Bang! The car jolted again. Park Se-yul had rammed them hard enough to crumple the front bumper—and now he was blaring the horn like a madman. The engine roared in panic, the sound bouncing off the interior walls.
“Wait, is that… the team leader?!”
“That’s not the team leader. He’s got nothing to do with you, so don’t bother.”
“How am I not supposed to—?!”
Eun-jo shut up the moment he caught Jung Tae-seok’s glare. His eyes were sharp enough to cut glass. Swallowing hard, Eun-jo curled up in his seat, gripping the handle with white knuckles as he scanned the inside of the car.
“There’s no fire extinguisher or anything, so don’t even think about it.”
“……!”
Tae-seok snapped, as if reading his mind.
“No hammer. No taser. None of that bullshit. Just lie back and sleep. I’ll drop you off myself.”
“Drop me off where…?”
“Where do you think?”
Tae-seok gripped the steering wheel tighter and stared straight at him.
“Somewhere it’s just the two of us.”
Then, without warning, he yanked the wheel in the opposite direction.
SCREEEEECH! The car skidded hard, smoke erupting from the tires. Then—slam!—he hit the gas and shot across the opposite lane.
“Jung Tae-seok, are you out of your mind?! Stop the car!”
Eun-jo shouted in pure panic, but Tae-seok didn’t even flinch. No answer. Just more pressure on the accelerator. Behind them, the sound of a sedan making a screeching U-turn chased their tail.
It was a speed Eun-jo had never even dreamed of. His gaze flicked to the dashboard—and his breath caught.
I thought those numbers were just for show…
The needle had passed the triple digits. His eyes went wide.
“If we crash, I’m gonna die! Do you get that?!”
“You think I’d let you die?”
“YES!”
Eun-jo shouted back with a frantic nod.
“You’re literally trying to kill me right now!”
This wasn’t about letting him die—Tae-seok was actively trying to end him! As Eun-jo fired back, Tae-seok shot him a look of pure irritation. And then—bam!—the car rocked violently again.
Eun-jo whipped his head toward the impact. Park Se-yul was right there behind the wheel, his lips moving fast—it looked like he was yelling too, probably cursing them out.
The sedan slammed into their side again. With every brutal shove, their car swerved left, scraping hard against the jagged concrete wall.
“AHH!”
It felt like they were stuck in a damn washing machine. The whole car shook violently, metal screeched from every angle, the sound setting his teeth on edge. They lurched left. Then right. The two cars were locked in a deadly brawl, steel against steel, every second a coin toss between survival and disaster.
The pager buzzed, its alert echoing through the cabin. Finally, Eun-jo’s trembling hand, fumbling under the blanket, grasped it.
— Guide Yeo Eun-jo?
He pressed the button, and Director Park Joo-hee’s voice came through.
BANG! Another impact—this time, the sedan’s bumper collided hard, and the door buckled with a violent crunch.
“AAAH!”
— Guide Yeo Eun-jo! Are you with Tae-seok right now?!
“Y-Yeah! I’m with him! He’s driving right now, but—!”
BAAAM—! Another thunderous crash shook the car. This time, Jung Tae-seok had rammed the sedan back, forcing it off toward the shoulder. Sparks burst past the side mirror, and for a second, Eun-jo thought his soul had left his body.
Not even a dream could be this absurd. He’d passed out drunk, and when he came to, he was in the middle of a high-speed abduction?
“Would you just stop the damn car?!”
“No.”
“Jung Tae-seok!”
— Guide Yeo Eun-jo! Can you hear me?!
— Is Team Leader Park with you?!
Eun-jo flung the pager aside and lunged across the seat, grabbing Tae-seok’s arm with both hands. He slammed his fist into Tae-seok’s rock-solid shoulder, trying to yank him off the wheel.
“Stop this already!”
We’re all going to die like this! Just as Eun-jo yanked his arm again, a blinding light flared up ahead. It hadn’t been there a moment ago.
This was it. They were going to crash. Bracing for impact, Eun-jo clenched his eyes shut.
But instead of pain, there was warmth. His body was pulled into a solid embrace—Tae-seok’s arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, then his waist.
Just before the cars could collide, an invisible force froze all three vehicles in place. Tae-seok held him close until the shaking finally subsided. Only then did he let go.
“Eun-jo hyung.”
“……”
“Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
He wanted to say something—say he was fine—but no words came out. Whether it was the shock or adrenaline, he could barely breathe.
“Look at me. Come on, just lift your head.”
Worried, Tae-seok cupped Eun-jo’s face with both hands. But before he could say more, the car door swung open—and someone yanked Eun-jo out.
“You think ‘ceasefire’ is just a suggestion?”
It was Jin Mu-seong.
Holding Eun-jo with calm precision, he supported him with one arm and let him rest against his shoulder. With the other, he gently patted his back.
“What the hell were you doing? If I hadn’t used telekinesis to stop the cars, we’d all be wreckage right now. You get that?”
“You’re the one who treats the rules like trash,” Tae-seok shot back, slamming the door and marching forward.
“You forget every damn clause in that leash you’re wearing?!”
“I didn’t forget.”
“Oh, you didn’t? Then how do you explain walking out of that room in that condition?!”
His fists were trembling—he looked ready to punch something, or someone. His head snapped toward Eun-jo, still slumped in Mu-seong’s arms.
“Yeo Eun-jo. Say it. Say what you told me.”
“……”
“You said you’d only take it from me.”
Eun-jo turned his head at the low, guttural voice. Tae-seok was staring at him—eyes locked, unwavering. Those golden irises were filled with nothing but him. Even twisted with pain, his gaze never wavered.
He held it for a long moment… then reached out his hand.
“I’ll call you hyung,” Tae-seok murmured.
Their fingertips touched. Tae-seok took Eun-jo’s hand and held it tight.
“I won’t talk down to you again. Just stay with me.”
“……”
“You said you would. You promised, didn’t you? Eun-jo hyung.”
“Tae-seok, I…”
It felt just like that day at the Training Center—when he saw him standing alone, holding it together by sheer will. There was no major wave this time, no urgent need for Guiding, and yet… he still looked devastatingly fragile.
Eun-jo’s head throbbed. He couldn’t keep putting this off. Just as he reached for Tae-seok’s hand, someone tore the two of them apart.
“Shut your damn mouth.”
Park Se-yul leapt from the sedan and grabbed Tae-seok by the throat with one hand.
“Do you even realize what you’ve done? Who the hell taught you to treat your team’s Guide like this? Was it me?!”
“Team’s Guide…”
Being choked didn’t even register—what pissed Tae-seok off more was being yanked away from Eun-jo. His irritation flared, and he clutched Se-yul’s wrist tight.
“Is there anyone here who still sees him as just a ‘team Guide’?”
There was no more pretending. The moment Tae-seok saw Eun-jo asleep next to Park Se-yul, all the respect he once held for his superior vanished.
He slapped Se-yul’s hand away and glared at the both of them.
“He’s mine. We’re Imprinted. What part of that don’t you get? If I don’t have Eun-jo hyung, I die.”
Only an idiot shares their Imprint partner. Yanking Eun-jo out of Jin Mu-seong’s arms, Tae-seok reached into his coat, pulled out a box, ripped out the ring, and tossed the box aside. He took Eun-jo’s hand.
“Let’s just calm down—”
“Don’t give me that. Just put it on.”
Snapping back to himself, Eun-jo tried to clench his fist. But Tae-seok easily pried his fingers open. Eun-jo panicked and yanked his hand into his sleeve.
“Not now! The ring can wait!”
“How long are you gonna keep saying that? The Imprint’s already public—!”
“Are you seriously trying to exchange rings in the middle of the goddamn street?!”
This was insane. Even if it was an empty road, it was still the middle of the night—and three Espers had just turned it into a crash site. Eun-jo shoved his hair back and pointed at the wreckage.
“Can we please get these cars out of the way and go back to the Center like normal people?!”
But before he could move, Jin Mu-seong grabbed his outstretched hand—and casually slid the ring onto his finger. It was the same diamond ring as before.
“Who the hell told you to—?!”
Eun-jo turned, stunned—only to see Jin Mu-seong smirking like he’d done nothing wrong.
“Come on. We’re already a couple. Or did you forget?”
Before Tae-seok could lunge, something locked onto Eun-jo’s neck. He turned his head to see Park Se-yul gripping the leash firmly.
It didn’t hurt, but the pressure was unmistakable. Se-yul tightened his hold and shot Tae-seok a cold glare.
“I Imprinted him too. So what now?”
Eun-jo was caught between them—one hand in Jin Mu-seong’s, a leash around his neck held by Park Se-yul. A puppet suspended by two strings. Tae-seok stared at him, shaken. A low growl rumbled from deep in his throat.
The world tilted. Lightheaded, Eun-jo slowly closed his eyes.
“Why are you doing this too, Team Leader…?”
“The ceasefire’s broken.”
“Then shouldn’t you be trying to mediate?”
“Sorry.”
It was Jin Mu-seong who cut in, sounding anything but sorry.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if one of you just died?”
Then there’d only be one Imprint left. He said it like it was the most obvious answer in the world.
All three men turned their eyes to Eun-jo.
Silence fell. The chill in the air was razor-sharp. A cold sweat ran down his spine. Noticing the deadly tension, Eun-jo looked between them, desperate.
“No. No, don’t. Don’t do anything!”
You psychotic bastards—! He was about to scream when suddenly, the pager tossed inside the car wailed with a high-pitched siren.
Code Red.
Multiple A-rank or higher Gates had just opened—simultaneously, all across the region.
