A special facility built to imprison Espers.
A man in a combat suit entered the building, receiving salutes from the guards as he passed. His steps were emotionless, mechanical, until he came to a stop in front of the solitary cell located in the most secure part of the facility.
“Jang Hee-gang.”
At the brief call, the man hanging against the cell wall beyond the iron bars lifted his head. His exposed, muscular torso was covered in bloodstains.
They were the marks of torture inflicted by agents who had lost comrades or family to him, venting their fury.
Though his wounds left no trace, thanks to the regenerative abilities unique to S-rank Espers… the high-level criminal who had passively accepted the excruciating pain of the torture without resistance continued to simply breathe listlessly even after his imprisonment.
Eyes devoid of a single flicker of light scanned the visitor.
“…Cha Eun-hyuk.”
A dry voice leaked out through cracked lips.
He tilted his head slightly. What was it?
“Why…”
“…”
“That’s not the face of a victor, is it?”
Cha Eun-hyuk looked just as hollow and empty as himself. That was the reason.
It wasn’t mockery—just a candid question.
Jang Hee-gang knew full well that Cha Eun-hyuk had harbored deep resentment toward him for a long time. From Cha Eun-hyuk’s point of view, this should’ve been the moment that resentment was finally laid to rest.
He couldn’t kill him directly due to legal restrictions, but without a doubt, he would be sentenced to death.
It wouldn’t have been strange for him to gaze upon his enemy on death row with some measure of satisfaction.
And yet, Cha Eun-hyuk looked so soulless it almost felt like the roles had reversed—like the man inside the bars and the one outside had simply switched places.
“Because it’s not over.”
Cha Eun-hyuk answered quietly.
“Joo Cheong-gyeong is still out there.”
“…Joo Cheong-gyeong. Right.”
Jang Hee-gang blinked slowly as he murmured the name.
“Did you come here thinking I could help with the hunt?”
“As if.”
Cha Eun-hyuk dismissed it coldly.
The enemy of my enemy is an ally—but that ally is never complete. That was something he’d become painfully aware of through Joo Cheong-gyeong. Though Joo Cheong-gyeong had leaked information about Jang Hee-gang’s base, he had ultimately never shown up to participate in the operation, aiming instead for mutual destruction between Cha Eun-hyuk and Jang Hee-gang.
Of course, just like with the negotiations he’d had with Joo Cheong-gyeong, it was still possible to extract some information from Jang Hee-gang. Assuming he was willing. Given how long they’d once worked under the same organization, there was a good chance Jang Hee-gang had knowledge about Joo Cheong-gyeong as well.
But that information likely wasn’t about Joo Cheong-gyeong’s base of operations.
If Jang Hee-gang’s side had known the location already, they would’ve gone there first to eliminate the traitor. And if that had happened, there’s no way Joo Cheong-gyeong would have been able to carry out terrorist acts or attempt to make contact with him in the first place.
“There’s only one thing I want to ask.”
And so, he got straight to the point.
“The reason you surrendered.”
It had been an operation to wipe out the largest domestic terrorist organization. Everyone fought desperately, risking their lives. Had it turned into a drawn-out war, the advantage would have tilted in favor of the enemy, who controlled the terrain. That was why Cha Eun-hyuk had prioritized locating Jang Hee-gang and confronting him head-on.
But the result had been his complete and utter defeat. And not just him—Shim Tae-seong, who had come to offer his support, had also been brutally…
Wait.
Shim Tae-seong… had come to help capture Jang Hee-gang?
That did seem to be the case… but… was it really him who’d reached out to Shim Tae-seong?
A strange sense of something forgotten, something out of place, creased his brow.
Had Shim Tae-seong truly come there for him?
“…Talk.”
Suppressing the uneasy feeling clawing at his chest, Cha Eun-hyuk demanded an answer from Jang Hee-gang.
“What were you scheming?”
After resisting both him and Shim Tae-seong with such ferocity, hearing that he’d surrendered to the backup agents who arrived later naturally raised suspicions.
It was only fair to wonder if he still had something up his sleeve even now.
“…Who knows.”
Jang Hee-gang muttered vaguely.
“Do I look like someone still capable of scheming to you?”
“…”
Their eyes met, but neither truly focused on the other. Both gazes seemed to sink endlessly, aimlessly.
“It’s just… all of it… ended up meaningless.”
It felt like he’d lost something—something precious, something he’d struggled so hard to obtain.
He couldn’t say exactly why that feeling had begun to creep in…
But Jang Hee-gang figured maybe it was because he’d finally worn himself out.
The sense of loss that had clung to him ever since he failed to be saved—perhaps it had just resurfaced, now that the end was near. Because once you go berserk… it’s as good as death.
“…”
…Meaning.
Cha Eun-hyuk repeated the word silently in his mind, eyes fixed on Jang Hee-gang without a word.
It had only been a single line…
But strangely enough, he felt as though he could understand the emotion laced in his enemy’s voice and eyes.
Because he, too, felt like he’d lost something—something he’d held on to, only for it to slip away in vain.
That hollow ache, as if something most precious to him had vanished overnight. It had been like that ever since the day he awoke from his injuries, inflicted by Jang Hee-gang. That day, his thoughts hadn’t functioned properly at all.
He’d been consumed by a fog so thick and numbing that he was unable to do anything. The people around him had grown seriously concerned that something had gone wrong with his brain.
If not for the tears shed by his mother and younger sister, who had stayed faithfully by his side, he might never have come back to his senses.
Strangely, their presence had felt unbearably empty to him. He’d even started behaving oddly, glancing around himself as if searching for something… someone…
In the end, though, for the sake of his family—and out of a sense of social responsibility and duty—he had no choice but to stand back up.
Cha Eun-hyuk stared coldly at the prisoner, who had easily seen through his mental state.
The prisoner no longer even looked at him, instead staring blankly into the void, devoid of all emotion.
A grim silence settled over the space like a blackout curtain.
***
Though the region had a small population, it boasted a relatively vast expanse of land. Beneath that land lay an underground city where a terrorist organization had been quietly amassing military strength. When government forces finally discovered this, they launched a life-or-death operation—one that ended in the successful capture of Jang Hee-gang.
The news sent shockwaves across South Korea.
And as if that weren’t enough, another astonishing revelation surfaced.
A new S-rank Esper had appeared.
The individual who had fought alongside Cha Eun-hyuk in the battle against Jang Hee-gang had been found unconscious at the combat site, lying beside him. The man was transported to a hospital and treated—during which time, his true identity was uncovered.
He hadn’t originally been part of the operation, nor had he carried anything that could verify who he was.
But suspecting that he might be an Esper, the medical team conducted a series of essential tests, including a wave analysis. Through those tests, they confirmed the shocking truth:
He was, in fact, an S-rank Esper.
People scrambled to interview anyone connected to the incident—or even the man himself. Countless reporters, both domestic and foreign, flew into the country by the day, all desperate to cover the explosive developments.
Thud, thud, thud!
“Mr. Shim Tae-seong! Are you in there?!”
“Please, just a moment of your time! It won’t take long!”
Loud knocking and raised voices echoed through the hallway, a harsh, invasive noise that grated against his heightened hearing.
Yet Shim Tae-seong didn’t so much as flinch.
Seated against the wall in his living room, he simply gazed out the wide-open window.
The chill of late winter stirred the curtains.
Though his body was no longer subject to natural cold, he still somehow felt the chill in the air.
He lowered his head and closed his eyes.
It felt as if someone were gently stroking his neck. Fingers long and delicate, caressing upward with tender, sincere affection.
A hallucination—one that came and went.
He reached a hand behind himself, fingers groping as if to grasp someone’s hand. Someone who wasn’t there.
For a long moment, he stayed like that. Finally, he lowered both hands and buried his face in his palms.
Living a life that felt like self-imposed imprisonment, only one thought ever lingered in his mind.
He had lost something—but he didn’t know what it was.
“…!”
The noisy clamor outside abruptly vanished. Shim Tae-seong lifted his face, removing his hands.
Whoosh—shhhh. Whoosh—shhhh.
Waves rolled in gently, cool and steady, the sun glinting off the surface of the water. He was on an uninhabited island. The only sign of life was his own. He sat there—slumped, disheveled, alone.
…It was private property he had purchased long ago, just in case the day ever came when he lost control.
The death of his younger sibling, who had been his Guide, had left him with an enormous fortune he had never wanted. For a long time, he had no intention of using any of it.
But over time, the truth became undeniable. His death wouldn’t be his alone—it would drag countless others down with him.
It was a fate shared by every S-rank Esper whose final moments were documented somewhere, in some record.
The way people looked at Cha Eun-hyuk, as if he were a ticking time bomb destined to go off.
Shim Tae-seong had more than enough motivation to combine his wealth and prepare a grave—his own.
“…”
He glanced around, eyes sweeping across the scenery without purpose. Had the suffocating weight finally pushed him to teleport unconsciously?
He got to his feet. The sand clinging to his body fell away like gold dust.
The sea mirrored the clear sky so perfectly—it was almost too beautiful. But instead of walking along the shoreline, he made his way toward the lone house in the distance.
As soon as he stepped inside, cold air wrapped around him in the hollow stillness.
He approached the room he had once designated as a bedroom and slowly opened the door.
The inside was laid bare. Only a single bed stood in the center, untouched and unused.
He walked in, footsteps slow and steady, then swept aside the curtain by the window with a soft swish.
Sunlight poured in, brilliant as if he were standing outdoors. He lay down on the bed. Closed his eyes.
He had lost something—but still didn’t know what it was.
And yet…
He was certain of one thing.
Whatever it was, it had been the very thing keeping his life together.
