Cold sweat trickled down Hyun Je-ha’s temple as he pieced everything together.
—“…Captain? Are you okay?”
“…It’s nothing.”
He could only hope it wasn’t what he feared.
Please, let it not be that the culprit, X, had developed a taste for stealing abilities and turned into a pleasure-seeking serial killer.
“I need to go back.”
If that were true…
Then there had to be more victims than just the Baekho Unit members.
And… it would also mean that Yeon Yu-jin—the Guide who looked so much like the deceased Ga-hyun—was in danger.
“I need to find out if there’s an Esper wearing earrings with red beads.”
—“Red beads?”
“Yeah. It might be… some kind of medium for using stolen powers.”
If this hypothesis was right, then no matter how he pulled it off, that bastard had made the impossible possible.
He must be eliminated.
He’d already lost the partner more precious to him than life. He had lived nearly half his life branded as a dissident, enduring a life that was effectively social death.
If he ever found X, it had to be Hyun Je-ha who killed him.
He hadn’t thought past that. Nothing else mattered.
When that time comes, I’ll be able to follow Ga-hyun.
Hyun Je-ha let out a bitter smile.
Ever since his partner Guide, Ahn Ga-hyun, died, Hyun Je-ha had lost the will to live.
He was already far too exhausted.
If he could just kill X, right now, with his own hands, he’d be ready to end his life without hesitation.
“Urgh…”
His pale blue eyes wavered with instability.
It was the pain from the corrosion eating away inside him like layers of old dust.
On the other end of the line, Ha Ri-ra immediately sensed his condition and voiced her concern.
—“Captain, are you okay? Maybe you should call in one of the Baekho Unit’s Guides and get some guiding…”
“…I’m fine.”
—“Still, it really seems like you’re pushing yourself too hard…”
“Ha. Even if my aging process is slower, I’m in my fifties now, aren’t I?”
—“Hey! That’s not what I meant! We’re just scared you’ll collapse at this rate… It might be late, but maybe it’s time to bring in a new high-compatibility Guide…”
Her voice dwindled, like a flame slowly dying.
Because Hyun Je-ha’s voice turned instantly cold—like a sheet of ice, cutting and sharp.
“Didn’t we all tacitly agree not to bring that up again?”
The position of Hyun Je-ha’s partner Guide had remained vacant since Ahn Ga-hyun’s death.
At first, his comrades had assumed it was just the shock of losing someone he loved. But even they had eventually urged him to take on a new Guide.
Hyun Je-ha had stubbornly refused.
He only accepted the bare minimum energy from temporary Guides—just enough to keep him from being completely consumed by corrosion.
It was both a tribute to his precious partner, and a punishment he imposed on himself.
Blue will-o’-the-wisps danced in his eyes. His breath grew heavier.
“Don’t ever say something like that in front of me again.”
—“…Understood.”
Everyone in the Baekho Unit, including Ha Ri-ra, held their breath in silence.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if the Captain went berserk at any moment…
To them, Hyun Je-ha wasn’t just a leader—he was their spiritual anchor, their foundation, the very embodiment of resistance.
If he lost control—if the corrosion overtook him and he went into a berserker state—then that could very well be the end of Baekho Unit.
There was no one capable of stopping him now. If he did lose it, even if all the members rushed him together, it’d be a pointless slaughter.
On the other end of the phone, Ha Ri-ra thought to herself: If only we could bring over that D-rank Guide he’s been paying attention to lately.
The teasing comment about seduction was nothing more than her way of masking her concern for him.
Could Yeon Yu-jin really be one of the potential suspects for X, the one who killed Ahn Ga-hyun?
No way.
Yeon Yu-jin was far too lacking to be the X they’d speculated about all these years. If the Baekho Unit truly suspected him of being the real X, someone would’ve already taken matters into their own hands and dealt with him quietly.
The fact that hadn’t happened meant that none of them truly believed Yu-jin was the culprit.
If anything, some of them were probably holding onto the faint hope that he could become their Captain’s new partner Guide.
…But judging from that reaction, guess that’s out the window.
Ha Ri-ra gave up on that faint hope without further thought.
Any ability user could tell—just how deep the bond with a partner could be.
—“…I’m sorry. I apologize for my rudeness.”
“…Forget it.”
A short, awkward silence followed. Ha Ri-ra hesitated, then asked:
—“Then… you’ll be returning right away?”
“Wait.”
—“Huh? But Captain, your corrosion is—”
Ha Ri-ra sounded confused, but Hyun Je-ha ignored her. He focused on the lingering trace of guiding energy he could sense faintly from the ability test facility.
This guiding energy…
It felt warm and nostalgic. A scent he thought he’d lost forever long ago.
Neither Yeon Yu-jin nor Hyun Je-ha knew this, but, after clearing the monsters in the simulator dungeon alongside the Secreti members, Yeon Yu-jin had finally let his guard down for a moment.
While awake, he’d carefully suppressed his guiding energy to appear like a C-rank, but the moment he fell asleep, it slipped out.
Surrounded by people he felt safe with, he relaxed for just an instant—and in that moment, a tiny drop of SSS-rank guiding energy leaked out.
And Potato, who had been dozing off, picked up on it.
[Honestly… You had to screw up now of all times.]
It was a minuscule amount, and since the actual test was already over, it wouldn’t trigger anything. But still…
Potato, who had intended to clean up after his careless master, suddenly froze. He sensed something familiar outside.
He burrowed back into his master’s hair like a seal diving underwater.
Ever since meeting his new master, Potato had fully recovered his ability, allowing him to sense that Hyun Je-ha was nearby. Even though Ga-hyun himself didn’t notice it, Potato instinctively picked up the presence.
[…This much should be fine.]
Poor Je-ha. Poor master.
Potato decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed anything.
Both of them… deserved a chance to reunite.
[Sheesh. Watching him circle around without even knowing who my master really is—like a dog about to piss itself—is getting real old.]
He grumbled, but more than anyone else, Potato was desperate for them to meet again.
He still vividly remembered Hyun Je-ha clinging to his partner’s corpse, sobbing uncontrollably.
Now, with his senses hypersensitized by corrosion, Hyun Je-ha instantly picked up on the faintly leaking energy.
Ironically, it was that very desperation—being on the verge of spiritual death—that let him recognize the presence of his partner reborn.
Hyun Je-ha murmured, as if entranced.
“…It feels like the guiding Ga-hyun used to give me.”
No—it wasn’t just similar. It was identical.
Just as each person has a unique appearance, scent, and personality, an ability user’s energy is one of a kind.
Though faint, it was exactly the same guiding energy he remembered from Ga-hyun. His entire body trembled in recognition. Every cell screamed this is him.
There’s no way I’d mistake this.
Even with just that tiny trace of energy, he felt as if the overwhelming corrosion inside him had lessened.
His heart pounded wildly.
Maybe, just maybe…
An impossible, honey-sweet hope surged through his chest.
If that person is Ga-hyun…
Then…
“…I need to confirm it.”
—“Hello? Captain? Are you listening to us?”
His comrades were shouting frantically over the phone. But Hyun Je-ha hung up without a word.
He had to meet Yeon Yu-jin.
***
Once we were released from the ability test facility, we walked toward the parked van.
Not bad for a day’s work.
Lalalala. I couldn’t stop humming.
I’d been worried I’d be forced to reveal my abilities in that Simulator Dungeon in Room 5, but…
Turning the crisis into an opportunity—that’s what this was.
I was practically skipping toward the car, but the Secreti members stared at me in disbelief.
“You actually bargained with the Bureau?”
“And you won.”
“Seriously, what kind of guts…”
“When did Yu-jin hyung get so bold?”
I didn’t care what they said. I’d been uncomfortable focusing solely on “Yeon Yu-jin’s” idol life—but now I’d wrung two separate permissions out of the Bureau in exchange for helping them. That would definitely help me track down the bastard who killed me.
Shin Tae-boem asked me:
“What’s got you so happy?”
“Not telling.”
“Tch.”
Scratching the back of his head, he hesitated—then muttered:
“…Thanks.”
“Eh?”
“If it weren’t for you, we might’ve all gotten seriously hurt in that dungeon. Same goes for last time. You gave the right orders. Thanks.”
“…Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”
If anything, they got caught up in this mess because of me. So hearing their thanks left me a little flustered. But the other rookie Espers echoed his words.
“Boem’s right. I don’t know how you came up with a strategy mid-battle like that, but…”
Gulp.
Ra Ho-yeon’s muttering made me blurt out a hasty excuse.
“Uh, I’ve always been into ability-user and monster-related books, so…”
The moment I said that, Seo Yoon-chae shot back with a smirk:
“Didn’t ask.”
“……”
This little punk. The hell did he just say?
I was seriously debating whether to smack him upside the head when Cha Si-yoon looked me straight in the eyes and said:
“Still… It’s true things went well thanks to you, hyung. Thank you.”
I suddenly felt awkward.
It’s not like I did any of this for their praise.
At this point, they didn’t feel like clueless chicks anymore. More like fledgling Espers. They followed orders well, and we had decent coordination, too.
“…If you’re thankful, buy me beef later.”
“I will.”
Whoa, really?
A heavenly light shone from Cha Si-yoon’s face as he promised beef.
Beef! Beef!
Just as I was about to climb into the car with a spring in my step…
Potato suddenly shouted inside my head:
[Wait! I sense an Esper on the verge of going berserk in those bushes over there!]
