Cradling the suitcase to muffle the sound of its wheels, he headed for the emergency stairs. Each echo of his footsteps sent cold sweat trickling down his spine.
As he pushed open the stairwell door, the first-floor lobby came into view. The staircases on all floors were built so the lobby remained visible—making this the riskiest point to sneak through. Glancing around anxiously, Eun-jo darted across the lobby.
And then—
“Hey! Guide Yeo Eun-jo!”
Jung Young-soo, casually strolling back from lunch with a coffee in hand, waved brightly.
“Any progress getting your powers back?”
“Director, I… I really have somewhere I need to be right now…”
“Why the rush, huh? It’s not like there’s anywhere new in this place.”
He had been meaning to check in on Eun-jo anyway. With Team A’s hawk eyes constantly watching, he hadn’t dared to reach out—but running into him like this? That was a different story. Jung Young-soo clapped Eun-jo on the shoulder with a familiar grin.
“I was a bit touchy last time, you know how it is. Got a lot riding on Team A these days.”
“Director, the thing is…”
Eun-jo’s heart thundered in his chest. He darted nervous glances around, hyper-aware of every gaze. The longer he stood there, the more attention the director drew.
“I really have to go.”
“Go? Go where?”
That’s when Jung Young-soo noticed the suitcase and tilted his head.
“…What’s with the suitcase?”
This wasn’t going to work. Steeling himself, Eun-jo was just about to politely make his exit—
“YEO EUN-JO!”
The scream cracked like thunder. A chill raced down his spine. It came from the stairwell.
Without even thinking to look up, Eun-jo clutched the suitcase tight and sprinted for the front doors.
Jung Tae-seok’s eyes went wild as Eun-jo’s figure bolted from view. Fucking hell, Yeo Eun-jo! Cursing like a madman, he vaulted over the fifth-floor railing.
A massive body dropped from above. One startled staff member, looking up, shrieked in shock.
But Jung Tae-seok didn’t care. His eyes were locked onto Eun-jo’s back like a predator on the hunt.
“Yeo Eun-jo, you son of a bitch!”
Seeing him charging like a lunatic, Eun-jo’s face drained of all color. Just recently, the man had been calling him hyung. Now his face was twisted like a demon’s, terrifying enough to make him want to piss himself.
Shoving the suitcase into the waiting taxi, Eun-jo dove in right after. He blurted out quickly,
“Mister, please—just go!”
“…Isn’t that guy Jung Tae-seok? The Esper?”
The taxi driver squinted at the figure behind them, then looked at Eun-jo suspiciously.
“I swear that’s him…”
Panic rising, Eun-jo yanked down his collar. A deep purple hickey was visible just above the collar of his knit sweater. It was so dark and raw, it looked like a full-on bruise.
The driver’s eyes went wide.
Not wasting a second, Eun-jo tilted his chin, angling his neck to make the mark more visible.
“……!”
Sometimes, action spoke louder than words. Biting his lip like he couldn’t bring himself to explain, Eun-jo watched the driver’s face twist with indignation.
“No, no way!” the man snapped, jabbing a finger into the air.
“I don’t care if he’s an Esper—what kind of man hits someone like that?!”
Gripping the wheel tight, the driver slammed his foot down on the gas.
The tires squealed, and the taxi shot forward like a rocket.
“Don’t you worry, kid! I’ve caught cheating husbands, pickpockets, you name it—been doing it for 30 years with this taxi!”
Through the rear window, Eun-jo could still see Jung Tae-seok standing exactly where he’d been left. His face wasn’t visible, but one thing was crystal clear—he was absolutely livid.
Haah… Eun-jo exhaled and slumped back into his seat.
Bet he’s hurt again.
His heart was pounding out of control. Afraid his resolve would falter, Eun-jo squeezed his eyes shut, shielding them with his arms.
But unlike what he’d hoped, Tae-seok wasn’t stunned or speechless—he was furious. Grinding his teeth hard enough to crack them, he glared at the retreating taxi with the kind of expression that would’ve made Eun-jo think twice about running if he’d seen it.
You fucker… Do you even know what it took for me to wait this long?
He’d waited quietly when Eun-jo said he needed time. He hadn’t even gone near the office, afraid that if they saw each other, he’d end up begging for forgiveness. Instead, he wore himself down in the training room, punishing his body to keep himself from falling apart. Sure, he’d stolen Eun-jo’s clothes a few times when he wasn’t around—but only because he missed him like hell.
“…So this is the answer you came up with?”
Tae-seok let out a savage laugh, dragging a hand over his face. Ha! The bitter sound made a nearby employee flinch and back away instinctively.
“Then you never should’ve guided me in the first place.”
The anger twisting his features was impossible to hide. Jaw clenched, he stormed toward the parking lot with long, determined strides. Climbing into his car, he started the engine and pulled out his phone, quickly typing out a message: the license plate number of the taxi Eun-jo had just escaped in.
The reply came within seconds.
***
Ten minutes before Eun-jo made his run for it, another man had reached the end of his patience.
The Security Team’s office door slammed open without a knock. Jin Mu-seong stepped inside like he owned the place. The slow, deliberate click of his shoes echoed ominously through the room.
“Good afternoon.”
Everyone turned toward the unfamiliar voice. Standing at the doorway, tall enough to nearly block it, was Jin Mu-seong in a sleek suit—one that didn’t match at all with the box of energy drinks he was carrying like a party favor.
The Security Team staff froze in confusion, but Jin Mu-seong didn’t hesitate. His eyes swept the room once before landing on his target: Park Hee-won, who had immediately tried to slide under his desk the moment he saw him.
Without a word, Jin Mu-seong set the energy drinks down on a nearby desk. Then, in three quick strides, he grabbed the back of Hee-won’s neck and yanked him up. Hiiik! Hee-won gasped, throwing his hands up in surrender.
“I don’t know anything! I swear!”
“Oh, really?”
Jin Mu-seong’s lips curled into a smile—a cold, cutting one. His eyes didn’t reflect even a hint of humor.
“Funny. I haven’t even asked you a question yet.”
The oh shit realization was plain on Hee-won’s face.
Mu-seong immediately knew what kind of pushover he was dealing with. His expression relaxed just a touch. He dropped Hee-won into a chair and, with one long leg, spun him around to face the monitor.
“Um, Team Leader Jin… Why are you here at our rookie’s desk…?”
A man seated nearby spoke up hesitantly. A fellow C-rank who at least tried to look out for Hee-won when he could.
“I’ve just got a couple of questions.”
“I-I understand, but… Guide locations fall under strict security protocols. And you’re with Team B, so…”
The man stammered through the words, clearly nervous.
“If we get caught… we could be disciplined too…”
Jin Mu-seong had clearly barged in uninvited, but the oppressive pressure he gave off was so overwhelming, no one dared throw him out.
“…Hmm.”
With a flick of his fingers, Jin Mu-seong leaned back in a nearby chair.
“No need to show me anything. Just…”
He tapped his shoe against the leg of Hee-won’s chair, turning it slightly so they were facing each other again.
“…Let’s say Park Hee-won happened to review the surveillance footage and just so happened to catch me walking in.”
“…Excuse me?”
“What are you waiting for?”
Jin Mu-seong nudged the chair again, making Hee-won jump.
“Pull it up.”
This time, there was no room for refusal. Hee-won glanced helplessly at his senior before slowly placing his hands on the keyboard. Honestly, a flick to the forehead would’ve been easier. But now that he was cornered, there was nothing he could do.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and start typing—
“Cheese tteokbokki! Cheese tteokbokki!”
Eun-jo’s voice rang in his ears.
He couldn’t do it. Not to Eun-jo.
Guilt twisting in his chest, Hee-won slowly turned to look over his shoulder.
He looked like a boulder had been dropped into the room—massive and immovable. Dressed head-to-toe in black, he resembled the grim reaper himself. Staring down at the man’s shoes, Park Hee-won whispered,
“Um… Hyung said not to…”
“…Hyung?”
That voice—low and simmering—cut through the air like a blade. Hee-won flinched and looked up to find Jin Mu-seong laughing under his breath.
Oh, hell. Hyung’s not saving me from this one.
Realizing just how screwed he was, Hee-won spun back around. A few frantic taps on the keyboard, and the monitor shifted. Finally, Eun-jo appeared on screen—captured by the emergency stairwell camera.
For a brief moment, Jin Mu-seong smiled. That familiar, clear face appearing on the monitor brought out a flicker of warmth. But as soon as he saw the suitcase clutched in Eun-jo’s arms… and the way he was leaping down two steps at a time…
Crash!
The chair Jin Mu-seong had been sitting in flew backward, slamming into the floor.
“…!”
Crack. A bone-deep noise echoed in the silence. Hee-won couldn’t bring himself to turn around. He clenched his eyes shut instead.
“…Aren’t we a little old to be playing hide-and-seek?”
Thud. Thud. The sound of heavy shoes echoed ominously across the floor. No one in the office even dared to breathe until the door finally shut behind him.
The moment he was gone, Hee-won fumbled for his phone and frantically called Eun-jo.
“Hurry… Come on, pick up…!”
He was seriously going to die this time! His hands shook as he waited for the call to connect—but all he got was a cold automated message: the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Eun-jo had apparently left both his phone and pager behind.
Click. The screen refreshed. The next feed showed Jin Mu-seong standing in the lobby, looking down as Eun-jo ran past, dodging Jung Tae-seok.
Then, Jin Mu-seong calmly reached into his coat, pulled out his pager, and pressed a button.
Hee-won quickly switched the feed.
“…Haa.”
With a deep, weary sigh, he turned his gaze to a different camera angle. No matter how he looked at it, this was one game of cat-and-mouse with pitiful odds.
“…Can anyone even escape from monsters like them?”
“He’s got a plan. He’s a Guide.”
His senior, who had been too stunned to speak until now, muttered softly.
Both of them sat there, silently watching the screens—eyes flicking across the monitors, unsure what else they could do.
