Was his name Ban Noah?
As I stepped into the prepped studio, I recalled the personal data Je-ha had shown me about Ban Noah.
Ban Noah. Late twenties. An A-rank Hunter and Esper. His ability was fire, same as Seo Yoon-chae’s. He awakened his powers by chance right after becoming an adult. The only child in a wealthy household. Nothing particularly noteworthy.
“Nothing noteworthy,” my ass.
It was precisely that fact that made Ban Noah a prime candidate for X.
It didn’t add up. Despite being an A-rank Hunter and wielding a flashy, offensive fire ability… Ban Noah had surprisingly few accomplishments to his name.
He had cleared dungeons before, but only a small number. He wasn’t a household name among Hunters either.
And it’s not like he hates being an ability user.I checked his SNS account—he followed and was followed by celebrities and some well-known Hunters.
In short, Ban Noah was a deeply contradictory figure.
The other two suspects were also suspicious enough, but something about this guy wouldn’t leave me alone.
Like an itch I couldn’t scratch—unsettling and hard to shake.
The photo on his social media profile showed a decent-looking guy, borderline handsome, but something about it made me uneasy.
And this man turned out to be a friend of Seol Yurang, a regular cast member on this variety show. Not only that, but he’d been cast on the same show as us and we’d have to meet face-to-face…
Good timing for me, right when I was about to start investigating the suspects. But still, it felt too coincidental.
Suspicious. Suspicious as hell.
While I was silently grumbling to myself, Potato yanked at my hair.
[Ah. There’s Ban Noah over there.]
Ah.
Ban Noah was seated next to Seol Yurang, dressed sharply in a clean-cut suit—an undeniably handsome man.
He looks better in person.
The database photo hadn’t done him justice.
Though I was on full alert, I made sure not to show it on my face.
Seol Yurang noticed us and waved happily.
“Oh! We meet again!”
On behalf of the whole group, the leader Ra Ho-yeon politely greeted him.
“Hello, sunbae-nim. It’s been a while.”
“Wow, it’s great seeing you again—especially on a variety show! I’ve been listening to your new mini-album. Really enjoying it.”
They exchanged friendly small talk.
Just then, Ban Noah walked over to stand beside Seol Yurang.
“Yurang, who are they? Mind introducing me?”
Hearing that, Seo Yoon-chae’s face twisted in a scowl.
He muttered just loud enough for us—and for me as an SSS-rank Guide—to hear. Ban Noah, as an A-rank Esper, would have caught part of it too, especially the intent.
“What, he didn’t even check the guest list before coming? We’re not that unknown anymore. Is he trying to say we were nobodies until recently? What a joke. Hmph.”
What the hell’s his problem?
That was clearly intentional. He wanted him to hear it.
Predictably, one of Ban Noah’s eyebrows twitched.
“…What a character.”
He muttered just like Seo Yoon-chae had. And of course, we both heard it.
“You—!”
Seo Yoon-chae was about to erupt, but I quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
I leaned in close and whispered into his ear.
“Cool it. You know how important this appearance is if you heard everything I said.”
“…Tch.”
“Don’t rise to it. Making a scene won’t help our group at all. We’ve been on a roll lately—don’t ruin Secreti’s image now. Just stay quiet, yeah?”
“…Fine. But let go. You’re way too close.”
“Okay.”
His lips still stuck out in a pout, but it seemed he got the message. He backed down.
I relaxed and looked back toward Ban Noah—
…Was that regret I just saw on his face?
It vanished quickly, but I could’ve sworn he looked disappointed while glancing at Seo Yoon-chae.
It happened so fast, even I wasn’t completely sure.
While I tried to process that, Seol Yurang kindly introduced us to Ban Noah.
“Oh, right. Noah probably wouldn’t know. These guys are Secreti. I met them on the show I host.”
Seol Yurang even remembered each member’s name—quite the contrast to Ban Noah, supposedly his friend.
Still, I couldn’t shake my suspicion.
“Probably wouldn’t know”…? But his SNS follows include idols and minor celebrities.
Shouldn’t he be getting flack for not recognizing us?
It felt off, but I couldn’t argue with a respected sunbae like Seol Yurang.
It wasn’t just Seo Yoon-chae who had to keep things civil—same went for me.
Then it was my turn to be introduced.
“This is Yeon Yu-jin. Incredible vocalist. A junior I’m really proud of.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Ban Noah. I’m Yeon Yu-jin.”
As I bowed politely, I felt eyes boring into me.
…What’s this?
When I lifted my head, Ban Noah was staring straight at me. And strangely… he looked happy to see me.
He smiled slowly and offered a handshake.
“…Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Yeon Yu-jin. I’m Ban Noah. I work as an A-rank Hunter—and I’m a friend of Seol Yurang’s.”
“Ah, right.”
What the hell is this guy’s deal?
I accepted the handshake, but the unease inside me only deepened.
He hadn’t introduced himself earlier or tried to shake hands with anyone else.
Is he just picking on the “rookie Espers” on purpose?
It was insulting. Felt like he was looking down on our group.
I glanced over at Seo Yoon-chae—he was about to explode again.
“I swear—”
I opened my mouth to say something, but Seol Yurang quickly stepped in.
“Noah, what’s with you? You’re making them uncomfortable.”
“Yu-jin just looked familiar. I think I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
“Really? That’s weird. You usually don’t care about people at all….”
Seol Yurang trailed off, then suddenly changed his tune when Ban Noah gave him a look. Like someone had flipped a switch.
“A-Ah! No, my bad. I must’ve been mistaken.”
Ban Noah smiled pleasantly. Seol Yurang turned back to us and apologized.
“Sorry about that. Noah’s a bit unpredictable. I hope you’ll understand.”
“Y-yeah…”
Creepy bastard.
Are they really friends?
Because the power dynamic between them felt way off… Ban Noah was clearly in control.
With all that uneasiness still lingering, the shoot finally began.
***
The program we were appearing on was a chaotic variety game show called <Run. Run, Run!>—basically a high-energy game of tag.
The rules were simple: the first team to tear off all the other team’s name tags wins.
“But! Ability users are strictly prohibited from using their powers! You must only rely on physical strength to eliminate the opposing team!”
The MC cheerfully explained the rule.
Since the only ability users participating were Ban Noah and the Secreti members, the warning was obviously directed at us.
Ban Noah and Seol Yurang were assigned to Team A. All of Secreti became Team B.
Don’t they usually mix up the guests into different teams for balance…?
Or at least group all the guests into one team.
Not that I wanted to be on Ban Noah’s team, but the team division felt strange.
No. Like our manager said, the teams were probably assigned based on a pre-written script… Maybe I’m just being paranoid.
I shook my head and focused on the upcoming name-tag battle.
I recalled what Ra Ho-yeon had said to me the day I revealed I wasn’t actually Yeon Yu-jin.
“I understand you’re not really Yu-jin. But even if that’s the case, I hope you won’t leave the team. We’ve been working as a group with you as Yu-jin, and Secreti’s finally gaining traction. Please… if you want to keep your secret, then just keep living as Yeon Yu-jin for a while longer.”
The members promised to keep my secret—and in return, they asked me to fulfill the role of “Yeon Yu-jin” faithfully.
They also swore to help me in any way they could to find my killer.
Is Ban Noah really X? Or not?
Avoiding Team A, I slipped into a hiding spot on the set.
I crawled into a cabinet, and soon the siren blared.
—The game will now begin. Team A, please do your best to tear off Team B’s name tags.
Just hold out for 20 minutes.
Once the timer hit 20 minutes, Team B would become the hunters—and I planned to zero in on Ban Noah then.
But the game had barely started when bad news came through.
—Seo Yoon-chae, Seo Yoon-chae is out.
