Seo Won immediately recognized the man. He was the same one who had approached Cha Han-gyeom at the initial product demonstration event and was suspected to be a member of the terrorist group. Although his face wasn’t clearly captured on the CCTV at the time, his attire and demeanor were unmistakable.
‘As expected, it was them!’
Those who had targeted Cha Han-gyeom appeared to have taken an interest in him during the terrorist incident, just as Seo Won had suspected.
A clean-cut, handsome man greeted him with a smile, “Hello.”
Seo Won had no intention of returning the greeting with a smile. He glared at the man with a cold expression and then shifted his gaze to the two individuals emerging from the shadows behind him.
One was a muscular man who seemed to rival Lim Du-hyuk in physique, and the other was a young man dressed in a cheerful outfit that contrasted sharply with the current dark atmosphere.
Seo Won addressed the man who had greeted him with a voice as cold as ice, “You must be the leader of the terrorist group, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” the man replied, showing no intention of hiding it.
It wasn’t difficult to deduce that he was the leader. The two men standing behind him remained silent, positioned as if their sole purpose was to provide protection. This alone made it clear that they weren’t the leaders.
Moreover, the man’s demeanor was notably different from the other members of the terrorist group Seo Won had encountered so far. Despite his calm exterior, his unsmiling eyes were sharp and piercing, making it difficult to discern his true intentions. The sense of intimidation and arrogance he exuded was anything but dismissible.
Seo Won silently assessed the size of the terrorist group. The man who had approached him was the same one seen during the first terrorist attack, but aside from him, none of the other members Seo Won had encountered so far matched. Including the man caught on CCTV at the product demonstration, the four from the boat party, and the two new faces before him, the count was already up to seven.
With the smiling man before him, the total was eight.
‘There might be more of them than I thought.’
Considering there could be others who hadn’t yet revealed themselves, it was reasonable to assume the group consisted of at least ten or more unregistered Ability Users.
However, whether the terrorist group had ten or twenty members, it wasn’t a significant concern for Seo Won.
“Why are you targeting Cha Han-gyeom?” he asked bluntly, getting straight to the point.
He had knowingly walked into a trap for this very reason. It was almost inevitable that high-ranking officials of the Esper Association would become targets of terrorists.
The Esper Association had created an unjust system to control all Espers, and its members were relentless in their efforts to rein in those who had broken free. This is why unregistered Ability Users were forced to live in hiding, constantly on edge. It was no surprise, then, that several terrorist groups had formed, driven by a shared hatred towards the Association.
The group before Seo Won likely had the same goal: to strike against the Association. This was probably the motive behind their peculiar terrorist attack using sound equipment at the product demonstration.
However, the focus of this terrorist group had suddenly shifted from the Association to Cha Han-gyeom. Based on the limited information Seo Won had about those who had previously targeted Han-gyeom, it seemed they were more interested in capturing him than killing him. Even in the recent attempt, they had focused solely on ‘capturing’ the decoy of Cha Han-gyeom rather than using aggressive abilities.
The smiling man did not respond immediately. Instead, the muscular man brought over a wooden chair and casually crossed his legs as he sat down.
“Have a seat,” he said.
Another wooden chair had been placed next to Seo Won. None of the terrorists seemed intent on using violence or their abilities aggressively.
Seo Won kept his guard up, maintaining the chill around his body. He was ready to press an ice blade against the man’s throat if he attempted to use any abilities.
With a burning drum barrel between them, Seo Won and the man sat facing each other. Seo Won briefly considered overpowering them all with his abilities but decided to observe the situation first, as there were likely more Ability Users hidden nearby.
“Your name is Seo Won, right?” the man asked, resting his elbow on his crossed knee and propping his chin on the back of his hand. His eyes held an unreadable hostility. “Director of KS NanoTechnology at Kangsan Group and owner of Prism BioBattery.”
“You’re well-informed for a terrorist,” Seo Won replied.
The man smirked. “Of course. You’re quite famous.” He then introduced himself, “I’m Kang Woo-chan. You can call me Woo-chan.”
Seo Won looked at him with a mix of curiosity and caution, wondering why he would reveal his name so readily. The Association already had a list of most unregistered Ability Users, so revealing his name was risky for both him and his associates.
However, Woo-chan simply smiled, as if saying, ‘You won’t find anything even if you investigate.’
Seo Won disliked Woo-chan’s nonchalance but listened intently as he continued, “It’s great to have powerful backers and lots of money. Some ‘unregistered Ability Users’ are hunted down by the Association, while others are protected by it.”
This last remark seemed to refer to the special protection the Association had provided at the product demonstration.
Woo-chan’s eyes narrowed like a blade.
“No, in your case… it’s because you have the ability to fulfill their ‘long-cherished wish.'”
Seo Won’s eyes twitched. He knew better than anyone what the Association’s ‘long-cherished wish’ was, and that he was on the verge of achieving it. The question was how this man knew about it. Very few people were aware of the Association’s intentions in partnering with him.
Seo Won remained silent, refusing to respond. Woo-chan, who had been quietly observing him, softly smiled.
“Let’s cut to the chase. I have a proposal for you,” Woo-chan said.
“A proposal?” Seo Won scoffed, his voice cold. “You’re in no position to make proposals. Your only job is to answer my questions.”
The young man standing behind Woo-chan looked visibly annoyed by Seo Won’s arrogant remark. His eyes began to emit a dark aura, and his lips twisted in anger.
“Jae-hoon, stay calm,” Woo-chan said without even turning around, sensing the young man’s reaction.
The young man, Ha Jae-hoon, protested, “But Woo-chan, this guy…”
“Ha Jae-hoon,” Woo-chan interrupted, his voice stern and cold, still fixed on Seo Won. “Shut up and stay still.”
At Woo-chan’s command, Jae-hoon froze, biting his lip in frustration. The dark aura in his eyes dissipated instantly.
Seo Won, while facing Woo-chan, was also keenly aware of the two men behind him. Woo-chan was exceptionally skilled at hiding his emotions and maintaining composure. The muscular man stood motionless, like a machine, silently guarding Woo-chan.
The young man, Jae-hoon, was the only one who seemed vulnerable to provocation. Whether due to his youth or his admiration for Woo-chan, his expressions changed frequently, and he often clenched his fists in anger. Seo Won had hoped to exploit this, aiming to provoke him into revealing his abilities. Knowing the enemy’s capabilities was crucial for gaining the upper hand.
However, Woo-chan seemed to have seen through Seo Won’s plan.
“Let’s skip the obvious provocations,” Woo-chan said, his voice calm and composed. “How about you listen to my proposal first?”
“Hand Han-gyeom over to me,” Woo-chan said.
Seo Won’s brow furrowed instantly.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he retorted.
“I’m not joking,” Woo-chan replied, his smiling face growing cold. “I’m offering you the only way you’ll leave here alive.”
