Like someone terrified of having a clue about this place discovered. Since provoking him wouldn’t do any good, Lee Haru quietly stepped back.
“Then take care on your way out.”
“Yes.”
Just as he was turning toward the kitchen after the farewell, the sound of the front door closing reached him. Even after the door shut, Lee Haru stood frozen like someone playing a game of freeze tag.
“……Haru hyung.”
At the soft voice behind him, Lee Haru turned around. Ji Yeon-woo’s face looked on the verge of tears.
If he so much as poked that cheek, it seemed tears would spill over at once, so Lee Haru hurried toward him.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve explained everything earlier…”
He hadn’t even finished speaking when Ji Yeon-woo, head bowed low, let out a fragile voice that sounded like it might break at any moment.
“Are you and Esper Kang Min… into each other?”
That wavering voice struck a chord, something tugging at the heart. One of Lee Haru’s eyebrows twitched.
The question had caught him off guard. From Ji Yeon-woo’s perspective, Kang Min, who had supposedly come to rescue them, had spoken only with Lee Haru and then vanished. Asking about their relationship wasn’t the expected response—shouldn’t he be questioning that odd sequence of events?
Don’t tell me Ji Yeon-woo likes Esper Kang Min? Well, Kang Min does feel like the main character type…
That thought cleared the confusion. It seemed that while the novel’s flow had skewed due to him entering this body, for Ji Yeon-woo, everything was unfolding just as it was supposed to.
There was a high chance Kang Min was also beginning to develop feelings for Ji Yeon-woo.
“It’s nothing like that. I can explain everything.”
The urgency to clear up the misunderstanding took hold. As Lee Haru placed a hand on Ji Yeon-woo’s shoulder, the latter slowly lifted his head.
He had expected to see tears. But Ji Yeon-woo’s clear eyes held a steadier glint than anticipated.
He had always seen him as fragile, yet in that moment, he felt momentarily overwhelmed by him.
“Okay. Please explain. I want to hear it.”
As if ready to listen, Ji Yeon-woo grasped the hand resting on his shoulder. Lee Haru followed his lead and headed to the sofa.
They sat facing each other. Lee Haru worried whether Ji Yeon-woo would believe what he was about to say.
Had it not been for the original Lee Haru telling him, even he wouldn’t have dreamed that Hong Seong-jun had taken on Kang Min’s appearance.
What if Ji Yeon-woo thought he was crazy? The thought made him anxious, but there was no backing down now.
“I’ll write it on your palm.”
Judging from Hong Seong-jun’s past behavior, there likely weren’t any CCTV cameras or recording devices in this place, but he couldn’t be completely sure.
Ji Yeon-woo quietly extended his hand. Lee Haru began calmly writing out what he wanted to say on Ji Yeon-woo’s palm.
[The person who was here just now wasn’t Esper Kang Min.]
As he feared, Ji Yeon-woo didn’t believe it right away. Watching his long lashes flutter like fans, Lee Haru continued his explanation.
[It was Esper Hong Seong-jun. You know his ability is Physical Transformation-Type, right?]
Ji Yeon-woo gave a small nod. He’d seen and heard things from living among Espers.
[He copied Esper Kang Min’s appearance and acted like him. The person who kidnapped me was Esper Hong Seong-jun.]
Ji Yeon-woo’s eyes widened in disbelief. As Lee Haru watched the turmoil in those eyes, he gripped Ji Yeon-woo’s hand tightly.
Unless he had seen it for himself—Hong Seong-jun transforming into Kang Min—it would be hard to accept. His confusion was understandable. But Lee Haru had no concrete proof to offer. All he could do was hope that Ji Yeon-woo would trust him.
“……Please believe me.”
If Ji Yeon-woo didn’t, and Hong Seong-jun returned, things would take a dangerous turn.
If Kang Min and Yu Je-hyun managed to find them before Hong Seong-jun came back, everything could be resolved cleanly. But they had to consider multiple outcomes.
In the worst-case scenario—if Ji Yeon-woo still didn’t believe him when Hong Seong-jun returned—they might get separated and taken to different locations without being able to do a thing.
Following the original owner of this body’s request to take revenge on Hong Seong-jun, it might be better to stay put for now.
The problem was that the head of Black could also come and go in this place. And Lee Haru now knew that. The leader of Black could harm him at any time.
If he encountered that man while Hong Seong-jun was gone, there was a real chance he’d end up with his neck broken and dead for real this time.
First things first—they needed to escape and find a safe place.
Just as that gnawing anxiety parched his throat, Ji Yeon-woo rolled up his sleeve and dabbed at his forehead and nose bridge.
He must’ve been more nervous than he looked. Tiny droplets of sweat had formed on his skin.
“I believe you. Because it’s you, Haru hyung. That’s why you took that person to the room earlier, right?”
This time, Ji Yeon-woo opened Lee Haru’s palm and raised his index finger.
[Because you thought I might talk about the operation.]
Smart kid. He’d deduced even the parts Lee Haru hadn’t said out loud. When Lee Haru nodded to confirm, Ji Yeon-woo grabbed his hands with both of his.
“You must’ve been struggling all alone for a long time.”
Even though it wasn’t anything grand, Lee Haru felt a sudden sting at the tip of his nose. He was struck by the realization of how deeply moving it was to be comforted by someone.
“You don’t have to worry anymore. I’m here with you now, Haru hyung. No matter what happens, I’ll never leave you alone.”
At that moment, Ji Yeon-woo didn’t feel like a younger brother—he felt like an older one. Thanks to that, Lee Haru was able to smile at him, genuinely, for the first time.
When he was with Hong Seong-jun, he had to force the corners of his lips to turn up. Now, they moved on their own.
For the first time in a long while, he had hope that if they could hold out just a little longer, they might be able to escape this place. He prayed with all his heart that Yu Je-hyun would find him before it was too late.
***
“Why isn’t he here yet…”
Ji Yeon-woo bit his lip in anxious frustration. His lips were already bright red from having been chewed on multiple times.
“He’s probably on his way right now. Don’t worry too much.”
As he tried to calm the visibly distressed Ji Yeon-woo, Lee Haru secretly bit the inside of his own cheek.
Don’t tell me the tracker is malfunctioning…
His restless gaze flicked to Ji Yeon-woo’s abdomen, then turned to survey the house.
Or maybe there’s something here interfering with the signal?
But that seemed unlikely—Hong Seong-jun’s watch appeared to be functioning properly.
Nothing happened to Yu Je-hyun, right…?
His thoughts shifted toward Yu Je-hyun, who still hadn’t shown up. If the tracker implanted in Ji Yeon-woo’s body was working correctly, Yu Je-hyun should’ve arrived a long time ago.
It had already been a full day since Hong Seong-jun had left. Thanks to the tablet PC, they could at least keep track of the time—that was a small relief.
The two of them were currently sitting side by side on the living room sofa, eyes fixed on the tablet. With each digit that ticked forward, they swallowed harder.
The growing fear that time would keep passing without any sign of rescue tightened in their chests. Just then, a sound came from the direction of the front door, drawing both of their gazes to the air in front of them.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang after being flung open violently.
They both stood up from the sofa at once. A bad feeling crept in. If it were Kang Min or Yu Je-hyun, they would have called out their names immediately.
As the sound of heavy breathing drew closer, Lee Haru bit down on his lip. The sound was painfully familiar.
That nightmarish day came flooding back. The brutal hands choking his throat, those murderous eyes gleaming with bloodlust, and that rough voice calling his name.
“Haa…”
Frozen in place, not even thinking to run, fear materialized before his eyes.
Just like in his memories, the head of Black appeared—once again with his sanity half-erased.
His swollen body stretched his clothes to the limit, the fabric taut and strained.
Though his face was hidden beneath a mask that covered everything below the eyes, and his hands gloved, Lee Haru could practically see the bulging veins coursing beneath his skin.
Those jet-black eyes, devoid of whites, swept across Ji Yeon-woo and Lee Haru’s faces in turn.
Like a beast cornering its prey, his gaze gleamed with something feral and unnatural.
“Guiding… I need Guiding…”
Zero mumbled as he approached. Ji Yeon-woo, too, was frozen in place, paralyzed by suffocating terror.
He instinctively sensed it—this version of Zero was more dangerous than any he had faced before.
If he attempted to Guide Zero in this state, he might die. The memory of having his Guiding energy forcibly drained by him resurfaced, and Ji Yeon-woo’s vision blurred in panic.
