37 – TDG 37

Even ​when ​his ​mental ​state was unstable, ​he ​was ​someone ​who ​had never once used ​force ​to coerce me. ​Between the sudden ​breaking ​of ​the ​glass ​bottle ​and his unfamiliar ​behavior, ​I ​felt more worry ​than fear.

“Ji-hyuk, wait, just ​stop for ​a second…!”

The ​more I ​tried to ​stop ​him, ​the further he ​was from ​stopping; instead, his pace ​only quickened. Unable to ​keep up with his ​stride, I ​was ​practically being dragged along as I ​nearly ran, until I ​decided ​to ​use ​my ​last resort.

“It hurts…!”

It ​worked. Ji-hyuk, ​who ​had ignored everything ​I ​said, stopped dead in his ​tracks at ​those ​words. He stood ​silently ​for ​a ​moment ​as if ​calming ​his mind, ​then his back slowly turned toward me. ​Releasing my wrist ​finger by finger, ​Ji-hyuk looked down at ​the red ​handprints left behind ​with ​a complicated expression.

“I’m ​sorry, Hyung.”

Hearing his ​voice at ​last ​finally put ​my ​mind at ​ease.

“Forget ​the apology ​and ​tell ​me, visit our siteJi-hyuk. [stolen content]unauthorized copyWhy ​did ​your mood ​suddenly ​sour?”

“It’s ​nothing.”

What ​do you mean, nothing? Dissatisfaction was written all over his eyes and lips.

“…Are you really not going to tell me?”

As if he didn’t want to speak any further, Ji-hyuk looked away and shut his mouth. Seriously, this guy…. Since he was determined not to speak even if he died, I couldn’t press him further, so I had no choice but to brush the remaining glass shards off his hand. I felt a lingering sense of disappointment, feeling as though he had built a wall between us.

Once the situation had calmed down sufficiently, it bothered me that I had left Jung Ah-yoon alone in the restaurant. Setting aside the lack of manners, I worried that she might be frightened of Han Ji-hyuk or develop a negative prejudice after seeing him crush a cup with his bare hands right in front of her.

Well… it’ll be fine, right? They are destined partners. No matter how messed up the situation gets, could it really be worse than the original story? Once I decided that, all my worries vanished.

Next time, instead of something haphazard like today, I should arrange a setting with more formality and atmosphere.

Just as I had almost finished clearing the glass from Ji-hyuk’s hand, a red light flashed on my watch. It was a deployment call.

Following the GPS signal sent to our watches, Han Ji-hyuk and [Read on Read BL Novels]I arrived at an old neighborhood that looked like [unauthorized copy]a ruin, bearing the scars of a redevelopment craze that had been postponed for decades.

The purpose of this deployment was reconnaissance and search of a specific area.

A terrorist who had entered the country illegally had been discovered, and after tracking their trail, the police revealed that they had hidden somewhere in this region. Judging that they were still hiding here, they had narrowed down the sector using profiling.

Seeing Song Hyun-ho and Team 3 Leader Park Hee-jin standing side by side in conversation, it seemed the two of them were jointly commanding this operation.

Perhaps because the area was still quite large to cover on foot despite being narrowed down, this operation appeared to be carried out in conjunction with the local police. Two white police buses with blue stripes and police marks in the center were waiting at the end of the road.

Song Hyun-ho gave the order for the Espers to gather over here to receive their operational commands.

“Go on.”

My gaze lingered for a long time on Han Ji-hyuk’s back as he gave a small nod and strolled away. That guy… will he really be okay? Anyway, his waveform was stable… I have to trust him.

Forcing myself to let go of my lingering concerns, I made my way to the designated Guide waiting area. When I pulled back the tent flap and stepped inside, unfamiliar faces were present. They were all from other teams. The Guides, who had instinctively turned around at the sound of someone entering, fixed their gazes on me. Despite it being our first time meeting, their reactions were as if we were old acquaintances. They must have seen my face in the newsletter.

After giving a light bow, I sat down anywhere.

‘I guess I really did become a topic of conversation, just as Soo-jeong Seonbae said.’

As I slowly scanned the gathering Espers, I grimaced as if I had chewed on an astringent persimmon.

It was Im Seong-joon, who was so harmfully ugly it felt like he was creating pollution in the world. He was so creatively hideous that he stood out uniquely even in a crowd. I wonder if that’s a talent. I bet about 3% of the smog in downtown Seoul is actually the sighs of Guides who have seen Im Seong-joon. No doubt about it.

Since the Team Leader of Esper Team 3 had come, the members of Team 3 should have followed, but even knowing that, my mood plummeted rapidly due to an instinctive repulsion.

Im Seong-joon was wearing a recovery glove on his hand. It seems he’s still undergoing treatment. Well, what can you do when you act up without knowing your place and get your finger bones completely shattered? Hahaha, serves the idiot right. Only the name tag on his neck says S-rank; in reality, he’s a guy with A-rank specs, so it’ll take quite a while to recover those wrecked hands.

The guy was puffing out his chest and acting arrogant while receiving greetings from those around him, but the moment he spotted Han Ji-hyuk, his complexion changed, and he hurriedly retreated to a corner. It was hilarious to see him desperately avoiding eye contact and muttering to himself like some old man pushed to the back room, looking as if he’d just encountered a streak of terrible luck.

Watching this was like watching a farce. It truly is a world of the law of the jungle. To think that the arrogant Im Seong-joon would be so intimidated by a kid twenty years younger than him that he couldn’t even speak. Violence is bad, but I believe that those who use violence as a means should be punished with violence in kind. Once people have tasted the logic of power, they cannot be reformed by any other method.

However, my satisfaction didn’t last long.

‘The Land-Sea-Air Trio?’

Why the hell are those pieces of trash here too? Don’t tell me they joined Team 3? The image of Team 3, which was already at rock bottom because of Im Seong-joon alone, just plummeted into an abyss with no hope of recovery. Team Leader Park Hee-jin must be suffering to lead such a ragtag bunch.

It seems all the harmful elements of society are gathered right there; couldn’t we just arrest them and throw them in jail to end today’s operation refreshingly and go home?

“…….”

I’m conflicted. Would it be better to tell Han Ji-hyuk about my bad history with Kwon Cheon-beom…? I have the thought, but I’m not sure how to bring it up and handle it properly.

The moment Han Ji-hyuk finds out that I was a victim of school violence in the past, that those guys were the main perpetrators, and that they nearly blinded me for their own amusement, he will try to kill them. It’s obvious even without seeing it. He almost tore Kwon Min-wook apart just because I shed a single tear; what about them? I wonder if a single piece of their flesh will remain.

They deserve to die, but I can’t actually let him kill them. And if Kwon Cheon-beom dies, there’s no way his corrupt grandfather will stay quiet…. Even my own father had to declare surrender with his hands and feet tied because of their demonic media play.

I clearly remember the moment they fabricated facts and launched an offensive with money and volume across all broadcasting media to eventually flip public opinion. Even though I wasn’t the one directly targeted at that time, the traces left by the records were devastating. I can’t let them do something like that again.

A dark hatred seeped like poison through the organs in my stomach. Those bastards who wield pens like guns. I can’t even fathom how many innocent people bled and perished because of them. It would be so refreshing to crush them so they could never recover.

Kwon Cheon-beom, who was looking around, spotted me and [stolen content]Read on Read BL Novelsvisit our sitehis eyes glinted. I swear, I’ll rip those eyeballs out if he keeps smirking at me.

“…….”

Suddenly, Kwon Cheon-beom beckoned me to look at him. Then, he strode toward somewhere. I reflexively stood up. Why is that bastard sticking to Ji-hyuk’s side? I had a bad feeling. An alarm bell rang in my head, a premonition that something uncontrollable was about to happen.

Kwon Cheon-beom abruptly acted acquainted with Han Ji-hyuk. When Ji-hyuk looked back, he pointed behind him to make him look at me, and then whispered something into his ear.

In that instant, Ji-hyuk’s consistently dry expression distorted as if he had heard something unspeakable. Despite the terrifying glare, Kwon Cheon-beom wasn’t frightened; instead, he wore a sly, predatory smile across his face.

Once the fuse was lit, the explosion was instantaneous. Han Ji-hyuk’s fist slammed into Kwon Cheon-beom’s face.

CRACK!

A thunderous sound, like rebar snapping, echoed. With a single punch, Kwon Cheon-beom was sent flying, practically slammed into the ground. The Esper agents waiting nearby let out short screams of surprise and backed away. Ignoring the reaction of those around him, Ji-hyuk climbed on top of the fallen Kwon Cheon-beom and grabbed him roughly by the collar.

Song Hyun-ho rushed in at the last second and grabbed the fist that was raised to strike again.

“Han Ji-hyuk, stop it!”

Having completely lost his reason, Han Ji-hyuk unleashed a murderous aura even toward Song Hyun-ho, who was trying to pull him away. Song Hyun-ho’s body instantly swelled up like the Hulk. He had clearly pushed his physical enhancement skill to the maximum level.

By then, although Han Ji-hyuk couldn’t break through the desperate restraint, he ground his teeth and emitted an aura of fire from within his body, as if he wanted to kill Kwon Cheon-beom in front of him by any means necessary. As a wave of blazing flames surged, the agents scrambled in panic to get out of the way. As expected, the situation was spiraling out of control.

“Assaulting a colleague! What do you think you’re doing!”

Park Hee-jin, who had followed after realizing the severity of the situation, joined Song Hyun-ho. She created silver lines like chains and bound Han Ji-hyuk in multiple layers. The flames that had been violently emitting seemed to subside under the tension of the pull, but as Han Ji-hyuk applied force again, several chains began to snap with a series of pops. Astonishment appeared on Park Hee-jin’s face.

Even with two S-rank Espers clinging to him, they couldn’t stop a single Han Ji-hyuk.

“Do something quickly!”

Park Hee-jin shouted urgently.

“Ji-hyuk!”

I frantically pushed past the fence and ran toward him. Fortunately, Ji-hyuk responded to stolen contentmy voice. As I desperately clung to his back and poured guiding stolen contentinto him, Ji-hyuk’s erupting momentum gradually subsided, and eventually, he withdrew the wild flames.

“Han Ji-hyuk. Have you calmed down a bit?”

Song Hyun-ho approached and checked on Han Ji-hyuk, still not lowering his guard. Ji-hyuk’s body against mine was rigid, his muscles as hard as stone, and he was burning hot as if a high fever were boiling within. Fearing that he might bolt again if I looked away for even a second, I poured all my strength into the arms wrapped around his waist.

Over Song Hyun-ho’s shoulder, I saw Kwon Cheon-beom getting up with the help of people around him. The side of his face that had been struck by Ji-hyuk glowed coldly with a metallic texture, alien to human skin.

‘Ironclad transformation…?’

Is that his skill? He dared to provoke him relying on that?

Perhaps the impact was too great even with a defense skill, as he clutched his ruined face, turned his head, and spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, wiping the blood from his mouth, he shifted his gaze toward me. His lips, hidden by the back of his hand, slowly curled upward. Seeing him express euphoria as if everything had gone according to plan, even with half his face crushed, made me shudder.

Crazy bastard.

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

My lips trembled with a sense of futility.

All of this had happened in less than five minutes.