DB Vol 3 Part 9
Min did not show excitement at Chief Jung’s report; instead, she revealed her suspicion. Although her younger brother said he would bring him, she honestly didn’t have high expectations. Because of that, she had to put in the legwork again to find a Guide for her daughter. In such a situation, the news that Gye Yoon had succeeded in recruiting him was welcome, but she did not lose her composure. After all, the opponent was a member of the Ji family.
“Why on earth would someone from the Ji family want to join hands with the Gye family?”
She still suspected this might be a trap set by the Ji family. Chief Jung was also uneasy about that point, but there was one thing he trusted.
“The Vice Head said so. He said Ji Won-woo-ssi is sincere. There is no one in this world who can deceive the Vice Head.”
Right, because he’s a human lie detector. Despite that, Min could not let go of her suspicion.
“Is it possible that the bastard is just being sincere because he’s blinded by emotion?”
“What emotion are you referring to?”
When Chief Jung asked back in confusion, Min cast a pathetic look his way.
“What else? Love.”
Ha, the brute? Chief Jung almost let out a hollow laugh, but then he remembered that Ji Won-woo was a Guide. There’s a reason people say Espers become obsessed with Guides, right?
Moreover, Gye Yoon had suffered from extreme pain, so even if he didn’t feel love for Ji Won-woo, who took that pain away, his judgment could have been clouded by obsession.
“Come to think of it, he did give one strange order.”
“What was it?”
“He told us to kidnap some webtoon artist and move them to the North.”
“Why?”
“Just… that they’re a popular artist.”
Irritation spread across Min’s eyes.
“Crazy bastard. He’s reading webtoons in the middle of all this?”
Chief Jung also read numerous webtoons, but he kept his mouth shut and pretended otherwise.
“Then what should we do about Ji Won-woo-ssi?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? Even if his sincerity is doubtful, we have to bring him in.”
And they had to do it quickly. Min answered indifferently and swiped up on the screen showing the news article. After the breaking news hit last night that the main culprit behind the attack on the Guide Center was the Gye family, the Gye family had not issued any response by morning.
“But before that, Ji Won-woo must be thoroughly abandoned by the Ji family. Only then can we get him completely in our hands.”
Min tapped the news screen and asked.
“When is the People’s Committee vote?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Then we need to hear Ji Geun-oh say he’s casting out Ji Won-woo before then. We can’t leave them any excuse to take him back.”
“Time is tight.”
“That goes for them too. So even if we tighten the noose, they won’t be able to hesitate due to suspicion. Why are you laughing?”
Ah, well. Chief Jung quickly erased his smile and informed her.
“The Vice Head said the same thing. That it’s advantageous because Ji Geun-oh has no time to be suspicious. He also told us to respond like this.”
As Chief Jung quietly relayed Gye Yoon’s words, Min frowned.
“Yoon said that?”
“Yes. I was surprised as well.”
“That doesn’t sound like something he’d think of.”
Min muttered suspiciously, but her deliberation was short. Glaring at the face of her enemy in the article, she nodded.
“Try it exactly like that. We’ve always been the ones dragged around; this time, let’s make them the ones desperate.”
For the past two days, the Ji family had faced a continuous series of chaotic days filled with misfortune. However, the momentum shifted instantly when the Guide Center was attacked.
The Gye family again. It was exactly the kind of thing a Guide murderer would do. Public sympathy shifted toward the Ji family, and people looked forward to seeing what kind of excuse the Gye family would come up with. Would they get angry and claim they were framed again? However, the Gye family’s announcement was unexpected.
‘We express our deepest condolences regarding the accident at the Guide Center and the injuries sustained by Chairman Ji Dong-hyeon. There is currently no evidence that the Gye family was involved in the Guide Center incident, nor have we received any requests for cooperation from the police or Esper agencies regarding related suspicions. However, as this accident is truly unfortunate for Espers as well as Guides, the Gye family declares that we will provide all necessary cooperation if help is needed.’
Since the Gye family usually issued sharp rebuttals regarding the Ji family’s affairs, their polite response caused a stir. Of course, many people sneered, asking if they were acting this way because they had a guilty conscience. However, some perceived the Gye family’s calm response as more truthful. Although articles continued to claim the Gye family was the culprit, there was no evidence.
Naturally, the Ji family subsequently released dozens of rebuttal articles. They dug up everything the Gye family had done in the past. But the Gye family’s gentlemanly response when they spoke again in the afternoon left people puzzled once more.
‘We fully understand the Ji family’s desire to hide their child’s flaws. However, we believe it is not right to slander an innocent outsider as an enemy.’
Child’s flaws? As people wondered, a rumor spread. The fact that the one who infiltrated and burned down the Guide Center was Ji Geun-oh’s son, Ji Won-woo. And an incident people had forgotten resurfaced: an Esper beaten to death by a Guide.
And on that afternoon.
At the very hour everyone was preparing to leave work, a video of an Esper being beaten by a Guide began to spread. The Guide’s face wasn’t shown head-on, but it was undeniable that it was Ji Won-woo.
A Guide assaulting an Esper. And a member of the Ji family at that. The Ji family, who had been receiving sympathy as unfortunate victims, was back on the chopping block of public criticism in less than a day.
Gi An-seok was skilled at reading people’s memories to track someone, but he rarely did the actual legwork. Being a psychic Esper, his physical [visit our site]abilities were similar to an ordinary person’s, so he usually utilized others for tasks involving movement.
Thus, he was currently sitting comfortably in a chair, simply gripping the heads of those brought in by the Guide Center’s Espers one by one.
“Not here. Next.”
After gripping a head to check the memories, he pushed away the head of a person—he had lost count of how many it had been. The owner of the head, who had lost consciousness, collapsed to the side. Then, as if waiting, a Guide Center employee brought another limp person before him. Everyone waiting was asleep due to drug injections for a simple reason.
When reading memories from a conscious person, the victim would scream in pain, and Gi An-seok hated that noise because it was too loud. Thanks to this, countless people had been brought in since dawn, losing consciousness and having their memories forcibly read without knowing why, but there had been progress in his own way.
Since it became difficult to find Ji Won-woo’s movements after he killed the Esper and the Guide Center building exploded, Gi An-seok turned the clock back further. The day the fire first broke out at the Guide dormitory. Where had he stayed when the dormitory burned? And as the sun began to set, Gi An-seok finally smiled, revealing yellowed teeth.
“Ah, found you.”
In the CCTV footage and people’s memories, one building appeared where Ji Won-woo entered. And the business name attached to the window on the 4th floor of the building appeared faintly.
‘Hwang Sang-cheon Research Lab—All Electronic Device Repairs’
Gi An-seok stood up immediately. He had a feeling. He’d found the thread. Once he found a clue for tracking, everything always proceeded smoothly from then on. Now, no one could escape his grasp. As soon as his intuition told him the prey was close, he moved to catch him personally. He did so with a glad heart, as he quite liked Ji Won-woo’s face from the memories he’d seen.
With the help of a teleporter, he arrived in front of the building in less than five minutes. Inside, Guide Center employees who had arrived first were forcing the doors open, searching the interior and dragging everyone out.
Gi An-seok wandered through the first floor as if taking a leisurely stroll, rummaging through people’s heads. Then, in someone’s memory, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Ji Won-woo going up the stairs.
Climbing floor by floor, he finally reached the 4th floor and looked over the captives. [visit [unauthorized copy][stolen content]our site]However, he couldn’t find any clues in the minds of those on the 4th floor.
“Are these all the living ones?”
At Gi An-seok’s question, the Guide Center employee nodded.
“Yes. Except for the place called Hwang Sang-cheon Research Lab in the innermost part. That place was empty.”
The employee added as if remembering.
“There was a mouse in a transparent case, maybe a pet.”
Hearing this, Gi An-seok’s eyes gleamed with interest as he entered the Hwang Sang-cheon Research Lab alone. He took the mouse out of the case in the corner and held it in his hand.
No matter how much human memory served as a clue, there were limits because humans don’t stay in one place like a CCTV. Therefore, he needed a being that was more numerous than humans and could enter closed spaces to see everything. For Gi An-seok, that being was a mouse.
Everyone has business secrets, and Gi An-seok’s secret was catching the mice in a building and viewing their memories. In truth, his ability only worked on humans, just like other Espers, but thanks to long periods of experimentation and effort, he became able to glimpse a mouse’s memory for a short time.
The only downside was that the mouse’s head would explode and die in a single attempt. And this time, as always, the mouse provided him with a crucial clue. Only a person’s legs entered the mouse’s vision, which lacked red colors. But the important part was the sound.
‘I’ll be hiding at xxx for the time being.’
Ji Won-woo’s voice. Holding the exploded carcass of the mouse in his hand, Gi An-seok smiled silently, baring his teeth.
“Got you.”
“How did you know?”
Gye Yoon’s question was heard just as Won-woo was chewing on an energy bar while monitoring the window. Beside his feet were the wrapper of a previously eaten energy bar and a half-empty water bottle. All he had done since arriving here was eat and monitor the outside.
As if monitoring were his daily routine, he stood by the window for a long time like a fixture, not moving an inch. Gye Yoon was more surprised by this than by Won-woo’s patience.
Why was he so accustomed to lying in wait? That wasn’t all. The way he shook off tails and vanished into hiding, the habit of doubting and not eating just anything, and his skilled fighting abilities were all as natural as if he did them every day.
“What?”
Won-woo asked without taking his eyes off the outside. What do you mean ‘what’—Gye Yoon had many things to ask. First, how did he know about this place? He looked around the empty interior covered in dust. Gye Yoon was leaning against the wall near Won-woo. The five-story building they were in was located in the city center but was closed off.
However, since there were no signs on the outside, it wasn’t easy to notice it was an empty building. That’s why it was perfect for secret concealment. That wasn’t the only thing he was curious about. How he knew about Gi An-seok, why he acted like a trained soldier, and so on.
But nothing came out of Gye Yoon’s mouth. Even though those questions were important, it bothered him and twisted his insides that Won-woo was only looking out the window and not even glancing at him.
“Cheep-cheep. How did you know my nickname?”
Won-woo flinched as if he had momentarily stopped breathing. Gye Yoon immediately noticed Won-woo’s fluster. He thought Won-woo would look at him now, but Won-woo continued to keep his gaze fixed outside.
Ah, he’s avoiding me on purpose. Gye Yoon didn’t like it. When he was with Sang-cheon and Seo-na, he talked so excitedly with them, but now that it was just the two of them, he couldn’t even make proper eye contact once.
“I heard it in a memory somewhere.”
When Won-woo gave a half-hearted excuse, the interrogation followed immediately.
“Where?”
“I don’t remember that.”
It was an unkind answer, but the ‘cheep-cheep’ thing wasn’t important to Gye Yoon in the first place. He had only thrown the words out to get a single look. However, Won-woo focused on the outside as if monitoring were the most important mission in the world.
“Ji Won-woo-ssi. Am I uncomfortable for you?”
Gye Yoon threw the question while focusing on every sound Won-woo made. The heartbeat and breathing were clearly audible. He wanted to know if he was flustered this time too. He wanted to confirm if there was even a slight reaction to his words. But as soon as he tried to listen to the sound, his power was blocked as if hitting a wall, unable to leave his body.
“I heard you hear sounds very well. That’s why they say you’re like a lie detector. It would be better not to use your power on me.”
Won-woo muttered in a calm voice and pushed the rest of the energy bar into his mouth. He felt a gaze from the side that was almost stinging to the skin, but Won-woo did not turn his head. The reason was simple. In fact, Won-woo was only pretending to monitor the outside; he was conscious of Gye Yoon with his whole body.
Now that he was sure of who he was, he was confused about how to treat him. Unlike Sang-cheon or Seo-na, he couldn’t simply show his gladness. Just as it had been difficult to define the emotions he held for him in the original world. Ridiculously, the only emotion that remained until now was one: guilt.
“Is there something you’re hiding from me?”
The voice of reality pulled Won-woo out of the past.
“A lot.”
“Interesting.”
Since he responded in such an entirely uninteresting voice, Won-woo unconsciously turned his eyes. Gye Yoon curved his lips as if he had been waiting. He was now used to the way he smiled, but knowing his identity made his heart flutter anew. Ah, so that’s how he smiles. He can smile like that.
“Is it a sad thing that I find it interesting?”
Won-woo turned his gaze away in fluster, but his response came out sharp.
“You’re wrong. The lie detector isn’t very impressive.”
“Of course. Because it didn’t even operate.”
Gye Yoon added while staring at the expressionless Won-woo.
“I just guessed by looking at your face.”
“Wrong guess.”
Despite the cold response, Gye Yoon did not let the smile leave his lips. However, his eyes sank coldly. He thought the attitude toward him had softened a bit, but now that they were alone, it seemed he had returned to that initial prickly self.
“Others might not know, but I have good eyesight too. So I’m curious why Ji Won-woo-ssi looks at me like a lover who died and came back to life.”
Gye Yoon used an exaggerated metaphor on purpose to provoke Won-woo, but Won-woo did not show the [Read on Read BL Novels]wm: Read on Read BL Novels -->desired reaction. He simply stopped breathing. Every bit of Gye Yoon’s voice and manner of speaking made Won-woo’s chest feel tight. If he had been able to speak, would he have done it like this? A surge of emotion rose, but he struggled to suppress it.
“Wrong again. My dead lover doesn’t resemble you at all, so I wouldn’t make such a mistake.”
The smile slowly vanished from Gye Yoon’s lips.
“You had a lover?”
“Many.”
“Was the dead lover more special?”
It started as a joke, but seeing the other’s sharpened eyes, Won-woo let out a hollow laugh.
“I don’t know. All my lovers are dead, so I don’t know who was more special.”
“That’s a relief. That they all croaked.”
Gye Yoon muttered expressionlessly, but he turned his gaze aside. Since that still looked like dissatisfaction, Won-woo became curious. Does he not know it’s a joke?
“Yes. There were about twenty of them, and they’re all dead.”
“Does that mean the living bastard isn’t a lover?”
“Who’s living?”
“Hong Seung-wook.”
“Ha, that person is…”
Won-woo let out a hollow laugh in absurdity and then paused. No, Hong Seung-wook isn’t the problem, but he actually believes that twenty people died?
“What about that person?”
Looking into the eyes demanding an answer, Won-woo stopped laughing. He believes everything I say is true.
“We have no relationship. …Though I’m not a hundred percent sure because there are parts I don’t remember.”
As he added that just in case, Gye Yoon muttered to himself.
“Well, I can just kill him when you remember.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m saying tell me when you remember.”
“…Do you think I would have had twenty lovers?”
“Guides and Espers all have countless romances. As long as the Waves [Read on Read BL Novels]visit our siteon Read BL Novels -->Read on Read BL Novels -->overlap, they all stick together and roll around. Those who don’t have guiding sex are actually rare.”
Only then did Won-woo understand why he took it as truth. Ah, Esper society was promiscuous. But it seems it was much, much more promiscuous than he thought.
“Then did Gye Yoon-ssi also have more than twenty lovers?”
“….”
The silent man slowly turned his head. He always wore his hood pulled down, so when he turned his head like that, his profile wasn’t visible. Thus, it was difficult to observe his expression. As Won-woo tilted his head to examine his face, a curse was faintly heard.
“Aw, damn it,”
“Pardon?”
“I said I didn’t reach twenty.”
“Ah, right, Gye Yoon-ssi has a narrow Wave. You must have had fewer opportunities for guiding sex.”
“…Yeah, well.”
Gye Yoon turned his head back and asked bluntly.
“Seeing as Ji Won-woo-ssi had more than twenty lovers, you must have enjoyed guiding sex with Espers quite a bit?”
He had been too busy killing every Esper he saw.
“…Well, something like that.”
Won-woo answered in a murmur and turned his gaze toward the window. An awkward silence lingered for a moment. Won-woo felt inexplicably nervous, having never lied like this before. Hoping to steer the conversation back, he spoke up belatedly.
“By the way, about Gi An-seok, who is coming soon…”
“That’s a lie.”
“….”
Another short silence followed before Won-woo frowned and asked.
“What is?”
Gye Yoon kept his gaze fixed outside, brushing his hair back with his hand. His voice sounded blunt.
“The lover. I didn’t have one. Just as you said, there was no Guide whose Wave matched mine, and I didn’t have the luxury to roll around with anyone because of the pain.”
It was unexpected. The confession sounded so innocent that Won-woo wondered if that expressionless face was actually hiding embarrassment. A wave of emotion surged within Won-woo again. So he has this side to him. Curiosity and a sudden pang of heartache mingled. Won-woo sighed, intending to confess as well—that he had been lying too.
“I also lied…”
“Then you might remember who that lover was later, the one you met when you lost your memory?”
“…I suppose so.”
In the end, he was tripped up by the amnesia. His confession having sailed away, Won-woo looked away in fluster. However, an unexpected question made him turn back.
“Surely the current lover isn’t Han Seo-na-ssi?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Won-woo denied it in surprise, but Gye Yoon stared at him intently, as if verifying the truth, and asked slowly.
“You don’t have a lover right now.”
“Yes. I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I sleep with colleagues. Never.”
“Why?”
Why? Won-woo frowned and stated firmly.
“If you get entangled with a colleague like that, you can’t work together afterward. I can’t do something that distances me from someone on my side.”
However, Gye Yoon tilted his head crookedly, as if dissatisfied with Won-woo’s answer.
“There are always exceptions.”
At those words, Won-woo asked with a serious expression.
“Are there that many office romances in the Gye Family?”
“I don’t know. I was too miserable to care about others.”
His voice sounded nonchalant, but Won-woo’s expression grew heavy. The word ‘miserable’ coming from his mouth hit his heart like a hammer. He had hoped that the man, whose face and status he hadn’t known, would be happy in this world.
Even if not as much as in the original world, he had suffered for a long time here as well. Knowing this, an emotion that was hard to ignore surged again. Won-woo looked away and replied, pretending it was nothing.
“You’ll have the luxury now. Find happiness by doing everything you want to do.”
“….”
There was no response, but Won-woo didn’t look back. He focused only on the window, but goosebumps prickled the side of his body facing Gye Yoon. Puzzled, he turned his head and froze.
Gye Yoon had approached at some point and was looking down at him from a distance where they were almost touching. Won-woo should have pushed him away and stopped him with a cold gaze, but the eyes he met reminded him of the man from the past, and he missed his timing to retreat. Gye Yoon stared at Won-woo and murmured as if talking to himself.
“Why are you suddenly helping me like this?”
“I told you. The enemy of my enemy is my comrade.”
“Do you care about a comrade’s happiness too?”
“Should I not?”
When Won-woo asked coldly, Gye Yoon twisted the corner of his mouth. After seeing him a few times, Won-woo could now tell if his smile was real or fake.
“Then, using happiness as an excuse, can I do everything I want?”
He asked playfully with a low laugh. The smile, curving into a long arc, was quite attractive, but it was his eyes that captured Won-woo’s gaze again. Their eyes locked for a moment. The smile vanished from Gye Yoon’s lips, and silence filled the void.
It felt so quiet, as if everything around them had been erased. Gye Yoon looked down at Won-woo in silence, then tilted his face to the side and slowly lowered his head. He drew close as if to kiss, but Won-woo’s murmur stopped him.
“As long as you don’t touch me.”
“Because we’re colleagues?”
While Gye Yoon paused his movement, Won-woo took a step back and answered indifferently.
“I’m not that attracted to you anyway.”
“That means you might do it if you’re turned on.”
Gye Yoon returned to his blunt demeanor, but his unsmiling eyes observed Won-woo obsessively. Just as Won-woo was about to deny it, Gye Yoon informed him lightly.
“He’s here.”
At that single word, Won-woo turned his head toward the window. In the darkness, a man stood in front of the building. It was Gi An-seok, whom he had been waiting for all day.
Most of the people Gi An-seok had pursued were Guides on the run. Naturally, most clients were Espers, but the place that requested the most was the Guide Center, operated by Guides. Thanks to this, Gi An-seok could pride himself on knowing Guides better than anyone while chasing them.
Usually, those fleeing fall into two categories: those who blindly run as far as possible without looking back, and those who crouch and hide within crowded cities.
The former were easier to find because their long movements exposed them to more people. Those hiding in the city were a gamble. They were either found quickly because of witnesses, or if they hid like rats without witnesses, it became a game of time until they crawled out.
And whenever the opportunity to catch such a rat arrived, he always shook off other pursuit teams and went to catch them alone with his subordinate. This was because he had previously lost credit to the employer’s pursuit team after joining them for the final raid. It was a trick to avoid paying the commission. Thus, he always captured them with his own hands before handing them over.
Someone had once asked if it wasn’t dangerous. He had laughed so hard at the question. A Guide being dangerous? Well, even rats bite when cornered, so they all struggled desperately not to be caught. But since they were just Guides, it was laughable. From Gi An-seok’s perspective, there was a thrill in overpowering them, so the more they struggled for their lives, the more excited he became.
Therefore, right now, every nerve in his body was on edge with excitement. Thinking of Ji Won-woo, whom he would soon capture, caused a bulge to form in the center of his trousers. How surprised would he be to find out his hiding spot had been discovered? He’d probably panic and just try to run away, right? The anticipation of catching him and stripping his pants right there to shove his member inside made Gi An-seok’s lips curl into a smirk.
“Hey. Focus on the communicator. Don’t be an idiot and miss my call because you’re doing something else on your own like last time.”
As Gi An-seok warned the air, a dissatisfied response from his colleague came through the communicator.
[Ah, seriously. Just because I was late once.]
The teleportation Esper who had brought him here had a role that consisted entirely of waiting outside and running like a dog when called. Gi An-seok turned his sharp eyes toward the darkness where the sound originated.
“Fuck, once? You want me to count every time you almost fucked everything up?”
[…Fine.]
Once the other party tucked their tail, Gi An-seok finally examined the five-story building shrouded in darkness. So he’s in there?
“I can catch him. The pursuer contacted me saying they’ve got a lead on Ji Won-woo.”
Seong-hyeon informed his Noona, Yoon-im, in a confident voice. He was currently at the Guide Center. It wasn’t a building in chaos due to fire, but since it was where practical affairs were handled, his Hyung Dong-hyeon’s office was also there.
He had frowned at first because of the interior, which suited an old man’s taste, but it was important that this office was the seat of the person who practically ruled the Guide Center. Despite Seong-hyeon’s determination, Yoon-im remained expressionless, as if she didn’t believe him.
“Bring Ji Won-woo before my eyes. You’re still babbling before the results are out, aren’t you?”
“I said I’ll catch him soon.”
“Right, you’ll have to catch him before dawn. That’s the only job you have right now; if you can’t even do that, how will Father look at you?”
At the word ‘Father,’ tension flickered across Seong-hyeon’s face.
“Dawn? What’s happening at dawn?”
“I’ve been informed that some council members are withholding their votes in favor because of the things Ji Won-woo did.”
It was the vote Father had desired so much. Seong-hyeon had forced himself to attend so many drinking parties and gatherings just to secure those votes.
“Fuck, those council bastards took so much and now they’re turning their backs?”
“Public opinion is bad. Because the Gye Family’s reaction is different from our expectations, people think we’re trying to frame them for the crime.”
“Bad? Haven’t you seen the internet? Everyone is on our side.”
Yoon-im twisted her lips, revealing a silent sneer.
“Why does the opinion of the powerless public matter? Only Espers have the right to vote. We have to capture their public opinion. However…”
Yoon-im lowered her voice, revealing her discomfort.
“Since the Gye Family is acting so docile, dissatisfaction is arising among the Espers. That the Gye Family, who are mere Guides, dare to slander and attack Espers.”
“Dare? They’re the ones who dare to walk around safely thanks to our Ji Family?”
The Ji Family had put so much effort into helping Espers.
“They wouldn’t have resentment toward us, even because of the Alpha seed, right?”
“Do you think the Gye Family is just sitting idly by? It seems the Head of the Gye Family is using her head very cunningly this time. Surely they were backed into a corner until recently.”
“Not just backed into a corner, weren’t they falling Read on Read BL NovelsBL Novels -->off a cliff? Why the hell are they scheming behind the scenes when they don’t even have a Guide? Fuck, those Gye bastards.”
Seong-hyeon fumed while observing his Noona’s expression. She seemed annoyed, but she wasn’t angry. That meant the situation wasn’t entirely bad.
“So did the Gye Family release some money? Then how are we going to persuade the council members?”
“You just need to bring Ji Won-woo back.”
Seong-hyeon frowned, trying to gauge the meaning.
“Surely… you’re not planning to make Ji Won-woo kneel and beg before the People’s Committee?”
Yoon-im looked at her brother with pity at the childish idea, but praised him with her words.
“You’re not a complete idiot. Whether he begs or cries, Father’s idea is to make Won-woo testify at the People’s Committee. For the vote, we have to bow flat as they wish. We need to plant the idea that we are harmless to them. Only then will they side with us without a second thought.”
“If I happen to not bring that Won-woo bastard back…”
“There should be no such ‘if,’ Seong-hyeon.”
Yoon-im warned him sharply, looking at her brother with indifferent eyes.
“Then you’ll be the one lying in a hospital bed.”
It hadn’t been apparent from the outside, but the building was completely empty. Gi An-seok climbed up to the fourth floor, trying not to make a sound, and stopped in front visit [stolen content]our siteof a room. Thanks to his night-vision goggles, he could see the interior even in the dark, allowing him to check the floor visible through the gap in the open door.
Since it was an empty building, dust and various trash were scattered inside, but the only piece of trash that caught Gi An-seok’s eye was the one right in front of him. A wrapper, like that of a torn energy bar. Gi An-seok opened the door slightly more.
Screeech.
As a small noise echoed, he raised the tranquilizer gun in his other hand. At a glance, the interior was empty, but thick pillars supporting the ceiling created blind spots here and there.
Then, Gi An-seok saw another wrapper. Near a pillar. There were also some leftover contents next to the wrapper, as if it had been dropped while moving in haste.
That could be bait to lure him. No, he decided it was bait. To lure him in and create a trap to buy time, or perhaps to attack. The latter was unlikely. Because he was a Guide. Especially one who was so scared he couldn’t even run far and was hiding in one spot.
Screeeech.
Gi An-seok opened the door wide and stepped inside, no longer hiding his footsteps.
“Ji Won-woo-ssi. Your family is very worried and searching for you.”
Tap, tap. Letting out a friendly voice, Gi An-seok walked to the center and stared at the pillar opposite the one with the wrapper. If Ji Won-woo was still here, his intention was obvious. He’d use the wrapper to lure him and hide behind the pillar closest to the door, then try to escape through the door once Gi An-seok moved away—a one-dimensional tactic.
These things are always the same. Gi An-seok sneered inwardly, recalling the Guides who had been caught while trying to lure him in that way. It’s even better if they show their backs while fleeing.
“Your elder brother is blaming himself a lot right now. He’s worried that because he treated you poorly, you might have hidden out of fear.”
Tap.
Gi An-seok stepped toward the pillar near the door. Then, taking another step, he lowered his voice.
“Your brother has promised. He’ll forgive any mistake, so please come back and help him. You know the eldest brother was injured, right? It seems the second brother is taking care of the business for a while. He asked for Ji Won-woo-ssi to trust him and become his right-hand man. That the only person he can trust is…”
Family. Uttering the final lie, he quickly rounded the pillar. But it was empty. Ah, not here? Without letting his guard down, he moved toward the next expected pillar.
“You have no idea how much your brother is waiting. Ji Won-woo-ssi, you’re listening to me, right?”
The interior was so quiet that it felt as if his voice remained as an echo. However, he had a gut feeling that Ji Won-woo was here. In pursuits, there are times when one must follow intuition over evidence, and now was such a time.
Unable to shake the feeling that he was definitely inside, he didn’t give up on searching the interior and reached the end of the large room.
But there was no one. Fuck, this can’t be right. Did he hide in another room and slip out? But his colleague was waiting outside the building. If anyone had come out, he would have informed him immediately via the communicator.
Gi An-seok checked the window once and quickly turned toward the door. If he was still in the building, even if he caught a rat, looking through his memories would… At that moment.
“I don’t believe you.”
A whisper was heard right behind his head. Gi An-seok quickly jerked his head up while simultaneously raising the tranquilizer gun. However, a foot descending from the air kicked his head hard first.
Thwack!
As Gi An-seok was struck hard in the head and staggered backward without even being able to scream, Won-woo, who had jumped down copy" style="display:none;" aria-label="unauthorized copy">unauthorized copyfrom the ceiling with a thud, struck his abdomen without hesitation. His movements were so fast that Gi An-seok had no time to dodge or defend.
Crash!
In a daze, the fallen Gi An-seok tried to push himself up. But the opponent approached immediately, giving him no opening. When a strong hand roughly grabbed his hair, Gi An-seok could only be dragged along, uttering “uh, uh” in panic.
Won-woo’s attack was precise and efficient. Gi An-seok reached out to grab the opponent, but his resistance was as powerless as a child’s. The opponent already had a grip on Gi An-seok’s head and was slamming it into the floor without hesitation. His head hit the floor with merciless force.
Thump!
The last thought that crossed Gi An-seok’s mind before losing consciousness was one: that he felt like prey that had been hunted in an instant.
Sizzle.
Whether there was a problem with the communicator or not, noise began to be heard after Gi An-seok entered the building. The teleportation Esper colleague wanted to rip the communicator out, but he endured it, remembering how Gi An-seok would throw a fit. Working with a bastard who treated him like a dog was shitty, but it couldn’t be helped.
Because that man held a weakness over him. However, since it was a job that paid quite well, he was partly doing it by choice. So, he focused on the crackling noise with patience.
But the crackling began to grow louder. What the hell? Unable to help it, he took the communicator from his ear and tapped it against his palm. Fuck, Gi An-seok, I told him not to skimp on equipment…
“It’s not broken.”
The moment a low voice flowed in as if whispering in his ear, goosebumps raced down his spine. He moved by instinct before his mind could process the situation. He immediately used his ability to teleport. Since he hadn’t prepared properly before using his power, the distance was short, but he had moved to the opposite side of the building, so he wouldn’t be attacked.
“Haa, fuck…”
What on earth? Calming his startled heart, he opened his eyes wide and scanned the surroundings. Of course, if the person who suddenly approached possessed teleportation abilities, they could follow, but since they wouldn’t know where he had moved, that was impossible.
Still, he couldn’t stop looking around warily. And just as he breathed in, thinking he was finally safe, he froze. He couldn’t breathe. It was as if his respiratory system had broken; he was unable to inhale.
“Kugh…”
Unable to even make a proper choking sound, he clutched his chest with both hands. And someone walked out in front of him. A man wearing a hood.
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