DB Vol 3 Part 6
“Mr. Gye Yoon, is there really not a single Guide? I heard there was a Guide who took care of him when he was young. No matter how much the Gye Family has become the enemy of Guides, surely there is at least one Guide who would want to help?”
“I don’t know. Right now, the Gye Family’s image as the enemy of Guides is just too strong. And as you know, Guides who provide guiding to the Gye Family are denied the Guide disease prevention medicine. It’s hard to help unless you have a very strong resolve.”
“But if that Guide raised Mr. Gye Yoon like a parent, they would definitely help.”
“If such a Guide existed, he wouldn’t be such a brat… I mean, he wouldn’t be suffering so much from the lack of guiding.”
“…True. They wouldn’t have just left him alone. Never.”
Won-woo muttered, lowering his gaze as if lost in thought. Sang-cheon, unable to interrupt him, quietly stepped toward the desk and focused on the monitor.
After a while, he glanced back and saw Won-woo curled up on the small sofa, fast asleep. Sang-cheon carefully covered him with a blanket, worrying like a father. Did he not sleep well last night?
Who exactly are you, Aunt? Won-woo had asked her several times. Perhaps out of annoyance, she always answered the same way: that she was just an ordinary Guide.
Her nonchalant explanation seemed to have become the truth in the end. That was why he had assumed the person she brought along would also be just ordinary. However, that man seemed special to the Aunt. He was the only piece of her past she had ever revealed, despite never telling him a single thing about her own identity.
‘Is he your son?’
He had asked her bluntly once, and she had shaken her head with a bitter smile.
‘No.’
But Won-woo believed that the man must be like a son to her. After all, it was common for Guides to care for young Espers. Since she was a C-rank Guide, he speculated that the man was likely a C-rank or D-rank Esper.
Because the man’s Wave was wide enough to cover others, just like the Aunt’s, his identity remained a mystery. Well, he didn’t particularly want to know anyway.
After all, Espers were now enemies to be killed, and since the guest was injured and powerless, he couldn’t even be considered a functioning Esper. There was only one thing Won-woo was curious about: hearing about the Aunt’s past from him.
However, even as the man used his fingertips—which had regained a bit of mobility—to express himself, he never mentioned a word about the Aunt. Won-woo kept asking about her, but eventually changed his tactics to ask about the man himself. Where he had lived, what foods he used to eat, what school he attended… and so on.
Of course, he received no answers. Only a cold gaze. He learned a bit about the man’s circumstances one early morning. It was after the Aunt had given him a painkilling injection while he was writhing in phantom pain. Won-woo stopped in his tracks at the low voice leaking through the gap in the door.
‘If the reason you want to die is simply because you want to ignore your reality, I cannot help you. Yes, it must be painful because you feel your revenge has failed. With your current body, there is nothing more you can do. But that’s not it.’
There was a firmness in the Aunt’s voice. Won-woo held his breath and focused on her following words.
‘It may look like there are no results in your eyes, but the seed you planted can eventually become a giant tree that swallows them all. visit our siteI believe the seed I planted will grow that way. No one knows how their efforts will return in the future. Read on Read BL Novelsstolen contentEND: Read on Read BL Novels -->That’s why I want you to live a little longer. Trust me and try to live just a bit more.’
Won-woo sat before the dark door and buried his face in his knees. He felt nothing but envy that there was someone who wanted that man to live. Even if he couldn’t move and wished only for death, he was so envious that he felt like crying. Because the Aunt spoke to him like that.
‘Let’s try to live.’
‘I have to step out for a moment, so I called you. Do not wake him up! Absolutely do not wake him up!’
Even without Sang-cheon’s earnest plea, Gye Yoon had no intention of waking Won-woo, who was curled up on the sofa like a child. However, he felt a bit annoyed. No, perhaps “jealousy” was the more accurate term. He didn’t know what Won-woo had been doing up all night, but to think that the place where he could sleep so peacefully was right next to Sang-cheon.
Of course, it would be strange for him to sleep next to someone he had just met, but that middle-aged man had just met him too, hadn’t he? What on earth is so great about that guy? Gye Yoon disliked the fact that he couldn’t suppress his jealousy even toward Sang-cheon.
He looked down at Won-woo as if questioning him. Just what do I have to do to get on your good side? But the deeply asleep Won-woo didn’t budge. Sang-cheon had been worrying that he hadn’t eaten since morning and just slept, to the point where Gye Yoon briefly wondered if he was sick.
Fortunately, his heartbeat and breathing were fine. Gye Yoon sat in an equally worn-out chair opposite the sofa and checked his phone. Chief Jung had sent a long message detailing the chaos that had erupted over the past day between the Center, the Ji Family, and the People’s Committee. Perhaps excited by the Ji Family’s misfortune, he was providing reports on his own, something he never usually did.
—Rumors have spread nationwide that a direct line of the Ji Family assaulted a fellow team member, an Esper, taking advantage of their injury and intentionally ignored their rampage, leading to their death. Since there were already suspicions that Ji Won-woo-ssi caused a fellow Esper to die from a rampage in the Contamination Removal Room, these rumors are being accepted as fact.
—Ji Geun-oh and his sons are urgently contacting the People’s Welfare Committee members. They claim this is a malicious rumor unrelated to the Ji Family, but after we leaked parts of the video to the members this afternoon, there has been no further contact. They have reportedly deployed people everywhere to find Ji Won-woo-ssi.
—The Center has formed an emergency task force to verify [visit our site]this situation, and ‘Hong Seung-wook’ has volunteered as the person in charge. It seems the Center’s approval has not yet been granted.
Reading up to this point, Gye Yoon frowned at the name ‘Hong Seung-wook.’ Why is this playboy suddenly jumping in? Gye Yoon quickly typed out his orders.
—Contact OO Bank, where we invested, and tell them to pressure Hong Seung-wook’s father. I heard that bastard’s father uses Hong Seung-wook as a figurehead to attract investments. Get rid of him for a few days.
Chief Jung replied immediately, as if he had already checked.
—Coincidentally, the bank president’s daughter is a fan of Hong Seung-wook. But why Hong Seung-wook?
“Why? What do you mean why…”
Gye Yoon was about to let out a curse unconsciously, but he stopped when he looked up. His eyes met Won-woo’s, who had been lying on the sofa.
Won-woo’s deep gaze usually reminded him of an unfathomable deep sea, but right now, it felt like facing an even deeper unknown. Beautiful, but feeling as though one would become a sacrifice once they fell in. Of course, Gye Yoon wasn’t afraid of how deep that sea was. If anything, it was exciting.
“You’re awake?”
Gye Yoon asked lightly. For reasons unknown, Ji Won-woo liked Nani, so Gye Yoon had planned to approach him with a friendly demeanor, similar to Nani. Won-woo stared at him blankly, as if not yet fully awake, before opening his mouth.
“Mr. Gye Yoon.”
His voice was raspy from long silence, but it was stimulating enough to send a shiver through Gye Yoon. Gye Yoon nodded, resisting the urge to lick his lips.
“Go ahead.”
“By any chance, are you Ppi-yak?”
The smile slowly faded from Gye Yoon’s lips. Ppi-yak? He felt a sudden sense of déjà vu but shook his head.
“Unless there is another meaning to the word ‘Ppi-yak,’ I am not.”
“…Ah.”
Won-woo nodded as if saying I see, and suddenly stood up. As he brushed off his wrinkled clothes and headed for the door, Gye Yoon raised an eyebrow. That’s it? What the hell is a Ppi-yak?
“It’s dangerous to go out now. Your family is searching for you with teeth clenched.”
“I’m confident I won’t be caught.”
Ah, sure you are.
“Even if they find me, they won’t be able to do anything until the People’s Committee vote. The Gye Family is handling things well, right?”
Gye Yoon twisted his lips into a silent smile. He wondered why Ji Won-woo, who was so quick-witted, had lived like a dead man in the Ji Family for so long. Forgetting to leave a good impression, Gye Yoon smiled crookedly, and Won-woo stared at him. Just as Gye Yoon was about to erase the smile, he heard a serious request.
“If you happen to remember who Ppi-yak is, please let me know.”
“Is it that important?”
“Yes. Very.”
Gye Yoon, who had dismissed it, finally tried to think deeply about the word. However, Won-woo moved again, and he stopped thinking.
“Where are you going?”
“A place where Mr. Gye Yoon cannot enter.”
But with Ji Won-woo’s status, it was a place he could easily enter. Won-woo visualized the members of the Ji Family he would have to deal with.
Ji Geun-oh, the eldest daughter Ji Yoon-im, and the two sons, Ji Dong-hyeon and Ji Seong-hyeon. The visit our sitehardest person to deal with was Ji Yoon-im, but since she [Read on Read BL Novels]stayed with another family after marriage, there was no need to worry about her.
The biggest problem right now was the suspicious Ji Dong-hyeon. Therefore, he had to be dealt with first. As Won-woo made his decision, a question followed.
“Who told you I couldn’t enter the Guide Center?”
“How did you know I was going to the Guide Center?”
“Since it’s a place that’s even harder to enter once ties with the Ji Family are severed, I figured now is the chance, right? There’s a Guide you’re looking for.”
Did he hear it from Mr. Hwang?
“That’s right. Now is the only chance.”
Because if the Ji Family found out Won-woo was an enemy, he wouldn’t even be able to approach it.
“I get it.”
Get what? As Won-woo looked puzzled, Gye Yoon walked toward him.
“Let’s go together.”
Won-woo swallowed a scoff and shook his head.
“I’m not a child; I don’t need you. And it’s true that you can’t enter, right? If you could, you would have gone long ago to steal Guide information.”
“I can enter anytime. The problem was whether I’d be caught or not.”
“And you’re confident you won’t be caught now?”
A look of Of course flickered in Gye Yoon’s eyes.
“My power is complete. There is no place in this world I cannot go.”
Gye Yoon grabbed Won-woo’s arm and pulled him close. Won-woo resisted warily, but he couldn’t stop Gye Yoon’s low murmur as he leaned toward his ear.
“Just tell me. I’ll take you anywhere.”
At the same time, Won-woo’s ears went numb. Then, a familiar dizziness washed over him. It was the same sensation he had felt yesterday when teleporting from the lodging to the mountain.
“Ji Won-woo-ssi did not show up at the Center today. He is not answering his phone. Read on Read BL NovelsSince the lodging burned down, no one knows where he is. We tried checking our site">visit our sitethrough acquaintances, but it seems he had no one he regularly contacted. His phone is off, so Ji Won-woo-ssi has literally vanished.”
Director Shin, Ji Dong-hyeon’s right-hand man, reported in a tense voice, glancing quickly at Dong-hyeon. He had just come from being summoned by Ji Geun-oh and beaten with a golf club, resulting in stitches on his forehead. Unlike Ji Geun-oh, who turned his surroundings into a wreck when angry, Dong-hyeon was conversely calm.
Of course, that was only on the surface; his eyes and expression betrayed a bursting rage. Gritting his teeth, he pushed back his neatly combed hair with his hand.
“Mobilize all Espers to find him. No matter what, find him before the vote and make that bastard kneel in front of everyone. Got it?”
“I will mobilize the entire security team.”
“What about the video? Did you secure the original?”
What had angered Ji Geun-oh even more was the short video leaked to the People’s Welfare Committee members in the afternoon. It was a video of someone brutally punching the Esper who had died.
Ji Geun-oh had thrown a fit, demanding they explain it as a manipulated video, but Dong-hyeon disagreed. If a video where the face was fully revealed came out later, an explanation would only be poisonous.
“The original was a video that was briefly uploaded to one site after the incident and then disappeared. It was deleted before anyone could see it, so very few people saw it. We are currently searching for the uploader, but since it was posted anonymously from a PC cafe, it may take some time.”
“Find him without fail before the vote.”
“I will do my best.”
“What use is your ‘best’? Are you planning to use that as an excuse if you fail? Don’t make me laugh. Both Ji Won-woo and the video must be before my eyes by the vote. Otherwise, the only thing that will be in that spot is your severed head. Do you understand?”
At Dong-hyeon’s threat, Director Shin left the office quickly with a stiff expression. As soon as the door slammed shut, Dong-hyeon let out the curses he had been holding back. Fuck, fuck. No matter how much he spat them out, his anger wouldn’t subside.
Of all people, why Ji Won-woo? Dong-hyeon ripped off his tie and, as if remembering, checked the video. The screen was dark, and the person hitting was half-turned, so the face wasn’t clearly visible.
However, the glimpse of the face was indeed his familiar younger brother. That was why Dong-hyeon was even more puzzled. It made no sense. Could that bastard Ji Won-woo hit someone with such familiar skill? A bastard who was a doll, drugged and unable to do anything?
If the video was really Ji Won-woo, it meant he had fooled everyone. Had he been pretending to be docile and holding his breath, waiting for a chance to interfere with Ji Geun-oh’s work?
“Impossible.”
Right, it was impossible. Ji Won-woo couldn’t do that. How many years had he spent trying to tame that ill-mannered bastard? Ji Won-woo was an anomaly, as if he hadn’t inherited Ji Geun-oh’s blood. He had been like that since childhood. He liked people and was always willing to help others because of it.
Naturally, he was horrified by and hated the malicious pranks Dong-hyeon and Seong-hyeon played. No matter how much they beat him, those rebellious eyes never disappeared. Moreover, he had the audacity to try and run away several times. How dare he try such nonsense while carrying the Ji Family name? Especially since he was a useless D-rank Guide, the laughingstock of the family.
So, they had caught the runaway, locked him up, and beaten him repeatedly, eventually resorting to drugs. He thought he had finally turned him into a well-behaved doll, but to think this bastard would cause such a stir.
Dong-hyeon turned his gaze to the dark window. The view from his third-floor office was a vast expanse of land like a park, Read on Read BL Novelsstyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]but the greenery was suppressed by the darkness, revealing only a black silhouette.
It was unpleasant, as that darkness felt like the unpredictable future of the Ji Family. Dong-hyeon gritted his teeth and turned away from the window. Ji Won-woo, you bastard, where the hell are you right now?
‘Guide Center’
A vast expanse of land, like a park, was surrounded by iron fences. However, there was only one entrance. Won-woo arrived there in an instant and slowly surveyed the unfamiliar scenery. Inside the park, low buildings were scattered here and there.
Won-woo could tell at a glance which was the most important building for storing data. Unlike the other buildings with modern designs, this one had outer walls built with large stones, like an old castle. There were places built like that in Won-woo’s world as well. Those stones possessed properties that suppressed the power of Espers.
But a small amount wouldn’t be enough. To actually suppress an Esper’s power, those stones had to be stacked several stories high and the entire perimeter of the building had to be surrounded by them to be effective. The problem was that those stones were rare.
In the Free Government, it took over five years just to build one small building to block Esper attacks due to material supply issues. Yet, the Ji Family had built a three-story building with those stones. It showed just how great the Ji Family’s influence was.
However, right now, the person standing beside him was more concerning to Won-woo than the power of the Ji Family. Since he had begun to suspect Gye Yoon’s identity, it wasn’t easy to face him. Won-woo forced himself to take a step forward and didn’t forget to greet Gye Yoon.
“Thank you for bringing me this far.”
“Why do you think it’s only ‘this far’?”
“Because I’ll be entering there alone.”
“Am I not in your plan?”
A crooked posture, an expressionless face, and an indifferent tone. Everyone who had tasted Won-woo’s guiding had tried their best to please him and catch his eye. That was why Gye Yoon’s demeanor was refreshing. If he hadn’t known the situation Gye Yoon was in, he would have thought he was simply prideful.
But he was someone who endured a painful life by using revenge as a strong pillar. Because he was clumsy at expressing emotions other than hatred and anger, this blunt way of speaking seemed to be his best. Well, it was better than begging or pleading. Won-woo shook his head.
“Yes. You aren’t. Just wait for me here.”
Gye Yoon opened his mouth as if dissatisfied, but Won-woo stopped him.
“There’s no need to borrow someone else’s hand for such an easy task.”
“Easy?”
The Gye Family had never once succeeded in that simple task. The building containing the important data had a structure similar to the cave where Gye Yoon had been trapped. Because of the stones that suppressed an Esper’s energy, they couldn’t use their powers properly. However, if one’s abilities were exceptionally high from the start, like Gye Yoon’s, they could still move inside and perform the necessary tasks even with diminished power.
The problem was the array of sensors. Sensors that detected everything from heat and wind to sound and movement caught any intruder. Thus, there were only two methods: either extract information beforehand to bypass security and move silently, or use abilities lavishly to obtain what was needed as quickly as possible. Of course, with Gye Yoon’s current strength, the latter was well within reach. Yet, it was strange that a task difficult for an Esper would be easy for Won-woo, who was practically an ordinary person.
“Yes, it’s easy.”
Won-woo nodded, reaffirming his point before adding a caveat.
“But it’s a method I can only use exactly once.”
That was why he had intended to gather as much information as possible from Aunt on the outside and then verify it finally at the Guide Center. He lacked information now, but it couldn’t be helped.
Turning toward the main gate, Won-woo asked Gye Yoon.
“That earthquake that shook the dormitory—can you cause it again?”
“As often as you like.”
“Thirty minutes. If I don’t send a signal within that time, please do it.”
Gye Yoon remained expressionless, but a flicker of disapproval lingered in his eyes. Setting aside the fact that he was going alone, only thirty minutes? He planned to penetrate a fortress-like security facility, access the server, and find the desired data in that time? As if sensing his thoughts, Won-woo continued his explanation.
“If it takes too long, the guards get suspicious.”
“…….”
“Thirty minutes starting now. Keep an eye on your watch and check for the signal.”
“What signal?”
“You’ll see when it happens.”
Without further explanation, Won-woo turned away. If Gye Yoon followed, so be it, but he knew he wouldn’t. Because Gye Yoon would be curious about what method Won-woo intended to use.
As Won-woo expected, no footsteps followed as he trudged toward the main gate. Instead, a guard, having spotted Won-woo approaching the security post, stepped out with loud footsteps.
“Stop! You cannot enter here.”
“I don’t know about that. I think they’ll tell you to let me in. There’s someone inside waiting for me.”
At those words, the guard shone a light on Won-woo’s face.
“Waiting? Who? Who are you?”
Won-woo shielded his eyes from the blinding light and calmly informed him.
“Tell Ji Dong-hyeon that his younger brother, Ji Won-woo, has come to see him.”
Jae-hak stood before his daughter’s tightly closed door with a devastated expression. He had barely managed to bring in a Guide by giving away two precious seeds, but the moment that Guide held the child’s hand, they had screamed and trembled, claiming they couldn’t do it.
While it is distressing for a Guide when there isn’t much overlap in Waves, they don’t usually panic to this extent. Perhaps the problem was that this Guide was already terrified? The reaction was excessive. The primary cause seemed to be the fear of being expelled from the Guide Center if it were discovered they were guiding the Gye Family.
Regardless, Jae-hak intended to persuade this Guide. Fortunately, the Gye Family had more than enough money, so he believed they would eventually give in. However, unable to overcome their fear, the Guide ended up self-harming. While doing so, they pleaded on their knees.
‘Please, please just let me go. My… my friend died from Guide disease. I don’t want to die like that. I’d rather die now than not receive medicine from the Guide Center.’
He managed to soothe the terrified person, but it seemed it would take a long time to persuade them. Time. Time was what was most urgent right now.
But where could he find that time? His daughter had no time left.
As the Guide screamed, treating her like a monster, the expression finally vanished from the young daughter’s face. Now, the only time that young child expressed emotion was through screams of pain.
The child, always in agony, only looked at Jae-hak with vacant eyes when he approached. He barely suppressed the urge to cry. The wife, the Head of the Gye Family, had rushed back out to find another Guide. She was likely the one suffering the most right now.
Losing the first child like that, and now this child too. Jae-hak felt pathetic and miserable for his own powerlessness. That was why he absolutely stolen contentcontent -->could not cry. Composing his expression, he quietly left the child’s room and headed toward the dark corridor. However, he stopped after a few steps. He heard the whispering voices of employees around the corner.
“My god, I heard the Guide tried to kill themselves. Isn’t this a real curse? It’s so scary.”
Jae-hak bowed his head again in hollow despair. A curse. A word he had initially scoffed at as nonsense had clung to the Gye Family for years, becoming a serious term that no one could laugh at anymore. Now, Jae-hak even wished it were a curse. If it were, he would burn his own body as a human sacrifice.
Jae-hak forced his head up and took another step. He thought of another family member who was currently working for the sake of his child. How was it going? He felt sorry for rushing them, but his hand moved instinctively. Jae-hak found Gye Yoon’s number on his phone and pressed call.
Dong-hyeon could only look at his younger brother with an incredulous gaze. Was this brat desperate to die? Otherwise, there was no reason for him to show up here of his own volition. Yet, as Won-woo was dragged in like a prisoner, held by the arms of two sturdy guards, there was no fear on his face.
Instead, he slowly looked around the room as if sightseeing before finally meeting Dong-hyeon’s eyes. Dong-hyeon did not miss the brief flicker of a smile in those eyes. Only then did his blocked words burst forth.
“Hey, get on your knees.”
How dare he look at me straight in the eye with that kind of look? It was a command fueled by rage, but the brother, who hadn’t rebelled once in several years, simply stood there blankly.
Rather, he looked around Dong-hyeon’s room as if ignoring him. The space, filled with furniture that matched the walls decorated with protruding ornaments, was classical. As he leisurely looked around, an abrupt question popped out of Won-woo’s mouth.
“Where is it?”
“What?”
“The secret passage.”
Dong-hyeon stiffened. His expression froze, but Won-woo ignored it and continued to survey the interior of the wide office.
“In the main house, Father’s room has a secret passage. He made it to escape like a rabbit hole, but here, you probably made one to get to the important archives or the vault. Because, Hyung, you copy everything Father does.”
Astonishing things were flowing from Won-woo’s mouth, but Dong-hyeon first thought of another question. Why is this brat so fine? He tilted his head and scanned Won-woo up and down. The brother he remembered was someone who always kept his mouth shut like a doll, with vacant eyes as if a screw were missing.
Thus, seeing him speak so normally now was quite awkward. Then, a faint memory surfaced. Before he had been tamed with drugs by exploiting his weaknesses, he used to toss out fearless words just like that.
Did he go back to his old self because he stopped taking the drugs? But when he had asked Geon-young, he was told the boy was no different from before. Dong-hyeon gnashed his teeth, recalling the phone call with Geon-young. How dare he give false information to his family?
“You managed to quit the drugs, I see.”
As he spat the words fiercely, Won-woo’s gaze finally shifted to his brother. The eyes that showed no fear of him were unpleasant. Dong-hyeon gripped a golf club in his hand, just as his father had hit him today, and approached Won-woo.
“Well, whether you’re drugged or not, you have to pay the price today.”
“The price? Ah, I guess Hyung already paid the price. Looking at your head.”
Won-woo pointed with his chin to the bandage wrapped around Dong-hyeon’s head. An uncontrollable, hollow laugh escaped Dong-hyeon’s lips.
“Ha, little brother. You really do want to die, don’t you?”
With those words, Dong-hyeon took a large step forward without warning. And without hesitation, he swung the golf club toward his brother’s head. The target was close, and he was accustomed to swinging a golf club at people. Next, he expected to feel a heavy impact in his hand and hear the opponent’s scream. But this time, it was different.
Whoosh—
With the sound of wind slicing through the air, the golf club stopped without reaching its target. The reason it stopped was Won-woo, who had stepped aside in an instant and grabbed Dong-hyeon’s arm. What? The moment Dong-hyeon wondered, he heard Won-woo’s whisper.
“Because I’m short on time.”
What does that mean? Along with the renewed question, Dong-hyeon tried to push his brother away with his free hand. But something blocked his vision. He only realized it was his brother’s fist after feeling the pain of the blow to his face.
Thud.
With a dull sound, Dong-hyeon, who had been hit squarely in the jaw, staggered backward. Setting aside the dizzying impact that made his mouth hang open, his vision blurred to the point where he couldn’t see straight. The moment he stepped back, an arm reached out from behind and wrapped around his neck. Huh? It was a moment when Dong-hyeon felt only bewilderment without even a proper question. Won-woo’s thumb pressed the carotid artery of the neck with familiarity, and with his other hand, he grabbed the head and twisted it quickly.
Crack. The sound of a twisting joint echoed from the neck, and Dong-hyeon’s body soon went limp. Leaving him on the floor, Won-woo approached the wall he had noticed and tapped [Read on Read BL Novels]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[Read on Read BL Novels]it. As soon as he confirmed the hollow sound, he carefully examined the area around the wall.
Dong-hyeon, the eldest of the three sons, had struggled to be recognized by their father in the original world as well, copying him exactly. He figured the secret passage and the method to open it would be similar. Sure enough, the passage opening mechanism from the main house was in the exact same position here.
When Won-woo pushed one part of the decorative molding, a gap opened with a small creak. Inside was a narrow corridor of nothing but darkness, but Won-woo disappeared into it without hesitation, carrying his brother over his shoulder.
21 minutes. Now 9 minutes remained. Gye Yoon could tell the time by the sound of the second hand without even looking at the watch, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the round screen from the moment Won-woo disappeared. Though expressionless, the gaze with which he watched the clock was as sharp as a blade; it seemed no one would dare disturb him if they were by his side.
However, the vibration of a phone rang out tactlessly. Gye Yoon almost turned off the call, but after checking the name on the screen, he looked down at it silently. This was not someone who would call him under normal circumstances. As he slowly pressed the call button, Jae-hak’s familiar voice was heard.
[Yoon-i, are you busy?]
“Why?”
[Just… wondering if you were busy.]
If anyone else had answered like this, Gye Yoon would have cursed them for talking nonsense and hung up, but when Jae-hak beat around the bush like that, it meant he was intentionally hiding something.
“How is Hwan-i?”
[Our princess… she’s just the same.]
The word ‘just’ appeared again, but this time Gye Yoon wasn’t fooled.
“How is the Guide you brought?”
[Ah, um, I think it’ll take some time for them to adjust.]
The Guide is the problem. He had barely managed to get a Guide using seeds, but in the end, it was a problem with the Guide again.
“How is Hwan-i?”
When Gye Yoon asked the same question again, an answer didn’t come easily this time. Instead, a suppressed question was heard.
[Yoon-i, do you really have a way?]
“Yes.”
A sigh, whether of relief or hollow despair, was heard. As Gye Yoon was about to hang up, Jae-hak’s mumbling stopped him.
[Right… right, thanks to you, our Hwan-i should go to school and be called a ‘cheep-cheep’ too.]
“What?”
[Huh? Ah, I mean, let’s rely on your help.]
“Not that. What do you mean ‘cheep-cheep’? What is that?”
As Gye Yoon’s voice became menacing, Jae-hak sounded puzzled.
[Huh? You don’t remember? You know, because your name is Gye, the kids teased you when you were little, asking if you were an egg. You beat them all up and got in huge trouble with the Head of the Family. I still remember it. I heard the kids called you ‘cheep-cheep’ behind your back after that. Even though you knew, you didn’t hit them—not because you were afraid of getting in trouble again, but because the reason was probably…]
“…Because it’s not food.”
[That’s right. You got less angry because eggs are for eating, but ‘cheep-cheeps’ aren’t. Though they are food once they grow up.]
A small laugh was heard as Jae-hak recalled those times, but Gye Yoon, oblivious, turned his gaze toward the Guide Center building in the darkness. Now 7 minutes remained. Gye Yoon shot a sharp gaze toward whoever was inside. How did Ji Won-woo bring up an old nickname that even his own memory was hazy about? Why was that important?
Buzz, click.
As soon as he passed the security that required both fingerprint and iris recognition, Won-woo threw his brother’s limp body onto the floor. The body rolled with a thud, [visit our site[stolen content]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]but Dong-hyeon did not wake up despite the significant impact. However, he wouldn’t be lonely, as the archives manager had collapsed beside him.
Won-woo went to the manager’s computer and moved the mouse quickly. He easily found where to search for Guides, but he had to enter a password. Usually, passwords in high-security areas were likely to change monthly or weekly. But that made them easier to find.
The more frequently a password changes and the more complex the combination, the more likely it is that a lazy manager will write it down somewhere. Won-woo searched around the monitor and computer as if accustomed to it. Then, he flipped over the mousepad and found what he wanted.
As soon as he entered the password on the screen, the security was lifted, and a window for searching Guides appeared. There was only one piece of information Won-woo knew about Aunt: C-class Guide. Since she had no reason to guide Espers in the North, he didn’t know her exact Wave range. However, Won-woo entered the conditions without hesitation.
‘Rank: C-class
Matching Esper: Gye Yoon’
As soon as he entered the name, a list of Guides with matching Waves appeared. If the person Aunt had brought in the original world was Gye Yoon, he could find Aunt through him. However, Aunt was not among the Guides on the screen. A total of six Guides were searched. Among them, there was one of a similar age, but it was a man. Won-woo gritted his teeth while staring at the monitor for a moment, and as if determined, he added one more condition.
‘Include deceased’
“It’ll take a while.”
Aunt had informed him nonchalantly as she left for work. Won-woo had come outside to see her off and frowned at those words.
“Haven’t you found everyone you were looking for?”
If it were just for work, it wouldn’t take long. For that phrase to come from her meant she had personal business outside of work. And since she had already brought the injured him, he thought the business that would take a long time was finished.
“There are plenty of people to find.”
“Who?”
Won-woo nagged as he followed Aunt.
“Don’t tell me the government asked you to find the whereabouts of the disappeared Purifier again? Just because you helped a few times, they keep shamelessly using you. Don’t do it. Your work is hard enough as it is.”
Though he spoke with irritation, Won-woo’s eyes were full of worry. Since Aunt, who drove a truck, could travel in and out of Esper regions, it seemed the government kept assigning her dangerous tasks. Aunt likely accepted this time as well, as if it were no big deal.
However, in some places, wars were already raging. If she were caught working for the Free Government in the territory of Espers, who were practically enemies, Aunt would surely be shot on sight.
“Work is naturally hard since I get paid, and the person the government wants me to find is someone I know, so I’m just looking because I’m interested. Whether others use me or not, I’m doing it because I want to, so what does it matter?”
‘Just’. Aunt said everything as if it were easy, using that reason. Driving a huge truck for a living, taking in the runaway son of a house while monitoring Ji Geun-oh, searching for a boy she regarded as a son for a long time, and even looking for the whereabouts of the Purifier who disappeared from the Esper region.
She lightly decided to ‘just do it’ for tasks that were absolutely not easy. And then she took responsibility [visit our site]for those tasks until the end. However, people only regarded her as an ordinary person with a scar on her face who drove a truck. Even though she was a [stolen content]Guide, she was C-class and had no special talent. She neither sought recognition for her achievements nor tried to make her name known.
“Why do you try to help others so much?”
When Won-woo asked, unable to be convinced by her answer, Aunt looked back while opening the truck door.
“Why else? Because I can, so I do.”
“It’s hard.”
“You’re misunderstanding something about me; I’m no saint. I don’t help others by sacrificing myself, nor do I intend to. I just do it within the limits of what I can do. That’s why raising you wasn’t hard at all.”
Her answer came out bluntly as if it were a nuisance, but to Won-woo, the weight of it was different. A surge of emotion rose up, and his throat hurt from forcing himself to swallow it. She didn’t know. How much relief he felt at those words tossed out so casually—that bringing him home hadn’t been hard.
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