“Guhk!”
“What the—? My legs… they’re giving out…!”
Kang Biso activated his ability, instantly forcing several Espers to their knees and knocking them out cold. With enemies closing in on all sides, his only choice now was to go all out and crush them head-on.
But for every one he took down, another stepped forward to replace them. And when he dropped that one, yet another would appear. No matter how many he fought, they just kept coming. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Kang Biso couldn’t help but wonder—could he really take them all down?
Even with the full Guiding session he’d received from Hwang Seol-bin, there was no telling how long it would last. Not with this many Espers, and especially not with Kim Seong-gyeong among them.
If only Kim Seong-gyeong weren’t here… things would be a hell of a lot easier.
Kang Biso silently clicked his tongue. The guy was a menace—lunging the moment he saw even the tiniest opening. As if that wasn’t enough, Kang Biso had already seen him hanging around Hwang Seol-bin way too often for his liking, and the man’s fighting style grated on his nerves.
And because he was an S-Rank, even Kang Biso’s suppression techniques barely slowed him down. All he could manage was to hold him in place for a second or two. It was infuriating. But focusing all his power on Kim Seong-gyeong? That wasn’t an option—not with so many other Espers still crowding the area.
…Shit, he’s fast!
Without warning, Kim Seong-gyeong surged forward, closing the distance in a blink. Kang Biso instinctively flung himself backward, narrowly dodging a punch aimed straight for his face. Kim Seong-gyeong looked mildly surprised, eyes widening for a split second, but his expression quickly darkened again.
“Not bad. You actually dodged.”
“…That was nothing. Easy.”
Kang Biso forced a cocky smile, pretending he wasn’t drenched in cold sweat. He didn’t expect the bluff to work, but he had to buy time. His mind raced, trying to find any opening in the chaos.
His stamina was nearing its limit. The other Espers were still pressing in, and Kim Seong-gyeong—who was basically his worst possible matchup with that brute-force physical ability—was eyeing him like a predator. If this dragged on, he wouldn’t just fail to escape. He could end up going into a rampage from overusing his power.
Could he really fight his way out, shake Kim Seong-gyeong, and make it back to the hideout alive?
No matter how confident he acted, he couldn’t say for sure that he could pull it off. Should’ve known better than to come here alone. He let out a bitter laugh, then snapped back into position, fixing his eyes on Kim Seong-gyeong. Regrets could wait until after the fight.
“Give it up. You know there’s zero chance of you getting out of here, right?”
“…You never know until you try.”
“Sigh… If that’s how you wanna play it, then I won’t hold back anymore. I’m in a bit of a rush myself.”
The moment he finished speaking, Kim Seong-gyeong charged again—this time with far more speed than before, like everything up to now had just been him playing around.
You’ve gotta be kidding me…!
Kang Biso scrambled to stop him—tried to freeze him, knock him out, anything—but it was useless. Kim Seong-gyeong slipped through every move like water, and even when he did hesitate, it wasn’t enough to stop him.
He barely managed to dodge the flurry of punches and kicks, weaving between each one by the skin of his teeth. If he let his guard down for even a second, he knew he’d get hit.
The attacks only got faster. Sharper. More precise. Eventually, one lightning-fast kick came flying at him—too fast for even his eyes to track—and landed clean. He went flying, crashing into the wall with a deafening bang before collapsing among the debris.
“Guhk!”
Agonizing pain flared across his back as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. How long has it been since I got hit this bad…? Damn. That guy didn’t just hit hard—he hit like a truck. Freaking monster…
“He’s down!”
“Grab him!”
The waiting Espers pounced the moment Kang Biso dropped to his knees, coughing. No way in hell was he getting captured by these weaklings. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his palm into the floor, flaring his power in a wide, powerful shockwave.
Several of the Espers lost their footing and collapsed. Kang Biso watched them drop one by one, even as a splitting headache tore through his skull from the strain. Still, he managed a crooked, almost mocking grin—and turned it right at Kim Seong-gyeong.
Kim Seong-gyeong stared at him, let out a short sigh—and vanished.
Or at least it felt like he vanished. A second later, he was right there in front of Kang Biso again, like he’d never moved at all.
The moment Kang Biso saw the fist flying toward his face, an image flashed in his mind: Hwang Seol-bin’s worried face, and the soft voice telling him not to get hurt, to come back safely.
…Seol-bin…
Sorry. Looks like I won’t be keeping that promise.
***
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
“Dammit…!”
Kang Bijun hurled the dead radio to the ground and rose from his crouched position on the rooftop. He turned his gaze to the nearby research facility, lips pressed into a tight line.
Kang Biso had been captured.
And by none other than Kim Seong-gyeong.
It should’ve been an easy mission. Breaking into a government facility wasn’t anything new—they’d done it plenty of times. That’s why Kang Bijun had expected this job to go just as smoothly.
So why the hell was Kim Seong-gyeong inside a research facility that had absolutely nothing to do with them?
No one could’ve predicted it. And just that alone would’ve been bad enough…
But betrayal? Seriously?!
Villains—those damn traitors—working as double agents? Rage surged in Kang Bijun as he clenched his fists. If they had just done their jobs, if they hadn’t turned on them, none of this would’ve happened!
But it was already too late. The situation had gone to hell.
Gritting his teeth, Kang Bijun tried to keep a clear head and focus.
There has to be a way.
He couldn’t leave Kang Biso behind. Biso wasn’t just ZEC’s leader—he was his older brother.
From his perch on the rooftop, Kang Bijun looked down at the research facility. Floodlights lit up the building like it was broad daylight despite the late hour, and even from a distance, the chaos inside was obvious. Alarms were blaring. People were scrambling.
In some ways, it was the perfect moment to slip in—but not alone.
And Kim Seong-gyeong was still inside. Even if they brought reinforcements, there wasn’t a single member of ZEC capable of taking him on and getting Biso out alive.
For now…
There’s nothing I can do.
Kang Bijun clenched his jaw so hard it hurt. No. He couldn’t give up here. He had to think straight. If he lost it now, everything would collapse.
Without hesitation, he slipped away from the rooftop and began heading back to the hideout.
He needed a new plan. Something solid. There had to be a way to get Kang Biso out.
It might take time, but right now, it was the best option they had.
He bit down on his lip, seething with frustration at his own helplessness.
***
When Kang Bijun returned, expression steeled, the first thing he saw as he opened the door was Hwang Seol-bin standing there, waiting.
Seol-bin’s eyes immediately swept over him, then locked on.
“Where’s Kang Biso?”
“That’s… uh…”
How the hell was he supposed to say it? Seol-bin had been the one who wouldn’t stop worrying about Biso, telling him to be careful over and over again. How was he supposed to break this to him?
Words wouldn’t come. His mouth stayed shut.
But Seol-bin had already read the situation. His expression darkened, voice sharp.
“What happened to Kang Biso?!”
Backed into a corner, Kang Bijun finally looked away and forced the words out.
“…The operatives inside betrayed us. They were double agents. My brother… he was captured.”
Seol-bin’s face drained of all color.
There wasn’t time to stand around talking, but Kang Bijun understood how much this must’ve hit him—so he couldn’t bring himself to rush him.
“But with Kang Biso’s ability, he should’ve been able to escape, right? It’s not like he’s low-ranked. And the others—”
“The plan was to keep things quiet and just extract the book. So except for a couple agents stationed inside, he went in alone.”
“Alone? What the hell were you thinking—”
“And then, of all people, Kim Seong-gyeong showed up.”
The moment the name left his lips, Seol-bin froze.
Kang Bijun had been just as stunned—he still remembered the moment he heard Kim Seong-gyeong’s voice over the comms. Even Kang Biso had no hope of handling him easily.
No one expected the government to assign someone like him to guard the Book of Wishes. Not even Bijun.
Judging by Seol-bin’s silence, he felt the same.
But then, without a word, Seol-bin turned and headed for the exit.
“W-wait, Seol-bin?!”
“There’s no time. I’m going. I can be ready in five minutes.”
What…?
For a second, Kang Bijun was speechless. There was something fierce and unwavering in Seol-bin’s eyes—a will that struck him right in the chest.
It was reckless. It was dangerous.
But it was also… moving.
Thank you… really. But this isn’t it.
Realistically, what could Seol-bin do by himself?
Sure, he was SSS-Rank, and Kang Biso had mentioned that Esper abilities didn’t work on him. But at the end of the day, he was still just a Guide. If enough people came at him at once, he’d have no way to fight back.
Especially after what the government had done to him—locking him up like a criminal. And now he wanted to walk right back into that place to save Kang Biso?
It was suicide.
Kang Bijun quickly stepped in to stop him.
“Look, believe me, I want to go in and get him too. But the situation’s not that simple. Kim Seong-gyeong is there.”
Even at that name, Seol-bin’s eyes didn’t waver.
“You can’t take him on. No one can. We need to step back, wait, and—”
“I won’t get caught. Just let me go.”
He wasn’t listening. There was no talking him out of it.
Kang Bijun finally dropped the formalities and laid it all out.
“Haah… What the hell do you think you’re gonna do, Seol-bin? My brother’s an S-Rank Esper, and he got captured. What do you think a Guide is going to pull off in there?!”
But Seol-bin’s resolve was like steel.
“Then tell me—who else do you have that can go in right now to save Kang Biso?”
“I mean… no one, yet. But it’d still be better than sending you—you’re a Guide!”
“I don’t know. When it comes to infiltration or sharpshooting, I don’t think anyone here’s better than me. And besides—if it’s me, I can do it.”
Kang Bijun’s mouth hung open at Hwang Seol-bin’s sudden burst of confidence—completely unfounded, at that.
…Where the hell is that kind of confidence even coming from?
Seol-bin didn’t back down. He actually started trying to convince Kang Bijun that there was no one better suited for the job than him. That absurd self-assurance nearly swayed him for a second—but Kang Bijun quickly clamped his mouth shut and chose to back away from the conversation instead.
Letting Seol-bin go? No. Not a chance. It went against every ounce of common sense he had.
But Seol-bin clearly had no intention of backing down. He stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Esper abilities don’t affect me! I know I can sneak in undetected!”
“That’s not the issue here! They’re targeting you—don’t you get that?!”
“I don’t care!”
His voice didn’t waver. Not even for a second. The firm, almost unshakable look on Seol-bin’s face shut Kang Bijun right up. He couldn’t wrap his head around it—how someone could say something like that with such certainty.
“Please. Let me go. I… I can save Kang Biso.”
No… Maybe it wasn’t just confidence.
Maybe it was desperation.
…Damn it…
Who the hell could say no after seeing someone look that determined?
And the truth was, just like Seol-bin said, there really wasn’t anyone in ZEC capable of rescuing Kang Biso right now. If there was even a sliver of hope, it would be Seol-bin—the only one immune to Esper abilities and skilled enough to sneak into a government facility alone.
“Please. I’ll come back safe. I swear I’ll bring Kang Biso back. So… just this once—trust me.”
The look in his eyes made it clear: even if Kang Bijun tried to stop him, Seol-bin would go on his own. There was no talking him out of it.
Kang Bijun stood frozen, wrestling with the decision as Seol-bin waited silently.
And in the end… he could only nod.
