K’s atmosphere was different from a moment ago.
When he was laughing loudly and mocking Raon, he maintained a relaxed and natural attitude, but now that the laughter had completely gone, he seemed like a different person, with a cold and sharp atmosphere.
But Raon suddenly thought that this might be K’s real appearance.
“This is your last chance, Team Leader Raon. If you ignore my words, you will truly regret it greatly.”
K tried to persuade Raon, not giving up until the end.
It was a meaningless act, but Raon calmly replied, thinking it was the last time.
“I’ve been regretting it since I was kidnapped by you people and heard all that nonsense.”
“Ha, honestly…”
K chuckled at Raon’s firm words.
He shook his head, as if he had completely given up.
“Fine. I won’t try to persuade you anymore. Whatever result you face, it’s all the result of Team Leader Raon’s choice.”
“Are you finished saying what you wanted to say?”
Raon asked, furrowing his brow unintentionally, as he was starting to get annoyed.
Then, the color of K’s eyes as he looked at Raon subtly changed.
Raon thought his eyes were a bright brown for a Korean, but they suddenly changed brighter, looking yellowish for a moment.
Like a reptile’s eye.
Just as Raon felt an unsettling feeling looking at those eyes, K spoke again.
“And unfortunately, I have no intention of negotiating. Our role is over, now that we are confined here.”
K spoke plainly and smiled wryly.
Raon just stared at him. K’s eye color had returned to normal.
Since Apophis’s leaders were not caught in the original story and that had been the case through countless regressions, it wasn’t strange for K to act dispirited now.
Yet, Raon felt a lingering sense of unease.
He was so persistent in persuading him just moments ago, and now he was giving up this quickly?
It didn’t make sense.
“Ha, what other trick are you up to now?”
Raon couldn’t help but ask, knowing that K wouldn’t tell the truth.
K’s smile deepened.
“By no means. And you should focus more on internal problems than on us.”
“Internal problems?”
Raon tilted his head at K’s cryptic words.
At that moment, something came to mind.
‘Don’t underestimate the Commander-in-Chief too much. He is a person who has stabbed his rivals in the back many times.’
It was Dojin’s words.
Furthermore, after hearing Nahee’s story, it seemed true that the Commander-in-Chief had eliminated the first-generation S-class Espers.
Dojin, who was protected by such a Commander-in-Chief, was clearly an individual to be wary of.
If the Commander-in-Chief created an opportunity, Dojin wouldn’t be the one to miss it.
No, he might even act more proactively.
Raon unconsciously swallowed hard, feeling tense.
“It seems Team Leader Raon has noticed too.”
“Did you people do something to them too?”
“Oh, no, we didn’t do anything major. Besides, they wanted it first.”
K said in a cunning tone, having returned to his leisurely attitude.
It seemed he enjoyed it every time Raon was flustered.
‘To even accept help from criminals, how messed up.’
Raon belatedly realized that the current situation, where he was interrogating K, was completely ridiculous, regardless of what the Commander-in-Chief and Seo Dojin were plotting with the criminal group.
Everything felt futile.
In the end, they had never intended to return the command authority to him from the start.
‘It wasn’t an interrogation; they were simply granting K’s demand because they had a weakness exposed. I was just a pawn in their game.’
Crunch.
His teeth ground together.
Anger surged for a moment, but Raon managed to calm it down.
He shouldn’t show any sign of anger in front of K.
They were inherently senseless people who would try to eliminate their own side without hesitation. So, it wasn’t that surprising.
Moreover, K must have an intention in deliberately giving him this information.
He spoke as if it were a foregone conclusion, but he surely didn’t think so.
He was the one who tried to gaslight him until the very end, even during the interrogation.
“Do you want us to fight and self-destruct?”
“By no means. And even if that were the case, Team Leader Raon is not that foolish.”
“I don’t think you’d speak without any cost.”
“Ah, you’re right about that.”
K’s eyes narrowed slyly.
Raon glared at him, annoyed because it looked so irritating.
“Actually, I feel like I haven’t earned Team Leader Raon’s trust, so consider this a gift to gain some points.”
“Ha, what nonsense…”
“Until a moment ago, I thought there was no possibility at all, but you never know what the future holds.”
K kept babbling vague words that Raon couldn’t understand.
In the end, Raon decided to completely give up on understanding him.
Raon turned around again, and K’s final words followed.
“Be careful, Team Leader Raon. I wish you good luck.”
“…”
Raon did not reply to his words and left the interrogation room.
“This is a problem. If we can’t extract information from K, they’ll try not to give back the command authority.”
Seokyeon muttered in distress.
Raon also nodded in agreement, as not regaining command authority would be troublesome for him too.
“Did you really gain nothing from this interrogation?”
“Well…”
Raon trailed off and hesitated for a moment.
There was one thing that was helpful to him, but it wasn’t something to report to Seokyeon.
Pushing out the Commander-in-Chief and Dojin was something he had to do.
If he involved Seokyeon, the Center Director, in an uncertain matter that could not be guaranteed, the Center itself might be put in danger.
He couldn’t reveal it to Seokyeon until he found certain evidence of the Commander-in-Chief and Dojin’s crimes.
Moreover, he wasn’t sure if he could even get help from the Hanmyung Chairman.
With that in mind, Raon opened his mouth.
“What if we were to receive help from the Hanmyung Chairman?”
“What? Who?”
“I mean Chairman Han Chanmyeong of Hanmyung.”
“…!”
Seokyeon’s eyes widened in surprise at Raon’s words.
He couldn’t help but be surprised.
After Chairman Han Chanmyeong was hospitalized due to his worsening chronic illness, he didn’t allow even visits, except for a few people he trusted.
Even his son, CEO Han Myunghoon, and his grandchildren had difficulty gaining access, so Seokyeon was surprised that Raon, who wasn’t even properly treated as a grandson, spoke so boldly.
“Of course, he could definitely help, but did you make a promise with Chairman Han Chanmyeong?”
“No. I haven’t even met him yet.”
“…”
Seokyeon fell silent and glared at Raon.
Raon clearly felt that a person could swear with their eyes.
“Couldn’t you at least say something concrete?”
“Haha, I was planning to visit him soon anyway.”
“Hmm, Chairman Han Chanmyeong, you say.”
“…?”
Seokyeon scrutinized Raon from top to bottom with a suspicious look.
As Raon felt puzzled by his behavior, Seokyeon narrowed his eyes and asked.
“You, surely you don’t want to become Hanmyung’s successor, do you?”
“What?!”
A startled Raon leaped in place.
He couldn’t understand why Seokyeon would think that.
However, Seokyeon did not withdraw his skeptical gaze despite Raon’s reaction.
“He’s a very conservative person, so he’s not the type to choose a Guide as a successor, but you never know.”
“Haha, don’t worry about that. I don’t want it either.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I mean it.”
Raon was only released from Seokyeon’s scrutiny after confirming several times.
Anyway, he decided to ask the Hanmyung Chairman for help, and if that didn’t work, he would look for another method.
“Whew.”
He never thought Seokyeon would have such an absurd idea.
The M&K Chairman before his transmigration coveted him, but Hanmyung wouldn’t.
As Seokyeon said, the Chairman wasn’t the type of person to choose him, a Guide, as a successor.
Although Hanmyung built its power by exploiting Guides, most elderly powerful figures held the perception that Guides, who physically guide Espers, were vulgar.
That mindset would change with generations, but Chairman Han Chanmyeong, being old, was highly likely to feel the same way.
Most importantly, he absolutely did not want to become the CEO or successor of a corporation.
He didn’t want to waste his life with such a taxing role.
He’d much rather continue living as an S-class Guide.
“Hyung.”
“Oh, Siwoo.”
Raon smiled brightly at Siwoo, who was approaching him after he left the Center Director’s office. However, Siwoo was not alone.
Raon looked at Siwoo, who had brought someone with him, with a puzzled expression.
“Who is that?”
“Well…”
Siwoo glanced at the man standing slightly behind him with an indifferent look.
The man then naturally stepped forward.
Only then could Raon see the man clearly.
A tall man in a dark suit.
He was wearing clothes and a watch that looked quite expensive.
Raon quickly scanned him, then looked up again.
