Je-ha pleaded with me earnestly. But I couldn’t grant him that request. Even if my refusal tore at his desperate heart.
“Sorry, Je-ha. That’s the one thing I can’t do. You know why.”
“Ga-hyun…”
“You remember what I said before, right? That if anyone is going to get revenge on X, it has to be me.”
“…Yeah.”
“This is your revenge too, but it’s also mine.”
What’s the point of being stashed away somewhere safe, only to watch my enemy’s downfall from afar?
I wanted to end that bastard—Ban Noah—with my own hands.
Only then will I be able to sleep soundly, without fear.
To me, Ban Noah was no different than the monsters I used to slaughter endlessly in dungeons in my past life.
If I couldn’t face him head-on with Je-ha and finish this myself, I was afraid I’d regret it forever—haunted by a lingering, sickening feeling in my dreams or waking visions.
“I want to cut out that man who ruined my life, cleanly and completely.”
“…Ga-hyun.”
“Together with you, Je-ha.”
“……!”
Je-ha’s ocean-blue eyes rippled violently at my answer.
“Now that both our identities—and X’s—have been exposed, there’s no avoiding a confrontation. You saw the abilities Ban Noah used, didn’t you?”
That he could freely manipulate a terrifying number of abilities, so many it was impossible to count.
“Even if you hide me in some secure location, with the kind of mental manipulation abilities he’s shown—like brainwashing—he could easily break through any hideout. No, he definitely would. He’s not going to stop until he’s hunted us all down and wiped us from existence.”
Him faking interest in appearing on <Run, Run, Run!> as a guest wasn’t about promotion. It was a warning—to me, to Je-ha, and to all the Baekho Unit, including the members of Secreti.
He was showing off that, just like in a game, he could erase us in an instant.
The fact that he could completely erase himself from Seol Yurang’s memory—someone who was supposedly his friend—using wide-range mental abilities, made that much clear.
I took Je-ha’s hand and looked him straight in the eyes.
“What if what he really wants is to split us up? Just imagine—if he brainwashes one of us and forces us to fight the other. What then? How would we respond?”
“That’s…”
Even Je-ha, who had been through hell and back, couldn’t immediately answer.
“You couldn’t do it, right? You wouldn’t be able to make a move.”
In the worst-case scenario, one of us might surrender. Because we were precious to each other. If one of us became the other’s hostage, there’d be no choice but to break. To keep the person we love alive. To avoid the pain of losing someone dear again. To spare each other the despair of surviving alone.
“Let’s move together, Hyun Je-ha. Like before.”
Just like when we once vowed—if we died, we’d die together; if we lived, we’d live together. Even if our ending is another tragedy this time, at least we’ll be together through it.
Perhaps sensing how firm my resolve was, Je-ha let out a sigh and nodded.
“…All right.”
“Knew you’d say that.”
I grinned, and Je-ha frowned and tugged sharply at both my cheeks.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
“Since we’ve made a deal, stick close to me. Don’t die, don’t get hurt. If I see even the tiniest scratch, I swear I’ll lock you in a safehouse.”
“Hey, that’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? A small paper cut or something can happen to anyone…”
“If you can’t promise, I won’t cooperate.”
“Ugh, fine, I get it.”
“Good.”
It was a clumsy verbal agreement, but an agreement nonetheless.
For a moment, I felt a thrill at the idea of fighting alongside Je-ha again. But it didn’t last long—because Je-ha narrowed his sharp blue eyes and shot us a pointed question.
“You all seem pretty confident. So, do you actually have a plan for fighting Ban Noah?”
“……”
This time, my lips clammed shut like a shell.
Je-ha let out a half-laugh in disbelief.
“Of course not. Ga-hyun, you’ve always been the type to charge in first and let me come up with the tactics later.”
“Ahem, why bring that up now?”
“Because you haven’t changed one bit. It’s kind of comforting.”
…Je-ha was teasing me.
And from the tone of it, he was more than a little annoyed.
He had accepted my participation because he had no grounds to refuse, but it was clear he still felt uneasy—probably because of the trauma from our past.
If I were in his shoes, and Je-ha was the one in danger, I’d probably have found a glass coffin like Snow White’s and sealed him inside, hidden away where only I knew.
Meanwhile, the members of Secreti whispered amongst themselves as they looked at me.
“Somehow, this makes sense…”
Seo Yoon-chae nodded as he glanced my way.
“Even though he said he hadn’t learned the choreography at all, he pushed through like crazy with practice.”
Shin Tae-boem looked like he’d finally figured something out.
“So this is the kind of person he is.”
Ra Ho-yeon and Shin Tae-boem exchanged a look of mutual understanding, as if some long-standing mystery had been solved.
“Even if it’s a bit shaky, thinking back to that simulator dungeon… Yeon Yu-jin—no, Guide Ahn Ga-hyun—seemed like a pretty reliable commander. I think we can trust him.”
Only Cha Si-yoon tried to offer me even a sliver of support.
I laughed and ruffled the youngest’s dark-blue hair.
“Je-ha’s just sulking. I’m more capable than I look. He knows it too—he’s just picking on me because he’s worried.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Je-ha, how long are you gonna keep avoiding my face? We’re running out of time.”
“……”
And that wasn’t just talk.
Secreti’s schedule was packed tomorrow too—from a cameo in a hit drama to a group appearance on a talk show, we had to be everywhere.
On top of that, we’d just made a comeback, so we had music show recordings lined up at every broadcasting station. It was nonstop chaos.
I leaned my back against Je-ha’s from behind.
“Are you not going to introduce me? To your longtime comrades—the Baekho Unit.”
“…You’re planning to drag them into this too? Are you sure about that?”
“Sure or not doesn’t matter. They were already suspicious of my identity, so we have no choice but to tell them. And Ban Noah’s not likely to leave them alone either. So we’re bringing them with us.”
As I comfortably leaned into his back, Je-ha looked worried.
“If he brainwashes them and forces you to take your own life… I…”
“Geez, you’ve turned into such a softie while I wasn’t looking. Don’t worry. They’re all A-rank Espers with elemental abilities—they’re not pushovers. Let’s focus on finding a way to counter mental abilities. I’m sure Ban Noah’s already thinking about what would give us the worst possible despair.”
“…Yeah.”
With a heavy expression, Je-ha stood up.
Then, he gestured to me and the Secreti members.
“Come on. We’re heading to the Baekho Unit’s base.”
***
The Baekho Unit, which normally changed its hideout regularly, had been unusually settled lately.
Geum Na-ro, who was resting in the apartment provided by Hyun Je-ha’s parents, spun his chair around to look at Ha Ri-ra.
“What?”
When Ha Ri-ra asked, Geum Na-ro, his dark circles deeper than ever, murmured:
“It’s suspicious. Why hasn’t the Captain changed our base yet? I heard his parents even suggested a new place and told him to move ASAP.”
Samoa, resting her chin in her hand, answered instead.
“Hmm… Maybe he’s been paying attention to that new Guide lately, and doesn’t want to leave just yet?”
When Geum Na-ro thought of Yeon Yu-jin, he looked halfway convinced.
“Well… with a face like that, I’d probably feel the same.”
Ha Ri-ra’s reaction was instant and explosive.
“Wait a second! Geum Na-ro, you’ve actually seen the Guide the Captain’s been hung up on, right?”
“Only through a screen.”
“Still! I’m bored—spill the tea already. C’mon!”
Ever since they’d uncovered X’s identity, every Baekho Unit member had been obsessed with plotting his downfall. They needed a new topic to chew on.
The others pounced like starved beasts.
“She’s right, Na-ro. Just tell us what kind of person he is!”
“If we at least know what kind of Guide the Captain is clinging to—who already has someone, mind you—we might be able to offer some, uh, strategic advice.”
“What is this, a dating sim? If you pull that kind of crap, you’ll wake up the next morning buried in a pit with only your head sticking out.”
“Aww…”
“I have nothing to say.”
Geum Na-ro remained tight-lipped.
The Captain made it very clear not to run his mouth about that Guide… Yeon Yu-jin.
He had no idea why Je-ha was so obsessively protective of that Guide, but Geum Na-ro wasn’t about to get on his Captain’s bad side.
Just then, the door opened, and Hyun Je-ha entered.
The Baekho Unit members, including Geum Na-ro, instantly jumped up to greet him.
“Cap—”
“This is your base, huh?”
Huh?
An unfamiliar, pleasant voice cut in. It sounded oddly familiar.
Geum Na-ro looked past Je-ha—and saw Yeon Yu-jin standing there, his eyes wide with curiosity as he examined every one of them.
“…Why is he here?”
Geum Na-ro tried to phrase it diplomatically, but the others caught the nuance instantly.
Ah! So this is the Guide the Captain’s been hung up on!
