I’m sorry, everyone.
Hyun Je-ha silently apologized to his Baekho Unit comrades—only in his heart, maintaining a façade of calm on the surface.
Many of the Baekho Unit members had been close to the ability users murdered by X. That’s why they were all too eager to shove Hyun Je-ha forward.
“Go on! Hurry up and go!”
Ha Ri-ra, hands dusted with crumbs from her dried squid snack, briskly wiped them on her pants and motioned for Hyun Je-ha to head toward the door.
Even Geum Na-ro and Ryu Yi-rok shared her sentiment this time. So did the rest of the unit.
After all, they were people who had made it their life’s mission to uncover and expose the atrocities committed by X.
Ha Ri-ra went so far as to eagerly try and arm Hyun Je-ha with various tools.
“Captain, do you need any rope? How about some tranquilizers? Oh! If he’s a Powerhider, should I pack you an artifact that can knock him out completely?”
“No, it’s fine. Ri-ra, I’m just going there to observe, not to bury an ability user in the ground…”
Ha Ri-ra, who essentially acted as the unit’s operations leader, had a rather reckless tendency to charge in headfirst.
“Turns out Yeon Yu-jin’s going to the Bureau for a re-evaluation test. I’m just going to keep an eye on him from afar.”
The moment Hyun Je-ha heard Yeon Yu-jin sing a song that Ahn Ga-hyun had once loved—almost identically—he instinctively knew he wouldn’t be able to harm him.
Even if, by some absurd miracle, he turned out to be connected to X… I still wouldn’t be able to treat him like an enemy.
To Hyun Je-ha, Ahn Ga-hyun had been both god and religion.
Of course, Ga-hyun would’ve never known—Hyun Je-ha had never shown it. He loved his perfectly compatible partner. Even after his death, Hyun Je-ha had spent the last 20 years aimlessly chasing vengeance for him.
Sometimes, he wished that reincarnation—something he’d only ever seen in dramas and novels—actually existed.
If that were true, maybe I could meet Ga-hyun again.
But the dead don’t return.
Even if he could never confess his feelings, Hyun Je-ha still wished for a miracle that would bring Ahn Ga-hyun back to stand before him.
…A hollow, impossible wish.
Ha Ri-ra frowned at Hyun Je-ha, who was dressed entirely in black.
“Captain.”
“Hmm?”
“You’re dressed way too dull. What if something unexpected happens? Like, say you spot something suspicious about Yeon Yu-jin and have to bring him in?”
That wouldn’t happen.
Hyun Je-ha barely managed to suppress the twitch at the corner of his lips.
“…That’s always a possibility.”
“In that case, you’ll have to bring him back alive. And for that, using your good looks is the best weapon you’ve got.”
“…What?”
“So ditch that funeral outfit and wear something brighter! You’re planning to use a stealth artifact anyway, right?”
What kind of nonsense was that?
While Hyun Je-ha sat there completely baffled, Ryu Yi-rok smacked Ha Ri-ra on the head.
“Hey! Ha Ri-ra! What the hell was that? That’s sexual harassment!”
Clutching her aching head, Ha Ri-ra glared at him indignantly.
“Harassment? I’m being completely serious. Have you seen how ridiculously good-looking the Captain is? It’s a total waste for him to stay hidden! With that face, he could seduce men too. Sure, it’d be best to just knock someone out with the artifact when no one’s around, but the Bureau is crawling with people! If someone just collapses out of nowhere, it’ll raise suspicion! In that case, all the Captain has to do is look pitiful and ask for a moment of their time with that tragic face of his—”
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
Ryu Yi-rok, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed Ha Ri-ra and dragged her off into another room.
He turned back to Hyun Je-ha, bowing repeatedly.
“I’m sorry, Captain. Please just go about your business. I’ll handle her.”
“…Alright. I’m counting on you.”
“What! Mmph! All I did was speak the truth about a legitimate—mmph!”
Ryu Yi-rok struggled, but there was no overpowering Ha Ri-ra’s brute strength.
Leaving the chaos behind, Hyun Je-ha quietly slipped out.
***
And now…
Like a sneaky alley cat, Hyun Je-ha had tailed Yeon Yu-jin all the way to the Bureau of Awakened Ability Users’ parking lot.
Isn’t this technically stalking?
A wave of self-disgust hit him.
He was following someone around just because they reminded him of the person he loved?
If Ga-hyun were alive to see him now, he probably would’ve cussed him out for being so pathetic.
Using Telekinesis, Hyun Je-ha had flown over and perched himself on a tall tree near the parking lot, watching as Yu-jin and his manager exited the car.
He hadn’t planned this far ahead—he knew he couldn’t just waltz into the Bureau.
Even with a stealth artifact, there was no way to bypass their intense security. The moment he stepped inside, the alarms would go off.
Even as an S-rank Esper, Hyun Je-ha wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could take on all the top-level ability users inside and win.
I’ll wait for him to come back out.
The test shouldn’t take long. If he waited just a bit, he could see Yeon Yu-jin again.
He ripped open a pack of jerky he’d brought as a snack and stared intently at Yu-jin as he walked into the testing building, studying every step and unconscious habit.
And then—for a split second—Yeon Yu-jin suddenly whipped his head around and their eyes met.
What the…?
He was sure the stealth artifact had concealed him completely, so there was no way their eyes had actually met. But still—startled, Hyun Je-ha immediately ducked behind the tree.
Thump-thump. His heart pounded like crazy.
He heard the manager’s voice.
“Huh? Yu-jin, what are you doing? Is there something there?”
“…No. I thought I saw someone. Must’ve been my imagination.”
Hyun Je-ha held his breath.
He’d assumed Yeon Yu-jin was just a Guide hiding his powers, but he hadn’t expected him to sense where he was hiding.
Could he actually be S-rank?
They’d know once the test results came out. But one thing was certain—Yu-jin’s latent potential as a Guide couldn’t possibly be D-rank.
Something’s definitely off.
The way he walked, the habit of rubbing his wrist when he was nervous—it was exactly like Ahn Ga-hyun.
As if he’d internalized every single one of Ga-hyun’s mannerisms.
If his face looked exactly like Ga-hyun’s too…
That thought made Hyun Je-ha nauseous.
“You crazy bastard.”
The dead don’t return.
He pounded his chest with a clenched fist to remind himself of that brutal fact.
“Ga-hyun is dead. He’s dead.”
He hated himself for constantly projecting Ga-hyun onto someone else—someone still alive. It was pathetic.
He’d never been like this before, which only made it more bewildering and infuriating.
If only I’d never met Yeon Yu-jin to begin with.
After wiping his face dry multiple times, Hyun Je-ha let out a sigh.
“Maybe I should just leave.”
Rather than hanging around with such a flimsy excuse, he figured it would be better to forget about Yeon Yu-jin and focus entirely on tracking X.
Let’s go.
Just as he was about to use Telekinesis to fly back to the unit’s hideout, another van pulled into the Bureau’s parking lot.
When he saw who got out, Hyun Je-ha’s eyes widened.
“Why the hell did the Bureau call them too?”
It was Secreti—the members of Yu-jin’s idol group, and his current team of Espers.
***
What the hell is this?
Wasn’t I the only one coming for re-evaluation?
Yeon Yu-jin had checked in at the Bureau’s testing facility, told the receptionist he was here for re-measurement, and was waiting on a sofa when…
Suddenly, all of Secreti barged in.
“…What’s going on? Why are you guys here?”
When he asked Ra Ho-yeon, the latter simply showed him a text message, looking just as confused.
[Web Message]
[Bureau of Awakened Ability Users]
Re-evaluation scheduled for Yeon Yu-jin (20) on [X month, X day (Wed)] at 11:00. All Espers partnered with him are requested to attend the testing facility for in-depth assessment.
They seriously sent a message like this on the day of the test? The Bureau?
Had they sensed something suspicious? Or…
Are they hoping Je-ha will show up again?
That would be a laughably stupid plan.
Hyun Je-ha wasn’t an idiot with noodles for brains. There was no way he’d walk right into the Bureau’s testing center, which was basically the enemy’s mouth.
He doesn’t even know that I’m Ahn Ga-hyun. If he were to appear in front of me again, that would be the real miracle.
There hadn’t been any encounters with Hyun Je-ha lately.
It left Yeon Yu-jin feeling both disappointed and empty.
Earlier… I thought I felt a presence, something like the Telekinesis he uses… That’s why I turned around for a second…
But clearly, it was a mistake. No one was there when he looked.
Just a big old pine tree with a few sparrows chirping away.
Why did that make him feel so let down?
As Yu-jin sulked, Ra Ho-yeon said,
“We don’t know either. Right after you left, we got this message from the Bureau. Super sudden.”
“…That’s it? No phone call? No fax? Nothing else?”
Seo Yoon-chae rested his chin on Ra Ho-yeon’s shoulder.
“Not a thing. Our CEO went off, saying just ‘cause it’s a government agency doesn’t mean they can do whatever they want.”
