“You think you can get away with this?!”
“Yes, we do. What a shame.”
I pulled the rope tight with force. The staff member who was bound let out a sharp cry and thrashed in pain. Ahn Ki-yoon, pale-faced, gagged the man’s mouth. Only once the shouting died down did the surroundings finally fall into a calm silence.
“D-Do you think… w-we can really do this? I… I think I’m going to faint….”
“You haven’t fainted yet.”
Casually responding to Ahn Ki-yoon’s shaky words, I looked toward Baek Tae-beom, who had quickly rushed out and beaten down the other panicked staff, laying them flat. I’d been so worried, and yet his expression was completely calm, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He tied the staff up like dried fish in a net, then swept his hair back lightly and looked at me.
“Think that’s the last of them?”
“Yeah… Are you okay?”
“Okay with what?”
Caught off guard by Baek Tae-beom’s response, I hesitated.
“You went to the police station…”
“Ah. I’m fine. It’s not like it was my first time or anything.”
“What?”
“I got in trouble a lot when you weren’t around. But don’t worry, I never ended up with a criminal record.”
That’s not something to be proud of.
Maybe he picked up on my expression, because Baek Tae-beom’s smug face suddenly crumbled. Then, sneaking glances at me, he tottered over and rested his head on my shoulder.
“Just kidding. Honestly, I was terrified… Hug me, Hyung.”
I’m not falling for that.
“And give me a kiss too.”
What the hell is he saying?
[CH. Private / One Who Weaves Euphoria: I’m jealous, Ga-hyeon….]
For the love of god, shut up.
After dealing with the staff, we comforted the children. Though, truthfully, there wasn’t much comforting to do—they were treating us like absolute heroes. They kept asking if we’d come to save them, if we’d defeated all the monsters. Ahn Ki-yoon fumbled through the answers.
“T-They weren’t monsters, and I’m not a hero or anything…”
“Hyung, you were so cool!”
“C-Cool…?”
“Stay here with the kids for a bit.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to check inside with Tae-beom.”
“Ah, okay… Don’t take too long…”
Leaving Ahn Ki-yoon behind, Baek Tae-beom and I combed through every corner of the orphanage and unearthed several documents.
They were records tied to a research facility connected to the orphanage. An orphanage being linked to a lab? Baek Tae-beom raised an eyebrow as he slowly read through the files.
“It’s not just one lab. They’re regularly donating children, like making deliveries.”
“What are these characters?”
“Looks like they’re written in code.”
Code?
[Skill: Eye of the Dead]
[You use the skill: Eye of the Dead]
[Activating Eye of the Dead. The Constellation’s blessing descends upon you.]
[An even more potent blessing of the Constellation hovers near you. You begin to perceive the voices of all things.]
[Skill: Free Language]
[You use the skill: Free Language]
[Activating Free Language. The Constellation’s blessing descends upon you.]
[An even more potent blessing of the Constellation hovers near you. There is no written language beyond your comprehension.]
The moment I activated both skills, a sting shot through my eyes, leaving them aching and watery. But I didn’t cancel the skills. I continued scanning the documents. Tears dripped steadily from my eyes, startling Baek Tae-beom, but I ignored him and kept reading.
“This isn’t the only orphanage connected to them. There are more—way more—facilities involved. They even listed the locations. Do you have a pen?”
“Hyung, your eyes…”
“Forget my eyes. Do you have a pen? Write down everything I say.”
Baek Tae-beom grabbed a pen and some scrap paper, starting to jot down my words as I recited them. When I discovered even youth counseling centers and shelters were involved, I couldn’t stop myself from clicking my tongue. This was pure madness. Using living people to satisfy one’s own desires…
Absolutely unforgivable.
Baek Tae-beom took a photo of the notes he’d transcribed and sent them to Lee Myung-won. Not long after, a call came in.
– Choi Ga-hyeon? About the documents you just sent… They match up with what Oh Kwon-hyuk found. Is there anything else you have?
“Just a moment. I’ll send you the original documents now.”
– …Yes, these seem to match. It’s the same code. Some of these are linked to the pharmaceutical company that Red Apple used to operate. And it appears there may be even more involved parties.
“You mean, other guilds besides Red Apple were also… involved in this?”
– It’s highly likely. And according to the data you just sent… there’s one common factor among all these research facilities.
“A common factor?”
– The final delivery point for the ‘goods.’ It’s the Gongmyeong Guild. More precisely… it seems there’s a massive research facility hidden beneath Gongmyeong’s base.
“Underground?”
Gongmyeong Guild was located right in the heart of Seoul. A facility beneath such a place?
– There’s no other explanation that fits.
“I understand… Could you send someone over? I have something to tell you about the children.”
– What is it?
“It’s Gongmyeong. They’re only taking in children with potential for awakening and conducting experiments on them. The Constellations believe they’re testing the interaction between the children’s innate power and Mana Stones.”
– Mana Stones? I’ll send someone immediately.
As I deactivated the skills I’d been using, a dull sting burned in my eyes. My face was a mess from the tears that had streamed down. Baek Tae-beom gently cupped my cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb, a look of deep concern on his face.
“Are your eyes okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re still tearing up.”
“They’re just a little sore. Let’s head outside and wait for the others.”
“Hyung.”
Just as I was about to leave the office, Baek Tae-beom grabbed my wrist. The momentum pulled me back a few steps until I bumped into his solid chest.
“…Tae-beom?”
“Didn’t you miss me?”
“Is this really the time…?”
“I missed you.”
I shut my mouth. Ridiculous as it was, those four simple words somehow made my mood lift like magic. Clenching and unclenching my fists a few times, I roughly tousled my bangs.
“Yeah, I missed you. Happy now?”
“Say it while looking at me.”
I bit down on my lower lip.
“Did you worry about me a lot?”
Of course I did. I was worried sick. I wanted to say that and smack him on the back, but the moment I turned and looked at him, the words caught in my throat. Baek Tae-beom was gazing down at me, cheeks tinged pink, a smile of genuine joy on his face.
What’s making you so damn happy?
“…I didn’t.”
“Liar.”
“Why ask if you already know?”
“Because I wanted to hear it from you.”
I tried to shove him away, but he stood firm, not budging an inch.
“Sigh… I worried a lot.”
“How much?”
“Tae-beom.”
“How much did you worry?”
I frowned, glaring at him. He was grinning mischievously.
This was a game to him. He just wanted to see me blush—he wasn’t going to stop until he did.
“A lot… Alright? Happy now? Let’s go.”
“Wait a second, Hyung…”
Baek Tae-beom wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in. I stiffened, startled by the contact. Our bodies pressed together, and the man in front of me curled his lips upward like he was about to devour something delicious. Slowly, he lowered his head.
“I was really worried too… Wondering if something happened while I wasn’t there.”
“Stop it. What are you—”
His lips brushed against my ear. The ticklish sensation made me instinctively draw back my shoulder, and I heard a low chuckle near my ear. I could feel the heat rapidly rising in my face. Baek Tae-beom was teasing me.
“Stop messing around.”
“Ticklish?”
“Of course it’s ticklish…! Ugh, just—wait a sec….”
Long, firm fingers slid up my waist. They hovered along the small of my back, then gently swept over it before slipping into my side. My body twitched, and I felt Baek Tae-beom’s lips brush against my ear. The strange, tingling sensation made my face burn hot, and I quickly tapped him on the shoulder.
“You—are you not letting go?”
“Just let me stay like this for a little bit. Okay?”
“Little bit, my ass—! We have to check on Ahn Ki-yoon, seriously! Ugh, damn it!”
“What are you guys doing?”
So this is what it means to go completely blank in the head. I froze, my mouth still open, and turned my head slowly in horror. There stood Ahn Ki-yoon, his face blazing red, hands clamped over his mouth. The kids were staring wide-eyed, blinking up at us.
“You—You little—!”
“This is a misunderstanding, just—hold on a second!”
“Were you guys kissing?”
One child asked innocently, but another quickly shook their head.
“No way, boys don’t kiss each other!”
“Boys can kiss, too! It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or girl!”
“But you don’t kiss Won-gyu!”
“That’s ‘cause I don’t like Won-gyu! People kiss the ones they like, no matter if they’re a boy or a girl! Those hyungs must like each other!”
Then the girl who’d introduced herself as Kim Eun-ji stepped forward, her big round eyes sparkling as she looked up at us.
“Are you not gonna kiss more?”
I kicked Baek Tae-beom in the shin as hard as I could. He flinched and finally let go of me.
“…We didn’t kiss.”
“Oppa, don’t you like that oppa?”
“…Let’s go outside. Why are you all gathered here, anyway? I told you to wait out there.”
“Some ahjussis came! They said they were looking for you!”
Hansung must’ve already sent someone. I sighed and ran a hand through my messy hair as I nodded. My ears were still burning.
