Woof!
“Whoa, hey, wait a second!”
It was about the size of a medium dog, with matted gray fur covering its eyes. I don’t know much about dogs, but it looked like one of those common mixed breeds you see in the countryside. Do Wonjin quickly avoided the dog and rushed through the gate, while Yang Garam also crossed the gate after finishing his emotional reunion with Serubi.
Jeong Seyeon went in next, and as I followed, the dog started barking at me.
Woof woof!
I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just a dog barking, but the dog’s barking began to form into words I could understand in my head.
[You invited me, and now you’re pretending not to know me!]
It was different from the way Serubi spoke, but I immediately realized what this meant. This dog was a Masu that Serubi had brought.
“The dog is talking?”
And apparently I wasn’t the only one who heard it. All the Guides who had gone ahead turned their eyes toward us.
[I’m not a dog, I’m the ruler of the western Masu world…]
“Ahem. Should we bring this one in too?”
My heart nearly stopped because of the tactless Masu disguised as a dog. I interrupted it and picked it up. It was fortunate that it was late at night; if it had been daytime, I would have been advertising to the whole neighborhood that I was keeping a Masu.
My quick action may have silenced the Masu, but there was something else I couldn’t prevent. My nose. It wasn’t just dirty in appearance—it smelled once I picked it up.
“You need a bath.”
I was worried it might make another explosive statement, but surprisingly, it stayed quietly in my arms, allowing us to enter the house safely. As soon as I took off my shoes, I headed straight for the bathroom.
Once cleaned, the Masu had quite a cute appearance. The unusual thing was its red pupils, which made sense given that it wasn’t an ordinary dog but a Masu. The Guides were also surprised to see the 180-degree transformation of the Masu after its bath, but their surprise turned to shock following my confession.
“Are both Serubi and this one really Masu? They’re so cute.”
Yang Garam asked in disbelief.
“A Masu? I was completely fooled. No wonder—there’s no way you would have calmly picked up a cat after fighting in a dungeon and being unconscious.”
Do Wonjin was quick to accept it.
“So what are you planning to do with this Masu?”
Jeong Seyeon asked about our plans for the Masu that Serubi had brought, showing little interest whether it was a Masu or not. Though I had brought the Masu back, I didn’t have any grand plans for it. The goal was to sneak out a Masu that the Center Director had kept hidden to teach him a lesson, but I hadn’t thought about what to do afterward.
At most, I had vaguely thought about using it for a second plan. I hadn’t even considered that there might be another intelligent Masu like Serubi, nor did I expect Serubi to bring one back so easily.
“I plan to keep it for the time being.”
When I indirectly admitted I had no plan, Jeong Seyeon nodded.
“Then may I take care of it?”
Meanwhile, the Masu was following Serubi around and annoying it, and Serubi’s patience was gradually wearing thin. Just as Jeong Seyeon made this offer, Serubi’s face immediately brightened.
[I get it, so hurry up and take this thing away.]
I was about to ask Jeong Seyeon why he needed the Masu, but seeing Serubi clinging to Jeong Seyeon’s clothes with its claws out, I moved before I could speak.
“Stop bothering Hyung and come here.”
I pulled Serubi away from Jeong Seyeon, and Jeong Seyeon caught the dog Masu that was trying to chase after Serubi.
“I’ll leave it to you then, Seyeon Hyung.”
With Serubi’s face all wrinkled up in annoyance, it now clung to my clothes. After handing the dog Masu over to Jeong Seyeon, I had no choice but to carry Serubi up to my room.
Afterward, Jeong Seyeon took the dog Masu to his family home and tied it up in a corner of the training ground. Though it wasn’t hostile toward us, Masu were unpredictable and could turn on us at any time. The dungeon was the perfect place for such a creature.
And soon after, it became clear what Jeong Seyeon had done with the Masu.
“I’ve found their base.”
What Jeong Seyeon brought was information about the terrorist organization—something we hadn’t been able to find even a clue about while preparing for Operation “Flower Viewing.”
“How did you find out?”
“While interrogating the Masu, there was a suspicious location, so I investigated it separately.”
My suspicion that the Center Director was connected to the terrorist organization lacked decisive evidence. But if a Masu found in the Center Director’s house provided the location of the terrorist organization, this would be solid proof.
“Did the Masu know the location of the base?”
“More precisely, the place where the Masu’s main body is located was the base.”
“So you’re saying this current body isn’t its real one.”
Peter’s face became serious. Though it was good news for him, having been dispatched from America because they couldn’t catch the tail of this organization, the involvement of Masu wasn’t welcome.
“So is it in America or Korea?”
Yang Garam asked, cutting through the conversation that was circling around the core issue.
Do Wonjin was watching the situation with his arms crossed, unusually silent for once.
“It’s on an island in Brazil. It’s private property and located very close to Quardo Island.”
Breaking everyone’s expectation that it would be either Korea or America, it was an entirely different location.
“The international gate on Quardo Island is connected to the whole world. They probably used it for their terrorist activities.”
“No wonder we failed to track their location every time, and even when we did, they were in the middle of the ocean. So that’s why.”
Peter murmured, and Jeong Seyeon nodded in agreement.
“The entire island’s wavelength is distorted, so it doesn’t appear on satellites or maps. That’s probably how they’ve remained hidden all this time.”
“But there’s a problem. Espers need state permission to go abroad. Jeongjae would have to report to the Center Director to go overseas. Isn’t this basically a declaration of war?”
Do Wonjin, who had suddenly appeared next to me, placed his arm on my shoulder as he spoke.
“Should I look into it for you? If an overseas Esper sends a work request, the Center Director wouldn’t be suspicious.”
“Do you know an Esper in Brazil?”
When I gave him a look of surprise, Do Wonjin raised his nose proudly.
“Believe it or not, I have some connections among Espers.”
Suddenly, our first meeting came to mind. I didn’t want to misinterpret his words, but I could easily guess what kind of relationships he had with these Espers, and it made my chest feel tight.
‘Why am I so reluctant?’
If I had to go abroad, Do Wonjin’s suggestion would be perfect.
But receiving help from an Esper who might be Do Wonjin’s ex-girlfriend hurt my pride. No, more than that, I didn’t like the idea of them contacting each other because of this. Obviously, I should be grateful for his help and for offering to make such a request on my behalf, but jagged emotions were rising up, and I was confused by my own reaction.
“What’s your relationship with this Esper that makes you so sure they’ll help?”
When I heard Yang Garam’s voice, I looked up, realizing my mistake. Having received all my emotions directly, Yang Garam was glaring at Do Wonjin with an unpleasant expression.
“She was the first Esper I met as a temporary Guide, and she took care of me a lot, saying I was like a son to her.”
“A son?”
“Yeah, she awakened after witnessing her son and husband die right in front of her. I was also her first Guide.”
As I listened to Do Wonjin’s story, I regretted judging him too hastily.
He’s human too; he wouldn’t just act like an animal all the time.
“She was very lonely at night, so we got along well.”
At these additional words from him, who had been reminiscing about the past, I slowly raised my head after a brief moment of self-reflection.
“What did you just say?”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand what I just said. I just meant we got along well. And it’s the past, the past. It’s been a while since we’ve been in contact—ow!”
“You just have to brag, don’t you?”
Seeing Do Wonjin taking my hits, apparently aware of his mistake, my chest felt tight again, but for a different reason.
Watching me deliver solid blows to Do Wonjin’s back, Peter clicked his tongue with a sympathetic expression, while Yang Garam worried that I might hurt my hand. Jeong Seyeon silently encouraged the beating by handing me a baseball bat from somewhere.
“But really, there’s only you now. You know that, right?”
I stopped hitting him, dumbfounded by Do Wonjin’s words that turned this into a love quarrel.
“You’re really something.”
“I’ll be celibate for life, okay? All of this is yours.”
When I stopped hitting him, Do Wonjin smiled gently and pressed his lower body close to mine. None of us misunderstood the meaning of his words.
Peter’s eyes grew interested, while the other Guides’ faces darkened. Seeing Jeong Seyeon quietly gripping the baseball bat, I felt I needed to stop Do Wonjin.
“Watch your mouth. Fine, I get it, now move aside.”
And it wasn’t just the Guides present; Peter was there too. I wanted to avoid overly personal conversations. I nodded roughly and grabbed Do Wonjin’s shoulders to push him away as he clung close to me. But my hands were soon captured by Do Wonjin.
“I’m serious.”
Do Wonjin, apparently dissatisfied with my attempt to brush it off, spoke with the most sincere face. As I tried to free my arm from his grip while saying I understood, Do Wonjin made a rare expression of injustice.
“I don’t get hard for anyone but you.”
The strength drained from my arm, and the hair on my ears stood on end.
For a moment, I blinked rapidly, wondering what I had just heard. But being the closest to him, there was no way I could have misheard.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
