The tension was so thick, it felt like a fight could break out any second. I couldn’t just sit and watch anymore—I stepped in before things got worse.
“Alright, that’s enough from both of you.”
The way they kept latching onto each other’s words, snapping back and forth, looked like nothing more than a childish squabble. And with so many people watching, it wasn’t doing anyone any good. All it did was make the subordinates uneasy.
“Haa… We’ll talk about the rest later.”
“Yeah, sure. Just don’t bring Hwang Seol-bin.”
Before the words were even out of his mouth, Kang Bijun shot to his feet and stormed out of the cafeteria. Kang Biso glared after him for a moment, then turned to me with a faint smile.
“Hyung, that must’ve startled you. I’m sorry. Let’s finish eating.”
I appreciated the concern, but the tension had already ruined the atmosphere. There was no way I could get another bite down. As I set my spoon down, Kang Biso looked at me with concern.
“Hyung, are you okay? You’re not eating?”
“I’m already full.”
“…Should we just head out, then?”
Kang Biso got up like nothing had happened and walked out of the cafeteria. I followed behind him, and once I made sure there was no one else around, I called out to him.
“Kang Biso-ssi.”
“…Yeah?”
“Did something happen with Kang Bijun?”
He hesitated, clearly debating whether to say anything. I waited quietly. I needed to know what happened if we were going to resolve this. I couldn’t keep tiptoeing around this tension.
After a moment of silence, unable to meet my eyes, Kang Biso let out a soft sigh and opened his mouth.
“Huu… Was it that obvious?”
“Very. So what happened between you two?”
“It’s really nothing. Just your typical sibling fight. Nothing you need to worry about.”
Then why the hell did it blow up like that…?
The way he kept dodging the question only made things more suspicious.
“If it’s really nothing, I’m relieved… But you didn’t fight because of me, did you?”
“No way! It wasn’t anything like that! We just didn’t see eye to eye on something. That’s all. We’ll make up soon, I promise. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
And just like that, he went quiet again. Honestly, I wanted to press him, drag the whole story out of him if I had to. But judging by the awkward smile on his face, he wasn’t about to spill anything.
Things didn’t seem tense at all when I was watching the news yesterday, so something must’ve happened after that—some conversation that caused a rift between them.
“…This isn’t about the Book of Wishes, is it?”
That was the only thing they might’ve disagreed on. At my question, Kang Biso glanced away. He didn’t want to lie, but he clearly wasn’t planning to tell the truth either.
Even if I tried to play dumb, it was obvious the Book of Wishes was at the center of this. That realization made things even more awkward. Don’t tell me… he told Kang Bijun I should be the one to receive the Book?
I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicion creeping into my voice.
“Did you…”
“Oh, right! Didn’t Kang Bijun say we needed to head to the strategy meeting? Let’s go!”
Kang Biso suddenly changed the subject, his tone way too obvious. I wanted to grab him and force the truth out of him, but with how blatantly he was avoiding the topic, pushing any harder felt pointless.
Besides, standing around talking in the hallway wasn’t exactly ideal. As much as I wanted answers, it would have to wait until later.
“…Alright. Let’s talk when you get back. I’ll be in the room.”
I tried to walk past him, but Kang Biso suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Huh? What about you? You’re coming too, right?”
“…Why would I?”
“But…”
His grip tightened, anxiety flickering in his eyes. He was probably worried something might happen again—like last time with the team members.
…Kang Biso really needs to dial back the overprotectiveness.
Sure, the conflict with the team members happened when he wasn’t around, so it made sense that he’d be concerned. But I could handle myself just fine. He should know by now that Esper abilities don’t work on me. This kind of obsessive protection was starting to get exhausting.
Still, I already knew Kang Biso had a clingy streak. Best to just reassure him.
“…Don’t worry. I’ll wait quietly in the room until you’re back.”
“In the room?”
“Yeah. So relax and go.”
“…You promise? You’re not going anywhere, right? You’ll stay in the room. Just the room. Got it?”
“Got it. Kang Bijun’s probably waiting, so you should go.”
“He can wait a bit. I’ll walk you to your room.”
In the end, Kang Biso stuck to me like glue all the way back to my room.
“Don’t leave. Okay? I’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
As soon as I stepped quietly into the room, Kang Biso visibly relaxed. He repeated again and again that I shouldn’t come out, only turning away once he was absolutely sure I’d stay put. Then he finally headed off to the meeting room.
I couldn’t help but think—Was all that really necessary? Still, I couldn’t exactly resent someone for worrying about me.
I dropped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
So the reason Kang Bijun called Kang Biso must be…
It had to be to plan how to steal the Book of Wishes.
Breaking into a government facility and stealing it wouldn’t be easy. There were bound to be risks.
It’s dangerous… Will he be okay?
Just imagining Kang Biso walking into danger left me uneasy.
I wanted to go with him. But with the Guide Center still searching for me, and all my personal info exposed, it was too risky to move around. If something went wrong, I could end up drawing attention and putting both Kang Biso and ZEC in danger.
They wouldn’t even let me walk around the hideout without someone tailing me—there was no way they’d allow me to join the mission. I let out a deep sigh.
“Haa… I’m so damn powerless.”
All I could do now was wait here, quietly, so Kang Biso could focus on the mission without worrying about me.
When did I become someone who couldn’t help with anything this important? I was the one who needed the Book of Wishes, and yet… there was nothing I could do.
I hadn’t even gotten back at the Guide Center yet. Was it really okay to just dump everything on Kang Biso?
Was there truly nothing I could do?
Lost in that thought, I just lay there, blankly staring at the ceiling, waiting for Kang Biso to come back.
***
“So? What’s the plan?”
“I want to pick up from where we left off yesterday…”
Kang Bijun was sifting through files in the meeting room when his eyes snapped toward Kang Biso, his expression turning icy. Yeah—he was still pissed. No surprise, considering how he acted earlier.
Kang Biso just shrugged casually.
“…Let’s call a truce, for now.”
“A truce?”
“Yeah. Let’s focus on getting the Book of Wishes first. We can fight about it afterward. For now, we work together—grab the book, and then sort out the rest. Sound fair?”
Kang Bijun stared at him for a long moment, then gave a short nod.
“Fine. I get what you’re saying. But I’m not giving up.”
Stubborn as ever. Not that Kang Biso was any better.
“Good. But seriously, you need to fix that habit of picking fights like a middle schooler whenever you’re mad.”
“…What the hell did I do? You’re the one who started talking nonsense.”
Kang Biso smiled and gave Kang Bijun a friendly pat on the shoulder, ignoring the glare aimed his way.
“We’ll talk about that later. We’ve got more important things to handle right now. Let’s focus on that, yeah?”
Kang Bijun sighed heavily but gave a reluctant nod.
“Haa… Fine. Listen up. I’m only explaining this once.”
He spread out a blueprint on the desk and began outlining the operation step by step.
“The Book of Wishes is currently being held at a government research facility.”
“…A research facility? Since when did the government have something like that?”
“Apparently it’s a place where they study items recovered from dungeons. The layout is pretty complex, so pay attention.”
“No problem. I’m good with maps.”
“You’ll be going in alone. A larger team would just slow you down or increase the risk. We’ve already got two guys undercover on the inside—you’ll link up with them and move together from there.”
Kang Biso silently admired the plan. He’d already been thinking it would be best to go in solo, and Kang Bijun had figured that out without him saying a word.
“Do we know the exact location of the Book?”
“The facility’s too big to say for sure. Only a few higher-ups know where it’s actually stored. But we’ve narrowed it down to a few likely locations. That’s the best we’ve got.”
“Got it.”
“Security will be partially disabled, but expect traps and heavy defense systems. You’ll need to be careful.”
Kang Biso nodded. Of course it wouldn’t be easy. No way the government would leave something like the Book of Wishes out in the open. It was probably locked away somewhere no one even knew existed.
They had all the intel they could get. The rest would have to be figured out on the ground.
This mission wasn’t just difficult—it was dangerous. They had no exact location, the place was crawling with security, and any number of traps could be waiting. But he had no choice. For Hwang Dae-heon’s sake… he had to make this work.
“What’s the entry point?”
“Every Friday night at 9 PM, the janitors come in for a full cleaning. You’ll sneak in disguised as one of them.”
A janitor, huh…
Pretending to clean while searching the place might actually work.
“…I’ll say this again—don’t move around solo until you’ve met up with our people. If anything happens, contact us through the comms. I’ll be monitoring the CCTVs outside and giving you real-time instructions. Stick to them as much as possible.”
“Understood.”
Kang Bijun then laid out details about hazardous zones, escape routes, and emergency exits—everything he needed to know.
“That’s everything. Any questions?”
As he spoke, he started organizing the mess of documents spread across the table.
“Nope. Everything looks solid. Let’s move forward with the plan as is.”
“All that’s left is setting the date… When do you want to go?”
Kang Biso fell quiet, thinking it over.
“…The sooner, the better.”
“No argument here.”
“Then let’s do it this Friday. That gives us two days.”
“You sure that’s enough time? We could wait until next week…”
“No. We need to get it before someone else does.”
Kang Biso’s eyes gleamed as he stared down at the blueprint.
…I have to get the Book of Wishes.
Only then would he know—what choice Hwang Dae-heon would make.
