Catdog clung to Kang Chi-yu like a piece of gum stuck fast, and Hyun Tae-oh, locked in his usual turf war with it, scowled in irritation when Yoon Do-jae summoned him. Without hiding his displeasure, he teleported straight to Do-jae’s home.
When Tae-oh arrived, frowning deeply and demanding to know why he’d been called, Min Yu-hyun, who was waiting for him, spoke first.
“The Bureau Chief and the lab called Catdog a test subject.”
He went on to explain: they’d tried to separate Kang Chi-yu from Catdog and move them elsewhere, and on top of that, Tae-oh and Yu-hyun had been given fake classified missions—an excuse to drag them away from Chi-yu’s side.
Tae-oh listened in silence, his face surprisingly calm. It was as if he’d just been told what was for dinner tonight—completely unruffled, as though he had expected this all along.
“Anyway,” Yu-hyun continued, “it looks like they’re trying to get something out of Kang Chi-yu. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what.”
Do-jae nodded at that.
“We’ll need to come up with a plan to make sure Guide Kang Chi-yu doesn’t get hurt.”
“You don’t know who the Bureau Chief was talking to on the phone?” Tae-oh asked. Yu-hyun answered for him.
“No name was mentioned. But I’m certain it wasn’t anyone from the lab, since they talked about the lab during the call.”
“Then listen, Yoon Do-jae. If something happens and I can’t be with Chi-yu, you’ll take charge of him. If they’ve already considered separating me, they might even send me into a no-teleport zone.”
“Understood.”
“And I’ll need to keep the fact that I marked Chi-yu hidden for now. Who knows what might happen later.”
Do-jae nodded again.
“And Min Yu-hyun—you keep digging into what I asked before. Also, try to find someone who knows about the lab’s N-Building.”
“The N-Building?”
When Yu-hyun asked, Tae-oh gave a single nod.
“I’ve heard security there is excessive, almost paranoid. Something’s definitely happening in that building.”
“You don’t mean… there….”
He nodded again.
“My guess is Catdog’s also one of their experiments. I can’t be certain, but I found the number 39 hidden in the fur just below its belly.”
“Thirty-nine?”
Both Yu-hyun and Do-jae’s eyes widened.
“If that’s an experiment number, it means there were already thirty-eight before it. Who knows how many of those were scrapped or how many more they’ve created since.”
“That’s… serious,” Yu-hyun muttered grimly.
“…But this is still speculation, isn’t it? The lab doesn’t have any reason to make mutant beasts, and the Central Bureau has no reason to cooperate….”
“It’s not mere speculation. I don’t have solid proof, but Catdog’s very existence already counts as evidence.”
At Tae-oh’s words, Do-jae pressed his lips together and stayed quiet. Yu-hyun let out a short sigh as he watched.
“You’ve got way too much faith in the Central Bureau.”
“The Bureau isn’t bad.”
“Exactly my point. Just how deep did they brainwash you, tsk.”
“No—I mean, the Bureau has no reason to partner with the lab to create mutant beasts. Everything needs justification, right? And this… this has none.”
“You’ll see the justification once you start digging,” Tae-oh cut in. “Whether you’re loyal to the Bureau or not, I couldn’t care less. But if you screw around and Chi-yu gets hurt because of it, I’ll slit your throat first. Remember that.”
“…I would never put Guide Kang Chi-yu in danger.”
“Let’s hope your pride is worth less than his life.”
“Don’t state the obvious.”
“Yeah—and the fact it is obvious pisses me off.”
Do-jae’s face twisted slightly at that. His expression said plainly: And what the hell am I supposed to do about that?
***
[Kwueeeng—! Kwueeeeng—!]
When Tae-oh returned with Do-jae, he grabbed Catdog and began inspecting its entire body with meticulous focus.
Chi-yu had no idea what he was looking for, but the way Tae-oh checked every inch made it obvious he was searching for something specific.
Catdog screamed and squirmed as Tae-oh parted its fur between its legs, along its rump, tail, jawline, and neck.
“What are you doing? It hates that,” Chi-yu protested, trying to intervene, but Tae-oh didn’t stop.
The cameras caught every second of it. Yu-hyun and Do-jae just watched silently, while Lee Jun-hyung and Beom Do-il stared with curiosity at the endlessly squealing Catdog.
“He’s got a temper,” Beom Do-il muttered, resting his chin on his hand.
Catdog bit down hard on Tae-oh’s hand, growling and squealing as Tae-oh rifled through its fur, scratching and biting in turns.
Chi-yu didn’t know what Tae-oh’s exact purpose was, but it didn’t look like he was doing it just to torment the creature, so he stayed quiet.
After a long inspection and several bites to his hand, Tae-oh finally shoved the snarling Catdog—still gnawing on him—into Chi-yu’s arms and said,
“But seriously, why the hell doesn’t this thing have balls?”
The sudden question was so ridiculous that everyone staring at him froze in disbelief.
“Since when do mutant beasts even have sexes?” Beom Do-il snorted, while Yu-hyun shrugged.
Do-jae and Tae-oh exchanged a brief, unreadable glance, while Chi-yu stroked Catdog’s fur, soothing it with gentle pats.
Lee Jun-hyung, picking up on Yu-hyun and Do-jae’s reactions, felt a chill. He switched off the game he’d been playing and started studying their expressions carefully.
***
[Kwueeng— Kwueeng—]
Every time Tae-oh kissed Chi-yu under the pretense of Guiding, Catdog would bite down on his hair and yank.
But Tae-oh never paid it any mind, focusing entirely on the kiss. Chi-yu sometimes couldn’t help but laugh, amused at how completely Tae-oh ignored the creature.
[Kwoooong— Kwoooong—]
Catdog struggled desperately to pull him away, but when it realized its efforts were useless, it would crawl under the bed and let out exaggerated, pitiful whines.
The act was so obviously deliberate that Chi-yu and Tae-oh always ended up laughing in the middle of their kiss.
Chi-yu also couldn’t deny how much Tae-oh’s kissing skills had improved. Tae-oh was the kind who excelled at everything, and the more he practiced, the better he became.
Not wanting to be left behind, Chi-yu studied on his own how to keep his Guiding flowing seamlessly, never letting it break.
It felt like, while Tae-oh polished his kissing technique, Chi-yu was sharpening his Guiding at the same time.
Only about one in three kisses led to anything further, and that was entirely Catdog’s fault.
Even if it was just a mutant beast, there was no way they could go that far with it watching. They had tried passing Catdog around to Do-jae, Beom Do-il, Yu-hyun, or Jun-hyung in turns, but after being handed off too many times, Catdog caught on and began resisting.
At the faintest hint of being passed along, it would dart off and hide, like a game of tag. By the time they found it, their mood had already cooled.
Tae-oh often threatened, “I’ll just throw this damn thing out,” but Catdog never cared in the slightest.
Still, when they couldn’t see each other, both of them frantically searched for one another.
If Catdog disappeared, Tae-oh would pace the entire dorm, muttering, “Where the hell is that little bastard?”
And if Tae-oh didn’t return home with Chi-yu, Catdog would sniff all over Chi-yu’s body, then fly through the house in search of him.
It was absurd—they desperately searched for each other when apart, but bickered endlessly when together. Still, Chi-yu found it strangely endearing.
In truth, it seemed like Tae-oh was more attached to Catdog compared to Chi-yu’s attachment.
When they were children, both had lost the pets they raised—a puppy for one, a kitten for the other—to old age. Tae-oh had taken it especially hard.
Of course, Chi-yu had grieved too, but he recovered faster than Tae-oh.
Hyun Tae-oh was softer than he looked, far more tender-hearted than he liked to admit.
***
An Emergency Assembly was called.
This one was staged as part of the “Second Partner Special.”
It was structured more like a drill than a real mission—not so much about eliminating mutant beasts as it was about demonstrating how smoothly the Esper Association and the Central Bureau could coordinate in crisis, working systematically and efficiently.
Thanks to Tae-oh’s popularity, A Pair is Born had become a massive hit overseas.
Broadcasting the Emergency Assembly through such a show would be the perfect opportunity to showcase just how capable and united their country’s Bureau and Association were.
With Tae-oh at the forefront, the nation’s combat power stood high, and ability users across the country felt a fierce sense of pride. The assemblies always went off flawlessly—clean, orderly, without a single mistake—no matter when they were called.
This one was no exception.
With the broadcast airing on the nation’s number one program, the ability users were sharper than ever, their discipline rigid.
Even the Espers commanding each national unit were twice as meticulous as usual.
Yoon Do-jae, commanding the Central Bureau’s 1st Division, was no different.
As soon as the assembly was announced, he and the other unit leaders were summoned to the Esper Department Head’s office, where they received a fast, concise briefing. They were reminded just how critical this recording would be for their country.
Just as Tae-oh and Yu-hyun had overheard from the Bureau Chief earlier, the two had been sent away on “classified missions” and were absent.
The collusion between the Bureau and the lab—once just suspicion—was now taking shape as reality.
With Tae-oh gone, Do-jae couldn’t shake his worry for Kang Chi-yu. He kept his comms linked, receiving constant updates from Beom Do-il on Chi-yu’s status.
At least Lee Jun-hyung and Beom Do-il were stationed nearby, close to the Guide safety zone, which gave him some small reassurance.
But the Bureau Chief’s words kept echoing in his head: If Tae-oh isn’t around, Chi-yu and Catdog need to be moved.
Because of that, Do-jae refused to relax, repeatedly reminding Beom Do-il to stay alert and keep their surroundings secure.
