“Ah…! Bodyguard-nim.”
I hastily lifted my tear-streaked face and grabbed onto Shim Tae-seong.
“Hyung—my brother is in danger.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“That man said so. He said Hyung is about to walk straight into a death trap. That he’s going to fight someone incredibly dangerous.”
My voice trembled as I spoke.
“He said it’s going to be like a war breaking out.”
Of course, that was a lie.
…I had no choice.
Originally, my plan had been to get the upper hand in a kind of mental tug-of-war with Joo Cheong-gyeong, where we’d circle each other psychologically until I could steer the outcome. If I succeeded, I was going to ask him to help my brother capture Jang Hee-gang. I’d been watching for the right moment through my third eye.
And if Joo Cheong-gyeong questioned how I knew any of this, I was going to make something up about my brother telling me the details of his mission.
But the plan changed the moment Shim Tae-seong rescued me.
Now, I had to ask Shim Tae-seong, not Joo Cheong-gyeong.
“……”
Shim Tae-seong seemed to naturally assume that Joo Cheong-gyeong had said something devastating—that my brother was as good as dead—in order to break me down mentally. Just as I’d intended.
His face was frozen with intensity as I kept moving my lips.
“I even happened to overhear where it’s going to happen…”
“Young Master.”
Just as I was about to say the most important part—that he had to head there right away—he cut me off. Shim Tae-seong gripped my shoulders firmly, as if urging me to calm down.
“You were just kidnapped, Young Master. And you’ve only just returned.”
“……”
I know that… don’t I?
“Please, just try to take care of yourself first.”
Shim Tae-seong stood up, clearly unwilling to entertain any rebuttal.
I stared up at him blankly.
…This is going to be harder than I thought.
***
Shim Tae-seong took care of me so attentively, it was almost embarrassing. He wouldn’t even let me pour my own glass of water. That says it all, doesn’t it?
When I changed clothes and he saw my arms and legs, his face immediately hardened—probably thinking I’d lost too much weight.
He prepared nutritious meals for every sitting. Even though I spent most of my time lying down here just like I did when I was with Joo Cheong-gyeong…
Here, I was slowly being encouraged to eat more, and lie back in peace.
Watching the tranquil ocean view through the wide window gradually helped me regain my strength.
The problem was that I could only assume this place was an uninhabited island—there was no clue as to where we actually were.
And worse, there was no way to contact the outside world.
Shim Tae-seong hadn’t told me what region we were in, and I hadn’t even seen him use a phone. There wasn’t a single laptop or computer around that could send emails, and the internet itself simply didn’t exist here.
The house was so large and modern in design that it could easily have been a vacation home on a chaebol’s private estate—how was this kind of situation even possible?
In the end, I had no choice but to bring it up first.
“Bodyguard-nim.”
Lunch by the seaside, with the view framed by the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows. At the sound of my voice, Shim Tae-seong looked up and met my eyes.
“Yes?”
“I just… want to contact Hyung, at least.”
“……”
“Or maybe even just hear my mother’s or Noona’s voice. Would that be okay?”
Shim Tae-seong quietly set his chopsticks down.
“The Chairwoman and Executive Director have not yet returned to the country.”
In other words, no.
At a loss for words, I stared at Shim Tae-seong, my expression openly bewildered.
He remained unshaken.
“You haven’t been back long after such an ordeal. Please focus on recovery, Young Master.”
There it was again.
Even though he clearly knew that my physical condition had already improved considerably thanks to him, he still pretended not to notice.
Of course, he seemed concerned about my mental health too, but…
Still.
“This place is safe, so it’s best for you to rest here for now—as a form of recuperation.”
“Bodyguard-nim.”
This felt like isolating someone who had already been kidnapped and imprisoned—cutting them off from the world again. That couldn’t possibly have a good effect on anyone’s mental state.
…Come to think of it, Shim Tae-seong must’ve been so overwhelmed that he hadn’t had a chance to contact my family either. Maybe he had managed to since we got here. I wondered what he’d told them. Whether it was my mother or my Noona, they’d be drowning in worry if they didn’t hear from me directly.
And what about any messages from Hyung?
“……”
Through my third eye, I’d glimpsed Jang Hee-gang in passing. Of all the S-ranks, he was the oldest—and also in the worst shape. If you ever wanted a textbook example of someone on the brink of a total breakdown, he was it. Frankly, it made me wonder if he’d always been this far gone: a cold-blooded maniac.
He had always been a dangerous criminal with twisted beliefs from the start.
And if he found a reason to punish someone—even his own underlings—he wouldn’t hesitate to kill or torture them without a shred of remorse. He’d abduct politicians and intelligence agents, and carry out so-called acts of justice that were so horrific they defied description.
He feared nothing. And he possessed the rare ability to nullify an Esper’s powers. No matter how unstable his wave state was, that very instability could actually become a strength—something I’d come to understand from both Joo Cheong-gyeong and Shim Tae-seong.
I’d realized it long ago—through countless battles.
Of course, if Hyung and Shim Tae-seong launched a coordinated attack, they would stand a chance. But if, in the middle of that, Jang Hee-gang lost control and went berserk, the situation would flip in an instant.
That was exactly what I wanted to prevent. And since I would eventually have to face Jang Hee-gang for a guiding session anyway, I’d been trying to coax Shim Tae-seong into heading that way. After all, nothing left an Esper more defenseless than guiding.
But guiding required physical contact. And honestly, I still wasn’t even sure if it was possible with him. In the process, I could get hurt—or even die. There were no guarantees for my safety.
That’s why…
I wanted to hear my mother’s and Noona’s voices ahead of time—just once.
If possible, I wanted to ask Seo Junho how his therapy was going, too.
But at this rate… it’s no different from when I was kidnapped by Joo Cheong-gyeong. The only difference is that now I’m being politely controlled.
…Am I seriously screwed?
But…
Shim Tae-seong’s strange behavior didn’t stop there.
“…!”
Another nightmare—one where I relived the moments leading up to my death in my past life.
I jolted awake, heart racing. The house was completely silent except for my own breathing. Still night outside. Shim Tae-seong always stayed close, making sure I fell asleep first, then used his ability to go out and retrieve the supplies we needed.
He must’ve been out again, using teleportation.
My body, drenched in sweat, felt sticky and disgusting. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and let out a deep sigh. Stumbling to my feet, I went into the bathroom for a shower.
Even after I returned to my room, opened the window, and listened to the crashing waves, the suffocating feeling refused to lift. Eventually, I threw on a thick coat and stepped outside.
The sea was pitch black, but the moonlight made the waves shimmer beautifully. Instead of fear, a strange, cozy stillness settled in my chest.
I shoved both hands into my coat pockets and wandered slowly along the beach.
The cold pierced to the bone, but it was almost welcome. The salty, crisp sea breeze seemed to blow away the lingering unease in my head.
I’d been walking aimlessly for quite some time when—
“Young Master!”
A frantic voice rang out. A strong hand suddenly grabbed me from behind and spun me around.
Startled, I looked up with wide eyes.
And of course—it was Shim Tae-seong.
He was breathing hard, as if he’d just sprinted at full speed—but somehow, it didn’t feel like that was the reason.
It looked more like… sheer panic.
Bloodless lips, wide eyes scanning me from head to toe with urgency, and hands clutching me like he’d found something he couldn’t afford to lose—everything about him screamed that Shim Tae-seong was deeply, deeply shaken.
“Ugh!”
His grip on both of my upper arms was so strong that it hurt. When I let out a short gasp, Shim Tae-seong flinched and loosened his hold slightly.
It seemed like he was finally calming down, reassured by the sight of me standing there safe and sound.
“Bodyguard-nim?”
I was about to ask what was going on, startled by his sudden and inexplicable behavior—
When he grimaced and spoke in a low, strained voice.
“How could you disappear without a word like that?”
“…!”
Wait… is he angry at me?
Shim Tae-seong is…?
I almost gaped in disbelief.
Struggling to keep my face from twisting into an awkward expression, I mumbled awkwardly,
“I… thought you were asleep…”
You weren’t even home to begin with.
I kept my resentment to myself and gave him a cautious look, as if his unfamiliar and intense demeanor unsettled me.
He must’ve returned and found me missing, only to panic.
“I woke up and just wanted to get some air… it’s right outside.”
“Right outside.”
He cut me off harshly, his voice low and dangerous. I instinctively shrank back, lips clamping shut.
“It was right outside… where I lost you, Young Master.”
Shim Tae-seong stared straight into my face, his eyes burning with fury and regret.
“Don’t vanish from my sight. Not even for a moment. Not even briefly.”
“……”
“Because I might lose you again—just like last time.”
Crash! The waves roared violently before receding.
Silence stretched between us, our eyes locked.
“Bodyguard-nim…”
My gaze wavered, filled with the realization that I hadn’t known what he was feeling. My expression shifted, clearly showing that I hadn’t expected this at all.
And then I immediately felt stupid for not noticing it sooner.
“……”
“……”
Shim Tae-seong could see it all—how my feelings had gone past guilt and into full-blown self-reproach.
He slowly lowered his eyes.
It was like he was cursing himself for having lashed out at me so impulsively.
