DB Vol 3 Part 10
Who is it? How on earth did he track me? The eyes of Gi An-seok’s colleague were filled with terror and questions. However, the only answer he received was a silent hand reaching out to seize his throat.
Gi An-seok’s colleague squeezed out his last bit of strength to try and teleport again. At that, a glint of amusement appeared in the opponent’s eyes. As his body began to blur from the use of his ability, the opponent gripped him even tighter. For a moment, all surrounding sound vanished. His consciousness, held by the neck, quickly faded. In a matter of seconds, his body went limp.
As Gye Yoon released his grip, Gi An-seok’s colleague collapsed to the floor as if sliding down. Looking down at the body that no longer breathed, Gye Yoon belatedly provided the answer to how he had tracked someone who could teleport.
“Who told you to be so noisy?”
Muttering this, Gye Yoon looked up at the building and recalled Won-woo’s request.
‘The key to catching Gi An-seok is the teleportation Esper who travels with him. Since Gye Yoon-ssi said he would catch him, I’ll leave it to you, but keep this in mind. Do not let your guard down just because the opponent is weaker than you. Don’t try to act cool like a movie protagonist by saying things like “You’re dead now.” I’ve seen more than a few people ruin an operation by posing like that. The moment you catch him, without hesitation, eliminate him before he can disappear.’
Won-woo’s words sounded like those of a hunter accustomed to tracking and eliminating Espers. Then again, hadn’t he already seen him beat down Espers with ease? It was quite puzzling, but now was not the time to delve into that curiosity. Won-woo had said this about Gi An-seok:
‘Gi An-seok? I won’t kill him. That man is a lottery.’
What kind of lottery? Gye Yoon’s pace quickened as he headed toward the building, and in an instant, his body vanished.
When the sister who had left a while ago returned, Seong-hyeon thought some part of the Ji family had been attacked again. This was because her expression was absolutely murderous. She stormed through the door, her hand clenched tightly. Since his sister never showed excitement or emotion, Seong-hyeon stood up in surprise.
“Why, what happened…?”
“Did you show Dong-hyeon to that tracker, Gi An-seok?”
“Well, Hyung was the last witness to see Won-woo, so…”
“Did you let him touch him?”
Touch? Seong-hyeon remembered Gi An-seok gripping Dong-hyeon’s head and started to nod. However, he froze upon seeing Yoon-im’s expression. Realizing something was wrong, he stood there pale-faced, and Yoon-im immediately grasped the situation just by looking at his expression.
“Director Shin was telling the truth.”
Director Shin? Recalling his brother’s right-hand man, Seong-hyeon barely managed to keep his face from twisting. Whatever the situation was, now was the time to stay completely subservient before his sister.
“Call him.”
“Who… who?”
“Gi An-seok. Call him back immediately.”
“But Won-woo is…”
“Seong-hyeon. After Dong-hyeon, I don’t want to see you in a hospital bed unable to wake up.”
Contrary to the concern in her words, his sister’s voice was ice-cold. Startled, Seong-hyeon immediately picked up his phone, cursing inwardly. Dammit, did Gi An-seok cause some kind of problem?
“Because Ji Seong-hyeon is an idiot who lets his emotions lead,” Won-woo said nonchalantly, pointing [unauthorized copy]style="position:relative;display:inline;">[Read on Read BL Novels]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[unauthorized copy]to the unconscious Gi An-seok tied to a chair.
“He probably let Gi An-seok touch Ji Dong-hyeon just to find me. He likely thought only of taking credit for the achievement.”
Standing beside him, Gye Yoon caught on to Won-woo’s words and asked, “Do you speculate that Gi An-seok saw some secret while viewing Ji Dong-hyeon’s memories?”
“It’s not a speculation; it’s a certainty.”
Gi An-seok used the secrets he obtained in such a manner to blackmail people. This was his primary source of income. That was why, in the original world, Gi An-seok was called a lottery. Just getting hold of the secrets of the Espers he knew would be a significant strategic asset.
There had even been a reward for the team that captured Gi An-seok. Unfortunately, another team had claimed that reward, but Won-woo had been able to see the report from the team that caught him. There was one particularly irritated note from the officer in charge:
‘This bastard absolutely will not open his mouth.’
“The key is how to make him talk…”
At Won-woo’s murmur, Gye Yoon stepped forward.
“Let’s wake him up first.”
Gye Yoon raised his fist toward Gi An-seok.
“What do you mean you can’t find him? Fuck, why can’t you find Gi An-seok? What are the Guide Center bastards who went with him doing?”
Seong-hyeon was on the verge of jumping out of his skin. After hearing briefly about Gi An-seok from his sister, he had tried to find him urgently, but it was too late.
“They say Gi An-seok acted alone, claiming he needed to verify things first. He didn’t return even after the appointed time…”
As Secretary Yang trailed off while reporting, Seong-hyeon stomped the floor, unable to contain his rage.
“Fuck, fuck! Piece of shit! Search Gi An-seok’s house and office immediately!”
As Secretary Yang stood there hesitating, Seong-hyeon glared at him with wide eyes.
“What are you doing? Move it!”
“What if Gi An-seok didn’t run away, but someone took him?”
“Who would take him? He went to find that Won-woo bastard…”
Seong-hyeon stopped and glared at Secretary Yang.
“Don’t tell me Won-woo kidnapped Gi An-seok? How does a Guide kidnap an Esper? Unless someone helped him…”
Seong-hyeon’s eyes widened as he realized what he had just said.
“Right, fuck, there must be a collaborator. Otherwise, there’s no way earthquakes strong enough to shake buildings would be felt consecutively where that Won-woo bastard caused trouble.”
“But to cause an earthquake, one must be at least an A-rank or higher. Only a few among physical-type Read on Read BL NovelsEspers can do that. I’ve drawn up a list of possible Espers, but most visit our sitehad other alibis at the time of the incident. There was no one related to your brother either.”
“Who is the Esper without an alibi?”
Secretary Yang hesitated before informing him.
“With the abilities of the Gye Family’s Vice Head, such earthquake phenomena are possible.”
Seong-hyeon frowned.
“It’s not that bastard. If he used his power to that extent, he would have gone into a rampage.”
“That’s true. Unless he received guiding. But… isn’t Ji Won-woo-ssi a Guide? And he possesses a wave range that can guide anyone.”
At Secretary Yang’s words, Seong-hyeon burst out laughing.
“Fuck, he’s D-rank, the lowest piece of trash among Guides; what guiding? Even if that weren’t the case, it’s not Gye Yoon. He’s visit our sitesomeone who would grind his teeth at the Ji family; there’s no way he’d team up with Won-woo.”
Then who on earth was it? Who helped Won-woo? No answer came to mind. Then, Secretary Yang cautiously suggested another opinion.
“He might have received help from an Esper, but we must also consider Ji Won-woo-ssi’s actions so far. Isn’t it too strange? Assaulting an Esper at the Guide dormitory is one thing, but what’s more baffling is that he broke into the Guide Center, knocked down the chairman, and set fire to the archives. He accomplished things that no Esper could do.”
“So you’re saying he’s impressive?”
“In my eyes, yes.”
Before getting angry, Seong-hyeon chewed over Secretary Yang’s words. He had made excuses to his sister, blaming Won-woo, but he had also heard vaguely from Geon-young that Won-woo had changed. Beating an Esper like that, overpowering his brother, and now the disappearance of Gi An-seok.
“He has a collaborator, and it seems that Won-woo bastard has changed. Like a completely different person.”
No, was it even really Ji Won-woo? Having failed to find Won-woo and lost Gi An-seok, Seong-hyeon needed an excuse. He cursed inwardly while looking at the sky where the bluish dawn light was breaking. There was no time.
“Bring me one of Won-woo’s team Read [unauthorized copy]on Read BL Novelsmembers. Quietly, without Yoo Geon-young, the team leader, knowing.”
To avoid dying, he had to shift all the blame onto Won-woo. Even so, some level of suffering was inevitable. Seong-hyeon clenched his fist and glared at the rapidly brightening sky. Fuck, surely Won-woo didn’t actually take Gi An-seok? He desperately hoped that if that were the case, Won-woo would just be dead.
Isn’t he dead? Won-woo looked at the blood-soaked Gi An-seok with an expressionless face, but inwardly, he clicked his tongue. Gye Yoon truly kept waking Gi An-seok up. Beating him until he fainted and then waking him again, all the way until dawn. Won-woo was familiar with hitting and overpowering people, but Gye Yoon’s technique was on another level. Since he spent hours beating him just enough not to kill him, without using any Esper powers, Won-woo couldn’t help but ask.
“How long are you planning to just keep hitting him?”
Because the moment Gi An-seok tried to say a single word, the beating started immediately. He needed to extract information, but since Gye Yoon hit him every time he opened his mouth, Won-woo wondered if there was some strategy.
“Are you trying to play ‘good cop, bad cop’?”
Won-woo asked softly, wondering if the collapsed Gi An-seok could hear, and Gye Yoon reassured him.
“He’s unconscious. And there’s no need for roleplay.”
“You’re going to keep beating him until he opens his mouth?”
“There’s no need to force it open. It’s not like there’s any specific information I particularly want anyway.”
Won-woo swallowed his disbelief at Gye Yoon’s words.
“Then why did you bring him here? Isn’t this your family’s safe house?”
Won-woo looked around. The place Gye Yoon had brought him to was a small farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. In truth, it was too modest to be owned by a family that ruled the North, but he figured it could be a disguise if it were a safe house.
“Yes. It’s safe here, so I can take my time beating him.”
At Gye Yoon’s answer, Won-woo asked in disbelief, “Do you really not need Gi An-seok’s information?”
“I’ve lived just fine without Gi An-seok anyway. However,” Gye Yoon added, staring intently at Gi An-seok, “since he’s seen us, I can’t let him die easily.”
Won-woo glanced at Gi An-seok again and Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsnoticed something. Gi An-seok’s shoulder seemed to twitch slightly. Was he awake?
“What do you mean ‘not easily’? How much more are you going to torture him?”
“Five years.”
“…That’s long.”
“That seems to be the limit. Usually, we throw them into an animal cage, and no one lasts longer than that.”
Ah. Won-woo gave a small nod of understanding, but was slightly surprised inwardly. So, the reason he beat him just enough not to lose consciousness was because of five years of know-how. Whether it was an exaggeration or not, Won-woo had no intention of arguing. He had seen Gi An-seok’s body move very slightly again. There was no way Gye Yoon hadn’t noticed. Gye Yoon said he had no intention of roleplaying, but Won-woo was not a fool who believed everything at face value.
“But Gi An-seok knows a lot of important information. Especially if he saw my brother’s memories, I’d like to hear about it.”
The corners of Gye Yoon’s mouth curled up slightly. It was a smile that seemed to appreciate Won-woo’s quick wit.
“Don’t expect much. If unauthorized copyhe had seen any great memories, he would have tried to negotiate with me long ago.”
“That’s because you… ugh, you’re so… ugh!”
Suddenly, Gi An-seok snapped his head up and shouted with a sense of injustice. However, as it was difficult to speak with his torn and swollen face, he couldn’t finish properly. Gye Yoon’s foot kicked his head. Silencing Gi An-seok with a mere kick as if he were a nuisance, Gye Yoon turned back to Won-woo.
“Do you really have no luggage to take?”
Ignoring Gi An-seok’s groaning, Gye Yoon changed the subject, and Won-woo followed suit, taking his eyes off Gi An-seok.
“None. Though there are a few things I need to buy immediately…”
“Ha, it’s useless to run away from the Ji family, you…”
As soon as Gi An-seok interrupted again, Gye Yoon’s foot moved, and Gi An-seok rolled away with a ‘ghuk!’ sound. Won-woo and Gye Yoon continued their conversation leisurely, as if he weren’t there.
“Tell me. I’ll buy them for you.”
“I’ll buy my own things.”
“Then let’s go together.”
“I don’t want to.”
“…Why?”
The response was blunt, but it carried a hint of disappointment. Won-woo, confused about whether this was acting or not, played along for now.
“You’re too conspicuous. I’m a fugitive.”
“That’s why I said it’s useless to run from the Ji family… ugh, wa-wait!! The Gye Family!!”
Gi An-seok, interrupting again, screamed immediately, fearing his words would be cut off.
“Once what the Ji family did to the Gye family is revealed, you’ll eventually die at the hands of the Gye family!”
As Won-woo and Gye Yoon stared at him silently, he finally gasped for air, feeling relieved.
“What I saw in Ji Dong-hyeon’s head, guhk!”
This time, it was Won-woo’s foot that caused the scream. Won-woo kicked his shin hard and then deliberately sneered.
“The Ji family is already enemies with the Gye family. You’re calling that a secret now? And stop using informal language.”
“Agh! Wa-wait… haah, no, the Ji family is hiding… ugh, something more. I definitely saw it! In Ji Dong-hyeon’s head, something that would start a war immediately if the Gye family found out…”
“Bullshit.”
As Gye Yoon stood up as if to use his hands again, Gi An-seok’s face turned pale.
“They manipulated the Guide information!!”
“What Guide?”
When Won-woo asked, Gi An-seok looked at him and bit his lip. While he was hesitating, Gye Yoon’s foot kicked his chest without hesitation. Then, Gi An-seok coughed up blood and squeezed out the words.
“Ugh, the Ji family… haa, they manipulated the Guide information. Guides compatible with the Gye family… es-especially the information on Guides with a wave compatible with the Vice Head is all fake.”
Perhaps because only one dim light was on in the room, Gi An-seok still didn’t know the identity of Gye Yoon, who wore his hood deep. Since he had been beaten as soon as he arrived, his eyes were too swollen to see properly. Won-woo glanced over at the mention of the Vice Head. Gye Yoon remained expressionless even when he was mentioned.
“How is it fake? Did they manipulate the wave range?”
Gi An-seok groaned in pain and shook his head.
“That’s a given. But could they mock and enjoy the Gye family with just that?”
Enjoy? Won-woo’s question was erased by Gi An-seok’s raspy voice.
“Because they killed all the real ones.”
A strange silence fell. However, unaware of this, Gi An-seok added while panting.
“The Guides who could guide Gye Yoon… all of them, huff, huff, were found and killed by the Ji family.”
Won-woo was speechless for a moment. Unconsciously, his gaze turned to Gye Yoon. He was still expressionless, looking as if he had heard something trivial. Then, looking at Won-woo, he asked dryly.
“Do you have something to say?”
As Won-woo looked at Gi An-seok, Gye Yoon lightly informed him as if telling him not to worry.
“It’s fine. That bastard can’t hear.”
“Gi An-seok’s words might not be true.”
“It doesn’t matter either way.”
“Why doesn’t it matter?”
Because. Gye Yoon looked back as if wondering why Won-woo even cared.
“Even if there were a Guide compatible with me, the Ji family would never send them. So it doesn’t matter if the Guides are all dead or alive. My end will be a rampage anyway.”
Because he spoke so nonchalantly, it felt even heavier to Won-woo. How long had he lived, enduring a body unstable with the threat of a rampage, to be able to say that? Won-woo almost asked without realizing. If he had never been happy.
In this world, he hadn’t even been entangled with Ji Won-woo, and his body was perfectly fine. Yet, why was he still burdened with death in the same way? But in the end, he couldn’t ask anything.
Instead, he looked at Gye Yoon, who was stepping forward, with complicated eyes. Unlike [unauthorized copy]before, Gye Yoon crouched in front of Gi An-seok with a murderous gaze.
“What about the others in the Gye family?”
Gi An-seok groaned and barely opened his eyes, but since his vision was still blurry, he soon closed them again.
“Haa, others…?”
“You said the Gye family would start a war if they found out. The Ji family didn’t just touch the Vice Head’s Guide. Right?”
“Of course, khuk, ha…”
While answering, blood poured from Gi An-seok’s mouth again. Gye Yoon’s hand was already gripping his neck. Pale and suffocating, Gi An-seok barely managed to spill the information.
“That house… the baby… they said the Gye family must be crushed from the roots, so the information on Guides compatible with that house’s kid was also all manipulated…”
“You mean they’re all fake?”
“Yes. And they intentionally leaked wrong information… ugh, saying they’d watch the Gye family struggle and be at the mercy of the Guides. Haa, I found a few real ones and, ugh, handed them over to the Ji family, so it’s certain. That kid’s Guides were all slaughtered…”
Thump. Gi An-seok collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness. Letting go of him, Gye Yoon stood up and called someone with a still expressionless face. Won-woo, unable to interrupt him, focused on his ice-cold voice.
“Check the wave of the Guide brought in after giving the seed. Now.”
Seong-hyeon had never resented the brightening sky so much. Although only one night had passed, his face looked as if years had gone by. In the midst of this, his sister’s arrival was like a visit from the Grim Reaper. She scanned the room and, seeing Seong-hyeon standing alone and anxious, turned around immediately.
“No-Noona!”
When Seong-hyeon called out, Yoon-im turned her cold gaze toward him.
“You couldn’t find Won-woo, and you let Gi An-seok slip away. I suppose that is your limit.”
“No, it was my mistake… Yes, of course, I made a mistake. But it was all because [unauthorized copy]of Ji Won-woo! It happened because that bastard deceived all of us!”
Yoon-im’s eyes were filled with contempt as she looked at her younger brother.
“Even the excuses you scrape together are substandard.”
Seong-hyeon rushed toward Yoon-im as she tried to leave, grabbing her arm and clinging to her.
“No, Noona, listen to me. I don’t care if Father beats me or kicks me out of the house. But I have to say this. We were all played by Ji Won-woo—that bastard Won-woo.”
Yoon-im, seemingly unwilling to hear any more, gave her brother a cold command.
“Let go. Unless you want to be stripped of the Ji surname as well.”
Seong-hyeon flinched and let go, but he immediately blocked her path and shouted.
“I’m telling you, this was all planned by Ji Won-woo! That bastard has become a completely different person. His teammate testified to it. He said Ji Won-woo suddenly lost stolen [stolen content]content-->visit our sitehis memory and changed into someone else! It’s true, Noona. Maybe that bastard isn’t Ji Won-woo, but someone who just looks like him…”
Honestly, Seong-hyeon had no expectation that this excuse would work. He knew it was far-fetched. He just wanted to pin everything on Won-woo to lessen his own guilt, even if only by a fraction. However, his sister’s reaction was strange. Her expression stiffened, and she suddenly grabbed Seong-hyeon’s arm, asking in a low voice.
“Like a different person?”
“Huh? Yeah. I’ve even found a witness. Ah, here, listen to the recording. Listen to this.”
As Seong-hyeon hurriedly played the recording of Won-woo’s teammate, Yoon-im’s expression grew increasingly grim. With a serious face, she took out her phone. She seemed about to contact someone, but her phone rang first.
Yoon-im’s eyebrows twitched as text appeared on the small screen. Before Seong-hyeon could ask what was happening, she turned on the TV in the office. On the early morning news, Ji Geun-oh appeared, apologizing with a haggard face.
[It is all my fault as a father. I hoped that my son, who suffers from mental issues, would be treated well and become a contributing member of society, but I apologize on his behalf for the fact that he secretly stopped taking his medication and caused these problems. Because I believed my son had already fully recovered, what Won-woo has done this time is all the more devastating. I will expel my son, who attacked an Esper and led them to death, from the Guide Center.]
The handsome middle-aged man, with tears in his eyes, bowed deeply and apologized repeatedly. While his father’s acting was impressive every time, Seong-hyeon focused on his sister’s face rather than the screen. She was biting her lip. It was a habit she showed whenever something went wrong. But why? Her father’s apology was perfect and flawless. Then, he heard Yoon-im mutter.
“What if Ji Won-woo is also a different person?”
One of Seong-hyeon’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Also’? Then who else had changed?
Chief Jung found Gye Yoon’s order strange. Check the Wave? Although the Guide brought in via the Alpha seed had rejected Hwan-i’s guiding and even gone as far as slashing his own wrist, the Gye Family was currently trying to soothe him and win his favor by any means.
Therefore, he worried that asking to check the Wave might offend him. However, that worry soon turned into a different concern. As soon as the word ‘check’ was mentioned, the Guide turned pale and began to tremble violently. Only then did Chief Jung realize something was wrong. With a shaking hand, he immediately called Gye Yoon.
“Vice Head.”
[Did you check?]
“I couldn’t take the Guide to the machine room, so I didn’t check, but…”
Chief Jung trailed off, adding strength to his voice.
“He became quite terrified at the mention of checking the Wave.”
[….]
“Vice Head?”
[That Guide.]
Even before Gye Yoon finished speaking, Chief Jung felt a chill that seemed to stop his breath.
[Kill him.]
While Gye Yoon stepped out for a moment to make the call, Won-woo sat with his knees bent in front of the unconscious Gi An-seok. He opened a bottle of water and poured it over the man’s face. Perhaps because water entered his nose, Gi An-seok coughed and barely managed to open his eyes.
“Are all the Guides compatible with Gye Yoon truly dead?”
Gye Yoon seemed to take the Guide issue of his nephew more seriously than his own, but [stolen content]to Won-woo, Gye Yoon was more important. Gi [Read on Read BL Novels]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[Read on Read BL Novels]An-seok, with a face swollen from being hit, couldn’t form a proper expression, but his eyes were full of ridicule.
“A Ji… cough, worrying about a Gye.”
Without a word, Won-woo grabbed Gi An-seok’s hand and twisted it backward.
“Ugh!”
Gi An-seok curled up in pain, but Won-woo did not let go of the twisted hand and asked again.
“I told you not to speak informally, didn’t I?”
“There, there are none… let go of this… Aagh!”
“Are you sure there are none?”
“S-sure. Ugh! The memory I saw… was a conversation between Ji Dong-hyeon and Ji Geun-oh.”
Despite receiving the answer, Won-woo twisted the hand further. The fingers were now bent backward to the point where they seemed completely broken, almost touching the back of the hand. Gi An-seok writhed and gasped in pain, but Won-woo held his hand and calmly asked the next question.
“Why is Ji Geun-oh so intent on destroying the Gye Family?”
This was a point completely different from the world Won-woo had come from. Of course, the Gye Family had collapsed early on after siding with the Purifier and becoming the enemy of all Espers, but even before that, Ji Geun-oh hadn’t particularly viewed the Gye Family as an enemy.
Rather, since they were the rulers of the North whom he needed to stay in the good graces of, he had groveled before the Gye Family. So why, in this world, was Ji Geun-oh directly involved in the death of the previous Head of the Gye Family and so desperate to bring them down afterward? What kind of grudge did he hold?
“That… ugh, I wanted to know too… that’s what I was trying to find by looking into Ji Dong-hyeon’s mind…”
“And you couldn’t find it?”
“No. I did. Ji Dong-hyeon told someone…”
Gi An-seok muttered in a crawling voice and then fainted style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[Read on Read BL Novels]again, unable to bear the pain. However, Won-woo didn’t need to wake him up to ask.
“‘I also don’t know the reason why my father wants to destroy the Gye Family so badly,’ is what Ji Dong-hyeon said.”
Gye Yoon’s voice provided the answer instead. Won-woo looked at him as he returned and lowered his gaze to the phone in his hand.
“Did you check at home?”
Gye Yoon gave a short reply to the question of whether the Wave of the Guide brought in with the Alpha seed was indeed a fake.
“Yes.”
There was no further explanation, but Won-woo didn’t ask more. Even without words, he knew they were thinking the same thing. Why? Why on earth was Ji Geun-oh so intent on destroying the Gye Family?
“At first, I wanted to know the reason too, but not anymore.”
Gye Yoon added as he looked back at Won-woo.
“Noona is still suffering like a fool because she hasn’t found that reason, but I’m not. I know that people can be malicious without a reason, so I don’t want to assign great meaning to Ji Geun-oh.”
“That’s true. There’s no need to suffer just because you don’t know the reason.”
Won-woo agreed lightly, but his mind was complicated. The Ji Geun-oh he knew was not a man who would destroy an opponent out of meaningless malice. He was too petty and greedy to enjoy such a game. He was a man who moved only based on whether there was a profit for him or not, so there must be a significant reason for wanting to destroy the Gye Family.
Like Gye Yoon’s sister, Won-woo intended to find the reason. But for now, he had to solve a bigger problem first. Won-woo looked up at Gye Yoon’s expressionless face. He was flustered by the amount of pity and sorrow he felt for him. The indifferent and low tone of voice actually made him want to hold his hand and comfort him. Yet, on the other hand, he was reluctant.
The Gye Yoon of the other world had already suffered because of him. There was no rule saying it wouldn’t happen here too. Therefore, he should help but keep his distance. Widen the emotional distance. He vowed to himself, but his resolve collapsed like a sandcastle at the sound of the low, muttering voice.
“But it’s thanks to the will to find the reason for that malice that Noona has survived until now. How ridiculous.”
“Do you have no will to live, Gye Yoon-ssi?”
Gye Yoon looked down at Won-woo silently. It felt as if he had something to say. But he simply turned his head and gave a short answer.
“I don’t.”
Won-woo stared at him intently, but Gye Yoon avoided his gaze and changed the subject.
“Oh, congratulations. Ji Geun-oh has kicked Ji Won-woo-ssi out of the Guide Center. Officially.”
“As long as there’s no risk of rampage due to lack of guiding. Do you still have no will to live?”
Gye Yoon slowly turned back to Won-woo, his brow furrowed.
“Did you not hear me? You’ve been expelled from the Guide Center, just as you wanted.”
“There’s no more pain now. Don’t you want to live?”
As Won-woo continued to ask, ignoring his words, [visit Read on Read BL Novelsour site]a momentary chill flickered in Gye Yoon’s eyes.
“Are you going to guide me for the rest of my life?”
“….”
“If not, shut your mouth.”
Indeed, it wasn’t as if he would guide him for the rest of his life. No, he could. Now that he knew who he was, he would gladly do it. However, the obsession with keeping a distance made Won-woo hesitate. Nevertheless, he wanted to hear Gye Yoon say he wanted to live. It was hard to let go of this greed.
He had seen people like Gye Yoon on the battlefield. Once, Won-woo had been similar. Since they didn’t know when they would die, there was no joy, and they couldn’t truly accept it. Those with one foot in death can never live in the present. The future death dominates their life.
That was why he envied Seo-na, who could immerse herself deeply in the webtoons she loved, and why Sang-cheon seemed amazing for sincerely enjoying the things he liked. When he met those two again, they still knew that joy. Why was Gye Yoon… why was Gye Yoon the only one who couldn’t escape unhappiness even here?
His heart ached. He wanted him to be happy. He sincerely wanted him to enjoy life. Won-woo lowered his gaze to the floor, fearing his emotions would be exposed.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
Won-woo took a deep breath.
“To the North.”
Min merely looked down at the Guide brought before her with a cold gaze. He was trembling like an aspen tree, repeating the same words over and over.
“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it. I really didn’t want to do it. In the Ji family… they said it was just changing a few numbers, that it would never be found out and wouldn’t be a problem… it’s true.”
Then, he finally bowed his head to the floor and sobbed.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
His appearance was truly pitiful, but even Jae-hak, who was said to be the warmest-hearted person in the Gye Family, could not offer words of comfort. No, he couldn’t even breathe properly, stolen contentnot knowing how [Read on Read BL Novels]to swallow the surging indignation. The information on the Guide brought in via the Alpha seed had also been obtained for a large sum of money.
Yet that was fake, and the Guide was fake. He couldn’t even gauge where the Ji family had started mocking them. Having repeated such despair for years, many people belonging to the Gye Family were soaked in a sense of defeat and had lost the will to fight.
Because of this, Min often heard opinions that she should be the first to bow her head and join hands with the Ji family. But Jae-hak alone could not entertain such an opinion. Look, those who held the child hostage and shook them had, behind the scenes, completely severed the child’s lifeline. Jae-hak could no longer stop his wife even if she declared war.
“Keep this Guide alive.”
At Min’s command, the Guide was surprised and pleaded.
“I can’t testify. I absolutely can’t. I’d rather you just kill me. If I testify, my family will all be hurt. I beg you. Just kill me in one stroke, ugh…”
The Guide pleaded while crying, but Min turned away with an expressionless face and asked Chief Jung.
“The People’s Committee vote?”
“It ended a moment ago.”
“And?”
Chief Jung hesitated for a moment before announcing the result.
“It passed. One representative chosen by the Guides can now become a People’s Welfare Committee Member.”
What Ji Geun-oh had wanted so badly had come true. Min, still showing no emotion, turned and left the room. Jae-hak followed out of concern, but he was blocked by someone.
“She said not to follow her.”
The person who blocked Jae-hak was the head of the escort unit who accompanied the Head of the Gye Family whenever she went to defeat monsters.
“Captain Lee, where is the Head going?”
Captain Lee, looking down at Jae-hak with her tall stature, informed him bluntly.
“I cannot tell you.”
“Then at least tell me this. Are you going with the Head, Captain Lee?”
It was a simple answer, but she hesitated before nodding.
“Yes.”
At her answer, Jae-hak’s expression stiffened. Unless it was a monster problem, the only time Captain Lee moved with the Head was when there was a fight with another Esper. Surely, she wasn’t planning to actually start a war?
Seong-hyeon could think of nothing but the fact that he had truly survived. With the People’s Committee vote passing, the entire atmosphere had reversed. Now that he could get his hands on the power he had wanted so much, his father had forgotten all the problematic incidents and was preoccupied with enjoying this pleasure.
Seong-hyeon, attending the celebration party, was smiling on the outside, but he was tense, trying to avoid eye contact with his father as much as possible. Because he was so focused on his father, he didn’t notice the person approaching him.
“Congratulations.”
At the words of congratulations he had heard dozens of times today, Seong-hyeon gave a half-hearted greeting while glancing toward his father. However, the other person did not leave and spoke, mentioning a name he didn’t want to hear.
“Have you found Ji Won-woo-ssi?”
Fuck, who is this guy looking for that bastard Won-woo… Turning abruptly, Seong-hyeon swallowed the curse upon seeing the person.
“Ah, Esper Hong Seung-wook.”
A smile naturally flowed as someone he had always wanted to be involved with appeared before him.
“When did you get here? Have you eaten? If not, I’ll arrange a quiet spot for you.”
But the man, who always maintained a stiff politeness and kept his distance, declined with a ‘I’m fine’ and repeated his question.
“Do you know anything about Ji Won-woo-ssi?”
“Why are you curious about Won-woo-bast… Won-woo?”
“Because we are colleagues.”
Colleagues, my ass. Seong-hyeon wanted to swear, but he forced a smile.
“If we’re colleagues, then you’d know too, Seung-wook-ssi? That Won-woo has changed into a different person.”
Seung-wook didn’t answer, but Seong-hyeon didn’t miss the slight flicker in his eyes. What, Won-woo changed enough for Hong Seung-wook to feel it?
“Just how much has Won-woo changed? His face is the same, isn’t it?”
“Is that why you couldn’t find him?”
“Well, whether I found him or not, I haven’t… wait a second.”
As Seung-wook tried to turn and leave, Seong-hyeon hurriedly grabbed him.
“Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk first.”
“Is it true that you couldn’t find him?”
“That’s a bit difficult to talk about here…”
“Why? Because the Gye Family is involved?”
Gye Family? Why are those bastards coming up suddenly? But he remembered that they had framed the Gye Family as the culprits of the Guide Center intrusion. Seong-hyeon, who wanted to have a drink alone with Seung-wook under the pretext of information, gave an ambiguous smile.
“I can’t say that exactly either.”
Whether the lie worked or not, Seung-wook thought for a moment and then nodded.
“I understand.”
“Understand what?”
But Seung-wook turned and left without answering, and Seong-hyeon immediately frowned.
“Fuck, he’s playing hard to get.”
In the Gye Family, Jae-hak had a large and spacious room and office, but from a certain point on, he spent most of his time in front of a certain firmly closed door. It was in this very spot that he heard the news that his wife had gathered Espers as if preparing for war.
‘The situation is unusual. Shouldn’t you stop the Head now?’
An employee who delivered the news expressed concern via text, but Jae-hak could not lift his body from leaning against the wall. Even if his wife fought a war, he had no justification to stop her.
After losing the first child like that, and now being unable to protect the second, how could one describe her feelings? Even Jae-hak felt like picking [visit [visit our site][visit our site]our site]up a sword and charging into the Ji family.
Moreover, the TV was busy praising Ji Geun-woo as if he had already become a member of the People’s Committee, showing the lavish party they were currently throwing. The loud music and the sound of people’s laughter seemed to mock the downfall of the Gye Family. Jae-hak felt that the house had never been this silent.
“Sigh…”
He rarely showed a side of giving up, but today, he curled his body, dropping his head between his knees. That is, until a cold voice suddenly rang out.
“Move. Stop acting pathetic.”
“Huh?” Startled by the familiar voice, Jae-hak snapped his head up.
“Yoon!”
Jae-hak sprang up from his seat, grabbing Gye Yoon’s arm and speaking hurriedly.
“Quick, go stop your Noona. [BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">unauthorized copy]I think she’s about to cause some kind of scene, so if you go… huh?”
As he spoke urgently, Jae-hak’s eyes widened as he noticed the person standing behind Gye Yoon. Whoever it was, they were attempting to enter the room.
“Excuse me…! You can’t go in there.”
The person, whose face was hidden deep beneath a black hood, turned their head halfway at Jae-hak’s words. The black hooded jumper seemed too large and baggy, as if it weren’t their own. Because of this, their face wasn’t fully visible, but it was clearly a stranger. However, Gye Yoon gave the stranger permission.
“Ignore him and go in. She’s inside.”
Gye Yoon then blocked Jae-hak, who was trying to step forward.
“Yoon, what are you talking about? Who is that person?”
But no answer came. Instead, he had to watch as the man, who was about to enter his daughter’s room, gave a small nod as if bowing and stepped inside.
“Hey! You can’t go in—”
“He’s a Guide.”
“…What?”
As Jae-hak stopped talking and blinked in confusion, Gye Yoon followed him through the open door and gave an instruction.
“Prepare Hwan-i’s meal. She’ll be hungry when she wakes up.”
The interior was a bit too bleak to be considered a child’s room. That was Won-woo’s first impression. It seemed as though there was only minimal furniture, perhaps because the owner of the room couldn’t control their powers and might get hurt. Won-woo walked quickly toward the bed, one of those few pieces of furniture.
He heard Gye Yoon, who had followed him in, telling the person guarding the room to leave, but Won-woo’s attention was focused solely on the small child on the bed. The child, who looked to be around three years old, was different from the peers Won-woo usually saw. Their hair was disheveled, and their clothes were not just wrinkled, but torn to rags. Furthermore, as if they had fallen asleep while crying, their face was covered in dried tear stains.
Won-woo looked down at the child who had barely been put to sleep with medication. So it’s you. The little one who doesn’t say a word. Won-woo gently brushed back the hair covering the child’s forehead with his hand and knelt beside them. Then, he slowly took the child’s small, petal-like hand in his.
-Continued in Volume 4-
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