When the two of them stepped out after changing clothes, four others welcomed them as if they’d been waiting.
“Let’s go get some chicken to celebrate!”
“Oh, sounds great. In-ho, you’re okay with that, right?”
“Yeah.”
Ho-eun felt relieved that he wouldn’t be left alone with Do In-ho. He wasn’t shameless enough to face someone right after doing that. Sure, he knew they’d have to do even more outrageous things going forward, but now that he’d actually done it, the embarrassment was beyond anything he’d imagined.
The five of them, led by Kim Se-hee, moved to a chicken restaurant located within the Incheon branch.
The place looked like any ordinary Korean-style pub. A large screen covered the wall, and idol music filled the room from the speakers, playing from a Friday night music show.
When the food arrived, soda took the place of alcohol since Kim Se-hee was a minor. They each poured drinks into their glasses and toasted. Aside from Do In-ho, the mood grew lively and cheerful.
Do In-ho, clearly unfamiliar with this kind of gathering, looked a little awkward, but Ho-eun was secretly glad. He wanted Do In-ho to experience the fun of being around others. Even without alcohol, the atmosphere was just as loud and exciting as a typical drinking party.
Do In-ho responded diligently to every question thrown his way, blending in naturally with the group.
If they could just spend the rest of the weekend together like this, Ho-eun thought, maybe Do In-ho would start wanting to live just a little. Fun, right? With eyes twinkling, Ho-eun looked at Do In-ho.
Do In-ho’s gaze dropped—he was staring at Ho-eun’s lips. The corners of his mouth curved slightly. Ho-eun let out a quiet sigh of relief at the sight of his smile.
—Bzzzt—
The speakers that had been playing upbeat music suddenly made an unpleasant screeching noise. All six people turned their eyes to the screen at once. The image of dancing and singing idols was replaced with a black screen.
Is it broken or something?
Just as Ho-eun was about to call the store owner, five figures appeared on the black screen. They were wearing traditional Korean masks and hanbok. Black robes with gold embroidery. The symbol on the back of one man, who had his back turned, was clearly a tiger.
“Anti-government.”
The low murmur came from Do In-ho, drawing everyone’s gaze to him.
“What’s that?”
Kim Se-hee asked, and the others turned their eyes back to the screen. One of the masked figures—who’d been facing away—began to move in a bizarre manner and stepped to the center.
—Hello, everyone. We are the anti-government group Tiger, made up of Espers. Now, we’re currently in secret negotiations with the government. But since they’re trying to keep this quiet, we figured we’d come tell you ourselves. V, V! Mom, I’m on TV!
Even boasting like that with a mask on, no one could possibly recognize them. Just as he threw up two peace signs with exaggerated gestures, someone else stepped forward and smacked the back of his head before quietly returning to their place.
—Oww, just forget that happened. So not cool. Okay, folks! The reason we, Tiger, are doing this broadcast is because Espers who aren’t affiliated with the global Esper Association have come together to take them down. Why? Because the Esper Association is doing horrible things behind the scenes. This broadcast is our last resort, so let’s keep it a se—cret ♡
—Cut the crap.
—Fine, fine. No need to hit me twice. You’re killing my vibe here. Alright, Republic of Korea! Please meet our demands ASAP. Oh, and don’t forget—we’ve got anti-government alliances backing us from all around the world. Haha ♡ Now, Korea can choose: fight against hundreds of us, or meet our demands and surrender. What’ll it be? So exciting~
The screen fizzled, then switched to a familiar building.
“…Huh?”
—Our first negotiation site will be at 63 Square. If talks fail, we’ll attack this place like proper villains. Oh, right—there are still people inside who didn’t escape, so we’ll be keeping them as hostages ♡
The disturbing footage ended, and the music show resumed.
“…What the hell was that?”
The speaker returned to playing bright, bouncy idol tunes, but the atmosphere remained frozen in tension. Ho-eun cautiously turned to Do In-ho.
“There’s… an anti-government Esper group in Korea too. But it’s classified, so only the relevant departments would know the full details.”
Just then, Do In-ho’s phone rang from the table.
“…Understood.”
After answering, Do In-ho stood up. Without thinking, Ho-eun grabbed the hem of his shirt.
“Where are you going?”
“An assignment. That broadcast—it seems it was real.”
As soon as Do In-ho’s call ended, Ran and Kim Han-seul also began receiving calls. The gathering dissolved in an instant. The only ones left at the table were the three guides. Kim Se-hee poked at the cold chicken with her chopsticks. Ryu Yoon-jae spoke in a trembling voice.
“We’re not actually going to need our wills… right?”
“Ten million won for your life. Now that I think about it, that seems pretty cheap.”
Kim Se-hee answered nonchalantly. Ryu Yoon-jae let out a frightened breath. While the two worried about dying, Ho-eun kept his eyes fixed on the door Do In-ho had exited through. Something didn’t feel right.
***
Hosoo headed toward the Guide Corporation building for an emergency meeting. A staff member who had summoned him urgently was waiting at the front gate.
“Assistant Director!”
The woman, dressed in a crisp black suit, wore the same blue employee badge as Hosoo. Her name tag read “Sa-wol.” With a face that looked like she was about to cry, she pushed Hosoo’s back and urged him to hurry as she broke into a fast stride.
Keeping pace, Hosoo asked Sa-wol for a quick update as they moved.
“An emergency meeting’s been called. All the directors from the Esper Association are already here. We’re not sure if the Guide Corporation’s President will show up… but everyone’s waiting for you, Assistant Director.”
“What about Do In-ho?”
“It’s just as I reported. The Esper Association’s President seems to have decided to abandon the retrieval of Do In-ho’s crystal.”
“…Haah. What the hell are they thinking?”
When they arrived at the meeting room, the tightly closed doors swung open. As Hosoo entered, the buzz of chatter around the round table died instantly. Noting a few empty seats, Hosoo took his assigned spot. A man sitting across from him looked around the room.
“Looks like everyone’s here. We’re gathered today because the anti-government group known as ‘Tiger’ has broken their agreement with us.”
Tiger. Hosoo raised an eyebrow at the name. One of the staff waiting at the rear tapped on their laptop, and screens embedded at each seat lit up with video footage.
Five people wearing traditional Korean masks and hanbok. It was the signature look of Korea’s anti-government Tiger group.
Espers who couldn’t accept the authority of the Esper Association had existed for years in every country. These Espers rejected formal affiliation and naturally gathered into anti-government factions.
Because a war with Espers would be more devastating than a nuclear war, governments tried to meet anti-government demands as much as possible—an unspoken peace agreement, of sorts. But as the saying goes, human greed knows no bounds.
—We demand 10 guides in total. One S-Class, two A-Class, three B-Class, and four C-Class.
—If our demands are not met, we will consider it a declaration of war and initiate nationwide terror attacks.
—Furthermore, we are currently allied with anti-government groups across the globe. Declining our demands means you are defying the entire anti-government alliance—and we will declare global war.
As the screen went black, the room burst into noise. The Association was already short on guides, and now Tiger was demanding even high-ranking ones.
There were only three S-Class guides in Korea. One was overseas on assignment and wouldn’t return within the contract period. Another was currently working with a team at the Esper Association—they were a key figure, and removing them would provoke serious backlash from the rest of the high-ranking Espers on the team.
The last one… wasn’t actively guiding. He was currently focused on training new guides.
“…Then I’ll—”
Just as Hosoo began to speak, the meeting room doors opened.
