Ah-young, who was watching the door, briefly turned to look at Han-gyeom, meeting his gaze. Although she did not speak directly, her stern expression and slight nod indicated that he should stay quiet.
As Han-gyeom nodded, Ah-young approached the door. She pressed her ear against it, listening for any signs of activity outside. Then, she gently placed her hand on the doorknob.
The slight click of the doorknob turning seemed unusually loud.
Slowly and smoothly, Ah-young opened the door, her movements revealing both tension and caution.
Stepping into the hallway, Ah-young looked around at the empty surroundings.
‘No one is here.’
Despite the sudden tension, the hallway was devoid of any presence.
However, this absence was eerie in its own way.
Each floor’s hallway was always guarded by at least one security guard, positioned to oversee not just the hallway but also the stairs leading up and down.
Additionally, Han-gyeom’s room was always guarded by Lim Du-hyuk, but he had left to accompany Seo Won to the product demonstration. Another guard had been assigned in his place.
The problem was that even this ‘other guard’ was nowhere to be seen.
The security guards had vanished without a trace, leaving the brightly lit hallway in an unsettling silence, the air thick with unease.
Ah-young sensed that something was amiss. The same unsettling atmosphere had been present in the room where she had been with Han-gyeom, putting her on high alert.
Returning to the room silently, Ah-young quickly made her way to the window. Looking outside, her expression hardened further.
The guards who should have been patrolling the garden were also missing. The vast garden was eerily empty, with no sign of anyone.
Clearly, something was wrong.
If Seo Won or Lim Du-hyuk had been present, they might have gathered the guards to give instructions or reassign patrol areas.
But with both of them absent, the likelihood of all the guards disappearing simultaneously was almost zero.
Ah-young reached for the earpiece in her ear. Pressing the outer part with her fingertip, she spoke softly, “This is security team member Jung Ah-young. The nearby and external security personnel are not visible. Where is everyone?”
She sent the message, hoping for a response. The silence persisted, so she repeated the message, but still, there was no reply.
There was no need for further investigation.
Something unexpected had happened to all the guards in the mansion. They had not only left their posts but were also unresponsive to communication, indicating a significant issue.
“Han-gyeom, get up.”
Ah-young reached out her hand to Han-gyeom. Naturally, he took her hand and asked, staring at the door, “Is it an intruder?”
“Probably.”
Someone had managed to remove all the security guards, though it was unclear how. If there had been a planned visitor, Seo Won would have mentioned it before leaving. Besides, he would never allow a visitor into the mansion in his absence.
‘I need to assess the situation, but I can’t leave Han-gyeom alone.’
Ah-young briefly explained the situation to Han-gyeom. Upon hearing that the guards had disappeared, his expression grew even more tense. He gripped Ah-young’s outstretched hand tightly.
Seo Won had given Ah-young a primary mission: to protect Cha Han-gyeom. In this uncertain situation, she had to stay by his side no matter what.
As Han-gyeom moved to follow Ah-young out of the room, he suddenly remembered something and picked up a translucent, icy apple from the side table. Despite its cold appearance, he held it close without any discomfort, as if it brought him a sense of security.
With one arm clutching the ‘Ghost Apple,’ Han-gyeom stepped into the hallway with Ah-young. The chilling air made him pause.
‘Something’s not right.’
Ah-young’s heightened alertness impressed him. Although she wasn’t an Ability User, she seemed to sense the oppressive, dark energy that hung in the air.
“Han-gyeom, this way……!”
“Don’t move.”
As Ah-young tried to lead Han-gyeom down the hallway, he stopped her. She turned to him, puzzled, and saw him staring intently at a spot in the corridor.
“I think we’re trapped.”
“What? Trapped?”
Han-gyeom’s eyes narrowed. Ah-young followed his gaze but saw only the empty hallway.
“There’s a black barrier that you can’t see. It looks like a boundary, and it seems like it will attack if touched.”
“A barrier? A boundary? What do you mean by ‘attack’…….”
Ah-young looked confused. To her, the hallway appeared empty and safe to walk through.
However, Han-gyeom saw a dark, smoky barrier stretching across the hallway, both to the left and right, at regular intervals. Skilled in reading ESP flows, he could discern the barrier’s aggressive nature just by looking at it.
He predicted that anyone touching the barrier, whether an Ability User or not, would be repelled. The ESP flow suggested it would deliver a significant shock, possibly even rendering a person unconscious briefly, like a stun gun.
The question was, why was this barrier here?
Han-gyeom quickly realized the reason behind the barrier. In fact, it would have been strange not to. The black barrier was designed to prevent them from leaving the room or to stop them in their tracks if they tried. The silent disappearance of all the security guards and the presence of this barrier pointed to a deliberate and sinister plan. Ah-young had remained safe only because she was by his side.
‘They’re after me.’
This seemed like a logical conclusion. He clutched the Ghost Apple tighter, feeling a slight sense of calm amidst his anxiety.
‘Could it be terrorists?’
If so, it was chilling. No one had noticed ‘Cha Han-gyeom’s doppelganger’ standing right next to Seo Won, acting as bait. Yet, someone had seen through this and targeted the mansion, despite it being heavily guarded.
Just as Han-gyeom was staring intently at the black barrier, a man’s voice suddenly broke the silence.
“You’ve got good instincts.”
Both Han-gyeom and Ah-young jumped, turning their heads towards the voice.
***
“Ugh….”
Seo Won suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and pressed a hand to his forehead. He looked up, his eyes widening as he took in the scene before him.
Directly in front of him was a burning drum barrel, its flames flickering and casting an eerie glow. The sound of crackling wood filled the air, and under different circumstances, he might have found it mesmerizing.
The dizziness passed quickly, allowing him to survey his surroundings more carefully. He found himself in what appeared to be an abandoned construction site. The skeletal frame of an unfinished apartment building loomed before him, with concrete walls and pillars, and scattered construction materials. Here and there, rebar jutted out, and planks of wood littered the ground.
Summoned to this desolate place, Seo Won stood up, his mind racing. Even in this moment, his thoughts were on Cha Han-gyeom’s doppelganger. He regretted not pulling the doppelganger along with him; it would have been useful as bait. However, he had inadvertently thwarted his own plan. Nevertheless, being caught in the enemy’s trap meant he now had the chance to confront them directly.
He was still connected to Cha Han-gyeom’s doppelganger and could sense what was happening on that end. He also knew that Yoon Jeong-ho and Lim Du-hyuk had successfully subdued the bellboy.
Time was of the essence. Yoon Jeong-ho would eventually find him, but Seo Won aimed to resolve the situation before that happened. He needed to quickly neutralize the mastermind behind the attack on Han-gyeom.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the darkness.
“Alone?”
Seo Won’s gaze snapped towards the sound. Someone had emerged from the shadows, their presence suddenly palpable in the previously still darkness.
Feeling the presence, Seo Won instinctively spread a chill around himself. With a thought, he could form solid ice, its sharp tips aimed precisely at an intended target’s head. The cold emanating from him was like countless blades, ready to strike.
The moment the voice spoke, it was clear the speaker had no intention of hiding. Footsteps echoed, approaching steadily.
‘Two people, no, three.’
Although only one person had spoken, the sound of footsteps crunching the gritty dust of the abandoned building’s floor indicated three individuals.
“I thought Han-gyeom would come.”
The casual mention of Han-gyeom’s name made Seo Won’s expression darken with displeasure. He had never heard this voice before, and he was curious about the man’s identity.
Beyond the flickering flames, a man emerged, his lips curving into a soft smile.
“It’s a shame, but perhaps it’s for the best.”
There was something familiar about the man, who stood with his hands tucked into his coat pockets, smiling.
“I have business with you too.”
