“Hey, you’re back? You’re early today.”
After getting patched up and heading home, I found Baek Beom sprawled out on the bed, lazily waving at me as if he’d been waiting.
I gave a half-hearted wave back and started toward my room, but Baek Beom suddenly shot up and strode over to me with long, urgent steps.
“…Hey, what the hell happened to your face?”
“Oh, this? Just a little scrape—ugh.”
I was trying to brush it off when he suddenly grabbed my face and ripped the bandage right off. Just as I was about to yell at him for pulling that crap, he shouted first.
“What the fuck is this?! Who did this to you?! What bastard messed you up like this?!”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Baek Beom wasn’t the type to care if I got hurt, so seeing him lose his temper like this felt bizarre. I touched my face and said, trying to downplay it,
“…It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? Your lip’s split, your cheek’s swollen! Have you even looked in a mirror?! Huh?!”
Now that he said it, I didn’t have a comeback. I kept my mouth shut, and Baek Beom, thinking I was ignoring him, practically growled at me before grabbing my wrist in frustration.
“Huh?! Who was it?! Who the hell did this to you?!”
“…….”
“Who the fuck laid a hand on your face?!”
“Could you stop yelling? My ears are ringing. Anyway, this is…”
Trying to calm him down, I started explaining what had happened today. Only then did Baek Beom finally fall silent, though his face was twisted in frustration the whole time.
I hadn’t planned to tell him anything, but seeing him so worked up made it hard to stay quiet. To anyone else, it would’ve looked like I came home with broken limbs or something.
“He passed out? You just knocked him out? Seriously…? Ugh, whatever. Just tell me who it was. I’ll take care of it.”
He wanted a name? Just like that? Unbelievable.
And what exactly are you planning to do if I tell you?
I sighed and shook my head at him, grinding his teeth like he was ready to murder someone.
“It’s fine. I handled it. He won’t be showing his face around me again.”
That seemed to cool him off a bit—he stopped grinding his teeth—but he still looked seriously pissed.
“…I’m really okay. So could you let go of my wrist now? It hurts…”
Grumbling under his breath, Baek Beom finally let go. He stared at my face for a few more seconds, frowning hard, then stomped off to the living room like he was the one who got beat up.
I’m the one who got punched, so why is he acting like the victim here?
Whatever. He’s a simple guy—he’ll probably forget all about this by tomorrow morning.
***
“…This is a disaster.”
When I woke up, my face looked even worse than yesterday—so swollen it felt like a balloon. The dark bruise blooming across my cheek made it obvious I’d been hit.
If Baek Beom saw me like this again, he’d definitely go off just like yesterday. So I got ready quickly, slipped out of the house before he woke up, and made my way to the Center.
It was rush hour, so the place was buzzing with people. As I walked through the crowd toward the break room, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine—people were staring.
I glanced around.
They were whispering. About me.
“Is that him?”
“Yeah, I think so. From the rumors yesterday…”
“Didn’t he piss off Yoon Yi-hyeon? I heard an Esper showed up and dragged him to the infirmary.”
“Look at his face… That’s definitely from a beating, right?”
What the hell is wrong with them…
From the sound of it, yesterday’s incident had already spiraled into some ridiculous urban legend. Apparently, I’d gotten on Yoon Yi-hyeon’s bad side, and an Esper he sent had dragged me off and beat me to a pulp. Just like that, I’d become the poor, unfortunate Guide everyone was whispering about.
If they were going to gossip, couldn’t they at least have the decency to do it out of earshot?
…Why the hell do I have to be caught up in a rumor like this?
The whole thing made my blood boil. But storming over to tell them to shut up would only make it worse. They’d just get more excited, more dramatic. So I bit my tongue and kept walking.
When I finally reached the break room, I saw Kim Yong-ha and Yoon Yi-hyeon in the middle of what looked like a heated conversation.
“You heard the rumor from yesterday, right?”
“…What? What are you talking about?”
“The rumor’s everywhere. Don’t act like you don’t know.”
Wait, is this… a fight?
Kim Yong-ha sounded like he was practically spitting venom, while Yoon Yi-hyeon was stone-faced and playing dumb. The two of them were glaring at each other like they were about to explode.
Okay… this is bad.
“So what you’re saying is—ah, Sunbae!”
Kim Yong-ha, who had been speaking in a tone colder than usual, immediately stopped mid-sentence when he saw me enter the room. His expression softened back to its usual warm demeanor as he approached with concern in his voice.
“Sunbae! Are you okay? Your face is really swollen.”
“…It’s fine. It’s not like I was seriously hurt.”
“Still… You should’ve just taken the day off.”
Kim Yong-ha looked at my face with worry, then turned his sharp gaze back to Yoon Yi-hyeon.
“I heard that Esper who caused yesterday’s scene was under your Guiding, isn’t that right?”
Yoon Yi-hyeon, catching that glare, immediately scowled and shot back,
“So what if he was? I didn’t hit anyone, did I?!”
“…Do you even know what people at the Center are saying about you lately? That you’re the kind of bastard who uses Espers to harass fellow Guides. I even hear people calling you a sly little fox behind your back.”
At the sarcastic jab, Yoon Yi-hyeon shot up from his seat, his temper flaring.
“Hey! You seriously saying that to my face?!”
“Why not? Am I wrong?”
“Sly little fox? What kind of bullshit—don’t start throwing accusations without proof!”
“Oh, so you’re denying it? Everyone knows that Esper is close to you. Go ask any Guide passing by—they’ll all say the same thing. I’m just repeating the rumors.”
“I’ve had enough of this! Why the hell is this my fault?! It’s Hwang Seol-bin’s fault for screwing up the Guiding! How bad must he have been for the Esper to snap and start throwing punches? It’s not like D-Ranks haven’t failed before! That’s how everyone at the Center sees him—Hwang Seol-bin, the incompetent. Who else would be to blame? It’s all his fault!”
“What did you just say?”
He pointed at me, speaking with disgust, like I was beneath him. Kim Yong-ha narrowed his eyes, clearly done with Yoon Yi-hyeon’s crap.
“Did I say anything wrong? It’s all his fault, not mine! So take back everything you said!”
“…Unbelievable. Yoon Yi-hyeon, you…”
Kim Yong-ha looked genuinely dumbfounded now, like he couldn’t believe the nonsense coming out of Yoon Yi-hyeon’s mouth.
What the hell is even going on between these two…
I stood there, staring blankly. Why were they fighting when I was the one actually involved? After the stress Baek Beom gave me yesterday, these two piling on first thing in the morning was pushing it. I could feel a migraine coming on.
I just wanted to be left alone.
“Why the hell is this my fault?!”
“If not you, then who else?!”
Their shouting was escalating by the second.
…This is technically about me, so I should probably step in before they drag a Team Leader into this mess.
“Okay, that’s enough—both of you—”
Just as I stepped forward to stop them—
—BOOM!
A deep, earth-rattling sound roared through the building as the entire Center shook violently.
“What the hell was that?!”
“…Was that an earthquake?”
Yoon Yi-hyeon and Kim Yong-ha’s faces paled.
Ignoring them, I scanned the room quickly, trying to grasp what was happening.
And then I froze.
No way… It’s today?!
I knew a dungeon eruption was coming—but I didn’t think it’d be now.
Before I could process anything else, another violent tremor ripped through the Center. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor, and the ground split open beneath our feet.
“…W-What the hell is going on?!”
“Sunbae! Over here—this way!”
Kim Yong-ha, now composed, rushed over and held out his hand to me. I reached for it instinctively. It felt safer if we stuck together—
—but before I could grab him, the floor gave out beneath me.
“Sunbae!”
I missed his outstretched hand by a hair’s breadth and fell.
I plunged into the darkness.
Then, just as I thought I’d crash into something, a warm, white light surrounded me. It caught me midair, cradling me like a cocoon. The glow was so bright I couldn’t keep my eyes open—I squeezed them shut.
***
Baek Beom stared at the empty room.
Seol-bin was already gone—no telling when he’d left for work. He’d wanted to check if the swelling had gone down, but he was clearly too late.
Tch. Seriously, this just pisses me off…
Did the guy at least put on some ointment before bed? That pretty face—just thinking about it made Baek Beom boil.
Lying on the couch, grumbling to himself, he finally couldn’t take it anymore and jumped to his feet. This was what happened when he stayed holed up in a hotel for too long. With that thought, he headed for the door.
Then the floor trembled.
…What the hell?
Baek Beom froze, a creeping sense of dread crawling up his spine. He threw the door open and sprinted outside.
Another tremor hit—stronger than the last. He nearly fell but managed to stay on his feet. His face drained of color.
He recognized this. Knew it all too well.
A dungeon was about to erupt.
Then—
“Urgh!”
Someone slammed into his shoulder at full speed.
Shocked, Baek Beom whipped his head around and locked eyes with the guy. Tanned skin, tight black curls, bold features, and deep-set eyes. The man was good-looking—but didn’t even spare Baek Beom a glance before darting off.
What the hell…?
Baek Beom instinctively looked in the direction the guy had run.
Toward the Guide Center.
Toward Seol-bin.
His eyes widened.
No mistaking it—the Guide Center was collapsing.
“…FUCK!”
Baek Beom cursed under his breath, panic setting in.
Why the hell did it have to be there?!
Without a second thought, Baek Beom took off, sprinting like his life depended on it.
***
[This is a breaking news alert. A dungeon has just erupted inside the Guide Center located in ** City.]
[Over thirty Guides were reportedly inside the building at the time, all now trapped inside the dungeon. Among them is Kim Yong-ha, who recently made headlines for being revealed as an S-Rank Guide.]
[Here is live footage from the scene. A massive crater has opened where the Guide Center once stood. The government has classified the situation as extremely dangerous and has begun an emergency mobilization of Espers. Due to the high number of victims—among them S-Rank Kim Yong-ha—officials are currently reviewing personnel deployment with utmost caution. We’ll bring you updates as they come in.]
