DB Vol 1 Part 3

The low, steady voice spread through his ears like a thin layer of ice. He’s serious. This guy is dead serious. Sang-cheon felt as if he could see the brute, who would immediately break out and come to cut out his tongue, standing right before his eyes. Sang-cheon swallowed hard and looked at Won-woo, who was still lost in thought.

“How… how can I help you?”

Won-woo’s eyes widened in surprise, then he gave a faint smile.

“Thank you. You really are a kind person.”

“No, I’m not helping you just because of that… Anyway, what is it that you want?”

“Just, everyday help. I need basic knowledge to survive in this world. I won’t bother you all the time. If you set a time, I’ll contact you then.”

“Well, there’s no need for that… I… I, ahem.”

Unable to meet his eyes, Sang-cheon looked into the air and made a proposal.

“I’ll introduce you to someone who can help first.”

“No. I can’t trust anyone else right now.”

[Typical of the Ji family, even the way he talks is fucking awful.]

Won-woo couldn’t hear the curse, but Sang-cheon felt unnecessarily sorry and avoided his gaze even more. However, the rude brute would not allow his silence.

[Mister, start talking.]

Right, he had to talk. Otherwise, the brute would throw a fit. But as he tried to lie, Sang-cheon felt his mouth go bone-dry.

“Um, I, ahem, how about an AI? An AI born from a cutting-edge technology algorithm that I developed. It will give you help whenever you need it.”

Sang-cheon felt embarrassed even as he said it. An AI? Who would actually believe such a thing existed?

“Ah, so you did develop an AI.”

There was someone. Someone who believed it wholeheartedly.

“But since AI is a technology for civilians, there probably wasn’t much support; it’s impressive that you managed to research it. I heard that deep learning-based algorithms require significant support.”

Sang-cheon flinched. Deep learning-based algorithms existed only in theory; no one had actually used this method. Of course. Technical issues aside, where would he get that massive amount of data, and what would he do for a server?

“Ah, my, my research is… a symbol-based AI…”

“Machine learning must have been difficult with simple supervised learning.”

“It, uh, it was difficult, but I somehow, m-managed to make it.”

“You really are amazing.”

At the sincere admiration, Sang-cheon couldn’t help but ask.

“Wait, do you actually believe me?”

[Mister, shut up, okay?]

“Of course. You’re the one who took care of a stranger like me without casting me away. You’re my benefactor.”

“….”

“What is the AI’s name?”

“It’s Ma…”

[Just say it’s Mandu.]

“A… Ang… Nani. Ahem, it’s just Nani.”

[Ha, fuck.]

Sang-cheon heard the curse in his ear, but Won-woo wore a satisfied smile.

“Nani. That’s cute.”

Once again, Sang-cheon was momentarily captivated by that smile. However, he soon looked away, overcome by a surge of guilt. Unaware of Sang-cheon’s complicated feelings, Won-woo was busy expressing his gratitude.

“I’m glad you researched AI. If it’s an AI made by Mr. Hwang, it will be useful to me. It’ll probably be kind, too.”

Sang-cheon’s frozen face twitched. There was a bothersome word. The brute seemed to find it bothersome as well.

[Kind?]

“Ah, the, the AI I made might actually not be… that kind…”

“That can’t be. The basic premise of an AI is to be for people, to help people. You must have cared about every detail of its speech because you wanted it to sound kind.”

“That’s… right.”

[Fuck, this is bullshit.]

Feeling that the brute’s cursing was directed at him, the blood drained from Sang-cheon’s face again. He felt as if his already shortened lifespan, since the brute appeared in his life, had now reached the very edge of the grave.

[Why the fuck can’t an AI—or an alien—curse? Fuck.]

The fake AI cursed while ignoring the human. Sang-cheon placed a hand on his forehead and took the communicator out of his ear. His head throbbed in a situation where he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Right, it would be better to just hand it over quickly.

“CEO.”

“Yes?”

Sang-cheon asked back in a tired voice while meticulously disinfecting the small communicator. He should have just taken the communicator out of his ear sooner. Such a peaceful…

“Are you happy?”

At first, he wondered what day it was. To hear a sudden question he had already heard from the brute.

“Am I happy? Me?”

“Yes.”

The face that nodded looked at Sang-cheon desperately. He felt that if he didn’t stolen contentEND: stolen content -->answer, Won-woo might cry again. So, Sang-cheon gave a reluctant answer.

“Well, for now, I’m doing the research I want to do, so I’m not unhappy.”

It would be better if I didn’t have debts. He muttered the addition and moved his hands quickly. Then, while organizing the cord of the finished communicator, he stopped. Even though it wasn’t much of an answer, the corners of Won-woo’s eyes were red.

After leaving Sang-cheon’s shop, Won-woo had no intention of returning to the hospital. Fortunately, Sang-cheon not only lent him clothes and money but also found Ji Won-woo’s house.

‘Civilians have restrictions on information searches. Normally, as a civilian, I could never find a Guide’s home address. But fortunately, Ji Won-woo-ssi is a Guide affiliated with the Center and seems to be staying in housing provided by the Center. Ah, I found that through a news search. But that’s as far as it goes. You’ll have to find the detailed address yourself.’

Won-woo couldn’t remember in what state of mind he had arrived at the Center housing. Only upon arriving at the entrance did he recall the situation he was in. He had encountered the miracle of his allies being alive. Won-woo stared at the entrance for a long time before belatedly putting the communicator Sang-cheon had given him into his ear. Since he was familiar with AI, the name came out easily.

“Nani.”

After a short silence, a voice was heard amidst crackling and humming noise, as if the connection was poor.

[What?]

His first impression was that despite the noise, the low male voice was quite pleasant to listen to. However, that wasn’t why he smiled at the arrogant response. It was a bit fascinating. It was completely different from the AI in his own world, which had been nothing but kind. Wondering if Sang-cheon had given it a personality, he asked lightly.

“You’ve heard who I am, right?”

[Yes.]

“Who am I?”

If it were an AI Won-woo knew, it would have stated Won-woo’s name in that characteristically kind voice, but Sang-cheon’s AI was different.

[Do you not even know your own name?]

If it had been a human, he would have thought they were quite prickly, but Won-woo dismissed it as the simple curiosity of an AI.

“I know. I’m just checking if you know correctly.”

[…You’re very suspicious.]

Won-woo suppressed a chuckle and walked into the Center.

“Yeah. I am. But you’re not very kind, are you?”

[I’ve been kind enough.]

At the brazen response, Won-woo muttered to himself again that it was fascinating. It really was a peculiar AI.

“So, who am I?”

[Ji Won-woo.]

A dry, emotionless voice spoke the name. Right. I am Ji Won-woo. There was no one here who would suspect him of being someone else. The same was true for the management office. As soon as the manager saw Won-woo’s face, he frowned.

“Ji Won-woo-ssi, is someone chasing you again? I’ve checked several times, but no unauthorized persons have entered the premises. Even if an intruder were an Esper, why would an Esper chase a D-class Guide?”

Was Ji Won-woo being stalked? Won-woo carved that piece of information into his mind.

“The key is broken. Please check it.”

“Key? Is the biometric recognition not working?”

A strange smile played on Won-woo’s lips. He had only looked around for a moment, but the technology here was behind that of where he had lived. Most doors used jingling keys, and the things people carried in their hands were old-model cell phones. There didn’t seem to be a separate data network, as few people checked the internet on the street.

It was nothing surprising. Espers didn’t want civilians to gain power through technological advancement. Yet, the Guide’s housing opened with biometric recognition. It sounded as if they gave that much benefit and protection to Guides. Of course, for the sake of the Espers.

“Yes. It’s not working. Please come and see.”

The manager grumbled as if it were a nuisance but walked outside. Won-woo followed the manager with intentionally slow steps. When they stopped in front of Room 301 in Building B, the manager demanded irritably,

“Try it.”

Won-woo slowly placed his thumb on the clunky, large fingerprint recognition door lock that would have been called an old model in his world. He thought it might not react. He expected a beep and a warning that the fingerprint was incorrect.

‘Click.’

However, with a small mechanical sound, the door clicked open.

“What, it’s working fine. Where on earth is it bro… ”

The manager was about to be annoyed but blinked in confusion. Won-woo was laughing silently, as if something were very amusing.

“What… is so funny that you’re laughing?”

“Because the door opened.”

Won-woo continued to laugh silently, tilting his head to the side.

“I really am Ji Won-woo.”

The manager looked at him with an incredulous expression, clicked his tongue, and left. Only after the manager disappeared from the hallway did Won-woo open the door and quietly step inside. The dark interior welcomed him, but he deliberately did not turn on the lights. He entered without even taking off his shoes.

In his hand was a small flashlight he had purchased before coming here. Even in the midst of the chaos, he had instinctively bought the necessary [visit stolen contentour site]items. The flashl[stolen content]ight’s opening was blocked with tape, so the light was dim even when the switch was on.

But for Won-woo, this was enough. The house was not large, about 18 pyeong, and he checked the interior one by one, lightly pushing open the closed doors. Everything was done quietly, without even a footstep being heard.

After a moment, having confirmed there was no one else inside, Won-woo approached the front window covered by blackout curtains. Stopping one step behind the curtain, he pulled it back just enough to open a gap of one or two knuckles. With the flashlight turned off and the room dark, he carefully peered outside through the gap in the curtains.

[Why are you searching your own house like a thief?]

The voice was still mixed with crackling noise, as if the connection were poor. Still, he could tell it was a monotonous tone without inflection. Perhaps that’s why it felt cynical.

Such a cold AI. He thought it was interesting, but no matter how much of a machine it was, he couldn’t reveal his inner thoughts. Since the data would surely be transmitted to Sang-cheon, he had to be careful. So, instead of saying it was a habit to thoroughly search the interior when entering an unfamiliar place, he threw back a question.

“How did you know I was searching like a thief?”

[I can’t hear the sound of lights turning on, and you’re walking around the interior with your shoes on. You’re even holding your breath.]

Won-woo was momentarily impressed. Wait, is the microphone performance of this communicator ultra-super-excellent? Of course, if it was Sang-cheon’s item, that was highly likely.

Since he was a person whose hobby was dabbling in all sorts of miscellaneous techniques and collecting devices, he would have believed it even if he said he had a spaceship with aliens. But no matter how ultra-grade the performance was, the fact that it could derive such a conclusion meant the AI was outstanding.

“Nani, you have great observation skills.”

He praised it, but there was no reaction. He had spoken to it several times since the entrance of the Center, but strangely, unauthorized copy[stolen content]an>whenever he called it by name, there was no answer for a while.

Won-woo ignored it and looked outside a bit more, and once he deemed it safe, he belatedly turned on the lights and looked around the interior. The living room, with only minimal furniture and not even a TV, was desolate. That made a more absurd laugh escape him. It’s just like my house. He had lived like this in his original world as well.

When fighting a war, it became a habit to live with only the minimum of belongings, not knowing when he might die. This habit continued even after the war ended. He was like that because of the war, but to find that the Ji Won-woo of this place was similar… it felt strange. Had he been planning to leave at any moment? He recalled the peace that had spread across Ji Won-woo’s face at the moment of death.

He had reached the death he desired, but the current Won-woo was different. Now that he had come here, he had no intention of leaving the world. Even in a society ruled by Espers who fought to the death, as long as the comrades he considered family were alive, he intended to survive until the end.

That was enough. He didn’t care if an Esper used him like a slave. He had already received compensation by meeting Sang-cheon. And in the future, he might meet other living comrades. At that thought, Won-woo’s heart swelled.

“Where should I look to find people?”

[Who are you looking for?]

“Espers. One Guide as well. …And another Esper.”

[Since Ji Won-woo-ssi is a Guide affiliated with the Center, there should be no difficulty in finding Espers. Of course, you’ll need permission, but you can search while the person in charge is away.]

“Isn’t that illegal? You tell me things like that too?”

[Yes.]

The answer sounded somewhat annoyed. As expected of an AI made by Sang-cheon, it was different [unauthorized copy]visit our siteunauthorized copy -->in every way. As he marveled anew, the explanation continued.

[The problem is the Guides. Since Guides mostly manifest randomly, one place conducts annual Guide manifestation surveys for all civilians and monopolizes the information. Their power is so great that even the Center needs their permission to obtain the Guides they need.]

“Where is that place?”

A short silence followed, and strangely, it felt as if the AI was appalled. But an AI couldn’t be.

[The Ji family.]

“…Ah.”

Won-woo let out a short exclamation and then a hollow laugh.

“Well, they always did cling to Espers and live as their dogs.”

[….]

“But how did a dog get such great power in its hands? The Espers wouldn’t have just let it happen.”

It was a question for himself, but a slow explanation followed.

[Because the Ji family was the first to discover the Alpha seed a long time ago. Even now, most Alpha Read on Read BL Novelsseeds come from the Ji family.]

Didn’t they say the probability of an Alpha seed in nature was one in a million? A Guide, not even an Esper, discovered that? Moreover, considering the people of the Ji family who did all sorts of bad things, there was a high possibility they had stolen it from the original discoverer. Or… Won-woo thought of another possibility and then shook his head.

“The people of the Ji family don’t have the ability to create Alpha seeds.”

[Alpha seeds cannot be created.]

Won-woo chuckled at those words.

“Well, not here.”

[Are you saying there’s a place where they can be?]

“There must be somewhere.”

Was there interference in the communicator? He thought he heard something about a dog amidst some crackling. Won-woo took the communicator out of his ear, tapped it once against his palm, and put it back in.

“Then does that mean I have to go to the Ji family to get information on Guides?”

[To the Guide Center, which is the Ji family foundation. Since Ji Won-woo-ssi is a direct descendant, you should be able to pass security.]

“….”

[Who is the Guide you’re looking for?]

Won-woo stared into the air for a moment and then blurted out.

“Someone I want to see.”

[Even if it’s someone you want to see, they must have a name, right?]

“The name I know wasn’t their real name. I’m not sure if they use that name here too.”

[You keep saying ‘here’.]

Well, because this is here.

“You have a lot of questions, don’t you?”

[Is it not allowed to have many?]

This time, the tone was definitely sarcastic. Won-woo’s lips curved silently. Is arrogance the concept?

“No, it’s just that you’re cute.”

[…Fck]

A pronunciation that sounded like a curse was heard very faintly, and Won-woo’s eyebrows rose.

“You didn’t just curse, did you?”

[I might.]

“That can’t be. The basic premise of an AI is that it cannot harm humans. Cursing is included, of course. Unless you’re a fake AI.”

[….]

“But didn’t you know you couldn’t curse? You’re really cute. Is it because you’re an early version?”

Suddenly, the communication cut off, and even the crackling noise disappeared.

“Nani? Hwang Nani?”

After a while, the low voice, sounding as if it were suppressing something, returned along with the crackling.

[Why am I Hwang Nani?]

“The person who made you is a Hwang.”

He thought he heard a sharp consonant sound, but the crackling was louder, so Won-woo didn’t pay much attention.

“Nani.”

[What?]

“I look forward to working with you.”

There was no answer, but Won-woo clenched and unclenched his fist, speaking as if making a vow.

“I have a lot of things to do here.”

That day, the biggest topic at the Center was Ji Won-woo, who had returned alive from the monster Farm. It was a mystery how he had returned unscathed, and the fact that he had escaped from the hospital was also a topic of conversation. Something about a head injury causing memory problems. And then he appeared at the Center in that state. Everyone wondered if he had come to say his final goodbyes. Of course, no one had any intention of welcoming him.

“Wow, look at that nuisance. I heard he got attacked by a monster, but he crawled back here looking perfectly fine.”

“Maybe the monster realized what a nuisance he is, so it bit him and then spat him out.”

“Fuck, then shouldn’t that bastard be the one BEGIN: visit our site -->visit our sitehandling monster extermination from now on?”

Inside the spacious office labeled Head Team 3, there were six people, three of whom openly cursed and sneered the moment they saw Won-woo. However, despite their mockery, Won-woo was too busy looking around the interior with curious eyes.

Two people sitting side-by-side at the far end of the office watched him with furrowed brows, and their expressions soured further when their eyes met. They didn’t display any more hatred than that, but their disdain seemed deeper than that of the three cursing Espers. Neither of them were Espers… Ah, are they Guides? Perhaps that was why their faces were unfamiliar.

They seemed to utterly despise Ji Won-woo, a fellow Guide. But the sharp glares of his colleagues didn’t matter. Since arriving at the Eastern Center, Won-woo had witnessed many people who had died in his own world walking around alive. That gave Won-woo hope. In this world, everyone he cherished might be alive.

“What the hell is that idiot smiling at?”

One Esper spoke in a voice full of disbelief, but Won-woo ignored them and looked at the last person. The man sitting at a desk, separated from the other Espers, was Il-hae, who had visited him at the hospital. He looked at Won-woo with disapproval and turned his head away the moment their eyes met. It was blatantly obvious that he neither wanted to join the group of cursers nor get entangled with Won-woo. However, Won-woo walked straight toward him as soon as he saw him.

“What is it?” he asked in a startled voice.

“Where is my seat?”

“Huh? Sigh…”

Il-hae sighed and vaguely pointed to a spot with his finger. It was near where the two Guides were sitting. Then, he asked a reluctant question.

“Why on earth did you come here?”

“Because this is where I work.”

At Won-woo’s answer, laughter erupted among the Espers. Il-hae sighed again and pressed his hand to his forehead as if he had a headache.

“You didn’t do any work anyway. And you’re not in a condition to work right now, are you?”

“That’s for the higher-ups to decide.”

“Weren’t you here to sign a long-term leave of absence form?”

“No, I am not.”

Leaving Il-hae behind with his mouth half-open in disbelief, Won-woo went to his seat. As he sat down, he asked the two Guides who were staring intently at him.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

The two looked at Won-woo as if they had just heard the most horrific sound in the world.

“Did he not just lose his memory, but actually go crazy?”

“Yes, he certainly seems that way.”

Judging by their reaction, it was certain that Ji Won-woo had never spoken to them before. Regardless of how they saw him, Won-woo didn’t care further because [unauthorized copy]style="display:none;" aria-label="stolen content">[stolen content]yle="opacity:0;font-size:0;">stolen contenthe had another important objective. That is, if not for the muttering in his ear.

[The atmosphere is fucking shit.]

Won-woo paused while moving the mouse and checking the computer. Did he just hear a curse starting with ‘f’?

“What’s shit?”

[I said the atmosphere is great.]

That same indifferent reply followed. Well, there was no way it would actually curse. But saying it was ‘great’ was also strange.

“What looks great about this?”

[Everyone is acknowledging that their colleague has gone crazy.]

Wow, what a fresh perspective. As expected of an AI, it finds the silver lining everywhere? But Won-woo felt that Nani’s words were correct. He had briefly wondered if he should mimic Ji Won-woo, but if they’ve already accepted that he’s crazy, there’s no need to act like the original Ji Won-woo. Hwang Nani is impressive.

Admiring this, Won-woo diligently searched through Ji Won-woo’s computer. The Center’s logo appeared, and he accessed the internal intranet. He searched everywhere to see if he could find employees belonging to the Center, but he lacked access permissions for the specific area he needed. Who would have the authority? Won-woo shifted his gaze and stopped at the ‘Team Leader’s Office’ located in one corner of the office. Come to think of it, who is the team leader here?

The moment he wondered, his eyes met with someone just entering the office. The people inside stood up and welcomed him, calling out, “Team Leader!” However, upon recognizing Won-woo, he ignored the team members’ greetings and approached him with a menacing air.

“Ji Won-woo. Where do you think you are, crawling back here?”

---

“Isn’t that bastard a bit strange?”

Espers primarily worked in the field, but they were required to work at the Center for a certain amount of time. However, almost no Esper properly handled the tedious paperwork. Thus, most of them killed time lounging around the numerous training grounds within the Center under the guise of training. The Espers of Head Team 3 were no different.

They stopped by the office briefly in the morning and then gathered one by one in the lounge after finishing their individual training. When a young Esper in his early twenties spoke first, two other Espers opposite him looked at him with questioning eyes.

“Ji Won-woo. Doesn’t he seem a bit different since he returned?”

“He walks around with his head held high. His speech has become arrogant. Not that it changes the fact that his abilities are practically nonexistent. So there’s no need to worry about him.”

Another Esper nodded.

“I’d worry if Ji Won-woo stripped naked, spread his legs, and begged me to fuck him.”

There were other Espers in the wide lounge, but they chuckled without caring. Il-hae, who was with them, didn’t laugh at the vulgar joke, but he agreed on one thing. The second time he saw Ji Won-woo, he indeed seemed different from before the accident. Today, he had looked him straight in the eye while speaking. He didn’t avoid his gaze or the gaze of others. Rather, he scanned everyone’s faces slowly, as if observing them.

“I wondered if the memory loss was a lie, but I think it’s true. He looked me straight in the eye. In the past, he would have walked with his head bowed low.”

An Esper voiced an opinion that aligned with Il-hae’s thoughts.

“Right, he was quite arrogant. For a mere D-class Guide.”

The oldest-looking Esper, in his mid-thirties, added lightly while sinking deep into the sofa.

“The team leader is going to make sure that bastard can’t come back. Today will probably be his last day at the Center… Should we give him a little ‘farewell gift’?”

Tap-tap-tap, clack, clack.

Geon-young tapped the keyboard, and soon a single sheet of paper was printed. The document he handed over along with a pen was the same one Won-woo had seen at the hospital.

‘Long-term Leave of Absence Application’

“Sign it.”

“I refuse. I intend to continue working here.”

Geon-young, who had been looking at the monitor, turned a murderous gaze toward Won-woo.

“You want to work here?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Ha, is there a problem?”

Geon-young let out a hollow laugh, turning his face away as if he were about to unleash a torrent of curses.

“Who the hell do you think I am that you’re speaking informally to me?”

“You’re the team leader. The one who speaks informally to his team members.”

Won-woo replied while looking directly at him. Geon-young looked at Won-woo with disbelief and burst into another hollow laugh.

“Wow, this is driving me nuts. I heard you hit your head, but did you actually go completely insane?”

“Perhaps I did.”

“No matter how crazy you are, you should know who’s on top and who you need to be careful with, you fucker!”

Bang! With a loud noise, Geon-young slammed his fist onto the desk. The impact caused several items on the desk to fall to the floor. Won-woo scanned the floor with his eyes.

“I don’t know about other things, but I can tell you’re not qualified to be a superior.”

“Hey, Ji Won-woo.”

“If you want your qualifications recognized, [stolen unauthorized copycontent]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[visit our site]don’t try to crush people with authority; show some respect.”

“Fuck, what respect? Should I use honorifics for you?”

“Yes. That sounds much better.”

Geon-young was momentarily speechless at Won-woo’s calm voice. Still, Won-woo didn’t avoid Geon-young’s eyes; instead, he stared intently. Because he was so different from the previous Ji Won-woo, Geon-young’s anger cooled quickly.

“Did you really go crazy?”

“Think of it whichever way is more convenient for you.”

Hearing the informal speech again, Geon-young muttered curses to himself.

“Did he lose his manners along with his memories?”

[Ah.]

A voice of sudden realization sounded in Won-woo’s ear. No, Nani, why are you agreeing with that? They say you shouldn’t even cough carelessly in front of a child, and it felt frustrating that Nani, who learns everything from humans, seemed to be acquiring the wrong knowledge. Perhaps interpreting Won-woo’s expression as nervousness, Geon-young looked at him with pity.

“Sign the long-term leave form and get the hell out while I’m still being nice. Then I won’t have to touch you. This is not a suggestion; it is an order.”

“I don’t mind moving to another department. I just need to stay at the Center.”

At Won-woo’s request, disgust appeared in Geon-young’s eyes.

“Ha, you think I don’t know your ulterior motive? You’re trying to stay at the Center just to see Seung-wook’s face one more time.”

“Who is that?”

“Who else? The Esper you were stalking.”

Won-woo froze like a painting for a few seconds, then pointed a finger at himself.

“Me? I was?”

“…Did he really become an idiot?”

“Why would I stalk someone?”

When Won-woo asked back as if questioning the premise, this time it was Geon-young who was speechless.

“Why else? Because you liked Seung-wook, so you followed him around.”

“You’re mistaken. There’s no way I liked him.”

When he denied it firmly, Geon-young let out a short, sharp laugh. He truly couldn’t help but laugh.

“Everyone knows Ji Won-woo-ssi stalked Seung-wook. And you’re saying I’m mistaken?”

“There must have been another reason.”

“What other reason?”

The other reason was obvious. In his original world, Won-woo had stalked numerous Espers. Naturally, it was to kill them. Since he couldn’t give that reason now, he spoke carelessly.

“Maybe my family made me do it.”

“Family? You… ah.”

Geon-young made a sound of realization for a moment, then frowned. It was likely just a random excuse, but considering his own family, it wasn’t entirely impossible. Surely he wasn’t actually like that? No, more importantly, was this bastard always this good at talking?

“No matter what you babble, I don’t believe you. Do you know how many people have tried to stick around the Center by talking like that, only to start stalking Seung-wook again?”

“You’re a good friend. From what I hear, this person named Seung-wook can’t even take care of himself, yet you look after him so much as a friend.”

Geon-young was momentarily speechless. Is this really not an act? This bastard, unauthorized visit our sitecopywho would only react when he heard Hong Seung-wook’s name after acting visit our sitelike a doll. Seeing him like this, looking like someone with lingering regrets, felt pathetic. Even if they had a secret relationship, it only lasted a month.

And yet now, he’s mocking him for not being able to take care of himself. Did he really forget Hong Seung-wook?

“You really don’t remember Seung-wook. That’s the case, right?”

“Then can I stay now?”

“Don’t make me laugh. Why would I have to keep a burden like you around?”

“If you hate that, then move me to another department.”

“Ha, hey, not a chance. Just take the leave. Fuck, do you not understand?”

Geon-young leaned his upper body forward threateningly along with a curse. Won-woo stared back calmly this time as well, but it was difficult to maintain his composure due to the voice that interrupted.

[He really barks like a dog.]

The indifferent observation sounded so mechanical that Won-woo almost burst out laughing. Of course, Nani probably said it without knowing it was an insult.

“This is an order, so just accept it and please get the hell out of the Center.”

“And if I have no intention of following it?”

“Then consider it a threat.”

Geon-young spoke slowly and tilted his head to the side. Watching him, Won-woo remembered what his ability was. It was likely the ability to condense power. Using the ability to gather atmospheric power in one spot, he could crush objects within it. Not to mention fragile entities like humans, he could even cut or burst hard objects like minerals or monsters.

Some Espers perform a specific motion before using their power, which is called an activation motion. Yoo Geon-young’s activation motion was the habit of tilting his head to the side to the point where his joints cracked. Just like now. He seemed to be truly intending to reveal his power to intimidate him. However, what surprised Won-woo was not Geon-young’s threat.

[Dodge to the left.]

Following Nani’s quick voice, the sound of compressed air bursting rang out right next to his body. Simultaneously, the right steel frame of the chair Won-woo was sitting on screeched and buckled. It was a distance of only 1 or 2 cm from Won-woo’s arm. Won-woo wasn’t hurt, but he looked down at the chair with a question. How did Nani know the attack would come from the right? He only hears sound through the communicator.

“Consider this a light threat.”

Geon-young’s voice reached him, but Won-woo’s attention was still focused on Nani. The fact that there was no further word from the communicator didn’t seem to be just because Won-woo was unharmed. Rather, it felt as if Nani was wondering why Won-woo wasn’t surprised by the attack.

Am I treating Nani too much like a person that I’m imagining this? Won-woo tilted his head slightly and met Geon-young’s gaze. Geon-young was looking at him as if wondering, ‘Is he really crazy?’ Right, I should deal with this side first.

“The threat is weak.”

“Ha, fuck, should I just blow your head off?”

“Try it.”

What? Geon-young’s brow furrowed deeply.

“If my request isn’t accepted here, I’ll make a suggestion to the higher-ups. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go even higher, and if that doesn’t work, I intend to visit everyone until it’s resolved.”

“Who says anyone will listen to you?”

“Since I’m a member of the Ji family, someone will eventually listen.”

Won-woo could clearly see the deep disgust spreading in Geon-young’s eyes. It was certain that he was not fond of the Ji family. Well, who would like them? But no matter how terrible they were, as long as they had power, they would be quite useful to Won-woo.

Seeing the murderous intent in Geon-young’s eyes, it was clear that it had an effect. Seeing him tilt his head again, it looked like he was about to attack, but a phone ringtone interrupted him. Geon-young glanced at the phone screen, and his eyes widened slightly. As if it were an important call, he hurriedly stood up and ordered,

“Don’t move and just wait.”

And, fearing the other party might hang up, he answered the phone quickly before he had even fully opened the door.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

With a kind voice that sounded like a completely different person, the door closed with a thud. Despite the order not to move, Won-woo stood up the moment he disappeared and went to Geon-young’s desk. And before he could even explain what he was doing, Nani’s warning was heard.

[It will probably be locked.]

Won-woo grabbed the mouse to move it and informed Nani kindly, as if explaining to a child.

“He only stepped out for a moment, so there’s no way. It’s because you don’t know humans well yet. The team leader always views me as a weakling he can overpower, so he’ll have underestimated me and left it unprotected.”

As soon as he moved the mouse and the monitor turned on, a lock screen appeared asking for a password.

“…Hmm, I guess not.”

[I thought you knew humans well?]

“I thought so. By any chance, do you know the password?”

[Since you’re someone who knows humans well, why don’t you try deducing the password yourself?]

“I feel like you’re being sarcastic.”

[No way. You must be feeling that way because I’m an early version.]

The sarcasm was practically at the level of a public flogging. Won-woo suddenly felt that Sang-cheon was amazing. To create an AI that felt this human. As expected, Hwang Sang-cheon was the best even in another world. Just as Won-woo gave up on searching Geon-young’s computer and was about to stand up, Nani’s voice was heard.

[0407ED.]

A password? Just in case, he entered it, and the lock was indeed released.

“How did you know?”

[By chance.]

“How can you know by chance? You only hear sounds, so you couldn’t have seen Yoo Geon-young type the password at this desk.”

Unless he could see through sound. Huh? Wait a minute. Suddenly, it felt as if some information regarding sound was about to come to mind. But it was blurry like fog, and he couldn’t quite grasp it. What is it? There’s definitely something… But he had no time to think further. There was a more urgent matter in front of him.

Won-woo stopped thinking and focused on the computer. He quickly clicked through the complex Center menus and entered a category that had been inaccessible from Ji Won-woo’s computer.

“You were right. Espers can be searched, but Guides cannot be searched even if they belong to the Center.”

Muttering, Won-woo typed the name of the person he was looking for into the search bar.

[…H Seo-?]

It felt as if Nani had just spoken the name he typed, but he soon thought he must have misheard. How could Nani know the name typed on the keyboard when he couldn’t see it? So, Won-woo focused on the monitor where the results appeared.

‘Han Seo-na – Deputy Team Leader of Support Team 2, Eastern Center.’

“Han Seo-na-ssi.”