Kim Hyun-seo approached Ji Yeon-woo first, bending forward. Seeing this, Shin Ji-soo turned her back to Lee Haru as well.
Lee Haru hesitated. He knew Shin Ji-soo was an Esper, but the height difference between them was stark—her crown barely reached his collarbone. Even if he was considered slim among men, that didn’t change the fact that male and female builds were fundamentally different.
It felt like he should be the one carrying her. As he hesitated to move, Shin Ji-soo acted first.
“Excuse me.”
Before he could respond, she had already wrapped his arms around her neck and lifted him onto her back. Lee Haru let out a silent sigh as he took in the sight of himself being carried.
Kim Hyun-seo and Shin Ji-soo, each with someone on their backs, ordered their team to surround the building. They also designated members to manage the area.
Meanwhile, Yu Je-hyun honed in on a trace of movement. Something suspicious was stirring beneath the Science Hall.
“I’ll go in first. You two follow right behind.”
Before either Kim Hyun-seo or Shin Ji-soo could reply, Yu Je-hyun dashed inside the building. He moved so fast he left afterimages, his motion accompanied only by the sound of wind. Shin Ji-soo let out a quiet murmur of admiration.
“Oh, definitely S-rank.”
“Stay sharp. If you let your guard down, you could get hurt.”
Kim Hyun-seo tapped her arm and quickly followed after Yu Je-hyun. Shin Ji-soo adjusted her grip on Lee Haru and picked up her pace.
Each movement sent a jolt through his body. The nausea that had eased after getting out of the car started to rise again.
Haru, I didn’t awaken as an Esper or something, right?
Lee Haru covered his mouth with one hand and addressed the owner of his body. If what the owner had said was true, then he’d somehow developed a spatial movement ability—something typically exclusive to Espers.
Being able to travel a long distance in an instant wouldn’t rank as a low-tier power. Yet his body could barely handle even this speed of movement.
And he wasn’t even the one moving—he was being carried.
[If you want to be an Esper, you’ll need to be reborn.]
The answer came instantly. The tone made it clear that hoping was pointless. Lee Haru let out a shallow breath. As his vision swayed, he caught sight of a “B3” sign.
Yu Je-hyun passed the third basement level and only slowed after reaching the fourth. The door to B4 was tightly shut.
Before opening it, he glanced back. Even in the dark, his eyes gleamed sharply—and they found Lee Haru immediately.
He met Lee Haru’s gaze as if to reassure him, but his words were directed at Kim Hyun-seo and Shin Ji-soo.
“Once we’re inside, I’ll set up a barrier to protect Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo. You two stay by the shield. I’ll take care of Black’s leader.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
Even with a door between them, the energy radiating from beyond it felt ominous.
The light-hearted look that often lingered on Shin Ji-soo’s face was gone. Right now, she looked like a trained soldier—serious and composed.
Yu Je-hyun flicked his fingers. The heavy door opened soundlessly. No light poured from the space beyond.
It was pitch black, as if every light had been turned off. The darkness inside clung to the room, and only the light from the stairwell cast a faint bluish glow around the doorway.
Crossing the threshold brought no change—the inside was dead silent. Unconsciously, Lee Haru held his breath. Ji Yeon-woo did the same.
One by one, shadowy figures stepped into the long hallway.
There’s definitely someone in that direction.
Yu Je-hyun pushed his senses to the limit. He tuned his hearing so acutely that even the rustle of insects rang clear in his ears.
But what he heard now was different. The source came from the end of the corridor.
Sharper than anything he sensed on the first floor, the sound pierced his eardrums.
It was a mix of rustling fabric, soles scraping faintly against the floor, and the occasional guttural groan—like a wounded animal.
The hallway was lined on both sides with solid cement walls. The only possible exits were a door leading to the stairwell and another at the far end, where the strange noises were coming from.
With just three steps remaining, Yu Je-hyun raised his right hand. Kim Hyun-seo and Shin Ji-soo froze instantly.
Zero’s primary ability was pheromones. Neither he nor his subordinates were visible in the corridor.
Which meant, if the intel Lee Haru provided was accurate, they were likely behind that door.
Yu Je-hyun could hold his breath for long periods and prevent pheromones from seeping through his skin—but the others couldn’t.
Shhh—shhhk—
Metal uncoiled from the bracelet on Yu Je-hyun’s arm like a rope. It shifted, transforming into a structure large enough to hold two people.
Kim Hyun-seo quickly placed Ji Yeon-woo inside. Shin Ji-soo set Lee Haru down next to Yeon-woo.
Yu Je-hyun knelt in front of them. He raised his hand and gently brushed back the strands of hair sticking to Lee Haru’s forehead.
“I’ll take care of it quickly, so just stay here and don’t worry. And no grabbing my hand or hugging me if you get scared—got it?”
“Alright.”
Lee Haru replied softly, worry written all over his face. Ji Yeon-woo didn’t say a word, only pulled his knees in tightly to his chest.
The open metal shield in front of them seamlessly reshaped into a dome, sealing the space without a single gap. Yu Je-hyun gave Kim Hyun-seo and Shin Ji-soo a subtle signal, then stepped inside without hesitation.
The space spanning the entire fourth basement level resembled a massive auditorium. In one corner, large heaps of unknown materials were stacked, all draped under heavy black cloths. The fabric looked thick—just brushing it might send up a cloud of dust.
As Yu Je-hyun surveyed the area, he quickly spotted the source of the noise.
“Two Team Leaders, huh.”
Two Kang Mins were sitting silently, occupying two chairs, and staring straight at him. Neither their mouths were gagged nor their hands tied, yet both figures sat motionless, hands resting neatly on their thighs.
Their arms gave the occasional twitch, as though trying to move, and their shoes lightly scraped against the floor—but that was all.
“What is this? Some kind of game? ‘Find the real Team Leader’?”
Yu Je-hyun let out a humorless scoff. The two were identical—clothing, shoes, even the busted wound on the right side of their lips.
It was a relief to confirm Kang Min was here, just as Lee Haru had said. But figuring out which of the two was real was proving more difficult than expected.
Even their eyes were the same. Despite the danger, they both had Kang Min’s signature dry stare. The only difference was the fury flickering beneath those blood-red irises—a clear sign of anger over their current situation.
Both gave off the same aura, the same magical presence. Each one practically shouted, I’m Kang Min. Yu Je-hyun rubbed between his brows in frustration.
“Instead of just lurking in the corner, why don’t you tell me what you want? As far as I’m concerned, I could just take both of them and leave.”
His voice was sharp as he addressed Zero, who stood like a ghost in the shadows.
Kang Min had to be saved, no question. And as for Hong Seong-jun—he needed to be brought back alive, so they could drag every last detail out of him. That was the only way to clear Kang Min’s name and prove he hadn’t colluded with Black’s leader.
“Damn, you’ve been busy. Orchestrating a hostage setup and planning a terrorist attack on the Association? What, did you know I was going to show up here?”
Yu Je-hyun’s tone was detached, like he had predicted all of this. If Lee Haru hadn’t provided the location, it would’ve taken a lot longer to find this place.
The metal bound to Yu Je-hyun’s ankle unraveled like liquid, separating midair and coalescing into a tight formation.
Seven metal rings, each about the size of a walnut, spun weightlessly above his right hand.
Only then did Black’s leader move. He slowly uncrossed his arms and began walking toward Yu Je-hyun with deliberate calm.
“What I want isn’t anything complicated.”
His voice was steady—oddly relaxed. For a moment, his gaze flicked toward the door.
Yu Je-hyun’s fingers twitched. The second Zero made a move in Lee Haru’s direction, he planned to drive every single ring straight into his body.
He never intended to let the bastard live. As long as Zero was alive, he would continue to covet Lee Haru—and that was something Yu Je-hyun would never allow.
This had to end here. Only then could both he and Lee Haru finally sleep soundly at night.
