Just as I was getting ready to start Guiding, Kim Hyun-joong didn’t even bother to sit down. He jumped straight to the point.
“Who was that guy earlier?”
“Why do you care?”
“Hey, Hwang Seol-bin. Don’t you think you’ve been neglecting me lately?”
I blinked, stunned. Was he serious right now?
“Do you even know what ‘neglect’ means?”
“…You’ve changed, Seol-bin. You used to apologize right away.”
“……”
“Keep acting like this, and I’m done. I won’t come to you for Guiding anymore.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
I’d been trying to stay calm, but his nonsense was really pushing my buttons.
I got up and, recalling the entries in Hwang Seol-bin’s diary, said flatly,
“What, you want me to go back to how I was? Hanging on your every word, doing whatever you told me to?”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“And why the hell should I?”
“Because you like me!”
The moment the words left his mouth, he slapped a hand over it, like it had just slipped out.
So he knew. He knew all along.
Hwang Seol-bin liked Kim Hyun-joong. That secret had been buried in the diary—something Seol-bin had never confessed to anyone.
And yet, Kim Hyun-joong had known. He pretended not to, played dumb, and used him anyway.
Unbelievable. What a piece of shit.
How much more of this was I supposed to put up with? Wasn’t this more than enough?
Kim Hyun-joong wasn’t someone Hwang Seol-bin needed. Not anymore.
Sure, if I wanted to follow the original story, I could’ve let this slide. But cutting off a toxic extra like him? That wouldn’t break the plot. Not in the slightest.
“…Yeah, you’re right. I do like you. And you know what? You should be damn grateful that someone like me is even Guiding you.”
“……!”
My eyes narrowed, full of venom, as I stared him down.
He’d finally crossed the line. There was no mercy left for someone who played with other people’s feelings.
If I didn’t get angry for Hwang Seol-bin’s sake, then who would? Someone had to protect him.
Fine. I’d do it myself.
“Get out.”
“…What?”
“I said get out. I’m not Guiding you anymore. Stop crawling back here like a loser and go find someone else.”
“You… What did you just say?”
“I said I’m done Guiding you!”
“I was trying to be nice, but—”
“Nice? Don’t kid yourself. I’m the one who’s been letting you off easy.”
I walked toward him slowly, deliberately. He flinched, took a step back, then froze—like he couldn’t believe he was actually scared of me.
“Get lost, Kim Hyun-joong. And don’t ever show your face in front of me again.”
“You son of a—!”
His lips twisted in rage. He glared at me like he wanted to kill me, then finally snapped—swinging his hand at my face.
But I dodged easily, grabbed his wrist mid-air, and twisted it back without hesitation.
“Agh! What the hell—Let go of me!”
He shrieked, panic written all over his face, but I didn’t care. I shoved him out the door.
“…Are you insane?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“I warned you. Show up again, and I won’t hold back.”
“Ugh…”
The moment he saw the fury in my eyes, his face turned pale. He stumbled back, struggling to catch his breath.
“You… you…”
“Goodbye, Kim Hyun-joong. Oh, and one more thing—”
I slammed the door in his face.
“—I don’t like you anymore.”
And then I locked it. I should’ve done this a long time ago.
“Open this damn door! Hey! Hwang Seol-bin!”
Right on cue, he started throwing a tantrum. Kicking the door, ringing the bell, screaming like a lunatic…
Let him throw his little fit.
I ignored him. Completely.
I flipped on the TV, ignoring the chaos outside, hoping the change of atmosphere would help clear my head.
“What’s even on at this hour…?”
Thinking about it now, I should’ve just gone to dinner with Kang Biso. Letting him go like that was a waste—he looked pretty disappointed too…
I’ll treat him to something good next time. After everything that happened today, and considering how often I’ve mooched off him, it’s only fair. Now that I think about it… what kind of food does Kang Biso like, anyway?
[We interrupt this program for breaking news.]
I froze mid-channel flip at the sudden alert.
“Huh?”
[A large-scale dungeon signal has just been detected. Location: Dong Apartment Complex in Seoul. All nearby residents are urged to evacuate immediately. I repeat, a large-scale dungeon signal has been confirmed. All nearby residents, please evacuate to a safe area at once. A large-scale dungeon is imminent. Please evacuate as quickly as possib—…]
Fzzzzzt.
The broadcast cut out with a burst of static, the screen going completely black.
“Wait… that’s my apartment.”
A large-scale dungeon was about to open. I already knew that.
It was the first major incident in the novel—the opening scene that introduced the protagonist.
An S-Rank dungeon, right in the middle of an apartment complex.
Since it was the first large-scale dungeon to appear in Korea, every available Esper was mobilized.
They fought monsters and rescued civilians. But with the waves of monsters never-ending and insufficient Guiding to stabilize them, the Espers began to lose control.
Then, on the seventh day after the dungeon opened…
The protagonist, an S-Rank Guide, finally made his appearance. Thanks to him, the Espers were saved from going berserk, and the crisis came to a close.
Unbelievable…
The book never specified the exact location of the dungeon. And since the main plot hadn’t kicked off yet, I’d let my guard down.
So why the hell is the dungeon opening here?!
This wasn’t supposed to happen. But now wasn’t the time to panic.
I started moving, fast.
I grabbed my black jumper, a cap, and anything that could serve as a weapon—my small dagger, and even the gun I’d taken off that bank robber last time.
BOOOOM!!!
I was about to toss some chocolate and candy into my bag as emergency rations when the whole apartment started shaking. The vibrations ran deep, crawling up my spine.
This is bad. I need to get out. Right now.
My instincts as a former Special Agent kicked in.
The pounding at my door had stopped. The flickering lights in the apartment had gone out completely.
“…Shit.”
Total darkness.
Normally, there’d be some streetlight seeping in, but now it felt like the world had been swallowed whole.
Was I already inside the dungeon?
I had no idea what to do. I’d never been in this kind of situation before, and the panic crept in fast.
Then a memory from the novel flashed through my mind.
One week. That’s how long it took for the protagonist to arrive and the Espers to clear the dungeon.
Okay. I just need to survive for one week. If I can do that, I’ll make it out alive.
Which meant… if I wanted to improve my chances—
I needed to find the main male lead. The S-Rank Esper who gets dragged into this dungeon by pure coincidence.
If I stick with him, I can probably make it through the week.
With a clear objective, my mind calmed.
BOOOOM!!!
“Ah, shit…”
The tremors grew even more intense. The whole building was starting to buckle. I couldn’t hesitate any longer.
I bolted out the door.
“Move!”
“I can’t see anything—somebody help! Please!”
“Please, someone—help us!”
Outside was pure hell.
Panic had already gripped everyone. People were screaming, running in all directions. Cries for help echoed through the air.
As expected, Kim Hyun-joong was nowhere to be seen. Typical. Never around when it actually matters.
I need to get out of the building.
Fortunately, even in the darkness, I could still make out people’s outlines. I could navigate toward the stairwell.
“Get out of the way!”
“Ah! My foot!”
“Shit—move it! The whole place is gonna come down!”
“Mommy—!”
“Someone’s trapped under here!!!”
Even in the chaos, people shoved forward, desperate to escape. And the moment the last of them made it out, the apartment began to collapse.
“Hah… hah…”
I barely escaped. Gasping for air, I kept running, eyes fixed ahead, trying to put as much distance between me and the crumbling building as possible.
KWA-KRA-KRANG!!!
A thunderous crash rang out behind me, followed by blood-curdling screams.
People were being crushed in the collapse—screaming in terror, in pain. But there was nothing I could do.
Right now, finding the male lead was my top priority.
“Hah… hah… What the hell…?”
After sprinting a while, I finally slowed down, catching my breath—only to freeze again.
Another nightmare had unfolded before me.
“Shit…”
I couldn’t even curse properly. All I could do was sigh.
We were surrounded by forest, completely swallowed by darkness. From deep within came the bloodlust of monsters and the screams of people being hunted.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Help! Please, somebody help!”
“Nooo!”
Monsters—just like the ones described in the book—were hunting people down like prey.
It was like a scene from a war movie. A battlefield littered with corpses and chaos. Total carnage.
“Damn…”
So this is what a dungeon really looked like.
It was nothing like any Special Forces mission I’d ever been on. Sure, I’d seen dead bodies before—but not monsters like these.
KRRROOOAAR!!!
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
A monstrous roar ripped through the air. I turned my head—and there it was.
A hulking creature with sickly green skin and a bald, grotesque head. It looked like something straight out of a horror film.
Its fangs were massive and gleamed with blood. Bits of flesh—human, by the look of it—still clung to its lips.
CLICK!
I quickly pulled out my gun and chambered a round.
Would it even work on something like that?
Even if it didn’t, I just needed to create an opening. With something that big, there had to be weaknesses—slow movements, exposed gaps.
Wait for the right moment. Aim. Fire. Then run.
KROOOOAAAR!!!
“Watch out!”
Just as the monster lunged, a voice shouted behind me.
Human.
Relief surged through me for a brief second—but just as I prepared to dodge forward, something yanked me back by the collar.
“Ghhk—!”
My clothes tightened around my throat. I couldn’t breathe.
I kicked and twisted, but whoever had grabbed me didn’t let go. He kept running, dragging me with him, putting distance between us and the monster.
“Are you okay?”
“Cough—hah… hah… gah…”
I thought I was going to choke to death. My stomach churned with nausea.
I could’ve handled it. Why the hell would anyone grab someone like that?
Ready to curse him out, I whipped around—and went completely still.
“You were really scared, huh? It’s okay now. Just breathe.”
Blond hair. Blue eyes. Soft features full of warmth and concern.
His gaze held nothing but genuine kindness.
That rare hair and eye color… there was only one person in the novel who looked like this.
Didn’t expect to run into him this soon.
The S-Rank Esper. The destined partner of the S-Rank Guide protagonist.
The male lead—Kim Seong-gyeong—had finally appeared.
