roommate, who was still gasping for air, nervously drew the blanket down. His breathing was rough, revealing his flushed red face. ¡°And I don¡¯t like men.¡± Jae-chan said as he looked back on the past. He remembered his sexual preference, who yearned for only Go Woo-jin and eventually had a one-night stand with anyone who resembled Go Woo-jin out of loneliness. ¡°It didn¡¯t work out even if I slept with him.¡± Of course, he had previously slept with a man. Men were more likely than women to resemble Go Woo-jin. However, once he rolled into a hotel or motel on the spur of the moment, the excitement subsided. He was thirsty for Go Woo-jin and mingled his body with the first person he met, but he was so frustrated that he barely tried petting. ¡°What, fuck, something like a rag¡­ !¡± ¡°Who was it that told me I¡¯m like a rag when he was gasping in a shared room. You¡¯re the one who likes to screw around. You¡¯ll get an STD.¡± Fucking bastard! The roommate who shouted as if communication is impossible without cursing stretched out his hand. He was about to take Jae-chan phone. It had to be because he hated leaving the room. Jae-chan simply raised his hand to avoid the attempt. ¡°There is no point in taking the phone. I¡¯ve already sent it to several people. If something happens to me, it will be used as evidence.¡± The bright red eyes staring back at him were quite frightening. Jae-chan gave the guy who was huffing and puffing one last notice with his index finger. ¡°I think the probability of using the audio material is the same as the probability of you picking a fight with me. Whatever you do, I will pay you back the same.¡± The foal was a genuine foal. He appeared to have regained his energy and abruptly ran out of the room. He even packed the pants that were scattered on the floor. Bang! The door closed behind the commotion. Jae-chan sighed. His roommate will not consider setting things up behind him because he expresses disgust and anger easily. Because it¡¯s happened before. They were about to part anyway after a while. It was time to send the recorded material to a few people just in case something went wrong. Jae-chan discovered a text message from about 5 minutes ago. [From: ¡ï Lim Jeong-wook, Team Leader (Guide Team 5)¡ï Jae-chan~ It¡¯s been a while. You left a phone call^^ I didn¡¯t get it because I was in the middle of guiding^^ ] After looking at the contact name for a while, Jae-chan called. ¡°Hello, Team Leader. Are you okay on the phone?¡± ¨C Jae-chan-ssi! Why did you call me first? A happy voice could be heard from beyond the phone. Despite the 17-year age difference, he was the leader of Guide Team 5, who referred to him as Jae-chan-ssi. Jae-chan began by expressing his regret. ¡°Haha. I¡¯ve been keeping it up. I¡¯m sorry. -Sure. My parents are well.¡± I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t meet you in person. I heard you were on a long-term mission. Are you back in District 1? Seon Jae-chan¡¯s voice continued smoothly in the windy room. ¡°Yes. I want to be a part of that too.¡± He pressed his phone to his ear while rummaging through the convenience store bag with his other hand. He peeled the honey medicine and drank it after hearing the other party¡¯s laughter over the receiver. ¨C Are you really going to do fieldwork? Without Go Woo-jin? The light and thick texture of the industrial products adhere to his mouth. The team leader laughed heartily as if he had made a great joke. Jae-chan ingested the sugar after swallowing the gooey mass. ¡°I need to gain experience. I¡¯m sorry if I said something difficult.¡± ¨C No. Not really¡­ It¡¯s because Jae-chan is on a different team. Don¡¯t you think it will look bad on your team leader if I step out and take you away? As expected, it was a reaction like Lim Jeong-wook, who always spoke smoothly and didn¡¯t have any stalling. Seon Jae-chan, the youngest member of Guide Team 2, took responsibility for himself as he had prepared. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll inform my team leader. I¡¯ll start from here first, so all you have to do is accept me once you¡¯ve received the official document.¡± ¨C Oh, sure! Even if my arms fall off, I¡¯ll hold on to you tight! Jae-chan poured the sticky medicine into his mouth after hearing the voice of Team 5¡¯s team leader, who quickly turned happy. It felt like the fallen sugar was slowly being recharged. Jae-chan put his hand on the window sill where the wind was blowing after hanging up the phone. The clouds were dissipating gradually. The signal for the typhoon to pass, and the start of the project. [SUCCESS PROJECT] [Personal incident] 1. Kim Geun-won¡¯s death It was time to begin the project ¡®Saving Kim Geun-won,¡¯ who belonged to Guide Team 5. * ¡°Jae-chan-ssi! Long time no see!¡± Jae-chan was standing on the outskirts of District 1 two days later, under a damp sky where the rain had just stopped. He was on a field mission, and he was dressed in combat boots and a work uniform. Lim Jeong-wook, the 38-year-old leader of Guide team 5, welcomed Jae-chan with open arms. He hugged him tightly and brushed his back as if realizing the words on the phone. ¡°Nice to meet you, team leader.¡± Seon Jae-chan hugged his shoulder and stepped back with a smile. Lim Jeong-wook fixed his gaze on the young Guide, the son of a prestigious family. His waist, which he had secretly wrapped his arms over his summer uniform, is softer than he remembers, but his withdrawal gesture is firm. The youngest member of Team 2, who was a little tall but appeared to be a master from a prestigious family was really his taste. The clear skin and very soft, thin dark-brown hair indicated that the hair on the body was also light. A few months ago, he was still hugging him with the smell of milk. He even contacted him first and acted sadly. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up since the last time I saw you. Your parents must really like it.¡± Team 5¡¯s leader talked nonstop while carefully touching and brushing his hair. Seon Jae-chan nodded moderately and looked around the scene. A large-scale typhoon response team had been formed in anticipation of the red-class typhoon that was expected to enter District 1 in 10 years. Team 5 was in charge of manpower for auxiliary Guides who would go on-site support, in addition to pair Guides. In other words, Kim Geun-won who belonged to Guide team 5 had been following the typhoon since Typhoon No. 13 made landfall in the coastal District 4. Currently, the typhoon recovery team, which consists of five teams, is working to recover the area outside District 1, which was more severely damaged than the downtown area. The entire iron signboard had collapsed, and the outer walls of buildings and roadside trees had been crushed like crackers. There are also several overturned vehicles on the road. The Espers carefully dismantled the distorted steel structure and looked for any injured people. Nearby, in front of an ambulance with a flashing light, paramedics in scarlet uniforms blocked the road and busily wandered here and there. ¡°At least it¡¯s a little better now. You have no idea how violent the typhoon was.¡± Team leader Lim Jeong-wook continued to talk beside him. At least now, the force of the typhoon that entered the land has weakened and is at this level. After being tormented for half an hour by Team 5¡¯s team leader, he grabbed Jae-chan¡¯s arm and led him to a temporary barracks with guides and medical staff mixed in. Team leader! Lim Jeong-wook, who had been ignoring his teammates¡¯ calls earlier, left his side with disappointment. As expected, Kim Geun-won was not there. Jae-chan exchanged a few words with Team 5 members, half curious and half reluctant, before slipping into the gap in the back. ¡®Found him.¡¯ As expected, that guy stood right in the roughest field. Bear-like physique and disheveled hair and beard. Conquest of a crumpled guide with a necktie thrown over. And the lighted handycam in his left hand. It was the Kim Geun-won he remembered. Guide Kim Geun-won was filming an Esper lifting a telephone pole that had collapsed like a tree trunk next to a two-story building that had collapsed. It had fallen far enough out of the way, but it appeared to be very dangerous, with wires tangled around it like tangled hair. It was as if he didn¡¯t know how to be afraid of death. That¡¯s how he died. Kim Geun-won moved slowly and carefully, adjusting the shooting angle. He later learned that when Kim Geun-won¡¯s body was discovered, the handycam became too much evidence and the case was quickly closed. Following the movement of the Esper, the handycam lens rotated and moved all the way to the left. This had to be the case. There was no way out. Jae-chan faced the lens resolutely. ¡°¡­¡± Kim Geun-won raised his gaze from the touch screen he was staring at. His slender narrow eyes blinked, then twisted violently beneath the raised brows like a bandit. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ They used to have a bad relationship, but when Go Woo-jin was around, they just barely got along. He wasn¡¯t even a mother bear with cubs, so why are you bracing yourself for double attacks right now? Then the bear cub appeared. ¡°Brother. I brought your insulated suit.¡± A familiar voice came from behind his shoulder. Jae-chan turned around when he noticed the low familiarity. Someone approached in bright yellow all-in-one electrically insulated overalls. Walked with a wide stride. He had a larger head and a better physique than the others. He ground to a halt when he noticed the confrontation between Kim Geun-won and Seon Jae-chan. Chapter 10 A coat-style shirt was worn over a white tee and black jeans. His broad shoulders and well-developed triceps stood out even in a casual outfit. Despite the fact that he was wearing a black ball cap tightly, he recognized him right away. Jae-chan¡¯s heartbeat throbbed as he looked at his tightly closed lips under the shade of the cap. It was Go Woo-jin. ¡°¡­¡± Could Go Woo-jin has been present at the scene on the day Kim Geun-won died? It was when Jae-chan¡¯s mind went blank as a result of the unexpected situation. Pajijik-. The three of them looked up at the sparks flying above them. It happened in an instant. Huh, avoid it! Telephone poles collapsed alongside the Espers¡¯ screams. Sparks explode like fireworks from the tangle of wires. * ¡°Hey! I thought I was going to die!¡± It was what Kim Geun-won said. The smell of electrically ripened cement was acrid, as was the hot smell of burning clothing. Due to the sudden gust of wind caused by Go Woo-jin, the telephone poles that had been pouring down were slowly sinking to the ground. The shorted electric current was quickly absorbed by the Esper in charge, who has an electric attribute. Because of his attribute, Esper Jung Da-heum was initially in charge of handling telephone poles. The impact had left the black snake-like wires tangled around it crackling. ¡°No matter how much electric Esper you have, why did you do it without turning off the power?¡± Kim Geun-won grumbled and pulled out his phone. He suddenly thought that it would have been nice if Seon Jae-chan had been moderately swept away as he texted Team 5¡¯s team leader to request a power cut. Even if the poor boy is slightly injured, Esper will heal him first. Kim Geun-won paused his texting hand while cynically looking back. Seon Jae-chan had just risen to one knee. He patted his back and shoulders as if he had just rolled over and gotten up. In a location just outside the danger zone where the utility pole was expected to fall. When did he go there? Was that bastard that quick? ¡°¡­¡± On the other hand, Seon Jae-chan was hiding his disapproval gaze at Kim Geun-won. Unlike himself, who had avoided it once due to his experience as a member of the intelligence agency, Kim Geun-won did not even cover his head while standing. He¡¯s acting as if he knows Go Woo-jin will protect him. ¡®What if Go Woo-jin wasn¡¯t here?¡¯ It was then his stomach got a little twisted. The electric attribute Esper, who had been stunned, suddenly came to his senses. ¡°A¡­ are you okay?! Is everyone okay? It could have been a big deal!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, so let it go. It¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s a field problem. I asked the team leader to cut off the power supply.¡± Kim Geun-won answered by waving his mobile phone. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m so sorry! You¡¯re an esper, right? Thank you¡­¡± Jung Da-heum, an Esper on his way to greet him, blurted out his words. He tilted his head. It was because the face beneath the ball cap appeared to be familiar. Kim Geun-won grabbed Go Woo-jin and pulled him away as soon as he noticed that gaze. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation in filming. If you¡¯re having a hard time, be sure to go to the guiding barracks!¡± We¡¯re leaving! The two turned their backs on each other without saying anything. Seon Jae-chan noticed the two quickly moving apart and realized that Go Woo-jin had come here unofficially. Actually, if he had known Woo-jin was present, he would have informed Team 5¡¯s team leader. For the time being, he must follow them. As he turned around the corner of the typhoon-damaged alley, Kim Geun-won noticed him and belatedly wearing the insulation suit that Go Woo-jin had given him. ¡®What¡¯s with that bastard?¡¯ Kim Geun-Won¡¯s eyes blazed up. He avoided the Esper, but a more pricky one caught up with him. Seon Jae-chan was the one who smiled all the time with a clean face. He smiled when their gazes met. A teardrop-shaped on his white cheek jumped up in the middle position. He widened his stride and approached in that state. He ignored Kim Geun-won and went straight to Go Woo-jin. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing an insulated suit?¡± Go Woo-jin took care of the bear-like man carefully. Despite the fact that he was Esper, Jae-chan was still concerned about Go Woo-jin, who didn¡¯t look after himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the Esper, why don¡¯t you wear that one?¡± Kim Geun-won said this while shoving the insulated suit into Jae-chan¡¯s chest. It was one of the items brought by Woo-jin. It seemed like the ugly guy had no choice but to serve rice cakes. Of course, he quietly told Go Woo-jin to put it on as well. Jae-chan only clicked his tongue when he saw Go Woo-jin, who had a cool face and was dressed in a crisp yellow suit. In fact, it was because he had bean pods in his eyes, but Go Woo-jin is just as distant as Kim Geun-won. He had no idea he was at the scene on the day of Kim Geun-won¡¯s death. Woo-jin looked tired. I hoped he had rest. Jae-chan thought as he slipped his military boots into his insulated suit. ¡®It¡¯s because of that uncle.¡¯ Go Woo-jin couldn¡¯t even sleep on his days off because of that troublesome man. Kim Geun-won received the pointer again. The human who shoots randomly and dies in front of Go Woo-jin today. Go Woo-jin must have been heartbroken in the past. Jae-chan, who had been silent due to his upset stomach, raised his head in response to the gaze he felt on his cheek. ¡°Do not misunderstand. I didn¡¯t follow you on purpose.¡± Jae-chan, whose eyes met with his beneath the ball cap, said what he had been meaning to say earlier. It was humiliating to appear right away on a subject he had stated he would never see him again. There was another silence. Only the sound of Go Woo-jin and Seon Jae-chan adjusting their insulation clothes rustled for a while. ¡°Guide Seon Jae-chan. How many field jobs are you doing today this year?¡± Kim Geun-won, who was standing with his legs unbalanced, asked. He had also closed the handy cam he was holding. Go Woo-jin raised his expressionless gaze as well. Seon Jae-chan, who had turned his back on the half-ruined road, responded. ¡°It¡¯s the first time.¡± ¡°Aha. And Go Woo-jin happened to be in the field job that you volunteered for the first time? And yet please don¡¯t get you wrong?¡± It couldn¡¯t be helped, but it was the truth. Jae-chan nervously pulled the string of his insulated suit and tightened it. ¡°I did not know.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you know?¡± Kim Geun-won¡¯s spirits rose. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing all sorts of things so far. Didn¡¯t you see our Team Esper earlier? That way, someone may have seen Woo-jin here, and you may have been gathering information.¡± ¡°Your words are harsh.¡± Seon Jae-chan pulled his chin briefly. ¡°I¡¯m Esper Go Woo-jin¡¯s pair guide. It was a coincidence this time, but what¡¯s wrong with the guide finding his pair Esper¡¯s location?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a problem that you didn¡¯t even show up when Woo-jin asks for you but just show up when you want to!¡± Kim Geun-won raised both hands in disappointment. Jae-chan felt sorry. Avoidance of the site. He was certainly disqualified as a pair guide in the past. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep this position if it hadn¡¯t been for the unspoken and cowardly pact he made with Go Woo-jin¡¯s stepmother. ¡°¡­ It may have seemed that way. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The strap twisted tightly in Jae-chan¡¯s meekly subdued hand. True, A-class guide Kim Geun-won had kept Go Woo-jin on the job instead of himself. Seon Jae-chan belatedly thanked the perplexed-looking bear man before casting a hesitant glance at Go Woo-jin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for you too.¡± Only the shaking wind left by the typhoon stayed between the three people for a while. An awkward silence ensued. Kim Geun-won, whose shaggy hair had been blown over, blinked and regained consciousness in the headwind. ¡°Huh! Now you¡¯re sorry, what are you sorry for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. But I think I know now.¡± ¡°What do you know!¡± What. For a brief moment, Jae-lips chan¡¯s were closed. He wished he could convey his sincerity, but he lacked confidence, so he lowered his gaze. Just like Go Woo-jin, he inadvertently kept his gaze on the classic low sneakers and responded by lowering his head even further. ¡°No matter how coincidental, to you and Woo-jin, I will look like a red-class typhoon or a telephone pole falling overhead. I¡¯m well aware that I¡¯ve made numerous mistakes. So I apologized.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I also know that there is no need for Woo-jin or you to unconditionally accept my apology. I¡¯m just sorry.¡± Kim Geun-won wasn¡¯t sure if this was high-level sarcasm or not. Looking at his apologetic demeanor and eyes, he appears sincere, but what he has done thus far must have been so sick. Meanwhile, Go Woo-jin looked bewildered at Seon Jae-chan. It was because of Jae-chan¡¯s previous apology at the emergency guiding center. ¡®It¡¯s been hard on you because of me. sorry. The only thing I can do is apologize¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ He thought it was just a whim, but the same thing happened twice. Was he serious? It was when Go Woo-jin¡¯s frozen mind was filled with thoughts. ¡°Gosh! Oh, Jae-chan-ssi! They said you could have been in big trouble!¡± People ran around the piled up rubble of buildings. It was the team leader. After that, the team members under direct control came with him panting. ¡°You don¡¯t know how surprised I was when I got the call from Kim Geun-won!¡± The team leader of Team 5 said while checking Seon Jae-chan over the yellow insulation suit. Go Woo-jin looked back at Kim Geun-won. Kim Geun-won patted Woo-jin¡¯s shoulder a couple of times and stepped forward, saying, ¡°I was going to make Guide Seon leave.¡± ¡°Team leader. As you can see, Guide Seon Jae-chan is fine. Did you cut off the power?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Esper Jung Da-heum?¡± Chapter 11 ¡°There¡¯s a problem because Da-heum is the only Esper with electric attributes. It¡¯s a heavy duty. Even now, I am guiding people who are lost in their work and have no idea what wavelength they are on. If you continue to ignore the report-¡± ¡°Ah, Okay! Okay!¡± Only then did the team leader reluctantly issue orders to the team members who had followed to turn off the power. One hand remained on Seon Jae-chan¡¯s arm. Go Woo-jin stared dryly at the hands that were touching Seon Jae-chan¡¯s bare wrists and at Seon Jae-chan, who appeared to be unaffected by those hands. Team 5¡¯s leader looked happy. ¡°Baby, you can take off your insulated suit now. But yellow looks good on you too¡­¡± That¡¯s right. Seon Jae-chan was originally that kind of guy. Using whatever means necessary to achieve a goal. Even tolerating the boss¡¯s unreasonable physical contact. Have you not been through a lot? The apology he had made to himself was only a stepping stone for something else, so it would not have been sincere. Even thinking about it made him feel like his head was splitting open. Woo-jin turned away, mocking himself for having lost his judgment even for a moment. ¡°¡­ Ehem.¡± Kim Geun-won, who was watching alone, gave a bow to the team leader, who didn¡¯t even look at his side and followed Go Woo-jin. It was fortunate that the team leader seemed to be distracted by Seon Jae-chan as if he had eaten honey. In fact, Kim Geun-won was also confused. It was his nature to accept all apologies, but it was Seon Jae-chan who apologized. He wondered what it was like as he was walking around with his insulated clothing getting stuck. Go Woo-jin was more important to him. ¡°Woo-jin. Would you like to try filming too? Aren¡¯t you bored just helping me? I have an extra camcorder.¡± Kim Geun-won suggested as he turned around the alley and walk away from the team leader¡¯s group. Now that the power had been turned off, Go Woo-jin, who was silently taking off his insulation suit, felt a presence. His delicate eyes beneath the shade of the cap frowned. Kim Geun-won followed his gaze and turned to face the alley¡¯s entrance. ¡°¡­What are you?¡± Seon Jae-chan was approaching again. After all, the apology was insincere, right? Kim Geun-won¡¯s lips tightened. The guilt that had been gnawing at him for calling the pervert team leader disappeared. ¡°You said you were sorry. Leave Woo-jin alone!¡± Kim Geun-won growled like a bear while blocking Go Woo-jin. But somehow, Seon Jae-chan just looked troubled. His dark brown eyes rolled, deep and distinct enough to feel hateful. ¡°I¡¯m not following Esper Go Woo-jin.¡± ¡°Hah! Then?¡± You lied again! It was when Kim Geun-won¡¯s slender eyes became menacing. Seon Jae-chan smiled. It was a salty smile that raised the ambiguity of the polite cheek. ¡°I¡¯m following you, not Woo-jin. Guide Kim Geun-won.¡± Jae-chan said, shifting his gaze from Go Woo-jin to Kim Geun-won¡¯s thick beard. He was surprised to see the telephone poles falling down as soon as he arrived, but the incident had not yet occurred. He was just thinking about constantly worrying over Kim Geun-won today, not Woo-jin. * Temporary Barracks for Guides Team 5. The corner where the self-generated light had been urgently airlifted had become entangled like a festoon. The young Guides¡¯ curious eyes darted to one side. It was where their senior Guide Kim Geun-won and guide Seon Jae-chan of Team 2 sat facing each other. The two sat on folding chairs, a first aid kit open in front of them. ¡°Hmph! It must have been an attempt to separate me from Woo-jin. It doesn¡¯t work!¡± Kim Geun-won said to Seon Jae-chan, who took out various medicines from the first-aid kit. Right now, he was following him around with an excuse that didn¡¯t sound like ¡®I¡¯ve wanted to learn from you for a long time.¡¯ ¡°It would be hard to get me fired by using your proud family. I belong to the Center Guide Union. If you touch it wrong, you¡¯ll get very tired, ow, ow, ow!¡± ¡°It¡¯s disinfectant.¡± Jjiik. Seon Jae-chan reapplied the spray-type salt liquid around Kim Geun-won¡¯s mouth. He discovered the wound on Kim Geun-won¡¯s lower jaw about 10 minutes ago. The blood on his beard appeared to be obscured. It was probably scratched by the windblown stone dust when Go Woo-jin caused a gust of wind. Jjiik, Kim Geun-won¡¯s voice continued to be heard in Seon Jae-chan¡¯s ears as he was tearing off the biggest band-aid. ¡°I started broadcasting on View Tube a while ago. It¡¯s a broadcast that tells the truth about the Esper-Guide field, and it¡¯s already got quite a few subscribers. If you fire me unfairly, I¡¯ll throw it right there. Ah. Can you do an interview about this? What is the position of the gold spoon sucking honey from behind?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt if you talk too much? It cut quite deeply.¡± He said this while examining the cuts and bruises in his beard. Kim Geun-won wiggles his mustache. ¡°It¡¯s pointless trying to get rid of me with those stupid golden spoons you have! They have always been rebellious people, so they avoid anyone other than Woo-jin. It wouldn¡¯t be any use if you flirted with our team leader in order to get rid of me!¡± ¡°Well. I want to shave your beard off.¡± Jae-chan muttered as he was estimating the angle at which the large band should be attached. The bandit¡¯s face went from stunned to menacing. He raised his head to look at him and added leisurely. ¡°You know, this beard. It interferes with the band-aid adhesion.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± He was aware, but something seemed off. Kim Geun-won snatched the band-aid from the wretch¡¯s grasp, placed it loosely on top of his beard, and opened his mouth. ¡°And this is the last one. I hope you never consider f doing what you did to the people you confessed to Woo-jin. I can only sneer at the childish behavior of punching on the road and stealing the Guide locker!¡± He shouted as he raised his bandaged chin. People who were paying attention to the wind had their eyes openly focused. It was just as Jae-chan was about to open his mouth, thinking he was tired of listening. ¡°Punching? Stealing?¡± A curious voice could be heard. It was near the barracks¡¯ entrance. Seon Jae-chan, who was cleaning up the first-aid kit, looked confused. In-young caught his eye as he walked in, holding the tent at the door. ¡®¡­Roommate?¡¯ The person who stepped in unexpectedly was Seon Jae-chan¡¯s roommate. A guy whose name he didn¡¯t know, who left after a fight yesterday and returned at dawn. What brings him here? ¡°Senior. Are you serious? This bast-, no. Is this punk really punching or stealing?¡± The guy who approached at once asked Kim Geun-won boldly. He was dressed in a guide¡¯s conquest and, unlike yesterday, his brown hair looked styled. Jae-chan¡¯s brow furrowed. No wonder. Regardless of how much he enjoys hanging out with girls, he stated that he didn¡¯t come in very often, turned out he was part of Team 5. It made sense that he made his first appearance yesterday. Jae-chan learned that Team 5 only arrived in District 1 yesterday afternoon, following the typhoon. ¡°Yeah. This young master of the prestigious family seems to have an extraordinary network of the dark side.¡± Kim Geun-won grumbled. The roommate¡¯s bright eyes sparkled with excitement. Kim Geun-won stood up, crossed his eyes, and approached one side of the barracks as if he didn¡¯t want to talk any longer. ¡°Hey, youngest. Where is my bag?¡± It was when Jae-chan saw him receive a cross bag from Team 5¡¯s youngest member, someone talked to him. ¡°Hey. Did you really hire people?¡± Isn¡¯t it kind of hard to hire people? The roommate grumbled. Whether there was no follow-up or other circumstances, he actively talked to him as if nothing had happened the night before. Seon Jae-chan noticed a peculiar expression in his bright eyes. He threw out the floating words. ¡°Yea. I have contacts from Esper gangs.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± Look at this. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s smile was tense. His roommate was so eager to commit a crime that he spoke to Jae-chan without hesitation even after their argument last night. The eyes and tone of someone who has considered committing a real crime. Even if he had made up his mind, hiring a real person was difficult, so when the person in need knows the contact route, it becomes very tempting. Was there anyone in particular he wanted to bully? ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a small group, so it¡¯s all about punching and robbing lockers. ¨C Are you still curious?¡± The answer did not come immediately. Before answering, the roommate looked at his teammates, who were chatting among themselves, and Kim Geun-won, who was sitting alone, and then met their eyes again. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if you call me brother.¡± Seon Jae-chan talked first. It was when his roommate¡¯s brow furrowed at an obvious line from an old movie. ¡°Hey! Where are you going?¡± The guy who had bitten his lips in anger shouted, but Jae-chan pretended not to hear. Jae-chan walked quickly. Kim Geun-won slipped through the gap at the back of the barracks, having just grabbed his cross-body bag. It was with the youngest member of Team 5 to who we were talking. ¡°Team Leader Lim is looking for you! Hey!¡± He turned away from the calling of his roommate and went out of the tent. He had Kim Geun-won, Go Woo-jin, and even his unexpected roommate, who couldn¡¯t sit still like a puppy on fire. It wasn¡¯t enough to just concentrate on Kim Geun-won. Chapter 12 By then, the surroundings had become increasingly dark. It was summer, but the sky was already cloudy from the typhoon¡¯s aftermath. The area¡¯s electricity was also turned off at the command of team leader Lim, so it was expected to be dark for a long time. Self-generators, flashlights, and the Esper¡¯s superior vision in the dark will be used for relief work. ¡®It must have been easier for Kim Geun-won to be killed in this environment.¡¯ It¡¯s ironic that it was Kim Geun-won who requested the power cut. There must have been a similar telephone pole accident in the past, and Kim Geun-won would have actively asked the team leader like before. Following Kim Geun-won walking with the youngest member of Team 5, Jae-chan recalled the circumstances of ¡®Kim Geun-won¡¯s death.¡¯ If the past does not change in the future, neither will the future. Kim Geun-won¡¯s body was to be discovered in the trunk of an old car. Speaking of him, Jae-chan had to go over one more incident first. ¡®Guide kidnapping case¡¯. It was the event that led to Kim Geun-won¡¯s death. The outline of the incident was as follows. A man succeeds in kidnapping a Guide at this site today. The criminal committed the crime using special drugs, firearms, and his own vehicle, and there were witnesses at the time. A witness who noticed something suspicious approached the car to help the colleague but was fatally shot by the perpetrator who noticed the witness. The criminal placed the witness¡¯s body in the trunk and flees the scene. The criminal had no idea the witness¡¯ Handycam, which had recorded the entire process prior to and after the incident, had fallen to the ground. The killed witness was Kim Geun-won. ¡°Youngest. People shouldn¡¯t be too focused on one thing. If you are unlucky, a telephone pole may collapse or you may get shot on the road.¡± Kim Geun-won, who was walking alongside the youngest team 5, said loudly. It was a voice telling Seon Jae-chan to look and listen, but it wasn¡¯t even funny to Jae-chan because it seemed to be about Kim Geun-won himself. Furthermore¡­ It made him uneasy to see someone who had died come back alive. Jae-chan followed them and looked at his wristwatch. 18:32. Since he didn¡¯t know the exact time of the crime, he had to keep a close eye on Kim Geun-won. Only then will he be able to be saved. Thoughts related to the incident continued. Ironically, the abducted Guide who caused Kim Geun-won¡¯s death returns intact the next day. In a word, it was an incident with no casualties or damage except for Kim Geun-won. Jae-chan just needs to stop Kim Geun-won from meddling. ¡®Who is the Guide who gets kidnapped?¡¯ He had to figure that out too. The culprit was a man, and he heard that it was a love affair at first glance. Seon Jae-chan set his eyes on the youngest member of Team 5, whom he had been keeping an eye on for a while. Her long hair rustled behind her light steps as if she felt comfortable with Kim Geun-won. She was the only young woman on the team. The three of them arrived at a remote vacant lot surrounded by a wall. It was a temporary hideout that Go Woo-jin and Kim Geun-won found. The sidewalk block, which hadn¡¯t been maintained for a long time, was covered with weeds. The sound of grass insects echoes through the still humid air. ¡°Woo-jin! My youngest team member is a fan of yours! Say hello.¡± Go Woo-jin, who had been training while sitting comfortably with his long legs stretched out and both hands creating a thread-like wind, raised his head. ¡°Uhm. Esper Go Woo-jin. Hello.¡± The youngest member of the team gave a sad voice. Seon Jae-chan thought, ¡®Ah. It wasn¡¯t because she was comfortable with Kim Geun-won, but because she was going to see Go Woo-jin.¡¯ He realized it with a sudden blank stare. ¡°Hello.¡± Go Woo-jin politely took off his hat and said hello. The youngest member of Team 5 seemed to be out of her mind. Especially¡­ he had straight hair today! He didn¡¯t even do his hair! The thick hair, which had never been parted and was always blowing in all directions, was so gently disheveled. Even the slightly curled hair appeared natural. Looking back, it appeared that the hairstyle was not the issue and that the face did all of the work. ¡°Haa. Esper Go Woo-jin. Uhm. It¡¯s really an honor to meet you. I¡¯m so nervous. Ehm. Still, handshake¡­¡± The youngest member of Team 5 held out her trembling hand. He assumed Go Woo-jin couldn¡¯t understand because she stutters so much, but he smiled and shook her hand. The youngest member appeared to be suffocating. His expression was clear even in the dim light of the laptop lights. His eyebrows and the bridge of his nose. Warm. She couldn¡¯t bear to make eye contact anymore and lowered her trembling head. His big hands clenched tightly, shook her hand, and then let go. It was light but warm. He was very strong. The youngest member of Team 5 hurriedly covered her nose with her left hand because she was about to make a noise. Kim Geun-won, who was delightedly watching, approached. ¡°Come here. Don¡¯t be like that, and sit next to him.¡± ¡°What?! I had enough successful encounters¡­ Esper-nim must be tired¡­? No, no need!¡± ¡°Woo-jin. Our youngest is also very interested in View Tube broadcasting. Can you sit down and teach her how to use the Handycam?¡± Kim Geun-won forced the two to sit next to each other. He handed over the entire cross bag containing an extra camcorder to Woo-jin. He smiled and looked at Seon Jae-chan. This punk Guide has been unable to take his eyes off the youngest and Go Woo-jin for a while now. ¡®Sure it is! Let¡¯s see if you can survive this!¡¯ He claimed to be following me, not Go Woo-jin. He wondered if the resolution would be the same if he put the pretty youngest member next to Go Woo-jin. He passed Seon Jae-chan and exited the alley with a relaxed attitude. ¡­However. Seon Jae-chan really followed him. ¡°-You punk!¡± Kim Geun-won eventually threw away the disrespectful words he had maintained even halfway through. Out of the back alley. On the dark, two-lane road, he came face to face with Seon Jae-chan. ¡°This concept is too much!¡± It was time to demand that he stop. The dangling banded jaw stopped. The guy who met with his back against the cold ruins had unusual eyes. ¡°That way.¡± It was a cold voice. His consistently relaxed words were colorless, and his voice had lost its laughter, but that didn¡¯t mean his eyes had crumbled as Kim Geun-won had hoped. ¡°Don¡¯t run around here and there just to test me, old man.¡± He had a fierce look that made it difficult to believe he was only a twenty-something old kid. Kim Geun-won¡¯s upper lip began to sweat immediately. He had the impression he had run into a thug with a knife in a back alley. And that¡¯s with quite a bit of experience. What¡¯s wrong with his eyes? Kim Geun-won slightly raised his mouth and covered his rough upper lip with his lower lip. ¡°Hoo. You¡¯ve changed the way you call me? Are you angry that I put Woo-jin and the youngest together?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s a nuisance. You called Go Woo-jin so he couldn¡¯t even rest, made him worry about you because you had already almost hurt yourself, and then you left the team¡¯s youngest alone with him. Even if I was originally trash, how about you?¡± In contrast to the sloppy content, the tone is so dry that it¡¯s harsh. ¡°Hey. I¡¯m not an old man. I¡¯m only twenty five.¡± Kim Geun-won, who had been hesitant, explained in an instant at the time. It was to correct the nickname that was belatedly intrusive. The hostile eyes grew round as if they were about to pass judgment on this side right away. Kim Geun-won let out a short sigh that he didn¡¯t understand during the release of tension. Seon Jae-chan, who had his mouth slightly open, uttered a quiet voice. ¡°¡­ Beside¡­ You always give me timely lessons¡­ I thought you were a big senior.¡± ¡°Hah! There¡¯s no use in being quiet now. You punk, now that I see it, aren¡¯t you a pure double personality?¡± Seon Jae-chan took over the criticism, staring blankly at his sunken eyes and the beard on his mouth. Twenty five. He is two years younger than himself, who was twenty-seven before regressing. ¡°Are you really twenty five?¡± ¡°You punk! I also know that I look older than my age!¡± It may be so, but¡­ Jae-chan sighed. He wondered if twenty-five is too young to die. His mind was filled with negative thoughts. Go Woo-jin, who is kind to people other than him, has a small body and a slim face¡­ The team¡¯s 5 youngest member, who resembles the Guide Nam Hae-sol. Jae-chan thought he had let go of his feelings for Go Woo-jin, but it seem he hadn¡¯t. He cared enough to become irrationally angry at someone who might die today. As he gazed up at the desolate night sky, Jae-chan let out a hollow laugh. He approached Kim Geun-won with great strides after clearing his mind. He crossed his arms. ¡°¡­ What. What are you doing?¡± Kwak. He grabbed Kim Geun-won¡¯s arm tightly with his elbow as he was trying to escape. ¡°Hyung. Let¡¯s go together. That¡¯s right. I care about the youngest member and Go Woo-jin. But it¡¯s true that I¡¯ll follow hyung around, so let¡¯s stay together.¡± ¡°Let go of this?¡± Don¡¯t even call me hyung! Bastard, are you showing your true colors now? I¡¯m not going! I¡¯m not going! You go alone and eat your fill of eyes with Woo-jin! Kim Geun-won made a fuss, but he didn¡¯t care. ¡°In order to have Go Woo-jin, I must also have hyung. So, why did you pair such a brave girl with Go Woo-jin?¡± A kid who resembles Nam Hae-sol. Jae-chan clicked his tongue inwardly. Kim Geun-won was dragged helplessly at the moment. He was quite strong even though he was skinny. Was it due to his height? He looked suspiciously at the fair head, which was positioned similarly to him. ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± he exclaimed, and barely pulled out my arm. He led the way disapprovingly. Chapter 13 A deserted city where everyone has been evacuated. Only the pale moonlight that floated across the dark gray street stood out. Jae-chan walked through the desolate ruins, unsure when the killer would appear. He followed the grumbling Kim Geun-won and silenced his footsteps. * Back in the empty lot, Go Woo-jin and the youngest member of team 5 still sat side by side. The youngest member¡¯s cheeks were unusually red as she held the Handycam. Kim Geun-won laughed heartily and took the tablet PC from the cross bag on the pile of bricks. He connected it to the Handycam he was carrying and began editing the video using the waiting time for guiding. Jae-chan had considered it before, but it couldn¡¯t be anything other than a really low monthly salary environment. Jae-chan looked at Kim Geun-won, puzzled, and then sat down, leaning against a wall unaffected by a typhoon. It wasn¡¯t Kim Geun-won¡¯s side, nor Go Woo-jin and the youngest team 5¡¯s side, so it looks like a small triangle was formed when viewed from above. He pulled out his phone. He received three missed calls and five text messages from Lim Jeong-wook. He put it back in his pocket because there was no guide call. It was when his ears were filled with nothing but grass bugs. ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t know¡­ What¡¯s wrong with this¡­¡± The team¡¯s youngest member, whose face had turned red earlier, grunted while clutching the Handycam. He glanced over it. He saw Go Woo-jin, and the stumped youngest, wrinkling her forehead while touching the Handycam. Jae-chan, who was looking more closely for something, raised his eyebrows. What¡¯s wrong with them? ¡°¡­¡± Just in case, he turned to Kim Geun-won. Now, he has taken out his headset and is fully immersed in the editing work with his mouth open. The worry was short-lived. Jae-chan stood up from his seat. ¡°Is the camera not turning on?¡± ¡°Yes¡­! Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± The youngest exclaimed furiously. Her eyes flashed as if she had seen a savior, and she abruptly displayed the cell phone she was clutching. It was a Viewtube app. ¡°I looked everywhere for instructions on how to turn on the Handycam! When you open the wings in the video, it turns on by itself, but this¡­ I think it¡¯s broken. However, Esper Go stated that it is not the case. It was fine until about an hour ago¡­¡± Ah. Jae-chan only realized her red cheeks were caused by her irritation at the camera not turning on. Go Woo-jin held on to the belief that there was no malfunction and pressed the small silver button with ¡®power¡¯ written on it once every 10 seconds. Press once and wait, press again and wait. The youngest member of Team 5 next to him seemed to have itchy hands, wanting to press buttons or hit (?) a few Handycams right away. Jae-chan, who held back a laugh, offered advice because the two appeared to be completely contradictory. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have batteries.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Go Woo-jin, who had been pretending not to notice him, raised his head as well. Seeing the embarrassment in his indifferently shaded eyes, Jae-chan withdrew his smile once more and explained. ¡°The battery is out of the back.¡± He returned the scattered cross bag. Indeed, there¡¯s a large battery lying on the bottom. He took the cam and placed it in the empty back. The switch sound is a little dull. ¡°Here you go. I see now that the fasteners are loose. It can fall off again, so use it carefully.¡± ¡°¡­It works! Wow, thank you!¡± When the youngest opened the touchscreen, which she called ¡®wings¡¯, the screen lit up. She cheered as she panned the dim surroundings with her Handycam. Meanwhile, Go Woo-jin was staring at Seon Jae-chan. He turned his head as if he sensed the gaze. Their eyes met. The round eyes widened slightly, blinked quickly a few times, and then turned to the side once more. Could it be because of the late-night darkness? Woo-jin thought that the long eyelashes blinked as if they would make a rustling sound. That¡¯s right. Seriously, such behavior is strange. ¡®If it was like before, I would have rushed right in.¡¯ If it had been like before, Jae-chan would have rushed up to him and tried to hug him instead of avoiding his gaze. Why was he looking at him like that? Does he need a guiding? After he panicked, he would have made an absurd excuse that the wavelength appeared unstable with a sly smile. It¡¯s been a pattern that he¡¯s been fed up with for the past few years. However, the last few days have not been like the Seon Jae-chan he remembered. Even now, he avoided his gaze and knew about the Handycam, which he had no interest in. Seon Jae-chan possessed an acquired mechanical skill. He never touched anything he wasn¡¯t interested in or had nothing to do with his interests in the least. Electronic devices were also like that for Seon Jae-chan. He didn¡¯t even know how to use his phone¡¯s basic functions, which Go Woo-jin, who had become frustrated as a pair Esper, frequently reminded him of. ¡®Something is strange.¡¯ While Go Woo-jin was lost in his troubled thought, Seon Jae-chan, who was befuddled by his persistent gaze, was considering a similar thought. ¡®It¡¯s really strange.¡¯ It was so strange. ¡­ Go Woo-jin looked cute. He¡¯d never thought of Go Woo-jin as cute. He either thought Go Woo-jin was cool or wanted to rely on him. He was the same age as him, but he was much more mature and had a lot to learn from, much like a ¡®real ideal older brother¡¯. He learned everything faster and became more proficient than him, so he was ecstatic whenever he received help from Go Woo-jin. However, he seemed to know more than Go Woo-jin now, whether he had spent six years in vain. Even though 27-year-old Go Woo-jin is clear in his mind, 21-year-old Go Woo-jin keeps looking cute. ¡®It¡¯s hard to give up if you keep looking at me like that, Woo-jin-ah.¡¯ Go Woo-jin couldn¡¯t take his suspicious gaze off him. He thought he was searching ferociously, but it was when Jae-chan was barely calming his heartbeat at the smooth gaze that looked like a baby hawk. ¡°Woo-jin. Please look at this for a second.¡± It was Kim Geun-won without the headset. He didn¡¯t even look at the youngest and Woo-jin when they were struggling, but when Go Woo-jin expressed interest in Seon Jae-chan, he called out to him. Woo-jin went there obediently. Jae-chan sat next to Team 5¡¯s youngest member while watching Woo-jin put on the headset from Kim Geun-won. ¡°Do you know how to film?¡± The youngest member of team 5, who had been tinkering around with the Handycam by herself, smiled brightly in the subtle atmosphere of Jae-chan and Go Woo-jin. ¡°Yes! Now it¡¯s super easy!¡± The youngest waved her hand, saying that all that remained was to turn it on. She abruptly paused after expressing her gratitude one more time. He placed her hands on her lap and covered the Handycam. ¡°I¡­ Guide Seon Jae-chan. I have a question.¡± Jae-chan, who was staring at Kim Geun-won, regarded him with suspicion. ¡°Yes. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Nothing else, um, that you¡­ um, that¡­ I hear you are close with the team leader.¡± When Seon Jae-chan heard that, he wondered if she was referring to Lim Jung-wook, Team 5¡¯s team leader, who would now reach out to women. Jae-chan thought he was gay, but he was just a perverted bastard. Jae-chan, who was about to report him to the sexual harassment counseling center, still searching for confirmation. ¡°Are you talking about team leader Lim Jung-wook?¡± The youngest showed signs of a mistake. ¡°No, no! Another team leader!¡± ¡°¡­Team leader Hong Ye-deok?¡± Jae-chan mentioned the team leader of Team 2. She was the team leader of the team he was on, and she was a middle-aged woman with a laid-back demeanor, who always smiled blankly. ¡°No! I¡¯m sorry¡­ that, that¡­ In fact, the team leader of Team 1! Multi-Guide Han Tae-Hoon Team Leader! I heard that you and he have a close¡­. friendship.¡± It was an unexpected name. Jae-chan was momentarily speechless and looked down at the youngest member of Team 5. She seemed to be embarrassed, but her spirits faded as she noticed. Jae-chan barely spoke again. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s true.¡± He was a little confused while answering. He clenched and opened his fists, but for now, he stayed by the youngest member of Team 5. It seemed like an expression that he was willing to have a conversation, so the youngest sighed and sat a little closer. ¡°Team leader Han Tae-hoon is a Multi-Guide¡­ So, I heard that he awakened his abilities as an Esper in his mid-twenties. Me too¡­ I¡¯m the same age now, so I¡¯m curious.¡± Multi-Guide. A rare Guide who had Esper abilities. ¡®Multi-Esper¡¯ is a similar concept. Multi-Guide and Multi-Esper were determined by which energy level they had was higher, the Guide or the Esper. In Han Tae-hoon, Team 1¡¯s team leader case, he had an S-class Guide and an A-class Esper, an unprecedented Multi-Guide. And Han Tae-hoon, who was appointed as the leader of Guide team 1 in his early 30s, was expected to become even more famous in the future. Sooner or later, he will rise to the position of the youngest Guide Director. For a brief moment, Jae-chan recalled his former direct supervisor and role model he once devotedly served. Just by imagining it, it appears that the metallic smell that has always emanated from the director strongly permeates his lungs. ¡°How old are you?¡± He brushed his hair trying to clear his thoughts. He asked the youngest member of Team 5. ¡°Twenty-three.¡± Ah. He looked at her again, remembering how often he saw people whose ages and faces did not match today. He couldn¡¯t believe she was an older sister. Turned out the youngest member of Team 5 was him. ¡°You¡¯re about the same age. The team leader of Team 1 also awakened at 25.¡± Jae-chan nodded and explained. Chapter 14 ¡°I heard that from late teens to late twenties is the period when the second power is awakened the most. You¡¯re at that age right now. Do you want to be a Multi-Guide?¡± ¡°Yes. A little, um, funny, right?¡± The youngest member of Team 5 messed with her long hair shyly. Vroom. Not far away, the soft sound of car fumes could be heard. She spoke softly against the background of the soothing noise. ¡°Honestly, if I can become something by working hard, I want to become it right away. The salary and hazard benefits are incomparably higher¡­ It¡¯s quiet in the center, but statistically, the death rate is much lower in Esper. And. This is the most important thing. Aren¡¯t Espers basically ignored less?¡± The youngest member of Team 5 sighed. Jae-chan recalled at first glance the image of her running around in the barracks because she was the youngest. ¡°So¡­ Wouldn¡¯t everyone besides me want to become an Esper if they could?¡± The youngest member of Team 5¡¯s face turned red again after she finished speaking. She assumed she¡¯d said a lot for nothing, in the presence of a gold spoon guide who will not go through any difficult situations. What are you doing now? She should have only asked about Team Leader 1. She then added defensively. ¡°Of course, a guide who only guides people like Go Woo-jin Esper will not understand. I did.¡± And there was silence for a while. ¡°¡­¡± Oh, she shouldn¡¯t have added it. It was time for the team 5 guide to get frustrated. ¡°No. I understand.¡± A subdued voice was heard. The youngest, who had been fiddling with her fingernails, looked up in bewilderment. ¡°I really understand. I once wished I was an Esper.¡± Seriously. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s face is slightly pale as he murmured. A very cold wind blew in an instant. It was when the youngest attempted to ask as to the reason because his face, exposed to the emptiness, appeared as self-deprecating as his own. ¡°¡­Sunbae? Where are you going?¡± Jae-chan, who had been paying close attention to Kim Geun-won throughout the conversation, suddenly whispered. Go Woo-jin left his seat about 5 minutes ago. There was only one expected caller when he saw him hurriedly taking out his ringing cell phone. Woo-jin cared for only one person on the phone. His stepmother. For that reason, Kim Geun-won, who was alone, stood up. He frowned as he turned off the tablet PC that was leaking light and looked straight ahead outside the alley. ¡°Sunbae. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Jae-chan approached and lowered his voice. He stopped walking and stood next to Kim Geun-won. Staring at the same angle. An alleyway where things were cluttered. A car stood in the dark. It was on the other side of the narrow two-lane road where Jae-chan and Kim Geunwon had walked arm in arm. Jae-chan remembered hearing the sound of a car while talking with the youngest member. An old off-white range rover. With the headlights turned off, only the exhaust sound can be heard. Kim Geun-won whispered. ¡°There¡¯s a man¡­ inside it.¡± It was a very tense voice. As if it was wrong that there were people in there. ¡°Of course, it can be, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Shh.¡± ¡°Shh!¡± In order, they were the youngest members of Team 5, Seon Jae-chan, and Kim Geun-won. The youngest frowned, wondering why these people were doing this. On the other hand, Seon Jae-chan did not have the energy to satisfy the youngest¡¯s curiosity. After all, Kim Geun-won dashed to the Handycam, picked it up, and attempted to run to the alley. ¡°Where are you going?¡± He whispered and grabbed Kim Geun-won. A silent but fierce fight ensued between the two. ¡°Let go of this. Let go of me, you punk.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no danger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a vehicle that even turned off the headlights that appeared in the no-go area. It¡¯s dangerous with or without anyone inside.¡± Because it was a typhoon-damaged area, barricades and LED safety lights were constructed all along the access road. Due to a lack of manpower, there was no one guarding it, but most people do not dare to crawl into the dangerous area to see it. ¡°I saw a hand inside. It was a white hand¡­ Knocked on the rear window, fell down!¡± ¡°You mean someone seems to have asked for help. -The youngest of Team 5.¡± Seon Jae-chan called the youngest while still holding Kim Geun-won. She swallowed a nervous breath as she listened to their conversation with her mouth wide open. ¡°Go tell your team¡ªno. Don¡¯t go anywhere. It¡¯s dangerous if they¡¯re bad people. Send a text from the shady spot over there. Contact an Esper. Solicit assistance from your team members. That there¡¯s a dangerous situation. Hurry.¡± The youngest turned on the phone in a blind spot outside the alley. He was grateful that they could communicate much better than he thought. The problem was that the person who was supposed to be able to communicate well was still running wild. ¡°Calm down. Just wait for someone to come. Should I call Go Woo-jin?¡± Knowing that he would never answer if he was on the phone with his stepmother, Seon Jae-chan just said it like that. ¡°Don¡¯t take it easy, you punk! If a real person has been kidnapped, it is an emergency!!¡± You¡¯re talking nonsense. Seon Jae-chan said sarcastically inside. The real emergency is Kim Geun-won. It was a love affair, and the kidnapped person will come back intact tomorrow. In this case, Kim Geun-won was the only one who was not fine. For a brief moment, Seon Jae-chan stared at Kim Geun-won, who was frantically jumping around in his firm grip. He was alive. Now, this person, he is very alive. Jae-chan felt his senses, which had been buried as if he hadn¡¯t known them all day, open up like a floodgate. The strangeness of talking to an already dead person. Unfamiliarity. Or the fear that this person will die again¡­ A rage-filled voice. The sensation of hot skin on his hand¡¯s palm. Warm breath. The brows and wrinkles around the eyes were distorted like a rakshasa. Even the band-aid he¡¯d wrapped around his chin to treat himself. This man is alive. I don¡¯t want to let him die again. ¡°He may be having some terrible time while you¡¯re holding me back! At least you should let them know that they¡¯re not alone!¡± ¡°Then what if you die?¡± Jae-chan asked without loosening his grip and wrists, which seemed to fall because of pain. ¡°People don¡¯t die that easily! How dare you give me a leap, you despicable bastard! You¡¯re always like this. Frightened in advance, give up! That¡¯s why you¡¯re always playing tricks on the back there rather than going to the front to face it with confidence!¡± Fortunately, Kim Geun-won never screamed even in the most dire of circumstances. It was funny to whisper and fight, but the situation was not. The youngest, who had contacted help, also looked at them anxiously. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re going alone?¡± ¡°Let go! Let me go! I¡¯ll peel you with my feet.¡± Kim Geun-won was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even pronounce it properly. It looked like he wanted to knock him down right away. Seon Jae-chan thought about plans 1 and 2 for the last time. 1. Knock out Kim Geun-won. 2. Held Kim Geun-won to the end. ¡°There is a reason why Go Woo-jin hates you, you cold-hearted punk! What, the youngest? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s you don¡¯t even have the heart to ask for our youngest name!¡± ¡°Ah. Old man, you¡¯re really, really, really annoying.¡± The angry Jae-chan recited it as if he had chewed him out. The voice calling him an old man comes out without remorse. The reason for the outpouring of rage was that Kim Geun-won eventually forced him to carry out plan 3. It was a plan he had made just in case. He was so stubborn anyway. Jae-chan abruptly pulled the hands that were holding Kim Geun-won. At the same time, he kicked Kim Geun-stomach won¡¯s with his knee. It was a well controlled power. Just to the point that Kim Geun-won couldn¡¯t move for a few minutes. Ugh. Kim Geun-won took a deep breath and bent like cooked shrimp. Jae-chan received the handycam that was about to fall and handed it over to the surprised youngest member of Team 5. Plan 3. The risk is about 20% higher than in plans 1 and 2, but there is no other option. 3. Made Kim Geun-won behave when he became noisy. Jae-chan passed through the crowded alley while Kim Geun-won, who had been hit by a vital point, was quivering on the ground. The moon even crossed the cloud-covered two-lane road. Vroom, he approached the car that only made engine noises. A station range rover model that was discontinued 15 years ago, with a dark gray angular body and old-style headlights. The windows are gray and hazy, and there are scratches all over. Dust acts as a natural tan. He noticed that the trunk was slightly open at first. He was hesitant to touch it, so he checked only the back window, where Kim Geun-won had seen a white hand. Of course, the door was shut. He couldn¡¯t see anything because it was dark inside the car. Knock, knock, knock. He knocked on the dirty window just in case, but there was no response. While looking at both sides of the dark road, Jae-chan took out his phone. Fearing that the light would be too bright, he turned on the flashlight by holding the point where the flash fired with the tip of his index finger. It seemed that he could hear footsteps in his ears. Chapter 15 ¡°¡­¡± Jae-chan reflexively turned to Kim Geun-won¡¯s direction. And he saw a strange sight. Before he knew it, Kim Geun-won, who was lying flat on the floor, and the youngest member of Team 5 were beckoning like crazy with wide-eyed eyes. It refers to a narrow alley in front of the range rover. From Jae-chan¡¯s side, it was in an alley that turned vertically and was invisible. Damn it. Seon Jae-chan, who immediately realized what it meant, ran to the back of the car. He grabbed the open trunk door. He squeezed his body into the stale space that was exposed as silently as possible. He went in, but the frail car body, weighed down by his weight and made a creaking sound. It was only a small creak, but it feels like thunder, perhaps because of the tense situation. Step, step, step. As soon as he closed the trunk back to its original angle, the sound of footsteps clearly sounded in the darkness. Jae-chan hid in the corner of the bustling trunk, pulling his knees and holding his breath. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ Meanwhile, Kim Geun-won, who was watching the whole situation from beginning to end, was swearing inwardly. Damn. Damn it¡­! His heart is still beating erratically. He didn¡¯t know how surprised he was to find a strange person in the narrow alley on the other side. The man walking while looking at his cell phone was reflected in the light of the LCD screen, and his smiling mouth was clearly visible from a distance. ¡®I hope he¡¯s not a bad guy. I hope he is not. Please.¡¯ It should not have happened. It was because of him that Seon Jae-chan jumped there. The situation is not good. Kim Geun-won anxiously peered out from behind the pile of boxes by making the youngest lay down even more. Damn it. Why did he go alone! Kim Geun-won never dreamed that he would feel like losing weight because of his worries about Seon Jae-chan. Kim Geun-won, who was still clutching his painful stomach and staring at the man without blinking, sighed. ¡®No.¡¯ The man wearing a shabby bungee and carrying a reddish toolbox¡­ was also carrying a gun. In times of need, he lose strength in his legs that were about to run out. In a hopeless situation, Kim Geun-won only nervously ripped off the clumsy band-aid. Ah. The youngest then let out a cry-like sound. He then put his hand over her mouth like a pot lid, but she broke out in a cold sweat. The man abruptly moved towards the trunk where Seon Jae-chan was hiding. He appeared to be attempting to load the toolbox. Nope. It won¡¯t be. Not all people with guns are bad. However, Kim Geun-won kept thinking of the white hand that had been forcefully knocking on the back seat window. The man is almost at the trunk now. Wet tears streamed down Kim Geun-won¡¯s hand, which was covering the youngest mouth. The two people¡¯s heads were bleached white. The man seemed to notice something strange. He paused and stared at the trunk door with an unsettling gaze. He put down the toolbox. His gloved hand gripped the gun. Ugh¡­! The youngest¡¯s muffled cries finally broke through on Kim Geun-won¡¯s hands. Kim Geun-won trembled and covered the youngest eye with his other hand. Her eyes were wet and tightly shut, which he could feel beneath his palms. The trunk opened. * The man walking down the deserted alley was in a very good mood. He was full of elation and excitement. I finally got it. The target. He wanted to go home quickly. He received a text message at the perfect time informing him that the goods that had been delayed due to the typhoon had arrived. All traces of the target¡¯s kidnapping had been removed, so all he had to do now was return home. When he got to the end of a narrow alley, he put his phone in his pocket. Because he shouldn¡¯t be noticed. He blinked, adjusting to the glimmering light and darkness. He opened and closed his gloved hands as he headed for the trunk of the car. He immediately opened the door and suddenly stopped. Did I open the trunk? His heart was pounding. The man stared at the window before slowly lowering the toolbox. In fact, the loose-tempered man roughly closed the trunk, but the circumstances of the crime had made him sensitive. The silenced gun was held in the gloved hand. He stepped back. He kicked the trunk open with a pair of sneakers with loose soles in one breath. ¡­! The man immediately aimed the gun and inspected the dark interior with bright eyes. Due to long-term drug addiction, his yellow eyes with red threads creeping up through the trunk. After a while. After carefully checking, the man lowered the gun. A sigh of relief came out. Well, even if he had found the rat, he would have shot it right away and shoved it in the trunk. He took off his gloves with his front teeth and set the toolbox in the corner of the trunk. Tak. He closed the door and moved to the driver¡¯s seat. He double-checked his lovely target stretched out in the back seat before shifting gears. Her eyes are beautiful as if the drug is working properly. He then started the car. The man drove slowly, relying solely on the dim moonlight in the absence of headlights. Perhaps it was due to his mood that he only had one person on board, but he enjoys the sensation that the car has become heavy. Fuck. But it¡¯s a bit too dark. He had never dreamed of being a man staring at the dark windshield with the tip of his hard chin on the steering wheel. According to the intuition he foolishly passed over, there was one more person in the car. Seon Jae-chan relaxed and sat on the trunk. The kidnapper would find him sprawled out next to the toolbox if he opened the trunk again. However, the man was preoccupied with escaping the dark outskirts. Jae-chan was belatedly shaking his twitching hands with an indifferent face. He could still feel a tingling sensation in his grip on the obstinate Kim Geun-won. The kidnapper stopped in the middle of his way. Jae-chan was nervous as he showed the sign to get out of the car, but the sound of footsteps went far away. Jae-chan could see outside through the rear window because it was a hatchback trunk. The perpetrator had reinstalled the steel barricades and warning lights. He also pushed in. After confirming the kidnapper¡¯s actions, Jae-chan became trapped in the trunk¡¯s corner once more. The car quickly entered the well-lit street. He estimated that he would move for another 15 minutes while experiencing mild motion sickness. The range rover began to climb the mountain road. He was careful not to bite his tongue because this old-fashioned thin trunk made him to feel the terrain. Finally, the car stopped. He held his breath, bracing himself for another unexpected situation. The sound of the door closing was followed by the presence of the kidnapper. At the same time, ¡°Ugh.¡± A voice came out of nowhere. It was the kidnapped person¡¯s groan from beyond the invisible high back seat. It was at this point that Jae-chan cast a suspicious glance at the strangely familiar sensation. He heard a rattling sound in the distance. Jae-chan, who paid close attention to the rattling noise, soon realized it was the sound of a handcar. Deureureureug. The car¡¯s wheel stopped, and the back door quickly opened. The musty odor cuts through the hushed silence, allowing cool air to flow in. The kidnapper appeared to remain there for some time. What exactly is the situation? It was a time when Jae-chan¡¯s lowered body had only sharpened his hearing. Haa. Haaa. An unpleasant breath was heard. It was the kidnapper¡¯s voice. ¡®Is it because of lack of exercise?¡¯ While Jae-chan wrinkled the bridge of his nose, ¡°Hak, haaa.¡± The unpleasant sound became louder. Seueug, seueueug, seueueueug. The sound of heavy cloth rubbing could be heard. The kidnapper was dragging down the kidnapper. There was a continuous, steady breathing sound throughout. The heavy weight soon dropped dully, and the door closed loudly. The rattling handcar began to move. Jae-chan moved his body from the trunk¡¯s bottom. The sound of wheels gradually faded from the car. ¡®I¡¯m going to live for the time being.¡¯ Seon Jae-chan raised his head and checked the situation through the side window. As expected, it was in the mountains. A hill on the outskirts, an empty lot among typhoon-damaged trees. A slate-roofed hut stood alongside a shack. Under the tattered roof, there was a light tangled with insects, allowing him to see the surroundings clearly. The person who is driving the range rover and the person who is riding on the hand car. Jae-chan¡¯s eyes widened. It was because the kidnapped person was someone he knew, which surprised him. Bright hair. A gaping mouth. The person who was being dragged with his heels on the ground and his butt barely hanging onto the hand car was his roommate. ¡°¡­¡± Information was mixed up in his mind. He was sure he heard that it was a case of infidelity. Could it be that the kidnapped person has changed? Jae-chan peered through the dust splatters on the dark window panes. The kidnapper¡¯s destination was not a cabin, but a large dark warehouse. The handcar was parked next to a rusted iron gate. The warehouse door swung open. The inner lighting revealed in the dark is a reddish color, similar to that of a butcher shop. It was in poor taste. The kidnapper dragged his roommate in with the handcart. The oversized shoes¡¯ heels dragged along, gradually disappearing through the gap in the door like an open mouth. Seon Jae-chan finally took out his cell phone while still monitoring the warehouse. After switching to silent mode, he used GPS to determine his current location and address. South District 1. His fingers and eyes were focused on the map. He immediately sends a message. Chapter 16 [Team leader. I and a guide from Team 5 were kidnapped. I¡¯m sending you the location. You can¡¯t call me, you can only text me. (Picture 1) (Picture 2)] With Kim Geun-won¡¯s temper, he would have called the police first and then informed the team leader. However, he didn¡¯t have Kim Geun-won¡¯s phone number, so he texted Lim Jeong-wook. The team leader would have been worried because Seon Jae-chan, who was in his care, had gone missing for the day. Just as expected. A reply came right away. [From: ¡ïTeam Leader Lim Jeong-wook (Guide Team 5)¡ï I¡¯ll go right away, Jae-chan, be careful] Just in case, Jae-chan reported it to the police. The reply was quick this time too. [From: 112 (web call) We received a report at 578-08-20 20:19:34, and we are on our way. Please contact 112 directly in case of an emergency. -District 1 Southern Office 112-] [From: 112 (web call) We have looked up your cell phone location for emergency rescue. -District 1 Southern Office 112-] Finally, Jae-chan sent a text message to team leader Lim Jeong-wook saying that he had also filed a report with the police. He cast another glance out the window. There had been no movement from the two people who had entered the warehouse until that point. Jae-chan fixed his gaze on the gap through which the red light leaked out, like an open wound on a beast. He was fiddling with his phone. It took about 15 minutes for team leader Lim Jeong-wook to arrive. The police may come sooner. ¡®¡­?¡¯ It was then. He reflexively lowered his posture at the figure coming out of the warehouse, then opened his eyes wide. ¡®What am I looking at?¡¯ Seon Jae-chan¡¯s widened eyes followed the kidnapper¡¯s movement to the right. The skinny criminal was naked and dressed in a sleeping slip for a woman. The extremely transparent back runs into the gun hut, closes the door, and disappears as if blown away by the wind. Even though the lights were on in the house and the criminal was busily moving inside, Jae-chan couldn¡¯t move. Is this why¡­ the love affair case? He was just thinking about it. ¡­ He fell into solemn silence and checked his phone once more. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s trembling body calmed down. He carefully slid into the back seat. He opened the other car door and got out, rolling over the musty sheets. The criminal, who was in a hurry to take his roommate, did not bother to lock the car door. It¡¯s so outdated that the car key doesn¡¯t seem to have a remote control function. The sound of the wind in the dense forest and the rustling of the thick leaves drowned out the noise of the car door closing. Jae-chan confirmed that there was no CCTV, but he moved as quietly as he could in the dark forest¡¯s shade. The shadow inside the cabin is still busy doing what it is doing. Jae-chan approached the warehouse without taking his eyes off the shadows that came and went. ¡°He may be having some terrible time while you¡¯re holding me back! At least you should let them know that they¡¯re not alone!¡± Seon Jae-chan let out a short sigh as he remembered Kim Geun-won¡¯s words. He peered through the gap in the open door. * Five minutes before Seon Jae-chan entered the warehouse. The sound of rustling woke up Jae-chan¡¯s roommate, who had blurred vision. The sound of a box opening somewhere scratched his ears. He gradually became aware of the sensation. His throat hurts and his nose is stuffy. What¡¯s this smell? Naphthalene? Mothball? He frowned and surveyed his surroundings. It was like a warehouse. Red lighting. Steel-plate ceiling. A gigantic ceiling fan whirring. He was lying on his side on an old mattress. The smell of mothballs was wafting from there. And¡­ by the bedside. A naked man who changed into clothes he had just taken out of a box. Blinking his vision a couple more times, he recalled the situation before he lost consciousness. He opened his eyes wide as if they were going to tear. ¡°Are you awake?¡± The kidnapper turned around as he was trimming his clothes. A familiar nasal voice, and hard dented cheeks. A dark complexion with bloodshot eyes It was that bastard. A stalker who has been relentlessly following him for months. He wanted to get up as soon as possible. The pervert was dressed in a strange women¡¯s slip that covered his entire naked body. Fuck. I¡¯m going to end up in a mess. His legs which are limp and weak desperately moved on the mattress like mollusks. The next moment, ¡°Ugh!¡± A groan escaped from his mouth. ¡°What¡­ what are you doing¡­¡± His skin was being pierced by a needle. A sharp pain pierced his shoulder. He gritted his chin in fear as he watched the mysterious liquid vanish into his body helplessly. ¡°It was hard, right? You¡¯ll come to your senses now.¡± The guy who pushed the syringe all the way whispered. He drew the needle and stood up. The bizarrely thin slip dress flowed down his shabby, bone-like body. Only the skin was left open as if to show off. ¡°How do I look? I just got it delivered today¡­ I prepared it just for this day.¡± The guy who was already excited let out a fucking breath. Crazy bastard! He cursed at the sight he didn¡¯t want to see, and he rather stares at the red light. He recalled the situation just before he was kidnapped, unable to control his drug-soaked body. He never imagined that urinating in the open would be such a big mistake because going to the simple toilet was so bothersome. He was doing his business in a dark corner, pulling up his pants when a gun was pressed beneath his chin. ¡®If you make a sound, I¡¯ll shoot.¡¯ He was a stalker who had been quiet for a few days due to the typhoon. The penetrating gun. The tone suggests that it doesn¡¯t matter if it is fired by accident. The guy inserted the syringe he was holding in his other hand into his stomach while he was afraid his skull would be blown. When he woke up after losing consciousness, it was this red warehouse. It still feels like the needle pricked his abs is twisting. Damn you son of a bitch. Kinky bastard. He didn¡¯t want to talk to him, but he had no choice. ¡°Why. Why are you doing this to me?¡± He suffered for months because of this pervert. He fled his house and entered the guide¡¯s quarters. He couldn¡¯t easily meet a woman, let alone date, and he became a laughingstock among his colleagues because he chased him all the way to the scene. ¡°I. What did I do wrong? Huh?¡± He met the stalker for the first time in a club. A woman he happened to spend the night with introduced him to her acquaintance, saying that he was a timid but fun person. He appeared gloomy and hesitant at first, but he agreed to say a few words because he wanted to look good in front of the women. That was all. He had no idea the nightmare would begin on that day. ¡°If not¡­ is it because I hit you? Huh?¡± Tick. Tick tick. Under the light that the bugs hit, the man still had a crooked face. He couldn¡¯t take the stalking any longer and beat him half to death three months ago. He assumed he¡¯d gone now, but the next day, he appeared in front of his house, his face doubled in size, and he didn¡¯t know how loud he screamed. ¡°I asked, why, are you doing this to me? ¡­Say something.¡± He asked desperately, but he only looked at him with piercing eyes. In fact, the kidnapper was appreciating his wonderful work. The always arrogant eyes now contain despair beneath the wavy hair. The sight of confident pupils dissolving like flames under hot iron was more pleasurable than he imagined. ¡°¡­Say something.¡± Yes, this was it. ¡°You can say anything!!¡± Other emotions began to spread in the beautiful eyes as he shouted out at that time. Perhaps it¡¯s because his vision has improved and his surroundings have become more ingrained in his mind. With quivering eyes, the lovely target blinked his eyelashes and swung around one side of the warehouse. Various types of saw blades and chainsaws, steel pipes, and ropes hung on the walls. ¡°¡­¡± The thick neckline of the target gulps down. He watched carefully and savored the sound as if he were watching an art film. Despair was only part of the character¡¯s story. And he finally got the person he wanted in his hands. It was a dream come true moment. He threw the empty syringe into the trash can. At the same time, he gave the lovely target the voice that he had hoped for so much. ¡°Your eyes are so attractive.¡± The man who was in despair became stunned by those words. He started talking just to say this. Your eyes are so attractive. Is that the reason for the vicious stalking and kidnapping? No. He should not try to understand a lunatic. He sucked the insults down. No. He was on the verge of crying now. While he suppresses the confusing emotions, the perverted bastard went out with a joyful pace. The injected liquid appeared to be a stimulant. His consciousness and senses are becoming clearer. He could only feel his weak body, feeling helpless. Trying to wiggle his way out, he glanced outside in the dark with sad eyes. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± ¡­ ¡°Help me¡­ help.¡± Help me. Please help me¡­ Tears welled up in his nose. However, when the pervert returned, he didn¡¯t want to show a miserable appearance, so he endured it again and again. How much time had passed? 1 minute? Or 5 minutes? His nape was already drenched in a cold sweat at the time. Much to his frustration, that guy returned. Chapter 17 ¡°Did you wait a long time?¡± He was wearing a black garter belt, underwear, and fishnet stockings under the slip. ¡°Bastard, untie this¡­ Let go¡­!¡± He struggled as if he were going to kill him, but his muscles were weak. Even so, he charged like a hyena at a time. Hey, fuck! Fuck! He screamed a bunch of abusive words at the hand that loosened his pants dance. It was the same situation as when he woke up in the motel room after drinking free alcohol at the club on the first day of meeting the pervert. The only thing that moved above his head was the shabby ceiling fan. He couldn¡¯t get away this time, and it felt like his mind was going insane as well. ¡°Get out of the way, you bastard, hah, get out of the way!¡± A panicked body was useless. When he twitched in response to the touch of his skin. Suddenly, he thought, ¡®Am I finally crazy because of extreme stress?¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t have seen that otherwise. The stalker¡¯s face was as red as the lights, and his hand unbuttoned his pants as something came up behind his fluttering hair. One iron pipe¡­ floats in the air like a ghost. There is no time to be perplexed. Whip, a steel trail pierced the air. Slam! ¡°Urgh!!¡± The death scream marked the end. The man who had been struck in the vital points collapsed on top of his body. His eyes rolled over as he felt himself being touched again. The terrible body temperature went away after a while. Thud. He could hear him tossed on the ground. ¡°Hey, hey!¡± At the rough slap on his cheek, he barely managed to keep his eyes focused. ¡°Look at me! ¡­Are you okay?¡± He took a deep breath as he heard the asking voice. His vision gradually returned as he inhaled a short breath. The image in front of him was of an unexpected person¡¯s face. ¡­Why. Why is this guy here? Thump thump, thump, the heartbeat engulfed him and he stared at the other person. His face was completely decent, despite being the same scumbag as that perverted stalker bastard. It was Seon Jae-chan, who had no choice but to maintain a roommate relationship due to the official regulations. Let¡¯s just look at him, ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡± He nodded. Then, with the blue tape in his hand, Jae-chan quickly started tying up the pervert who had fallen like a mop on the floor. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s method of arrest was both quick and meticulous. He shakes his hands after dealing with the pervert, but it¡¯s difficult for him to grasp the situation because his head is buffered. It was difficult to move along. He brought a jigsaw this time. ¡°What, what are you doing!¡± ¡°To untie you. Cut the rope.¡± Jae-chan grabbed the toe of his roommate¡¯s shoe without hesitation. The jigsaw started to move between the ankles. Cutting only one thick strand with a saw was certainly quick and easy. The shock had worn off by the time he cut the rope around his wrist. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Seon Jae-chan asked once more as he touched his tingling hands and feet. The roommate¡¯s eyes, which had been relaxed in a daze, hardened. He stood up. He sat on the creaky mattress and responded defensively. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seon Jae-chan sat down beside him and asked one more time. His face was noticeably more tired than usual, but his roommate, who had just escaped from the abduction situation, naturally did not notice. ¡°Shit. I said I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m okay!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then, guide me.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± What did he just hear? His roommate frowned at him. He could then see a particularly pale face, even in the reddish lighting. The two of them locked gazes. Seon Jae-chan realized he needed more explanation for his pounding head after exchanging unwilling glances for a while. ¡°Like me kicking or robbing a locker. Do you know how I did it?¡± He reached out to his roommate. ¡°I did it myself.¡± At the same time, Seon Jae-chan endured the sharp pain and relied on his strength. The roommate, who had inadvertently focused on the outstretched fingertips, nearly passed out. The boy¡¯s hand disappeared without a trace. As if melted in the air. ¡®Come to think of it¡­ Even the iron pipe¡­¡¯ The roommate¡¯s face became even more strange when he remembered the iron pipe that seemed to float in the air. Meanwhile, Jae-chan released his power, which had reached its limit. The hand appeared once more. It was a special class, ¡®concealment¡¯ ability. The reason he hasn¡¯t been caught by the kidnapper and hasn¡¯t been attacked like Kim Geun-won. Later, he made significant contributions to becoming the director of the Guide Han Tae-hoon¡¯s right-hand man. ¡°I am a multi-guide. Guide and Esper. Well, the esper side power is weak.¡± The roommate¡¯s face distorted. Seeing him not moving like a statue, Seon Jae-chan let out a light sigh and gently grabbed his opponent¡¯s hand. He couldn¡¯t help but say it a little nervously. ¡°So can you guide me a little?¡± It¡¯s urgent. After all, he is his lifesaver. He gathered more strength in his hands and lowered his voice as if to console him. He believes he can survive simply by maintaining some contact with a guide. Then the roommate was surprised. He recognized an Esper¡¯s faint and delicate wavelength that touched his palms. * Around 8:30 in the evening, a remote mountain in District 1¡¯s southern outskirts. Several police patrol vehicles, including MPVs, flashed their warning lights. The red and blue LED lights flickered and illuminated the shadows cast by the trees, the deteriorating slate roof, and the wide-mouthed warehouse. The police, who arrived after receiving a report, was interviewing an eyewitness, who was a guide in the center about the incident. It was Seon Jae-chan. From time to time, he pointed to the culprit tied up with blue tape like a set on the floor of a glossy green warehouse and finished his explanation. ¡°Can I take a break now?¡± The handsome guide, who was making a statement, asked. The officer looked behind him at the main victim, who had curly bangs like a brown poodle, and noticed that both of them were not looking good, so he called his subordinates. ¡°Hey! Take them to the car!¡± Only then was Seon Jae-chan able to drag his roommate away from the crime scene. Whether it was a big shock or something, he kept silent. There were three patrol cars. They were guided by a policeman into an empty vehicle. ¡°The team leader of Team 5 will come too. I contacted him when I reported it.¡± Seon Jae-chan spoke as he sat one space away from the middle seat in the spacious van. His roommate simply shook his head. He opens his mouth as if to say something, then looks out the window. He kept a meaningless gaze on the tail of the patrol car in front. What¡¯s the matter with him? Seon Jae-chan raised his brows and looked out the window on the other side. Police were dragging the handcuffed criminal out after recovering the illegal firearms. While looking at the guy who was still confused, he suddenly held his hand and opened it. His physical condition has improved noticeably. Fortunately, the police arrived just as the guiding was coming to an end. ¡®The matching rate probably at least 40% or higher?¡¯ Of course, depending on the roommate¡¯s rating, it could go up or down, but it feels good. At the very least, he would not have to seek out illegal guiding routes. Jae-chan unintentionally gave his roommate a coveted look. It is unfortunate that he will be leaving the center soon. Oh, come to think of it, it was around this time that this guy changed his nationality? Could this have influenced his decision to leave the center? Because the identities of the victims were strictly protected in the past, he was unable to connect the case to the roommate who had left. As he guessed, the eyes as pale as amber were also looking back this way. The man opens his mouth once more. ¡°¡­¡± In fact, the roommate¡¯s hands were clenched tightly due to Seon Jae-chan¡¯s wavelength remaining under his skin. Maybe it¡¯s because the other half is a guide. What esper wavelength¡­ It tickled and rubbed the remaining texture as if to crush it, like a feather. Perhaps as a result of his guiding, he fixed his gaze on the pale cheeks and then on the front seat¡¯s headrest. First and foremost, he brought out the words he had stopped saying earlier. ¡°You¡­ So, you¡¯ve been messing around all this time by yourself?¡± Seon Jae-chan shifted his gaze to the front without responding. Of course, he had previously abused his Esper powers around this time. If the act had continued or intensified, it would have been the same as a crime committed by an unregistered Esper criminal. This was the reason why the state¡¯s Esper investigation team was absolutely necessary. ¡°Did you report it to the Guide bureau? You said you¡¯re Multi-Guide?¡± He used his right to remain silent. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s power as an Esper was awakened at the age of nineteen, but he had not reported it to the state. The reason for this is¡­ Naturally, he remembered something from his past. Once upon a time, when he truly wanted to be an Esper. For generations, Seon Jae-chan¡¯s family was known for producing A-level or higher Espers. However, they had a strange family custom that was completely unknown to the people outside. A tendency to disrespect Guides. ¡®Espers must ultimately break free from their dependence on Guides. Guide is just a consumable item that must be used before that step can be implemented.¡¯ this was the family¡¯s theory. That¡¯s why the whole family actively sponsored guiding machine research and maintained a close relationship with J Company, an Esper-Guide medical pharmaceutical company. In such an environment, Seon Jae-chan unexpectedly became a Guide. The tension became apparent. Chapter 18 ¡®I don¡¯t recognize him. A guide in my family.¡¯ That¡¯s how Jae-chan¡¯s father lashed out at his mother. She had to give birth to Seon Jae-chan in order to have Esper¡¯s children in better condition than his first son Eun-soo. He mistakenly believed it was a pillar to support the family, but it was a rotten pillar. He never stopped turning his back on his son. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s sensitive mother became neurotic as a result. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Jae-chan. When I see you¡­ My head hurts so much.¡¯ His mother, who had done everything for him as if he were the best thing in the world until recently, didn¡¯t even look at Seon Jae-chan for a while. It was later discovered that his father had even performed a paternity test. The 11-year-old boy, who had nothing to fear except his father and older brother, was demoted overnight. ¡®I¡¯ll go into the center.¡¯ After all, it was the year he turned fourteen. Leaving the house voluntarily was a natural next step. He was tired of seeing his parents without making eye contact, and he didn¡¯t want to put up with his older brother Seon Eun-soo, who was an A-class Esper. The reason why Seon Jae-chan got a guide test at the age of only 11 was because of Seon Eun-soo¡¯s obsessive abnormal behavior. Life at the center wasn¡¯t bad. Since the family pretended to care for Seon Jae-chan outside, so he was able to live on the admiration of others rather than at home. However, he was not devoid of the desire to gain attention from his parents. Seon Jae-chan worked hard from the age of fourteen to nineteen. He was determined to participate in the guide training program while reducing his sleeping time, occupying the top rank, and rising to the top tier among A-class Guides. He expected his parents to praise him when he excelled, just as he had when he was a child. Seon Jae-chan, like Go Woo-jin, adorned himself with external achievements in order to be recognized by his parents. Then one day. Did the heavens consider the efforts admirable? The golden moment has arrived. It was the spring when he turned nineteen. When he skipped grades and passed the national Guide selection exam one year earlier than others, and had only just begun his duties as a trainee Guide. He discovered his transparent fingertips while washing his face in the morning after staying up all night in the office alone. He awakened as an Esper. The joy and surprise of that time couldn¡¯t be said in words. He was already running home he came to his sense. He talked to his mother excitedly over the phone first. The voice on the other end of the line was trembling. Jae-chan¡¯s head was like a field of flowers that bloomed like spring flowers outside the car window the entire taxi ride home. The big 11-year-old child still stomped triumphantly inside him. His mother¡¯s headaches would be gone, and his father would be sorry for treating him so coldly all this time. ¡®At least I will be recognized as a family.¡¯ Seon Jae-chan made his fingertips transparent and smiled. He entered the mansion like a general who returned home with a victory report. And soon he realized what a fool he was. When he saw his father waiting without going to work, his heart swelled for a while. He was dragged into the mansion without saying anything. It was with the Esper Lab team, by his father¡¯s side. His mother, who was following looked nervous. They eventually arrived at a laboratory with the same equipment as the Esper Bureau. He installed the device without pausing to express his brief delight. He was immediately rated as an Esper. The result was ¡®E-class.¡¯ At the very least, the researcher carefully explained that it was determined to be E-class due to the unique concealment sequence and that it was no different in terms of energy from F-class. Seon Jae-chan¡¯s father, who received the predicted grade, remained expressionless. Only his mother, who chewed on her lips, faded like the moon in the daytime. Seon Jae-chan was terrified, overshadowing the excitement so far. The nightmare of being judged as a Guide when he was a child seemed to resurface. The father, who conducted a paternity test because he was not convinced that his real son was a Guide, was also skeptical of his son¡¯s Esper class. ¡®There¡¯s no need to report to the center.¡¯ After sending the researcher first, the decision was made by his father like a cool-headed judge. Jae-chan was told to live as an unregistered person. His mother shook her head as if she had another headache, and quickly left. Jae-chan, who was left alone, was unable to respond in front of his father¡¯s gaze. He shouldn¡¯t have come running. He should not have told his parents the news as if it were breaking news. He was frozen to death by the thought. He forced a smile, but his face flushed and his heart pounded. His father walked out of the lab as if he had nothing else to see. Seon Jae-chan couldn¡¯t even follow his parents out of shame. He just ran away from home as if he was kicked out of intense shame. After that, he lived unregistered. Until he died in Black Swan¡¯s underground base at the age of twenty-seven. His father was right. His Esper powers were really weak despite the plausible name of ¡®concealment.¡¯ A duration of only a few minutes a day did not save his life. It was at least the maximum output of that ability. But now. Shouldn¡¯t that maximum output value be updated and recorded? Today, he saved two lives as an Esper. ¡°Did you report it?¡± Seon Jae-chan returned to reality at the urging of his roommate. He made eye contact with his shaky eyes and suddenly took his cell phone out of his pocket. ¡°¡­ Hey! Hey, what are you doing!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Replying in a tone that was not apologetic at all, Seon Jae-chan snapped pictures of the scene outside the window with his roommate. ¡°You¡¯ve discovered a corporate secret, but there would always be a person to believe it. What if you report me as an Esper?¡± When his roommate asked if the threat to leak the crime scene photos as the crime victim was serious, Jae-chan added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I told you last time. If you don¡¯t touch me, I won¡¯t touch you either.¡± Well. Even if his roommate reported it to the Guide Bureau, he just had to pretend that he was aware of his Esper powers in an emergency. Or the father, who didn¡¯t want his son to be discovered as an E-class Esper, could have bribed the authorities to stop reporting. ¡°You wicked bastard.¡± He was prepared to confront him, but his roommate merely clicked his tongue. He locked his gaze on the unusually calm man. Is he upset about what happened? Jae-chan suspected he had become discouraged. ¡°What is your name?¡± Seon Jae-chan asked suddenly. He was thinking about the past. Based on the video taken by Kim Geun-won¡¯s handycam that fell at the scene, the roommate was rescued the next day. Following that, an investigation into Kim Geun-won¡¯s death was conducted, but the investigation into the abduction was said to be hazy. Because the victim claimed it was a simple affair. ¡®Did he cover it up on purpose?¡¯ He only saw a few situations, but no matter how he look at it, it wasn¡¯t an affair. He was not in a position to judge the guy¡¯s choices in the past¡­ Sigh. He shook his head, but his roommate crossed his arms. ¡°Huh. Don¡¯t you even know my name?¡± ¡°How about you. Do you know my name?¡± ¡°Ah, seriously!¡± He seemed to know his name based on his usual temper. Seon Jae-chan examined his roommate¡¯s exotic appearance, which included light freckles. It had to be a foreign name. Is it Liam Roy? No. Roy was the name of the President of Gyeongjeon Stone¡¯s nephew. ¡°Noah. Jeong Noah!¡± His roommate said as he cut through the slightly stuffy air inside the patrol car. The roommate murmured awkwardly while kneading his bound arms and legs with his large hands as if he were still uncomfortable. ¡°If hearing my name makes you think of Noah Airy, that¡¯s it. My parents named me after her. But you know what? Noah Airy¡¯s real name is Ainoa Airy. Noah is just her nickname. I¡¯m just ¡®Noah¡¯.¡± According to the nonsense talk, his roommate, no, Jeong Noah, was still unstable. Jae-chan pretended to listen in order to provide stability to the crime victim. He thought that the name Noah goes very well with his bright curly hair. Jae-chan checked his phone while hearing his roommate¡¯s voice. The screen suddenly becomes bright. [Jae-chan-ssi, where are you?] He got a text message from team leader Lim Jeong-wook. He checked out the window. He could see the typhoon team¡¯s Espers and team leader Lim Jeong-wook approaching the mountain road as they had just arrived. He also noticed Kim Geun-won, who had just gotten off the back car. He is still alive. Seon Jae-chan looked curiously at Kim Geun-won, who was alive and looked like a bandit but paused for a moment. Following Kim Geun-won, a large shadow got out of the car with his long legs stretched out. It was Go Woo-jin. The officer pointed his finger in the direction of the group that was approaching them. Go Woo-jin¡¯s eyes followed him and then turned around quickly. Go Woo-jin¡¯s sharp eyes, stained with pure worry like a young boy, immediately found Jae-chan. ¡°¡­¡± Jae-chan stood still for a moment. He must have seen it wrong since the patrol car¡¯s lights were so bright. Or maybe he inhaled hallucinogens while in the warehouse. Chapter 19 Otherwise¡­ Go Woo-jin¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t have softened when he saw him. There was no way he could have breathed a light sigh with his broad chest out. As if relieved. As if what he was worried about was his safety. ¡°Hey¡­ Hey, Seon Jae-chan.¡± Go Woo-jin immediately looked away as the roommate called him. An insignificant scene kept playing in his head. Because of this, Seon Jae-chan only patted Jeong Noah on the shoulder when he was suddenly gasping for breath. He only thought of Go Woo-jin. ¡°Ah¡­ I feel weird¡­ Oh, no. Earlier, in the syringe¡­ Ah. Shit.¡± It seemed that the syringe contained other substances besides the stimulant. Seon Jae-chan glanced at him, then took out his cell phone and dialed the number. ¡°119. There is a man who got an erection after being injected with an illegal drug.¡± Seon Jae-chan¡¯s insensitive request for rescue continued. Fuck. In the end, swear words erupted from the roommate¡¯s mouth. Apart from Seon Jae-chan¡¯s restless mind. Also, apart from the circumstances of the roommate who started twisting his reddened body. The operation to save Kim Geun-won ended in great success with the achievement of ¡®saving Jeong Noah¡¯. It was quite a successful goal. *** Late at night, the ringtone woke up inside the silent officetel. Click. The bathroom door opened and a damp light spread on the contours of the classic living room. A large figure in a gown moved across the open space. The neat fingertips that lit the light by turning on the switch picked up the cell phone on the table. The caller¡¯s name appears above the brightened screen. [Stepmother] Go Woo-jin, who had just washed and had wet hair, looked cynically at the screen. It was a video call. His black eyes glowed with a faint sense of boredom. He put down his phone and put on his clothes at neither fast nor slow pace. The fabric slid over the swollen muscles from weight training a while ago. The phone rang incessantly until he returned to the living room. Go Woo-jin brushed up his dry hair and sighed nervously. As if preparing, he smiled lightly, took a breath, and accepted the video call. ¡°Yes. Mother.¡± At the same time, he used the remote control to increase the volume of the audio. It occupied a corner of the living room and was a gift from his stepmother that was now floating on the screen. A high-end product said to have been created by a world-class sound expert, complete with an entry number. Luxurious string instrument melodies poured out. With his back to the music he didn¡¯t know was good enough to listen to at any time, Woo-jin took his cell phone and approached the front window. Between the lights of the deepest buildings in District 1 that occupied the night, the waves of the black river that must have flowed in that place for hundreds of years seemed to at least relieve the cramped feeling. ¨C Gosh you. What¡¯s with ¡®mother¡¯ all the time? His stepmother¡¯s voice sounded like a violin melody. A brilliant chandelier across the screen, as if for a banquet, with as many people¡¯s heads as fake candlesticks stuck in it. The party¡¯s laughter and clinking of glasses were a selling point. ¨C Are you at home again? I can hear music. Oh! It¡¯s a classic I recommend! His stepmother pressed her ear against the screen as if to hear more of the music. The screen was filled with a close-up of the long drop diamond earrings hanging on the ear lobe, and a heavy hitting sound rang out. Woo-jin responded by raising his lips slightly. ¨C I really like that music. Again, the screen switched to the stepmother¡¯s dark lipstick. A singing voice follows. ¨C Studies show that the ultrasonic sound emitted by the instruments is one of the richest songs. They say it calms people down. Is your job a bit rough? Isn¡¯t that like a human butcher? Woo-jin raised the corner of his mouth in response to his stepmother¡¯s laughter. He simply lowered his thick lashes. He kept his sneers to himself. At first glance, Go Woo-jin appeared to have a drawn smile as a result of this. Director Yoon Seo-mi stared at the handsome adopted son¡¯s face for a while as if appreciating a moment. It was her habit that always comes out before getting to the main topic. A habit that you can¡¯t fix even if you want to fix it. ¨C I attended a meeting today, and Director Choi said something strange. I heard you¡¯re attending the board meeting this weekend? Woo-jin didn¡¯t bother to answer. Because his stepmother must have already decided the answer. ¨C Your father is also an idiot. What does a 21-year-old know to invite you to a place like that already? Go Se-jin, his stepmother¡¯s biological son and two-year-old younger than Go Woo-jin had been attending the board meetings like field trips since he was 15, but as if that had never happened, she covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. The perfectly maintained nail tips sparkle. ¨C Mom knows everything. I heard you were busy with Mentor Island these days? I heard you¡¯re in charge of cleaning up the remains of the pirates. That¡¯s right. My son¡¯s strength is that he is honest and sincere. Your father praised you a lot. His stepmother muttered. It was a tone that abruptly muffled the laughter. ¨C Do you have a hard time with him? Well, I heard that the first child had a hard time to be face-to-face with their father. So the youngest should act cute. Se-jin is working so hard to please your father. Go Woo-jin said, ¡°Yes.¡± He pretended to be calm and just smiled. He was suppressing the movement to agree sarcastically. He turned his bored gaze to the side and turned away from the screen. ¨C So that¡¯s what I mean. It¡¯s hard for you to attend, do you want mom to tell him instead? Only the timbre of the string instrument resonated in the living room. Does his stepmother really think that fast and loud sound is good to hear? He was cynical and kept silent. When there is no answer, the voice over the phone became low. ¨C Woo-jin? Go Woo-jin. At the tone of her voice calling his name as she did when he was a child, Woo-jin raised his eyes while hiding his annoyance. ¨C Woo Jin-ah. His stepmother called him once again. A call with heavy pressure, with the high pitch suddenly lowered. But it works for less grown children. What. The more his stepmother is mistaken, the better. He immediately met her gaze like an obedient child. The thickly painted lipstick on the screen twists at a stern angle. ¨C Tell me. You¡¯re not coming, are you? The polite smile fixed on Woo-jin¡¯s lips also deepened. ¡°Of course. Mother.¡± He folded his eyes gently. Only then, as if satisfied, did another loud laugh reverberate over the phone. Only after a long and exhausting exchange of greetings with several middle-aged gentlemen who were acquaintances of her group was Go Woo-jin able to hang up the phone. In a quiet living room, even the audio was soon turned off. Go Woo-jin¡¯s gaze sank like winter as he stared at the phone screen after the call ended. His thoughts were carried on by his eyes, which were as cold as ice. Even a few weeks ago. Because of the phone call with this person, he couldn¡¯t stay by Kim Geun-won¡¯s side. Go Woo-jin recalled the day when Team 5¡¯s guide was kidnapped. As usual, after the persistent call from his stepmother, he received a text message from Kim Geun-won informing him of an emergency. He was even more surprised when he heard the situation. Kim Geun-won almost died that day. Had it not been for an unexpected incident, he would have lost a close friend close by because of his stepmother who is obsessed with money. His thoughts naturally turned to that ¡®extraordinary change¡¯ as he let out a short sigh. Woo-jin suddenly turned around and brought the item he had placed on the living room cabinet. The day of Team 5¡¯s guide¡¯s kidnapping. It was a handycam that had been in the hands of Kim Geun-won before being transferred to the hands of Team 5¡¯s youngest member. He pressed the play button. A crackling tone mingled with the sound of the wind flowing out. [There¡¯s a reason Go Woo-jin hates you, you cold-hearted punk!] [What, the youngest? That¡¯s right, you don¡¯t even have the heart to ask for our youngest name!] Following Kim Geun-won¡¯s voice. ¡°Ah. Old man, you¡¯re really annoying.¡± Even Seon Jae-chan¡¯s voice clearly revealed his twisted personality. The situation of the day remained clear. However, the scenes filmed afterward were completely different from the ¡®that guy¡¯ he knew. Go Woo-jin let out a short sigh of confusion. ¡°¡­¡± No matter what the circumstances were, Seon Jae-chan definitely saved Kim Geun-won on that day. That wasn¡¯t all. As soon as he arrived at the scene that day, he remembered the pale face he had seen through the patrol car window. His complexion was as pale as if it would disappear without blood. According to the kidnapped victim¡¯s statement, it was Seon Jae-chan who caught the culprit. Did he really do something for someone else? Doing a lot of things to the point of being like that? Did he really change now? After all this time. Besides. Go Woo-jin, who let out another sigh, played the cam again. The preoccupied youthful eyes under the wet hair gradually hardened sharply. Jae-chan knocked down Kim Geun-won and keenly inspected the back of the suspicious vehicle. When the culprit appeared after inspecting the scene, he came to a scene where Jae-chan hid in the trunk and stopped the screen. His black eyes narrowed. He turned the video forward again. This scene. [¡­] The criminal aimed a gun at the trunk. [¡­Heuk] He could hear the shallow crying of the youngest member of Team 5. [¡­] The criminal puts the gun down again. Chapter 20 Woo-jin rewinded the video again. It was a scene that had been played out dozens of times. Seon Jae-chan had obviously climbed into the trunk. The tip of his toe, which quickly disappeared into the hatchback trunk was noticeable, but the culprit did not seem to have noticed Seon Jae-chan. How could he not have been noticed? He wouldn¡¯t know if he was there, but it was difficult to deduce the situation from the video. No matter how big the monitor was, there was a limit. ¡°¡­¡± He shifted his gaze from the touchscreen to the battery. On that day, he didn¡¯t even know it was missing, but he remembered that Seon Jae-chan was happy to help. Right. It was strange even then. Seon Jae-chan was a very important tool in the struggle with his stepmother. However, little by little, he showed an unexpected appearance and deviated from the plan. ¡®I¡¯ll quit being your pair guide.¡¯ The same goes for the remarks that he couldn¡¯t believe came out of Seon Jae-chan¡¯s mouth. What is his plan now? His thoughts are always endless¡­ It was uncomfortable. It was when a thin line was drawn between Go Woo-jin¡¯s forehead as he tilted his head back before he knew it. His phone rang. The ringing attracted his cold eyes. He reached out and grabbed the phone with a pop-up window. He checked the text, wondering if it was from his stepmother. The next moment. Go Woo-jin¡¯s dry, cold eyes seemed to widen slightly, but he quickly frowned. * At the same time, the only brewpub in District 1 Central Management Headquarters. It was a Friday evening, so the inside of the store was very crowded. Seon Jae-chan, sitting at the bar, was drinking beer from a 500cc glass. There were already three empty beer cups on display in front of him, with only a white strip remaining. The bartender taking the order glanced at the customer who had been drinking like water for a while. So did the people sitting around. ¡°Haa.¡± Jae-chan sighed and set down his heavy glass, grabbing a fork to snack on the unlimited puffed rice cakes served at the bar. Then he gulps down the newly ordered glass. The bartender, who had been receiving plates from the back kitchen, asked jokingly. ¡°Customer. Aren¡¯t you eating in a hurry? Did you suffer a broken heart?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The bartender was taken aback by the immediate answer. Oh my. He just asked, but he didn¡¯t know it was the answer. He offered a heartfelt consolation. ¡°This. What happened?¡± It was 10 minutes ago. The customer, who was dressed comfortably in a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, had come in alone, sat at the bar, and immediately ordered several beers. His face was that of a student (he even checked his ID), and his behavior was so out of the ordinary that it was difficult not to keep an eye on him. What kind of woman would kick the gleaming spirit world like that? Was the girl younger? The bartender served the seasoned chicken plate he ordered to the staring customer next to him, then spoke to Seon Jae-chan again. ¡°Were they a very good person?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Oh. The bartender is also familiar with this person.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s sitting next to me.¡± The left side of Seon Jae-chan¡¯s seat was empty, so the only person sitting next to him was the one on the right. The bartender stared at the person next to him who had just received the marinated chicken. A man with shaggy hair and a beard was built like a mountain bear. He looked like he was in his 30s? The bartender, who was confusedly looking back and forth between the two, decided that the youngster had much more to waste and brought a glass full of fresh draft beer. ¡°It¡¯s my treat. Cheer up.¡± He didn¡¯t forget to glare at the seasoned chicken before leaving. Kim Geun-won twisted his mouth as he was suddenly treated absurdly. ¡°You punk. When did I dump you? Are you crazy?¡± He openly poked chicken with a fork and poured out his dissatisfaction with Seon Jae-chan. ¡°You dumped me yesterday and the day before.¡± ¡°Huh! You¡¯re still. There is still room for misunderstanding from what you say!¡± Kim Geun-won shouted at Seon Jae-Chan, who is now stealing even the homemade seasoned chicken sauce. The shameless fellow was diligently spooning seasoned chicken sauce onto puffed rice dipped in the tip of his fork. ¡°It¡¯s not easy here. I was really dumped.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking that way!¡± As if we¡¯re dating! Kim Geun-won, who was about to shout, waved his hand instead because he was afraid to say anything. Seon Jae-chan gulped half a glass of beer after savagely putting the fried dumplings dipped in sweet and spicy sauce into his mouth. He wiped his wet lips with the back of his hand and said. ¡°So please accept me now, sunbae.¡± I¡¯m going crazy. Kim Geun-won sighed as he supported his lower jaw, which had now healed completely, with his palm. He ignored Seon Jae-chan and grabbed the chicken leg with his other hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t you accept me? Why. Is it because I¡¯m not affectionate?¡± He didn¡¯t ask for the bartender¡¯s name again, did he call him the bartender? Seon Jae-chan questioned with a pale face, unable to believe that it was his fourth beer. ¡°My grudges are so deep. Stop it.¡± Kim Geun-won said as he rubbed his seasoned fingertips on a piece of tissue paper. To be honest, he has been watching Seon Jae-chan, who is stalking him, for the past few days. Exactly three weeks ago. He saved his life without a hitch. If Seon Jae-chan hadn¡¯t stopped him, the trunk of the station wagon that looked like it had been washed for years would be his coffin. Seon Jae-chan is the one who came back from the dead, but why does he feel as if he has crossed the threshold of death? Kim Geun-won¡¯s heart sank again with goosebumps. It¡¯s gotten to the point where he¡¯s secretly receiving counseling for something like post-traumatic stress disorder. ¡°I really don¡¯t stalk Go Woo-jin. Can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m stalking you, sunbae. So take me to District 4.¡± Kim Geun-won chewed the greasy seasoned chicken leg through Seon Jae-chan¡¯s words. ¡°District 4 Mentosa Island. I want to go.¡± Seon Jae-chan urged with a firm tone that cut through the noise of the bar. Mentosa Island. The place where the pirates had been wiped out a while ago, and where Go Woo-jin is in charge of handling the remnants. Pirates have been infesting District 4¡¯s shores for several years, but President Gyeong Jeon-seok has been totally ignorant. Then, about a month ago, he pulled out the sword of punishment, and the media speculated that he couldn¡¯t take it any longer. However, President Gyeong Jeon-seok, who was only interested in retaining power, rolled up his sleeves belatedly for another reason. It was because of the upcoming celebration of the 30th anniversary of the president¡¯s inauguration. Every year, the ceremony was held at the Capitol, which was built in the heart of District 1 by Kim Tae-young, the pre-Union Republic¡¯s last lifelong president. President Gyeong wanted to find a special commemorative location for the 30th anniversary. There was a historic and beautiful national cultural property that had been used as an island fortress several hundred years ago on Mentosa Island. The northern forest surrounding the castle was also the place where the rebels declared surrender during the regime change 30 years ago. A castle that is meaningful in many ways and a ceremony in the forest. Even on a recently reclaimed island from pirates! The media made a big deal of the rediscovery of Mentosa Island and the selection of a unique commemorative location. That is until mass explosives were discovered buried beneath it. ¡°Take me with you. Hmm?¡± Seon Jae-chan, who had to somehow get into Mentosa Island, pretended to be pitiful and lowered his eyebrows to convince Kim Geun-won. In the past, the military announced bombing dates ranging from the end of September to the middle of October. It was just before the ceremony began. As a result, it was initially interpreted as an assassination attempt and a national security threat. However, the fact that the whole country¡¯s excitement was overshadowed by this incident must be resolved at some point. It was clear that there was a dirty back transaction. ¡®The black swan may be involved.¡¯ There weren¡¯t many organizations powerful enough to manufacture, purchase, and distribute such explosives in large quantities, let alone trade with the President. Seon Jae-chan had recognized this incident as having a strong connection to the Black Swan, which was now under the surface. The problem was how to get to Mentosa Island. ¡°Sunbae, you can come and go from time to time because of Woo-jin anyway. Please put me in as an assistant guide.¡± Along with Go Woo-jin, who was temporarily in charge of Mentosa Island, his field guide Kim Geun-won was also allowed to enter. There was not enough time. If Kim Geun-won continued to refuse his request, he would have to find another way. ¡°What do I have to do? What can I do to get a seat next to you? Hmm?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything that will cause misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Oh. Sunbae.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!!¡± ¡°You got seasoning on your beard.¡± Seon Jae-chan glanced at the tip of Kim Geun-won¡¯s thick beard. The music in the pub changed while Kim Geun-won raised his eyes, pulled out a tissue, and wiped it away. In line with the emotional alternative rock music, Seon Jae-chan emptied another glass of beer. It was received as a service. ¡°If you can only say no, why did you ask to meet?¡± He asked while rubbing his swollen stomach. He didn¡¯t go looking for Kim Geun-won today, but Kim Geun-won contacted him first. Kim Geun-won, who crumpled the wiped tissue and listened to it while checking his phone, was suddenly delighted. He quickly turned around toward the entrance after checking the text. ¡°Woo-jin! Here!¡±