“I’ll teleport ahead and arrive before the other units. I’ll be waiting for them at the site.”
—Tsk. I told you not to waste your ability unnecessarily.
“It’s not an issue. This mission is nothing more than a simple Creature extermination, isn’t it?”
—Fine. I’ll let the disciplinary action slide this time. Just make sure to coordinate with the search unit once you arrive.
“I will comply, Lieutenant Colonel Jang.”
Coordinate with the search unit…
Seo Eui-woo’s gaze flickered as he double-checked the location on his map.
The northwest sector of the special residential district.
A place he knew all too well.
The canyon where he had nearly lost Kwon Jae-jin.
His expression darkened instantly, the knot in his stomach twisting violently all over again.
So that’s why today’s mission had seemed so suspiciously low-risk.
There had been an unpleasant twist lurking beneath the surface all along.
—Major Mateo is overseeing the operation on-site. You know about it, don’t you? They’re searching for the S-rank mutant Guide.
Thank god he was in the teleportation chamber.
If he had been standing in front of Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san, he wouldn’t have been able to hide the ice-cold stillness that overtook his face.
Seo Eui-woo forced his lips into a lazy smirk, smoothing over his features.
“…Ah. Yes.”
—Thought so. Everyone’s been talking about it—no way you wouldn’t have heard.
“…….”
—Captain Seo. Is there a problem?
“No, sir. The signal was just a bit unstable.”
Fortunately, Seo Eui-woo had long since perfected the art of lying.
Concealing the truth, weaving deception—that had always been his way of life.
Since his days as a cadet, he had pretended to eat and sleep like everyone else. He had acted as though he could wield his abilities without proper Guiding.
He had even kept the true depths of his power buried, hidden so well that no one had ever suspected.
Back then, it had been a matter of survival—he had no choice but to lie.
But now, looking back… it almost felt as if every step of his life had been leading him to this exact moment.
Even with Kwon Jae-jin tucked away safely in his grasp, he had to make it seem as if there was nothing to hide at all.
So, with perfect composure, he answered smoothly.
“I will arrive ahead of schedule and coordinate with Major Mateo’s search unit. I’ll teleport immediately.”
—No, wait. There’s an additional directive.
“Yes, sir. Go ahead, Lieutenant Colonel Jang.”
—”Captain Seo, you’ll be the one to find him.”
“…I didn’t quite catch that?”
—”You want a promotion, don’t you? Capture the S-rank mutant Guide, and you’ll be a major in no time.”
Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san, the seasoned commander of the elite 1st Special Operations Unit, delivered his order in a firm, weighty tone.
Seo Eui-woo replied without hesitation, but inwardly, he fought the urge to rip the earpiece out of his ear.
“That doesn’t sound like something you’d say, sir. I was under the impression that tracking down mutants was the jurisdiction of the search unit.”
Even Jang Tae-san was watching this situation closely.
This man stood at the very core of the military. He had turned down multiple promotions to remain in the field, a battle-hardened warrior by choice.
—”The search unit’s priority is capture. They plan to hand him over to the research division for biological experimentation. However, authorization for termination has also been granted as a secondary measure.”
“…….”
—”They might not be able to capture him without a Tracker Esper, but killing him? No one is better suited for that than you. Even if all you bring back is a corpse, that will be more than enough. No one will question it.”
“…….”
—”You can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Lieutenant Colonel Jang reiterated the order, making it painfully clear.
—”It’s time for you to move up the ranks. Captain Seo Eui-woo. Bring back the body of Kwon Jae-jin, the S-rank mutant Guide.”
“……I will comply with your orders, sir.”
Beep.
The transmission was cut off mercilessly.
Seo Eui-woo stared coldly at the platform beneath him, where the coordinates for teleportation had just finished synchronizing.
The metal at his feet had buckled inward, dented under the sheer force of his presence.
The power buried deep within him raged violently, struggling to break free.
With a vicious snarl, he forcibly reined it in, clawing at his own chest in frustration.
His lungs felt constricted, as though iron stakes had been driven through them.
Even knowing the consequences, he couldn’t suppress it completely.
Raw energy crackled outward from beneath his feet, surging like lightning. The ground trembled with a deep, resonant boom as the pressure sent shockwaves through the floor.
“Haah… fuck.”
He couldn’t calm himself.
His eyes narrowed coldly as he brought a fist down hard against his own chest.
Still not enough.
He grabbed his own throat, gloved fingers digging in, choking himself until the edges of his vision blurred.
Only then, when the lack of oxygen dulled his thoughts, was he finally able to draw his power back.
As if being forced to cooperate with Major Mateo’s search unit wasn’t bad enough, now Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san was ordering him to kill Kwon Jae-jin and bring back his corpse as a reward for a promotion.
Even for someone as skilled in deception as Seo Eui-woo, it was impossible to force a smile through this level of disgust.
“Ugh…”
A ridiculous thought crossed his mind.
For the first time, he understood why Kwon Jae-jin had resorted to self-harm.
Maybe if he bit his tongue hard enough, the pain would dull some of this rage.
Of course, with how desensitized he was to pain after years as a soldier, something as minor as tearing off a chunk of his tongue probably wouldn’t faze him.
If he really wanted to feel it, he’d need to shoot himself in the thigh or stab himself in the gut.
The problem was—
Seo Eui-woo had to suppress even those kinds of insane urges.
If Seo Eui-woo acted strangely now, it would only invite unnecessary suspicion. He couldn’t risk pushing Kwon Jae-jin into even greater danger.
Letting out a long breath, he forced himself to regain his composure.
He wanted to see Kwon Jae-jin so badly.
Was he safe? Was he okay? Was he still alive?
Seo Eui-woo flooded Jae-jin’s messages with dozens—no, hundreds—of texts, asking about his well-being. Then, without wasting another second, he activated the teleportation sequence. He couldn’t afford to arrive too late and raise further questions.
A brilliant white light exploded outward, and the scenery shifted once again.
He arrived at the temporary teleportation hub—an airship base set up near the canyon.
After undergoing the sterilization process, Seo Eui-woo stepped outside. The search unit soldiers stood waiting below the ridgeline. And in front of them, his back turned toward the troops, stood their commander.
A man with dark hair, brushed back to reveal his forehead—like some kind of military attack dog.
Major Mateo.
Seo Eui-woo resisted the urge to bare his teeth.
Even burning Mateo’s hands to a crisp, ripping them apart, and tossing the pieces to wild animals wouldn’t be enough to make up for what he had done. Those hands had touched Kwon Jae-jin—his tongue, his lips, his chest.
And now, here they were, meeting face-to-face far sooner than expected.
“Captain Seo Eui-woo, 1st Special Operations Unit. I’ve been assigned to assist with the Creature extermination mission.”
***
Midnight had come and gone, but Seo Eui-woo had yet to return.
By the time 2 AM rolled around, Kwon Jae-jin had already spent hours waiting.
He had worked out, cooked and eaten, done some shooting practice, and watched the news.
Eventually, he gave up and lay down in bed.
If Seo Eui-woo had come home, he had planned to sit him down and explain what a real relationship was.
What he wanted to do with him—just the small, simple things.
But circumstances were what they were.
Jae-jin rubbed his tired eyes and checked his tablet.
Seo Eui-woo had been texting him nonstop.
He might as well have been a damn parrot at this point.
A machine stuck on repeat, spamming the same messages over and over—Jae-jin, I miss you. What are you doing? Are you okay?
Jae-jin replied to some, ignored others, and occasionally just sent a single period in response.
Yawning, he figured he’d answer messages for as long as he could stay awake.
[ Jae-jin ]
[ . ]
[ Jae-jin? ]
[ . ]
[ You’re really okay, right? I miss you. ]
[ . ]
[ I want to date you… I want to date you properly. ]
[ ., ]
As he kept sending the same meaningless dots, his eyelids grew heavier.
Sleep pressed down on him, impossible to resist.
Still, he hesitated.
If he just passed out without saying anything, Seo Eui-woo would probably panic and spiral into a full-blown breakdown.
Half-asleep, he sluggishly typed out a message.
[ so slepyy gona fal asleep ]
[ Huh? You’re sleeping? ]
[ if theres no mor dot im alrady asle ]
[ ?? ]
Seo Eui-woo freaked out.
His messages exploded, pouring in one after another.
[Are you asleep, Jae-jin?]
[Are you really asleep?]
[No, don’t. I don’t like this. Just reply a little more.]
[Jae-jin, just a little more.]
[I’ll be home soon. Just wait for me a moment.]
How the hell was he planning to come home in the middle of a mission?
Was he trying to get himself written up for desertion again?
Honestly, Seo Eui-woo had no reason to be this worried.
The security system was running fine, and if anything did happen, an alert would go out immediately.
Kwon Jae-jin clutched the tablet to his chest and drifted off to sleep.
The bed felt far too big without Seo Eui-woo in it.
There were no strong arms wrapped tightly around his waist, no oppressive weight pinning him down.
It should have been more comfortable—easier to breathe, easier to move.
But instead, it was unsettling.
Like something was missing.
He had no idea how long he’d been asleep when a faint disturbance stirred him awake.
There was movement beside the bed.
A familiar, broad figure shifting in the dark.
Had Seo Eui-woo come back?
Jae-jin wanted to get up and greet him, but his body refused to move.
For a moment, he wasn’t even sure if Seo Eui-woo was actually there.
Maybe this was just a dream.
Maybe, after hearing Seo Eui-woo’s constant I miss you, I miss you, his own subconscious had caved and conjured up a vision of him.
The fact that the setting wasn’t outer space was a little weird, though…
But then—
A hand brushed over the back of his neck.
A real, solid touch.
That was when he realized—
This wasn’t a dream.
