The Association had mobilized all available personnel in pursuit of the head of Black. Just the number of agents deployed around the mansion alone made it clear how determined the higher-ups were.
The real issue, however, was the appearance of not one, but three Spontaneous Dungeons in Seoul.
Ji Yeon-woo was important—but so was the safety of the public. For the Association, protecting civilians was a non-negotiable priority.
If there had only been two dungeons instead of three, things would have felt less dire. Kang Min and Hong Seong-jun could have been dispatched while he stayed behind to protect Lee Haru.
Perhaps sensing that unease, Kang Min had left behind Kim Hyun-seo, the A-rank Esper with the most combat experience, to remain here.
With Kim Hyun-seo and his team stationed nearby, even if the head of Black were to appear, they could at least buy enough time.
I will come back as soon as I can.
He had wanted to say it in person, but feared that once he saw Haru’s face, he would not be able to leave at all.
As though shaking off lingering regret, Yu Je-hyun bolted from the mansion the moment he stepped outside, sprinting full speed toward the dungeon’s location.
All he could do now was focus everything he had on clearing the Spontaneous Dungeon.
***
“You’ve really been through so much, Haru-hyung…”
Lee Haru blinked quietly as Ji Yeon-woo, gripping his hand, spoke with a trembling voice on the verge of tears. He could not immediately think of a response.
“Are all S-rank Espers just… completely insane? I thought it was just the leader of Black…”
He nearly nodded in agreement. Ji Yeon-woo was not wrong—S-rank Espers were all notoriously eccentric.
Even today had been proof of that. Yu Je-hyun had suddenly kissed him during Guiding, and after seeing that, Hong Seong-jun had lost it like a bull charging at a red flag.
Kang Min is the leading suspect for what happened to Lee Haru.
Even Kang Min, who had seemed the most rational of them all, turned out to be the very person who had driven Haru into that living hell.
Though Haru could not be entirely certain—the man in his memories felt so different from the one he knew—there was no mistaking that the person who appeared in those memories was Kang Min.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
When Haru still could not bring himself to respond, Ji Yeon-woo anxiously began checking his body for injuries. Aside from his complexion being a little pale, there seemed to be no visible wounds.
Of course, life here could not compare to what Yeon-woo had endured under Black. But the way the S-rank Espers had treated Haru was eerily similar to what he had experienced there.
Only now did Ji Yeon-woo begin to understand what Haru had meant.
He acted like no one would ever come to save him.
Despite being an S-rank Guide, Haru had actually begged Yeon-woo to save him too if any Espers showed up.
What kind of suffering must he have endured to believe no one would come for him on their own?
Overcome with sympathy, Yeon-woo moved closer until their arms were touching.
Strangely, being beside Haru had become the only thing that gave him peace.
Even now, the moment he sat close, Haru’s scent lightly brushed past his nose. His body relaxed as though melting into comfort—yet at the same time, his heartbeat grew steadily faster.
A comforting sensation, yet one that left him slightly unsettled.
The unfamiliar feeling might have been frightening, but instead, he welcomed it. It felt like proof—constant, undeniable proof—that he had truly escaped Black.
“I am oka—”
Haru tried to reassure him, but a thunderous noise from outside cut him off mid-sentence.
His wide eyes instinctively shifted toward the living room. Though the wall blocked his view, the entire mansion shuddered from the impact.
A lamp sitting on the nightstand wobbled before crashing over on its side.
The two of them were in Haru’s room, sitting side by side on the bed as they talked.
“Yeon-woo?”
Startled by the tremor, Haru looked down. He saw Ji Yeon-woo clinging to him, his round head buried against Haru’s chest, his body trembling violently.
“Mmhh…”
Yeon-woo had completely shut down. He was too overwhelmed to even voice his fear, burying himself deeper in Haru’s embrace.
Clinging to him with the desperation of a drowning man, Yeon-woo trembled uncontrollably, and Haru gently raised his arm.
He began patting Yeon-woo’s quivering back with one hand and running his other hand softly through his fine hair, offering his body as a shelter without hesitation.
That someone so terrified by loud noises could still worry about him…
Haru was quietly moved by Yeon-woo’s kind heart, but he did not let it show—he simply held him closer, wordlessly comforting him.
“Nothing is going to happen. I am right here with you.”
He was not used to comforting others, so his touch was awkward. But he hoped his sincerity would reach him.
Just as Yeon-woo found peace by staying close to Haru, Haru too felt a strong urge to protect this boy—so different from any Esper he had known.
Even though he had no real means to protect anyone, his heart had gradually opened to the boy who had stirred his sympathy from the very first moment they met.
Come to think of it, he is actually taller than I am.
Perhaps it was because Yeon-woo’s delicate appearance made him seem so much more fragile. Even though Haru now inhabited this body, he sometimes forgot what he looked like unless he saw a mirror.
His naturally upturned eyes gave off an aloof impression. His pale skin and slender features were refined, but not the kind that inspired protectiveness.
In the past, his gloomy aura had overshadowed everything—but if judged by looks alone, he resembled a rose bristling with thorns.
In contrast, Ji Yeon-woo gave off the aura of a delicate wildflower—something that made people instinctively want to shield it from the harsh winds and rain just by passing it on the street.
“……I am sorry. I keep acting like a child.”
Whether it was the comfort of Haru’s gentle touch or the steady calm in his presence, Ji Yeon-woo finally raised the head he had kept bowed for so long.
His small face was drenched in cold sweat, despite the brief passage of time.
“No, do not apologize. I was afraid too. But having you beside me made it easier.”
Such a warm-hearted person.
As Haru’s soft voice reached him, Yeon-woo’s cheeks flushed—not from fear this time, but from the way his heart had begun to race for an entirely different reason.
His trauma around loud noises had a painfully simple cause: every time chaos erupted in Black’s facility, at least one or two Guides would end up dead.
Yeon-woo had never been exempt from danger either. Once the uproar died down, he would be dragged away like an offering—to the very leader of Black.
Just the memory of that hulking presence, ravenously devouring Guiding energy, drained the color from his face, replacing the earlier blush with a ghastly pallor.
“Should I get you some water?”
Seeing Yeon-woo’s change in expression up close, Haru rose from his seat. But then he remembered: to reach the kitchen, he would have to pass through the part of the mansion where the Espers were still in uproar.
Feeling awkward, he smoothed down his hair—when suddenly, a different sound rippled through the house.
“That sound…”
It was familiar. He had heard it while having a meal with Yu Je-hyun—just before everything went blank.
What followed was a disorienting journey through a surreal, dreamlike space, until he finally woke up in the heart of Black’s headquarters.
Haru swallowed hard, his mouth dry from anxiety. Ji Yeon-woo’s complexion also turned several shades paler.
“Come here.”
Erring on the side of caution, Haru grabbed Yeon-woo by the arm. He aimed to move them as far from the windows as possible.
He positioned them in the center of the room, his back to the wall, shielding Yeon-woo behind him.
Not knowing what threat the sound signaled only deepened his unease. It did not match the usual signs of a Spontaneous Dungeon’s appearance.
Only two weeks had passed since the last one had emerged in the heart of Seoul—too soon for another.
“What on earth is happening…?”
Frustration building, he raked his fingers through his hair, tousling it into disarray. If only one of the Espers would come explain what was going on.
Just as Haru stepped hesitantly toward the door, a loud crash came from the direction of the front entrance.
At the same time, an unfamiliar shout rang out—someone other than an Esper had entered the mansion.
While Haru hesitated, debating whether or not to open the door, it suddenly swung open with a burst of motion, accompanied by heavy footsteps.
“Guide Lee Haru. It has been a while.”
A stranger greeted him with unsettling familiarity—someone Haru did not recognize, though he spoke as if he and the original Haru had known each other well.
He was an unremarkable-looking man, aside from the strikingly dark complexion that made him look like someone who lived by the sea.
After being surrounded by Espers day after day, the sight of such an ordinary, approachable face slightly lowered Haru’s guard.
The man glanced over at Ji Yeon-woo, who was standing half-concealed behind Haru, and offered a gentle, disarming smile as if to reassure him.
“So Guide Ji Yeon-woo is here as well. Pleased to meet you. I am Kim Hyun-seo, Team Leader of Alpha Team 2, Seoul Branch.”
Though clearly familiar with Haru, it seemed he had never met Yeon-woo before, prompting the formal introduction. For Haru, that alone was a small relief.
The man already knew Haru’s name, but Haru had no idea who he was—if it came to addressing him later, the situation could have been awkward.
“Did something happen? Where are the S-rank Espers?”
Haru finally voiced the questions that had been weighing on him. Kim Hyun-seo had entered the room alone. Haru glanced past him, half-expecting someone else to follow, but the mansion had already fallen into a heavy, unsettling silence.
