One of the anti-government Espers from the 60th floor—a woman with a cold, razor-sharp voice—grabbed Kwon Ho-eun by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
–Thud!
The impact sent Ho-eun crashing into the wall, blood spilling from his mouth as he clutched his abdomen in agony.
“You dare try to fool us with a garbage contract like that?”
The woman, seemingly unscathed, advanced toward him. With every step, the ground beneath her froze solid. In the midst of this fiery chaos, she remained untouched—thanks, no doubt, to her Esper ability.
Ho-eun, barely managing to stay upright, braced himself on the ground with the umbrella slung over his back and forced his trembling body to rise.
“Where is he… Do In-ho…”
“Do In-ho? Oh, that monster?”
Ho-eun followed the direction she pointed and spotted Do In-ho encased in a square block of ice. Every time he tried to use his ability, cracks formed in the ice, allowing flames to leak out, only to be frozen over again by a new ice wall.
Using the umbrella as a makeshift cane, Ho-eun began limping toward Do In-ho.
“Are you stupid? That guy’s about to overload. You’ll be dead before you even get close.”
“Ghhk…”
“So you’re planning on a murder-suicide now, huh? After setting up a plan more villainous than any villain I’ve seen?”
She stomped on his back. Ho-eun, flung forward, clenched his fists.
His whole body trembled. Maybe the cold aura around her was suppressing the smoke somewhat, but the sting in his palms and the pain in his back were real.
He didn’t know the full details of the government’s plan, but judging by her rage, it clearly had something to do with Do In-ho’s impending overload. Were they planning to use his rampage to stop the anti-government Espers?
“They said they were short on Guides and then sent in a monster like that?”
Blood dripped from Ho-eun to the ground. When he finally managed to lift his head, he saw blood running down the woman’s chin too.
Must’ve burned through a lot of energy to keep Do In-ho restrained.
Why did they let things get to this point? If none of this had happened, the anti-government side wouldn’t be hurt, and he wouldn’t be going through this hell either. His thoughts were hazy—maybe from the smoke. He couldn’t think straight.
His disorganized mind latched onto just one name: Do In-ho. That’s right. He had to get to him. Even if he had to crawl, he would.
“Persistent little shit. Just die already.”
The woman kicked him again, hard, in the stomach.
–Boom!!
With physical abilities far surpassing normal humans, the woman easily sent the 180cm-plus Ho-eun flying. The wall caved in where he hit. She casually fixed her messy hair.
“Huff… Huff…”
Ho-eun propped himself up against the wall with trembling arms. His special helmet, cracked in half, barely clung to his head. If he hadn’t been wearing it, he might have had a concussion.
Faced with death and gripped by fear, tears welled in his eyes. Would this night ever end? This endless darkness—Ho-eun lowered his head.
Guides are weak. Guides can’t be heroes. That reality tormented him. He hated himself for not being able to shoot back at the anti-government woman’s taunt about a double suicide.
Kwon Ho-eun. What the hell are you even doing here?
“I barely made it out alive. Huh? Looks like one Guide didn’t manage to run.”
Just as his eyes were about to close, a familiar voice rang out from above.
“Phew. Finally feel like I can breathe again.”
Ho-eun was forcibly yanked to his feet by the collar. A man wearing a traditional mask—his face hidden—had severe burns covering the entire right side of his body. He let out a satisfied sigh.
As he caught Ho-eun’s nearly limp body, the burned flesh on the man’s skin rapidly regenerated.
“He got wrecked pretty bad, huh, Boss?”
“Guess the government wasn’t entirely full of shit. This guy’s ranked higher than the one from earlier. Not a total loss for us, then.”
The voice. Ho-eun had heard it on TV. The one who had made those threats. Not a loss, he said. What the hell was he talking about?
Ho-eun tried to pull away from the man’s grasp, but pain shot through his neck. He looked down and saw a syringe jammed into it.
“Let’s extract it before he overloads.”
Thud. Thud. The cracks in the ice box around Do In-ho were appearing faster now. Blood began filling the large syringe. Ho-eun stared at the icy prison Do In-ho was trapped in.
Smoke churned inside, a byproduct of his ability.
“Stop… Do In-ho…”
Ho-eun forced out his name. Stop using your power. These bastards are gonna run anyway. You can buy time if you stop now. He had so much he wanted to say, but he could barely breathe, let alone speak. His lips moved, but no sound came. His face twisted in frustration.
My voice… won’t come out…
Tears rolled down Ho-eun’s cheeks.
–KA-BOOM!
Suddenly, a louder explosion rocked the ground. The ice box shattered into pieces. Blazing fire swept past Ho-eun’s side.
Thump. A severed arm landed next to him—the arm that had been holding the syringe. The man’s limb had been severed by the flames.
“Whoa. That’s terrifying. Guess we’ll call it a day with this much.”
The voice was light, almost playful. The man—called “Boss”—pulled the syringe from Ho-eun’s neck. The container was half full of Ho-eun’s blood. Avoiding another fire blast, he made his way to the woman.
“Time to go.”
“Boss, aren’t you gonna kill that Guide?”
“He’ll probably die before I get the chance. That guy’s about to blow.”
The woman cast Ho-eun a dissatisfied glance before turning away. The two of them vanished into the flames.
Only then did Ho-eun rip off his helmet and, picking up his umbrella, begin staggering toward Do In-ho.
The crackle of flames. The blaring danger alert from his guide watch. Do In-ho, who had been using his power uncontrollably, halted the moment he saw the anti-government pair escape. Then, he turned to face Ho-eun—clad in the same uniform.
“Why…”
He’d suspected something was wrong from the moment the Guide returned to the scene. But the unfamiliar guiding had made him hope—hope it wasn’t Ho-eun. He hadn’t wanted to see him here.
Do In-ho didn’t understand. He was just a tool. A tool doomed to die. He’d always known he would die alone in a violent overload.
He’d been sold to the Esper Corporation as a child. They told him he’d probably die at twenty. So he accepted it—what choice did he have?
They said someone else’s heart beat inside his chest. Maybe that was why he’d felt dead for so long. No reason to live, but every reason to die. Each day he survived was just another tick toward death.
That was easier. Having a set ending meant he didn’t need to struggle. Nothing mattered.
He’d grown used to it. A sea without waves—that was his life. But now, someone had thrown a stone into that sea. As if to say it was never calm to begin with.
“Why… Why did you come?”
Every time Ho-eun took a painful step forward, Do In-ho retreated.
“Cough, cough. Hey… stop. Stop walking.”
“Please… don’t come any closer.”
Ho-eun paused and coughed up blood. The kick earlier must have caused internal injuries. Seeing the blood, Do In-ho instinctively reached out, but quickly pulled his hand back.
He had stopped using his power, but the flames continued to spread, growing fiercer. At this rate, Ho-eun might pass out from lack of oxygen.
Do In-ho used the last of his strength to blow out the window behind him.
His heart pounded violently. His temples throbbed like blood vessels were about to burst. He was at his limit. Overload was imminent.
Ho-eun, leaning on his umbrella, finally reached him—and collapsed into Do In-ho’s arms.
“Let’s go… together…”
“It’s too late. Jump out the window. The support team will catch you.”
Every time Do In-ho spoke, blood dribbled from his lips. He truly was at his limit. Even with guiding, it wasn’t clear how long he could last. His entire body began to heat up from within. His ability was on the verge of bursting out.
“Please… Just jump.”
Do In-ho’s voice cracked, nearly breaking into a sob. Ho-eun lifted his head from Do In-ho’s chest and gently cupped his cheek.
“I was so sure I could save you… but the field… was way more dangerous than I imagined.”
I was too weak… Ho-eun whispered.
“I couldn’t handle it on my own. Honestly, I wanted to run away.”
“Then do it. Run. Even now, it’s okay. No one… not even me… will blame you. I couldn’t.”
“Pfft… Haah… In-ho. Remember? I told you to think about it. A reason to live that doesn’t depend on overloading.”
“There’s no such thing…”
“Yeah… You’re right. Most people don’t wake up every day thinking about why they need to stay alive. They just live.”
“Dying… is my fate. So please, just go. Please, I’m begging you!!!”
“Fate… Ha. That’s just superstition…”
Ho-eun chuckled weakly. Do In-ho, flames flickering from his left hand, prepared to forcibly throw Ho-eun out.
–Rrrrrrrr.
A helicopter roared closer. The Esper Corporation’s logo gleamed on its side. As Ho-eun tilted his head toward the window, a spotlight shone down on them. Do In-ho prepared for their last goodbye.
“Ho-eun-hyung… I’m sorry.”
The name he’d refused to say—finally, he said it. Ho-eun smiled gently, forgetting his pain.
Do In-ho reached out with his right hand—the one not emitting flames—and grabbed the back of Ho-eun’s shirt. He was ready to throw him out.
“Yeah. Me too…”
But Ho-eun moved first. He opened the umbrella still in his hand, shielding them from the helicopter’s light.
Rain began to fall inside the building, despite the sealed ceiling. Beneath the umbrella, the two locked eyes.
“If this is your first kiss… sorry.”
Ho-eun captured Do In-ho’s lips. He bit gently, coaxing his mouth open, and slid his tongue in. Overwhelmed by the sudden, intense guiding, Do In-ho let his hand drop. Their breaths mingled as their lips devoured one another.
At first frozen, Do In-ho then wrapped a trembling hand around Ho-eun’s neck and kissed him deeper. The flames spilling from his body began to fizzle out under the rain. The fire raging within him cooled as another desire stirred in its place.
A wet sound echoed from their lips, a thin string of saliva stretching between them. Do In-ho pressed kisses down Ho-eun’s neck, leaving red marks on his pale skin. Gripping him tighter, he kissed him again.
“Situation resolved.”
Hosoo, sitting by the helicopter’s door preparing to lower the ladder, watched Do In-ho’s stabilizing guide metrics with a pleased grin.
There had been three main goals for this operation:
- Rescue the hostages.
- Trick Tiger with a fake contract.
- The moment Tiger signed it, Do In-ho would take an Esper Ability Enhancer.
Though the enhancer increased an Esper’s power, it triggered overload in unstable Espers like Do In-ho.
The plan was to minimize government casualties by letting Do In-ho end it all.
Outside the building, Espers with shield abilities were stationed to contain the overload.
But looks like we won’t need them today.
Inside the rain-soaked building, a black umbrella concealed the pair. Hosoo smirked and shut the helicopter door.
“Let’s come back in, say… ten minutes? Nah, probably not enough.”
The umbrella shielding them slipped from Ho-eun’s weakening grip and dropped to the floor. The sudden light made him squint, and he buried his face in Do In-ho’s chest. Despite the gentle hand caressing his head, Do In-ho’s face had morphed into that of a fierce beast.
Without even looking back, he raised his hand and caused a small explosion. It was minor, but enough to rock the helicopter.
The chopper lurched, pulling away from the building. Hosoo yelled like a madman, but it didn’t reach them.
Do In-ho cupped Ho-eun’s cheek and murmured in a near-growl,
“Promise me…”
“…Anything.”
“That you won’t regret saving me.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“…Then take responsibility for stealing my first kiss.”
“I will. I promise.”
Ho-eun’s lips brushed against Do In-ho’s. The teasing sensation made Do In-ho chuckle.
How many years has it been… since I laughed like this without fear?
Maybe… this is the first time. Do In-ho licked Ho-eun’s lips. They parted naturally. That tender invitation made his heart feel alive for the first time.
