Chapter 64
Han Sejun.
As soon as Seoyul heard that name, he clung to Manager Kim and begged. Please don’t do this, he said. I was wrong. Please spare me.
But Manager Kim found him bothersome and kicked Seoyul away before leaving the room. Seoyul frantically ran to the door and knocked, but he couldn’t hear any sound from outside.
“What… what should I do…”
Seoyul sat down heavily in despair.
Han Sejun. Han Sejun, of all people. Though his abilities were shrouded in mystery, he was infamous among criminal organizations.
Known to be more cruel than the devil himself, rumors spread that even his own organization members trembled before him.Â
It was said that he would use any means necessary to get what he wanted, and that people couldn’t even open their mouths in his presence for fear of saying the wrong thing.
‘And they’re handing me over to someone like that…’
What would happen to him there?
Surely, they would make him produce Guiding drugs there too. But…
‘I can’t make high-grade drugs.’
Seoyul was a C-grade Guide. Although he could become S-grade under specific conditions, he couldn’t produce S-grade energy unless he was by Dowoon’s side. So he couldn’t make what they wanted.
But they would demand high energy, and if he couldn’t produce it, they would use any means necessary.
Given the organization’s notorious cruelty, he didn’t think their methods would be ordinary. And there was one more problem.
He’d heard that the government had launched several major operations to catch them, but they couldn’t even get close.
From his distant memories, he naturally recalled how organization members had boasted of their prowess.
‘If they’re just a little late…’
He might never see Dowoon again. Han Sejun’s organization was on a completely different level from Manager Kim’s group.
‘Esper…’
Seoyul began to be consumed by fear even more. He curled up small, hoping that Dowoon would come quickly and pull him out of this darkness.
After that, Manager Kim came by several times to drop off food, but Seoyul couldn’t do anything. So he didn’t eat.
As a result, his strength rapidly declined. His physical and mental state began to deteriorate to the worst.
‘What if… I never get to see him again?’
As time passed, hope only grew dimmer. He didn’t know how many days had passed, but judging by the number of food deliveries, it seemed quite a while.
Despite this, there was no sign of rescue, and all that remained beside him was dried-out bread, expired milk, and the food that had been newly delivered this morning.
Growl.
A clamor demanding food came from his stomach. It was such a loud noise that he thought it was remarkable he had held out this long without eating.
Even in this moment of crisis, his stomach was hungry, and his body was struggling to survive.
“Hic…”
A wave of sadness blurred his vision. He couldn’t bear how pitiful his situation was.
Why was his life always so difficult?
Just when he had finally discovered what happiness felt like, it was being shattered again.
‘Am I… not allowed to be happy?’
Seoyul silently cried as he let his emotions pour out. Whenever he cried like this, Dowoon would always comfort him, which made him miss him even more.
After crying for a long time, it occurred to him that he couldn’t stay like this forever.
‘Alone… I have to make it through alone.’
Seoyul wiped away his tears and made a firm resolution. He had to survive. He had to survive and meet Dowoon. He had to return to where he was.
Holding back the tears that threatened to fall again, Seoyul picked up the bread and milk. What he needed to do now wasn’t to wait for Dowoon and cry, but to conserve as much strength as possible.
When Dowoon came to rescue him, he shouldn’t be a burden at the very least.
As Seoyul forced himself to swallow the food, he reaffirmed his determination.
That he would definitely meet his light and hope again.
* * *
“Seoyul… disappeared?”
The news came from Minjun.
He already knew that Seoyul had made plans to meet with him, but he had held back and let him go several times.
Though jealousy made him want to stop Seoyul from going, he didn’t because he was afraid of losing the points he had painstakingly accumulated.
It was the same this time.
He wanted to hold Seoyul back when he said he had another appointment on the day they were supposed to meet, but he didn’t.
But he never thought things would turn out like this.
‘Damn it.’
What good were the points now?
Seoyul was an S-grade Guide. Though it wasn’t publicly known yet, he could be in danger at any time because of his position.
Moreover, he had connections with criminal organizations, so extra caution was necessary. Knowing that, he still let Seoyul go alone.
‘What a fool.’
Blinded by the emotion of love, he had failed to see what was most important. He had failed to protect the person who needed protection.
Rather than worrying about what Seoyul would think of him, he should have prioritized his safety. No matter how Seoyul would view him, he should have coldly said no and gone with him.
‘What an idiot.’
Dowoon muttered curses as he clenched his fist. In his hand was Seoyul’s ring, which Minjun had given him.
He had heard the whole story from him. To think that Seoyul had been thinking such thoughts…
It seemed like this had happened because he had foolishly failed to notice Seoyul’s feelings. It felt like everything had happened because of his own inadequacy.
That’s why he couldn’t say anything to Minjun, who kept apologizing with a pale face.
Because he too… was at a loss for words.
Self-blame, impatience, and anxiety swirled together, weighing down on Dowoon.
“Sigh… what’s all this about.”
Munjin, who had heard the entire situation, muttered while messing up his hair.
An S-grade Guide being kidnapped.
If they had known this would happen, they should have revealed Seoyul’s identity a little sooner. Even if it would have been difficult for Dowoon, at least Seoyul’s safety would have been secured.
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. Blame me because I made the wrong judgment.”
Munjin said this to Dowoon, who had gone cold and rigid.
Though he wasn’t showing it, he too knew. He knew how dangerous Dowoon’s current state was, as he remained quiet and subdued.
“But we’ve deployed personnel quickly, so we should get word soon. You know how capable the special team members are.”
Currently, the special team that Dowoon belonged to was carrying out the search order for Seoyul. But Dowoon had been excluded from the mission.
His role in the team was field operations, so he wasn’t helpful at this stage.
Dowoon knew this too, which was why he was just waiting tensely.
‘Seoyul…’
Dowoon felt pathetic that he couldn’t do anything. To think that he couldn’t do anything when he had failed to protect properly.
If he had been diligent in his team activities earlier, he could have participated in the mission.
He bit his lip tightly, resenting his past irresponsible self as he waited for contact.
As he waited anxiously, it wasn’t long before the news he was waiting for arrived.
“We found him!”
Bang.
The door opened, and the person who entered was Jin Cheolwook, the leader of the special team.
“What?! You found him!”
Munjin jumped up in surprise and shouted. Dowoon was equally surprised.
He approached with quick steps and asked in a low voice.
“Seoyul… where is he…?”
“Sit down first. There’s nothing we can do right away…”
“I asked where he is!!”
Finally, his uncontainable anger leaked out. Dowoon glared at him with reddened eyes. The ominous aura of an Esper spread throughout the room, threatening him.
Faced with the menacing energy that seemed about to explode, Munjin hurriedly spoke.
“Cha Dowoon. Can’t you hear Team Leader Jin? Quickly contain your energy and sit down.”
“Ha. Damn it.”
Dowoon finally returned to his seat, messing up his hair vigorously. Only then did Cheolwook, relieved, share the information with them.
“It wasn’t difficult to find Guide Seo. We investigated some suspicious individuals first, and we immediately caught a trail.”
“So…”
“Yes. It was the work of those organization members that Guide Seo used to belong to.”
If there was any consolation, it was that the matter didn’t involve another country. If it had escalated into an international issue, it could have become a truly troublesome situation.
“Those bastards… weren’t they all arrested?”
Dowoon asked, clenching his fist. They had surely arrested everyone, even completing the interrogations and rooting out the remaining members.
Because Seoyul was involved, he remembered checking and double-checking until recently.
“Sigh… it seems some lucky ones remained.”
Cheolwook replied that while they had identified those behind it, they hadn’t found the location where Seoyul was being held.
“The fact that they kidnapped him instead of killing him indicates they have another purpose. The most likely possibility is that they’re selling him to a larger organization.”
If that was the case, they had only one chance. It was really difficult to find people who had gone into hiding like this. But if others got involved, gaps would inevitably appear, so they could try to exploit those gaps.
“We’ll look into whether there are any recent buyers for Guides, so help us, Cha Dowoon. You know the higher the chance of finding him, the faster we need to search, right?”
Cheolwook asked Dowoon for help. The implication was clear.
Use any means necessary to find information.
“Save your energy while you’re going wild. As for extracting information through intimidation… do it your way.”
Permission granted.
Dowoon stood up abruptly. Sitting and waiting anxiously didn’t suit his temperament.
“Don’t worry. You know my skills.”
By “skills” here, he meant his intimidation skills.
There was no one in the team more specialized in extracting information than him.
Dowoon vanished suddenly. Not long after, rumors quickly spread among criminal organizations that the troublemaker of the Association was on a rampage.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
