Cha Han-gyeom roughly rubbed the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, then turned to Kang Woo-chan, who was looking back at him.
“What about Ah-young?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Woo-chan gave him a puzzled look, then let out a soft chuckle.
“You’re really kind.”
Even in a situation like this, Han-gyeom was still thinking about Ah-young.
Although Jung Ah-young had ultimately failed in her crucial role as a spy, to Woo-chan and his group, she was still someone like family. On top of that, she possessed the rare ability to completely erase her powers and become an ordinary person. For those like them—forced to live in hiding because of their abilities—that was an invaluable gift.
The weariness in Woo-chan’s eyes was replaced by fierce determination as he stared down Seo Won.
“We’ll get Ah-young out ourselves. No matter what it takes.”
“There’s no need for that.”
Han-gyeom’s voice cut through with finality, as if to extinguish Woo-chan’s hostility.
Seo Won rushed to support Han-gyeom as he stood from the chair, worry etched across his face. Han-gyeom steadied himself, pressing a hand to his still-spinning head as he took a breath.
“Ah-young… will be returned safely. Haa… But truthfully… I want her to stay here in the mansion. To keep working like she has been.”
Woo-chan stared at him in disbelief, confused by Han-gyeom’s fragmented words.
“Jung Ah-young is a spy.”
“I know that.”
He knew—and yet he still intended to let her go safely?
And on top of that, he wanted her to continue working at the mansion like nothing had changed?
It made no sense. Naturally, Woo-chan’s confused gaze shifted toward Seo Won.
Seo Won looked equally baffled by Han-gyeom’s statement. Yet, the fact that he wasn’t stopping Han-gyeom meant they must have discussed this beforehand.
“I have a lot of respect for Ah-young’s ability. Honestly, I don’t think there’s a more reliable bodyguard than her.”
Han-gyeom’s tone was calm now, his voice laced with genuine sincerity as he spoke about Ah-young.
There was a clear reason why he wanted to keep Ah-young at the mansion.
Based on what he’d seen so far, Kang Woo-chan was endlessly gentle and devoted toward those he felt a sense of kinship with.
However, toward everyone else—especially Ability Users—he harbored strong resentment. That much had been obvious when he orchestrated a sonic terror attack without hesitation, despite the clear risk it posed to other Ability Users.
Han-gyeom had been the one to refuse Woo-chan’s offer. He had also used Seo Won to subdue Woo-chan’s fellow Espers. And yet, the warmth in Woo-chan’s gaze toward him hadn’t changed in the slightest.
In short, even after the rejection, Woo-chan’s goodwill toward him remained intact.
Which meant he could use that to his advantage.
If Ah-young stayed by his side, she’d do everything in her power to protect him.
“I want Ah-young to keep protecting me.”
If Han-gyeom said that, then Kang Woo-chan’s response was all too predictable.
“…Alright.”
He’d finally found him, only to realize they couldn’t be together—but if he could at least make sure his brother was protected, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.
From Woo-chan’s point of view, it wasn’t such a bad offer, either.
If he could get even a sliver of information about Han-gyeom’s condition through Ah-young, who was protecting him, it would give him some peace of mind. And if, by any chance, Han-gyeom changed his mind, decided to escape the mansion, and wanted to join them, Ah-young could be the one to lead him back.
Even aside from Han-gyeom, the sizable sum of money Ah-young had earned while working in the mansion had served as a generous fund for Woo-chan’s group. From that perspective, it was definitely a good job.
Woo-chan managed a faint smile.
“If Ah-young wants to stay, let her.”
With those parting words, Woo-chan turned away once more.
As he walked toward the entrance of the abandoned cathedral, he released the restraints on the other Espers one by one.
At his touch, the ice shattered with a sharp crack, and the Espers, finally able to move again, all shot glares at Seo Won before quickly following behind Woo-chan.
Woo-chan soon came to a stop in front of Song Jae-woo. By then, the woman who had been controlling the tree roots had just withdrawn her power, and Jae-woo was rubbing his bound arms, his face tense with unease.
“W-Woo-chan hyung… What happened? What about Han-gyeom hyung…?”
“I’m sorry, Jae-woo.”
Woo-chan reached out and gently placed his hand on Jae-woo’s head. As his palm softly stroked the younger man’s hair, a faint red glow began to rise.
“Huh…?”
Jae-woo’s expression momentarily turned dazed. A thin streak of crimson light flickered through his pupils before quickly vanishing.
At a glance, it looked like Guiding—but in truth, the red energy had been drawn from Jae-woo’s head into Woo-chan’s hand.
An ability that forcibly nullified Guiding addiction.
It was a power he’d gained sometime after escaping the research facility.
Woo-chan cast a brief glance toward Han-gyeom, who was still standing on the podium, looking back at him.
Han-gyeom’s gaze was alert, perhaps wary, but he didn’t seem intent on stopping him. Even though it had been Woo-chan who had placed Jae-woo under Guiding addiction in the first place.
Han-gyeom had believed that Woo-chan possessed the ability to undo the Guiding addiction he had inflicted.
So he knew this too, huh.
The sense of futility hit him hard. This time, it felt like he and his group had been completely played by Han-gyeom and Seo Won.
Even for Seo Won, subduing that many Espers with such precision—focusing solely on restraining them, and without inflicting serious injury—was no easy feat.
There was no way they could’ve managed it unless they were fully informed of the abilities possessed by everyone present.
Naturally, Cha Min-hyung’s face came to mind.
Did that bastard leak our data?
No one knew exactly how he’d done it, but there was no doubt—Cha Min-hyung had every last file on the test subjects that Woo-chan and his team had failed to secure, no matter how hard they searched.
Otherwise, there was simply no way Seo Won could have countered the abilities of Woo-chan’s erased comrades with such flawless precision.
Cha Han-gyeom had met countless Espers in the research facility and watched them being developed and dissected over time. If he had those files, he could have easily predicted the fully evolved versions of their abilities.
Cha Min-hyung.
The very reason the Esper Association had been able to create the research facility in the first place. The selfish bastard who turned his back on his comrades and sided with the Association. The Association’s loyal mutt.
He’d thought that was all there was to it—but he was even more vicious than he imagined.
The image of that man—his sworn enemy—ignited a renewed tension in Woo-chan’s previously slumped shoulders.
The research facility records that they had searched for endlessly, hoping to destroy the Association and force their atonement—he’d believed them completely wiped out. But it seemed they were still alive and well, preserved by none other than Cha Min-hyung.
If I can just track all of that down…
Woo-chan withdrew his hand from the now-conscious Jae-woo and let out a small, private smile.
Until now, the only thread keeping him going had been investigating the Fourth Ability Analysis Research Facility, uncovering Seo Won’s death, and rescuing Han-gyeom. When all of that came to an end, he nearly let go of everything in utter emptiness.
But now, the man he considered a mortal enemy had thrown him a new thread to grasp.
“Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.”
At Woo-chan’s words, the Espers trailing behind him with grim faces suddenly lit up with determination.
As soon as Woo-chan stepped outside the cathedral, Han-gyeom collapsed into the chair with a relieved expression.
“Haah…”
He let out a long breath, as if he was finally able to relax, then closed his eyes, clearly exhausted.
Fortunately, the situation hadn’t taken the complicated turn he’d feared. Thanks to his focused reading of Woo-chan’s profile, he had been able to gain a fairly deep understanding of his personality.
If Kang Woo-chan had been from the research facility but felt less affinity for other Guides, things might’ve gone very differently. If he’d prioritized avoiding Seo Won and tried to move locations instead of listening to Han-gyeom, he could’ve easily taken Song Jae-woo hostage and made demands.
But Han-gyeom had bet on the fact that Woo-chan wouldn’t do that.
He had used Jae-woo to lure him in, yes—but for Woo-chan, threatening someone he saw as family and treating them like a pawn right in front of his eyes would have been unbearable.
If someone did that with his own family in front of him, he would’ve been the first to explode in rage.
That’s why Han-gyeom had counted on him choosing persuasion over coercion, and it worked. Thanks to that, Seo Won had been able to bring the rest of the Espers into the cathedral one by one, restraining them without resistance.
‘So damn soft’, Han-gyeom thought, lifting his gaze—only to lock eyes with Seo Won, who was staring down at him, face pale.
‘You’re no different.’
Originally, Seo Won had planned to storm into Woo-chan’s hideout and immediately restrain the Espers guarding his path, taking them hostage. It was a dirty and underhanded tactic—but when weighing freshly encountered Cha Han-gyeom against the many Espers Woo-chan had lived with like family, the choice would have been obvious. He’d have no choice but to give up Han-gyeom.
Besides, Woo-chan’s ability didn’t work on Han-gyeom, since he was also a Guide, making it impossible to take him hostage in the first place.
With that solid upper hand, the plan had been to pressure Woo-chan into submission. But instead, Seo Won had simply restrained the Espers—like swatting away a pesky fly—and run straight to Han-gyeom. And he’d done it while standing right next to Woo-chan, even though his clone could’ve been instantly obliterated with a single reach of the hand.
“You’re such an idiot.”
A reckless bastard.
A complete fool.
Han-gyeom hurled empty curses at Seo Won in his mind, yet for some reason, a silly laugh escaped him.
Seo Won reached out and gently stroked Han-gyeom’s cheek as he chuckled softly.
“Yeah, I am.”
Even though he knew that smile was meant for him, he didn’t mind it at all.
It was so much better than seeing Han-gyeom crying like he was about to die.
