Zero came to a stop about ten paces from Yu Je-hyun. His face was still stiflingly hidden beneath a mask, and even his hands were concealed in black gloves.
His eyes were eerily calm—like the center of a storm.
Even as he listened to the man speak, Yu Je-hyun was focused on figuring out which of the two seated men was the real Kang Min.
Neither of them was bound, yet they couldn’t speak or move properly. That likely meant they were under the influence of Zero’s pheromones.
Just in case, Yu Je-hyun had brought a stimulant. It should be enough to snap someone out of the trance caused by Zero’s pheromones.
But he only had one dose. Since one of them was clearly Hong Seong-jun, it made more sense to wait until he was still in Kang Min’s form before dragging him back to the Association.
Which meant he first had to determine who the real Kang Min was.
“You planning to listen to me or what?”
Zero’s eyes narrowed with a knowing smirk, clearly aware that Yu Je-hyun’s mind was elsewhere. With a casual wave of his hand, one of the Kang Mins winced, his expression twisting unnaturally.
Both Kang Mins bled from the lips simultaneously, like perfect mirror images. Yu Je-hyun’s lips curled into a smile.
He hadn’t exactly admired Kang Min, but he had worked under him as Team Leader for quite a while.
Seeing him now—helpless and strung up like a puppet—made his blood boil more than expected.
And when it came to Hong Seong-jun, who had clearly played a key role in orchestrating this entire situation, rage hit him so hard it made his vision blur.
“Whatever bullshit you’re spewing, I already know it’s crap. Why the hell would I bother chatting with you?”
“Rude kid. Especially after I spared your life.”
Spared, my ass. That day, thanks to Hong Seong-jun and Zero, Yu Je-hyun had nearly crossed the River Styx. If Lee Haru hadn’t kept Guiding him until he collapsed from exhaustion, Yu Je-hyun wouldn’t even be standing here now.
“You’re lecturing me about manners when you’ve been kidnapping Guides like a coward? And now you’re pulling crap like this? You actually think this is clever? You’re the only one who finds it funny.”
Even as he exchanged words with Zero, Yu Je-hyun continued studying the two Kang Mins.
At first, he’d thought their mana signatures were indistinguishable. But the longer he observed, the more he noticed subtle differences.
There was a fifty-fifty chance. But if he gave the stimulant to Hong Seong-jun instead of Kang Min, he’d be repeating the same mistake as last time.
And this time, Lee Haru was here too.
He hadn’t felt safe leaving him anywhere else. He’d brought him here because he was willing to put his own life on the line to protect him.
While probing for clues, Yu Je-hyun kept his guard up, wary of a pheromone attack.
Though invisible, a thin layer of mana had formed around him like a barrier.
“Cheap trick, huh… Sounds a little harsh, but you’re not wrong. Still, I didn’t have a choice. This was the only way to make you bastards listen.”
Zero glanced between Yu Je-hyun, Kang Min, and Hong Seong-jun, smiling faintly. He was trying to act composed, but his Rampage Risk Index was already maxed out.
In truth, just keeping his mind together long enough to have a conversation with Yu Je-hyun was draining him fast.
He could feel it—he didn’t have much time left. He didn’t want to go out in a pointless blaze.
What he wanted was for the entire world to learn what the Association President had done. He wanted that bastard to suffer and die slowly, drowning in pain.
He had lived for revenge.
And now, he had only one thing left to lose. But that child had discovered who he really was.
No matter what he did now, that child would never forgive him. Even he didn’t understand why he hadn’t revealed himself while he was destroying Ji Yeon-woo. It was his own heart—yet even he couldn’t make sense of it.
The one he’d wanted revenge on had been Ji Yeon-woo’s mother. But she was long gone. When he found out she had died right after giving birth, the emotions that overwhelmed him were like a painter’s palette turned pitch black—every feeling mixed together into something unreadable.
He had become such a monster that he even wanted revenge on his own blood.
“Have you really never once wondered how this country managed to restore order faster than nearly any other nation—and how it’s kept its system intact?”
“What, you gonna give me a history lesson now?”
Yu Je-hyun’s face twisted in disgust at the absurdity of the question. Everyone alive today had heard enough about the first-generation Ability Users’ sacrifices to last a lifetime.
That’s why so many people revered the Association President, the Esper Center Director, and the Guide Center Director as heroes of that era.
Yu Je-hyun acknowledged their achievements, sure—but he didn’t feel even a speck of respect for them.
He and Kang Min had already suspected the Association President of committing atrocities. They just hadn’t found the evidence.
The reason Zero’s words carried no weight was simple. If he’d truly been wronged by the first generation, then they were the only ones he should’ve targeted.
But he’d already crossed a line he could never return from. Black and its leader, Zero, had become just another set of perpetrators in the eyes of their victims.
Yu Je-hyun mockingly dug at his ear with his pinky. Whatever Zero had to say, he just wanted to end it.
The only reason he hadn’t yet was because the bastard could hurt Kang Min at any moment.
He didn’t even know how the pheromones were being used—but Kang Min was still trapped, completely defenseless.
Just a flick of the wrist had made him cough up blood. Since even the fake Kang Min—Hong Seong-jun—had been hit, that meant with a single gesture, the bastard had managed to wound two S-rank Espers at once.
No matter how powerful he was, the bastard was still just an S-rank Esper. Unless there existed a rank above S, the sheer force he displayed was incomprehensible.
There wasn’t the slightest opening. The only bit of luck was that he hadn’t used his pheromones to attack yet—but even that could change at any second.
Yu Je-hyun had to distinguish between Kang Min and Hong Seong-jun, keep tabs on Lee Haru outside, and stay wary of Zero who was clearly waiting for an opportunity to strike.
He could’ve used ten bodies and still come up short. Though he kept a calm expression, cold sweat was running down his back.
Team Leader… give me some kind of signal.
Yu Je-hyun had faith in Kang Min. He didn’t believe for a second that Kang Min would sit there and let himself be toyed with.
And he was right.
Of the two Kang Mins, the one on the left gave a subtle wink—almost like a casual joke.
It was completely out of character for the real Kang Min. Which is exactly why Yu Je-hyun was sure it was him. He’d already suspected the mana wavelength from that side felt more authentic.
Even something as small as a wink seemed to drain him—his forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
Yu Je-hyun quietly searched for the right moment to pass him the stimulant.
“You’re just like Kang Min and Hong Seong-jun. No interest at all in the truths buried beneath history.”
Yu Je-hyun’s indifferent reaction made Zero’s gaze turn ice-cold. These people were enjoying lives built on the backs of countless sacrifices, yet they had no idea.
The way Yu Je-hyun casually dismissed his attempt to reveal that past filled him with rage.
As his emotions surged, thick, grotesque veins bulged across his body—some so prominent they stood out even through his clothes.
Yu Je-hyun could feel it—Zero’s aura had shifted. The tension in the air snapped tighter.
They were roughly the same distance from Kang Min.
But who was faster in the moment? That was unclear. He could launch long-range attacks—but so could Zero.
And unlike Zero, Yu Je-hyun had to protect the Guides. If Zero decided to strike, he could hit Kang Min at any moment.
Between offense and defense, defense was always more difficult.
He didn’t care what happened to Hong Seong-jun. But Kang Min—he had to save.
“The past is the past for a reason. It’s over. If you get stuck in it, all you’ll do is wreck your present and future too.”
That didn’t mean you should ignore history—but Zero was so consumed by it, he was destroying lives that had nothing to do with it.
“And if it’s revenge you want, go after the people who actually hurt you. Why keep going after those weaker than you? What did Lee Haru ever do to you? What about the Guides Black kidnapped and sacrificed—did they wrong you too? I don’t think so.”
