When Eun-jo didn’t answer, the man let out a hum, followed by a soft sigh as he fell into thought.
“I mean… there has to be a Guide with multiple Imprints out there, right? Especially with Code Red now…”
“……”
“Still, I kind of envy it, honestly. It’s… romantic, in a way.”
“Romantic?”
“Yeah. The idea that only one person in the world can save your life—it’s like something straight out of a novel. And it’s not like it happens often, either… There really aren’t that many Espers who Imprints.”
You’d have to be ridiculously promiscuous for that.
Even with that joke tossed out lightly, Eun-jo didn’t so much as twitch. The man cleared his throat and asked again.
“But why are you asking?”
“Just curious. About what happened to everyone.”
In the original novel, the moment the main conflict was resolved, the story just… ended. It never said what happened to the protagonist afterward. The ambiguous conclusion had stirred up a flood of comments, but the noise quieted quickly once the author promised a sequel.
That was why Eun-jo had held out hope for the epilogue—right up until the moment he died.
“I doubt a Guide like that even exists. Who in their right mind would Imprint with not just one, but three Espers?”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
Eun-jo muttered bitterly.
“I guess it’s my turn to lose my mind.”
As if that alone would fix anything.
Letting out a hollow laugh, Eun-jo slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again. No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out a way out of this. Soon, he’d awaken as an S-Rank and finally escape the brink of death, but…
What comes after that?
He glanced down at his own body—collar locked around his neck, ring on his finger—and his mouth went dry. Lifting the bottle he’d been holding, Eun-jo took a sip. Watching him, Kim Dan-seop muttered to himself.
“Those three Espers are really in for it too.”
The water tasted strange. There was a weird scent—sharp and unpleasant, like it had been laced with something.
“If one Guide dies, then all of them are as good as dead.”
The voice rang out, calm and emotionless. That’s when Eun-jo realized—the strange smell hadn’t come from the water after all. It was the air itself. Lee Sang-heon, who’d been lying still moments ago, suddenly sprang upright.
The floor trembled.
Emergency lights flashed to life, and chaos erupted as Espers scattered in a panic.
“W-What’s going on?!”
“Are we supposed to evacuate? Where’s the team leader?!”
The rookies, completely inexperienced with Gates, had no idea what to do. Some just stood frozen, others aimlessly searched for their superiors. Watching them, Eun-jo’s frustration boiled over.
He pushed through the crowd and slammed his fist into the fire alarm.
“Move! Get out, now!”
The alarm shrieked to life, and finally, the dazed Espers began filing toward the exit in a panic.
“Woof!”
Lee Sang-heon bounded toward him and rammed his snout into the back of Eun-jo’s knee. As Eun-jo stumbled, the beast dove beneath him, caught his fall, and bolted through the center.
Overhead, a massive Gate loomed above the building—easily twice the size of the one that Team A entered. Hanging in the sky like a gaping black hole, the monstrous Gate turned Eun-jo’s face pale.
What the hell—this wasn’t in the story!
The vortex pulsed, like it could spit out monsters at any second. Eun-jo scanned the chaos. Through the panicked crowd, he spotted members of the Security Team.
“Just give me a gun—anything!”
But even they were frozen in shock. No one here had ever expected a Gate to open in a backwater branch like this. The Security Team stood motionless, stunned.
Eun-jo sprinted up to them.
“Gun! Now!”
“Ah—y-yeah… a gun…”
He shoved his hand into a guard’s coat and grabbed a spare pistol and a few bullets. Then he shouted,
“Snap out of it! We don’t have time—get to the shelters, now!”
At that moment, a scream rang out, followed by a rush of air above his head. Across from him, the guards all looked up.
Before Eun-jo could even react, something sharp slammed into both his shoulders.
“Agh!”
Pain ripped through his skin as he looked up—and locked eyes with a creature. It had the wings of a bird, but its head was monstrously large and unnatural.
A monster!
In the next instant, Eun-jo was yanked violently into the air. Just before he could be lifted out of reach, Lee Sang-heon leapt with a powerful kick, extending his legs and catching Eun-jo’s body in all four limbs.
Like a bird snatching prey, the creature shot upward, dragging them both straight toward the Gate.
“Guide Yeo Eun-jo!”
“Up there! That’s the Guide!”
As Espers finally snapped out of their trance, the monster vanished into the swirling black vortex with both of them in its grip. Even the supervisors, who’d been shouting about deploying trainees or calling Central, stood frozen, staring up at the sky.
“T-The Gate—it’s disappearing!”
Someone screamed. Slowly, the massive Gate began to shrink. Bit by bit, its swirling edges faded, as if it had finished what it came to do. In seconds, it was completely gone.
All that remained were the stunned, speechless staff.
Kim Dan-seop was the first to snap out of it. He yanked out his phone and shouted,
“Call Central! Now!”
“R-Right! On it!”
He immediately dialed Jin Mu-seong from his recent calls. As the dial tone dragged on and on, Kim Dan-seop’s face grew increasingly grim.
***
A strange, unfamiliar world stretched out before him. Beneath his feet, a thick, endless forest canopy spread in all directions. Eun-jo blinked, dazed.
It was clear—they were inside the Gate.
His shoulders throbbed with pain. When he looked down and saw the deep puncture wounds from the claws, the pain hit him all over again. Gritting his teeth, Eun-jo forced himself to turn his head.
Just then, Lee Sang-heon nudged Eun-jo’s cheek with the tip of his nose. When Eun-jo looked down, the snow-white beast gave a subtle glance at his own paws.
“You want me to hold on?”
“Woof.”
Lee Sang-heon nodded, then slowly turned his gaze upward. The bird-like monster didn’t seem to notice them at all—it was flying steadily, as if its only goal was to reach its nest.
“Woof.”
Their eyes met again. The bark was quiet but certain, like he was confirming something.
“…You mean wait a little longer, then strike?”
“Woof.”
Lee Sang-heon nodded once more and lowered himself into a crouch. Like a predator stalking its prey, his eyes locked onto the monster with calm intensity. He didn’t even breathe, watching for the perfect opening. Eun-jo followed his lead, observing the creature silently.
Its body and head were huge, but its legs were ridiculously thin—a clear weak point.
It won’t die from an injury like that… but it should be enough to break free.
Lee Sang-heon had probably reached the same conclusion. The moment the monster spread its wings downward, he sprang into action. In one clean motion, his sharp teeth sank into the creature’s leg like a weapon.
A shriek tore through the air.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Woof.”
At the same time, the monster’s claws ripped free from Eun-jo’s shoulders. Without missing a beat, Eun-jo lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Lee Sang-heon.
They plummeted.
The dense forest below broke their fall. Branches scraped at Eun-jo’s face, back, and legs as they tumbled through the trees. Sharp twigs jabbed at every part of him, leaving thin scratches all over. But the pain was dulled by the warmth holding him—Lee Sang-heon’s body curled even tighter around him, shielding him from the worst of the impact.
“Ugh…!”
Before he could even process the landing, Lee Sang-heon was already pulling him upright by the collar. He hoisted Eun-jo onto his back again and immediately broke into a run.
His shoulders felt like they were on fire, but Eun-jo didn’t have the luxury of checking the wounds. All he could do was cling tightly, keeping his head down so he wouldn’t get in the way.
Damn it. Think. Think. There was a Gate like this in the novel—wasn’t there?
He flipped through the scenes in his mind, trying to recall every version he’d read and reread.
Not a psychic-type Gate… Tentacle one already happened…
A heavy shadow fell across the forest floor. The monster was calling for backup—others were definitely closing in. Eun-jo didn’t even dare glance at the sky. He shut his eyes tightly.
“Birds… birds…”
He was sure of it. There’d been a Gate like this before. A Gate with bird-like monsters. He squeezed his thoughts harder, and then—like a miracle—a specific line from the novel floated to the surface.
“Lee Sang-heon!”
The beast’s ears perked up mid-run.
“Those birds! I think they’re tracking by sound!”
“Woof?”
“They can’t see! They’re hunting by ear!”
Lee Sang-heon skidded to a stop, glancing around. Without hesitation, he ducked into a patch of tall, thick grass and gently laid Eun-jo down. Then he stretched his body over him protectively.
Screeeeech!
A blood-curdling cry rang out as the monsters descended. They landed just beyond the grass, their grotesque heads turning as they blinked.
The sight still made Eun-jo’s skin crawl. Their heads and torsos were fused into one huge, bulbous mass—beaks, wings, and eyes all sticking out from the same round body. Every time they blinked, the gray hue of their eyes darkened.
As the monsters crept closer, Lee Sang-heon used his body to shield Eun-jo’s face. Eun-jo gripped the gun in his pocket tightly.
Thump, thump.
A heart was pounding so loud it echoed in his ears. He couldn’t even tell if it was his own.
