Onyul confessed that he needed to enter the Special Case Records Archive Room in the Management Bureau. He explained roughly that he wanted to check the documents stored there.
“So you were planning to feed that drink to the guards?”
“Yeah, I was going to steal the master key once they fell asleep acting dazed like you.”
“Even if entering the records archive room is one thing, you’d need a password to view the documents, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, I was going to interrogate them for that.”
In truth, he knew the password.
Onyul had given therapy to various Espers and Management Bureau staff for a full 10 years. Among them was a staff member who managed the records archive room.
When you become friendly with various people, there are times when you learn information you don’t want to know. The password was one of those things.
<Don’t you want to know more secrets like this? If you meet with me, I’ll tell you more, Onyul.>
Ugh, the problem was that the reason was somewhat indecent.
Anyway, perhaps because he had a good memory, he still remembered what he heard back then. Maybe he didn’t forget it thinking that he might use it someday.
At the vague answer, Gu Baekyoung’s eyes seemed to narrow. But as if he didn’t intend to press the issue, he didn’t ask any further.
“I’ll find out the password. So let’s go in together.”
“No! You have to participate in the event at that time. You said you’d become MVP. If you follow me around, you might draw Park Hanil’s attention.”
“But how can I send you alone?”
“It’s fine. Nothing will happen. Everyone will be so absorbed in enjoying the event that day.”
Especially that day, he remembered the Management Bureau staff’s tension noticeably loosening.
The Management Bureau staff were mostly ordinary people, and for them too, it was a rare opportunity to watch the Espers’ activities up close.
On that day, it was more of an atmosphere of enjoying the event rather than security activities.
“Still… That won’t work. Let’s ask Team Leader-nim to make that annoying bird.”
“Hm?”
“That bird follows you well. If something dangerous happens to you, I’ll have it report to me.”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion. Kiki was a bird that understood what was said, so it would definitely be helpful.
But there was a problem.
“What are you going to explain to Team Leader-nim?”
“I’ll make an excuse that I can’t leave you alone.”
“…”
She got a bit of goosebumps at that serious answer, but Onyul deliberately pretended not to notice.
“I have to say that I can only feel at ease if a bird or something is attached to your side. Then he’ll pretend he can’t win and grant it.”
“Alright, try that.”
Somehow the situation seemed to be sorted out.
But still. Would Gu Baekyoung really not be interested until the end about what he was trying to confirm?
Onyul had no idea what Gu Baekyoung’s hidden intentions were.
***
Meanwhile, at the convenience store, two men were deep in thought with their heads together.
“You collapsed after drinking this?”
“I didn’t collapse, my mood became strange. I told you it felt like I was in heaven, didn’t I?”
Ji Sanghyeon, who had returned home, stopped by the convenience store again to match Yu Wooyoung’s part-time shift. He found the last tomato juice that Onyul had hidden and brought it before Yu Wooyoung.
“It seems related to the store manager’s ability. Can you take a look at it?”
Yu Wooyoung nodded. With energy identification as his main ability, he could also grasp the energy lingering in objects.
Yu Wooyoung took off the thick glasses he had never removed. Then his ocean-blue eyes were revealed.
His clear eyes without a speck of dust stared intently at the tomato juice. It was an amazing level of concentration.
After some time passed, Yu Wooyoung adjusted his glasses.
Ji Sanghyeon opened his lips with an expectant face.
“How is it? Do you feel anything?”
“I can see something definite.”
Yu Wooyoung saw something. Definitely.
Yet his face was reluctant.
“Why? What did you see?”
“…Boss.”
“Yeah.”
“You know we periodically identify and update the abilities of Espers belonging to the Management Bureau, right?”
“Of course. That’s your responsibility.”
“Yes. I investigated various Espers then, and among them, there was one person who particularly stood out.”
“Why did they stand out?”
“Because it was rare. It was also an ability that only one person had, and everyone benefited from that ability, so I thought it was very impressive.”
“So? Why are you bringing up that story now?”
Though he asked that, Ji Sanghyeon seemed to know the reason.
It must be because that Esper’s ability was related to what just happened.
“That Esper’s ability was measured. About 200 percent of it.”
Ji Sanghyeon unconsciously swallowed his dry saliva.
It felt like he had finally grasped a clue to discover the identity of the mysterious store manager whose identity he couldn’t determine.
“What kind of ability is it?”
“Therapy ability.”
Therapy… Ji Sanghyeon immediately recalled the Esper who used that ability.
Kang Onyul, an A-rank Esper who passed away 6 months ago due to a gate rampage. That was his main ability.
Ji Sanghyeon knew about him because of Gu Baekyoung. He was aware of him because he was the only person that Gu Baekyoung, whom he considered a rival, was desperately attached to.
Hadn’t Gu Baekyoung even blown away half the Management Bureau over Kang Onyul’s death?
But they said that man’s ability was felt in the drink that sent Ji Sanghyeon to heaven.
What did that imply?
“Wait a minute. You said before. That the store manager seemed like a Guide but was strangely heterogeneous.”
“Yes, I did.”
“To sum up, the store manager is an Esper who can use therapy ability and is also a Guide— is that it?”
Yu Wooyoung’s head nodded slowly.
“It’s hard to believe, but based on the circumstances, yes. Whew, the store manager is much more amazing than I thought?”
“Right. And I think I know why Gu Baekyoung is so desperate.”
A person with the same ability as someone he liked so much is even a Guide with high compatibility.
He couldn’t imagine how much Gu Baekyoung would want to possess him.
So that’s why he’s restless and monitoring the store manager’s every move.
Ji Sanghyeon clearly remembered Gu Baekyoung grabbing the back of Kang Ian’s neck before he lost consciousness.
‘Right, that’s it.’
“Yu Wooyoung, then the store manager’s attempt to participate in the event this time…”
He couldn’t continue his words. It was because of a customer who suddenly barged in.
“W-welcome.”
Yu Wooyoung, who stuttered unless it was in front of him, reflexively blurted out a greeting.
It was truly absurd that he had adapted so completely in such a short time when he hated working at the convenience store so much.
Ji Sanghyeon left Yu Wooyoung to serve the customer and became lost in thought alone.
‘Surely the reason the store manager wants to participate in the event isn’t also because of Kang Onyul, is it?’
It was a question he couldn’t ask Yu Wooyoung.
But in Ji Sanghyeon’s head, he was already searching for a connection between Kang Ian and Kang Onyul.
***
A week later, the day of the Management Bureau event dawned.
Onyul went to work at the convenience store from dawn and did a final check of the items to be used at the event. Ji Sanghyeon and Yu Wooyoung had also agreed to help with the event, so they arrived on time too.
“You’ve packed all the drinks, snacks, and instant foods, right?”
Onyul did a final check of the boxes with food items.
“I checked and packed the number of ordered items. I’ve organized the extras just in case at the convenience store.”
When Ji Sanghyeon answered skillfully, Yu Wooyoung just nodded.
“Th-that’s what he says.”
He had checked with Ji Sanghyeon several times. Considering the number of participants in the event, they had prepared enough supplies, so there wouldn’t be much shortage.
“Then let’s depart now.”
The three people moved the items to the truck parked in front of the convenience store.
Ji Sanghyeon took charge of driving. Onyul had a closet license, so he didn’t dare to take the wheel.
When they arrived at the Management Bureau building, some staff were already busily coming and going. It was an atmosphere of event preparations in full swing.
The three people unloaded the items in front of the convenience store booth prepared in the spacious yard in front of the Management Bureau main building.
In the temporarily prepared space, tables and banners were set up. Though it wasn’t completely set up yet, the rough framework of where to put what was established.
“Let’s organize the things that need refrigeration first.”
Led by Onyul’s direction, Ji Sanghyeon and Yu Wooyoung moved.
They filled the refrigerator with drinks and instant foods. Then they also displayed items that didn’t need refrigeration.
As the table was filled one by one, the space that had been a simple temporary sales stand gradually transformed to look like a convenience store.
“Ooh… It looks quite plausible, doesn’t it?”
Yu Wooyoung stepped back and admired it.
Onyul crossed his arms and scanned it once more. It was really well organized like a mini convenience store.
Though it wasn’t an event he participated in because he wanted to run the convenience store well, he felt strangely proud.
A faint smile hung on satisfied Onyul’s lips.
‘Now what’s left is…’
Onyul’s gaze, which he raised, stopped at one place. The rightmost room on the 3rd floor of the main building. It was the Records Management Room that Onyul would secretly enter today.
