51 – TDG 51

Just ​then, ​the ​police ​officer who had ​been ​monitoring ​the ​screens ​opened the door and ​stepped ​out.

“Come in and ​take a look, ​I ​think ​I ​found ​something!”

The ​two men rushed ​inside ​without ​waiting for the ​other.

“Look here.”

The officer pointed ​to a ​passage at ​the hotel’s ​back door ​used ​for ​the transport of ​laundry and ​various supplies. The footage ​showed two men wearing ​hats and masks pulling ​a large ​laundry ​bin. Their clumsy movements, unlike those ​of actual employees, and ​the ​way ​they ​kept ​hesitating and glancing ​around suspiciously ​were ​red flags.

Waiting for ​the ​two men outside was not ​a common ​laundry ​truck, but a ​black ​van ​with ​its ​license plates ​removed. ​The larger, ​obese man opened the bin, reclined the ​seat, and reached ​inside to pull ​out a man whose ​appearance was ​all too familiar.

“Hyung….”

Han ​Ji-hyuk ​murmured the word ​unconsciously, placing his ​hand on ​the ​monitor. His ​eyes ​grew misty ​with ​anxiety, but ​he ​quickly ​steeled his heart ​and ​shook his ​head.

The ​fat ​man ​lifted the limp Seo Joo-won and shoved him into the car. Meanwhile, the other man kept watch over the surroundings and, just before climbing into the vehicle, slid his mask down slightly as if out of breath.

“!”

Han Ji-hyuk’s eyes widened. Only half of the face was exposed, but that was enough. Seeing his rigid reaction, Song Hyun-ho asked.

“Is it a face you know?”

He was one of the duo who had been secretly spying on Seo Joo-won in the cafeteria.

At the time, he had laughed it off, asking what he was talking about since there was no one there, but to Han Ji-hyuk’s eyes—which far surpassed the vision of an ordinary person—it had been crystal clear. Those pests who had hidden behind a far railing in the cafeteria, glancing over, only to flee in surprise when he glared at them. He hadn’t thought much of it then.

After hearing the full story, Song Hyun-ho was pleased with the unexpected lead, but at the same time, he felt disgusted. To think that [visit our site]one visit our siteof Read on Read BL Novelsthe kidnappers was a Center employee; it felt like a complete slap in the face.

The fact that a mole for the Black Moon existed within the Center—which was practically the cradle of South Korea’s Espers and Guides—meant that South Korea could no longer be considered a terror-safe nation. He had expected such a day would come eventually, but he hadn’t realized it would be now. They had likely been secretly setting the stage for a long time. The current situation was merely one of the results. He had a feeling the aftermath of this incident would be quite long.

“First… let’s dig through the employee data. If we filter for similar conditions, we should be able to narrow down the suspects immediately.”

Song Hyun-ho immediately accessed the Center’s database. With a Team leader-level ID, it was possible to check the history and details of all employees.

Han Ji-hyuk watched the screen load with a cold expression. No matter who the culprit was, he would not let them go. If they had harmed his Hyung, he intended to find everyone—from the broker who let them into the Center to their families, relatives, and acquaintances—and make them pay the price.

Soon, about eight employee profiles matching the criteria appeared. Han Ji-hyuk pointed to the fourth one—a man with narrow eyes and a mean-looking impression—and the obese man listed below him.

“Kim Yi-mun. Jeong Young-in. These two, then. Kim Yi-mun is a teleporter. Limit of 3 times a day, travel distance… 5 meters?”

As he read through the items, Song Hyun-ho gasped in disbelief. His face soon turned red, and unable to contain his rage, he stomped his foot and let out a roar like a lion.

Only 5 meters. That meant he had been in the very next room. While Song Hyun-ho had been unauthorized copyimagining every possible scenario and heading out to call the police, unaware that he was visit our sitehidden just one room over, the bastards had seized the opportunity to move Seo Joo-won. Even for someone like Song Hyun-ho, it was impossible to remain rational after being played so blatantly.

“Those sons of bitches…!”

A reference tab popped up next to the two men’s resumes. Upon clicking it, another familiar face appeared before them.

“Kwon Cheon-beom….”

Song Hyun-ho spat the name out, grinding his teeth.

“Including Jeong Young-in, all three of them joined this month. They had a purpose from the start.”

Considering there were three culprits in the CCTV footage, including the driver, the numbers matched perfectly. It was clear they had been hovering around Seo Joo-won, waiting for a chance to drag him away if Seo Hyung-shik refused to comply with their demands.

Bloodshot veins appeared in Han Ji-hyuk’s eyes. The edge of the steel desk where he rested his hand began to melt from the high heat, flowing like liquid. Song Hyun-ho decided to leave him be. He had to vent his anger somehow, or it would cause trouble elsewhere.

“…….”

It was at that moment that Han Ji-hyuk bolted upright. Suddenly tilting his chin up, he stared at a blank spot on the ceiling with wavering eyes, looking like someone possessed.

“What is it, Han Ji-hyuk? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t know why, but Han Ji-hyuk had just felt a familiar presence from far away.

It was unmistakably Seo Joo-won’s presence.

I woke up as if reacting to the metal rock blasting from all directions. Some sort of piercing laughter was mixed in with the fast-paced beats like a dissonance, as if they were having the time of their lives.

I shuddered at the noise echoing like collisions inside my skull and the accompanying headache. I felt dizzy and nauseous. Ugh, I feel like throwing up. Damn it. I said I’d be a dog if I ever drank again.

“That Hulk-looking bastard was roaring in the next room; my heart was seriously racing.”

“Hehe, tell me about it. I was terrified he was going [visit our site]to [Read on Read BL Novels]open our door. I seriously Read on Read BL Novelsthought I was a goner.”

“You coward. He only had one charge left!”

“So what? If that guy breaks the wall and chases us, it’s all for nothing.”

My vision went white at the sound of laughter that erupted again like a train whistle.

…Shut up. I’m dying because it’s so loud, you damn bastards. Where the hell did you leave your manners?

Why are you making a racket in someone else’s room in the middle of the night…!

“Oh. This guy’s awake. I thought he’d sleep through the night.”

Someone roughly grabbed my chin while I was still groaning, unable to open my eyes. They turned my head this way and that as if handling a toy, and even reached out with their other hand to brush back my hair. It felt less like touching and more like rummaging through me. I barely managed to open my eyes.

“…Kwon… Cheon-beom?”

“I’m honored that you remember me.”

Through the blurring light, the bastard was smiling maliciously.

A sigh of disillusionment escaped me. At this point, tell me it’s not a crime to vomit in your face…. It wasn’t even funny how he was wearing a brace on his broken left jaw, clearly still cherishing his own body. I didn’t think he’d serve actual prison time. That corrupt grandfather of his probably paid bail or something to get him out. How could he stand to see his precious grandson in prison?

Even so, I never imagined a reunion like this. I was the idiot for thinking he might be reflecting on his actions.

“This is a dream, right…?”

“Nope.”

Aaaagh! Please tell me it’s a dream!

I’m in the worst possible state right now. I [Read on Read BL Novels]don’t have the visit our siteenergy stolen contentto deal with you too.

I struggled to steady my body, which felt off-balance, and looked around. From the sound of the engine and the characteristic vibration, I had already sensed that I was inside a moving car. However, there was no way to know where. Only the lights of streetlamps passing quickly outside the heavily tinted windows flickered like ghosts.

What the hell happened while I was asleep…? What about Esper Song Hyun-ho?

Kim Yi-mun’s face peeked out from behind Kwon Cheon-beom. In that case, the one in the driver’s seat must be Jeong Young-in. Since those three always moved as a set, it was obvious.

“Since you look like you have no idea what’s going on, I’ll explain simply. You are currently being kidnapped in real-time.”

“You’re also destined to be treated as a very important hostage.”

The bastards continued talking, picking up each other’s words as if they were playing some exciting game.

Kidnapped? Important hostage? What the hell are these bastards talking about all of a sudden?

“If you’re mentally ill, just go to a hospital….”

A burst of loud laughter erupted in the car. Kwon Cheon-beom clutched his stomach and laughed so hard he almost cried, as if he were losing his breath.

“You really don’t know your own position! Or are you pretending not to?”

The way he forcibly grabbed the scruff of my neck and kneaded my face was strangely unpleasant. I wanted to swat away his clammy hand immediately, but strangely, my hands wouldn’t move. Something tough was tightly binding both my wrists behind my back. Noticing me groaning and twisting my arms, Kwon Cheon-beom advised me as if granting mercy.

“Don’t bother. You’ll only hurt your hands. I tied you with something that won’t come undone no matter how much you struggle.”

This son of a bitch. What kind of villain role-play is he into this time… When I glared at him with eyes that looked ready to devour him, he sneered as if it were amusing.

“You’ve changed, Seo Joo-won. I could never have imagined you like this before.”

“You probably just didn’t know the real me.”

“…True. I never once had any interest in that.”

Yeah… not surprising. When I snorted, he grabbed me by the hair. Forcing my head up as if to rip my neck out, he shoved his face in until our noses almost touched. He was enjoying my reaction of sheer disgust.

“Who cares. I actually like the prickly side of you too.”

I wanted to spit right in that slimy face.

Rage surged through me, but I barely managed to hold back the curses. Stay calm. Getting excited and thrashing around here would only entertain him.

“…What is your goal?”

As if it were a good question, Kwon Cheon-beom moved aside and pointed toward the windshield. Beyond the thick mist, a high-rise building boasting a luxurious exterior was slowly revealing itself. According to my memory, that was the Linus Hotel, one of Seoul’s famous spots.

“They told us they’d let us into the Black Moon if we brought you there.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Black Moon?

Did he… just say Black Moon?

“Are you insane?”

“Yup. Perfectly sane. Perfectly.”

No, there’s no way he’s sane. All three of them have gone crazy at once. Otherwise—

“Do… do you guys even know what the Black Moon is?”

“Of course I do. Isn’t it a place with the grand goal of having us Espers, the dominant seeds, rule over inferior seeds like you?”

This lunatic thinks he’s an honorary member of the Black Moon now. He really does.

Since when were you guys Espers? You probably awakened just a few months ago at best, but you’ve completely forgotten that you were ‘inferior seeds’ until then. It’s not uncommon for Espers to change after awakening, but this level of depravity was a first; it made my brain feel numb.

Originally, Espers and Guides manifested to hunt the monsters coming out of the gates. At some point, that turned into a sense of privilege, and this disaster happened.