– Team Leader!
“Ugh.”
Yeojun’s loud voice pierced his eardrum.
Raon frowned despite himself, but Yeojun’s voice coming through the receiver was still energetic.
– Team Leader, you are okay, right? Huh?
“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”
– We were worried since you didn’t contact us at all!
“Haha.”
Raon couldn’t help but laugh at the scolding tone.
Then Yeojun’s voice became sharp.
– The atmosphere in the Guide Team is a mess right now! That Seo Dojin person is really…
“Why? Was there an issue with Team Leader Dojin?”
– Ugh!
– Team Leader, I’ve switched the phone.
A sound suggesting Yeojun was forcibly pushed back was heard, and the person on the call changed.
This time, Juwon must have taken the phone, as he spoke in a clean voice.
Raon was briefly flustered, then chuckled.
“I’m sorry for quitting so suddenly, Guide Juwon.”
– Not at all. We are rather sorry for causing trouble with the report we submitted.
“Don’t say that. You should report properly.”
Instead, the team members had faithfully carried out their assigned duties at the Gate, and thanks to them, there were no issues.
In fact, thinking about it now, if Siwoo had made a small mistake in the Blue Gate area, other Guides, not him, could have been seriously hurt.
So, it was he, not the team members, who should apologize.
Especially since he was taking a break without properly explaining anything to the team members.
– Are you feeling well? Is Esper Yoon Siwoo stable?
“Yes, we’re both fine. Thank you for your concern.”
As Luca said, Siwoo’s physical condition was getting better day by day.
After the side effects of the drugs disappeared, his recovery speed was surprisingly fast.
Raon even felt the value filling up as he Guided.
– Phew, that’s a relief.
“By the way, what was Esper Yeojun saying just now? What about Team Leader Seo Dojin?”
– That is…
Juwon hesitated for a moment, finding it difficult to answer.
However, when Raon pressed him, he reluctantly confessed.
– Actually, there was a general meeting held shortly after you took leave.
Juwon briefly explained the general meeting that had happened recently.
Dojin, who had returned, said he was going to thoroughly analyze the last Irregular Gate and predict the situation of future Gates, but some squad members who had entered the Irregular Gate and the Guide Team members raised opposing views.
They said there were absolutely no laws governing the Irregular Gate they experienced, and that analyzing the last Irregular Gate was meaningless due to the many variables.
The team members seemed disillusioned by Dojin’s behavior—who had clashed like mad with the working members from the very first meeting because their opinions differed.
They all seemed to share the common thought that a big problem might arise if they entered the next Irregular Gate trusting Dojin.
Dojin had already lost the trust of the squad members and the Guide Team members.
‘Well, I only knew the future because I transmigrated, too.’
If he hadn’t read the book, he wouldn’t have known what the Irregular Gate was like and would have been confused.
Knowing the future allowed him to respond to some extent, but Dojin’s personality still needed to be fixed.
‘In the original story, his stubbornness was actually helpful.’
But that was when he, the transmigrator, wasn’t there.
In an unpredictable situation, a selfish leadership style tends to shine more.
However, stubbornness in a situation where there is a clear answer does not yield positive results.
It seemed that this was why Dojin, who was praised by the members in the original story, had now lost their trust.
“For now, try not to provoke Team Leader Seo Dojin too much. He’s the type who doesn’t listen to other people anyway.”
– Yes… I understand.
Juwon replied in a displeased tone, still seemingly unhappy with Dojin.
Raon gave a wry smile at his discomfort.
“And are there any rumors circulating from the Intelligence Division?”
– The Intelligence Division?
“Yes.”
Raon took this opportunity to ask Juwon, who was unexpectedly well-connected.
Juwon, who groaned lightly as if thinking of something, answered in a cautious tone.
– Now that you mention it, they seem busy these days, too.
“Busy?”
– Yes. The turmoil caused by unregistered ability users seems to have decreased compared to before, but they seem to be spending less time at the Center.
“I see.”
As expected, Juwon seemed to know the movements of the Intelligence Division.
Raon nodded with satisfaction.
‘Apophis will also move soon.’
The beginning would be the terror attack on one of Hanmyung’s subsidiaries, the largest multiplex in Sector 1.
He couldn’t pinpoint the exact timing, but watching the movements of the Intelligence Division would allow him to roughly estimate the expected timing.
‘I’ll hear from Team Leader Inho soon.’
However, no matter how excellent the Intelligence Division’s information gathering was, they wouldn’t know exactly when and where Apophis would launch a terror attack.
Therefore, it was his role to subtly inform them.
‘Who was the Intelligence Division Team Leader again?’
His head throbbed as he tried to recall a character he hadn’t paid attention to.
The person rarely appeared in the original story and was a character the real Han Raon never met before the regression, so they left no impression in his mind.
Moreover, the Intelligence Division Team Leader, unlike the team leaders of other teams, did not reveal his identity well.
It was natural given the nature of the work.
He vaguely remembered hearing that he had abilities optimized for disguise and stealth; he was truly an Esper specializing in intelligence work.
‘I’ll just leak the location and guide it toward Team Leader Inho’s side.’
Raon quickly gave up on recalling the Intelligence Division Team Leader and muttered inwardly.
Then he spoke to Juwon.
“I understand for now. I’ll stop by the Center sometime soon, and we can talk more then.”
– Yes, Team Leader. Please rest well.
Raon hung up the phone and let out a long breath.
It seemed like he had more things to worry about.
At that moment, a thick, pale arm wrapped around Raon’s waist.
“Hyung.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Raon belatedly acknowledged Siwoo and patted the arm wrapped around his waist.
Siwoo, who buried his lips in the back of Raon’s neck, sighed and said.
“I still wish Hyung wouldn’t worry about Apophis.”
“Hmm.”
“But if Hyung wants it, there’s nothing I can do…”
Siwoo’s low voice tickled his ear.
Hearing his utterly dejected voice, Raon felt a little guilty.
It was natural for Siwoo to worry about him.
Nevertheless, Raon had to constantly jump into dangerous situations.
If he just stood by and watched, he couldn’t change the future.
He had to do everything he could while he was free like this, before the System returned.
Raon tightly hugged Siwoo’s firm arm.
“Thank you, Siwoo. And I promise. I will never disappear and leave you behind.”
“Yes, I will definitely protect you, Hyung.”
Siwoo spoke seriously and kissed the back of Raon’s neck.
Raon turned his head and shared a long kiss with Siwoo.
*
“Phew.”
Raon was soaking up the sun outside for the first time in a while.
He had been staying at the home he shared with Siwoo, constantly doing Guiding, and had just stepped outside for a breather.
But the situation was not great.
Because Raon had gained so much fame, he had to wear a hat and a mask to completely cover his face, making the already hot weather an ordeal.
Outside, spring had already fully passed, and the weather was slowly getting hot.
He resented himself for boldly coming out when he hadn’t expected this.
Because Raon suffered severely from the heat, Siwoo was flustered and went to buy a cold drink.
Raon sat on a park bench for a while, waiting for him.
“It’s so hot, seriously.”
Even in the shade, the midday heat was enough to make his skin burn.
Was early summer in Korea this hot originally?
If it was this bad, wouldn’t it be okay to just get rid of the words spring and early summer and leave only summer and winter?
He even thought such things and glared resentfully at the blazing sun.
But since that only hurt his eyes, he immediately lowered his head.
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have come out.”
Raon, who muttered a small curse, took out his cell phone.
It was his personal one, not the work terminal.
He had turned it off and neglected it after Han Myunghoon was hospitalized, but he had been using it occasionally since he agreed to contact Minon.
He had taken it out now to check the conversation history with Minon again, but his finger slipped due to the sweat from the heat, and he pressed something completely different.
“Hmm?”
An internet window opened on the phone screen.
It was an internet community site Raon often visited when he was bored.
There was a separate bulletin board there where people discussed ability users, and it was the largest and most popular community.
So Raon sometimes looked through it for fun.
But a new post there caught Raon’s eye.
As soon as he saw the title, Raon instinctively squinted.
[Heard a rumor about H.R. transferring overseas?]
“What is this now.”
Raon clicked his tongue and tapped the title.
