“Esper Kim Seong-gyeong! Don’t tell me you let him get away again!”
Kang Hak-gwan couldn’t hold back his rage and snapped at Kim Seong-gyeong. How many times had this happened now?! He’d placed his trust in Kim Seong-gyeong, and yet the Villain—and Hwang Seol-bin—had slipped through his fingers right before his eyes once more.
“…I’m sorry.”
Seeing him bow his head and repeat the same tired apology was infuriating. Kang Hak-gwan had given him another chance, and all he got in return was a pitiful excuse and yet another failure. He’d suspected Kim Seong-gyeong was overly fixated on Hwang Seol-bin—and judging by this, there was no doubt he had feelings for him. That had to be the reason he couldn’t bring himself to capture him.
Kang Hak-gwan had had enough. If he left things in Kim Seong-gyeong’s hands any longer, everything would fall apart.
“Hah… There’s no reason for you to be here anymore. I’ll send you intel on the dungeon we’re planning to raid soon—until then, stay on standby.”
“…What?”
“Did you not hear me? I said, go back.”
“Wait—if I leave, then who’s going to handle the mission…?!”
“Someone else will take over. At this point, anyone would be better than someone who keeps screwing up.”
As soon as Kang Hak-gwan finished speaking, Kim Seong-gyeong raised his voice in desperation, unwilling to walk away.
“This time, I won’t let him go. I will bring him back, no matter what it takes! Please—just give me one more chance!”
“Another chance? Do you really think giving you more chances is going to change anything?”
“It won’t happen again. I’m the only one who can stop that Villain. Please—just one more shot. That’s all I’m asking.”
Kim Seong-gyeong looked ready to drop to his knees as he pleaded, and Kang Hak-gwan’s resolve wavered slightly. Honestly, the man wasn’t wrong. Kim Seong-gyeong was an S-Rank Esper, and the Villain’s abilities were notoriously difficult to deal with. According to the reports, the only one who could go toe-to-toe with him was another S-Rank—Kim Seong-gyeong himself.
Logically, it made more sense to keep him on the mission. Maybe one final chance would be worth the risk.
Still, Kang Hak-gwan’s face remained cold and unreadable.
“…Since you’re so adamant, I’ll give you one last opportunity. But if you fail again, you’d better be ready to face the consequences.”
“I don’t care.”
Kim Seong-gyeong answered without hesitation, his eyes burning with determination. Seeing that, Kang Hak-gwan gave a reluctant nod.
“This is your final chance. You’d better make it count.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
“Then get going.”
“Yes.”
Kim Seong-gyeong bowed deeply and left the room.
Once he was gone, Kang Hak-gwan rested his chin in his hand and began tapping his fingers on the desk.
Now all that was left was figuring out how to recapture Hwang Seol-bin and that Villain…
He glanced down at the reports piled in front of him. They’d managed to locate the Villains’ hideout, but thanks to a bunch of meathead Espers recklessly throwing their powers around, every single target had escaped.
They’d had them cornered—cornered!—and then someone blew up the entrance, giving them the perfect chance to run. Absolutely idiotic. Hoping there’d be some kind of clue left behind, they tore through the wrecked hideout, but all they found were meaningless documents and heaps of trash.
There was one note mentioning the Book of Wishes, but even that was useless. Everyone already knew the Villains were after it. In the end, there was nothing of value.
“…Dammit.”
Kang Hak-gwan let out a long, frustrated sigh.
This was an organization that moved without leaving a single shred of evidence. Was it really wise to rely solely on Kim Seong-gyeong? No—he needed someone else.
Even if they couldn’t overpower Hwang Seol-bin, someone who could get close to him. Someone who could manipulate him, or lower his guard…
A name surfaced in his mind.
“…Kim Yong-ha.”
The man who had used Kang Hak-gwan himself to trap and monopolize Hwang Seol-bin—if it was him, he might prove useful. Just hinting that Seol-bin was in danger would probably be enough to provoke a reaction.
…I need to bring Kim Yong-ha in.
That guy had made such a damn scene begging to be taken to Hwang Seol-bin, they’d ended up locking him in his room just to shut him up. If they told him there was information about Seol-bin, he’d follow without a second thought.
Kang Hak-gwan picked up the phone and started dialing.
***
“Guide Kim Yong-ha. Esper Kang Hak-gwan is requesting your presence.”
Kim Yong-ha, who had been wasting away in his locked room day after day thanks to Kang Hak-gwan, snapped his head up in shock. He blinked at the Esper who had come to fetch him.
“That bastard—wait, Kang Hak-gwan wants to see me?”
That son of a bitch?! The same guy who broke his promise and threw him in here like garbage—and now he wanted something? Just thinking about his smug face made Kim Yong-ha grit his teeth in fury.
“Yes. I’ve been ordered to escort you to the research facility immediately.”
“…Fine. Let’s go.”
He had no idea where the research facility was or where they were taking him—but it didn’t matter.
This was his golden chance to escape that suffocating room.
Sure, the fact that it was Kang Hak-gwan who had summoned him pissed him off. But this was the first opportunity he’d had in a while to learn anything about what was going on outside. He wasn’t about to waste it.
Without a word, Kim Yong-ha threw on a coat and followed the Esper out.
The moment he stepped outside, sunlight hit his face, and he instinctively winced.
The weather was gorgeous.
He paused without thinking, momentarily stunned. How long had he been locked away, missing days like this? The unfairness of it all made his chest ache.
“This way, sir. Please get in the car.”
“…Alright.”
He forced down the bitterness rising in his throat and got into the vehicle.
As the car pulled away, Kim Yong-ha stared out the window, lost in thought.
…Why is Kang Hak-gwan calling me now?
Almost automatically, Hwang Seol-bin’s face came to mind.
It had to be about him. That was the only possible reason Kang would suddenly remember his existence. There had been no word, no updates—nothing. The silence had gone on so long that now, he was starting to fear the worst.
…Get it together. Focus.
He shook his head sharply, trying to snap out of the downward spiral.
There had to be a reason Kang was calling for him now, after ignoring every one of his pleas. Something had happened—something Kang couldn’t handle alone. Something that required his involvement.
Eventually, the car came to a stop in front of the research facility.
After stepping out, he was escorted by a pair of Espers through the building. When they reached the door to Kang Hak-gwan’s office, he paused and took a deep breath.
Stay calm, Kim Yong-ha.
The part of him that still felt betrayed wanted to burst through the door, grab Kang by the collar, and demand to know where the hell his conscience had gone. To ask how he could break his promise and lock him away like some kind of animal—only to summon him now as if nothing had happened.
But he couldn’t afford to explode. Not here.
If he made even the smallest mistake, he’d be thrown right back in that room and left to rot.
And the thought of going back to that isolation—being helpless and forgotten all over again—was unbearable.
He bit down hard on his lip, swallowed the fire in his chest, and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
The low, gravelly voice from inside hadn’t changed one bit.
Still sounds like a smug piece of shit.
Suppressing his disgust, Kim Yong-ha opened the door and stepped inside.
Kang Hak-gwan was seated at his desk, flipping through a stack of documents. When their eyes met, Kim Yong-ha instinctively tensed. The scars on Kang’s face, the oppressive aura—he hated how small they made him feel.
But he held his ground, eyes narrowed, posture steady.
Acting like he wasn’t rattled, he spoke first.
“You broke your promise. Locked me away without a word. And now you summon me like I’m supposed to be grateful?”
“You weren’t exactly cooperative, if I recall.”
“Oh, come on. You’re the one who broke the deal first.”
The smug, indifferent look on Kang’s face made his blood boil. He wanted to hit him.
Hard.
But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he knew what this was really about.
Kang Hak-gwan didn’t even bother to argue. He just scanned him up and down in silence, like he was appraising a tool.
Disgusting.
Just when the silence started to stretch, Kang finally spoke.
“I called you here because there’s been a problem with Guide Hwang Seol-bin.”
“…What kind of problem?”
Kim Yong-ha stiffened. Just hearing Seol-bin’s name was enough to jolt him upright.
What happened?
“An Esper attacked the Guide Center and kidnapped him.”
“…What?”
Kidnapped? By who? Kang Biso?
His eyes widened. He stared at Kang Hak-gwan, heart thudding.
“And that Esper broke into this facility—with him.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Why would Seol-bin break in here? Are you saying you just let him get kidnapped? You didn’t do anything to stop it?”
“You don’t need to know the details. Your job is to assist Esper Kim Seong-gyeong in bringing Hwang Seol-bin back.”
No matter how many questions he asked, Kang ignored them all. He just kept pushing his own agenda.
And that’s when it clicked.
Kim Yong-ha finally understood why he’d been dragged out.
Kang Hak-gwan wanted to use him. Again.
He’d decided Kim Yong-ha still had value—that he could still be useful. That was the only reason he was here.
Fucking bastard. He couldn’t even protect Seol-bin, and now he wanted to throw orders around like this was someone else’s fault?
It made him sick.
But no matter how badly he wanted to snap, he didn’t. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and forced himself to stay calm.
If this was the only way to get to Seol-bin, so be it.
He’d let himself be used.
Just this once.
But he had no intention of being discarded again like last time.
“…What exactly do you expect me to do? Even if I work with Kim Seong-gyeong, I’m just a Guide. I don’t have the power to stop anyone.”
“You don’t need to stop him. You just need to talk to him. Stall for time. That’s something even you should be able to handle. Once he’s distracted, Kim Seong-gyeong will handle the rest.”
As Kang laid out the plan, Kim Yong-ha’s mind kicked into overdrive.
Kim Seong-gyeong, huh…
Good. He needed to talk to him anyway. He didn’t trust a single word coming out of Kang’s mouth.
The last time he saw Seol-bin with Kang Biso, the two had looked… close. Disgustingly close. There hadn’t been even a sliver of room for him to wedge himself in.
But now Kang Hak-gwan was saying Kang Biso kidnapped Seol-bin?
That didn’t make any sense. If Kang Biso had just asked, wouldn’t Seol-bin have gone willingly?
The more he thought about it, the more Kang Hak-gwan’s story felt like a cover-up—like he was trying to pin his failure on the Villains to hide his own incompetence.
Pathetic.
Still, Kim Yong-ha kept his face perfectly calm.
“…Alright. I’ll talk to him.”
But first, he needed to speak to Kim Seong-gyeong.
He was the only one who could tell him what really happened.
“A wise decision. For now, you’ll remain here in the research facility instead of the Guide Center. I’ve already notified them.”
“…Understood.”
Kim Yong-ha nodded, keeping his expression neutral as he turned and walked out of the room.
The moment he was alone, his expression hardened.
The warmth, the passivity—gone in an instant.
…I need to find Kim Seong-gyeong.
