“…Who the hell are you?!”
As Kang Biso stepped forward to approach Kim Yong-ha, Kim Hyun-joong blocked his path. Narrowing his eyes, Kang Biso glared at the man who dared stand in front of him.
He remembered this one—someone he’d briefly looked into during the investigation around Hwang Seol-bin. An A-Rank, sure, but unimpressive. Even if they were childhood friends, Hwang Seol-bin had always brushed him off. Kang Biso hadn’t paid him much attention, and now he understood why.
“I asked you who the hell you are!”
The finger-pointing and yelling were irritating as hell. Kang Biso let out a low, contemptuous hum. Everything about this guy got under his skin—his shouting, his presence, his complete lack of awareness. It wasn’t hard to see why Hwang Seol-bin always ignored him. The man was clueless and slow.
With a snap of his fingers, Kang Biso murmured,
“…I don’t have time to deal with you.”
Kim Hyun-joong’s pupils immediately lost focus, and he dropped like a marionette with its strings cut. Despite having seen something similar earlier, Kim Yong-ha’s eyes widened with panic, as if he still didn’t understand what was happening.
Wearing a cold, twisted smile, Kang Biso nudged Kim Hyun-joong’s unconscious body aside with his foot, then strode directly toward Kim Yong-ha. Standing over him, he looked down at the trembling man’s pale face.
Nothing stood in his way now.
Kim Yong-ha. That bastard. Kang Biso had torn the entire Guide Center apart looking for him. He wanted nothing more than to rip him to pieces right then and there—but he still didn’t know where Hwang Seol-bin was. Kang Bijun had already gone through the Center’s CCTV footage, but all it showed was Hwang Seol-bin following Kim Yong-ha. No clear destination. No precise location.
Right now, the only person who knew where Hwang Seol-bin had gone… was this bastard.
So for now, he had to hold back.
“Where’s Hwang Seol-bin?”
“A-Agh…”
Even though Kang Biso tried to keep his rage in check, the murderous pressure rolling off him was unmistakable. Kim Yong-ha trembled violently, his face deathly white, drenched in cold sweat.
“If you don’t want to die, I suggest you start talking.”
His voice was low, laced with fury, and his clenched jaw ground audibly. The sheer weight of it seemed to snap Kim Yong-ha partway out of his daze. He flinched, lips parting slightly—then sealed shut again. It looked like fear had him cornered, like he was about to confess everything.
But he didn’t.
“You’re not talking?”
“……”
“Fine. Even if I break a bone or two, it won’t stop me from finding Hwang Seol-bin. So—where should I start? I’ll make it hurt.”
Kang Biso took a step forward, voice cold and threatening. Kim Yong-ha staggered back, clearly shaken. Kang Biso saw the hesitation in his eyes—and leaned in harder.
“Don’t even think about getting clever. If you want to live even a little longer.”
“…O-Okay… I’ll take you. I’ll show you…”
Barely able to stand, Kim Yong-ha’s knees trembled as he turned and began to lead the way.
How long had they been walking?
Kang Biso narrowed his eyes, glaring daggers into Kim Yong-ha’s back.
…Is this bastard seriously screwing with me?
Kim Yong-ha kept stealing glances over his shoulder, circling the same hallways over and over. He clearly had no intention of leading them anywhere. What, did he think if he stalled long enough, someone would come save him?
Motherfucker…
Kang Biso’s patience had been hanging by a thread. He’d promised himself he’d hold it together until he found Hwang Seol-bin, but this was the last straw.
He grabbed Kim Yong-ha by the back of the neck and slammed him hard into the wall.
“Guh—kaff…!”
It happened in an instant.
Kim Yong-ha flailed in pain, gasping and struggling, but Kang Biso didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, he pressed down harder, crushing the man’s neck against the wall.
“I told you… show me properly.”
You think you can lie to me?
Kang Biso’s eyes darkened, his reason slipping.
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t until Kim Yong-ha let out a weak, choking sound that Kang Biso finally let go. He couldn’t kill him—not yet. He still needed the bastard alive to find Hwang Seol-bin.
Freed from his grasp, Kim Yong-ha collapsed on the floor, his legs giving out as he sucked in breath after ragged breath, barely hanging on.
“…Haa… huff…”
Kang Biso didn’t care. He grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back violently.
“Doesn’t seem like you really want to live. Want me to start by snapping your arm?”
His voice was ice—so cold and sharp it chilled to the bone. Kim Yong-ha shuddered, violently shaking his head.
“…F-Fine! I’ll go! I’ll take you there, I swear!”
“You’re not getting a third chance.”
Kang Biso let go of his hair and gave Kim Yong-ha a swift kick to the ankle, silently telling him to get up. Staggering, Kim Yong-ha pushed off the wall and rose to his feet, legs barely holding him up. His pupils were unfocused, his breath ragged—he looked completely out of it from fear. But Kang Biso didn’t care. None of that mattered. As long as the bastard led him to Hwang Seol-bin, that was all he needed.
Casting one last icy glare his way, Kang Biso started walking again.
After a long stretch of silent steps, they finally arrived at a lower level—underground.
“…This the place?”
Kang Biso looked around in disbelief. He never imagined there’d be a space like this inside the Center. No wonder they couldn’t find Hwang Seol-bin even after turning the place inside out. He was hidden in a place no one would’ve thought to search.
“He’s definitely in here, right?”
“Y-Yes… yes…”
Kim Yong-ha flinched at the sharp edge in Kang Biso’s voice and nodded, his shoulders hunched like he was bracing for a hit.
His vacant stare, his ghost-white face, the way his whole body trembled—it didn’t seem like he was lying. And honestly, even if he was, it didn’t matter. If this turned out to be a trick, then this time Kang Biso would really break something. Either way, the bastard wasn’t walking out of here unharmed.
With a vicious grin curling his lips, Kang Biso kicked the door open and stormed inside.
***
I’d been racking my brain, trying to figure out how to get these cuffs off, when the door suddenly burst open with a deafening bang. I jumped, whipping my head toward the noise.
“Kang Biso…!”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
There he was—Kang Biso, standing in the doorway. I blinked, stunned. I hadn’t even considered the possibility that he’d be the one to show up. While I stood there dumbfounded, he spotted me and ran straight over.
“Hwang Seol-bin!”
I looked at him, still in disbelief.
…How the hell did he find this place? What’s going on?
And behind him was Kim Yong-ha, looking like he’d already left half his soul behind.
Just as I started to frown, trying to make sense of it all, Kang Biso suddenly grabbed Kim Yong-ha by the collar and barked something at him. Kim Yong-ha scrambled to hand over something—then Kang Biso shoved him aside and rushed toward me.
I caught a glimpse of Kim Yong-ha stumbling back, eyes darting wildly, before he turned and bolted. I quickly called out,
“Kang Biso! Kim Yong-ha’s—!”
“Doesn’t matter. Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay, but… what about you? How did you find me? What happened?”
I scanned him up and down. He must’ve dragged Kim Yong-ha all the way here—something had to have happened along the way. I checked for injuries, but aside from a few rumpled clothes, he looked perfectly fine. No cuts, no bruises. Nothing.
Without a word, Kang Biso unlocked the cuffs on my wrists with a small key. That must’ve been what he got from Kim Yong-ha. Once he removed the last of the restraints, he gently brushed his fingers over the red marks left behind on my skin. His touch lingered.
“…Fuck.”
“…What’s wrong?”
His sudden curse caught me off guard. I blinked and looked at him. He was clenching his jaw, voice low and tight, eyes practically burning with rage.
“There’s a mark… on your wrist.”
“…It’s just from me struggling to get free. I’m really okay.”
I stood, brushing myself off to prove I meant it. My ankle throbbed, a dull ache pulsing through it, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I didn’t want Kang Biso looking at me like that—like I was something fragile. And more importantly, I needed to calm him down before he blew the roof off the whole place.
If he saw I was fine, maybe he’d settle.
I rolled my shoulders, shaking the stiffness from my limbs. Kang Biso turned away for a moment, then crouched down quietly.
“…What are you doing?”
“You shouldn’t be walking like that. Get on—I’ll carry you.”
“No, seriously, I’m fine.”
“We need to move fast. It’ll be quicker if I carry you.”
I hesitated. He had a point. We didn’t have time to argue, and dragging my injured foot would slow us down. I sighed, then carefully climbed onto his back. His shoulders were broader than I expected—solid, warm, grounding. Just being there made me feel safe.
“……!”
The moment I was secure, Kang Biso took off like a shot, racing through the underground and out of the Center without looking back. I wanted to ask where we were going, but everything blurred past us too fast for me to form words. I shut my eyes tight, holding on as the world raced by.
At some point, I must’ve passed out.
When I came to, we were already at his hideout.
“…Sit here.”
It was the same room I’d been in before—probably Kang Biso’s room.
I sat on the bed, and he immediately brought over a first aid kit. With quiet care, he began tending to my wrists and ankles, applying ointment and wrapping bandages like he was the one who’d been hurt. His expression twisted with every dab of medicine, like he was the one feeling the pain.
“…Haa.”
A sigh escaped before I realized it. Sitting here, with him, I finally felt safe again.
Now that I could breathe, the questions that had been swirling in my head finally came out.
“How did you even get in? And how did you find me?”
“I couldn’t get ahold of you. You weren’t in the Guiding Room either. I got worried, so… I started looking everywhere.”
“Everywhere…?”
“Well… Let’s just say I got a little rough when someone tried to stop me.”
My jaw dropped.
I’d assumed he’d snuck in quietly, like he did during my retest. But no—he made a mess. No wonder Kim Yong-ha had run for his life.
“There wasn’t any other way. I just… I thought you were in danger. I couldn’t sit around and do nothing.”
Even as he continued wrapping the bandage, he kept glancing at me, clearly worried I’d be upset. I narrowed my eyes at him and said firmly,
“No matter how worried you are, you can’t do something that dangerous again. Ever.”
“But…”
“Promise me.”
“….”
He lowered his shoulders, visibly deflating. But he still didn’t say the words.
Stubborn to the core…
Clicking my tongue, I looked down at him. Then, slowly, I reached out and placed a hand on his head. He flinched slightly, glancing up at me.
I gently ran my fingers through his hair, voice soft.
“…Anyway. Thank you. For coming to save me, Kang Biso.”
