As Han Yeo-ul pulled away, the woman who had been trembling like a leaf reached out to grab her.
But Yeo-ul walked faster. She approached Ho-eun, right in front of him, and extended her hand.
Her expression was strangely serious for a child, as if she understood exactly what he was struggling with.
When he reached out and took her small hand, her hair began to float gently in the air, and her obsidian-black eyes seemed as vast as the universe.
“!!”
A flood of information poured into Ho-eun’s mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
—Mister! Can I really get all of these?!
Yeo-ul was running around in front of a cake shop display, pointing excitedly at each cake one by one.
Then the scene changed.
—In-ho, maybe it’d be better if we just chose the clothes ourselves?
They were at a VIP room in a department store not long ago. Ho-eun was sweating, overwhelmed, while Do In-ho—clueless—was helping pick out clothes for Yeo-ul.
Finally, the visuals vanished, and only a voice remained.
—Maybe it’s in our genes to like you. Me, Yeo-ul… we both do.
“Hahh… hahh…”
Ho-eun bent over, gasping for breath.
“Guide Kwon Ho-eun, are you alright?”
Apparently still on the lower level, Sun gently grabbed Ho-eun’s shoulder in support.
Leaning against Sun, too weak to stand on his own, Ho-eun stared blankly at Han Yeo-ul, whose hair still floated in the air.
Her obsidian eyes briefly turned gray, and inside them, the scenes Ho-eun had just seen flickered past.
“No way… she realized it on her own?”
Kang Him-chan muttered in disbelief. From a distance, Eom Tae-seok slammed his golf club against the floor.
“This is HR announcing: September XX—Second Awakening, Han Yeo-ul. Esper Awakening Confirmed. Ability: Precognition.”
Lightning began to spark around Eom Tae-seok.
“Ability confirmation complete. From this moment forward, Han Yeo-ul will be transported safely to the Esper Corporation as an official Esper.”
Every step Eom Tae-seok took crackled with electricity flowing across the floor.
“Kang Him-chan, what’s going on?”
“Department Head’s special authority. If an Esper’s second awakening is confirmed on-site, they can be immediately transferred to HQ. Thank god she awakened.”
“Huh?”
“You saw it yourself, didn’t you? She used her ability. Maybe we have Team Lead Nam Woon-soo’s luck to thank. We didn’t catch anything during our surveillance.”
Yeo-ul’s eyes returned to black. As if she knew exactly what to do, she waved at Ho-eun.
“From here, the Department Head will safely escort Han Yeo-ul to the Esper Corporation. Unlike Park Ki-hyun, who got roasted, she’ll be treated kindly.”
“Mister. See you later.”
To the dumbfounded Ho-eun, Yeo-ul handed the bunny plush she had been holding.
“Come quick, okay? And be careful.”
With no hesitation and without needing to be told, Yeo-ul walked straight toward Eom Tae-seok.
When he reached toward the sky, a staff descended—round-tipped, adorned with a lightning bolt-shaped ornament.
“Sir! Take this with you!”
Kang Him-chan picked up the collapsed Park Ki-hyun as if he were trash, pinching him with just his thumb and forefinger, and handed him over.
Eom Tae-seok drew a large arc in the air, and when the shape formed a perfect circle, the three of them disappeared in a spark of electricity.
“No, wait! Yeo… Yeo-ul. If you go… I… H-hiiee! I’m sorry! Please forgive me—just once!”
Yeo-ul’s mother, who had been standing still until now, began to mutter to herself like a madwoman, then suddenly turned and begged Ho-eun.
“Um… Please calm down. You’ll face legal consequences, but you don’t need to be this afraid—”
Ho-eun didn’t get to finish his sentence.
KRA-KOOM!!
An explosion erupted from the storage room below. Smoke filled the space, and scarlet flames spread rapidly.
The store’s lights had been destroyed, and the now-dark interior was drenched in the crimson glow of fire.
“P-please, just one more chance!!”
The woman’s screams were cut off. The shadow beneath the unconscious father and the woman who had been begging grew larger—then swallowed them whole in an instant.
“Wait!!”
Ho-eun reached out too late—he caught nothing.
Kang Him-chan, shocked by their sudden disappearance, rushed to the railing and looked down.
Bae Yeon-woo was bleeding from his abdomen. Nam Woon-soo stood protectively in front of him.
“Looks like the law won’t be able to handle this one.”
A voice behind him made Ho-eun turn. Sun was staring at the spot where the couple had vanished, his voice flat and emotionless.
“Mr. Sun, it’s getting dangerous here. Please head up now.”
“…”
“Alright! We’re changing it—send people up in groups of four now! Move fast!”
Sensing the chaos below, Eom Seong-chan’s clones increased in number, quickly evacuating the remaining civilians. Only a few people were left. Sun was among them.
Ho-eun grabbed his arm, trying to push him upward, but Sun didn’t budge.
“The fire’s spreading way too fast. Maybe there’s oil or something…”
Kang Him-chan’s words jogged Ho-eun’s memory—he remembered the oil drums in the storage area.
If that fire had caught onto spilled fuel, this wouldn’t be the last explosion.
“We need to get out now! I think the fire’s spread to the oil drums. We have to warn the people below!”
With Eom Tae-seok gone, the electric prisons had vanished too. Dragon members, employees, and civilians who hadn’t escaped yet were now all fleeing toward the stairs.
“Wait just a moment! If you go now, you could get caught in it too, Mr. Kwon. Ask Paul for help—”
“Hahh… me? Again?”
Paul, appearing via teleportation in front of Kang Him-chan, looked exhausted—his face pale from too much guiding. He grabbed Kang Him-chan’s arm.
“…Paul, you need guiding. I’ll go down instead. And I need to find out why Seon Ak-yul took those two.”
Ho-eun checked the stairs. Do In-ho, who had been guarding them, was gone.
Even as Kang Him-chan called his name from behind, Ho-eun ignored it, leaping down the steps two or three at a time.
Cough, cough
The deeper he went, the heavier the smoke became. It felt just like the scene at 63 Square.
Reaching the lower level, he spotted a rag lying on the floor—probably used to clean game tables. He picked it up and pressed it over his mouth and nose.
He glanced at the Dokkaebi Fire, still following him loyally.
“Go back to your master. Tell him I went down.”
For something born from an ability, the Dokkaebi Fire was strangely communicative. It made a large circle in the air, then vanished.
Ho-eun stared after it briefly before turning to evacuate any remaining people.
“Over here! Go up this way!!”
Thankfully, the fire had only scorched furniture. The flames illuminated the area like electric lights.
He quickly escorted the last few stragglers upward.
“Are you okay? Can you walk?”
“S-sniff… yes, yes.”
After helping up Nam Woon-soo and the dealer who had been running the game with Seon Ak-yul, Ho-eun confirmed there were no more civilians waiting for rescue.
BOOM! BAM! CRASH!
“…”
Explosions continued from within the blaze, but they didn’t sound like oil drums going off.
Ho-eun stepped forward without hesitation. As he moved deeper into the inferno, a hot gust of air rushed past.
From inside, the flames looked even larger—hellish.
“Throw the key. Otherwise, your guide dies.”
At the voice from within, Ho-eun held his breath and moved in closer.
There—he saw it. A massive black shadow, like a thorn, had pierced through Bae Yeon-woo’s abdomen.
“Don’t… give it to him.”
Blood poured from Yeon-woo’s mouth and stomach as he spoke.
“Don’t talk…”
Nam Woon-soo, standing before him, was deathly pale—more than Ho-eun had ever seen. Anyone might think he was the one impaled.
“Hey, Lucky Guy. Just hand it over. Toss the key and get rid of this guy already.”
Seon Ak-yul was pinned against the wall, arms restrained by Do In-ho.
Behind him, Wonsin and Choi Seon-yul were trapped inside a raging pillar of Blue Flame.
“Keheh… Honestly, I can barely use this ability anymore. Used up all my guiding just trying to bring those guys in like the boss ordered.”
Do In-ho, annoyed by his chatter, slammed Seon Ak-yul deeper into the wall.
“Ugh! Hey, come on! Just listen for a second. I’m giving you a choice here—a probability game.”
As Seon Ak-yul spoke, a blue dragon slowly formed behind Do In-ho.
“I’m gonna use my ability. Guess where I’ll use it. You’ve got two options: One—I use it to escape with my teammates after you toss me the key. Two—I enlarge the thorn and kill the guide to avenge my guy.”
He giggled like a lunatic, then looked at Nam Woon-soo and wagged his tongue.
“So what’ll it be, Lucky Guy?”
“Do… Do In-ho… don’t…”
Bae Yeon-woo shook his head, signaling his willingness to sacrifice himself.
The sentence didn’t finish, but Do In-ho seemed to understand.
He launched the dragon—formed of Blue Flame—straight at Seon Ak-yul.
“No!!!”
Nam Woon-soo screamed, and something metallic clattered to the floor.
“Keh. At least one of you has a heart.”
Just as the dragon reached Seon Ak-yul’s face, he melted into his shadow—and reappeared beside the dropped key.
Cough, cough
“Yeon-woo!”
As the thorn vanished, Bae Yeon-woo coughed up a thick mass of blood.
Nam Woon-soo tore his clothes, pressing the fabric against the gaping wound to stop the bleeding.
The wall Seon Ak-yul had been pinned to now had a massive hole. Do In-ho raised his eyebrows slightly in frustration.
“…”
Ho-eun stood still, staring at the ruined wall and the man in front of it—Do In-ho—frozen in thought.
If it had been him, even if Seon Ak-yul was bluffing, he would’ve chosen to save Bae Yeon-woo.
The hostage was a guide.
Unlike Espers, guides weren’t capable of regenerating from injury. They could die far too easily.
Had Nam Woon-soo hesitated even a little longer, Bae Yeon-woo would’ve been dead.
“I can’t even tell who the real villain is anymore.”
A voice mumbled behind him. Ho-eun turned around.
Sun stood there, expression twisted with displeasure, watching it all with serene detachment.
