“Team Leader!”
“Esper Yeojun?”
“Team Leadeeerr!”
“Ha, haha.”
The Guide Team members rushed toward Raon.
Raon looked at Yeojun, who was leading the run, with curiosity, then let out an awkward laugh as the other team members surrounded him and cried loudly.
“What on earth happened? What about Apophis?”
“We heard you caught Apophis’s Named members?”
The team members threw questions wildly in their excitement.
Raon felt the necessity to calm them down first.
“I’ll explain everything, so please calm down.”
“How could you do that without telling us!”
“That’s right! We could have helped too!”
“That’s too much!”
“Haha, oh dear.”
The shouting team members seemed to feel hurt that Raon had acted alone, leaving them out.
Raon looked at them with a troubled expression.
“Shouldn’t you all be training to prepare for the Irregular Gate?”
“But still! We’re teammates, aren’t we…”
“Hmm, I apologize for that.”
Raon apologized to the disappointed team members.
However, it was insufficient to appease the deeply sulking members.
Instead, I decided to change the subject.
“How is Esper Dasom? I heard she’s okay.”
“We actually just came from visiting her in the hospital. She was lively.”
“That’s right, she said she’s being discharged tomorrow.”
“That’s a relief.”
The team members, who had already visited Dasom, answered seriously.
Raon sighed with relief.
“Um, Dasom-ssi said she felt very sorry toward the Team Leader.”
“Esper Dasom did?”
Raon felt confused at Hamin’s hesitant remark.
On the contrary, I should be the one who feels sorry for getting her involved in such a situation, so why would Dasom feel that way?
Then Hamin spoke again, speaking on Dasom’s behalf.
“She said she went out thinking the person who sent the message was the Team Leader, but it wasn’t. She feels sorry that she should have known better and acted more carefully but couldn’t…”
“Ah.”
It seemed Apophis had hacked his watch and terminal to secretly lure Dasom.
And Dasom seemed to think being tricked and kidnapped was a nuisance.
It wasn’t incomprehensible, but thanks to her, Apophis’s leadership could be wiped out, so it wasn’t all bad.
“Please tell her not to feel unnecessarily guilty. I will meet her and tell her myself soon, though.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“And I plan to return soon, so everyone, train hard.”
“Really?”
The team members, who had been gloomy, opened their eyes wide.
Raon smiled and nodded.
“It’s not completely decided yet, but it will be soon.”
“That’s wonderful!”
The atmosphere among the team members changed instantly.
Everyone cheered and jumped up and down.
Although their hugging and celebrating seemed a bit excessive, Raon just chuckled good-naturedly.
“Then I’ll be heading back now.”
“Yes! Get some rest, Team Leader!”
Raon was successfully released by the team members and turned around with Siwoo.
In the meantime, Raon felt a little tired.
“Phew, shall we go back now?”
“Yes.”
“My time of leisurely living will end now.”
“…”
When Raon said this with regret, Siwoo’s face also stiffened a little, as if he felt disappointed.
Raon saw this and opened his mouth, smiling.
“Why? Are you disappointed?”
“It’s not that.”
“Be honest. Are you disappointed?”
“I said no.”
Siwoo silently shook his head at Raon’s persistent questioning.
Raon, who was quicker-witted than others, realized his words were genuine and cocked his head.
“Then why?”
“If you go into the gate, Hyung will be in danger again.”
“…”
Raon was momentarily speechless at Siwoo’s serious concern.
Then he chuckled.
“You can just protect me like you did this time.”
“That…”
“You can, right? Huh?”
Raon asked, holding Siwoo’s hand. Siwoo’s deep eyes looked at Raon.
The hand I held was hot.
I thought Siwoo’s body temperature was low due to his ability, but after he almost went into a rampage, his body often became hot when he received guiding.
And it was the same now.
‘Is this also related to his values improving?’
Raon, who was feeling confused, felt a strong grip on his hand and lifted his head.
Seeing Siwoo’s eyes, as hot as his hand, a smile naturally formed.
“You used your ability a lot this time, aren’t you tired? Shall we go for guiding?”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I told you I’m fine.”
After almost being brainwashed by K, Siwoo was overly worried about Raon’s body.
So, yesterday he wouldn’t even let me hold his hand, telling me not to do guiding.
Raon, who was secretly disappointed by that, gripped Siwoo’s hand even tighter as if to show off.
“Han Raon.”
“…!”
However, someone’s sharp voice cut through them.
Raon frowned and turned his head.
“Team Leader Seo Dojin.”
“…”
Dojin’s gaze briefly lingered on the hands Raon and Siwoo held together.
But Raon didn’t mind and asked.
“What is the matter?”
Dojin slowly approached and stood in front of Raon.
Seeing his cold eyes, it seemed he had already heard all about the Apophis incident.
Of course, the rumor had spread throughout the Center, so he couldn’t possibly be unaware.
“I heard you captured all of Apophis’s leadership.”
“Yes, I was lucky.”
“How did you get to know the Intelligence Department Team Leader?”
It seemed Dojin was curious about how I ended up cooperating with Jeongwon.
He must have thought it would have been difficult for Raon to catch Apophis’s leadership with his own strength, so he judged that I received a lot of help from Jeongwon, the Intelligence Department Team Leader.
That guess was half-right and half-wrong.
Of course, it would have been difficult to face Apophis alone.
I wouldn’t have been able to capture them without the help of the Espers.
But if I hadn’t endured K’s brainwashing alone, it would have been difficult to stall for time until Jeongwon could use his ability.
Then they might have all escaped again with M’s warp, and the effort would have been wasted.
I didn’t know Dojin’s intention in asking the question, but Raon somehow felt that the question was a gesture to disregard his achievement.
Because of that, my answer wasn’t polite.
“Why should I tell the Team Leader that?”
“What did you say?”
Dojin’s face contorted. Raon knew better than anyone why he was angry.
In the original novel, Apophis’s terror was much more widespread and damaging.
So Dojin desperately wanted to capture Apophis’s leadership.
Although this life’s Apophis hadn’t committed the same terrible terror as in the original, the past events weren’t erased.
That alone was a sufficient reason to capture them.
Moreover, Dojin was a person who was supposed to walk the path of success as the successor to the power brokers.
But since Raon was constantly snatching away the achievements he should have made, it was natural for him to be angry.
‘He couldn’t even catch them in the original novel anyway.’
But this was only an understanding of the situation.
It didn’t mean I needed to pity Dojin or feel guilty toward him.
In the original novel, he entered the next Irregular Gate without capturing even one Named member.
So this wasn’t even stealing an achievement. I was just doing what Dojin failed to do.
“Is that all you have to say? Then I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait.”
“…?”
“I want to talk to you alone for a moment.”
“Haa.”
Dojin was being frustrating again, making an unreasonable demand.
Raon shook his head immediately and answered.
“I don’t want to.”
“Han Raon.”
“What reason do I have to trust the Team Leader?”
As Raon took a defensive posture, recalling the experience of being ruthlessly held captive by Dojin in the past, Siwoo stepped forward. Dojin frowned, perhaps bothered by the fierce glare.
“I won’t do that again. This time, I genuinely have something to tell you.”
“Something to tell me?”
“Yes, I do.”
Dojin repeated, sounding genuinely frustrated. Raon stared at him for a moment.
Since being hospitalized after being poisoned, Dojin had become subtly calmer.
This state was actually more familiar than his earlier, agitated state when he was forcing the pair bond.
Originally, Dojin had no interest in me, the villain.
Moreover, he was not the type of person to resort to tricks and lies, even now.
Because of this, Raon, who had been prickly, was a little less rigid in dealing with Dojin.
“Alright. But let’s talk inside the Center.”
“Hyung.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be quick.”
Instead of talking in a nearby small conference room, Siwoo decided to wait outside the door.
Unlike the Guiding Room, the conference room was not soundproof, so he could react quickly if anything happened.
After finally persuading Siwoo, I faced Dojin inside the conference room.
Raon asked in a displeased tone.
“What is the matter?”
“…You haven’t received a call from the Intelligence Department Team Leader yet, have you?”
“What is it?”
As Raon looked confused and puzzled, Dojin rubbed his forehead with his thumb, as if he had a headache.
Then, he slowly spoke to Raon, who was still full of questions.
“The military is currently interrogating Apophis’s leadership, but they are all exercising their right to remain silent.”
“Oh, is that so.”
Of course, they wouldn’t say anything until they hired a lawyer.
Apophis would know that much.
Since it was an easily predictable story, Raon reacted indifferently.
Dojin, still with a serious face, continued.
“But the one called K, their leader, said he would only make a statement to you, Han Raon.”
“What did you say?”
And Raon raised his eyebrows in disbelief at Dojin’s words.
