* * *
Whether Han Jihyuk took Yeonwoo with him or left him behind, neither scenario was reassuring.
At this point, keeping him close seemed like the lesser evil.
The idea of bringing Yeonwoo—now a guide—into a den of other espers didn’t sit well with him at all.
But the truth was, there was no other choice.
The best they could do was prepare to keep Yeonwoo’s identity hidden.
[I’ll gather the necessary gear and head over, so wait.]
Without waiting for a reply, Jihyuk ended the call.
Then, after wrenching Kim Sungchan free from Kang Taewon—who was still throwing a fit—he stepped in front of Yeonwoo.
Ignoring Shin Heesung, who was still clinging to Yeonwoo in a daze, Jihyuk spoke.
“Just so you know, you’re coming with us on this gate.”
At his words, both Yeonwoo and Heesung’s gazes snapped toward him.
Yeonwoo’s face twisted in disbelief.
“…You’re taking me?”
“Yeah.”
“Hah, what’ll you do if I run?”
“Try it if you can. As long as you’re ready to take full responsibility for what happens after.”
His indifferent voice was ice-cold.
Jihyuk’s blue eyes glinted dangerously.
Yeonwoo’s sharp gaze only grew more defiant as he sneered.
“What? You scared I’ll drop dead the second you take your eyes off me? Yeah, right. If this whore kicks the bucket, who the hell’s gonna guide freaks like you?”
“…”
“Hypocrites. If you don’t want me dead, just pass me around to other guys, like Sungchan said. It’s not like taking it up the ass is a big deal—or is that too much for your pride?”
“…Enough. You asking for a beating?”
It wasn’t Jihyuk who cut off Yeonwoo’s taunts, but Shin Heesung, still holding him.
His already unhinged eyes flickered ominously.
“I said, are you asking for a beating? Unless you want a fist shoved up your ass, shut the hell up.”
“Whether I do or not, I’m dead either way. So go ahead, you bastard.”
Normally, Yeonwoo would’ve flinched in fear, but this time, he glared back without backing down.
There was something in his expression—like he’d already given up.
Heesung bit his lip hard and suddenly yanked Yeonwoo’s head back, slamming him face-first into the bed.
“…You think I won’t do it?”
“Heesung.”
Ignoring Jihyuk’s warning, Heesung ripped Yeonwoo’s pants open and pressed his fist against his entrance.
His bloodshot eyes burned with nothing but the urge to punish him.
“Hhk—!”
Kim Sungchan shuddered at the sight of the smooth, pale flesh now exposed.
For a second, he was too stunned by the sudden turn of events to react.
The pristine pinkness of the hole—so clean it was hard to believe it belonged to a man—made his vision swim.
The faint blush visible between the twitching folds sent his mind into chaos.
His body was already heated from the forced guiding during treatment, and this was like fanning the flames.
While Sungchan struggled against his own arousal, Kang Taewon lunged at Heesung and dragged him off Yeonwoo.
“You fucking psycho! Are you out of your goddamn mind, Shin Heesung, you piece of shit?!”
At first, Sungchan thought Taewon was trying to break things up—until his next words made him rethink.
“You dare show Yeonwoo’s ass in front of Kim Sungchan?! You need your skull cracked open to get your head straight, huh?!”
“Let go. He needs to be punished.”
“I told you to stop your bullshit. Are you fucking blind right now?!”
Taewon, who’d just been raging at Sungchan, suddenly turned his fury toward Heesung.
Sungchan flinched as the hostility shifted to him and quickly ducked his head.
Honestly, Sungchan was indignant.
It wasn’t like he’d schemed to see it—it was just shoved in his face!
If these guys weren’t S-class espers, he’d have thrown a fit long ago.
Ugh, I’d rather die than deal with this.
Suppressing a sigh, Sungchan trembled with frustration while keeping an eye on Taewon’s mood.
“Stop drooling your filth and get lost. My whore needs to be disciplined.”
“Cut the goddamn attitude. You’re pissing me off.”
“…Let go. You want your wrist broken?”
“Try it if you can, you bastard.”
Taewon, who’d just been snarling at Sungchan, now turned his fiery temper on Heesung.
Sungchan clicked his tongue discreetly.
Watching this mess, he wanted nothing more than to leave.
But with an S-class gate appearing out of nowhere, he’d been forcibly drafted into this mess—escaping wasn’t an option.
Just as Sungchan pressed himself against the wall, fearing Taewon might grab him again, Jihyuk lifted Yeonwoo from the bed.
Yeonwoo glared but turned his head away.
Jihyuk, holding his still-trembling body, walked out of the room.
Immediately, Taewon and Heesung—who’d been growling at each other—followed like dogs chasing their master.
The room fell silent in an instant. Sungchan exhaled in relief before slumping to the floor.
“I swear, these temperamental freaks are gonna be the death of me.”
He’d rather dive into the gate than deal with this circus.
But the moment he thought of Yeonwoo, his mouth watered.
The image of that twitching entrance haunted him—he was going insane.
If just contact guiding was this overwhelming, he couldn’t even imagine how mind-blowing internal guiding would be.
It’d be pure ecstasy.
“Still, taking Yeonwoo into the gate this time… Will he be okay?”
Well, since this operation included not only Center-affiliated espers but also independents and civilian guides, they could disguise Yeonwoo as one of them.
“Seok Kiwoo and Park Jaerim returned to the country a few days ago… They’ll probably join this gate too.”
That was what worried Sungchan.
The presence of those two S-class espers—Seok Kiwoo and Park Jaerim—who’d just returned from overseas.
High-classing espers were unnaturally sharp; fooling them would be the real challenge.
The two had been stationed abroad for a long time before suddenly returning.
It seemed Center Director Koo Hyukjun had summoned them, but security was airtight—Sungchan couldn’t dig up the reason.
Honestly, he couldn’t understand why Hyukjun had sent two precious S-classs overseas in the first place.
That scheming bastard definitely had an ulterior motive, but not knowing what it was drove him crazy.
“If someone would just drag that damn Director out of his seat, I could die happy.”
The mere thought of Hyukjun was enough to jolt Sungchan awake from sleep.
A healing esper like him being worked to the bone without a single day off—all thanks to that bastard.
And to make it worse, he’d been forced to sign an unfair contract, leaving him no choice but to slave away.
“I’ll survive long enough to see Koo Hyukjun’s downfall. I swear it.”
Clenching his fist, Sungchan vowed revenge.
He could only hope that damn Hyukjun would get what was coming to him someday.
Countless espers and guides had gathered in the Incheon area where an S-class gate—one with an unidentifiable attribute—had opened.
Their attention was uniformly fixed in one direction, drawn by the unprecedented sight of six S-class espers assembled in one place.
“The hell are you bastards doing here after suddenly entering the country? Piss off with those annoying faces.”
“Kang Taewon, still as foul-mouthed as ever. What, you got a rag stuffed in your mouth or something?”
As Kang Taewon snarled at Park Jaerim standing across from him, Park Jaerim scoffed in response.
Next to Park Jaerim stood Seok Kiwoo, who seemed entirely indifferent to whatever Kang Taewon was ranting about.
“Shut the hell up.”
* * *
