He didn’t know the exact circumstances, but in any case, Kim Sol was in a position where he had to listen to Jo Gyeong-hoon. That’s why he abandoned the Esper he had been practically assigned to and came after him again.
What he pieced together was merely a rough guess based on Kim Sol’s constant rambling, so it wasn’t entirely certain. Still, when viewed through that lens, everything seemed to make sense.
From Kim Sol’s standpoint, Lim Haeyul should not have appeared. Jo Gyeong-hoon’s primary goal had been to separate him from Cha Jae-woo, and for that, he needed Kim Sol.
And Kim Sol had believed he would have a few more chances. He hadn’t thought that Lim Haeyul would so easily slip from Cha Jae-woo’s grasp.
“……”
In truth, there were several holes in Kim Sol’s reasoning.
First off, setting aside the fact that Lim Haeyul wasn’t important enough to Cha Jae-woo to make Jo Gyeong-hoon’s entire plan fundamentally flawed, would Jo Gyeong-hoon really have used the same failed move again?
Whether Lim Haeyul escaped or not, Kim Sol’s usefulness would have ended after the second attempt. Lim Haeyul didn’t know Jo Gyeong-hoon all that well, but he doubted he was the kind of man foolish enough to repeatedly try a tactic that had already failed.
Rather, it was precisely because Lim Haeyul had come here that Kim Sol’s leverage had grown stronger. At the very least, Jo Gyeong-hoon would realize that Lim Haeyul valued Kim Sol more than Cha Jae-woo, and thus understand that he couldn’t treat Kim Sol carelessly if he wanted to control Lim Haeyul.
Of course, that was assuming Cha Jae-woo moved according to Jo Gyeong-hoon’s plan in order to reclaim Lim Haeyul.
‘In the end, does it even matter?’
With a heavy sigh, Lim Haeyul lightly nodded to himself. Whether Kim Sol’s thoughts were right or wrong, the outcome remained the same—they weren’t getting out of here. There was no need to argue over the finer points of Kim Sol’s misjudgment.
“How long have you been here?”
“……”
“Do they feed you? They’re not trying to starve you to death, are they?”
“……”
“You must’ve been bored.”
Since racking his brain wouldn’t solve anything, Lim Haeyul gave up thinking altogether. Slumping down on the floor, he began babbling whatever came to mind.
Not that he felt fine about it. Of course he didn’t welcome the situation. He had no idea what would happen next. The uncertainty left him suffocated and afraid.
Still, whining about it wouldn’t change anything, so he wanted to look after Kim Sol instead. If that dazed man could return to his usual self, Lim Haeyul thought he might find a small measure of comfort too. Though, judging by Kim Sol’s vacant demeanor, he didn’t seem particularly willing to cooperate.
“But really, Jo Gyeong-hoon’s simpler than I thought. Did he seriously think snatching me would make Cha Jae-woo come running?”
Lim Haeyul spoke nonstop, pretending not to care.
“Is Cha Jae-woo an idiot or something? I’m not the only Guide out there. Instead of chasing after me into some sketchy situation, he’d just find another Guide without a second thought.”
Even before he had realized Cha Jae-woo’s feelings weren’t genuine, Lim Haeyul would have thought the same. Back then too, he had believed it was only that much affection, nothing more. Surely Cha Jae-woo wouldn’t risk danger just for him.
And now, looking back, it was almost funny—but he even found himself hoping that Cha Jae-woo wouldn’t come for him.
He knew that Jo Gyeong-hoon could never defeat Cha Jae-woo. In fact, there wasn’t a single Esper in existence who could overcome him.
But Lim Haeyul wasn’t the only one who knew that. Jo Gyeong-hoon, of all people, must know it even better. Yet he still orchestrated this situation, which meant he must have prepared something else.
That alone was proof enough. This time, there was no guarantee that Cha Jae-woo would remain safe.
Regardless of what Cha Jae-woo’s feelings were, if he ended up getting hurt because of this, Lim Haeyul would never forgive himself. He genuinely wished Cha Jae-woo would stay true to himself and ignore the situation.
Of course, knowing how things were bound to unfold, there wasn’t even a need to dwell on such thoughts.
“He has to come.”
Just as his rambling thoughts turned to pointless worry over Cha Jae-woo, Kim Sol, who had been silent all this time, finally opened his mouth.
“That’s the only way to get out.”
“……”
“There’s no other choice.”
It was a pitiful hope. Lim Haeyul hesitated, torn between crushing that hope or leaving it be.
“Wow, you’ve been waiting a while, huh?”
But he had no chance to speak. The tightly shut door suddenly burst open, and Lee Jae-hoon appeared with a bright grin.
“You must’ve been bored. Let’s go, there’s something worth seeing.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, Lee Jae-hoon roughly grabbed his arm and dragged him along. Kim Sol just stood there blankly, watching him get pulled away.
Perhaps sensing that gaze, Lee Jae-hoon paused for a moment with an “Ah.”
“Sol. You’re free to go.”
“……”
“They said the mission’s accomplished. They even thanked you for your hard work.”
The windowless room suddenly turned cold, as if a chill wind had swept through. The brief silence was broken by Kim Sol’s voice, low and subdued, unlike someone who had just been desperate to get out.
“…Yeah.”
The mission’s accomplished—meaning Kim Sol was now allowed to leave—implied that Cha Jae-woo had arrived. That he was here. But why? Hadn’t he thought of simply finding another Guide instead? Had he not had time to consider that option? No—Cha Jae-woo wasn’t the type to act so emotionally…
“Well then, shall we? Gotta check who won the bet.”
Lee Jae-hoon smiled brightly as he yanked Lim Haeyul along.
Even as he staggered to keep up, Haeyul kept shaking his head. The thought that Cha Jae-woo couldn’t possibly be here clashed with a small, budding hope—and guilt—that maybe he had worried about him after all. The confusion roiled inside him, unbearable.
***
Anxiety surged up all at once. Lim Haeyul tried to remind himself: no Esper could defeat Cha Jae-woo. No matter what trick Jo Gyeong-hoon had pulled, it wouldn’t be enough to take Cha Jae-woo down. He was an S-Rank Esper. It was laughable for him to even feel nervous.
Besides, with the continuous guiding they had maintained, Cha Jae-woo’s condition was perfectly stable. What could Jo Gyeong-hoon possibly do to someone like him?
There was no need to worry about Cha Jae-woo. Moreover, even if he had been captured here, it had been Lim Haeyul who had turned away from Cha Jae-woo first. To worry about him now—what a joke.
“Come to think of it, we never decided what we were betting for.”
It had been a while since they got into the car after stepping outside with his eyes covered. Instead of talking, Lee Jae-hoon had been humming songs, but suddenly he spoke up.
“We can still set the stakes now. If I win, you become my exclusive Guide. How’s that sound?”
At the ridiculous suggestion, Lim Haeyul’s brow furrowed sharply.
“I never agreed to any bet.”
“We could even live together at my place. Hm, I’ve never lived with a Guide before. Just imagining it gets me excited.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Ah, we’re here.”
Ignoring everything Lim Haeyul said, Lee Jae-hoon finalized the nonexistent bet on his own.
As the car jolted to a rough stop, he grinned wide and looked out the window. What was he so happy about? Did he perhaps have some grudge against Cha Jae-woo? A useless thought flickered through Haeyul’s mind.
“Let’s go. Let’s see if Cha Jae-woo’s really here.”
Lim Haeyul didn’t move. He didn’t even reply. His body refused to budge.
“It’s gonna be a good show. Why’re you being so slow?”
“…What’s so fun about it? There’s nothing to see anyway.”
Knowing full well that no one could touch Cha Jae-woo, Lim Haeyul spoke sharply, trying to suppress the creeping anxiety.
For once, Lee Jae-hoon actually responded properly, laughing loudly and nodding, even clapping his hands exaggeratedly as if it was all very amusing.
“Hahaha. Right? That’s what you think, huh? Makes sense—you’d think, ‘Who could possibly beat Cha Jae-woo?’”
“……”
“Hey, why don’t we make a real bet this time? I’m serious about you becoming my personal Guide. If I win, you guide me exclusively like you did for Cha Jae-woo. If you win, I’ll set you completely free. I’ll even have your name erased from the Guide Association registry. You’d become an ordinary civilian.”
He hadn’t even agreed to anything, and yet Lee Jae-hoon kept rushing ahead on his own.
Lim Haeyul didn’t answer. There was something bizarrely untrustworthy about Lee Jae-hoon’s words. Whether he won or lost, it didn’t seem like Haeyul would gain anything.
Besides, that wasn’t the important part right now. What mattered was the sinking feeling that Lee Jae-hoon spoke as if he truly had a way to take down Cha Jae-woo.
“You didn’t say no, so I’m taking that as a yes. If Cha Jae-woo falls, that means I win.”
Lee Jae-hoon spoke as if it were the most natural outcome in the world.
Lim Haeyul swallowed dryly and clamped his mouth shut. He had told himself he didn’t care what happened to anyone—but here he was. He was the one who had run away secretly, and yet the unease kept rising.
“Well, let’s g— Guhk!”
But it didn’t last long.
The moment Lee Jae-hoon opened the car door with a huge grin, a large hand grabbed his throat with brutal force.
With a deafening crash, the car dented sharply where Lee Jae-hoon slammed into it. It happened so fast that Lim Haeyul couldn’t even close his mouth in time.
And then, a chilling voice rang in his ear.
“Get out.”
It was Cha Jae-woo’s voice.
