“Who the fuck threw that beast in here?”
Tae-oh’s voice was a low growl as he lifted his gaze toward the executives.
Their expressions darkened, tension crackling in the air. One of them, standing beside a Research Institute director, immediately began speaking through his earpiece to someone on the other end.
If not for one SS-rank Esper with clairvoyance, Hyun Tae-oh would never have known that Chi-yu was in danger.
It was a stroke of luck that before entering the Black Gate, Tae-oh had asked that clairvoyant to keep a close eye on Kang Chi-yu’s surroundings.
SS-ranks shared a peculiar connection that required no direct communication. Even someone like Hyun Tae-oh, who had little interest in people, remembered the abilities of every Esper on his level.
There were only three SS-ranks in the world. Whether they admitted it or not, that rare bond existed among them—a bond that made them respond even to requests from strangers.
Thanks to that, the clairvoyant had kept checking on Tae-oh’s Guide throughout the fight.
And when a rampaging beast was suddenly summoned into the Safe Zone, the Esper had alerted him immediately.
It hadn’t been an accident. Someone had deliberately summoned it there.
There was no way a mutated beast could appear inside a barrier-protected Safe Zone unless an S-rank Esper had forced it in.
The clairvoyant relayed everything—including the fact that the beast appeared right next to Chi-yu, despite the Safe Zone being vast.
If not for that warning, Chi-yu might have been gravely injured.
The executive-level Espers had moved to help, but their reaction had been a second too late.
Thankfully, Tae-oh’s Marking allowed him to appear instantly before Chi-yu without coordinates. He materialized faster than light, shielding him with his body and leaving him completely unharmed.
Tae-oh’s gaze swept across the executives, searching for the S-rank responsible.
The other S-ranks were fighting on the front lines. The only ones loitering near the Safe Zone were these so-called “executives”—useless dead weight posing as commanders.
Leeches who contributed nothing but took up space.
He could uncover their motives later. For now, what mattered was that Kang Chi-yu had been put in danger—and that was something Tae-oh would never forgive.
At that moment, the voice of the Central Bureau Chief came through his earpiece.
—Esper Hyun Tae-oh, return to your assigned line immediately. Abandoning your post is grounds for disciplinary action. Do you understand?
“What did you say?”
Tae-oh turned sharply toward the executives.
One of them, the same man who had been whispering into his earpiece, froze when Tae-oh’s eyes locked on his.
“What the fuck are you bastards playing at?”
Tae-oh’s voice dropped cold and lethal.
—I’ll explain later. Right now, focus on the Gate. Your line’s Espers are dying. How many more do you want to sacrifice?
Snarling, Tae-oh cursed under his breath and cut the transmission. He tapped again, connecting to Beom Do-il.
He rattled off his coordinates and ordered Do-il to teleport immediately. Without knowing the reason, Do-il obeyed and appeared before them in an instant.
“Protect Kang Chi-yu. That’s your only job.”
Tae-oh handed Chi-yu, still in his arms, toward Do-il.
When Do-il instinctively reached out, Tae-oh bared his teeth.
“Don’t touch him.”
“…Goddamn it. Always the same shit.”
Do-il muttered under his breath, frowning. But Tae-oh ignored him, lowering his voice to Chi-yu.
“Stay close to Beom Do-il. I’ll finish this quickly.”
Then he vanished without a trace.
He had summoned Do-il for one reason only—because he couldn’t stay by Chi-yu’s side while leading the charge.
Back at the vanguard, Tae-oh unleashed his powers, tearing through the beasts that had surged forward in his brief absence. His eyes scanned the battlefield, noting the Espers injured in the meantime.
Even in that short gap, too many had fallen.
Grinding his teeth, Tae-oh summoned lightning in one hand and a torrent of water in the other.
He fused them, unleashing devastating waves of destruction across the battlefield. And even then, he didn’t forget to tap his earpiece and thank the clairvoyant Esper.
Because this wasn’t just anything—it was Kang Chi-yu’s life. For that, gratitude would never be enough.
The battle dragged on.
Thousands of Espers fought with everything they had, but the beasts pouring from the Black Gate seemed endless.
Espers fell one after another. Guides collapsed, their strength exhausted.
If the fight continued any longer, they would be wiped out.
The World Peace Committee’s executives convened via video conference, debating the only option left: ending the battle as quickly as possible.
Among them were the Central Bureau Chief and the Association President.
Orders soon reached the SS-ranks: remove the gauntlets that restrained their power.
It was dangerous, but if they didn’t, everyone else would fall first.
It was a gamble—fifty-fifty. But they had Kang Chi-yu, a Guide capable of stabilizing Espers on the verge of Rampage, and dozens of S-rank Guides standing by. The odds were in their favor.
Even so, precautions were taken. All S-rank Espers were ordered to erect powerful Defensive Barriers in case one of the SS-ranks lost control.
The risk of an SS-rank going berserk was terrifying—but not as terrifying as letting the beasts slaughter every last Esper and Guide.
And in the end, it proved the right choice.
The battle that seemed endless was finally brought to a close when the three SS-ranks tore off their gauntlets and unleashed their full power.
The sheer force was overwhelming—power strong enough to erase everything in sight if misused.
Together, tripled, their might annihilated the beasts in an instant.
Even while restraining themselves, their unleashed strength wiped the Black Gate clean, leaving behind nothing but barren ground.
And with Chi-yu and dozens of S-rank Guides on standby, the risk of Rampage had been contained.
Still, it was unprecedented. By law, SS-ranks were forbidden from removing their gauntlets in combat. But this time, against the Black Gate, there had been no other choice.
Fortunately, it was remembered as the right one.
The massive operation, joined by Espers from other nations, finally came to an end.
***
The production team of A Pair is Born announced on their homepage that the show would be off-air for a month. Instead, they would broadcast a special episode covering the Black Gate incident.
They planned to use raw footage from the micro-cameras attached to cast members’ lapels, edited with interviews.
This gave the participants about a week of rest.
The cast left their dorms and returned to their homes.
Tae-oh had told Chi-yu to stay with him during the break, but Chi-yu refused.
Even if it was called “rest,” Espers and Guides still had duties. Guiding support continued.
Hyun Tae-oh, who had fought without his gauntlets, was required to take at least a week of complete rest without using his powers. But the others had to return to their routines.
For Chi-yu, his own home near the Central Bureau was more convenient. And since he and Tae-oh weren’t officially in a relationship yet, living at Tae-oh’s place felt wrong.
But soon, Chi-yu would regret that decision. Because from the second day back, strange, ominous things began happening.
Especially things involving fire.
The gas flames roared too high while cooking, nearly burning his hand. A lighter appeared in his pocket—though he didn’t smoke or own one. When he absentmindedly flicked it open, his bangs nearly caught fire.
A cigarette butt flew in from nowhere, igniting the living room into a near inferno.
One disturbing incident after another.
Chi-yu told no one but Lee Jun-hyung. He didn’t want Tae-oh to worry.
“Something’s not right,” Chi-yu admitted.
Jun-hyung agreed.
“Yeah. It feels wrong.”
“Right? …Be careful. Honestly, it’s unsettling. Why don’t you just stay at my place for now?”
“It’s fine. I’ll just be cautious.”
Though uneasy, Chi-yu brushed it off as nothing serious and declined.
But soon after—
After shaking off Tae-oh, who had clung to him after work, Chi-yu returned home. And froze.
Across the living room floor, blazing letters burned in fire.
The words mocked him: How dare a mere B-rank Guide come between Min Yu-hyun and Hyun Tae-oh?
As soon as his eyes traced the last word, the flames erupted, consuming the living room.
Shocked, Chi-yu bolted for the dressing room to find his teleportation accessory.
Tae-oh had given it to him, insisting he always wear it. But Chi-yu had found it cumbersome and tucked it away. As he ran, regret clawed through him.
The fire chased after him like it had eyes.
He burst into the dressing room, reaching for the necklace—when flames coiled around his wrist.
“Ah!”
He cried out, jerking back as the heat seared his skin.
The flames writhed, ready to strike again.
Terrified, Chi-yu spun and ran.
Dodging through the inferno of the living room, he stumbled into the bedroom and slammed into a bookshelf.
Flames leapt instantly onto the wood, and as the shelf toppled forward, Chi-yu raised his arms over his head, bracing for death.
At that moment, one thought rose instinctively.
Hyun Tae-oh.
The name tore from his throat.
And then, impossibly—Tae-oh appeared before his eyes.
With a surge of water, Tae-oh blocked the collapsing, burning shelf and pulled Chi-yu into his arms.
Chi-yu let out a shuddering sigh of relief against his chest. Tae-oh’s sharp eyes swept over the flames, immediately recognizing that this was no ordinary fire.
At his presence, the flames quivered as if trying to retreat. Tae-oh struck instantly, freezing them solid.
Channeling water through the ice, he hunted for their source. One cluster twisted into a human shape.
Tae-oh formed an ice spear and hurled it straight through the figure.
It screamed in agony before vanishing in teleportation.
In that split second, Tae-oh marked it with his light ability. With Chi-yu trembling in his arms, he couldn’t chase now. But with the trace, he could find it later.
For the moment, his only priority was comforting the terrified Guide shivering against him.
