Yoon Jeong-ho, who had been silent until now, let out his trademark light chuckle.
“Whoa, so intense. Fine, I won’t touch him.”
Only then did Seo Won’s threatening energy subside.
Up until just a year ago, Seo Won had been the kind of man who showed not even the faintest trace of possessiveness over Guides. He only received guiding when absolutely necessary, to the point that he didn’t even remember the faces or names of the Guides staying at his estate.
And now, here he was, clinging to a single Guide like this.
Hmph, interesting.
Jeong-ho’s eyes glinted with something curious as he smiled pleasantly.
But that was only for a moment.
“Whoa there, you really got your money’s worth.”
Checking the time, Jeong-ho exaggerated his surprise in a playful tone. Sometimes, he acted like he was stuck in some old action flick.
“I’m off. Have a good trip.”
As if nothing had happened, the chill in the air returned to normal. In that atmosphere, Jeong-ho mentally visualized his office—the CEO’s suite at the J-Cell headquarters, about 13 kilometers from here.
If he decided to move, he could be there in an instant. But just as he was about to leave, Seo Won stopped him.
“Yoon Jeong-ho, run an errand for me.”
“Huh? What errand?”
Wiping away the image of his office from his mind, he asked, bewildered.
“Go to the convenience store and buy me a lighter.”
“…What the hell?”
A convenience store run, out of nowhere?
“One box of disposable lighters, the kind they display on the counter. Not the push-button kind—the ones you light by rolling the flint.”
“…?”
Why so specific?
Suddenly, he felt like he’d been turned into a part-time errand boy.
Jeong-ho replayed Seo Won’s request three times in his head. He hadn’t misheard.
“No Zippos or button lighters. They won’t do.”
‘They won’t do’? Not ‘I don’t want them’?
As soon as he heard that phrasing, something felt off. Why did it sound like someone else had made the request, and Seo Won was just relaying it?
But who would dare ask Seo Won to run such a trivial errand for a lighter? No matter where you looked, you wouldn’t find such a person.
Even as Jeong-ho stood there, unable to hide his disbelief, Seo Won’s expression remained utterly serious—as if he hadn’t just made some bizarre joke.
He really was being earnest.
“You could ask Ah-young outside to do it. Out of all the people in this mansion, you’re saying there’s no one else who can go buy a lighter?”
“You’re the fastest.”
That was true. Out of everyone in the mansion, no one could get to a convenience store and back faster than Yoon Jeong-ho, the spatial esper.
Asking the CEO of a company to run an errand for some cheap lighters? If it had been for a fancy Zippo, maybe it would’ve made some sense. Scoffing in disbelief, Yoon Jeong-ho glared, eyes narrowing with irritation.
A second later, he vanished on the spot.
One minute later.
Without so much as a knock, Jeong-ho swung open the office door and stepped in. He’d made a point not to teleport directly into the office, knowing full well that Seo Won always looked like he’d kill someone whenever he did. Instead, he’d warped to just outside the door from the convenience store.
Even now, saddled with the role of errand boy, Jeong-ho’s expression remained thoroughly displeased.
But Seo Won didn’t care about Jeong-ho’s expression or his mood. His attention was entirely focused on the box of disposable lighters in Jeong-ho’s hand.
***
The hastily arranged yacht party was going surprisingly smoothly without a hitch.
On the surface, it looked like nothing more than a casual social gathering for upper management. But beneath that façade, Seo Won was holding a covert, high-level meeting with senior officials from the Korean Esper Association.
Classified, in every sense of the word.
Cha Han-gyeom had been dragged onto the cruise by Seo Won, but he had no idea what this secret meeting was about—and frankly, he had no interest in finding out.
“Han-gyeom, let’s go check out outside!”
Han-gyeom, who had been quietly sitting in the private cabin Seo Won had generously offered him to rest in, was suddenly grabbed by the arm. Jung Ah-young, who appeared out of nowhere, latched onto him energetically. Despite her looks, she was surprisingly strong—strong enough to pull Han-gyeom to his feet in one swift motion.
“Is there anything to see? It’s just pitch-black water out there…”
Given that it was deep into the night, Han-gyeom wasn’t wrong. The area surrounding the cruise ship was completely enveloped in darkness, with only black waves stretching out in every direction.
But that was only true around the immediate vicinity of the ship. There were actually plenty of attractions on board.
In one of the halls, a singer—hastily arranged for the event—was delivering a lively performance. In another, a luxurious buffet was being served to set the party mood. Out on the deck, they’d even installed a softly lit pool, casting a gentle, festive glow.
But none of that interested Han-gyeom.
With so many Esper Association people walking around, there was no way he could let his guard down and enjoy any of it.
Since boarding the ship, he had holed himself up in this cabin like he was in hiding. Seo Won had stayed with him here until the meeting began, so there hadn’t been any reason to go outside.
Now, he just had to stay put until Seo Won finished the meeting, and he could go home without any hassle.
But Ah-young was dragging him by the arm anyway.
“They’re doing fireworks!”
Her excited voice jolted him.
Come to think of it, fireworks were practically a staple at events like this.
Just hearing the word fireworks made Han-gyeom flinch, and he quickly shook his head.
“I’ll stay here. You go ahead, Ah-young.”
“What? Why! Come on, Han-gyeom, let’s go together!”
Ah-young puffed out her cheeks adorably as she tugged on Han-gyeom’s arm.
Even though he was taller than her and, despite his slim frame, still had the build of a man, it was almost unbelievable how easily she managed to drag him along.
“Um, Ah-young… I…”
Han-gyeom wore a troubled expression.
Fireworks, by nature, involved loud explosions that created bursts of color and patterns in the sky. The booming sound they produced could trigger his trauma, which was why he had no choice but to firmly refuse going outside.
He knew he couldn’t overpower Ah-young physically, so he decided to just come clean.
“I’m sensitive to loud noises. I could even collapse if it gets bad…”
“Han-gyeom, listen carefully.”
Ah-young’s voice suddenly dropped low—so low that even Han-gyeom had to lean in just to hear it.
“There’s no time to explain in detail. But we need to get out of this cabin, now.”
“…Is something wrong?”
Matching her volume, Han-gyeom asked with a tense expression.
“We lost contact with the Director.”
“What?”
Startled, Han-gyeom was about to say more, but Ah-young just flashed him a bright smile and tugged on his arm again. This time, Han-gyeom didn’t resist.
“They say the fireworks here are absolutely beautiful! Super extravagant and huge, too!”
It seemed like she was back to her usual self—bubbly, excited, a little pushy.
But then her voice dropped again, so low only Han-gyeom could hear.
“There are a few Espers on our side attending tonight. Just in case, they secretly tethered me and the Director with a thread using their ability. It snapped just now.”
Maybe it was because Han-gyeom had experienced a terror incident before, or maybe it was because Ah-young was conveying the situation with such remarkable composure despite her young age—but either way, he didn’t panic.
Instead, he calmly tried to assess what was going on.
Ah-young flashed another look of excitement, like she couldn’t wait to see the fireworks. If anyone else had seen her in that moment, they’d have thought she was just another party guest thrilled for the show.
But in the spaces between those bright, innocent words, whispers passed that no one else could hear.
“Is Seo Won in danger?”
“We don’t know yet. Du-hyuk sunbae went to check. He’ll radio in once he finds something.”
“Then wouldn’t it be safer to stay inside?”
“This was Director Seo’s order. If the tether breaks or acts up in any way, I’m to stay alert and take you out with me.”
Ah-young’s idea of situational awareness began with one principle: assume someone was watching. The best way to break the tension and lower an enemy’s guard was to act like she knew nothing.
If someone was really observing them, they’d relax the moment they believed she was just a clueless girl dragging her friend out to see fireworks—and that would be the moment she could identify them.
That was why she kept using the fireworks as an excuse to lead Han-gyeom toward the deck. Thanks to her prior research into the yacht party’s full schedule, nothing in her actions appeared even remotely suspicious.
Listening to her, Han-gyeom steeled his resolve.
He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but it was clear enough—they needed to blend into the crowd gathered for the fireworks.
Let’s hope nothing goes wrong.
If anyone overheard him, they’d probably scoff and ask how a mere Guide could dare to worry about an S-rank Esper.
Especially considering that the meeting room was filled with senior officials from the Association and the elite Espers they’d brought along. In theory, it was the safest place in the world.
And yet, his fingertips wouldn’t stop trembling.
But the Association bastards…
Han-gyeom, more than anyone, knew exactly what the Association was capable of doing in pursuit of their ambitions. That’s what made his unease grow.
Surely, they wouldn’t try anything against him—a CEO and an executive of Kangsan Group.
“Are you feeling unwell? You look pale.”
A strange male voice suddenly rang out next to Han-gyeom. But the hallway leading to the deck had only held two people until now—Han-gyeom and Ah-young.
As soon as she heard the voice, Ah-young shoved Han-gyeom behind her and threw a punch in the same breath.
At first glance, her fist looked like it was cutting through empty air—just swinging at nothing.
But then came a dull thud, the unmistakable sound of something solid being struck.
