DB Vol 3 Part 1
There were three people in Sang-cheon’s office, but two-thirds of them did not understand the word ‘father.’ Won-woo was so shocked that his mouth was half-open.
The Sang-cheon he knew didn’t even date, let alone maintain proper relationships with his family. It wasn’t that he hated people; he was a good conversationalist and had no trouble chatting.
However, he didn’t like letting anyone into his personal space. He was the type who only felt secure and comfortable when he was thoroughly alone within his own domain.
And yet, there was someone who called him ‘father’? Won-woo had worked with Sang-cheon for several years and had barely reached the point where he could call him ‘Uncle’ after facing life-and-death situations together.
Even that wasn’t something he could do here. He had been feeling inwardly disappointed that he had to formally call him Mr. Hwang. Just how close was this person? The fact that his identity was the Vice Head of the Gye Family had now become a secondary concern.
Won-woo’s eyes slowly drifted up toward Sang-cheon. However, Sang-cheon was frozen, leaning his ear in, so he couldn’t get an answer.
He couldn’t even breathe. Only one question echoed in his mind: Did I just hear a word that shouldn’t be possible? As if to resolve his curiosity, Gye Yoon called out to Sang-cheon in a flat voice.
“Isn’t that right, Father?”
Father. What a spine-chilling word. In reality, goosebumps broke out all over Sang-cheon’s body. I—I’m what?!! Why am I that guy’s father?!! He wanted to widen his eyes and scream. Curses were practically on the tip of his tongue, but Gye Yoon’s whisper echoed in his ear as if he were wearing a communication earpiece.
[I created Nani, so you are the father. If you hate being called that, go ahead and tell Ji Won-woo everything about me being Nani.]
If I tell him, would I stop being called father… Sang-cheon hesitated. The reason Won-woo trusted and relied on Sang-cheon now was because he had helped Won-woo, specifically through the AI. But class="wm-strong" style="position:relative;display:inline;">[stolen content]if he confessed that it wasn’t an AI but a person, and that he had deceived him…
Sang-cheon’s wavering eyes met Gye Yoon’s brazen gaze. Though his voice wasn’t audible, it felt as if he were saying:
We are accomplices.
Thump.
Sang-cheon’s heart sank. As he stumbled backward, his eyes met Won-woo’s. Won-woo, still wearing a look of disbelief, asked as if he had been waiting.
“Mr. Hwang, did you adopt a son?”
He had adopted one brute. But he couldn’t tell the truth. Thus, Sang-cheon, who had never even held a woman’s hand in his entire life, became a miracle bachelor with a son.
“That… uh, somehow it happened?”
I’ve worked with him for years and was only allowed to call him Uncle. Won-woo tried to swallow his disappointment and envy, but his voice trembled slightly.
“You must have known him for a long time?”
It hadn’t even been a month. As Sang-cheon just stood there, unable to answer, the adopted son answered for him.
“Almost since birth.”
Sang-cheon glared sharply at Gye Yoon, but he couldn’t refute it. It was true that they had shared the moment of Nani’s birth. Sang-cheon barely managed to put strength into his shaking legs and spoke to Won-woo.
“Well, whatever our relationship is, Wo-Won-woo-ssi doesn’t need to worry about it.”
“Yes, Ji Won-woo-ssi doesn’t need to worry about our father-son relationship.”
Gye Yoon nonchalantly agreed with Sang-cheon. However, as is often the case, being told not to do something only makes one think about it more. When Won-woo stared at him, Gye Yoon twisted the corner of his mouth as if asking, ‘Why?’ It was a smile that looked like a smirk, but having seen it a few times, Won-woo realized that was just how he normally smiled.
No matter how strange the smile, it was a handsome face that suited everything. In fact, not just this man, but many Espers had outstanding looks, leading to a joke that it was an evolution for survival—that they were handsome to seduce the Guides they needed.
But Won-woo had never reacted to an Esper’s looks. In the war, far too many people had died vainly after being fooled by such beauty.
Therefore, he was certain that the reason he couldn’t take his eyes off Gye Yoon now wasn’t because of his looks. It was because of those playfully glinting eyes. Of course, to Won-woo, it looked like nothing more than him boasting about being close to Sang-cheon.
“You’re father and son, but you use formal language with each other?”
At Won-woo’s observation, Gye Yoon’s smile vanished for a moment, but he soon replied dismissively.
“You might not know, but my father is very shy. He’s still this embarrassed in front of others.”
The ‘father’ who was supposedly embarrassed was currently as pale as a corpse. When Won-woo looked up as if to say, ‘Is that so?’, Sang-cheon finally forced a trembling smile.
“I… am a bit… shy.”
He agreed, but worry clouded Won-woo’s eyes. Could Sang-cheon have been caught in a weakness and was being used like a pushover? Especially since he had just made a lot of money with the Alpha seed… Huh? A sudden question flashed through his mind.
“What was your son doing when Mr. Hwang was struggling with his debts?”
That son had tormented him even more, demanding he pay the money back. Gye Yoon and Sang-cheon looked at each other in silence. Several emotions passed between them. Most of them were accusations.
Gye Yoon’s gaze accused him of why he lived his life such a mess that he created such problems, and Sang-cheon’s gaze rebuked him for why he told such a lie to make the situation this way. Seeing how they communicated without words, they were practically family.
“I was locked up for a while,” Gye Yoon replied lightly.
Won-woo vaguely recalled what Seo-na had said about the Gye Vice Head—that he had been practically imprisoned on the condition of accepting one Guide necessary for the family. Won-woo felt sorry for asking, but he kept his mouth shut because he didn’t want to apologize. After checking Won-woo’s reaction, Gye Yoon added:
“So I had no idea my father would live his life in such a reckless manner.”
The party who had lived recklessly shot him a glare of fury. But as they say, revenge is best served by others. Won-woo got angry on his behalf.
“Mr. Hwang may have been scammed a few times because he loses his mind over research, but you can’t call that a reckless life.”
“…Is it okay to say he loses his mind?”
“Would he have been scammed if he were in his right mind?”
“Fair point.”
While the two agreed with each other, the indignation of the man who had lived recklessly and lost his mind grew.
“Both of you, stop fighting over my business,” Sang-cheon tried to shut them up, sounding exhausted, but he flinched when he met Won-woo’s eyes. Won-woo was still looking at him with a hint of disappointment.
“Mr. Hwang, please contact me whenever there’s a problem. Especially with money management—don’t entrust it to anyone, even family.”
As he openly looked back at the adopted son, Gye Yoon spoke up.
“I have no interest in such pocket change.”
“People who say they aren’t interested in money are usually the ones most obsessed with it.”
Won-woo’s sharp tone could have been offensive, but Gye Yoon simply twisted his lips and smiled, unable to resist.
“I was too overwhelmed by controlling my raging power to care much about money.”
True, his condition had been quite bad. Won-woo looked down at the hand he had held, [visit our site]recalling Gye Yoon’s energy, which had been like a stormy sea. Still, he didn’t want to take his side. Knowing it wasn’t like him, he picked a fight again.
“It would have been better if you had given that ‘uninteresting pocket change’ sooner.”
“I agree. I didn’t know I’d suddenly be thrown into prison because of some bastard’s scheme with the surname Ji.”
He didn’t mention Ji Geun-oh by name, but since the person who would use such a bastardly scheme was obvious, Won-woo swallowed a curse. Why did the enemy of Ji Geun-oh have to be next to Sang-cheon? But he didn’t want to bow his head because of Ji Geun-oh.
“I won’t be apologizing for that matter.”
“I know. Ji Won-woo-ssi is practically a stranger to Ji Geun-oh.”
“…”
“So, I have no ill will toward Ji Won-woo-ssi either.”
Then what emotion do you have? Won-woo almost asked while meeting his gaze. That piercing stare from the beginning had been somewhat uncomfortable.
“What about you, Ji Won-woo-ssi?”
“What about me?”
“It seems like you have ill will toward me.”
He did. He was pettily jealous.
“I’m not sure.”
Unable to deny it, he gave an ambiguous answer, and Gye Yoon twisted his lips again. At that smile, disapproval spread in Won-woo’s eyes once more.
“Are you enjoying this?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, my head has cleared up enough that I might actually become obsessed with money.”
“Well, having a clear head isn’t necessarily something to welcome. If that experience ends after just once, it can actually become poison.”
Just as those who know happiness feel unhappiness more deeply, the body that remembers this moment of peace will now feel the pain of not receiving guiding more acutely.
Gye Yoon immediately understood the warning Won-woo was giving. No matter if you’re Sang-cheon’s adopted son, today is the last time. It was a cruel thing to say to an Esper who couldn’t receive guiding, but it wasn’t a threat to Gye Yoon.
“If the poison is a lethal dose, I’ll just die, I guess.”
He was destined to die from a rampage eventually anyway. Living in this terrible pain, one eventually comes to long for death. If it weren’t for the revenge he had to achieve, he would have let go of this kind of life long ago.
However, the moment Gye Yoon mentioned death, Won-woo’s reaction was strange. His eyes trembled slightly. style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen [unauthorized copy]content]Why? While he wondered, Won-woo spoke as if nothing had happened.
“Whether you die or not is none of my business.”
It was a cold response, but strangely, Won-woo couldn’t look into Gye Yoon’s eyes. He stood up as if to escape.
“Mr. Hwang, I’ll be going now. Have a good time with your son.”
Somehow dampened in mood, Won-woo left as if fleeing, without even waiting for a proper farewell. As soon as he ran down the stairs and faced the night air, he breathed as if he had finally found oxygen. He needed to move forward, but memories of the past surged over him, gripping his ankles.
When Aunt first brought him, Won-woo couldn’t offer congratulations on finally finding him. The person she brought was in such a state that ‘wreck’ was the first word that came to mind. The vacant, hollow gaze was the least of it.
Both legs were severed below the knees, and the few remaining fingers were stiff and couldn’t move properly. More than half of his face was distorted by burns, he had lost his hearing, and he was unable to speak.
He could move his body enough to sit upright, but that only happened when his consciousness returned. That time lasted only an hour or two a day. The rest of the time, he remained like a doll, staring blankly into the air.
At first, Won-woo wondered if he was actually a doll. But he soon realized that he was a teenager around his own age, perhaps a year or two younger. To be in such a state at such a young age… just what kind of horrific accident had he suffered?
Won-woo was curious about his circumstances, but just as Aunt had hidden her own identity, she thoroughly concealed the identity of the person she brought. However, the look in Aunt’s eyes as she gazed at the boy revealed a truth that couldn’t be hidden. She looked at him as if he were her own son.
Afterward, she devoted all her attention and sincerity to ensuring he could wake up and live again, and Won-woo helped her as much as possible. But that was nothing more than an act to hide his own cowardice.
Won-woo had relied on Aunt, considering her his only family, and then someone more [unauthorized copy]precious to her had appeared. The emotions [visit our site]visit our site -->that overwhelmed Won-woo then were anxiety and fear. It was hard to suppress his jealousy toward the patient. No, honestly, he was afraid that he would become nothing to Aunt now.
At the time, although Won-woo wasn’t an adult, he was old enough to live on his own. Yet, the mere thought of being alone filled him with terror. Even if there was no change in how she treated him, he became anxious because Aunt’s attention was focused on the other. So, he intentionally stepped forward to care for the boy more.
That way, Aunt would step away from him. Throughout the time he spent with the boy, this dark emotion lay at the bottom of the kindness Won-woo showed. He envied the boy for receiving Aunt’s attention and sharing a past with her. Perhaps that was why he tried so hard to force himself into that circle.
Won-woo suspected that the boy might have noticed his true intentions from the start. Whenever the boy seemed to wake from his slumber and look back at reality, Won-woo would always flinch when their eyes met. Though he couldn’t make sounds, he expressed emotions through his eyes. Won-woo could never forget the first time that gaze recognized him.
It was clear hatred. Because of that, Won-woo misunderstood, thinking the boy felt the same way he did—that the boy was jealous of him for taking Aunt away. But he soon realized that wasn’t it. The boy looked at Aunt without any emotion.
Rather, there were times when he looked at Aunt with resentment. The reason for that resentment was revealed when he desperately managed to move the tips of his short fingers. Those tips formed letters.
‘Kill me.’
The short phrase written in the air contained an immense longing. Won-woo could read his strong desire for death. He didn’t know the exact details of why he wanted to die so badly, but it wasn’t hard to guess.
He was still young, unable to move properly, and merely breathing. Moreover, the pain seemed to still be excruciating. Aunt said the wounds were all healed, so it was likely phantom pain. He couldn’t imagine what kind of terrible accident he had suffered or the extreme pain he had endured, but he knew for certain that it was enough to make him wish for death.
But Aunt did not grant his wish. Nor did Won-woo. Instead, he stepped up to care for him. The more he helped the boy, the more indispensable he would become to both the boy and Aunt.
The young Won-woo didn’t know how to shake off the fear of being alone. Since she was the one who had rescued him from the Ji family, he felt that if he were abandoned by her, he would be left alone on the cold streets again. So he intentionally took care of him, but those eyes, drained of all vitality, always seemed to be saying:
Kill me.
Why did he leave in such a rush? Gye Yoon stood up abruptly as soon as Won-woo left Sang-cheon’s lab, as if to follow him. Simultaneously, Sang-cheon grabbed his arm.
“That’s a breach of contract!”
Gye Yoon could have easily brushed off Sang-cheon’s hand, but he only glanced down.
“What is?”
“Following him. No stalking. It’s written in the contract.”
Gye Yoon, who had intended to follow, tilted his head.
“I’m not following.”
“No, I don’t believe you. The only thing I trust is the contract.”
Gye Yoon’s eyebrow twitched when Sang-cheon immediately caught his lie.
“You’re really milking that contract for all it’s worth.”
“Yes, I’m going to milk it like a bone marrow soup. If you don’t stolen contentfollow it, I’ll self-destruct, and since you’re my visit [unauthorized copy]our siteenemy, you’ll be saying bye-bye to Won-woo-nim for the rest of your life.”
For the rest of your life. Whether the warning of that phrase worked or not, Gye Yoon tightened his jaw as if swallowing a curse.
“Fine, let go of my hand.”
“I told you. I don’t trust—”
“Just trust me. I mean it.”
Pause. At the unexpected reaction, Sang-cheon almost let go of his hand.
“…Really? Why?”
“What do you mean why? You told me not to be enemies with the mister.”
That was true. But his threat had been nothing more than a weakling’s bluff. He had to stop Gye Yoon from following Won-woo by any means necessary. Yet, he was just going to listen? Then it suddenly occurred to him. Gye Yoon could have easily pushed him away with force, but he hadn’t; he was only asking him to let go with words. Sang-cheon blinked as he released him.
“You’re really not going to Won-woo-nim?”
“I’m not.”
The voice was indifferent, but it didn’t sound like a lie. Sang-cheon’s mouth hung half-open at his quick surrender. Why is the brute… [unauthorized unauthorized copycopy]backing down so obediently? Gye Yoon showed irritation at the stinging gaze.
“What?”
“Hey, you… don’t you curse?”
“Want me to?”
“Not that. Hey, you.”
Is it just me, or is it weird that he’s acting normal? Sang-cheon couldn’t bring himself to say the rest, fearing he might actually get cursed at. So he could only watch blankly as Gye Yoon left. Does Won-woo’s guiding wash the brain too?
An adopted son. Won-woo fully understood that Sang-cheon could have a family. This was a different world, after all. He must have had another life. Because of that, other connections would have formed. It was surprising that the connection was with the Gye Family, but since the Gye Family had fallen early in his own world, perhaps Sang-cheon never had the chance.
So he knew he shouldn’t feel disappointed, but he couldn’t stop his mood from sinking. Won-woo knew the reason for these complex emotions all too well. It was because he had now realized for certain that this man was a different being from the Sang-cheon he had known.
Won-woo had found a reason to live again after coming here, but he knew he shouldn’t be blindly happy. Through this experience, it felt as if God was giving him a cold warning. The dead are simply the dead. Trying to replace a precious person lost in a previous world in this manner would not change reality. Your reason for wanting to live is useless.
It was a cruel warning from reality, but Won-woo wanted to make excuses. He knew. And yet, he wanted to cling to the shadows of the past by overlaying them onto new people. Being a fragile human, it was difficult for him to easily shake off the lingering attachments of the past.
But now he had to recognize it clearly. Even if he met people he once knew in the future, they would be different beings. The Aunt, and him. Won-woo let out a deep sigh as he thought of Sang-cheon’s adopted son, who had eyes similar to his. When death had casually escaped that man’s lips, Won-woo had unconsciously thought of the him from the past.
It was because of those eyes. Because of those eyes that looked exactly the same.
Won-woo tried his best to forget Gye Yoon by blaming it on the eyes, but the more he did, the more vividly those eyes came to mind. He already couldn’t shake the jealousy that the man was Sang-cheon’s adopted son, and the fact that he reminded him of the past version of him only increased his aversion.
‘Let’s just die, then.’
Gye Yoon’s tone had been indifferent, but it felt as if he were glimpsing a death deeply rooted within. Like someone who could die easily at any moment. It was only that their eyes were similar, but it felt so much like something the person he knew in the past would have said that his heart had plummeted. Won-woo judged the situation coldly to shake off this feeling.
Get a grip. Gye Yoon is not the him from the past. That was certain. Because he was a D-rank Esper.
Won-woo had once suspected that his injuries were caused by a rampage. When he held his hand, he tried to read his energy, but the inside was empty. It was so empty that he wondered if even the Core had vanished. Like a person whose power had truly disappeared, leaving only a shell.
As far as Won-woo knew, the only case where an Esper’s power Core disappeared without a trace was a rampage. And the only ones who could survive a rampage were D-rank Espers.
If someone C-rank or higher rampaged, their body would literally be torn to shreds like a piece of paper, making survival impossible. Therefore, he could not be Gye Yoon.
He must be living well somewhere in this different world. Not as someone like Gye Yoon, who couldn’t even receive guiding and had nothing left but revenge, but as an ordinary person, happily.
He repeated this final wish like a mantra. He must be happy.
The Gye Family once possessed as many Espers and Guides as any other family. Now, many Espers had left due to the lack of Guides, but their places were filled by those who managed this massive mansion and those who handled the Gye Family’s businesses.
Many of them were ordinary people, but they knew the dangers of Espers better than anyone. Thus, an S-rank Esper, whom even other Espers revered, was [visit our site]a terrifying existence [Read on Read BL Novelsstolen contentt-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]to them, like a god. That S-rank was right here in the Gye Family.
In particular, they had always been taught that since he did not receive proper guiding, they must never get on his nerves. Even now, sinister rumors were circulating that he had killed an important Guide immediately after leaving prison.
Consequently, whenever he appeared, people vanished and avoided him as if the Red Sea were parting. However, an employee from the information team did not have the luck to avoid him today. Because he was in the elevator, and the person who appeared when the doors opened on the first floor was none other than Gye Yoon.
The employee held his breath and quickly retreated to the corner of the elevator, pretending to be invisible. However, Gye Yoon showed no intention of boarding; he simply stood before the open doors, staring down at his own hand. As the doors began to close, the employee habitually pressed the open button.
Even then, Gye Yoon continued to stare at his hand. Aren’t you getting on? he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth. At the same time, he worried that letting the doors close and going up first would be an act of insolence. While lost in this agony, he opened the doors for a second time, and fortunately, Gye Yoon stepped into the elevator. The employee quickly stood in the corner and held his breath, trying to become an unobtrusive presence. But it was useless.
“Your heart is quite noisy.”
Gye Yoon’s faint mutter echoed clearly in his ears. Instinctively, the employee pressed both hands against his chest. Heart, be quiet! Yet, beneath his pressed hands, his heart beat even more insistently, oblivious to his plea. I must not get on an S-rank’s nerves!
Trembling in anxiety, he finally reached the 4th floor, which felt like the 40th. With a slide, the elevator doors finally opened, and Gye Yoon stepped out slowly. The employee remained stuck to the corner like a piece of the elevator’s equipment, and only when Gye Yoon was halfway out did he finally try to inhale. Suddenly, Gye Yoon turned his head and looked at him.
Hic!
As the employee gasped to swallow his startled sound, he heard the words.
“Aren’t you getting off?”
“Huh? Ah, no, I’m get—getting off on the 3rd floor…”
As he answered, the employee felt he was already dead. Why did you follow me to the 4th floor when I’m on the 3rd? If he finds it strange and rips my throat out?
“I—I just thought the Vice Head was more, more important, so I wanted you to get off first.”
Because he was shaking so much, his excuse came out as a mumble, barely audible. The employee stole a glance up in fear and met a cold, heartless gaze. Eek! He screamed internally, but then he heard a completely unexpected word.
“Thank you.”
“Eh, excuse me?”
“Keep up the good work.”
Only after the elevator doors slid shut did the employee realize those words were a greeting. Huh? The Vi—Vice Head said that to me?!
Chief Jung had just stepped out of his office when he heard that unbelievable news. He had been planning to go meet Gye Yoon upon hearing the news of his return. Had he managed to obtain the Alpha seed from Sang-cheon? He was walking briskly in curiosity when an information team manager he met along the way told him something strange.
“Is the Vice Head feeling unwell?”
The brute is always unwell. Because he doesn’t get guiding. Chief Jung dismissed it casually and asked back.
“Why?”
“No, it’s just that the front gate guard and a member of my team… they both just met the Vice Head and said he was acting strange.”
He paused. Only then did Chief Jung look back at him with a serious expression.
“Are there signs of a rampage?”
“No. It’s not that. To be precise, he said something strange.”
“What did he say?”
“Ah, well.” The manager tilted his head, unable to believe it himself, frustrating Chief Jung.
“Did he threaten to kill someone?”
“Not at all. He simply thanked them.”
“He must have misheard.”
“Both of them heard the same thing.”
They both must have been mistaken. It was an impossible occurrence. However, after confirming it several times and getting the same answer, Chief Jung couldn’t help but worry. Is [visit our site]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">visit our site]aria-label="visit our site">visit our sitetalking nonsense a new symptom of a rampage?!
Sound had always been one of the biggest factors that tormented Gye Yoon. An ability to hear better than anyone else became a poison if not properly controlled. What he hated most was the sound of a baby crying. That was why he hadn’t even tried to see his niece when she was born.
Because his niece, in the pain of not receiving guiding, would always cry, fall asleep from exhaustion, get irritable, and cry again in a repeating cycle.
‘Waaaaah—’
The sound of a baby crying leaked from behind a thick door. This was the first time Gye Yoon had been this close to his crying niece. But this time, he did not avoid it and remained standing in place.
Just then, someone came running breathlessly and stood beside him. In the past, the sound of panting breath would have been irritating and annoying, but now it was surprisingly unremarkable. Sound stripped of pain was nothing more than ordinary daily noise.
“Yoon-i, when did you get here?”
Despite Jae-hak’s question, Gye Yoon did not take his eyes off the door. Jae-hak spoke again cautiously with worried eyes.
“Hwan-i’s crying is loud, right? Just bear with it for a few days. Like you said, I’m looking for a Guide using the Alpha seed, and I think I can bring one soon.”
“What about Noona?”
“Ah, that person is pretending to recruit another Guide to deceive her family… Wait, did you just call her Noona?!”
As Jae-hak asked in surprise while explaining, Gye Yoon finally looked back at him.
“She is Noona.”
Of course she was. The problem was that he almost never called her that. Of course, that Noona had also never called her brother ‘brother.’ Usually, they spoke to each other with curses mixed in.
Only then did Jae-hak realize how calm Gye Yoon’s atmosphere and voice were. Is this another symptom of a rampage?! As he observed his brother-in-law with suspicious eyes, he heard Gye Yoon, whose aura had strangely changed, mutter while looking down at his hand.
“I must catch them.”
It was a calm voice, but there was a longing beneath it that Jae-hak could perceive. Jae-hak looked at Gye Yoon with pity.
“Catch? What? Is there something you want? Just say the word. I’ll buy it all for you.”
Gye Yoon slowly raised his head. Seeing the eyes full of patheticness, Jae-hak realized his mistake. This kid has plenty of money too.
“Is it a hard-to-find limited edition?”
“I wonder why Noona married Hyung.”
“Haha, that’s because your sister fell head over heels for my charm… Huh? Hyung?!”
Jae-hak’s eyes widened in surprise once again. How long had it been since he’d heard that title? When they were young, because Gye Yoon only had a sister, he used to follow Jae-hak around, calling him [Read on Read BL Novels]Hyung since they lived together in the Gye Family. But after the tragedy struck the Gye Family, he had changed completely and family-like titles were never heard again.
Of course, he understood. He probably couldn’t trust anyone. The tragedy of the Gye Family began when a Guide working there betrayed them. That was why he felt a surge of emotion and confusion at the title ‘Hyung.’ At the same time, his worry grew.
“Yoon-i, are you sick? Has your head finally gone bad?”
“It’s not me whose head has gone bad, it’s the Gye Family.”
Jae-hak’s eyes, which couldn’t possibly widen any further, trembled like a candle flame. The cold voice was delivered without a single curse. Why? Just how damaged is his brain? While Jae-hak was speechless from the shock, Chief Jung arrived just in time. Noticing Jae-hak’s frozen state, he asked softly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Yoon-i is strange.”
“Ah, I heard.”
Chief Jung nodded and quickly looked at Gye Yoon. As he checked for rampage symptoms, he only heard a calm question.
“What did you hear about me?”
“That you thanked several people. Is that correct?”
“Has the rumor spread already?”
“Yes, probably…”
He wouldn’t flip out just because people were talking about him, would he? While he was worrying, Gye Yoon turned his body and looked up into the air. The expressions of the two men, wondering what he was trying to do, immediately froze. Their ears felt muffled. Though rare, this was one of the symptoms felt when standing next to Gye Yoon when he used a great amount of power.
However, power of this magnitude could not be squandered at any time. It was used only when controlling the sounds of the entire vast private estate of the Gye Family. When he did that, Gye Yoon could dominate every sound in that area. He could hear everything, even the sound of an ant crawling.
But he was using power he couldn’t even properly control without hesitation? As the two men stared in shock, Gye Yoon’s mutter buzzed in their ears.
“See, I told you the Gye Family has gone bad. It’s overflowing with spy bastards.”
As the cold voice vanished, the two felt a pressure pressing down on their entire bodies, as if they had entered water. The only part of their bodies that could move were their eyes. All they could see was Gye Yoon, staring into the air with an expressionless face. He lowered his gaze as if concentrating and then closed his eyes slightly. Suddenly, Clang! A pain spread through their heads as if a dish had shattered.
Ugh!
Both groaned, clutching their heads as if they were splitting open, but the pain vanished quickly as if it had never been there. That wasn’t all.
“Chief Jung.”
Along with Gye Yoon’s voice calling him, all constraints were released as if waking from a dream. Only then did the two exhale sharply, and the first thing they did was check Gye Yoon’s ears. To use power like this. What if he rampages…
However, among the numerous suppression piercings in Gye Yoon’s ears, not a single one indicated an abnormality. Moreover, not a hint of style="font-size:0;color:transparent;display:inline;">Read on Read BL Novelspain could be seen on Gye Yoon’s face.
“Yes, yes, Vice Head.”
As Chief Jung answered belatedly, as if snapping back to his senses, an instruction immediately followed.
“For the next few days, I’m going to sweep away all the trash. Tell everyone. The bastards who try to run away will be the first to be popped. And when the cleaning is finished, you spread a proper rumor.”
Fortunately, Chief Jung was quick-witted and understood the ‘cleaning’ he was referring to. Though he didn’t know how it happened, Gye Yoon was currently using his power normally. He must have used the immense ability that only an S-rank can handle to bring this entire mansion, which was practically a small village, into his domain and listened to the sounds. To find out who was talking about him and secretly leaking information to the outside. He had clearly found the spies.
Chief Jung could bet his entire salary that those spies would no longer be breathing. A chill like a shiver ran through Chief Jung’s interior. How on earth can he use his ability? His voice trembled at the end from the shock.
“What kind of rumor should I spread?”
“Say that the Vice Head of the Gye Family came out of prison and caused casualties while running wild on the verge of a rampage.”
Both Chief Jung and Jae-hak looked up at Gye Yoon. Their gazes, wondering if something was wrong, landed on Gye Yoon’s ears again. The suppression piercings were still a normal color. Unlike Jae-hak, who couldn’t open his mouth, Chief Jung nodded quickly.
“Yes, I will inform everyone that the Vice Head is currently in a dangerous situation on the verge of a rampage.”
After bowing his head, he quickly turned away. Chief Jung’s face was stiff as he practically ran down the hallway, but his mind was a mixture of confusion and astonishment, as if a storm had raged through it.
What on earth happened when he met Sang-cheon? How did his energy stabilize? Whatever Read on Read BL Novelsstyle="position:relative;display:inline;">[Read on Read BL Novels]it was, it was clearly good news. A sane Vice Head—it was unbelievable, yet his heart fluttered.
For a few days, the one who gave Won-woo news of the world was Seo-na, who had become his teammate. Since the Espers in the team had not yet recovered, she didn’t participate in operations, but Seo-na came to the Center for individual training. Thanks to Seo-na’s diligence, no one found it strange that Won-woo came to work every day.
Since he was originally a person with nothing to do and a faint presence, he didn’t stand out much regardless of what he did at the Center. So, for a few days, Won-woo tried his best to find the Aunt using the hacking program Sang-cheon had given him. However, there was very little information about the Aunt to begin with, and even that was limited to information on Guides who were currently affiliated with or had previously worked at the Center.
“The place that has all the Guide information is Guide Center.”
Seo-na, who had vaguely heard that Won-woo was looking for someone, suggested this, wanting to help even a little.
“I can visit the Guide Center under the pretext of looking for a Guide. Should I go and secretly look for the information?”
“No. I can just go.”
When Won-woo declined with a smile, Seo-na looked at him for a moment and urged him again.
“Tell me if you need help. Even with family, there are relationships where it’s more comfortable not to meet.”
Seo-na didn’t smile often and her tone was blunt, but there were times when she was thoughtfully considerate of others like this. Just as she had noticed even though Won-woo hadn’t said much about his family.
“Please help me later.”
Since Won-woo did not reject the help, joy appeared in Seo-na’s eyes. However, stolen content->as if trying not to show it, she cleared her throat and intentionally changed the subject.
“I’ll be the one needing help from now on. I heard the other team members are all returning to the Center today.”
“All of them?”
When Won-woo asked sharply, Seo-na nodded.
“Yes. Since I’m here, it seems Yoo Geon-young was bothered and sent out a message saying they absolutely must come in today. The Espers from other teams have all returned. They did stay in the hospital for a long time. I think those guys went to rest, not to be hospitalized… Why are you laughing?”
Won-woo shook his head as if it were nothing, but he couldn’t erase the smile. Because while the team’s Espers were tied up in the hospital, he hadn’t received any visits from the perverted stalker. As expected, the pervert must be one of the team’s Espers. This time, he would definitely catch them. While he dreamed of a joyful commute home alone, he heard Seo-na’s lowered voice.
“Oh, did you hear the news about Head Director Hong?”
“No.”
Seo-na looked around and lowered her voice.
“I think she woke up. But…”
“Did they say she’s blind?”
Seo-na’s eyes widened in surprise. At the gaze asking How do you know?, Won-woo smiled bitterly. When a Core breaks, the parts of the body related to the Esper’s ability are the first to be affected and visit our sitedestroyed. Hong Eun-tae’s ability was to harden things she could see with her eyes. That was how she got the nickname Medusa.
“Still, she’ll be able to speak, so the sound of her screaming must have spread outside the house.”
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