While Han-gyeom and Ah-young were making some sort of deal…
“Ugh, can you not be so rough…?!”
Song Jae-woo yelped as his arm was yanked harshly by a rough hand, but quickly clamped his mouth shut. The cold, piercing gaze stabbing at him from behind made it impossible to say anything more.
Jae-woo swallowed dryly, sensing Seo Won’s eyes boring into his back like they might pierce right through him.
‘I should probably be grateful they’re not kicking me out on the spot.’
Only once he was dragged into the middle of the room and left standing awkwardly alone did the hand gripping his forearm finally let go. Jae-woo looked up at Im Du-hyuk, whose vicious face made it feel like he’d stop breathing if they so much as made eye contact. Not just the terrifying face—those fierce, bulging eyes were just too much. He couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Standing behind Im Du-hyuk, who was exuding silent pressure as if warning him not to act up, was Seo Won. He had been watching silently until now but finally stepped forward.
“Leave us. I need to talk to him.”
“Yes, Executive Director.”
The fearsome Im Du-hyuk, who looked like he wouldn’t take orders from anyone, politely bowed to Seo Won. Before stepping out, he didn’t forget to shoot Jae-woo one last threatening glare, as if warning him not to cause trouble.
‘I said I wouldn’t go wild again…’
It was unfair, but not like he was entirely guiltless either. Even he couldn’t believe how many times he’d gone off the rails.
He hadn’t been in his right mind.
The moment he got swept up in Kang Woo-chan’s Guiding, every word the man said sounded like absolute truth. It was like falling headfirst into a cult. Kang Woo-chan seemed like the only light in the world.
Then he started shouting about saving Cha Han-gyeom, saying he’d take him out of that cold, rigid mansion and help him live freely. The promise had sounded so tempting.
Maybe even if he hadn’t been under Kang Woo-chan’s spell, he still would’ve grabbed his hand without hesitation.
That’s how much Song Jae-woo pitied Cha Han-gyeom.
“You’re incredibly irritating.”
The moment the door closed, Seo Won’s words dropped like a cold slap, and Jae-woo’s face twisted with frustration as he glared at him.
‘Look who’s talking…!!’
A curse nearly slipped out, but he barely held it back. Of all things, his eyes had landed on the broken wall sconce—wrecked during one of his tantrums—with Seo Won standing right next to it.
‘Wait a minute, why am I the one holding back?’
That sudden thought flared in him, and he raised his voice, eyes blazing.
“You’re the one who’s irritating! I heard everything, okay?!”
His breath was already coming in quick gasps. Han-gyeom’s face flashed in his mind, followed by the truth Kang Woo-chan had told him, echoing loudly in his head.
“You forced the Imprint on him, didn’t you?! If that had been in the contract, there’s no way hyung would’ve signed it so willingly!”
Jae-woo fumed, genuinely furious, his face flushed with anger.
He knew exactly how sensitive Han-gyeom was about Imprinting. The man had warned Jae-woo time and time again—every few days, without fail—to never mess around with Imprinting.
“An Imprint is a shackle.”
“Even if it feels like you’ve gained the whole world when it happens… if the other person dies, the one left behind will be doomed to eternal loneliness.”
“When you end up alone like that, there are only two ways out.”
“You either follow them in death, or live on in endless agony.”
The way Han-gyeom had said those words, like a bitter confession, still echoed in Jae-woo’s ears.
The thought that Seo Won had unilaterally shackled a person like that sent a white-hot fury ripping through him.
“Fuck! Why the hell is everyone so obsessed with hyung?! Can’t you just leave him the hell alone?! He was already struggling just to survive every single day, and now this bastard’s poking at him, and that asshole’s pulling at him—Jesus, it’s a whole damn circus, fuck all of you!”
Driven by rage, Jae-woo hurled curses like daggers, his chest heaving as he glared murderously.
During his time as a Guiding broker, Jae-woo had met more Espers than he could count who had taken an interest in Han-gyeom.
Plenty of them didn’t have pure intentions.
If they were regular clients who just wanted to see him often, that was one thing—he could tolerate that. But the ones who tried to get close through underhanded means were the real headache. Hiding near alleyways and suddenly lunging to hug him was practically the norm. Some even tried to scale the walls and windows like damn thieves to sneak into his house. Don’t even ask how many times someone attempted to outright abduct him.
Most of the time, Han-gyeom could handle it himself with a mere flick of his fingers.
But he was still human. There were days when his body gave out, or his condition was too poor to fight back properly. And every time that happened, it was Jae-woo who ran to the scene, cleaned up the mess, and even relocated the venue just so Han-gyeom wouldn’t be left with bad memories.
And yet—what good did all that do now?
Han-gyeom was stuck in an environment completely out of Jae-woo’s control.
Even if Han-gyeom had left the mansion and taken Kang Woo-chan’s hand, there probably wasn’t a damn thing Jae-woo could’ve done. Kang Woo-chan and his people had drawn a clear, uncrossable line between themselves and him.
The more he thought about it, the harder it was to choke back the surge of emotion rising in his throat. He had never felt so utterly helpless in his entire life.
Maybe that’s why his anger burned so intensely.
“Fine, let’s say the contract’s one thing! But the Imprint—how could you do that?! How the hell is hyung supposed to live once the contract ends? What’s he supposed to do, pretend to be a regular person out in the world?! Is that it?!”
“The contract hasn’t ended.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?!”
Seo Won stood in front of him, arms crossed arrogantly, his eyes frigid as he stared him down.
“Termination is only possible if a substitute Guiding method exists for Cha Han-gyeom. But once you’re Imprinted, you can only receive Guiding from the one you’re Imprinted to—for life.”
“Wait, w-wait—what about the contract expiration date?”
“There isn’t one.”
“What…?”
Jae-woo blinked several times, completely stunned. His rage was momentarily forgotten, his voice faltering in disbelief.
“B-but hyung… he said that after the contract ends, we’d go on a trip together or something…”
“Like I said, Cha Han-gyeom’s contract is for life. There is no end.”
“Wh-what the hell is that supposed to mean?!”
Face turning pale, Jae-woo suddenly grabbed the front of Seo Won’s shirt like he was about to drag him down by the collar.
“Hey—you seriously think this is okay?! This is insane! Does hyung even know?!”
“Cha Han-gyeom’s the one who signed it—after carefully reading it and even adding a special clause himself.”
“Ha…”
Jae-woo’s vision blurred, and his eyes darted around frantically.
Back when Han-gyeom had signed the contract, all Jae-woo had seen was the front page—just a quick glance. He had no idea it contained something like this.
If what Seo Won was saying was true, then Han-gyeom had read the entire contract thoroughly and agreed to it before signing. But no matter how much he thought about it, it just didn’t make sense.
“Y-you forced him to sign it, didn’t you?! Of course you did! You kidnapped him—what’s a little coercion on top of that?! You threatened him into signing it, right?! Tell me I’m wrong!”
“If you’re that suspicious, ask Cha Han-gyeom yourself.”
Seo Won’s confident reply made Jae-woo let go of his shirt and fall silent.
The truth was, he’d already thrown those exact same accusations at Han-gyeom once before. And Han-gyeom’s response had been simple: He’d signed of his own will, without any coercion.
Looking back, he hadn’t seemed tense or like he was watching his words. If anything, Han-gyeom had spoken with clear awareness of his choices.
“Ha… why would hyung do something like that…”
Jae-woo couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard he tried. It was maddening.
Seo Won, who’d been watching him in silence, casually smoothed the wrinkles out of his black shirt and spoke again.
“Let me make you an offer.”
Jae-woo, still dazed, lifted his head and looked at him.
“I’ll send you overseas. Go live quietly there.”
“Ex…cuse me?”
Jae-woo blinked dumbly, his face twisting at the sudden, absurd suggestion.
“Are you messing with me right now? I can’t even get a national ID—how the hell am I supposed to go overseas?”
In Korea, all citizens undergo a mandatory Ability User test around age ten. Refusing the test, or taking it and then fleeing to avoid being managed by the Esper Association, instantly makes you a criminal. It’s one thing to escape after becoming an adult under Association management, but if not, most people end up living entirely off the grid—before they ever even receive a proper resident registration.
That meant, of course, Jae-woo didn’t have an ID card, let alone a driver’s license or any kind of certification. He couldn’t even apply for a passport.
If he wanted to leave the country, his only options were forging an identity or smuggling himself out. And even then, with Esper Associations around the world on high alert, the odds of success were virtually nonexistent.
Despite knowing full well that such a thing was practically impossible, Seo Won was casually talking about sending him overseas—this was beyond mere mockery.
As if he had already anticipated Jae-woo’s reaction, Seo Won smoothly delivered his prepared response.
“I’ll give you a civilian identity—undetectable, perfectly clean. A spacious house in a nice neighborhood, and if you want, I can throw in a car and a vacation home too. The monthly cash payments you’ve been receiving? I’ll send them in dollars. Don’t worry about the currency exchange.”
“Hold on, hold on! What the hell are you even saying?!”
Faced with this absurd, too-good-to-be-true fantasy, Jae-woo shot him a look of pure disbelief.
“You really think that makes any sense? More importantly—I’m not going anywhere without Han-gyeom hyung!”
“It was Cha Han-gyeom’s idea.”
The moment Han-gyeom’s name slipped out of Seo Won’s mouth, Jae-woo’s voice abruptly cut off.
“…What?”
“Didn’t catch that? Cha Han-gyeom was the one who brought it up.”
Seo Won narrowed his eyes, and the cold air seeping out from his gaze seemed to deepen.
“He said he’d prefer if you left the country and took care of yourself. Said you were getting in the way.”
