The Central Bureau executives, led by the Bureau Chief, unanimously appointed Yoon Do-jae as Head of the Esper Department and Min Yu-hyun as Head of the Guide Department.
Hyun Tae-oh was promoted to Deputy Bureau Chief. The role put him in charge of all mutant beast habitats, which ironically sent him out into the field even more often than when he had been with the 1st Division. It was an executive title in name, but in practice it kept him constantly on the move.
Kang Chi-yu accompanied him everywhere as his exclusive Pair, holding no formal rank of his own. An honorary deputy title had been suggested, but Chi-yu flatly refused, saying it felt uncomfortable and unnecessary.
On Tae-oh’s recommendation, Lee Jun-hyung and Beom Do-il were assigned to manage the Central Bureau’s Ridune Sales Center—a post of great importance since the center oversaw the Bureau’s finances.
Previously, only the most trusted executives had handled it. But during the mutant beast creation incident, when all Bureau funds had been funneled into the research lab, the Sales Center’s manager had been disciplined. Since then, Bureau staff had been temporarily covering the vacancy. Now, Jun-hyung and Do-il were chosen to fill it officially.
Jun-hyung’s intelligence, diligence, and meticulous nature made him perfect for the role, while Do-il’s straightforward honesty made him just as reliable.
Though at first the two nearly swore to kill Tae-oh for saddling them with such heavy responsibility, they relented when he promised to collect five Ridune a week on their behalf. Even if a hole appeared in the finances, Tae-oh’s contributions would cover it. Not that they ever intended to be careless with such an entrusted task—but having insurance against the unexpected was never unwelcome.
Fresh recruits entered the Central Bureau, while existing staff went through major transfers or dismissals.
Even though the Gates had disappeared, Espers and Guides were still obligated to train and develop their abilities. No one knew when a Gate might reopen, and Espers were still needed to maintain the Defensive Barriers surrounding beast habitats. Naturally, Guides had to be trained alongside them to manage Rampages.
Thus, even in the absence of Gates, the Esper Academy continued to recruit students and graduate new classes.
But now, unlike before, Ability Users had the freedom to choose their own paths. Because of this, enrollment at the Academy and applications to the Bureau had gradually declined.
***
Kang Chi-yu was helping Min Yu-hyun take care of the new Guide recruits in the 1st Division. Among them was one A-rank Guide who had entered the Division—and he happened to be an obsessive fan of Chi-yu.
He claimed to have watched Chi-yu’s Black Gate footage hundreds of times, and said he had fallen for him the moment he saw him rushing in fearlessly to restore rampaging Espers. He even admitted that he studied like a madman just to pass into the 1st Division for the sole chance of meeting him.
The recruit, Sung Moon-young, clearly liked Chi-yu far too much.
Gifts poured in daily. He even knew about Catdog and Hayang, always bringing presents for them as well.
Hyun Tae-oh found him insufferable. The only reason he tolerated it was because Moon-young was a fellow Guide like Chi-yu. If he had been an Esper instead, Tae-oh wouldn’t have let him anywhere near Chi-yu.
“Guide Kang Chi-yu! Good day, sir!”
As always, the moment he walked into the Division Head’s office, Moon-young greeted Chi-yu with booming cheer.
“Yes, hello.”
“I’ve told you—you don’t need to be so formal, Guide Kang Chi-yu.”
“Am I invisible here?”
Min Yu-hyun, who had been going through documents, shot Moon-young a sharp glare. Unbothered, Moon-young turned and greeted him with a grin.
“Hello, Director Min Yu-hyun! You’re shining brilliantly as always!”
Moon-young seemed like the kind of man who would thrive in any social situation.
“Deputy Kang, I went by E-Zone yesterday and bought a toy for Catdog. Could I drop it off after work?”
“You really don’t have to keep buying me things.”
“I just thought Catdog would love it when I saw it. So, after work—will you spare me a little time?”
“You could just hand it over now. Why wait until after hours?” Yu-hyun cut in.
Moon-young grinned wider. “Because if I see Guide Kang Chi-yu one more time before going home, I’ll stay happy even after I get there! Well then, I’ll be back later!”
He bowed deeply, turned, and just then bumped straight into Lee Jun-hyung walking in.
“Good day, sir!”
Already aware of Jun-hyung’s close friendship with Chi-yu, Moon-young greeted him respectfully as well before heading out.
Watching him leave, Jun-hyung muttered, “Why does that guy always start his day here in the Director’s office?”
“Because Kang Chi-yu’s here, obviously. What brings you this early?” Yu-hyun asked.
“The Association just put in a request for Ridune purchases. The volume’s bigger than expected. I need you to review it.”
“Let me see.”
Yu-hyun held out his hand.
Chi-yu and Yu-hyun reviewed the forms Jun-hyung handed over. Meanwhile, Jun-hyung grumbled about Moon-young.
“That guy feels shady. Why does he keep clinging to Chi-yu? He knows Chi-yu’s with Hyun Tae-oh. Don’t tell me…”
Jun-hyung narrowed his eyes.
“…he’s actually targeting Tae-oh?”
Both Yu-hyun and Chi-yu looked at him in unison.
“I mean, think about it. He claims to be a fan, but he goes way overboard—gifts for Chi-yu, gifts for Catdog and Hayangi too. Isn’t that all just for Tae-oh to notice?”
Normally, Espers showed affection to Guides, and Guides to Espers. It was rare for a Guide to fawn over another Guide—unless it was out of genuine fan admiration.
And since Chi-yu was already famously paired with Tae-oh, it wasn’t unreasonable to suspect that such blatant attention was really aimed at him.
But only a few days later, Jun-hyung would realize just how wrong he’d been.
***
Word came that the Defensive Barrier of a mutant beast habitat had been deliberately sabotaged.
As the one responsible for all habitat barriers, Tae-oh immediately rushed to the site. Chi-yu, for the first time in a while, found himself alone at home.
He considered calling Jun-hyung or Yu-hyun over while he waited for Tae-oh. Just then, the doorbell rang.
To his surprise, it was Sung Moon-young.
Remembering Jun-hyung’s suspicion that Moon-young was after Tae-oh, Chi-yu struggled to keep his face composed when the man appeared at his door.
But he couldn’t exactly slam the door on someone who had come all the way to his doorstep—especially with Tae-oh gone. So he let him in.
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, sorry for not calling first. I heard P-Zone went Code Red?”
Moon-young stood there smiling brightly, his arms full of bags.
Knowing he had come only after Tae-oh had already deployed, Chi-yu felt somewhat relieved. At least this proved he wasn’t targeting Tae-oh. Maybe that’s why he let him inside.
Moon-young set the bags down on the living room table and spoke brightly.
“I brought Churu for Catdog, fresh greens for Hayangi, and a strawberry smoothie for you, Guide Kang Chi-yu. You like those, right?”
“Ah, thank you. But you really don’t need to keep buying things. You even brought coffee, tea, and other drinks.”
“Mind if I have some coffee? I’ll be working late tonight.”
“Sure.”
“You should drink what I brought. That smoothie’s from a famous shop—you have to wait in line for it. Oh, and I got cake too. I heard you’ve been enjoying milk cake lately?”
“…Thanks.”
Chi-yu turned on the coffee machine.
“But how do you even know things like that? Did Yu-hyun hyung tell you?”
The milk cake thing was something only Yu-hyun would know. He’d brought one last week, and Chi-yu liked it so much he’d bought more afterward. No one else should have known.
Curious, Chi-yu asked outright.
“When it comes to Guide Kang Chi-yu, I know everything.”
The vague answer did nothing to satisfy him.
Still, Chi-yu had the strawberry smoothie and milk cake while Moon-young peppered him with endless questions, even hand-feeding the greens and Churu to Hayangi and Catdog himself.
The cake was delicious, the smoothie refreshing. And with Tae-oh gone, Moon-young’s presence eased the loneliness and distracted him from worry.
They were laughing and chatting when suddenly Catdog and Hayangi both flopped over, fast asleep.
Startled, Chi-yu called out to them. But Moon-young only smiled, saying not to worry—they were just sleeping.
Suspicion flickered in Chi-yu’s eyes. A moment later, dizziness struck, his vision flickering. That was the last thing he remembered before collapsing.
Moon-young hummed a cheerful tune as he slipped a cushion under Chi-yu’s head.
All the food—fed to Catdog, Hayangi, and Chi-yu—had been laced with an energy amplifier.
Usually used by low-ranked Guides on mutant beasts, just a few drops on a beast’s body could induce sleep or Immobilization. But it could also affect humans, albeit unpredictably. For that reason, using it on people was illegal.
Moon-young had planned this from the start.
And his reason was simple:
He wanted to dress Kang Chi-yu, Catdog, and Hayangi in the outfits he had designed.
Since childhood, Moon-young had been nearly an otaku. After becoming a hardcore fan of Kang Chi-yu, he had fantasized about dressing him in his favorite styles and taking photos.
While sewing outfits for Catdog, Hayangi, and Chi-yu, he had struggled with one obstacle: how to get past Hyun Tae-oh.
The solution came quickly. Separating Tae-oh from Chi-yu was ridiculously easy. A little bribe to a few Espers, and the beast habitat’s barrier would be “accidentally” damaged.
The plan worked perfectly. Knocking out Chi-yu, Catdog, and Hayangi had gone just as smoothly.
Now all that remained was to dress them, pose them, and take pictures. Photos that would be his private treasure, never shown to anyone else.
Excitement pounded in his chest. So much so that he ignored the vibration of Chi-yu’s phone. He began by dressing Catdog and Hayang in the outfits he’d brought.
Meanwhile, the phone rang again.
Still, Moon-young ignored it, focused only on his task. Once the pets were dressed, he moved on to Chi-yu.
To dress him, he first had to strip off his clothes. He lifted Chi-yu’s T-shirt, pale skin flashing beneath.
He thought—can a man’s skin really be this white? And why did it look so erotic? It was just a shirt being lifted, and yet the sight of Chi-yu asleep like this was indecently alluring.
Blood rushed south.
His original plan had been pure—dress Chi-yu in costume, take photos, and keep them. But seeing him half-undressed stirred greed.
Thinking that just touching his chest a little would be harmless, Moon-young reached out, fingertips trembling.
At that moment, Hyun Tae-oh’s third call went unanswered.
Through their Marking, Tae-oh instantly teleported to Chi-yu’s side—only to see it with his own eyes: Sung Moon-young lifting Chi-yu’s shirt, hand hovering over his chest.
