Tae-oh already knew that Chi-yu had gone to the Central Bureau and filed a report with PN. Part of it came from the brief update he’d received from Beom Do-il, but the main reason was the couple ring. Though he hadn’t said anything, Tae-oh had infused his light-attribute energy into the ring, allowing him to track Chi-yu’s real-time location through its resonance. He knew it was wrong to illegally track his lover’s movements, but he excused himself—given the circumstances, it felt unavoidable.
Since Chi-yu hadn’t mentioned the phone incident and had even gone all the way to PN, Tae-oh thought it best to handle the problem quietly without letting on that he already knew. So instead of pursuing the request he had originally planned, he reached out to the Esper Department Head to figure out how to link his own phone to Chi-yu’s private comms line so that every message Chi-yu received would automatically appear on his device too.
The Esper Department Head had a secondary ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves. He had once admired Tae-oh’s light ability, remarking that Espers with light attributes were uniquely suited to mastering electromagnetic manipulation. If Tae-oh could get a proper handle on it, duplicating Chi-yu’s messages would be nothing difficult.
Of course, it was completely illegal. Something he could never be caught doing. Something he’d have to take to the grave. He couldn’t afford to become the kind of boyfriend who stacked one crime after another against the person he loved.
So Tae-oh contacted the Department Head, casually claiming he’d taken an interest in electromagnetic manipulation and wondered if he could ask a few questions about it.
While Tae-oh was on the phone, Chi-yu finished filing his report at PN and headed toward Min Yu-hyun’s quarters. Only a handful of Espers and Guides in First Division had private rooms. Most shared six-person dorms or rested in common lounges. Since Min Yu-hyun was a Guide who enjoyed special privileges at the Bureau, it wasn’t strange that he had his own room. Still, seeing how spacious and livable it was, Chi-yu couldn’t help but think again about the Bureau’s extraordinary treatment.
“Please, sit.”
While Chi-yu was still looking around in quiet amazement, Yu-hyun came over with drinks and coaxed him onto the sofa. He didn’t even give him time to take a sip before cutting straight to the point. The matter was too urgent for small talk.
“Has the institute contacted you?”
“The institute?”
When Chi-yu echoed the word, Yu-hyun nodded.
“The Central Bureau and RISG are conducting some kind of experiment.”
Yu-hyun explained that when the Black Gate had appeared, he had noticed odd behavior among the higher-ups and had grown suspicious enough to investigate on his own. With his extensive connections and many followers, he quickly learned why a rampaging beast had been summoned into the supposedly safe Guide Zone. The nation, the Bureau, the Association, the Institute, the broadcasters, and even major financiers had all banded together to carry out an unknown experiment—and the rampaging beast had been part of it.
Worse, Kang Chi-yu’s recovery ability was needed for the experiment. To meet their precise conditions, the higher-ups hadn’t hesitated to sacrifice other Guides.
For years, the nation, the Bureau, and the Association’s leaders had treated Espers and Guides as nothing—worth less than flies. They praised ability users as superior beings, but in truth, they never respected them. Even the executives of the Bureau and Association, themselves ability users, treated Espers and Guides as disposable pawns.
Knowing all too well what those people were like, Yu-hyun realized that Kang Chi-yu could easily become their next sacrifice. He wanted to warn him before that happened.
He didn’t particularly like Chi-yu, but he wasn’t willing to see another Guide suffer because of the selfishness of the people in charge. Whatever this experiment was, it couldn’t possibly be good for Chi-yu. Or for Guides in general.
***
Here was the gist of what Yu-hyun had uncovered:
The exact experiment remained unclear, but RISG was using mutant beasts as test subjects, and Kang Chi-yu’s Rampage stabilization ability was either necessary or would prove highly useful. The experiment itself was backed by the nation, the Bureau, the Association, RISG, major broadcasters, and the press. With so many powerful figures invested in its success, they would stop at nothing. And since they needed Chi-yu’s power, they would make sure he was involved—one way or another.
Chi-yu listened in silence, then replied in the calmest voice he could manage. His heart was pounding, but he didn’t let it show. This wasn’t the time to panic.
By law, Espers and Guides could not freely refuse participation in experiments. Still, the legislation also explicitly prohibited any experiment that caused them harm. So no matter how many rumors spread—stories of deaths, or terrifying, painful experiments—there was no reason to let fear take over.
“For now… could you not tell Tae-oh about this?”
Yu-hyun’s eyes widened.
“You’d be better off telling him. The moment you set foot in the institute, there’s no telling what could happen. Do you really think RISG’s experiments are all safe? I’m certain plenty of ability users have died in secret…”
“Yes, I’ve heard about RISG’s experiments since my Academy days. I never thought of them positively. And I know for a fact that at least one Esper died during an experiment, even if the rest is just rumor.”
“Then why—”
“You know Tae-oh’s personality as well as I do.”
Of course Yu-hyun knew. Among all Guides in the Bureau, he had worked most closely with Hyun Tae-oh. From the beginning, Tae-oh had been obsessive about anything he considered his own. That possessiveness applied to Kang Chi-yu, his only friend, too. And now, for some reason, he had even started to pursue him romantically. If Tae-oh learned of this, he would blow up either the Bureau or the institute without hesitation.
Still, the matter felt far too grave to keep from him. If only they knew what the experiment actually was, the anxiety would ease. But no real information had leaked.
“Tae-oh will raise hell before the institute even makes a move.”
“That may be true,” Yu-hyun said grimly, “but once they drag you in, it’ll already be too late.”
“…Thank you for worrying about me.”
When Chi-yu smiled gently and thanked him, Yu-hyun suddenly realized that he truly was concerned for him. A few days of filming together had been enough to form some attachment.
Yu-hyun cleared his throat and continued.
“Anyway, if you don’t want him to know, I won’t say anything. But the institute will definitely make contact. The only blessing is that for the three weeks of filming, they can’t take you in.”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Then I’ll dig further on my own, without involving Hyun Tae-oh. I’ll find out whether the experiment is dangerous, and why exactly they need you.”
There could only be one reason, but he still wanted a clear answer. There weren’t many, but there were some B- and C-rank Guides with recovery abilities. They couldn’t stabilize waves, only Rampages, so they mostly worked in central facilities. If the institute was bypassing them and specifically targeting Kang Chi-yu, it meant they needed someone who could use both recovery and wave-stabilizing Guiding together.
That also tied back to the mutant beast that had nearly Rampaged in the Guide Zone. Even Yu-hyun had only discovered that Guiding could affect mutant beasts on that day.
And he had never before seen a beast calm so instantly under recovery Guiding.
The fact that Guiding worked on mutant beasts was not necessarily good news. He didn’t know what kind of experiment was being run or for what purpose, but one thing was certain: this chain of events could end up threatening all Guides. Better to know and prepare.
***
“Oh?! Tae-oh!”
After finishing his conversation with Yu-hyun, Chi-yu went downstairs to meet Beom Do-il. On the staircase, he spotted Tae-oh standing squarely in the middle of the lobby, looking at his phone. His voice burst out in delighted surprise. Ignoring the escalator, he hurried down the steps.
Tae-oh lifted his gaze. The moment he saw Chi-yu running toward him, his eyes curved with quiet joy.
“Why are you running? You’ll trip.”
How could something so simple feel so unbearably precious? Chi-yu, running straight for him, looking only at him—like a little puppy bounding forward. His heart swelled. For something so small to make his chest pound like this…
Tae-oh inhaled deeply without hiding it. He’d been fighting a headache from the concentration electromagnetic manipulation required—a skill ill-suited to his impatient nature—but the sight of Chi-yu made the pain vanish instantly. It wasn’t even going to be a main ability; all he needed was to crack Chi-yu’s phone frequency. But seeing Chi-yu running toward him made all that effort feel like nothing at all.
Chi-yu reached him, looking up with a questioning smile. Why was he here? Tae-oh looked down at him, half his focus still tuned to tracing Chi-yu’s phone waves, while the rest of him simply drank in Chi-yu’s face.
“Beom Do-il said you were here. Why did Min Yu-hyun call you?”
Chi-yu forced an awkward smile and shook his head.
“Oh, nothing much. Just some Guiding support…”
It was a lie. And of course, Tae-oh caught it instantly. But he knew Chi-yu wouldn’t confess even if pressed. He could always find out through Yu-hyun later. There was no need to ruin the moment now.
Besides, he had no desire to mention another man’s name and sour the mood.
He draped an arm casually over Chi-yu’s shoulder and steered them toward the entrance.
“Let’s eat. What do you want?”
“Hmm.”
“Not hungry?”
“A little?”
“Then can we have something else first?”
Chi-yu froze, his expression tightening. Tae-oh hadn’t said it outright, but he knew exactly what he meant. Even after what had happened last night, Tae-oh hadn’t had enough.
How had someone this insatiable managed to restrain himself until now?
“…Not now.”
“Then dinner first?”
And that was when Chi-yu realized—not at all wasn’t even an option in Tae-oh’s mind.
