It made no sense. Sun should’ve escaped, and yet he had come down into the basement where the fire had broken out. A normal person would never choose to remain in a burning building.
Sun made a remark like he was watching a drama unfold.
“Look at that. He doesn’t even spare a glance at the injured Guide and runs straight in to capture the Anti-Government Esper.”
When Ho-eun turned his gaze toward Do In-ho, he saw him charge into the blazing flames as if determined to catch Seon Ak-yul.
“Isn’t that a completely different kind of justice from what you believe in, Ho-eun?”
The words pierced him straight through. Ho-eun hesitated to answer.
If it had been him, he would’ve chosen Bae Yeon-woo over Seon Ak-yul. To him, the life of a colleague mattered more than catching a fleeing criminal. But was that really the right answer?
Bae Yeon-woo’s single life, weighed against the countless crimes Seon Ak-yul had committed. Which choice truly embodied justice? No—who could even claim to know what was right?
“Sun, this place is dangerous.”
Ho-eun gripped the doll tightly in his hand and shook his head, speaking to Sun again.
A part of him felt stifled, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on pointless thoughts.
The fuel drums in the storage area could explode at any moment. He needed to warn the others and get out of there.
“Do you believe in fate, Ho-eun?”
“What?”
To regroup with the PR team, he had to send Sun—an ordinary civilian—back upstairs. But Sun suddenly dropped an unexpected question that threw Ho-eun off.
“I wasn’t a believer in fate. But then I heard the name of the person I’d been searching for… Kwon Ho-eun.”
“You’ve been searching for me?”
“It hit me—this must be fate.”
“What…?”
“Oh right, you don’t remember me at all, do you?”
Sun gave him a cold smile that barely concealed his bitterness, then beamed brightly as if nothing had happened.
“But that doesn’t really matter.”
And just like that, Sun dropped all formal speech.
“Come with me.”
“Sun? I still have something I need to—”
“You’re not meant to save someone here.”
Ho-eun struggled to shake off Sun’s grip. He didn’t know where that kind of strength was coming from, but it was surprisingly hard to break free.
“I’ll be saved by you again.”
“What?”
What the hell was happening? Had Sun inhaled so much smoke that he’d lost his mind? Ho-eun was starting to get worried. Otherwise, how could a person change so drastically, so suddenly?
“Enough of the weird talk! Get upstairs! Do you want to get taken hostage by the Anti-Government forces?!”
Ho-eun yanked his arm with all his strength and tried to run toward Bae Yeon-woo and Nam Woon-soo.
If only he hadn’t heard that deranged laughter behind him.
“Pffft, hahaha! Me, a hostage?”
Sun staggered forward, intoxicated by his own laughter, then reached out and gently stroked Ho-eun’s cheek.
“You’re the hostage, Kwon Ho-eun.”
“…???”
“We’ve found the Guide.”
Sun looked toward Seon Ak-yul as he spoke. At that moment, Ho-eun felt a surge of heat press in from all sides—then came Do In-ho’s panicked shout.
Slowly, Ho-eun turned his head.
And saw it: a black mass rushing straight at him.
Right behind it was Do In-ho, wearing an expression Ho-eun had never seen before.
A face drained of color, frozen in terror—completely unlike the Do In-ho he knew. That was the last thing Ho-eun registered before the black shadow swallowed him whole.
***
“Ho-eun hyung!!!”
Do In-ho reached out to the empty space where Ho-eun had stood, screaming his name in utter desperation. But no matter how many times he called, there was no reply from that warm, familiar voice.
Where had it all gone wrong? Where…?
His outstretched hand dropped limply to the ground. Do In-ho looked around in disbelief. The person he was so desperately searching for was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the bright red blaze.
“Yeon-woo, Yeon-woo, are you okay?!”
“Team Leader Nam! Come upstairs!”
Nam Woon-soo, cradling the barely-breathing Bae Yeon-woo in his arms, was in a panic. Without hesitation, he dashed toward where Kang Him-chan was waiting.
“Let’s head up and request backup.”
Paul glanced at the frozen Do In-ho, then gathered the remaining members and guided them upstairs. There was no light in Do In-ho’s eyes—it was as if he’d gone completely numb. Paul felt a chill run down his spine.
He was worried for Ho-eun, of course, but more than that, he realized just how terrifying a Crystal Implant user like Do In-ho could be. Every hair on his body stood on end.
No one here could stop Do In-ho now—not when he was so blinded by rage that he could no longer think rationally.
The only sound filling the hideout was the roar of the flames. Do In-ho slowly started walking forward. His face had gone deathly pale, like all the blood had been drained from him.
He yanked up Wonsin, who had been quietly writhing on the floor, trying to crawl away.
His voice, devoid of any warmth, came out low and flat.
“Where is Kwon Ho-eun?”
“Kegh… You think I’d tell you?”
Do In-ho’s grip tightened around Wonsin’s collar. When Wonsin muttered something about how the victory was theirs because they had captured the Guide, Do In-ho didn’t hesitate—he threw him onto the game table.
The table snapped in half, and Wonsin crashed to the floor beneath it.
Do In-ho wiped his emotionless face with a hand.
He should’ve never left Ho-eun alone—not even for a second. No matter what, they should’ve stayed together.
Maybe he’d felt a false sense of relief after saving Ho-eun from Choi Seon-yul and Wonsin. But in hindsight, things had felt off from the start.
He and Ho-eun had disguised themselves using Ability Products that altered their appearance—no one should’ve recognized them.
And yet, Sun had identified Ho-eun mid-mission.
“Who is that guy… Sun?”
Do In-ho stalked over and grabbed Wonsin by the collar again.
“Grgh…”
Wonsin kept his mouth shut tight, refusing to answer. But Sun wasn’t just some fan of Ho-eun’s.
Based on what Do In-ho had overheard, Sun clearly knew Ho-eun intimately.
He had targeted Ho-eun from the very beginning—this had been a planned abduction.
…
Behind Do In-ho, the Blue Flame flared to life. It roared high, reaching the ceiling in an instant.
Wonsin gulped slowly.
“He’s the Anti-Government Boss.”
Footsteps echoed as someone descended the stairs. Do In-ho turned toward the sound.
“Shouldn’t you conserve your ability, considering you’re Guideless?”
Baek Woo-gyeong had appeared before Do In-ho, casually opening his palm.
Whether it was due to his ability or some unseen force, Wonsin instantly went limp, unable to resist. Do In-ho had tossed him down in pain, but now he lay completely still, eyes shut tight.
“What the hell are you doing?! We need information out of him!”
“What kind of information? Ah—about Guide Kwon Ho-eun, I assume.”
Do In-ho glared at him with fierce eyes.
“We were monitoring from the command room. This is serious—a Guide kidnapping? What on earth is Tiger thinking?”
Baek Woo-gyeong shook his head, feigning concern with his sickeningly smug voice.
Enraged, Do In-ho summoned his ability into his fist and shot it straight at Baek Woo-gyeong’s smirking face—only for him to dodge it effortlessly.
“This place is dangerous, Esper Do In-ho. Let’s go back up. Staying here won’t bring Guide Kwon Ho-eun back.”
Do In-ho gritted his teeth and forced down the rage.
Kwon Ho-eun had been taken—and he hadn’t done a damn thing.
He’d been too focused on keeping Seon Ak-yul’s shadows from stealing away Choi Seon-yul. By the time he realized that Ho-eun and Sun had been swallowed by an even larger shadow from behind, it was too late.
Ho-eun was gone. Kwon Ho-eun had been kidnapped.
Do In-ho had lost him.
Dark words etched themselves across his mind.
You said you’d protect him. Liar. Pathetic fool. This is all your fault. If you’d just gone Overload and died back then, Kwon Ho-eun wouldn’t be suffering like this.
Do In-ho raised a hand and clutched his head.
“I have to save him… Ho-eun hyung. If anything happens to him, I…!!”
“……”
He thought he’d gained the power to protect.
He had truly believed he could shield Ho-eun on the field with this method.
And when they arrived at the hideout, he’d been relieved. It was packed with people and incredibly cramped. If he’d used his usual aggressive combat style, a lot of civilians might’ve been caught in the crossfire.
Even when activating his ability, he’d been cautious not to harm anyone.
He saved his final attack—the one meant to incapacitate Tiger—for the last possible moment.
If the mission had gone off without a hitch, Ho-eun would’ve praised him, no doubt.
“In-ho, you did great. Not a single civilian was hurt.”
Ho-eun would’ve smiled warmly, patting his head.
But look how things turned out.
If he’d known this would happen, he wouldn’t have hesitated. Civilian casualties be damned—he would’ve incinerated them all in one strike.
He would’ve killed Seon Ak-yul before he laid a finger on Ho-eun.
That regret, that endless self-loathing—fueled Do In-ho’s fury and stoked his flames.
“I’m going. To Ho-eun hyung.”
Do In-ho muttered under his breath as he scanned the ash-strewn hideout. All he had to do was not mess up this time.
He’d burn everything to the ground and bring Ho-eun back.
He’s a Guide—they wouldn’t kill him.
And if, by some chance, they did hurt Ho-eun, then he already had plenty of ideas for how to make Tiger suffer. The more vivid those images became, the calmer his mind grew.
First, he had to locate Ho-eun. Outside the hideout. Good thing he’d given him that tracking necklace—finally remembered it now.
Just as Do In-ho was about to head out, Baek Woo-gyeong blocked his path.
“Stop right there, Esper Do In-ho.”
“Why are you stopping me?”
“Have you forgotten the PR Department’s role? Our job is to catch Tiger. Assistant Manager Bae Yeon-woo is in critical condition and can’t re-enter the field. Guide Kwon Ho-eun has been kidnapped.”
Baek Woo-gyeong met Do In-ho’s deadly glare without flinching.
“Let’s regroup before we fight. Extract information from Wonsin about Tiger—”
Without even bothering to respond, Do In-ho brushed past him.
“Haah… Don’t make me be the bad guy here.”
A cold presence crept up behind Do In-ho. Only after he heard the faint click of a trigger did he realize Baek Woo-gyeong had drawn a gun.
“No one said we’re not going to save Guide Kwon Ho-eun. Let’s just leave it for now. Tiger clearly wants something from him. We’re not too late if we—”
In a flash, Do In-ho turned and struck Baek Woo-gyeong’s arm, sending the gun clattering to the floor. He then grabbed him by the neck and squeezed.
“Every second I waste on you is too much. I’m not waiting. I’m saving Kwon Ho-eun now. If I have to quit the PR Department, so be it. Punish me later. I’ll take responsibility for my actions when I return.”
“Ambitious, but still naïve.”
Baek Woo-gyeong’s arm, bent unnaturally from the blow, began to regenerate slowly. Do In-ho tightened his grip around his neck.
“Who said I only brought one gun?”
“?!!”
The second he glanced at Baek Woo-gyeong’s twitching right arm, a sharp pain shot through his left side. A paralytic spread through his body, and his legs gave out.
“You should’ve watched the other hand.”
Baek Woo-gyeong rubbed his neck where Do In-ho had choked him and tilted his head side to side.
“Well then, sleep tight.”
“…Ho-eun hyung…”
As his vision blurred, Do In-ho whispered Ho-eun’s name.
He had to save him. He had to. He’s probably waiting…
Do In-ho’s eyes shut completely.
