“I’ve always been lucky, you know. There’s no way I’m gonna lose, but even if I do, I can take down someone like you with just my left arm~”
……
Seon Ak-yul glanced at the floor. These guys had no idea how far he could push his shadow ability.
They probably couldn’t even imagine that he could see through the shadows.
When he’d shuffled the cards earlier, he’d used the shadows to peek, then placed the highest-numbered card at the top of the deck. Naturally, that was the one he’d drawn.
“Hey. You—come here and be the judge.”
“M-Me?”
Seon Ak-yul called out to the dealer hiding beneath the table. The man stood up hesitantly, his face pale with fear.
“Yeah. Take the knife down there, and when the cards are revealed, just cut off the arm of the person with the lower number.”
The dealer picked up the dagger that had fallen to the floor. His trembling hands made the blade wobble dangerously.
“Phew.”
As Seon Ak-yul exhaled, a black aura shimmered around the dagger’s edge.
“Now it’ll slice cleanly even in a civilian’s hands.”
“Hiiiik…”
The dealer swallowed hard at the sight of the darkly undulating blade. He looked like he wanted to toss it away immediately.
“I’ll judge. Let the dealer observe—I’ll be the one doing the cutting.”
Ho-eun, seeing the poor dealer shaking so badly, raised his hand and stepped toward Seon Ak-yul.
“Ak-yul, once this is over, hand that bastard to me. I’ll kill him myself.”
From inside his cell, Choi Seon-yul clenched his jaw and growled at Ho-eun. Watching from nearby, Seon Ak-yul cocked his head as Ho-eun calmly approached.
“Hm? And why should I trust you to do it?”
“I’m not letting a civilian swing a blade. And if you don’t trust me, what’s the point of playing the game at all? I won’t pull anything—so let’s just get on with it.”
Standing between Nam Woon-soo and Seon Ak-yul, Ho-eun took the dagger from the dealer. Han Yeo-ul looked up at him from his side.
……
Sweat pooled in Ho-eun’s palm as he gripped the dagger.
Why the hell did Team Leader Nam propose such a ridiculous bet?
It was a pure game of chance—just dumb luck. And yet, Nam Woon-soo, who was known for his constant streak of bad luck, had specifically suggested a game where intelligence didn’t matter, only random fortune.
“Fine. If you try anything, your head’s coming off. Dealer, start.”
“T-This game is simple. Each person draws one card. The person with the higher number wins…”
The dealer gulped again. On the table lay Nam Woon-soo’s right hand, clutching the key, and Seon Ak-yul’s right hand, holding Han Yeo-ul’s.
“The loser will receive the penalty of l-losing one arm. We’ll proceed with the cards drawn earlier. Do both parties agree?”
Both Nam Woon-soo and Seon Ak-yul nodded. The dealer clutched his chest, steadied his breathing, and made the final call.
“Reveal your cards.”
Seon Ak-yul flipped his card first.
“Ten of Spades!”
“That’s my win, isn’t it?”
Grinning, Seon Ak-yul looked at Ho-eun and asked what he was waiting for.
“Ah, but I haven’t revealed my card yet…”
“No way it’s higher than mine!”
“Still, the game’s not over until the card’s flipped. Team Leader, please reveal yours.”
Nam Woon-soo slowly turned over his card.
Seon Ak-yul was already chuckling inside. Victory was guaranteed.
He’d placed the 10 of Spades at the top, and the very bottom card had been the Jack of Spades.
For Nam Woon-soo to beat him, he’d have to draw another Spade—and a higher value than 10 or J, both of which were already drawn. The chances of pulling a King, Queen, or Ace were practically zero.
There was no need to even use his shadow to check—Seon Ak-yul was that sure he’d won.
“Ki…King of Spades.”
“?!!”
“!!”
Both Seon Ak-yul and Ho-eun stared in stunned disbelief. Team Leader Nam… won? In a game of chance? The same Nam Woon-soo who was practically cursed with bad luck his entire life?
“Ho-eun. What’re you waiting for?”
Bae Yeon-woo’s voice echoed in Ho-eun’s ear, and he quickly raised the knife and slashed it clean across in a diagonal motion.
“AAARGH!!”
The dealer screamed and collapsed. Seon Ak-yul stared down at his severed arm on the ground, his face stunned.
Seizing the moment, Ho-eun scooped Han Yeo-ul into his arms and bolted from the spot.
“No fucking way!! You cheated!! There’s no way he beat my card! This is bullshit!!!”
“Pfft—hahaha! Oh my god, this is hilarious. What was it you said earlier? You’re lucky?”
Bae Yeon-woo burst into laughter watching Seon Ak-yul scream. He doubled over, clutching his stomach, and wiped tears from his eyes as he straightened.
“Here, abilities are luck.”
He looked toward Nam Woon-soo, whose cheeks were flushed red in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, hiding beneath the massive gaming table with Han Yeo-ul, Ho-eun pulled her into his chest to shield her.
Peeking just enough to watch the scene unfold, he could hear Bae Yeon-woo’s crazed laughter echoing through the room.
“Puhaha—god, that’s fucking rich. You could challenge him a hundred times and lose every single one.”
Bae Yeon-woo casually wiped the blood trickling from his neck.
“Lucky Choice.”
The card in Nam Woon-soo’s hand shimmered faintly with a yellow glow around its border.
…No way. Team Leader’s ability is luck?
If Ho-eun weren’t busy holding Han Yeo-ul, his jaw might’ve hit the floor.
After all, Nam Woon-soo was practically the poster child for bad luck. He probably had a laundry list of scraped knees just from tripping over his own feet. And his ability was luck?
“…You’re squishing me.”
“Ah—sorry!”
Lost in thought, Ho-eun loosened his grip at Han Yeo-ul’s soft protest.
“Yeo-ul, are you hurt anywhere?”
……
Large eyes looked up at him cautiously. Ho-eun gave a sheepish smile.
Maybe she didn’t recognize him since they’d first met when he was in a mascot costume. Still, in her hand was the bunny doll he’d given her.
“Bunny, huh?”
At his words, Han Yeo-ul clutched the doll protectively to her chest.
“Hm. Yeo-ul, don’t you know who I am?”
She shook her little head side to side.
“It’s me. Bunny.”
Ho-eun made rabbit ears with his fingers, placing them beside his head and wiggling them.
“Bunny?”
Only then did she really look at his face. Ho-eun tried his best to look friendly, scrunching his eyes playfully, but she just turned her head away.
What am I supposed to say now?
Panicking a little, Ho-eun peeked back up to check the situation above the table.
“Fucking treat me like an idiot, huh?”
Shadows gathered around Seon Ak-yul, growing thicker and larger. What’s he doing now…?
Just as Ho-eun held his breath, a streak of lightning zipped across the ceiling, shattering every light fixture.
“KYAAAH!!”
The room went completely dark, screams echoing from every direction.
Except for the light coming from Eom Tae-seok’s electric prison, there were no shadows left—nothing was casting one anymore.
“Mister.”
A small hand tugged at him from below. Ho-eun looked down again.
“Help me.”
“…Huh?”
Han Yeo-ul hugged the bunny tightly.
“My mom and dad.”
……
“Please get them out.”
“…Yeo-ul. Your parents… they’re not good people.”
Ho-eun opened and closed his mouth, unsure how to explain it in terms a child would understand.
They were trying to use you. I don’t know all the details, but they raised you because they knew you were an Esper.
Should he say it like that? Could a ten-year-old even process something like this?
“You said you’d help.”
Han Yeo-ul held out the bunny doll. And Ho-eun remembered the promise he’d made that morning.
You know the bunny I gave you? If anything happens, just ask the bunny for help—and I’ll come for you.
The way she was holding out the doll now felt like she was asking him to honor that promise.
“I need a family…”
Her face was hidden by the dark, but when Ho-eun gently reached out and touched her cheek, it was damp with tears.
She was still just a child. Even if her adoptive parents hadn’t loved her, she still longed for that feeling of belonging.
“Even if they’re bad people?”
……
“Even if they don’t love you?”
……
She gave a small nod.
“Yeo-ul… real family isn’t like that. A real family wants to feed you good food, dress you in warm clothes, give you new experiences—and most of all, they want to spend time with you.”
“They’re fake mom and dad. I’m not asking for much…”
Han Yeo-ul buried her face into the bunny and murmured.
“I just need a place to go back to… Not an orphanage.”
Ho-eun took a sharp breath.
What did she mean by a place to return to? A home where the people didn’t love her? Why was that where she wanted to go back?
“Alright. I’ll get your parents out.”
……
“And I’ll make you a new place to go. Somewhere not with them.”
“Why?”
It was a pure, innocent question—genuine curiosity.
Ho-eun didn’t even know why he cared this much about her himself. Was it just because she was a child with no guardian? Because saving her felt like the right thing to do?
“Bunnies get lonely easily.”
“??”
“That’s why they need a new family. Will you be part of it?”
He didn’t have an answer for himself, but Ho-eun gently patted her head so she could feel safe.
“I’ll keep my promise.”
A small flicker of blue—Dokkaebi Fire—sparkled between them.
Ho-eun quickly covered it with his hand. With the lights out, the room was pitch black, and that glowing flame would be a dead giveaway.
He hid the flame in his palm. It didn’t even feel warm—just quietly there, like nothing at all.
“…Yeoul. You can see the future, can’t you?”
He wasn’t sure how far Dokkaebi Fire’s abilities extended, but somehow, it felt like Do In-ho could hear him even now.
“Can you show us something today?”
……
“So we can protect you.”
“…We?”
“A lot of bunnies came here to protect you. Well… they don’t look like bunnies, but their hearts are.”
“I like bunnies.”
Ho-eun watched as she gently stroked her bunny doll’s fur, then joined her, brushing his fingers over it as well.
There was no doubt about it. She had awakened as an Esper. Currently, there were three anti-government Espers still in the building: Choi Seon-yul, Seon Ak-yul, and Wonsin.
Thud.
There was a loud crash and clatter of metal from Bae Yeon-woo’s direction—looks like the fight had already started there.
If they could take down Seon Ak-yul too, then the PR Department’s mission would be a success. But if no one saw Han Yeo-ul use her ability…
The Esper Corporation will have no grounds to protect her.
