Han-gyeom had only asked whether the man was from the Association so he could use his ability if necessary. The man’s overt hostility toward the Esper Association made it clear he was an unregistered esper. So even if Han-gyeom did use his powers, it likely wouldn’t reach the ears of any Association members right away.
The people gathered at this meeting were senior officials from the Esper Association.
If the man had been some low-ranking grunt, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. But if any of them were higher-ups, just hearing about someone’s ability might be enough for them to recognize what Han-gyeom was—a guide from the Fourth Ability Analysis Research Facility.
When Han-gyeom hesitated with a troubled look on his face, Ah-young gave him a sheepish smile.
“Got it. Then let’s just say you took down a molester with one hit, Han-gyeom.”
“No one’s going to believe that.”
“Really…?”
Ah-young frowned in thought.
“Then I’ll say I took him down. Because that pervert kept trying to grope our Han-gyeom! That creep! I should’ve just kicked him in the junk!”
Her expression twisted into something fierce as she glared over her shoulder at the man, almost spitting the word pervert repeatedly as if to make sure everyone heard it loud and clear. She didn’t seem to care about the fact that she had been struck—what truly angered her was that Han-gyeom had been grabbed and hugged by some invisible freak.
Still holding Han-gyeom’s hand as they walked, Ah-young reported the situation over her radio.
“There’s a perverted bastard knocked out in the corridor of Sector B-1. Looks like he’s an unregistered esper—check the attendee list and verify his affiliation. His ability’s invisibility—he’s capable of perfectly masking his presence…”
She really emphasized the perverted bastard part.
As Han-gyeom quietly watched Ah-young’s back while she gave her thorough report on the man’s abilities, he glanced over his own shoulder.
The man was still lying on the floor, writhing slightly.
Back when it happened with Yoon Jeong-ho, Han-gyeom had been so flustered he only managed to block part of the pathway and force him back physically. But this time, it was a very different situation.
He had deliberately sealed off the pathway from end to end.
It would take some time for the ESP that had been dammed up to break through and resume its natural flow. Until then, with the circulation of ESP inside the man’s body disrupted, it would feel almost like paralysis—his body would be difficult to move.
But… this guy isn’t just some petty thug.
While in contact with the man, Han-gyeom had traced the internal pathways through which his ESP flowed. His original intention was simply to block those pathways temporarily to disable him—but he discovered something unexpected.
His channels are too clean. Almost unnaturally so.
Even while actively using his ability, the internal structure of the ESP channels remained remarkably clear. There were no significant blockages, no branching networks tangled together. A few uneven spots here and there, but considering he’d been using his powers, that kind of stability was exceptional.
Thinking back on all the unregistered espers he’d encountered, Han-gyeom couldn’t recall a single one with such a clean and stable E-neuron structure. The only person who’d come close to this level of clarity was Yoon Jeong-ho—the same man who had once stolen GP from him.
The unnaturally well-maintained channels gnawed at his mind. For his ESP pathways to be that polished, he would’ve had to receive high-concentration Guiding almost every day. Could it be that—like Seo Won or Yoon Jeong-ho in the past—he had multiple dedicated guides?
But… he didn’t seem like someone from a chaebol family. And besides…
Han-gyeom decided that this wasn’t something he should puzzle over alone.
“Ah-young, that guy from earlier—what he said to me.”
“Huh? What did he say?”
Ah-young tilted her head as she turned to look at him. It seemed she hadn’t heard, since she’d been struck and thrown back at the time.
Han-gyeom repeated the man’s words word for word.
“‘Ugh, you’re nothing but skin and bones. That bastard not feeding you? What a fucking psycho.’ ‘If you come with us…’”
The moment she heard it, tension crept across Ah-young’s face again.
“He sounded like he knew who you were with. Maybe he saw when we boarded?”
“Maybe. But if he knew I was part of Seo Won’s group and still approached like that, that’s what’s strange.”
Seo Won was someone virtually every Korean would recognize. Whether it was wealth, ability, background, or looks—there wasn’t a single thing about him that didn’t stand out. For someone to recklessly mess with a person traveling alongside that Seo Won, they either lacked all sense… or had a reason strong enough to justify ignoring the risks.
“Maybe he’s not just some thug after all.”
Muttering under her breath, Ah-young glanced back behind them. But after rounding a few straight corridors on their way out, the man from earlier was no longer in sight.
Still, her piercing gaze seemed to bore into the bend in the hallway behind them. She wondered—could he be connected to the sound terrorism incident at the product showcase earlier? Could he be part of the same group? Esper-assassinating terrorists targeting the Association weren’t exactly rare. Maybe, through Seo Won, they’d gotten a line on Han-gyeom too.
While she turned that over in her mind, they reached the end of the corridor.
As they stepped outside through the open door, they were met with the salty scent of the ocean on the night breeze and a pitch-black sky overhead. Even the dazzling city lights in the distance looked like part of the cruise’s grand nighttime setting—beautiful enough to mesmerize anyone into quiet admiration.
Surprisingly, there weren’t many people gathered to watch the fireworks yet. The cruise hadn’t brought in that many attendees to begin with, and most were probably still scattered across the ongoing events inside the hall.
As she looked out at the dozen or so people gathered on the deck, Ah-young smiled.
“You said you were sensitive to loud noises, right? One of the bodyguards assigned to join us is an esper—he can block out sound. When it starts, I’ll ask him to shield you from it. Want to watch together?”
Han-gyeom’s eyes lit up for a second at her words.
But then, for an entirely different reason, his vision was consumed by a sudden flash.
Bang!
With a sharp pop, something exploded midair. It burst into blinding white light, so intense that it briefly blinded everyone who had been looking up at the night sky in anticipation of the fireworks.
“Kyaaah!”
“What the hell?!”
“Ugh, my eyes—!”
The sudden burst of the flashbang’s blinding light sent people into a frenzy. Everyone clutched at their eyes and ducked instinctively. Han-gyeom and Ah-young were no different—they couldn’t withstand the explosion of light and squeezed their eyes shut.
His vision first dulled, then quickly plunged into total darkness. Even with his eyes open, it didn’t feel like they were—everything was just pitch black.
Trying to force them open only resulted in his vision blurring and a sharp stinging pain. In the end, he had to shut them again. Others seemed to be in the same state—some had even started crying from the pain.
“Urgh! Who the hell would—! Han-gyeom, are you okay?!”
Even as the flashbang erupted, Ah-young had never let go of his hand. Now, she’d interlocked her fingers with his completely, determined not to lose him no matter what.
“Ugh… ngh…”
Han-gyeom wanted to respond, but he was too busy pressing a hand over his mouth, struggling to control his breath. The flashbang itself hadn’t been all that loud, so he might’ve been fine otherwise. But the screams and panicked voices erupting all around them were far louder than the blast—and they were scrambling his mind.
Ah-young pulled him into a tight embrace.
“Han-gyeom, stay calm. I’m right here, you’re safe. It’s going to be okay, alright?”
There was a frantic urgency in her voice. She already knew—she’d been briefed on what form his episodes could take. No matter what, she had to keep him stable and stop it from escalating.
She hugged him tightly and patted his back again and again, repeating that it was okay.
Maybe it was because of her, but the awful sensation that had been swelling in his throat began to fade. The itch in his throat, like something was caught there, also began to ease.
Still breathing hard like he’d just run a marathon, Han-gyeom clenched his eyes shut and gave a small nod.
“I’m okay. Thank you.”
Only then did Ah-young release him from her arms. Even so, she still hadn’t let go of his hand—their fingers remained firmly entwined.
“How’s your vision? Can you see anything?”
“No. Not at all.”
He’d tried opening his eyes briefly, but had to close them again almost immediately.
“I’m not sure what just happened, but it looked like a flashbang. The light’s caused temporary blindness. Temporary being the key word—it’ll pass. Your sight will come back soon.”
Ah-young’s calm voice was oddly reassuring, especially in contrast to the chaos around them. Despite the shouting and panic, the hand holding his was so steady that it brought him some peace.
Han-gyeom, still pale from nearly having a full episode, lifted his hand to cover his eyes. Whether from the flash or something else, his eyes already felt warm to the touch. There was a strange heat building… and something else. A faint tickling sensation.
Hm? Something’s…
Han-gyeom frowned.
He could feel it—something was wrong with his eyes.
