Was the system really calling him back just to apologize?
No. There had to be an agenda.
This was the system that had gone so far as to merge two entire worlds, sacrificing everything just to tie him and the S-ranks back together. With that level of obsession, how could it not worry about what would happen to the world after he disappeared?
That’s why it made sure to inform him of its own dissolution—to prove it was truly gone, to ensure he wouldn’t start doubting whether he was just another piece moving on a new game board set by the system.
To make sure he would care for the S-ranks without resistance, maybe even willingly.
……Then again, maybe—just maybe—it really had called him back simply because it felt sorry for deceiving him.
Like how people change right before they die.
Well, he had finished what he came to do.
He’d gotten the power he needed—his insurance.
His eyes opened. The room was still pitch-dark. He was still alone.
He ran his hands over his body.
There had only been that strange sensation during the transfer. Now, everything was calm. Just like when he’d first awakened as a Guide, there was nothing out of the ordinary—no particular feeling at all.
He’d have to test it to know for sure.
Outwardly, he’d always said he wasn’t into novels, but… that was mostly because, in conversations, he’d found there were more people than expected who liked to gatekeep based on taste. In truth, he used to really enjoy webnovels.
In most fantasy novels, there was always that scene where the protagonist confronted some god-like higher being and demanded something—or flat-out cursed at them. He used to think, Wow, you’ve gotta have guts like that to be a protagonist.
But now that he’d experienced it himself? It really wasn’t that hard.
If the other side had done something wrong, it was only right they pay for it.
The system had surrendered its remaining authority more readily than expected, though at first, it had tried to settle things with just words…
Honestly, just forcing it to cough up that power felt surprisingly satisfying.
Since being confined in this place, the only real enjoyment he’d felt had been during those intense nights with Jang Hee-gang. Apart from that… not much.
‘From now on, I hope you live a peaceful life, free from my interference.’
…A peaceful life, huh.
He stared blankly up at the ceiling.
In the darkness, his lone figure lying on the wide bed was barely visible.
It wasn’t something that required much thought.
Just as he’d decided before answering the system’s call—he would simply live. Go with the flow.
The system was gone. This world would still fall without the S-ranks. They yearned for him, and he still had no desire to die.
Their interests aligned. They could help each other.
They had apparently planned to take turns monopolizing him, so all he had to do was play along and look after all four of them in turn. It wasn’t that hard.
He was already having his fun with Jang Hee-gang anyway.
Who would be next?
The other three, who had gone completely off the rails thinking he’d run away of his own accord. He was genuinely curious how they’d react.
And to keep that sense of anticipation intact, he had no plans to use his Third Eye unless absolutely necessary.
A faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
***
A research facility analyzing the corpse of a monster.
The researchers who had been working for hours on the specimen delivered by Shim Tae-seong headed up to the ground floor for dinner. The cafeteria was bustling with people.
One of the researchers, after filling up their tray and sitting down, tilted their head.
“Isn’t it kinda weird?”
“What is?”
Their colleague, face sunken with exhaustion, responded while taking a spoonful of soup.
“This latest specimen. There’s nothing particularly special about it. The results are mostly in already.”
“They’ve all been pretty similar, though.”
“Then why’d they send three people after this one?”
“Three? What three?”
“I mean the S-rank Espers.”
“……Seriously?”
A flicker of energy crossed the tired face.
“All of them showed up at once?”
These were people who usually handled monsters alone—thanks to the sheer gap in ability. The fact that they’d moved together this time was intriguing information.
“Everyone showed up except for Jang Hee-gang, apparently.”
“Oh right. Come to think of it, even though Shim Tae-seong delivered the corpse… the one who actually did all the attacking was Cha Eun-hyuk.”
The two researchers winced as they recalled the gruesome state of the monster’s remains. They’d seen worse, sure—but it was still stomach-churning.
This was one of the reasons S-ranks were sometimes called monsters that hunt monsters.
Their appetites faded naturally, and both stopped eating.
“So the last one must’ve been Joo Cheong-gyeong, then.”
They hadn’t encountered him face-to-face all that often, but he felt like someone from another world entirely.
The researchers, now dropping honorifics altogether, eagerly began to gossip.
“Yeah. Some high schooler who barely made it out alive posted something about it—and it went viral because it was a firsthand account of seeing the three of them in person.”
“Man, I want to read that.”
“……”
The researcher who brought it up recalled the post, which was practically plastered with phrases like ‘looked f**ing amazing’ and ‘holy sh*t.’
“There wasn’t really anything special. Mostly just the guy being incredibly thankful for saving his life, plus a bunch of gushing about how insanely good-looking they all were—even from another guy’s perspective. Oh, and… I think he mentioned that Joo Cheong-gyeong said something about needing to finish up quickly or whatever.”
This latest battle had ended faster than any before.
“Well, of course it did. Dragging out the fight would’ve only increased the damage. Ending it quickly was the smart move.”
“Right. Anyway, you can’t even see that post anymore. It got deleted. You know how strict the Association is about monitoring any talk about Espers—especially when it comes to S-ranks.”
Being as famous as they were, eyewitness accounts, gossip, slander, and speculative posts about them popped up in countless online communities every day. But anything that crossed the line was almost supernaturally detected by the Esper Association, which would then either have the post taken down or pursue legal action. The same went for news articles and comment sections.
People often joked that the Association worked as efficiently as a top-tier entertainment agency.
“But it was just a praise post, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, but there are still plenty of people who hate S-ranks. It got flooded with sneering comments. Could be the original poster just took it down themselves.”
“Ugh, seriously. I just don’t get people.”
The bleary-eyed researcher shook their head.
“People always trash them for having bad attitudes, but come on—regardless of their personalities, they’re the ones standing at the front lines, fighting monsters head-on. How many lives have they saved by now? What more do people want, for them to be all warm and fuzzy too?”
He thought of Shim Tae-seong, who had recently visited the lab.
He had come to submit a pile of standard paperwork filled with questions about the monster: how it had attacked, who had finished it off, whether there were any abnormalities. Out of all the S-ranks, Shim Tae-seong had the mildest impression. Maybe it was because of the way the corners of his eyes drooped ever so slightly. He only said what was necessary, but was always polite about it.
Of course, that dry demeanor and heavy atmosphere were still no different from the other three.
“Besides, it’s not like they can have good personalities in the first place. Their ranks are too high—there aren’t any compatible Guides for them. I heard Espers suffer a ton if they don’t get proper guiding.”
“Exactly. Honestly, people like us who don’t need that stuff are blessed.”
A brief moment of solemn silence passed between them.
“But still… why do you think the three of them showed up together? And without Jang Hee-gang?”
The colleague shrugged, clearly just as curious.
“…Oh.”
A sudden thought came to mind.
“Wait a second—wasn’t that place near Jang Hee-gang’s estate?”
***
A deep blue car veered off from the busy downtown roads onto a quieter street. Before long, a dark, silent building came into view. The car slid smoothly into a nearby garage and came to a stop.
A man stepped out from the driver’s seat, holding a carefully wrapped bouquet and a cake.
Normally, by now, he’d be feeling a familiar, lovely presence. But the stabilized wavelengths around him didn’t pick up anything.
His footsteps echoed as he entered the house.
Climbing the stairs, he stopped before a glass door.
Vmmm…
The door buzzed as biometric recognition completed. Lights flickered on, triggered by movement sensors, and the previously dim mirror room lit up brightly.
Cha Eun-soo, curled up on the bed, furrowed his brow.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Jang Hee-gang approached, his voice unusually gentle.
“You should be resting when I’m not around.”
“…I just couldn’t sleep.”
Cha Eun-soo lowered his gaze.
Jang Hee-gang set the cake down on the nightstand nearby and perched on the edge of the bed. He pressed a kiss to that pale forehead—and perhaps because they’d already done far more intense things repeatedly, Eun-soo didn’t flinch or resist.
A satisfied smile tugged at Hee-gang’s lips.
He’d finally started listening so well. And yet, their promised time was nearly up.
Of course, his turn would come again. But the thought of the boy in front of him becoming someone else’s Guide for a stretch of time made his blood boil.
If he were honest, he wanted to kill every single one of his so-called allies right now.
He wanted Cha Eun-soo to belong to him and him alone—to cry only in his arms, to be touched by no one else’s hands.
But…
He also knew, better than anyone, that forming an alliance with others who shared the exact same thoughts as he did was the safest way to protect the Guide.
From both the world’s Espers and the monsters.
So he had to accept, with reason, the need to take turns and share the Guide equally.
Suppressing the murderous urges bubbling within him, Jang Hee-gang held out a bouquet to Cha Eun-soo.
A soft rustling sound, followed by the sweet scent of fresh flowers. Eun-soo’s gaze dropped instinctively to the bouquet.
“…These are…”
They were richly wrapped purple blooms.
“It’s late, but I wanted to commemorate it,” Jang Hee-gang said quietly.
“The fact that we got to meet again.”
This world, twisted and transformed as it was, was also Cha Eun-soo’s original world. There was nowhere left for him to run. So maybe, just maybe, it was okay now to celebrate the joy of finally being together again.
Pitch-black eyes carefully watched for Cha Eun-soo’s reaction.
