“I just don’t get why Choi Jiwoon was taken…”
That was what Jung Jae-heon couldn’t stop thinking about. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to kidnap Choi Jiwoon. If the goal had been to lure out Kwon Hae-beom, then they would’ve approached Kwon Hae-beom directly—and by now, he’d have either disappeared or started acting strangely. But months had passed without so much as a ripple. That alone made it clear this wasn’t about Kwon Hae-beom.
It made no sense. Why kidnap an ordinary Guide, and do it here, in one of the most heavily guarded places in Central? That’s why Jae-heon had started considering a different possibility—the theory that Kwon Hae-beom really had nothing to do with it, and that Choi Jiwoon had left of his own will.
Because otherwise, none of this added up.
If Molt was behind the kidnapping, then Kwon Hae-beom was the only logical reason. Without that connection—as Kwon Hae-beom’s lover—Choi Jiwoon was just a regular B-rank Guide. The kind you could find anywhere. There was no way he’d been taken for his abilities alone.
And yet, even now, Molt hadn’t made a single move toward Kwon Hae-beom. It was obvious to everyone that Kwon was actively involved in the investigation and desperate to find Jiwoon, and still, nothing. That alone suggested Jiwoon’s abduction had nothing to do with Kwon Hae-beom.
As harsh as it sounded, a standard B-rank Guide like Choi Jiwoon was useless to them. Which led to only one conclusion: Choi Jiwoon was a spy—and he had simply gone back to where he belonged.
Jae-heon hated to think that way, especially for Kwon Hae-beom’s sake. But when he looked at it rationally, there wasn’t any other explanation that made sense.
Then there was something else strange. Molt had tried to kidnap Choi Jiwoon before. If Jiwoon really was one of their own, why go through the trouble of faking a kidnapping? That made Jae-heon wonder—what if Jiwoon was a spy, but not for Molt? What if he was working for another group entirely, and had stumbled onto critical intel about Molt? Maybe that’s why they tried to take him.
No, that didn’t track either. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be easier to just eliminate him? Why go through the hassle of trying to abduct him—twice? What the hell was Choi Jiwoon hiding? And why had things spiraled so far out of control because of it?
In the end, the only reason they’d been able to root out the spies in Central at all was because of Choi Jiwoon. And that, frankly, was unlike Molt. They’d managed to stay hidden all this time, and then suddenly blew their own cover just to go after a single Guide?
Maybe Choi Jiwoon really did hold the key to something big. Maybe that’s why they had to find him.
Jung Jae-heon felt a headache coming on. He’d never even heard of an Esper collapsing from stress, but at this rate, he might just be the first. Honestly, screw it—he didn’t care anymore. Someone please just drag him out of this hellish mess. The workload was unbearable. It was enough to drive anyone insane.
His sigh only grew heavier.
***
Kwon Hae-beom had kept his word.
Before his Matching Rate hit 60%, he made a point to come in every few days to receive Guiding from Lee Tae-rim. Today, he finally showed up—just thirty minutes before the end of the workday.
His face was noticeably sunken. At least he was still showering, but he hadn’t shaved—his jaw was shadowed with stubble—and his hair was a tangled mess, like it hadn’t been brushed in days. The dark circles under his eyes hinted at countless sleepless nights. He’d lost a lot of weight, too; his uniform now hung a bit loose on his frame.
And yet, even looking like this—like someone who’d just crawled out of hell—he somehow gave off the air of a man with a tragic past. Of course. He was the main lead. Still stupidly handsome. That face of his really was something else. Tae-rim was reminded of it all over again.
The anti-government organization Molt turned out to be far more formidable than the novel ever suggested. There, it had been little more than a name drop—just another rebel group. But in reality, they were powerful enough to place one of their spies all the way up as Deputy Director.
The Molt that Tae-rim imagined operated quietly, beneath the surface. They didn’t make a show of themselves. They conducted human experiments on Awakened individuals, abducted Espers, and committed crimes to fund their operations. Criminals, yes—but not the kind to drag civilians into chaos like most terrorist groups did.
But then Seon Juho discovered a device—one that revealed Molt had developed tech to interfere with Gates. People had speculated, No way they’re really doing that too… But the truth had already surpassed their worst expectations. Molt was operating on a scale no one had predicted. No wonder Central was in crisis.
Central had only ever discovered two of their labs. The first had been long ago. The second, during the mission to rescue Seon Juho. Just two in all that time. If someone asked if that was a joke, Central wouldn’t even have a response.
And yet, they were doing everything in their power to track Molt down. Even now, they continued sending Espers on internal explorations, despite the lack of results.
But since Molt experimented on Awakened individuals, they had an intimate understanding of Esper abilities—and how to avoid them. Central assumed as much.
When they recovered the second lab—the one Seon Juho had reduced to ashes during his Rampage—they salvaged every last piece of data and debris for analysis. Down to the tiniest fragment. Among the ruins, they discovered a half-destroyed device.
It was a wavelength disruption device—something that could interfere with an Esper’s detection abilities. No wonder they hadn’t been able to find anything, no matter how many Espers they sent. Central had suspected Molt might have something like that, but finding hard evidence… that had to sting.
Still, they couldn’t just throw in the towel. Central immediately began developing a countermeasure to neutralize wavelength disruption. They also launched a full-scale analysis of the device Seon Juho had brought back.
And right in the middle of it all—boom. The spy scandal.
Just when unity was most critical, betrayal shattered the foundation from within. Central was in tatters now. Trusted allies revealed as traitors. Skilled personnel gone overnight.
Sure, Molt had lost all its embedded agents in one fell swoop—but they still walked away with full knowledge of Central’s internal systems. Central, meanwhile, had lost everything. It was a crushing blow.
“Thank you.”
“Good work.”
Kwon Hae-beom still kept his distance. Always drawing that damn line.
It didn’t matter anymore, but the fact that he kept doing it—even now—was impressive in its own way.
Maybe things would ease up if he finally formed an Imprint with Choi Jiwoon, Tae-rim thought vaguely.
He gave a polite bow and watched Kwon Hae-beom walk out of the Guiding room. The man looked more worn down every time he saw him. Which meant, without a doubt, the investigation wasn’t getting anywhere.
How were they supposed to track down someone using a device specifically designed to suppress Esper detection?
They hadn’t found them yet. And unless Molt came out of hiding themselves, they probably never would.
Tae-rim saw Molt as meticulous and calculating. Sure, all their spies had been exposed in one big, unexpected incident—but up until then, they’d successfully planted a staggering number of operatives without anyone noticing.
One of them had even become Deputy Director.
Would an organization like that really forget to collect one of their experimental devices? Accidentally leave it behind—in a zone they knew was scheduled for exploration?
No way.
Tae-rim was certain it wasn’t a mistake.
It had been a warning. A message. We’ve come this far. Be ready.
Surely the higher-ups had come to the same conclusion. That was why Central was in a full-blown state of emergency.
If the warning had already been delivered, the next step was execution. And now, seven S-rank Gates had opened in District 1—the area everyone thought was safest. That was the preview.
The real onslaught would be in Districts 3 and 4. That’s why they were now urgently requesting reinforcements.
But it wasn’t just them.
After what happened in District 1, people had come to accept it as fact: Molt could trigger high-level Gates wherever they wanted.
District 1 had already been hit. Nowhere was safe. Everyone knew it.
“Hyung, let’s go home.”
Seon Juho poked his head into the room. Tae-rim quickly wrapped up and got to his feet.
“Why the hell did he show up right before closing? So inconsiderate.”
Tae-rim didn’t disagree.
It wasn’t an emergency. And showing up thirty minutes before the end of the workday just for Guiding? Yeah—rude.
He’d planned to clock out on time, but that had gone out the window. He was already ten minutes late.
Muttering under his breath, Tae-rim left work with Seon Juho—who had been kind enough to complain on his behalf.
