Thanks to Yoon Do-jae’s unexpected discovery, tracking down the seven Espers who had sent messages to Kang Chi-yu’s phone wasn’t difficult.
Two had already been taken care of. That left five.
Tae-oh summoned Jeong Seong-gon, the Fire-attribute Esper who had once set fire to Chi-yu’s house, and ordered him to gather the remaining five.
The Anti Club that Sung Ji-yeol ran had hundreds of Espers and Guides as members—and shockingly, it operated under a real-name system.
That made it easy for Jeong Seong-gon, a fellow member, to pull the others together.
Among its ranks were Espers and Guides who had once appeared on TV, along with a good number from the Central Bureau’s First and Second Divisions.
While Yoon Do-jae went to meet the club’s operator, Sung Ji-yeol, Tae-oh headed for the place where the five Antis had gathered. His intent was simple: judgment.
The five Espers froze when they saw Hyun Tae-oh, but—just like the first two—made the mistake of thinking sheer numbers would be enough.
Three S-ranks, one A-rank, and one B-rank. Surely that would be enough to take down one man.
Even facing an SS-rank, they showed confidence, launching a simultaneous assault. But Tae-oh crushed them using nothing more than his secondary Wind attribute.
Five attacks came at once. He dismantled them with a single counterstrike.
The five were sent flying, crashing to the ground in heaps, coughing up blood. Some collapsed, some groaned where they lay. Tae-oh casually conjured a prison of wind around them.
The S-ranks, still clinging to their pride, tried to break free with their powers, but the barrier simply absorbed every strike. Escape was impossible.
One Fire-attribute S-rank even attempted to use the wind to boost his flames, but Tae-oh—who could wield every attribute—never gave him the chance.
Each time fire flared inside the prison, the Water attribute Tae-oh had already embedded surged forth, whipped by the wind into massive waves that drowned the flames.
Tae-oh’s power didn’t lie simply in being SS-rank.
It lay in his ability to use any attribute, perfectly suited to the situation.
When the five finally surrendered, despair written on their faces, Tae-oh set a chair down in front of them and sat, calm and unhurried.
He pulled out his phone.
One by one, he read aloud the messages they had sent to Kang Chi-yu. With each sender identified, he used his powers to choke them, slam them against the floor, or smash their heads.
He called it “a low-level countermeasure for lowlifes,” and reminded them, almost mockingly, “If you’ve got a problem with it, go file a complaint with the PN.”
***
Sung Ji-yeol blinked rapidly.
It was strange enough that an Esper from the Central Bureau’s First Division would appear in the Association’s lobby. Stranger still was that one with whom he had no connection whatsoever had come seeking him.
And not just anyone—but FM Yoon Do-jae, the man he’d only recently seen for the first time on TV when PairBorn aired.
Flushed with anticipation, Ji-yeol followed Do-jae when he suggested they talk at the café beside the Association building.
While Do-jae went to order coffee, Ji-yeol stared at his back, wondering how he had found him and what he intended to say.
In person, he was far more striking than on TV.
True to his nickname, “the Central Bureau’s FM,” he was solid, masculine, and carried an undeniable weight. With an Esper like that, Ji-yeol thought, he could Pair without a second thought.
It wasn’t quite love at first sight, but there was definite attraction.
So when Do-jae opened his mouth and asked his first blunt question, the faint smile on Ji-yeol’s lips vanished instantly.
“I came here knowing that you, Guide Sung Ji-yeol, are the operator of the Anti Club.”
His face stiffened.
His position as operator was supposed to be the club’s most protected secret, one every member was bound to safeguard. If that ever leaked—especially in a club run under real names—it would all collapse in an instant.
For three years the rule had held. Until one careless idiot destroyed it in a single moment.
Who had it been?
He swore he’d find out and crush them.
“Who told you that?”
“Espers Jeong Seong-gon, Nam Dong-kwon, and Cha Kyung-su.”
Not one name, but three.
And all of them Central Bureau S-ranks.
Rabid fans of Min Yu-hyun.
No matter how many followers Ji-yeol commanded, no matter how high his standing within the club, he couldn’t recklessly go against Min Yu-hyun’s zealots.
The color drained from his face.
“The Anti Club’s existence itself is a matter of personal freedom, so I won’t press on that. But—”
“……”
“Using club members to commit illegal acts—that’s something I can’t overlook.”
“Wait, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Ji-yeol swallowed dryly, cutting him off.
Do-jae’s gaze fixed on him.
“Illegal acts? Our club is simply a place where people who, after watching the program, have clear reasons for their dislike gather and act on it. Purely—”
“Showing up at someone’s house and threatening them with abilities, sending threatening texts—that’s what you call pure?”
Do-jae’s voice cut like a blade, leaving Ji-yeol briefly speechless.
But only briefly. He quickly strung together excuses, trying to shield himself.
“Sorry, but that’s outside my jurisdiction. I’m just the operator. You understand, right? Being the operator doesn’t mean I can police every single member’s illegal activities.”
“We’ve already traced the virtual number route back to you, Guide Sung Ji-yeol.”
“…!”
“We also know you have an Esper acquaintance who manipulates electromagnetic waves. With their help, you split your own number into seven virtual lines and handed them out.”
“……”
“And in case you’re thinking of denying it again—Hyun Tae-oh can manipulate electromagnetic waves too. And he’s very good at it.”
The look on Do-jae’s face was calm but deadly serious: your lies won’t last, so stop wasting your breath.
“…Ha.”
Ji-yeol exhaled a long sigh.
The mask of kindness he had worn so carefully fell away at once, revealing his true face.
The atmosphere shifted instantly, and Do-jae studied him closely.
At his core, Ji-yeol’s features were cold.
Not as dazzling as Min Yu-hyun, but still striking—beauty laced with an edge of frost.
That false, softened smile from earlier had been nothing but an attempt to mask it.
“So what now? What do you want?”
Arms folded, Ji-yeol asked curtly.
“You’re going to stop the illegal activity. If you don’t, we’ll be forced to shut the club down entirely.”
“Ha. Go ahead. Shut it down if you like. You think getting rid of one club will make Antis disappear?”
“I’m not condemning Antis themselves. I’m condemning the malicious, unlawful harassment.”
“What, disliking someone is wrong now? Is that supposed to be good?”
“You’re missing the point.”
“Point or not—people hate who they hate. We show it. We say it. We tell them to fuck off when we don’t want to see them.”
“……”
“I don’t think I—or we—are doing anything wrong. Kang Chi-yu? Take that B-rank Guide. He’s nothing special, yet he lands a TV appearance just because he’s the childhood friend of an SS-rank—”
“Watch your words.”
Do-jae’s voice dropped suddenly, cold enough to send a chill down Ji-yeol’s spine.
Startled, he fell silent and stared at him.
Do-jae’s expression was every bit as frigid as his tone.
“…Well, sure, I heard he played a role during the Black Gate incident. But a B-rank is still a B-rank, isn’t it? Isn’t it laughable that the Central Bureau’s First Division would even have a B-rank Guide? You’re First Division yourself—you know I’m right.”
“Why would that be laughable? Guide Kang Chi-yu earned his place through his own ability.”
“Don’t make excuses.”
Ji-yeol himself had failed to enter First Division despite being S-rank, and, unwilling to settle for the Second, had joined the Association instead of the Bureau.
The Central Bureau and the Association were worlds apart.
The Bureau was state-run, while the Association was private.
The pay, the benefits, the prestige—everything differed.
So when a mere B-rank Guide not only entered the Bureau but was placed in the First Division, resentment was inevitable.
And on top of that, just because he was Hyun Tae-oh’s childhood friend, Chi-yu was invited onto PairBorn—a chance Association members rarely even glimpsed. Not only that, he even landed the coveted first broadcast slot of the new season.
Of course others would seethe.
And now, seeing a First Division Esper defending this “pitiful B-rank Guide,” only made it all the more infuriating.
Ji-yeol bit the inside of his cheek, baffled at why everyone was so desperate to shield Kang Chi-yu.
“Does that sound like excuses to you?”
“Yes. A hundred percent. You called it ability? Please. It’s not ability. It’s favoritism. The Bureau stuffed him into the First Division because he’s childhood friends with an SS-rank.”
“That’s not true.”
“Why are you so sure? I know the facts.”
“I don’t know what you think you know. But Guide Kang Chi-yu earned his place because he can do both: stabilize wavelengths and recover Espers from Rampage.”
“With that useless ability?”
“…It’s not useless.”
“That’s just because you’re not a Guide. Honestly, Rampage recovery barely ever comes into play.”
“……”
“The main ability every Guide uses is Wavelength Stabilization. That’s the key to preventing Rampage, and the higher your skill, the higher your grade. Just because he has one extra ability—something you might use once every year or two—he gets First Division?”
“……”
“Anyone can see it. He’s there because of his SS-rank buddy’s pull.”
“You’re mistaken. The Bureau doesn’t operate like that.”
“Sure. Of course you’d defend them—you’re with the Bureau. Fine, I’ll let that go. But know this: there are plenty of reasons other Guides can’t stand that B-rank.”
“Disliking someone is personal freedom. I’m not here to argue that. I’m here because of the illegal threats and harassment against Guide Kang Chi-yu—”
“That wasn’t me.”
Ji-yeol cut him off, irritation dripping from his voice.
