* * *
Already on edge from the loss of Woo Jiyoo, Koo Hyukjun’s nerves were fraying.
He had spent a fortune on the experiment, only for the resulting entity to vanish in an instant.
Thanks to a mere failure, a piece of trash.
Koo Hyukjun was desperate to resolve this crisis.
He wanted to extract guiding energy from Woo Jiyoo’s corpse through another experiment.
Upon discovering that the guiding energy still remained in the body, he had one of his subordinates use their abilities to preserve Woo Jiyoo’s body in a special state.
At least the body, even without its soul, still had its uses.
Due to these circumstances, they couldn’t hold a formal funeral.
Neither Han Jihyuk nor Woo Jiyoo’s assigned Espers knew this truth.
They must continue to remain ignorant.
It was necessary to put new collars on them, after all.
Although not without some foundation, Koo Hyukjun couldn’t rely on it indefinitely.
Ko Yeonwoo, that damn pest.
Just thinking of him made Koo Hyukjun’s anger boil.
If only Ko Yeonwoo hadn’t killed Woo Jiyoo, this mess wouldn’t have happened.
He should have killed Ko Yeonwoo when the experiment failed, but keeping him alive for his Esper activities was a mistake.
The massive investment in Ko Yeonwoo’s body had turned into a fatal error.
But even venting his anger on Ko Yeonwoo was impossible.
Ko Yeonwoo was killed by Han Jihyuk.
Even after seeing the video of Han Jihyuk using his power to strangle Ko Yeonwoo after losing his mind from Woo Jiyoo’s death, Koo Hyukjun felt uneasy.
The blinding light that exploded around Ko Yeonwoo right before his death made the rest of the video unclear.
Although Koo Hyukjun believed Ko Yeonwoo was dead, he couldn’t shake his doubts.
Why did it feel like Ko Yeonwoo might still be alive?
Koo Hyukjun’s eyes narrowed slightly.
His instincts were whispering that Ko Yeonwoo might not have died.
One reason Koo Hyukjun ascended to the director’s position was his exceptional instincts.
He had successfully eliminated obstacles thanks to his heightened intuition.
So, he couldn’t ignore his instincts about Ko Yeonwoo.
He needed to investigate further.
If Ko Yeonwoo was indeed alive, he would imprison him in the lab once more and continue the failed experiment.
Koo Hyukjun unconsciously licked his lips, recalling the secret pleasures of experimenting on Ko Yeonwoo when he was alive.
The taste of Ko Yeonwoo’s body, exploited under the guise of experiments by other researchers, had been unforgettable.
He regretted not using him more often, despite being a failure.
Ko Yeonwoo’s face, which was so much to his liking, made him want to keep him alive despite the anger Woo Jiyoo’s death ignited.
Not only was his face to Koo Hyukjun’s taste, but his body had been remarkably satisfying.
The memory of Ko Yeonwoo struggling to endure the pain as he took him, moaning, flashed in Koo Hyukjun’s mind.
Just then, a chilling voice cut through his thoughts.
“I believe I told you to state what you want. Don’t make me repeat myself more than three times.”
Han Jihyuk’s audacious words caused Koo Hyukjun’s brows to furrow slightly before he composed himself.
He looked up at Han Jihyuk, exuding cold energy, and finally spoke.
“If you insist, then I suppose I must oblige. Since you’re so eager to know.”
Koo Hyukjun ignored Han Jihyuk’s cold, gleaming eyes with his characteristic sly smile and continued speaking.
“You know about the newly discovered gate in the outskirts of Seoul, right?”
“I understand it’s a B-grade gate.”
Koo Hyukjun nodded.
“That’s right. You’re also aware that the team that left to clear the gate has been out of contact until now.”
“You want me to join the second team being dispatched.”
“Exactly. Normally, a B-grade gate should be cleared within three days at the most, but it’s already the fourth day. Something must have gone wrong. Since it’s likely a grade-shifting gate, the conclusion from the meeting is that you and your team should handle it.”
“Is that your request?”
“Well, for now.”
“Then, please inform me once the exact schedule is set. I’ll be on my way.”
As soon as Koo Hyukjun got to the point, Han Jihyuk ended the conversation and turned his back.
It was clear he didn’t want to talk any longer, causing Koo Hyukjun’s face to contort in irritation.
“…Let’s see how long you can keep up that arrogant attitude.”
Koo Hyukjun muttered darkly, glaring at the hospital room door Han Jihyuk had just closed behind him.
Han Jihyuk walked out of the hospital with purposeful strides, knowing exactly where he needed to go next.
Though it was a hassle, his position as team leader meant he had to look after his team, whether he liked it or not.
Kang Taewon and Lee Dohoon would be in the underground bunker, so he just needed to pick up Shin Heesung, who was probably digging around alone.
He checked the device on his wrist, which displayed a dangerously high runaway level of 75%. Before meeting Woo Jiyoo, he had managed to keep it somewhat lower.
Neither Han Jihyuk nor the others had any intention of bringing Ko Yeonwoo back into the world.
No one, especially not the center, could know that a guide had replaced Woo Jiyoo.
Thus, thorough preparation was necessary.
Officially, since Woo Jiyoo’s death, the Special Management Team 1 had no assigned guide.
If the entire team showed unusually low runaway levels, the center would definitely find it suspicious.
Therefore, they needed to avoid any scrutiny.
One way to do that was to secretly and illegally adjust the runaway levels.
Despite the illegality of the act, they felt no guilt, as they preferred committing a crime over losing their guide to the center.
“What a nuisance,” Han Jihyuk muttered as he thought of Koo Hyukjun, who was likely still in the hospital room.
The man, who rose to his position through corruption, acted as if he was something important, which amused Han Jihyuk.
Moreover, Koo Hyukjun’s gaze, especially when directed at Han Jihyuk and the entire Special Management Team 1, was always filled with contempt.
Since there was a gap in their ranks, he couldn’t act recklessly, yet he couldn’t ignore them either, which displeased him.
Han Jihyuk considered Koo Hyukjun less than vermin as he entered the center building.
He took the Esper-exclusive elevator to the underground floors.
Starting from the second basement level, only awakened individuals could enter, with stricter access controls the lower the floor.
As S-rank Espers, Han Jihyuk and his team had broad access.
On the third basement level were private rooms for high-ranking Espers.
These private rooms served as spaces for using guiding devices or injecting drugs without interruption.
Shin Heesung was currently in one of these rooms, at the very end.
Shin Heesung’s seclusion in the private room partly stemmed from Koo Hyukjun’s nonsense but was mainly due to his mental state.
Woo Jiyoo’s complete absence had been declared through Koo Hyukjun’s mouth, plunging Shin Heesung into despair again, leading to his current depressive seclusion.
Though Han Jihyuk found Shin Heesung’s condition pitiful, he also understood it.
Kang Taewon, with his fiery temper, Lee Dohoon, with his unreadable exterior, and Shin Heesung, slightly clueless and off-kilter—all of them were peculiar in their ways, making up the Special Management Team 1 under Han Jihyuk’s leadership.
Han Jihyuk was self-aware enough to know he wasn’t much different from his twisted team members.
As Espers ascended in rank, maintaining sanity became more challenging, as ordinary minds struggled to contain the overwhelming power they held.
Espers were perpetually at war with the monstrous force within them, which aimed to consume their very being.
Using their abilities accumulated a toxic energy in their bodies, eventually causing them to overload, leading to a berserk state and ultimately tearing them apart.
To escape this constant threat, Espers naturally craved guides.
While guides could live without Espers, the reverse wasn’t true.
Just as a person cannot live without breathing, Espers couldn’t survive without a guide.
This was an immutable law.
* * *
