“Same here. I told you before. Men are not my type at all.”
“Hae-il, do I need to know that?”
“It’s something I said to Yun-seo senior?”
Should I really believe this…?
The enlightened Jang Yun-seo requested again.
“Okay, I get it, so stop fighting already…”
***
Seo Hae-il followed behind while glaring at the back of Moon Woo-shin walking ahead.
He wanted to just go back to the dorm like this and sleep, but unfortunately, there was still more personal training left today.
It was because he’d fainted during personal training before team training.
Moon Woo-shin, who’d recruited an Esper with illusion abilities from somewhere, completely transformed the inside of the building they were training in to look exactly like the first Gate.
In that environment that felt vividly real, Hae-il experienced the same phenomenon as when he first fainted.
Thanks to this, the stagnant personal training started progressing meaningfully, but at the same time, it became drastically harder.
With his exhausted body and mental state, Hae-il gritted his teeth.
‘As long as he’s in his right mind, that won’t happen’?
That was my line.
When he heard that Moon Woo-shin had taken care of him when he fainted, gratitude along with an unknown emotion almost welled up, but thanks to that, he came to his senses.
Right, it was clearly just responsibility, literally. Considering he tried to exclude him from the team right after.
Even in today’s daytime personal training, Moon Woo-shin was busy working Hae-il mercilessly, whether he fainted or struggled.
The things Jang Yun-seo said were suddenly ridiculous. Interest, my ass.
‘I’ll overcome this as quickly and perfectly as possible so I never have to see that bastard again.’
Hae-il strengthened his will with firm determination.
2-1
After coming out of Ban’s building, Seo Hae-il looked up at the towering structure. His head was complicated with the unexpected reunion with Moon Woo-shin and the things that had happened in just a few minutes, but he firmly steeled his heart. The real beginning was now.
“What did you talk about with the Director for so long?”
“Nothing much.”
Sharply blocking Kang Cheol-hyeon who kept trying to probe, Hae-il followed him with a smiling face.
Behind Ban’s plausible camouflage building, officetels and restaurants stood in a row, and walking a bit further inside, there was a residential complex where houses and studio buildings were packed tightly together.
With his eyes and mind, he crammed in the surrounding geography while verbally engaging him.
“Hyung, but are we sharing accommodations here too?”
“Why? Don’t want to?”
Of course I don’t want to. Without Kang Cheol-hyeon, I can rest comfortably and spy comfortably.
It was something he wanted to say but couldn’t. Hae-il deliberately smiled even more brightly and quickly denied it.
“No way, how could I dislike it? I need to personally attend to you so you’re comfortable, hyung, so I was just curious.”
“You brat. I knew it would be like that, so I specifically asked for the same house.”
…I should’ve been more moderate with the flattery.
“…Yeeees, that’s nice, really. Good. Haha.”
Gripping only the innocent suitcase handle tightly, Hae-il firmly suppressed the urge to curse.
“Still, it should be much better than the last accommodation, right? They said there are several rooms. Let’s see… Ah, it’s here!”
The place they stopped at was an ordinary-looking two-story house. Hae-il climbed the stairs following Kang Cheol-hyeon, carrying large suitcases in both hands. After passing through the narrow stairs and opening the front door to enter, the empty living room of the house was revealed.
As he said, the environment was much better than the last accommodation. There was a living room, and even though it was around sunset, sunlight came in, and there was a bathroom inside. There were even two rooms so they could each use one.
While Hae-il set down the suitcases and looked around, Kang Cheol-hyeon picked up his loudly ringing phone and answered with a voice full of energy.
“Yes, hyung. Yes!”
He, who’d been answering frantically, suddenly turned to look at Hae-il.
“I’ll use this room, so you unpack in that room.”
“Yes.”
When he answered with a rough nod, Kang Cheol-hyeon brought the phone to his ear again and went outside.
Hae-il, who’d glanced in that direction, carefully approached the small window in the living room.
Just then, Kang Cheol-hyeon, who’d gone down the stairs, appeared outside the window. He leaned against the wall and was talking earnestly about something. It looked like the call would be long.
After watching cautiously for a moment, Hae-il pushed the suitcase handle with precise force and direction control. The two suitcases rolled separately into their respective rooms. Almost simultaneously with the rolling wheel sounds stopping, he took out the phone hidden in his jacket inner pocket.
Entering the secure folder, he familiarly pressed what appeared to be an empty black space, and a nameless app with a black icon that had been hidden by blending with the background launched. A black screen appeared as if the phone was off, but Hae-il moved his fingers without hesitation.
After a few touches and a brief wait, a long vibration sounded and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. When he immediately answered the call, a familiar voice flowed out.
— “Long time no see, Esper Seo Hae-il.”
It was a call from Bae Jin-seong, who’d now become his unofficial direct team leader.
Whenever there was something to report or he needed help, if he sent a signal through this app, soon after, contact would be made using a secure phone. As long as it wasn’t during Gate conquest.
— “What’s the matter? I’ll be entering a Gate soon.”
“I also can’t talk long. I succeeded in infiltrating to Ban’s central area. I’m currently in Icheop City, and I’ll probably be here for the time being at least.”
— “I thought it would take a bit more time. That’s fast progress. There aren’t any particular problems, right?”
There is… a problem.
Hae-il, who’d been pondering whether to inform them about Moon Woo-shin’s existence, chose to keep his mouth shut for now. After doing some background investigation through Choi Ji-yeon later, once it became certain—it would be better to organize and report it then, he judged.
“There is a minor problem, but I think I can control it.”
— “Alright, you’ll handle it well on your own as always.”
Bae Jin-seong, who didn’t inquire deeply, requested.
— “Don’t do anything life-threatening. Report immediately if you acquire meaningful information.”
Hae-il, who’d been talking while watching below the window, saw Kang Cheol-hyeon moving toward the stairs again and spoke quickly.
“Yes, I’ll contact you again soon.”
After hurriedly hanging up, he went into the bathroom, flushed the empty toilet once, and washed his hands.
Hae-il, who came out of the bathroom timing it with the sound of the door opening as Kang Cheol-hyeon entered, calmly greeted him with his eyes.
“Oh, did you finish unpacking?”
“I went to the bathroom, so not yet. I’ll unpack quickly now.”
“Good timing. Pack your stuff again.”
“What?”
Kang Cheol-hyeon scratched the back of his head and gestured toward the suitcases while urging.
“Take them just as you brought them. We have to leave now.”
“Why… isn’t it here?”
When he tried to grab Kang Cheol-hyeon’s suitcase as well, he waved his hand to stop him.
“Just bring yours and follow me out.”
“Yep.”
Though bewildered, Hae-il did as told and grabbed only one suitcase again. Even as they went down the narrow stairs, exited the gate, and entered the alley, Kang Cheol-hyeon said nothing in particular.
Then when they reached a deserted area, he stealthily stood beside him and whispered in a small voice as if sharing some secret.
“What did you really talk about with the Director?”
“…I really didn’t talk about anything special…?”
Why is Moon Woo-shin suddenly coming up? This got very ominous in an instant.
Did he say to keep me separate because he’s suspicious? So I’m being moved to a different accommodation alone? Moon Woo-shin didn’t spill everything about my identity, did he? We made a promise to each other. Whatever else, I’ve never seen Moon Woo-shin go back on words he spoke himself.
…This hasn’t changed in the past few years either, right? Should I run even now? The thought of knocking Kang Cheol-hyeon on the back of the head to knock him out was a bit pleasant…
While all sorts of thoughts flashed by in a brief moment, Kang Cheol-hyeon narrowed his eyes and tapped Hae-il’s shoulder.
“That person isn’t so easygoing.”
“…I don’t know what you mean.”
“He told me you should attend to him?”
…What attendance?
***
A few minutes later. Retracing the path they’d come, they walked past the building for quite a while longer. Around the time commercial buildings and tall structures became sparse and residential complexes with luxurious exteriors started appearing. Finally, Kang Cheol-hyeon stopped walking.
This neighborhood, which he’d visited a few times while searching around Icheop City, was Icheop City’s only wealthy district.
The house in front of him also looked expensive at a glance. A size that couldn’t be captured in one view, a clean exterior, a luxurious gate and handle.
Kang Cheol-hyeon, standing in front of the gate, straightened his clothes and then raised his finger very politely to press the doorbell.
