To be absolutely sure, I would have to go outside and check the situation myself. But I really didn’t want to. I’d already felt the sharp sting of loss just from being away from Lee Haru for a short while.
Still, if I left only Ji Yeon-woo behind, Lee Haru would probably throw a fit.
With a resigned sigh, Yu Je-hyun spread his arms wide.
“Both of you, get in. It’s better if we move together.”
At that moment, Yu Je-hyun’s watch started vibrating wildly. It was a direct call from the Association President.
His expression instantly hardened. He didn’t even need to answer—it was as if he could already hear the President’s voice shouting in his ear.
“Hurry up.”
Yu Je-hyun urged the two, who still hadn’t moved. Lee Haru took Ji Yeon-woo’s hand and pulled him along.
Being carried by Yu Je-hyun alone was already embarrassing enough, but with both of them in his arms, Lee Haru’s ears turned red.
Ji Yeon-woo was no different, lips pressed tightly together, avoiding Lee Haru’s gaze.
With both of them in his arms, Yu Je-hyun tapped his watch screen.
—You bastard! Where the hell are you, answering just now?!
“Bastard? Can’t you try to act your age?”
—You think I’m in the mood for dignity right now?!
The usually composed Association President rarely lost his temper—but this was the real him.
Apparently not pleased with Yu Je-hyun talking back, the President continued to rant through the watch, lacing his words with curses.
“Isn’t this an emergency? Instead of wasting time yelling, how about telling me what the hell’s going on?”
Yu Je-hyun cut him off before he started cursing back. The President huffed a few more times before finally getting to the point.
—Black launched a terrorist attack. They disguised an Esper on the verge of a Rampage as an Association staff member and smuggled him in. Half the Esper Center is gone.
Yu Je-hyun’s brow furrowed. Black had attacked the Association countless times before, but never this directly.
Even after their base was wiped out, they hadn’t responded like this. The real issue back then had been Lee Haru’s abduction.
If only the Esper Center had been destroyed, it meant the rampaging Esper was, at most, C-rank.
“I’ve said this before, but the Association’s defense systems are a joke. You didn’t even catch an Esper about to go into Rampage? You’re telling me even employee ID access was bypassed?”
—You think I’m calling to talk about system flaws right now? There’s a bigger problem!
“What is it?”
Yu Je-hyun’s voice was indifferent. Right now, the only thing that mattered was Lee Haru—who was safely in his arms.
But the next words caught even him off guard.
—It was Kang Min. That bastard joined forces with Black’s leader and started this whole mess! Why aren’t you here already?! Where are Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo? Get them both out safely!
What the hell kind of nonsense was this?
Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo had heard everything loud and clear through the comm device.
Something was seriously wrong.
The one who had joined forces with Black’s leader was Hong Seong-jun. But judging by the President’s furious voice, if Kang Min had been in front of him, he would have killed him on the spot.
“Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo are both with me. I’m heading over now, so wait.”
Without waiting for a reply, Yu Je-hyun ended the call.
He locked eyes with Lee Haru. They were both thinking the same thing.
There’s no way the Team Leader joined Black. That means Hong Seong-jun pulled something again.
Yu Je-hyun’s expression turned grim. As he moved toward the Esper Center, he tried contacting Kang Min. Just as he feared, there was no response.
As they exited the hospital, smoke filled the sky. The unexpected terror attack had thrown the area into chaos, with people panicking in every direction.
Some were frozen in fear, others screamed into buzzing pagers, and many were injured by the shockwave that hit like an earthquake.
Yu Je-hyun moved against the flow of people fleeing the Esper Center, heading straight for the scene.
The speed made Lee Haru squeeze his eyes shut. The acrid smell in the air grew stronger by the second.
When the wind stopped lashing his face, Lee Haru tapped Yu Je-hyun’s shoulder.
“Put me down now.”
Surely, he wasn’t planning to meet the Association President while carrying both of them.
“Stay still. It’s still dangerous.”
But contrary to expectations, Yu Je-hyun showed no intention of putting them down. His arms tightened around their waists.
Stung by the piercing gazes from all around, Lee Haru shut his eyes again.
Even without seeing, he could imagine the looks they were getting. His face, which had cooled in the wind, began to heat up again.
“Yu Je-hyun! What the hell are you doing—why aren’t you running over here?!”
The Association President shouted, face twisted with rage. The Esper Center Director stood nearby.
Only when Yu Je-hyun stood face-to-face with them did he finally set Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo down. Even then, he held onto Lee Haru’s hand, placing it on his coat hem.
“What was that earlier? About the Team Leader working with Black’s leader? You know that’s ridiculous.”
At those words, the President bristled again. He reached into his coat and pulled out a cigar thicker than a finger, clenching it between his lips.
The Esper Center Director lit his cigar with practiced ease. Watching him, Yu Je-hyun’s brow tightened in a sharp scowl.
“Do you seriously not know how harmful secondhand smoke is these days? It’s not just Espers around—there are Guides here too. Can’t you just hold it in?”
The Association President, taking a long drag to calm his boiling anger, clenched his lips at Yu Je-hyun’s comment.
If the bastard weren’t an S-rank Esper, he would have been demoted ages ago—shipped off to some post so far away he’d never even glimpse the President’s shadow again.
Now that Kang Min had turned traitor, Yu Je-hyun’s value had only grown. The President inhaled deeply, the tip of the cigar glowing red-hot.
“Cut the crap and go bring that bastard Kang Min back. Looks like Hong Seong-jun’s been taken hostage over there too—get him out while you’re at it.”
Yu Je-hyun shook his head in disbelief.
Sure, neither he nor Kang Min had suspected Hong Seong-jun of possessing such an ability, but now it was clear even the President had been fooled. The realization made him grudgingly respect Hong Seong-jun’s skill.
“You got any proof the Team Leader’s working with Black? Because I don’t buy it. He and I had already started suspecting Hong Seong-jun.”
“What the hell are you saying?”
Alpha Team 1 of the Seoul Branch was the most autonomous team within the Association.
Made entirely of S-rank Espers, each member was intensely headstrong. Even the most outwardly composed—Kang Min—had a rebellious streak a mile wide.
That’s why the President had lumped all three of them together. Their attitudes were problematic, and they disobeyed orders when it suited them—but when it came to sheer combat strength, they were unmatched.
Then, just as Black began stirring again, the President received a shocking report: Kang Min had joined their side.
The intel came from a mole embedded within Black. The group’s leader was notoriously cautious, so the mole hadn’t been able to get anywhere near the upper ranks.
Even so, he’d repeatedly witnessed Kang Min acting alongside Black’s leader—and immediately contacted the President with the urgent report.
They’d tried calling Kang Min, but there was no response.
On top of that, the mole reported that Hong Seong-jun appeared to be held hostage. And right after that came the terror attack. It had all happened so fast, it left the President reeling.
Half the Esper Center—essentially the Association’s core—was destroyed. And now it was clear the security system had a gaping vulnerability.
With his head already pounding, Yu Je-hyun throwing around strange claims was the last thing he needed. The President felt like his vision was going black.
“You know what Hong Seong-jun’s ability is, right?”
“You think I’m some brainless idiot, you little punk? Just because I’ve been out of the field for a while doesn’t mean I don’t know what my own men can—”
He froze mid-sentence, eyes flying open wide.
Hong Seong-jun’s ability was Physical Transformation-Type. He could flatten and contort his body like paper, slipping through even the narrowest cracks.
“He must’ve been impersonating the Team Leader. I’m telling you, that’s what happened. The Team Leader and I only just realized it recently.”
