* * *

I don’t want to go to work. I need to buy a lottery ticket this week.

These were my thoughts as I dragged myself to the office.

The moment I arrived, Senior Manager Choi approached me with a sly grin.

“Heewon, are you meeting your girlfriend today?”

“No.”

“Then is it a blind date?”

“It’s not.”

It was just a planned meeting with Kanghoon.

“Don’t tease Heewon.”

“Yeah, he’s our company’s hero.”

I gave an awkward smile.

Though my role in helping during the dungeon break incident had been downplayed publicly, everyone in the office knew what had happened since it occurred right here on our floor.

As a result, my already friendly coworkers had become even kinder to me.

Not that it made me any more eager to work.

Barely making it through the day, I found myself in Baek Gunho’s car on the way to the meeting place.

While I desperately needed to unwind, Baek Gunho bombarded me with nagging until my ears hurt.

“I got it, I got it, okay?”

“You don’t get it. Be careful. You’re too careless—”

“I already have a tracker and a listening device on me. What more do you want me to do?”

“Thinking that’s enough is the problem. You need to stay alert.”

“Fine, I’ll be extra cautious. I won’t even follow anyone offering candy.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“You’re the one treating me like I’m five years old.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

His response made my blood pressure rise.

Ignoring him was the only way to preserve my sanity.

I stared out the window as Baek Gunho’s lecture continued unabated.

Once we arrived and stepped out of the car, I finally escaped his nagging.

We took an elevator up to a luxurious Italian fine dining restaurant.

Dropping Kanghoon’s name, I was led inside, where he and Na Hongju were already seated.

They both stood to greet me as I approached.

After some light conversation, Hongju bowed her head to me.

“Thank you so much. You saved my life.”

“It’s thanks to your help that we managed to survive the dungeon break.”

“They said things could’ve turned dire without your timely first aid. I owe you my life.”

“Haha, it’s nothing…”

“She’s right,” Kanghoon added.

“You’re not only her savior but mine as well.”

Their repeated gratitude made me flush with embarrassment.

After much thanks, the conversation finally shifted to other topics.

“I’ve known of you for some time, Heewon.”

“Me?”

“Yes, being the adopted son of Director Seo and a well-known figure in the management bureau…”

Of course, my constant entanglement in incidents meant I was familiar to the bureau staff.

Kanghoon shared anecdotes from the management bureau, many of which involved my uncle.

As he spoke, Kanghoon’s face grew sheepish.

“Your uncle is a legendary figure, after all. I truly respect him.”

Hmm. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but… People’s intentions are hard to read.

That’s why I came prepared to dig deeper.

Casually, I slipped a tracker and listening device from my inventory.

After some thought, I decided to stick it under the sole of his shoe—he wears these special itemized shoes almost daily.

Pretending to drop my phone, I bent down and used telekinesis to attach the device.

‘Noeul.’

I called Noeul, who emerged unnoticed beneath the table.

While Noeul slipped into Kanghoon’s shadow, Kanghoon showed no sign of noticing.

Briefly sharing Noeul’s perspective, I watched myself smiling and chatting with forced friendliness. Perfect.

With preparations complete, I settled in to glean whatever I could.

Keeping my nerves hidden, I continued the meal.

Rejecting Lee Kanghoon’s offer to drive me home, I returned to the car.

Baek Gunho scrutinized me sharply as I got in.

“Anything happen?”

“No.”

Why even ask when he was obviously listening in? He worries too much.

In his hand was a pebble-sized stone.

It was an item linked to a tracker and eavesdropping device we’d planted on Lee Kanghoon.

“Wanna listen?”

Baek Gunho handed me the item.

As soon as I held it, I heard the voices I’d just heard earlier.

─ Already heading into the dungeon? Shouldn’t you rest?

─ It’s fine. Nothing serious now.

─ Still…

I stopped listening and returned the item to Baek Gunho with a sour expression.

“This feels… a lot like a crime.”

“It’s not ‘like’ a crime. It is a crime.”

Baek Gunho made sure to correct me.

This criminal bastard.

Not that I could criticize him—I was already an accomplice.

Where was my life even headed?

What was life?

What was human guilt?

All sorts of existential thoughts flooded my mind.

As a regular citizen suddenly involved in a crime, I felt deeply uneasy.

And on top of that, I worried—what if we were wrong and incriminating an innocent person?

“Are you sure Lee Kanghoon is suspicious?”

“Absolutely.”

Baek Gunho’s confidence was unshaken. If he said so, I could trust him.

Though, compared to other cases, I couldn’t help feeling slightly uneasy.

Fine. If this led to clues about the Baekmyeon Sect, I’d do whatever it took.

What’s done is done.

All I could hope for now was to find evidence as quickly as possible.

✧✧✧

A few days passed.

At home and at work, I occasionally used Noeul’s sight and hearing to observe Lee Kanghoon.

His life seemed perfectly ordinary.

He’d leave for work early, diligently contact Na Hongju after hours, or meet up with friends.

I started doubting if we were barking up the wrong tree, but Baek Gunho, ever patient, insisted that clues wouldn’t surface overnight.

For now, Ahn Sangwook was the one monitoring through the item.

Lee Kanghoon seemed to think we’d grown quite friendly since our meal.

He began messaging me lightly once or twice a day. Each message only inflated my guilt.

I had nightmares—not the kind of vague, inexplicable ones from before, but terrifyingly specific ones where Lee Kanghoon discovered the item and had me arrested.

It was horrifying in its own way.

The next morning, I checked my horoscope.

It predicted bad news for the day.

Just what I needed—like I didn’t already have enough on my plate.

I started worrying, too.

Baek Gunho had entered a dungeon yesterday.

What if he got hurt?

He’d never been seriously injured before, but that didn’t stop the anxiety.

Being in a dungeon meant I couldn’t contact him either.

By the time I’d finished work while keeping tabs on Lee Kanghoon, it was already time to go home.

Once back, I sprawled on the couch and resumed monitoring him.

Tonight, Lee Kanghoon seemed to have plans.

He arrived at a high-end Korean restaurant.

Of all places, it required guests to remove their shoes at the entrance.

I shared Noeul’s sight.

Since the tracker was attached to his shoes, Ahn Sangwook couldn’t monitor anymore.

It was up to me now.

If something happened, I couldn’t afford to miss it.

Guided inside, Lee Kanghoon entered a room with two people waiting.

I immediately recognized the man on the right.

The leader of the Baekmyeon Sect, Kim Kyungmin.

I was genuinely shocked.

Of all days, Kim Kyungmin shows up when Baek Gunho isn’t around? What were the odds?

Kim Kyungmin spoke.

Without lip-reading skills, I quickly switched to auditory sharing.

In my dreams, I’d managed to use multiple senses simultaneously, but that was just a dream… right?

─ …They’re following us.

─ I’m sorry. I tried to be careful…

It was Lee Kanghoon’s voice, apologetic and formal.

─ It’s fine. Just bring them here.

Silence fell in the room. Switching between senses, I kept a close watch.

Kim Kyungmin was even more impressive in person than in photos or videos.

Handsome enough to justify the rumors that his face was part of the cult’s allure.

He looked younger than his forty years, too.

Moments later, Kim Kyungmin turned toward the door.

It opened, and a man entered carrying a large, writhing sack.

When the sack hit the ground, a young woman spilled out.

She was from the Somang Guild—I remembered her clearly because she’d helped me several times before.

She must’ve been tracking Lee Kanghoon too.

The woman froze upon seeing Kim Kyungmin, her eyes wide.

She shouted something as I switched back to auditory sharing.

─ We meet again.

Kim Kyungmin’s calm voice was unnerving.

─ What the hell are you talking about?!

─ Fixing things every time is such a hassle.

Kim Kyungmin sighed, the sound of rustling filling the air.

─ Wh-what are you doing? Get away from me!

The woman’s scream cut off abruptly, leaving an unsettling silence.

Should I intervene?

Panic gripped me as I hastily switched back to sight.

The woman, who had been resisting moments earlier, now sat completely still.

Her gaze was hazy, her movements subdued.

I switched to auditory sharing again, just in time to hear Kim Kyungmin sigh.

─ Good. Now return to your usual spot and report as always. Forget everything that happened here once you leave.

─ …Yes, understood.

The woman’s voice was obedient, eerily so.

Something wasn’t right.

Had he done something to her? Brainwashing?

I’d never heard of Kim Kyungmin having mental manipulation abilities.

If he did, Baek Gunho would have warned me.

─ So, what about Seo Heewon?

Hearing my name from Kim Kyungmin’s lips sent a chill down my spine.

─ We’ve been in contact today as well. No major progress yet…

─ It’s fine. Building trust takes time. We just need the opportunity.

─ Understood.

Their conversation grew more ominous by the second.

As they fell silent, I heard the faint sound of something rustling again.

─ This dose will work for sure. It’s much stronger than the last.

─ I’ll make sure he takes it.

What dose?

Wait, was he talking about drugging me?

Had they already done it before?

* * *