“They missed them after all.”
Raon clicked his tongue after receiving the call from the Intelligence Division.
The largest multiplex in Sector 1 was the place where Apophis first launched a terror attack.
He didn’t know the exact timing, but he thought that if he blended in with the public and monitored, he would eventually discover the Named members.
But the ability of M, the teleportation Esper, was indeed bothersome.
Raon frowned as he received the encrypted message from Jeongwon.
‘It looks like it would be best if I were the bait.’
The next location Apophis would target for a terror attack was not a bustling area.
It was a large logistics center.
This was also a facility operated by Hanmyung.
‘If I were to hide there beforehand and just coincidentally… No, they won’t believe it.’
Apophis was quite suspicious.
Approaching them with a shallow tactic would only raise suspicion.
After all, why would a Guide get involved in a fight between Espers?
‘I need to make them come find me first.’
Raon pondered. In the meantime, his watch vibrated.
Checking it, it was a call from Seokhyeon.
“Yes, Director.”
– Yes, how have you been?
“Thanks to you.”
The last time they met was when they argued over Siwoo’s disciplinary action.
He had contacted him a few times afterward regarding Apophis, but since the Intelligence Division’s work had nothing to do with the Center, they hadn’t engaged in deep conversation.
– To get straight to the point, the Commander-in-Chief has invited you to dinner.
“Me?”
– Yes.
“…”
Something was strange.
Raon recalled the time he ran into the Commander-in-Chief by chance not long ago.
At that time, the Commander-in-Chief had casually mentioned having a meal sometime, but he thought it was just a common courtesy.
For the invitation to actually come through Seokhyeon was unexpected.
Raon’s eyes widened at the thought.
“Is this really an occasion I should attend?”
– Yes. But the problem is… Team Leader Raon isn’t the only one invited.
“Then who else… Ah.”
A person immediately came to mind. Dojin.
“So, is he telling us to reconcile or something?”
– Team Leader Raon.
Raon asked in a cynical tone. Seokhyeon continued, sounding tired.
– If you don’t want to go, you can tell me honestly. I will try to stop it somehow on my end.
“No, it’s fine.”
This was a gathering set up by someone as important as the Commander-in-Chief.
It was a proposal in name, but he couldn’t know what kind of repercussions would follow if he actually refused.
Raon immediately shook his head at Seokhyeon’s words.
“I will go. Please send me the time and location via the terminal.”
– Understood.
The call with Seokhyeon ended like that.
Soon, the terminal lit up. Seokhyeon had sent the text immediately.
“Hmm.”
The scheduled date was tomorrow, and the location was a hotel restaurant quite far from here.
In any case, nothing about this was to his liking.
‘But this place is close to the logistics center.’
The logistics center, which Apophis was targeting next, was close to the hotel.
But Apophis wouldn’t launch their next terror attack right away anyway.
Especially since their movements were detected by the Intelligence Division beforehand this time, they would move more cautiously afterward.
Still, he had already told Jeongwon about the logistics center, so now the Espers from the Intelligence Division and Inho’s team would be monitoring the area.
‘I’ll have to think about what to do next.’
Even if he knew the location of the terror attack in advance, it was useless if they couldn’t catch them.
He felt he had to join the next operation somehow by persuasion.
This time, he couldn’t join the operation because even Jeongwon was against it.
Raon stood up, determined.
Click.
“Hyung, let’s eat.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Raon nodded and walked toward the dining table.
Siwoo now looked very comfortable cooking every meal and setting the table.
Raon had also accepted this as a comfortable daily routine.
Raon sat down, thanked him, and began to eat.
Siwoo, sitting across from him, asked.
“Did you talk to the Director?”
“Ah, yeah. You heard it, huh?”
He had called inside the room, but it seemed to have been heard by the S-Class Esper, Siwoo.
Raon readily affirmed, chewing his food.
“The Commander-in-Chief asked me to have dinner tomorrow.”
“Surely Team Leader Seo Dojin isn’t going, too?”
“He is.”
At that, Siwoo’s face twisted violently.
Raon sighed deeply, as he felt the same way.
“Well, what can I do? If he tells me to go, I have to go.”
“Won’t something happen?”
“No way.”
A look of distrust was on Siwoo’s face.
This was because he didn’t trust Dojin at all.
Raon was also worried since it was a dinner with him, but he doubted he would cause trouble even with the Commander-in-Chief present.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No. You’re suspended.”
“But I can still go outside.”
“Just stay put. There will be plenty of guards there.”
Siwoo didn’t give up easily, as he couldn’t quite put his mind at ease.
But no matter how he thought about it, it was just a dinner, and the worry was excessive.
Raon repeatedly reassured him.
“No matter where I am, you can get there instantly, can’t you?”
“Still…”
“Nothing will happen, so don’t worry. Okay?”
“…Understood. Instead, if anything happens, call me immediately.”
“I will.”
The two, who were paired, could automatically sense if something was wrong with the other’s safety, even without a device connection.
In Raon’s case, the Guide, it was a physical threat, and in Siwoo’s case, the Esper, it was when his value dropped sharply.
So, there wouldn’t be any major problems even if they were apart for a while.
“You worry too much.”
“Try putting yourself in my shoes, Hyung.”
“Hmm.”
At that, Raon genuinely tried to switch places with Siwoo for a moment.
In that case, he would be the Esper, not the Guide, and Siwoo would be the Guide, not the Esper.
But surprisingly, he thought it would be fine.
Although he was big, he would probably be popular with Espers if he Guided with that pretty face.
‘Ah, I’m getting aroused again.’
To get excited at the dinner table. Even a beast wouldn’t do this.
Raon felt the tingling below and frowned.
“See? Hyung doesn’t like it either, right?”
“Hmm, u-uh. Yeah.”
Unable to say no, Raon simply nodded.
Siwoo, who didn’t know anything, merely wore a triumphant expression, as if his words were proven right.
Raon secretly sighed deeply.
*
The next day, Raon wore a suit for the first time in a while.
After transmigrating, it was natural for him to wear the Guide uniform normally and the combat uniform when entering the Gate.
So, the stiff feeling of the suit felt unfamiliar.
“Hyung, when you wear this, you look like a CEO in a drama.”
“Hmm.”
Siwoo, standing next to him, also felt unfamiliar and added a comment.
Raon looked closely into the mirror at his words.
‘Well, I am a chaebol.’
Even before transmigrating, he was the illegitimate son of a large corporation chairman, and he was in a similar situation now.
The legitimate sons of Han Myunghoon would never recognize Han Raon as their younger brother, but the real Han Raon looked exactly like his biological father, Han Myunghoon, unlike him.
Perhaps because of that, his suit fit was surprisingly good.
Raon scanned the navy suit that went well with his hair color.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Yes, I’ll wait for your call.”
Raon affectionately kissed Siwoo’s cheek.
He looked at the slightly reddening cheek with an adorable expression and turned away.
When he stepped outside, a car was already waiting. Raon nodded to the driver and got into the car.
Raon silently watched the scenery outside the window quickly change.
Sector 1, where the Gates opened much more frequently than other areas, had stabilized over the last few years, so it no longer gave off the grim atmosphere of the past.
It was a sight he couldn’t have imagined before the regression.
After the emergence of the Irregular Gate, the difficulty of other Gates also increased, leading to immense civilian damage because they couldn’t be suppressed properly.
Could this peace truly be maintained?
Raon looked at the passing people with a smile and gritted his teeth.
Screech.
“We have arrived.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The car stopped in front of the hotel.
Raon thanked the driver and got out of the car.
“Team Leader Han Raon, I will guide you inside.”
“Yes.”
A secretary who recognized Raon naturally guided him inside.
Raon followed him, observing the 5-star hotel.
Although it was on the outskirts of Sector 1, it was a hotel frequently visited by celebrities, perhaps because it was less crowded.
The Commander-in-Chief seemed to have deliberately chosen this place to avoid the eyes of reporters.
“Oh, you’ve arrived, Team Leader Han Raon.”
“Hello.”
The Commander-in-Chief was already at the hotel, unexpectedly.
And he seemed quite tipsy, having already had a drink with someone.
Raon smiled and greeted him.
“Come, have a seat right away.”
“Yes.”
But the Commander-in-Chief wasn’t the only one who had arrived early.
Across the priceless whiskey bottle, Seo Dojin was sitting silently.
“I was having a drink with Team Leader Seo Dojin before you arrived.”
“I see.”
Raon was instantly annoyed, but he forced himself not to show it and sat down.
It was the seat across from the Commander-in-Chief and next to Dojin.
“Come on, you should have a drink too.”
“Yes.”
The whiskey bottle Raon had noticed earlier was brought closer.
Raon wasn’t one to dislike alcohol, so he didn’t refuse unnecessarily.
“Let’s all have a drink first, and then we’ll talk.”
“Understood.”
The Commander-in-Chief seemed to be quite a heavy drinker.
His face was already red from several drinks, yet he poured a generous amount of alcohol into the glass.
Soon, the three people’s glasses clinked together.
