* * *

“Would it make you happy if I didn’t?”

Ye Eunsoo had no idea why Rex kept pretending they were close.

From their very first meeting, Rex had grabbed him by the collar and kicked down a door, threatening him because Yang Heewoon had nearly died.

And since then, Rex had made it clear that he considered Ye Eunsoo a nuisance.

After Yang Heewoon disappeared, the bastard had kept up this act.

“Does he think I don’t see through his black heart?”

Rex was no better than Elliot—the white-haired counterpart. If anything, he was worse.

While Elliot had tried to fill the void left by Yang Heewoon by raising the child Heewoon had left behind, Rex acted as though he were Yang Heewoon’s husband, taking it upon himself to protect Ye Eunsoo.

Even agreeing to jump into the Gate under Ye Eunsoo’s plan likely wasn’t because he genuinely trusted him, but because he felt it was his duty as some sort of guardian.

Knowing this made Ye Eunsoo loathe Rex to his core.

If he could, he’d love to knock that arrogant nose of his out of place.

But no matter how exceptional Ye Eunsoo’s physical abilities were, there was no way he could beat an S-rank Esper.

Especially not someone like Rex Hamilton, who was known to have the strongest body among S-rank Espers in Korea.

“Ye Eunsoo. I’m on your side. If you ever need help, just call me anytime, anywhere. I’ll be there faster than anyone.”

“Stay out of my business.”

“I can’t do that. Heewoon told me over and over to look after you.”

Rex didn’t even pretend to listen.

Flashing a wide grin, as if he thought he was being dependable, he showed off his white teeth.

Ye Eunsoo’s expression darkened with disgust.

“Annoying bastard.”

And the fact that Yang Heewoon had entrusted him to this man made it all the more infuriating.

This guy’s attitude was a problem, too.

Despite being simple-minded, he wasn’t entirely clueless when it came to Yang Heewoon.

Judging by his behavior so far, he must have been aware of the feelings Ye Eunsoo harbored for Yang Heewoon.

And yet, he dared to act as if he were Eunsoo’s protector?

It was utterly repulsive.

In the end, Ye Eunsoo couldn’t endure the discomfort any longer and forcefully shrugged off the arm resting on his shoulder.

“Stop holding me back.”

“Alright. Then, let’s grab a meal together once this is all over.”

‘Was this idiot deaf?’

He didn’t seem to comprehend a single word Eunsoo said.

As he strode quickly to the opposite side of the vehicle where the operation briefing was taking place, Eunsoo raised his middle finger over his shoulder.

---

The unregistered esper gang led by Seo Shinwoo had made their base near the West Sea port.

This city, abandoned after being devastated during the early days of gate phenomena and the emergence of espers and guides with bizarre abilities, had no residents left.

With no system in place back then, the area was left to ruin.

Homeless people had gathered there first, followed by unregistered espers, turning it into one of the few crime-ridden zones in the metropolitan area.

Among these, Seo Shinwoo’s group had claimed a former landmark—a massive shopping mall—as their nest.

The building, partially destroyed during the gate crisis, had been gradually restored over ten years by unregistered espers.

Now, it looked surprisingly functional.

Looking up at the towering ten-story structure, Ye Eunsoo couldn’t help but scoff.

“Were they trying to build a palace or something?”

It was laughable that criminals would base themselves in such a conspicuous building.

How long had this been left unchecked?

How arrogant had they grown?

How little must they have thought of the Esper Management Bureau to make such bold moves?

It was another glaring failure created by the incompetence of those in charge.

Pathetic.

---

“Move to your designated positions.”

“Avoid approaching the building at all costs. It’s no exaggeration to say every inch of the surrounding area is trapped.”

Eunsoo agreed with that assessment.

Although most of the traps around the building were crude, their sheer quantity was enough to detect intruders and buy time.

Still, as Cha Junseong had noted, the Bureau had poured considerable effort into this operation.

“Everyone in position.”

“We’re ready on our side as well.”

“Then, good luck.”

“Stay safe, everyone.”

After a brief exchange over the comms, the pre-positioned artifacts activated simultaneously.

A low, resonating hum spread through the air, followed by bursts of sound as traps were neutralized one after another.

“This is the Esper Management Bureau!”

“Damn it! Stop them from coming in!”

Despite the relatively soft volume, the response from the illegal espers was swift.

From here on, it was a race against time.

Defense espers blocked incoming attacks from above, while physical enhancement espers led the charge, navigating through unneutralized traps.

Once inside the building, they would block all escape routes and proceed along designated paths to capture the illegal espers.

The operation plan, stripped of intricate details, was straightforward.

“Most of them are C-class or lower, but that means they’ll fight desperately.”

“Stay vigilant.”

“If they’re too intoxicated to communicate, they’re likely to go berserk. Subdue them quickly or retreat immediately. They’ll die within ten minutes anyway.”

“If necessary, lethal force is authorized.”

The comms buzzed with grim updates.

Eunsoo, studying the interior map, turned off his terminal and stood up.

Kim Miri, who had been on standby to support him, was the first to react.

“Are you going in too, Eunsoo?”

“Yes, but I’ll be acting independently. You can leave if you’d like.”

“No, I’ll stay and support. Let me know if you need anything.”

The shopping mall was massive and connected to a closed underground shopping complex and subway, making it incredibly intricate.

Having someone outside to relay information or provide backup in case of emergencies was practical.

After a brief consideration, Eunsoo nodded lightly.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, count on me!”

Leaving behind Miri, who seemed oddly enthusiastic, Eunsoo stepped out of the van.

“Wait, the guide is supposed to stay in the rear for this mission…!”

One of the guides tried to stop Eunsoo as he headed for the scene, but Eunsoo didn’t even glance in his direction and kept walking.

The guide, completely ignored, stared after him in disbelief.

“What’s with that guy?”

“Hey, leave it. That’s Ye Eunsoo.”

“Ye Eunsoo? Oh, that… S-class guide.”

Illegal espers often turned attempts to capture them into opportunities to kidnap guides for their abilities.

As a result, guides were strictly forbidden from engaging in field operations.

But Ye Eunsoo was an exception.

Physically formidable and uniquely gifted, he was practically the “natural enemy” of espers.

He was the only human capable of both inciting and suppressing the rampages espers feared most.

“Still, isn’t he technically not part of the operation team? Why’s he moving around so freely? No one even tries to stop him. Smells fishy as hell.”

“What can you do? He’s the only S-class guide. Of course, he’s special.”

“The Bureau must adore him. Thanks to him, they can work their precious S-class espers to death. I heard that before he showed up, an S-class esper killed a guide. Their insides melted, apparently. Ugh, gruesome.”

“Oh, that B-class one?”

“Yeah, but the word is they were fooling around with three S-class espers and collapsed from exhaustion.”

“Still, it’s wild. Three of them? They’re all hot and in great shape. Kinda jealous, honestly.”

“They’re tall, built, and strong as hell, being espers. Must’ve been quite the ride.”

“Wow. What a way to go. Must’ve been heavenly.”

As their idle chatter continued, Kim Miri, heading toward the operations base to oversee the situation, halted mid-step.

‘It’s one thing to be bored waiting, but of all topics, why that…?’

She glanced at the group—clearly rookies who hadn’t been in the field long.

No doubt, Eunsoo must have overheard.

Sure enough, a message from him arrived on her terminal.

[Flag them for evaluation.]

She sighed, already expecting as much, and replied affirmatively.

She felt sorry for these fresh recruits who’d likely end up stationed at underfunded regional centers, but careless chatter like this in a life-or-death operation wasn’t something she could overlook.

Especially when the last two missions had been bloodbaths, giving these recruits an opportunity to prove themselves.

Their lack of awareness was just disappointing.

‘Come back as dependable teammates we can trust to watch our backs.’

Marking the talkative rookies in the operation log, Kim Miri entered the base.

* * *