“Kim Yong-ha!”
The door burst open, and Kim Hyun-joong stormed in, breathing heavily. The moment he saw Kim Yong-ha straddling me, his eyes went wide with shock. He rushed over, grabbed Kim Yong-ha by the arm, and yanked him off the bed, dragging him down to the floor without hesitation.
Kim Yong-ha scowled as he was pulled away, shooting a fierce glare at Kim Hyun-joong. He jerked his wrist free and snapped back, voice sharp and biting.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“That’s my line! What were you doing?! Why were you on top of him?!”
“Ha…”
With an exasperated sigh, Kim Yong-ha rubbed his forehead like he was dealing with a migraine. His gaze toward Kim Hyun-joong was full of disdain, like he couldn’t believe how stupid the man was being. Kim Hyun-joong flinched at that look, then barked again, louder.
“Did that bastard ask you to get on top of him? Said he wanted to screw around? Is that why you were all over him?! What did I tell you?! I warned you not to get close! It’s dangerous!”
“God, just shut up already…”
“I told you—he’s a fake! You never know when he’ll snap! I told you to be careful!”
“Haah…”
Kim Yong-ha let out another long sigh, like he was tired of even listening.
The tension between them was thick—clearly, something was off. Despite having helped imprison me, Kim Hyun-joong was now going on about how dangerous I was, how I shouldn’t be approached. Even I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. And what was that about me being a fake?
“Seriously… You’re still going on about that?”
“What?”
Kim Hyun-joong, who’d been ranting with veins bulging from his neck, stiffened at the flat, indifferent tone in Kim Yong-ha’s voice.
“What do you mean, still going on?”
“How long are you planning to cling to that ridiculous theory?”
“‘Ridiculous’?! That’s why we brought him here in the first place! Because he’s a fake—he’s dangerous!”
Come to think of it, before I passed out from the drugs, Kim Hyun-joong had asked where the real one was.
So that’s what it was. Kim Hyun-joong had been suspicious of my identity from the start. And if Kim Yong-ha caught on to that and lured him in…
Yeah. Kim Yong-ha had used him—just a tool to help keep me locked up.
And now that I was secured and he didn’t need him anymore, things were falling apart between them. If I played this right, I might actually benefit from this mess.
I stayed silent, holding my breath as I watched the two argue.
“You agreed with me before! You said he felt like a fake, that we should capture him and check!”
“I did, yes.”
“Then why the hell—?!”
Looking annoyed, Kim Yong-ha covered his ears and shook his head like he couldn’t even be bothered to respond.
“I needed to keep sunbae locked up. But I couldn’t do it alone.”
“Th-Then what about me?”
“You were convenient. You followed so easily when I pretended to listen to you—it made things easy. I was planning to keep faking an investigation, but… things moved faster than expected.”
“Ha…!”
“So why the hell did you suddenly barge in and ruin everything?”
“……”
Kim Yong-ha pointed to the door and spoke like he was delivering the final blow.
“It’s over now. Just walk away. Don’t tell anyone about this. As a thank-you for your help, I’ll give you all the Guiding you want.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…”
Kim Hyun-joong’s face flushed deep red. The realization that he’d been played had finally hit him. Meanwhile, Kim Yong-ha looked as bored and unfazed as ever.
Things are getting interesting…
At this rate, Kim Hyun-joong might actually let me go out of spite. Now that he knew he’d been used, he wasn’t going to just sit back and take it.
I looked at him, holding onto a sliver of hope.
But instead of turning on Kim Yong-ha, his fury shifted—to me. Our eyes met, and without warning, he threw a punch straight at my face.
“You smug little fake, what the hell are you staring at?! Think this is funny?!”
“Stop it!”
Kim Yong-ha reached out to block him, but—Wham!—the punch still landed, crashing into my cheek like a release of pent-up rage. Eyes wide, Kim Yong-ha stepped between us, glaring hard enough to stop Kim Hyun-joong in his tracks.
The message was clear: Don’t come any closer.
Grinding his teeth, Kim Hyun-joong hissed out his frustration.
“I’m telling you—he’s a fake! Why won’t you believe me?!”
“…Whatever the case, I appreciate your help. But I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”
“You fucking bastard…”
A curse slipped through clenched teeth. He’d kept up a polite act while playing the role of a security guard, but his patience had finally snapped. His bloodshot eyes burned with fury as he glared at Kim Yong-ha—but the man didn’t budge.
The tense standoff came to an end when Kim Hyun-joong finally took a step back. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, he shot me a sharp glare before turning to Kim Yong-ha once more, trying to reason with him.
“…Hah. Let’s take this outside. We’ll talk. I’ll explain everything again, slowly and clearly—why that bastard’s a fake. Us fighting in here doesn’t help anyone.”
“Hwang Seol-bin… isn’t a fake.”
Surprisingly, I found myself a little impressed with Kim Hyun-joong.
Despite being childhood friends with the real Hwang Seol-bin, and likely having plenty of reasons to believe in him, Kim Hyun-joong was showing an impressive amount of restraint—even while facing Kim Yong-ha, who stubbornly refused to believe the truth. His facial muscles were twitching and his face was flushed to the point of bursting, but still, he held back.
He was probably only enduring it because Kim Yong-ha was an S-Rank Guide. That’s likely the whole reason he became his bodyguard—to leech off whatever he could just by sticking close.
It looked like he planned to drag Yong-ha outside and try to talk some sense into him. Unfortunately for him, I’d already figured out the whole situation.
I licked my dry lips.
“…Let’s just step outside for a moment.”
“If someone’s leaving, it should be you. And do me a favor—don’t go around spreading weird rumors.”
Yong-ha made it clear he had zero intention of backing down. He was so fixated on the idea of locking me up that it was like he couldn’t hear a single word anyone else said.
And that seemed to push Kim Hyun-joong over the edge.
“Are you seriously messing with me right now?!”
“I don’t recall joking. Anyway, if you’re leaving, just go.”
“Oh, that’s how you wanna play it?”
Hyun-joong twisted his lips into a smirk and suddenly grabbed Yong-ha’s wrist, dragging him toward the door without hesitation.
“Ugh! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Yong-ha tried to pull away, but there was no way a mere Guide like him could overpower an Esper like Kim Hyun-joong.
“If you won’t listen to me, then there’s no reason to keep Hwang Seol-bin locked up. Let’s go talk to the Team Leader.”
“What are you talking about?! Let go of me!”
“You really think you can hide the fact that you illegally imprisoned Hwang Seol-bin? The moment we talk to the Team Leader, it’s all coming out.”
“Have you lost your mind?! Let go! I said let go!”
Yong-ha’s face drained of color. This was clearly not how he thought things would play out. But Hyun-joong had already made up his mind. Without even glancing at the struggling Yong-ha, he dragged him out of the room.
“You really think you can ignore me and walk away like nothing happened? You better be ready for what’s coming.”
“Ugh! Let go! Let go of me!”
Yong-ha’s voice cracked with rage as the door slammed shut behind them.
…What a goddamn mess.
In the end, nothing had changed. Both of them wanted me locked up. No matter how pissed they were at each other, neither of them had ever planned to let me go.
Alone now in the silent room, I stared blankly at the closed door.
All I had to do was walk through it.
But I couldn’t.
I sighed heavily.
***
Kim Yong-ha was dragged down the hallway by the wrist, his feet barely keeping up with Kim Hyun-joong’s determined pace.
He couldn’t believe Hyun-joong was actually doing this. Clenching his jaw, he looked up at the man pulling him forward, his mind racing.
He had to stop him. Somehow, some way.
If Kim Hyun-joong opened his mouth and blurted out that Yong-ha had kidnapped and imprisoned Hwang Seol-bin, that would be the end. There’d be no undoing it.
It wouldn’t just be that Hwang Seol-bin avoided him.
It meant he’d never again see that kind, warm gaze looking his way.
He’d lose that forever.
“I’m telling you—Esper Kim Hyun-joong! Mr. Kim Hyun-joong! Hyun-joong!”
No matter how many times he shouted, Hyun-joong didn’t stop. He didn’t even look at him.
He hadn’t planned on listening to Yong-ha in the first place.
If this kept going, he might really let Hwang Seol-bin go.
After everything… after all the trouble he went through just to get his hands on him…
He hadn’t even touched him yet.
If he’d known this would happen, he never would’ve used Hyun-joong. It would’ve taken longer, but he should’ve handled everything on his own.
Regret crashed down on him—but it was already too late. Hyun-joong wasn’t slowing down, and the Team Leader’s office was right up ahead.
“No! You can’t! I said you can’t!”
Hyun-joong looked at him the same way Yong-ha had earlier—with pure annoyance. Gritting his teeth, Yong-ha finally snapped.
“Just leave it alone! Even if you tell the Team Leader, it won’t change anything!”
“We’ll see about that. Whether he’s the real Hwang Seol-bin or not.”
“……”
“Either way, he won’t be staying with you.”
Yong-ha’s expression twisted at those words, unwilling to accept them.
This couldn’t be how it ended.
He couldn’t lose Hwang Seol-bin without doing anything.
No—he refused to let that happen.
Just as he stood frozen in silent despair—
Tap. Tap. Tap—!
“Something’s wrong! There’s—people…!”
“No…!”
Thud!
People who had been rushing in their direction began to collapse one by one.
In an instant, bodies hit the floor like dominoes. Yong-ha and Hyun-joong looked around in alarm, eyes scanning their surroundings.
“What the hell is that noise?”
And then, a voice. Low. Calm. Icy.
Yong-ha turned toward the sound—and froze.
There, standing just ahead, was a man.
Bronzed skin. Tight, curling hair. Striking features that left a vivid impression even at a glance. But it was his eyes—dark and gleaming with a murderous glint—that truly chilled the air.
…That man!
Yong-ha swallowed hard without meaning to. A cold sweat trickled down his spine.
The man walked forward slowly, then stopped as soon as their eyes met.
Creeeak—
His mouth twisted into a wide grin, stretching almost too far—unnaturally so. It wasn’t a smile. It was a grotesque imitation of one. Pure menace, painted in the shape of amusement.
Every hair on Yong-ha’s body stood on end. His legs locked up. He couldn’t move.
“…Kang Biso…”
The name slipped out without him realizing.
The one person he’d hoped to never see again.
The man he despised more than anyone else in the world.
