Kang Biso stared at the door Kim Seong-gyeong was guarding for a long moment before finally speaking.
“Kang Bijun, there’s no other emergency exit, right?”
“Of course not. You were the one who shot me down when I suggested building a second one, remember?”
“Goddamn it…”
Kang Biso shook his head with a heavy expression. I felt my own stomach sink along with his. The realization that we had to break through that door somehow made my mind go completely blank.
How the hell are we supposed to get out of here?
I scanned the area, but nothing around us looked even remotely helpful.
“Kang Bijun. I’ll create a distraction. You take my hyung and run.”
“That’s way too risky.”
“It’s the best shot we’ve got. We can’t all afford to get caught.”
His usual mischievous grin was gone, replaced with a dead-serious expression. I couldn’t argue anymore.
Yeah… I knew it too. Logically, this was the smartest move. But what about after?
If we get caught now, there’s no saving Kang Biso.
We have to escape together. All of us. I racked my brain in desperation. Just then, Kang Biso stepped forward, as if ready to charge.
And in that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.
My eyes darted around. The cracked walls of the hideout. The warped door, barely hanging on its hinges from being forced open. It looked dangerously unstable—like one more solid hit would bring it all crashing down.
Perfect.
“Kang Biso, draw their attacks toward the door. Remember what I did last time? If we bring down the wall near the entrance, we can break out that way.”
“Lure their attacks toward the door, huh… All right, I’ll try.”
“You have to make it out safe.”
Kang Biso met my gaze, then reached over and gently ruffled my hair. That soft, reassuring gesture—like he was telling me not to worry—calmed my nerves a bit.
“Stay hidden here. Once the wall comes down, then you make a run for it. Until then, don’t move. No matter what. Got it?”
“Yeah. I’ll wait.”
“Kang Bijun, I’m counting on you to look after him.”
“Got it. Just don’t get yourself killed.”
Kang Bijun’s eyes were full of unease. He was clearly worried, though he didn’t say it aloud.
Kang Biso took a deep breath—then shot out like a bullet.
“There he is!”
“Get him!”
The moment they spotted him, a flurry of enemies charged forward with a roar. Kang Biso threw out his hand toward the ones trying to block him, and with just one sweeping motion, they were hurled aside, screaming in pain.
“That’s our Captain!”
“We knew he’d pull through!”
The captured ZEC agents who had been tied up erupted in cheers and immediately joined the fight, seizing the moment to strike back.
At that point, Kim Seong-gyeong stepped forward.
“Urgh!”
Kang Biso barely dodged the punch that came flying in—just by a hair. But he wasn’t so lucky with the second hit; it grazed him. He stumbled backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, and glared at Kim Seong-gyeong.
“You break into someone’s hideout and start wrecking the place—don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
“…Where is Seol-bin?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“…So we’re doing this the hard way.”
“You think I’m the unreasonable one here?”
Their eyes locked in a tense standoff. And then, without warning, they lunged at each other again. Their movements were so fast that even their collisions left behind afterimages.
With Kim Seong-gyeong, it made sense—his speed came from his ability. But Kang Biso? How the hell was he keeping up?
I narrowed my eyes, focusing on Kang Biso’s movements.
Ah. He’s not actually keeping up.
He was watching for the exact moment Kim Seong-gyeong activated his power—a tiny hesitation just before each strike—and using that opening to dodge by a hair’s breadth. One slip in concentration and he’d be down in an instant.
I swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the fight. Kang Biso naturally shifted his positioning, inching closer to the door just like we planned. But Kim Seong-gyeong must have caught on. He started adjusting his attacks so that even when he missed, nothing landed near the door.
I clicked my tongue in frustration.
So the same trick won’t work twice, huh?
I scrambled to think of another way to support him. But before I could come up with anything, one of Kim Seong-gyeong’s subordinates—probably sensing that his superior was in trouble—panicked and suddenly activated his ability.
“Kim Seong-gyeong-ssi, get out of the way!”
“No, wait—!”
“You villain bastard! Eat this and DIE!”
Kim Seong-gyeong tried to stop the Esper—but he was a second too late.
The impact of the attack was massive. It echoed like a bomb going off, and with a deafening crash, the wall holding up one side of the door collapsed. Just like that, the outside came into full view through the gaping hole.
This is our chance…!
A thick cloud of dust filled the air, making it impossible to see ahead—but that only worked in our favor. I grabbed Kang Bijun’s hand and sprinted toward the sliver of light breaking through the dust.
Thankfully, no one tried to stop us. Maybe the dust was still too dense to see through—or maybe it was because we weren’t the only ones fleeing. Villains were scattering in every direction, making it harder to tell who was who.
Kang Bijun and I slipped out through the alley, ducked into a safer area, and looked around frantically.
Where’s Kang Biso? Did he not make it out yet? He has to get out too…
Just then, someone grabbed my wrist. Startled, I instinctively pulled back and raised my hand to attack— But the moment I saw who it was, the strength left my body.
It was Kang Biso. Covered in dust and bruises, his breathing ragged, he was clearly at his limit.
“Go! Now!”
“There they are! After them!”
“They’re all escaping! Move faster!”
The ones chasing after us were instantly knocked down by Kang Biso’s ability. With no time to waste, we ran—pushing through the chaos and disappearing into the night.
***
“Hah… Hah… What do we do now? Where do we go?”
Once we confirmed no one was following us, we snuck into an abandoned construction site and caught our breath.
Everyone was gasping for air, our minds spinning as we tried to figure out our next move. That’s when Kang Biso, peeking out from a shadowy corner, muttered under his breath.
“Let’s go to my place.”
“…Your place?”
“Yeah. It’s an old house I bought a while back. Haven’t used it, but it’ll do.”
A house…? That was the first bit of good news we’d had all night. Judging by the way Kang Bijun just nodded, he must’ve already known about it.
“No one else knows it exists. We’ll lie low there and figure out our next move.”
Both Kang Bijun and I nodded without a word. We moved quickly, keeping to the shadows, and not long after, arrived safely at the house Kang Biso had mentioned.
“Come in.”
So this is Kang Biso’s house…
It was a two-story home with a small, neglected garden out front. It looked a bit wild from lack of upkeep, but all things considered, it was in great shape. I followed him inside, glancing around as I stepped through the door.
“Whoa…”
I couldn’t help but exhale in awe.
The inside was spacious and surprisingly cozy. Warm-colored walls, simple decor—it was nothing like the stark black-and-white aesthetic of his room back at the hideout. I never would’ve guessed he had this kind of taste.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
My clothes were a mess, so I quietly sat down on the floor. Kang Bijun, clearly used to the place, sank into the couch without hesitation. Kang Biso sat beside me.
“Hyung. Are you hurt anywhere?”
His complexion was pale, and he didn’t look great. His hands trembled slightly, sweat clung to his skin, and he had visible bruises on his face and shoulder. It didn’t look life-threatening, but seeing him like this still made my chest tighten.
“Do you have a first-aid kit, Kang Biso?”
“Yeah. One sec.”
He disappeared briefly and returned with a small kit in hand. I took it and gently started applying medicine to his wounds.
“So… what now?”
Kang Bijun let out a tired sigh, running a hand through his hair as he spoke. He sounded overwhelmed, and I couldn’t blame him.
We’d lost everything in the blink of an eye—our hideout, our people. We didn’t even know who had survived.
“I’ll get the others back. The ones they captured.”
“You’re serious? We barely made it out today. You think that’s even possible?”
Kang Bijun’s voice was laced with disbelief, and honestly, I agreed. No matter how determined Kang Biso was, it felt like trying to shatter a boulder with a pebble. But still, Kang Biso nodded without hesitation.
“Then we make it possible. You plan, I fight. That’s how we’ve always worked.”
“In a situation this hopeless, what kind of plan am I supposed to come up with…” He sighed again. “Fine. Whatever.”
Kang Bijun frowned but eventually nodded. He gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath.
“We’re not going down like this.”
And Kang Biso clearly felt the same. Their expressions were ice cold—but their eyes burned with fury. Rage aimed squarely at the government that had stolen everything from them.
And I… I felt the same. They’d lost their home and their comrades overnight. Of course they were angry.
A heavy silence settled between us for a while—until Kang Bijun looked at me and, maybe trying to lighten the mood, asked curiously:
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask… What’s with the bag? You’ve been carrying it this whole time. Got something important in there?”
“Huh? Oh, this?”
My heart skipped a beat. I tried to keep my face neutral as I slowly slipped the bag off my shoulders. Kang Bijun leaned forward, curiosity written all over his face.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Just grabbed it on instinct. Figured it might be useful.”
“You thought to pack something even in that chaos? Man, Hwang Seol-bin, you’re something else.”
Thankfully, Kang Bijun didn’t seem suspicious. I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
We spent the next while talking through possible next steps. In the end, we agreed to stay under the radar until things cooled down. Then we’d track down the Villains who had escaped and regroup.
Those who got away were probably looking for us too. Gathering everyone came first.
And once we had the numbers—we’d take the fight to the government. Rescue the ones still locked up. That was our ultimate goal. It sounded impossible, sure—but right now, it was the only path left to us.
After deciding on our plan, we finally dragged our tired bodies up from the floor.
Kang Biso gave us a quick rundown of the house’s layout and took me upstairs to the room we’d share. Kang Bijun, saying it was safer to be on a different floor just in case, headed downstairs.
Once we were alone, Kang Biso glanced at my bag and asked,
“…You brought the Book of Wishes, right?”
“Yeah. There was no way I could let them get their hands on it.”
I pulled the book from my bag and set it on the desk. Thank god I had it. If we’d lost it, things would’ve gone from bad to worse.
“Think there’s a good place to hide it?”
“Hmm… Maybe in—”
“Hyung, where are the towels—? Huh? What’s that?”
The door flew open before he even knocked. Kang Bijun stepped in, then froze, eyes locked on the desk. I jolted and tried to cover the book in a panic—but he’d already seen it.
“The Book of Wishes?”
He looked back and forth between me and Kang Biso, disbelief all over his face.
“Why the hell is that here?”
Neither of us said a word.
We just stared at him in silence—completely at a loss for how to explain.
