Carrying a box filled with cola and chicken pops, the two of them walked down a small trail and approached an elementary school. To anyone passing by, they probably looked like staff promoting a children’s counseling center. They handed out balloons and snacks at the school’s main gate.
“Hey, kids! We’ve got chicken pops here!”
“Where?!”
Naturally, the kids flocked to Do In-ho, who was handing out the chicken pops, rather than Ho-eun, who was holding the balloons.
Thanks to that, the space in front of Ho-eun was completely empty.
“This is kinda depressing.”
Ho-eun muttered bitterly, but he quickly snapped to attention when he spotted Han Yeo-ul walking over from a distance.
“Hi, Yeoul!”
“……”
Han Yeo-ul walked straight toward Ho-eun, showing no interest in the chicken pops. Since she didn’t even respond to his greeting, it didn’t seem like she was here for a balloon either—most likely, Ho-eun just happened to be standing in the direction of her academy shuttle.
“I saw you yesterday. Don’t you remember?”
Ho-eun offered her a balloon, along with a chicken pop he’d secretly kept aside.
“I remember.”
“Haha. Did you like the present I gave you?”
“It’s just a bunny plushie.”
At her flat response, Ho-eun chuckled as if he’d expected it.
“Yeah, it’s just a bunny plushie. But actually, it’s a doll that eats bad dreams. So you should keep it by your bed, okay?”
“I’ll think about it.”
She didn’t seem as guarded as she had been yesterday. Ho-eun carefully cupped his hands and gestured like he was about to whisper. Han Yeo-ul, still expressionless, leaned in slightly to offer her ear.
“Yeoul, this is a secret, but… our bunnies can see the future.”
Yeo-ul’s eyes widened with genuine surprise at his secretive whisper.
“Actually, I’m on a secret mission right now.”
“A secret mission…?”
It’s true that Han Yeo-ul was unusually smart for her age. But at the end of the day, she was still just a ten-year-old.
“You must never tell anyone that we can see the future—not unless they’re another bunny like us.”
Her pupils trembled faintly.
“Not even your parents.”
“Why not?”
Now, her expression turned curious. She focused intently on what Ho-eun was saying.
“Because there are bad guys out there who want to steal the powers of our bunnies.”
Ho-eun began explaining gently, matching her eye level.
“But… I already told my mom and dad…”
“Just as I thought.”
Ho-eun lowered his voice even more.
“The Bunny King found out. That’s why… your mom and dad will have to be judged today.”
“Judged?”
“Yeah. If they’re not bad people, nothing will happen. So if they don’t come home tonight, don’t worry too much.”
“What if they are bad people?”
“Then they’ll be punished.”
“……”
Yeah… kids are still kids. The way she asked so innocently made his conscience twinge, but Ho-eun had no choice.
Tonight, Han Yeo-ul’s parents were almost certainly going to visit the gambling den again. According to Park Ki-hyun’s intel, they were one of the sucker teams that Dragon was using to rig the setup.
And since today was the final day to reel in those suckers, they were bound to dump everything they had into the game.
“So if no one’s home and someone comes knocking, or if a stranger comes inside, those are the bad guys trying to capture our bunny.”
“Bad guys?”
“You remember the bunny plushie I gave you? If anything happens, just ask the bunny for help. I’ll come save you.”
If she weren’t ten, there’s no way she would’ve believed any of this. No, even if she didn’t believe it, if she repeated what he said to someone else, he’d definitely be reported as a creep.
But Han Yeo-ul was a child who kept her walls up—toward adults and even other kids. She had no one to share Ho-eun’s bizarre story with.
On top of that, if she really was on the verge of awakening as an Esper, she was probably struggling with her identity. So meeting someone who understood might’ve made it easier for her to latch onto this narrative.
“She must’ve been lonely. Being different from others…”
“Are you a good person, mister?”
“Well, why don’t you see for yourself?”
Ho-eun was certain Han Yeo-ul was an Esper. All signs pointed to it—and beyond logic, he just had this unshakable certainty.
Han Yeo-ul pressed her small palm firmly against his arm.
“……”
She tilted her head slightly, about to say something—when it happened.
“Whoa, balloons! I want one too!!”
The moment Do In-ho ran out of chicken pops, the kids swarmed toward Ho-eun, who still had balloons. Pushed by the crowd, Han Yeo-ul ended up separated from Ho-eun and stared quietly at her own hand.
“Ah—wait, just a sec!”
Ho-eun turned back while passing out balloons, but Yeo-ul was already gone.
‘I wonder if the message got through.’
He’d executed everything according to plan, yet the uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away.
“Okay, last balloon!”
Ho-eun turned back to the front and handed out the remaining balloons. Only after confirming that his hands were empty did he leave the elementary school.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen such a giant bear.”
Heading toward the parked car with Do In-ho, Ho-eun smiled at the sight of a giant bear costume.
The pant legs were so short that the skin peeked out above the shoes—something that wouldn’t happen with anyone else.
“Do I look weird?”
“Hmm… kinda gives off a grizzly bear vibe.”
The costume’s eyes looked hollow, like they had no idea where they were staring. Ho-eun wondered if he looked just as vacant when wearing it, but today was the last day for the bear suit anyway, so he didn’t really care.
After changing out of the costume, Ho-eun made a call.
“Yes, Him-chan. We’re done over here—how’s it going on your end?”
–“I lured them into the fake gambling den, pretending to be an old friend from Dragon. I let them win, so they’ll probably head over to Dragon tonight with that money.”
“They won’t even have time to go home. Yeo-ul’s last class today was science, right? Since it’s in the evening, I guess we’ll need to drop off dinner as if it’s from the parents’ association.”
–“Do we really need to go that far?”
Kang Him-chan sounded skeptical, but Ho-eun wasn’t backing down.
A ten-year-old needs to eat well. Han Yeo-ul usually just grabbed a convenience store meal during academy breaks. No wonder the kid was so skinny.
Ho-eun called a catering company he’d researched beforehand and placed an order for group lunchboxes to be delivered to Yeo-ul’s academy.
“All done?”
While Ho-eun was still on the phone, Do In-ho had packed up and was loading things into the car. He turned back to check on him.
“Yeah, I think that’s everything.”
Ho-eun put in his earpiece. The line to Han Yeo-ul’s home was silent—meaning no one was there.
“I hope tonight goes well.”
“……”
Without a word, Do In-ho gently patted Ho-eun’s head.
“If anything happens, I’ll be right beside you.”
“Huh?”
“I’m ready to fight for something I can protect now.”
“Really? That’s sweet, but I’m not too keen on playing the helpless Guide role.”
Ho-eun crinkled his nose and smiled. His light brown hair shimmered in the sun.
“So let’s protect each other.”
That was the kind of person Kwon Ho-eun was. Rather than being someone who needed protecting, he preferred to be the one doing the protecting.
The breeze brushed past, turning Do In-ho’s cheeks pink.
‘I can’t reach him. Even if I want him, I can’t fully hold him in my hands.’
That’s who Kwon Ho-eun was—the kind of person you can’t help falling for again, without even having the time to feel sad about it.
“Alright. Let’s protect each other.”
“Yep!”
Ho-eun beamed. The balloons had all been given away earlier, and yet… for some reason, Do In-ho still felt like his heart was floating.
As soon as they returned to the Incheon Branch, the two of them headed straight into the conference room, where Bae Yeon-woo greeted them.
“You’re back?”
Looking a bit better than he had the night before—though still rough around the edges—Bae Yeon-woo and Nam Woon-soo, who stood by the whiteboard, greeted them with a half-awkward wave.
“For this operation, HR will mainly support us through Department Head Eom Tae-seok and Guide Kang Him-chan. Eom Seong-chan and Paul will be on backup.”
“Backup, meaning they won’t be entering Dragon’s hideout?”
“Unless something comes up, no. The rest of us will all be going in.”
Bae Yeon-woo’s eyes blazed with determination.
“Since everyone’s going inside, we have to either capture Wonsin or uncover the anti-government group’s true objective. Are they really planning a terror attack on the Esper Corporation using some kind of time bomb? Why did they team up with civilians?”
“Yes, sir.”
Following Bae Yeon-woo’s lead, Ho-eun’s eyes lit up with resolve.
Thanks to Park Ki-hyun, all six members had received legitimate invitations. Of course, since some of them were already recognizable, they would need disguises again, just like yesterday.
“For now, the situation with Han Yeo-ul’s parents will be handled by Do In-ho and Kwon Ho-eun. Since it’s their last day, there’s a good chance they won’t leave on their own.”
“Got it.”
“And Nam Woon-soo and I will move around freely to gather intel. Not sure why HR insisted on participating in the field this time, but they’re probably there to keep a close eye on Park Ki-hyun. Even if Chairman Baek gave the okay, we still can’t afford to lose sight of him.”
As they confirmed the layout of the hideout Park Ki-hyun had described, Nam Woon-soo began assigning positions.
The first floor looked like an ordinary bar that anyone could enter, while from Basement Level 1, it became members-only.
There was a long bar, several round tables, and a small stage where dancers performed to hype up the crowd. That’s where Park Ki-hyun said they took clients for drugs.
Basement Level 2 was the gambling hall. Judging by the layout, the crimes were committed underground, and if something went wrong, they could take the civilians on the first floor hostage without hesitation.
“Filthy bastards.”
“Once this is wrapped up, we’re turning them over to the police. Can’t believe the anti-government group actually partnered with scum like this. Talk about hitting rock bottom.”
“Did the anti-government guys not work with civilians before?”
“No. Honestly, they barely even operated in Korea. They mostly got involved in global anti-government movements. They’ve kept pretty quiet here… probably just waiting for the right time.”
Disgusting freaks. Bae Yeon-woo muttered under his breath, his face twisting like he didn’t even want to breathe the same air as them.
“They’re getting bolder. We have to stop them now. If we miss this chance, we may not get another.”
Fired up by Bae Yeon-woo’s conviction, Ho-eun shouted out loud and clear.
“We’ll DEFINITELY catch them!!”
Bae Yeon-woo grimaced and covered his ears at the volume, but a smile still crept onto his lips.
Once the meeting ended and preparations were set, it was time to rendezvous with the HR Department. Checking that his comms and earpiece were working properly, Ho-eun let out a shaky breath.
“This is nerve-racking.”
“Did you bring the meds?”
Prompted by Bae Yeon-woo, Ho-eun fumbled through his pants pocket. His fingers touched a small vial.
