Hyun Je-ha’s reaction only provoked an even stronger response from his comrades.
“If you knew, then you shouldn’t be acting like this! Don’t you realize the government’s going crazy trying to find you? They’re probably tightening the search even more, knowing that if they catch you, the rest of us will be dragged down like fish on a line!”
When Hyun Je-ha lost control, a small number of Espers and Guides who had served alongside him managed to survive.
Those comrades—who’d once been part of the same unit as both Hyun Je-ha and Ahn Ga-hyun—had waited for him to recover his senses.
And when they learned of the suspicious circumstances surrounding Ahn Ga-hyun’s death, they sided with Hyun Je-ha to form an anti-government alliance of rogue ability users.
Once young, time had weathered their appearances over the past twenty years. Only Hyun Je-ha still looked almost exactly as he had back then.
Even the government had a hard time catching these elusive ability users who flitted between hideouts all over the country.
They were quietly added to the wanted list, and the Bureau dispatched agents and reached out to guilds to track them down, but it was all in vain.
Veterans who had survived brutal battles against monsters weren’t so easily hunted down by people. And at the core of their strength—their leader—was Hyun Je-ha.
Because he had endured through the years without faltering, the others had clung to the idea of avenging Ga-hyun and resisting the shady government forces, living in hiding all this time.
So of course, seeing Hyun Je-ha showing weakness made them angry.
“Don’t let this break you, Captain.”
“It’s heartbreaking… but Ga-hyun’s been dead a long time. You and I both know—we buried his body ourselves.”
“The wound was too deep. Not even self-healing could fix it.”
“…I know.”
“So why are you letting your emotions cloud your judgment? You know better than anyone—that’s exactly what the government wants…”
“…I’m sorry.”
Yeah. Logically, he knew that boyish Guide wasn’t Ga-hyun. And yet, something deep inside told Hyun Je-ha that he couldn’t let Yeon Yu-jin go.
“I can’t explain it clearly, but… I just feel like I need to keep an eye on that Guide.”
At those words, his comrades once again burst into a storm of objections.
“I mean, it’s definitely suspicious that he was able to open Ga-hyun’s vault.”
“It’s got ‘government trap’ written all over it! Falling for it would be stupid!”
“But think about it—how would they know when the Captain would try to access that vault? How could they plan a trap with a Guide like that in advance? If it were a trap, wouldn’t it make more sense to post a bunch of S-rank Espers ready to subdue him on the spot?”
“…Huh. When you put it like that…”
So then what was it?
Leaving his muttering comrades behind, Hyun Je-ha packed lightly and set out.
“Captain! Are you seriously going to see that Guide?”
“I’m only going to observe from afar. I agree it might be a trap… If I see any contact with government agents, I’ll back off immediately.”
“…You swear?”
“Yeah.”
That had been the promise.
…Doesn’t look like he’s doing much of anything, though.
Watching Yeon Yu-jin was… boring.
For someone who called himself an idol, he hadn’t made a single move that resembled an actual schedule.
All he’d done was discharge from the hospital in record time, swing by the CEO’s office to say something or other, then shuffle out looking like a deflated balloon.
Not exactly the behavior of someone who was warned not to get himself killed.
A useless baggage.
Even someone like Hyun Je-ha, who had zero interest in the entertainment world, could tell that Yeon Yu-jin was completely out of place here, like a sack of rice in a fashion show.
Worse yet, the more he watched, the more it became obvious that even his fellow group members—Espers—were bullying him.
He only talks like Ga-hyun.
What a weakling.
The way Ahn Ga-hyun used to dominate those wild Espers who never listened to anyone—reining in their tempers from the top of the food chain—was a world apart from this kid.
Guess I let nostalgia get the better of me.
Maybe his comrades were right. Maybe this was all for nothing.
Hyun Je-ha was about to activate his artifact and disappear when…
Bzzzzzzzzzzzt—
…That feeling—?
A bond he’d thought was completely severed flickered back to life—faint, but unmistakable.
His head snapped back toward the HB Entertainment building.
This energy flow… reverse guiding?
After his second awakening, Hyun Je-ha had become even more sensitive to energy flow, and he was sure.
A Guide with considerable power was subduing an Esper using reverse guiding.
Goosebumps prickled across his skin. Reverse guiding could be fatal to an Esper if misused.
Ga-hyun could use reverse guiding too.
So who was using it now?
He scanned the area, but aside from Yeon Yu-jin, no other Guides were visible.
HB Entertainment, aside from Secreti’s members, was staffed entirely by regular civilians.
…No way.
Yeon Yu-jin?
Six ability users came into view.
One: Yeon Yu-jin.
Four: Secreti’s Esper members.
One more: an Esper he’d never seen before.
What’s an Esper doing in an entertainment company staffed with civilians?
It was obvious at a glance—they were pretending to be a regular person to sneak in.
And from the level of power he could sense, they were definitely above C or D rank.
Someone had sent them.
Should I tail them?
They hadn’t taken any obvious action yet…
Hyun Je-ha glanced toward the building’s entrance, where Yeon Yu-jin had just stepped outside.
Who should I follow?
***
The place I returned to after buying a stun gun… was the company.
Even if Secreti was a has-been group, the company was still scrambling to get us back on our feet—enough to land a single schedule.
Not exactly what I imagined an idol’s schedule would be.
Our big gig? A charity appearance to cheer on ability users coming out of a dungeon raid.
Charity, my ass. We’d be sending a snack truck labeled with Secreti’s name and smiling sweetly while telling the exhausted Espers to enjoy.
“Let’s do our best today, okay, guys?”
Manager Hyun-soo sounded a little too solemn. The CEO standing beside him looked just as serious.
“Especially you, Yu-jin! Don’t screw up this time. This schedule’s meant to cover up that whole su…icide incident.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I gave a half-assed nod, and the CEO narrowed her eyes at me.
“You can’t act like that. I know you’ve lost all motivation, but the better Secreti does, the faster we turn a profit—and then you can quit this idol thing.”
“…Seriously?”
That got my attention.
Manager Hyun-soo gawked. “CEO, what are you saying?!”, but the CEO stood firm.
“I promise you, Yu-jin. No more scandals, play your part in the group, and once we’ve recouped Secreti’s investment, I’ll let you go.”
“No paying 5 times the penalty fee or anything?”
“Right.”
I didn’t know how absurd that promise was at the time. No company in their right mind would just let go of a successful idol. But to me, who had no clue where else to turn, it sounded… like a decent deal.
“Fine. I’ll give it my best.”
“Good… And try to get along with the other members, too.”
“……”
I couldn’t promise that.
How the hell am I supposed to get friendly with a bunch of Espers who look like they want to murder me?
Things with Seo Yoon-chae were already past the point of no return. Ra Ho-yeon and Shin Tae-boem clearly didn’t like me either.
“…Sigh. I’ll… try.”
“Even that’s good to hear.”
It made me wonder.
Did the CEO really not know that Yeon Yu-jin had been bullied by the other members?
Maybe all that acting out they say he did… was really just a cry for help.
When a desperate person still clings to hope, they fight like hell to change their reality.
It’s only after they’ve tasted the futility of it all that they truly fall into despair, give up, and surrender.
Yeon Yu-jin had kept hoping. Even right before dying, he’d still been asking for help.
Just like I did—slaughtering monster after monster in that hellish gate zone, refusing to go down.
Maybe he and I weren’t so different after all.
The thought made me feel even sorrier for him.
Enough. Focus on myself for now.
Still… Potato was being weirdly quiet.
I plucked the little thing off my head—dead asleep, not a twitch in sight.
Didn’t know abilities that manifest physically could actually sleep like living creatures…
I had no clue what to do.
Not knowing whether it was sick or just napping, I gently set it back on my head.
***
When I climbed into the van headed for the dungeon area, the other members were already seated.
Ugh.
God, I hated this.
All of them—silver, yellow, red, and blue-haired Espers—glaring at me like they owned the place.
“…Honestly thought you’d bail again. Kinda surprising.”
That was all the youngest, Cha Si-yoon, said as he peeked at me from under his eye mask.
And then he went right back to pretending I didn’t exist.
Seo Yoon-chae huffed and whipped his head away the moment our eyes met, like he’d sworn not to look at me no matter what.
Shin Tae-boem, who once had a shouting match with me that looked anything but dignified, just glared.
“…Let’s get moving.”
Ra Ho-yeon hurried the manager the moment I sat down.
“Uh, yeah. Let’s go, everyone.”
Manager Hyun-soo climbed into the passenger seat, while a new face settled into the driver’s seat.
“Is that the new manager?”
At Ra Ho-yeon’s question, Hyun-soo scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Ah, yeah! Ho-yeon, this is Lee Ha-ram. He’s going to be your new road manager.”
“Looking forward to working with you. I’m Lee Ha-ram.”
“He’s sharp and knows how to get things done. The CEO’s already impressed, so I’m sure you’ll all get used to him quickly.”
“Nice to meet you, Manager Ha-ram.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Secreti members.”
As Lee Ha-ram offered a faint smile, my eyes narrowed.
This guy…
He’s an Esper.
