Of course, that was only how it looked—no one could say for certain whether Catdog was truly being careful for Kang Chi-yu’s sake.
And when the Rampage Recovery finally came to an end, Catdog had once again shrunk into the small, snow-white kitten Sung Ji-yeol had first seen. Its harmless appearance was a world apart from the feral monstrosity it had just been.
Sung Ji-yeol’s mind grew tangled with unease. He had never seen a mutant beast like this before. Not once.
***
While Chi-yu followed after Catdog with Sung Ji-yeol, Yoon Do-jae, Beom Do-il, and Lee Jun-hyung were frantically searching for the missing pair.
Yoon Do-jae tried connecting to Hyun Tae-oh through his earpiece, but no matter how many times he tried, the call refused to go through.
Wondering if the device was malfunctioning, he tried Beom Do-il instead—and the line opened instantly, as if to mock him.
“Try reaching Tae-oh. I’ve been calling nonstop, but it feels like there’s interference. I can’t get through.”
—Got it. What about Chi-yu?
“Still looking. You?”
—Same. If you find him, let me know immediately. Jun-hyung’s worried.
“Understood.”
Yoon Do-jae soared into the air, sweeping through the crowd, scanning for Chi-yu while continuing to place calls to Tae-oh.
At last, the line connected.
“What the hell were you doing that it took this long to answer?!”
—Interfer… no signal… Chi-yu…
The connection was unstable, Tae-oh’s voice cutting in and out like static.
Yoon Do-jae quickly managed to say that Chi-yu had vanished and they were searching for him. Before he could add more, the line went dead.
Still, just knowing Tae-oh could teleport to Chi-yu through Marking made him breathe easier.
He even considered marking Chi-yu himself just in case—but the mental image of Tae-oh foaming with rage at the thought had him shaking his head with a wry grimace.
He relayed to Beom Do-il that he had reached Tae-oh and assured him there was no need to worry, since Tae-oh was already with Chi-yu.
In a blink, Tae-oh appeared before Chi-yu, transported through Marking—only to see him holding Catdog’s limp body in his arms. From that, Tae-oh quickly pieced the situation together.
“Tae-oh!”
The moisture in Chi-yu’s eyes told the story: Catdog must have gone berserk again, reverting to its monstrous form.
But thanks to Chi-yu’s Rampage Recovery, it had returned once more to its harmless kitten form.
As Tae-oh looked at it, a sudden thought struck him—he might finally understand the purpose behind Catdog’s very existence.
Just then, he felt the faint presence of another Esper. But the trace vanished in an instant.
His senses sharpened, he scoured the surroundings for any lingering ability—but found nothing.
The Central Bureau executive who had set up the experiment had teleported away the moment Tae-oh appeared.
They hadn’t expected him. They’d been preparing the next stage of testing when he suddenly arrived, forcing their body to flee by reflex alone.
It couldn’t be helped. Getting caught again by Tae-oh was unthinkable, and with his sudden arrival, the experiment was already ruined.
The executive immediately reported to the Bureau Chief.
The Chief shot up from his chair the moment he heard.
“What?!”
—He didn’t see me. I teleported away the moment he arrived.
“How could someone stationed in Zone B teleport that far? How did he even know the coordinates?!”
—There was another S-rank Guide from the Association near Guide Kang Chi-yu. I think he contacted Hyun Tae-oh.
The executive had no idea Tae-oh had Marked Chi-yu and assumed Sung Ji-yeol had given him the information.
After all, hardly anyone used Marking these days. And since Tae-oh’s teleportation had no real range limit, it never even occurred to them he’d resort to it.
More than that, they couldn’t even imagine Tae-oh cherishing Kang Chi-yu enough to Mark him.
—This attempt failed, but at least we confirmed Rampage Recovery works on the specimen. Next time, we can move straight to extraction.
“Understood. Good work. I’ll notify the lab director myself.”
The Chief hung up with a long sigh.
Just then, his phone lit up with a message that had arrived before the call.
He checked it.
[Zone B clear.]
A short report from Hyun Tae-oh.
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue, the Chief tossed the phone back onto the desk with irritation.
***
“Did you… Mark him?”
Sung Ji-yeol’s voice broke the silence, cautious and probing.
Only then did Tae-oh seem to notice him—until now, his focus had been locked on Chi-yu, Catdog, and the lingering trace of that mysterious Esper.
Fuck.
The curse burned at the back of his throat, but thankfully didn’t slip out.
He cast Ji-yeol a fleeting glance, then looked back at Chi-yu.
“What’s he doing here?”
He still spoke of people like they were objects, cold and dismissive as ever.
“Ah… Catdog went missing, so he helped me look….”
“Catdog went missing?”
“Yeah. When the Emergency Assembly started and the fighting broke out, things got chaotic. Suddenly it was gone, so I searched everywhere. Then it just teleported right in front of me, and I thought it was a relief—but then this weird noise started, and it just bolted. No matter how much I called, it wouldn’t listen. I chased it here.”
As Chi-yu explained, his voice broke here and there. The panic and helplessness from earlier rushed back, and with Tae-oh standing before him, relief mingled with guilt until his nose prickled.
Seeing it, Tae-oh gently stroked the back of his neck, a quiet gesture of comfort.
“Whatever that sound was—it triggered Catdog’s Rampage.”
“I’ll find out what it was.”
“Mm.”
“…You.”
Only after soothing Chi-yu did Tae-oh turn to Sung Ji-yeol.
“You’ll keep your mouth shut about everything you just saw.”
His eyes were ice.
But Ji-yeol felt only a strange thrill—an SS-rank Esper was looking straight at him, speaking directly to him.
He smiled faintly.
“Even about you Marking Guide Kang Chi-yu?”
At that, Tae-oh’s expression faltered—subtle, but undeniable.
It was the same reaction Ji-yeol had seen earlier, when he’d first mentioned Marking.
He didn’t miss it. More than Catdog, more than anything else, Hyun Tae-oh wanted that Marking kept secret.
“I’d like a private word with you, Esper Hyun Tae-oh.”
Ji-yeol wasn’t about to waste this chance.
Getting closer to Kang Chi-yu was fine, but his real goal had always been Tae-oh. If this led to a connection with him, all the better.
He noticed Chi-yu’s expression harden, but ignored it.
He had the leverage now—and leverage was meant to be used.
“I won’t report anything to the higher-ups… as long as you answer my questions.”
“Say it here.”
Chi-yu interjected before Tae-oh could respond.
Ji-yeol shook his head.
“No. Some parts of this need privacy with Esper Hyun Tae-oh.”
“If it’s something to say to him, then I have every reason to hear it too. Say it in front of me.”
“I don’t think you should be so stubborn. If what I suspect reached the higher-ups’ ears, it could cause—”
“Chi-yu.”
Tae-oh cut him off, his voice steady.
“I’ll take you back to the dorm. Catdog looks exhausted too.”
“What?”
Chi-yu’s brows knit instantly. It felt like Tae-oh was about to send him away just to talk privately with Ji-yeol.
But Tae-oh wasn’t giving Ji-yeol’s veiled threats even the slightest weight.
Yes, it was inconvenient for the Marking to be exposed, and he preferred to keep it quiet—but hardly enough to treat it as blackmail.
Ji-yeol, oblivious, smiled as though he’d won when Tae-oh said he’d escort Chi-yu back. But Tae-oh’s next words wiped the smile clean off his face.
“I need to meet Min Yu-hyun about something I left with him. I’ll head to the dorm right after.”
“With him….”
“Don’t waste your time on his bullshit.”
“…Esper Hyun Tae-oh.”
“Go ahead. Tell on me.”
That was all Tae-oh said before wrapping an arm around Chi-yu’s waist and teleporting them away.
Ji-yeol’s face went rigid.
Hyun Tae-oh had been the one to ask him to keep quiet, yet somehow, he was the one who now looked like a pathetic blackmailer.
A hollow laugh slipped from his lips.
***
“Is it really okay to just leave him like that?”
The moment they landed in the dorm, Chi-yu asked anxiously.
Tae-oh answered by leaning down, pressing a light kiss to his lips, and murmuring,
“It’s fine.”
But Chi-yu’s worries didn’t fade. He couldn’t shake the fear that he was dragging Tae-oh into trouble.
“No… it’s not fine….”
About to teleport again to meet Min Yu-hyun, Tae-oh paused at those words.
Instead, he reached down and gently lifted Catdog from Chi-yu’s arms.
Caught off guard, Chi-yu let him take the creature, watching in silence as Tae-oh laid the tiny sleeping form carefully on the bed.
Straightening, Tae-oh stepped toward him, arms reaching out to pull him close.
With Chi-yu nestled against his chest, he stroked the back of his neck softly, whispering in a low, reassuring voice,
“It’s fine.”
“…But what if things get messier because I insisted he say it in front of me?”
“They won’t.”
“…I should’ve just let it go.”
Chi-yu buried his face against Tae-oh’s chest, mumbling softly.
