Cha Eun-hyuk had earned deep trust from the higher-ups. It was that very trust that had made him the youngest team leader in history. They acknowledged his abilities as an Esper, his exceptional emotional control, and his strong leadership.
So they believed him without question. Believed the fabricated report that claimed Cha Eun-hyuk had uncovered a clue during a reconnaissance mission and infiltrated Jang Hee-gang’s base alone.
The government praised Cha Eun-hyuk’s accomplishments and provided him with the personnel and equipment he requested. In addition, they approved the necessary authority so that the operation could move forward with full force.
That’s how a massive force came to be stationed at the base. The intel had said Jang Hee-gang’s power rivaled that of a small city, and they had prepared accordingly.
While Cha Eun-hyuk didn’t completely rule out the possibility that Joo Cheong-gyeong had fed them false information, he considered it more likely that the intel was true. If there was some hidden agenda… perhaps it wasn’t about one side winning—it could be that someone wanted mutual destruction. And for that to happen, a brutal battle would be necessary.
There was a chance Joo Cheong-gyeong wouldn’t show up as planned. Or maybe he’d stab them in the back in some other way.
“Team 1 is assembled. Please confirm.”
“I’ll run one more check.”
“Team Leader, the Minister is calling—”
On the eve of what could only be described as a civil war, the careful preparations and detailed verifications they’d spent so much time on were finally complete.
Dragging it out any further would only risk leaking information to the outside, which might accelerate a preemptive strike from Jang Hee-gang. That was a scenario they absolutely had to avoid. Whoever launched the first strike would determine which side took early damage—and with it, a blow to morale.
Of course, they also had to consider the possibility that Jang Hee-gang, having sensed the military movements, might choose to prepare a counterattack within his own territory.
The day before the deployment arrived.
This was a mission that could lead to serious injury—or even death. With no guarantee of returning alive, most people took time to contact their families, lovers, and friends.
Cha Eun-hyuk, stationed at command headquarters, stared at his phone.
“This is Shim Tae-seong. Don’t look for me. You’re safer where you are.”
It was a message he’d received a few days ago from Shim Tae-seong. A low voice had spoken just those two sentences before abruptly ending the call.
Cha Eun-hyuk had immediately called Cha Eun-soo, but the automated voice still informed him the phone was turned off. His message hadn’t even been read.
That’s when he sprang to his feet.
What did it mean that Shim Tae-seong had called so boldly after abducting Cha Eun-soo?
And saying they weren’t at the safehouse they’d arranged to move to—it could only mean something had happened. Something threatening.
No matter how critical the coming operation was, it wasn’t more important than Cha Eun-soo. He had to track him down immediately—
For a split second, Cha Eun-hyuk almost lost control, his vision going white. But then, he seized his reason.
…Wouldn’t this actually be better for now?
If he really had faced something dangerous at the new residence, it would only be natural to escape from there. And considering the worst-case scenario—that the coming civil war could spill beyond its boundaries—it was likely they were now in an area that could still be considered safe, even then.
Shim Tae-seong was as obsessively devoted to protecting Cha Eun-soo as he was. There was no doubt about that. It was all but certain he’d found another isolated, uninhabited location to hide out in.
…Don’t get hurt, Hyung.
The last voice he’d heard echoed in his mind. It was laced with worry, as if Eun-soo had instinctively sensed what kind of mission he was heading into.
Cha Eun-hyuk hadn’t intended to say anything weak—nor had he needed to—so he simply replied that he would. No matter what happened, he would come back alive. He would kill Jang Hee-gang, eliminate the threat hanging over them, and live peacefully with his brother. That was the future he envisioned.
He brought up a photo he looked at every day out of habit. It was a picture of Cha Eun-soo looking straight into the camera with a faint smile on his face.
His fingertip gently brushed over Eun-soo’s face on the screen.
If he’d known he’d be unable to even hear his voice for so long… he would’ve spoken from the heart a little more.
“……”
No. It wasn’t too late. He’d finish the mission, find Cha Eun-soo, and tell him then. That would be the right time.
A good ending wasn’t something that only existed in daydreams.
***
After confirming the status of both factions, I quietly opened my eyes. But the sunlight pouring into the room was so blinding that I had to close them again. Even with the scent of war heavy in the air, the morning sun shone just as brightly as ever.
…Tomorrow.
I’m supposed to throw myself into a battlefield, but it doesn’t feel real.
“You’re awake.”
Shim Tae-seong’s voice, deep and low, fell above my head. He must’ve noticed I’d woken up and opened his eyes too. I gave him a faint smile and nodded. When I nestled into his chest, his arms wrapped around me.
Shim Tae-seong had grown much softer than when he first brought me here. He’d laid his heart bare and charged forward like a bulldozer, and I’d accepted it all. So it made sense that he was feeling a little more at ease now.
He kissed my forehead and began to gently stroke the edge of my ear. I basked in the warmth of his touch and finally spoke.
“I had a dream.”
The moment I looked up, our eyes met. Even with sleep still clinging to him, he looked annoyingly handsome.
“I dreamed my father was patting me gently, calling my name.”
“……”
“He looked exactly like he did in the photos.”
“Photos, you said?”
Shim Tae-seong listened to me with a solemn expression.
I nodded.
“He passed away when I was so young that I don’t really remember what he looked like. Sometimes I’d dig out old photo albums from storage just to see his face.”
“…I see.”
“I could probably just search online, but… the worst things always show up first.”
I murmured, my expression dimming.
“For our family, the ones who were actually there at the scene… it must’ve been horrifying.”
“Young Master.”
A rough palm gently caressed my cheek.
I grabbed his comforting hand tightly and parted my lips.
“It’s him.”
“……”
“The one Hyung is going up against… he’s the Esper who took my father’s life.”
Shim Tae-seong’s eyes widened.
The look on his face said he hadn’t seen that coming.
“If I lose Hyung to that man too… I…”
Just imagining the worst made my limbs go cold. Through our contact, Shim Tae-seong must’ve felt the sudden drop in my body temperature.
I let my eyebrows fall low.
“I have to go, Tae-seong.”
“…I can’t take you into a situation that dangerous, Young Master.”
He still spoke in that low, firm tone, clearly against it. But the slight delay in his answer—it was as good as a green light.
My eyes welled up with quiet desperation.
“I can catch him off guard.”
What I meant was: I would guide Jang Hee-gang. Shim Tae-seong caught on in an instant, and his expression froze over.
A suffocating silence passed between us.
“I’m sorry.”
As if he didn’t want to hear any more, Shim Tae-seong pushed himself up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, about to leave.
I gently wrapped my arms around him from behind.
“……!”
The muscles of his bare back twitched for a moment.
“When I thought something might’ve happened to you…”
I whispered, my voice damp with emotion.
“That I was the reason you were hurt, that I might never see you again… That was the worst part.”
Until now, I’d never said a word about what happened or how I felt during the time I was abducted. So the sudden confession made Shim Tae-seong freeze in place, stunned.
I pressed my cheek against his solid back.
“It was like that back then… and if something really happened to Hyung, I think I…”
“…Young Master.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to go on living in one piece.”
My voice trembled on the edge of collapse, weighed down by anxiety and fear.
“……”
After a moment of hesitation, Shim Tae-seong turned back toward me.
I looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
The room was filled with warm sunlight, so bright that even the tiniest floating dust particles were visible. But I shivered as if I were standing in the dead of winter.
Maybe it was that fragile sight of me that stirred something in him. Shim Tae-seong raised his hand and gently brushed the corner of my eye.
Then, slowly, he let out a long breath.
It was his way of saying he’d lost—defeated by my earnestness.
He pulled me into a firm embrace. With my face buried against his shoulder, I spoke from the heart.
“I’m sorry for asking this of you.”
Because I was asking him to step into danger with me.
A request completely at odds with what he used to say—telling me to run if my life was ever in danger. And worse, it was for a brother with whom I didn’t even seem to be on good terms.
“You promised you wouldn’t apologize for things like this.”
Shim Tae-seong cupped my face in both hands.
“…Tae-seong.”
Our eyes met, mine still wet with unshed tears.
I lifted my head a little more and kissed him. Our lips, our tongues, met in a soft and tender kiss—one that felt like we were holding each other together.
“Young Master.”
As the kiss finally came to an end, Shim Tae-seong called out to me quietly.
“I have one condition.”
A condition?
I blinked in confusion.
Without answering, Shim Tae-seong got off the bed.
He stepped out of the room and returned shortly after, kneeling by the side of the bed. Then he gently took my left hand and drew it toward him.
Click. A cool, smooth metal clasped around my wrist. A thin, delicate bracelet. The design was simple—elegant enough for even someone who didn’t usually wear accessories.
“This is…”
I looked down at it, not quite understanding, and Shim Tae-seong pressed his thumb against a small rectangular gem embedded in the center.
“It’s a GPS tracker.”
“…!”
“No matter what happens, don’t ever take it off.”
Judging from the way he spoke, he must’ve already prepared it—possibly debating whether or not to give it to me back when I was confined to the island, just in case.
He probably had no intention of ever being far from me… but now that I was leaving this place, he couldn’t ignore the possibility. That’s why he was putting it on me now.
And if I wore this, he’d agree to come with me.
It was a condition that could only benefit me.
I smoothed my fingers over the bracelet and nodded, hiding the emotion swelling quietly in my chest.
