“What kind of crazy bullshit is this?”
Yihan muttered, his chest heaving with indignation.
He had arrived at dawn, trembling as he held Suhyeon, and had stayed by his side until Suhyeon fell back into a deep sleep.
Now, Yihan strode toward where Hajin and Suhyeon were sitting.
His usually pristine appearance was disheveled, as if he had just woken up; it seemed he hadn’t gone home at all.
“Did you hear?”
A summons?
While Suhyeon blinked, still struggling to process the Association’s notification, Hajin asked fiercely, gripping Suhyeon’s phone so hard it looked ready to shatter.
Yihan nodded, running a hand roughly through his hair in irritation.
“I just got the notification text. A summons can be convened if only seven board members agree. They must have colluded to exclude me entirely, just like last time.”
“What exactly is it that you do over there, then?” Hajin spat.
“Is that what’s important right now? You have the physical power—go over there and level the place. Those lunatics send a summons instead of an apology?”
“Where is the Chairman?”
“I don’t know, he hasn’t called. What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you going?”
“Do you think I don’t want to go? I’d have to leave Suhyeon alone.”
“…Dammit, then call Asher Delveron here or something!”
Shouts flew back and forth between Yihan and Hajin, the atmosphere turning murderous in an instant.
However, their ferocity wasn’t aimed at each other.
“…They want me to come to the Association?”
Suhyeon asked blankly after watching their sharp exchange.
Even if he didn’t understand the exact logistics, he could tell the situation was grave.
The sheer rage radiating from Yihan and Hajin was proof enough.
- We expect you to answer inquiries regarding the summoning and control of monsters.
Answer inquiries about summoning and controlling monsters?
He didn’t understand what they meant by “summoning,” but as for “control”…
Suhyeon’s eyes reflexively shifted downward.
The fluffball was rolling around in his lap, squeaking with an innocent face.
Where was it that this thing had transformed into a monster to fight Shin Seojun?
His memory was hazy because his entire focus had been on escaping.
However, he did remember the sound of people screaming. It had likely been an urban area.
A monster rampaging in the city center without a Gate opening would certainly have drawn attention.
A faint thought occurred to him that people might have been hurt, but it quickly subsided.
If not for the fluffball, he might never have escaped Shin Seojun’s grasp.
Was that the problem?
Suhyeon looked back at Hajin and Yihan.
“About the monster… they want me to answer for it?”
The two men shook their heads in unison, their expressions equally grim as if they were twins sharing a single soul.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Exactly. There’s no need to go. You just need to rest safely, Suhyeon. I’ll have someone like Asher Delveron sit here while I go deal with it.”
Naturally, Suhyeon wanted to do exactly that, but he narrowed his eyes.
“Is it okay to do that?”
Hajin and Yihan nodded again, matching each other in posture and expression.
Ping.
Just then, the phone in Hajin’s hand let out a clear chime.
The three men’s eyes immediately darted to the device.
Hajin slowly lifted it.
His and Yihan’s murderous glares pierced the glowing screen.
Meanwhile, Suhyeon blinked as he recognized the Chairman’s name on the incoming call.
Even Hajin, who looked ready to crush the phone, hesitated.
The phone continued to vibrate and ring as if demanding to be answered.
Eventually, Hajin slowly pressed the screen and held the phone to his ear.
Though Suhyeon was close to Hajin, he could only hear muffled humming from the other end.
“Put it on speaker.”
Hajin looked extremely displeased, but he followed Suhyeon’s request, lowering the phone and switching to speaker mode.
- Suhyeon? Hello? Can you hear me?
The Chairman’s voice was urgent and solemn.
The usual playfulness was nowhere to be found.
- Suhyeon?
“Ah, yes,” Suhyeon answered.
- Have you already received the summons notification?
“We received it. What the hell are you people doing?”
Hajin interjected harshly.
The Chairman let out a heavy sigh.
- Ha… so they did it. I’m truly sorry, Suhyeon. I know this is sudden, and I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it despite the circumstances. I tried my best, but they pushed for it like madmen. However… you can’t handle it like last time. The issue they’ve raised is too legitimate.
“It hasn’t even been two days since we brought him back safely.”
- I know. Just… please show up. Public—
Before the Chairman could finish, Hajin reached out and abruptly cut the call.
Suhyeon narrowed his eyes, feeling the strength in the arm wrapped around his waist.
There were too many things he didn’t understand.
“What exactly is a summons?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t want to worry about it, but they’re telling me to come,” Suhyeon said quietly.
A summons.
Given the mention of the monster and the way Hajin and Yihan were reacting, he thought it might be something like writing an incident report.
Or perhaps being called in to be scolded by a superior.
Suhyeon let out a sigh—one filled with exhaustion and a rare spark of annoyance.
Regardless of the reason, as Hajin said, it hadn’t even been two days since he’d returned from that horrific kidnapping.
The Association was supposed to be responsible for his safety.
Suhyeon remembered how the Chairman had bowed to him when Do Yejun first tried to assault him.
Of course, he had been kidnapped in a way no one could have anticipated, and he wasn’t looking for an apology like back then.
But to demand he show up to write a report without a single word of concern—to command him and say he must appear…
At any other time, he might have just accepted it, but being treated this way while mentally exhausted made the fatigue hit harder.
“Suhyeon.”
Suhyeon looked at Hajin, who was watching him with eyes smoldering like he was waiting for a command to hunt.
Yihan was staring at him with a similar intensity.
It felt as if they would tear the Association apart if Suhyeon gave the word.
He wanted to leave everything to them and just roll around in his blankets.
“…Ha.”
But in the end, Suhyeon let out a sigh of resignation.
If the Chairman was calling like that, it meant there could be trouble if he didn’t go.
Life never went the way one wanted, and work-related matters were always like this.
If the problem was going to grow larger later, dealing with it now was the less bothersome path.
“I’ll go.”
“Suhyeon.”
“Suhyeon!”
The two massive men shouted as soon as he answered, but they soon contorted their faces in frustration, realizing Suhyeon was too tired to even argue.
Slumped on the sofa, Suhyeon gently tried to soothe them.
The night passed slowly.
The next morning, Suhyeon prepared to head out, never spending a single moment apart from Hajin.
During that time, he learned a bit more about what the “summons” entailed, and the slight irritation he’d felt the day before grew a bit larger.
It never felt good to be treated like a criminal rather than someone filing a report.
He felt drained before even arriving.
Soon, Esper Lee Jeonghyeon appeared.
With a tearful face, he told Suhyeon how worried he had been and transported them directly to the top floor of the Association.
Yihan and Asher were waiting in front of the doors.
Suhyeon blinked at the unexpected figure.
“…Asher?”
“Long time no see, Suhyeon. Are you feeling okay?”
Asher smiled mischievously as usual and tried to hug Suhyeon.
He was blocked by Hajin’s fierce kick, but Asher merely shrugged and stepped back as if he hadn’t expected it to work anyway.
“I’ll be watching from above. I wanted to see if you were actually okay and cheer you on—there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Asher spoke as if Suhyeon were here to take a test.
Suhyeon noticed the man who had contacted him several times yesterday quickly scanning his body.
It wasn’t an unpleasant gaze; it felt like he was truly checking to see if Suhyeon was alright.
Suhyeon blinked and gave a small laugh.
“I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. If you want to kill the bastards inside, just give me a look. I’ll take care of everything.”
“They’ll be gone before you even get a chance to step in,” Hajin muttered.
Suhyeon was exhausted but not particularly nervous; the usual bickering between the men helped lower what tension he did have.
“Well, see you in a bit.”
Asher waved.
Suhyeon gave him one last look before facing forward.
The heavy doors slowly swung open.
What was revealed was a semicircular high platform, with dozens of people all staring in their direction.
Suhyeon recognized several familiar faces in the crowd.
The Chairman, Asher (who was just walking in), a few Guides, several Team 1 Espers, and… Lee Jaeram?
He was still a man Suhyeon found uncomfortable to even look at, but perhaps because the entire situation was so draining, he didn’t care much.
After a brief glance at the man with the fox-like eyes, Suhyeon looked away and slowly sat in the chair placed in the center.
Countless gazes poured down on him.
Though he’d never actually been to one, it felt like being in the middle of a courtroom.
It was the kind of seat designed to make a normal person shrink back.
The sound of the doors closing echoed with particular finality.
Finally, when even the smallest murmurs died down and a perfect silence fell:
“Esper Shin Hajin, Director Chae Yihan. Is there a reason you must be present with Guide Chae Suhyeon?”
The man sitting in the center spoke with a notably aggressive tone.
