“What?”
Seo Yoon-chae got eliminated? Just like that?
“…Who the hell… Oh.”
Without even realizing it, one particular face came to mind.
Ban Noah.
The creepy guy who always got under Seo Yoon-chae’s skin—someone who seemed to rub him the wrong way on purpose.
Could it be that he tore off Seo Yoon-chae’s name tag in an instant?
There was no way to confirm unless I left the drawer I was hiding in.
But there was no need to anymore.
“B Team members! It was Ban Noah who took me out! Mmph—!”
In <Run, Run, Run>, when a name tag is removed, staff dressed in black like grim reapers escort the eliminated players out from both sides.
To avoid any leaks, they usually gag the person with a towel or something similar… But that rebellious bastard Seo Yoon-chae must’ve decided to use that brief window to expose his killer to the rest of B Team.
“You heard me, right?! Ban Noah! He’s the one who killed me! Ban Noah! Even if our team loses, you have to take him out! Got it?! Ho-yeon hyung, Tae-beom, Si-yoon, and Yeon Yu-jin! Don’t even think about coming back to the dorm tonight if you don’t avenge me! MMMPH!”
And with that, Seo Yoon-chae fell silent. Judging from the increased footsteps, it sounded like more staff had joined in to shut him up.
What a clown. The dorm’s keycard is with the team leader, Ra Ho-yeon.
Even A Team, the current attackers, seemed to find Seo Yoon-chae’s dramatic exit amusing—chuckling could be heard here and there.
At least he got his screen time. The CEO’ll be pleased…
Just as I was entertaining that useless thought,
Another siren blared.
—Cha Si-yoon, Cha Si-yoon OUT.
“…What?”
Cha Si-yoon wasn’t the type to get caught easily—he was careful and cautious.
It hadn’t even been that long since Seo Yoon-chae got taken out, and now Cha Si-yoon too? Something felt off.
Maybe he thought he had to pass on critical info to his remaining teammates—Cha Si-yoon also raised his voice over the chaos, trying to shout the name of the person who eliminated him before he was dragged away.
“Ho-yeon hyung! Tae-beom hyung! Yu-jin hyung! The one who got me was Ban Noah too, just like Yoon-chae hyung!”
“……!”
“He’s hunting us down like he’s out for blood! Mmph—! Be careful!”
And just like that, Cha Si-yoon was hauled away to the losers’ area.
What the hell is going on…?
This Ban Noah guy—he claimed not to know anything about Secreti, but now it felt like he had some kind of vendetta.
To take out Seo Yoon-chae and Cha Si-yoon back-to-back like that…
No. They definitely hadn’t met before. Officially, Secreti and Ban Noah have never crossed paths.
Even though this was just a game, a chill crept up my spine.
Cha Si-yoon had said Ban Noah was hunting them. Based on the context, “us” probably didn’t refer to all of B Team—it meant Secreti.
When was the last time I felt this sickening dread?
As I racked my brain, a memory from the Ability Measurement Lab came rushing back.
“Ah.”
That bastard. X.
He’d trapped me and the others in the simulator, made us suffer, and then vanished without a trace.
This situation wasn’t anywhere near as dire, but my instincts were screaming that it felt just like that day.
Ban Noah was acting like that deranged psycho X, resorting to the same underhanded tricks.
Not only that, but his subtle behavior around Seol Yurang, who he called a friend, and the way he seemed to crave the spotlight—despite supposedly leading a quiet life—didn’t sit right with me either.
According to Je-ha, X became stronger by stealing other abilities and grew arrogant—always trying to flaunt his power.
Doesn’t that make it even more likely that Ban Noah is X?
It was only circumstantial evidence, but even so… if Ban Noah really was X, then this was a golden opportunity.
I couldn’t afford to waste it hiding in a drawer. I had to make my move.
Just as I was about to slip out…
—Shin Tae-beom, Shin Tae-beom OUT.
That damn siren rang again.
Shin Tae-beom shouted with his booming voice, trying to get the message across to the remaining B Team members.
“Ban Noah! It was Ban Noah from A Team again! He got me too!”
The staff tried to drag him off, but his yelling must’ve become too much to handle, because the PD stepped in to calm him down.
“Uh, Shin Tae-beom-ssi. Let’s calm down and head to the loser’s zone quietly, please? I get that you’re upset about getting eliminated early, but if you keep breaking the rules to pass on information, it puts us in a tough spot.”
The PD gave a strained smile, clearly uncomfortable, but Shin Tae-beom pushed back.
“No, but… PD-nim, something’s seriously off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ban Noah. Didn’t you say all abilities would be restricted during this game?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But there’s something weird about him. He’s definitely wearing a bracelet to temporarily suppress his ability, right? Still… he’s finding us Secreti members way too fast. Even though we’re all scattered and the search area is huge, it’s like he can see right through the walls. He keeps cornering us and yanking our name tags like it’s nothing.”
“Oh come on, that can’t be true, can it?”
I glanced at the bracelet on my own wrist—the one suppressing my ability.
That’s why Potato wasn’t visible right now. But Shin Tae-beom’s words sparked a theory in my mind.
If Ban Noah really is X…
Then it would make sense how he’s still using abilities despite wearing the restriction bracelet.
The set was a maze. You’d normally have to check every nook and cranny to find someone. But if someone had X-ray vision or a tracking ability…
They could spot you in a heartbeat. If they moved fast, they could take out each person before anyone knew what hit them.
I have to confirm it.
I couldn’t just sit here and wait to be hunted. That wasn’t my style.
I slipped out of the drawer, muffling my footsteps, and carefully moved to another space.
A Team was still actively hunting down the remaining B Team members.
Thanks to Ban Noah’s ridiculous performance, A Team was in high spirits.
“Are we about to set the shortest game win record or what?”
“I can’t believe how lucky we are to have Ban Noah on our team. When this episode airs, he’s gonna be the fan favorite.”
“He’s so handsome, from a good family, and so polite—and yet somehow no one’s ever heard of an A-rank Hunter like him before. It’s unreal.”
“You flatter me.”
“Oh my, and humble too!”
Listening to A Team’s lively chatter, I couldn’t help but think how contradictory Ban Noah was.
Exactly. He’s weird. Officially, he tried to avoid the spotlight—insisting on staying mysterious. But now? The second he appears on TV as Seol Yurang’s friend, he’s hogging all the attention like it’s his life’s mission.
If he truly wanted to stay in the shadows, he shouldn’t have picked a fight with Seo Yoon-chae.
He definitely shouldn’t have targeted only the Secreti members for elimination. Because here among them was me—wearing Yeon Yu-jin’s face, but really Ahn Ga-hyun.
According to the rules, hiding doesn’t mean you can’t eliminate the seeker.
If you run into the seeker, it becomes a face-off. Whoever snatches the name tag first survives—doesn’t matter if you’re on the offensive or defensive team.
It only works if you’re caught alone… but based on Ban Noah’s actions so far, he was clearly roaming solo.
I have to find Ra Ho-yeon.
If Ban Noah really was X… then I was certain he’d save me for last.
Even though our powers were restricted, the bracelets weren’t foolproof. I began calling out to Potato in my mind.
Potato! Potato!
[Ugh… I was having such a nice nap. What do you want now…?]
Potato emerged sluggishly into my palm at about 50% opacity.
Can you do what you did last time—when you sensed Je-ha’s energy?
[Mm…? I’m sleepy, and there aren’t any strong Esper signals nearby… Wait, huh?]
Potato blinked slowly, then tilted his head in confusion.
[That’s weird… It’s not just faint Esper energy like yours. There’s something… burning. Like full-on ability energy, moving toward the weaker ones.]
What?
[It’s like… someone who was never restricted in the first place is moving straight toward the faint Esper signals. One, two, three… wait. That’s not just one person. Why are there so many energy signatures? Hey, wait—!]
The second Potato said that, I bolted through the set.
It’s you, isn’t it—X.
