Chapter 8: A Sudden Encounter in the Hallway

Guides assigned to the investigation team often received requests for their services from other departments. This was a common occurrence, stemming from the severe shortage of guides within teams primarily composed of espers and guides.

Jung Hanseol had once contemplated if it wouldn’t be more efficient to assign a dedicated guide to each Esper. However, he quickly realized the fundamental flaw in his reasoning. The ratio of guides to Espers was drastically low, often falling below 10%.

As guides could lead perfectly normal lives without an Esper, few were willing to brave the inherent dangers of working for the National Security Agency. Yet, Jung Hanseol, harboring the naive belief that he wouldn’t simply die in vain, was swayed by Team Leader Joo’s enticing offer and accepted it without hesitation.

Had he not joined the National Security Agency, he imagined himself having left the orphanage, struggling to establish an independent life. He would have taken the Suneung exam as planned, applied to universities, and if accepted, would likely be toiling away at part-time jobs to cover living expenses and tuition.

While his current life was far from conventional, earning a salary on par with a senior manager at a major corporation, complete with additional incentives, made it undeniably satisfying.

‘I must endure here, long and steadily,’ he mused. ‘Then, later, I’ll meet a good person, have a sweet romance, get married, and build a happy family.’

Having lived his entire life alone, without the protective embrace of family, this was Jung Hanseol’s sole constructive ambition. Others might dismiss such aspirations as mundane, but for an orphan like Jung Hanseol, it represented a profound and monumental dream.

When he seriously confided this ambition to Jo Jinwoo, he was met with a cynical response: ‘Guides who enter this world rarely find ‘good people’.’ Jung Hanseol, however, let the negativity pass through him, out one ear and in the other.

Having been described as easygoing since childhood, his nature was to always approach things with an optimistic outlook.

****

“…Yes, this is Investigation Team 7.”

Jung Hanseol, who had been engrossed in a book, his idle thoughts momentarily forgotten in the silent office, soon found his peace disrupted. A call had come through to Team Leader Joo’s desk. He quickly answered, and a voice tinged with confusion spoke into his ear.

–Oh? Isn’t this Team Leader Joo’s line?

“Ah, the team leader is currently away from their desk. Would you like me to leave a message?”

The voice, strikingly familiar, reminded him distinctly of Sub-team Leader Yoon Sehee’s. Jung Hanseol retrieved a notebook and pen from beside him, holding them ready as he awaited the caller’s next words. The person on the other end seemed momentarily flustered, swallowing audibly before continuing.

–Is the sub-team leader also out?

“Yes, everyone is out in the field right now…”

Jung Hanseol glanced past the partition at Yoon Sehee’s vacant desk, then straightened his head. A moment later, a resigned voice emanated from the receiver.

–I’m sorry, but could you possibly check Team Leader Joo’s desk for a clear file folder? It’s labeled ‘Team 2’ on the front.

“Just a moment.”

Setting the receiver down momentarily, Jung Hanseol hurried to Team Leader Joo’s desk. Amidst a chaotic sprawl that could disorient anyone, he finally located the transparent file folder she had described.

Back at his desk, Jung Hanseol quickly brought the receiver to his ear.

“Yes, I have it.”

–Ah, thank goodness. I’ll come right up now, could you hold onto it for me? I was supposed to get it back from Team Leader Joo today.

“I will.”

–Thank you!

The call ended with her grateful voice, leaving Jung Hanseol standing at the office entrance, the file folder in his hand. As he couldn’t simply walk into other teams’ offices, he had to wait by the door to return it to her.

Before long, a familiar face entered his line of sight, and a soft smile graced Jung Hanseol’s lips.

“Hello, Team Leader.”

“Oh, so it was Jung Hanseol who answered the phone.”

The caller was Yoon Seri, Sub-team Leader Yoon Sehee’s older sister and the Team Leader of Team 2. Having a sibling within the agency meant she was quite knowledgeable about Team 7’s affairs and its members.

Naturally, Jung Hanseol had been acquainted with Yoon Seri for a considerable time. As Jung Hanseol offered a bright smile and handed over the file, Yoon Seri exhaled a small sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Jung Hanseol. This is a reward for your trouble.”

From her pants pocket, Yoon Seri produced a business card-sized slip of paper and placed it gently into Jung Hanseol’s palm. It was a free drink coupon for the in-house cafe, fully stamped with ten marks.

“When Team Leader Joo returns, please tell them I took this!”

Seemingly pressed for time, she quickly turned and hurried away, cutting their conversation short. Jung Hanseol, taken by surprise, offered a slight nod to Yoon Seri’s retreating back, then gazed idly at the cafe coupon nestled in his palm.

He had recently enjoyed an expensive drink thanks to Kim Hyelim, and now, feeling as though he’d stumbled upon another stroke of luck, a subtle smile played on his lips.

Jung Hanseol re-entered the office and pressed the button on the wall bearing his name. He had configured the system so that any calls to the office would be automatically forwarded to his mobile phone.

Seizing this rare moment of tranquility, and with no one else around, Jung Hanseol swiftly moved, intending to make a quick trip to the company cafe.

“Agh!”

Jung Hanseol had just stepped through the automatic doors, his gaze fixed on the elevator’s floor indicator. Suddenly, his collar was sharply yanked upwards from the nape of his neck, forcing a strange, startled cry from his lips.

He had felt no presence, heard no footsteps. In this hushed space, where even the air seemed to hold its breath, Jung Hanseol had been utterly alone, holding his cafe coupon with a hint of excitement as he awaited the elevator.

His heart, therefore, plunged with a sickening lurch.

“Wandering around all by yourself, are we?”

“H-huh…”

“During work hours, no less.”

His first instinct was to turn and identify the speaker, yet he trembled, terrified of finding no one there—or worse, a wandering spirit. A low voice then dropped into his ear. It was somewhat unfamiliar, yet held a peculiar familiarity, as if he’d heard it before.

Jung Hanseol, with great effort, finally managed to turn his head. Only then did his collar settle back into place, and his feet firmly touched the ground.

“…Team Leader Ryu?”

Standing behind Jung Hanseol was an utterly unexpected figure, someone he hadn’t even conceived of, let alone anticipated. Jung Hanseol clutched his disheveled collar, struggling to turn his body and face the person.

The moment his gaze landed on the distinctive ash-gray hair, which always seemed to draw attention, his eyes widened considerably.

‘Why is this person here?’ Jung Hanseol wondered. ‘No, when did they even arrive?’

Ryu Yishin’s sudden appearance, as if materializing out of thin air in a space utterly devoid of human presence, only deepened Jung Hanseol’s confusion. Belatedly, Ryu Yishin’s sarcastic tone echoed in his mind, prompting Jung Hanseol to hastily concoct an excuse.

“I was just going to grab some coffee… I-I’ll be right back…”

“…”

“Ah, do you perhaps have business with our team? Um… the team leader is out in the field right now, so they’re not here. If you tell me, I can…”

Ryu Yishin listened silently as Jung Hanseol’s excuses tumbled out, then abruptly curved his lips into an unsettling, lopsided smile. That expression seemed to silently scold him, questioning why he was casually getting coffee during work hours, and Jung Hanseol’s face progressively paled.

‘What did I do wrong to deserve this hellish situation?’

‘And I’m not even from Team 1?’

Jung Hanseol quickly racked his brain, reviewing recent events to ascertain if he had somehow offended Team Leader Ryu Yishin. It didn’t take long for him to recall an incident from just a short while ago.

‘Is he still holding that gun to blow my brains out?’

It was the day Jo Jinwoo had dragged him to the field against his will. He had merely been aiming his gun, wary of a monster’s sudden appearance, and never in his wildest dreams had he anticipated Ryu Yishin materializing directly in front of it.

Considering all possibilities, there had been virtually no other instances where he might have caught Ryu Yishin’s attention. That day, undoubtedly, marked the beginning of this predicament.

‘Did I… did Team Leader Ryu mark me because of that day?’

Jung Hanseol nervously stole a glance at Ryu Yishin, swallowing hard. The memory of inadvertently pointing his gun at him, coupled with Ryu Yishin’s undeniable displeasure, made his current behavior marginally, if only slightly, more comprehensible.

Still, his sense of injustice hadn’t dissipated in the slightest. He was simply exercising caution, unwilling to risk prolonging this awkward confrontation with Ryu Yishin by revisiting the past incident.

Guided by self-preservation, Jung Hanseol hunched his shoulders, quietly lowered his gaze, and subtly retreated a step. His plan was to quickly offer a bow and make his escape from Ryu Yishin at the first opportune moment.

“Wait.”

“…Yes?”

The moment Jung Hanseol began to distance himself, Ryu Yishin’s resolute voice cut through the air. Jung Hanseol, bewildered, lifted his gaze to see Ryu Yishin, his brows subtly furrowed, beckoning with a finger in the air.

It was an undeniably arrogant gesture, yet Jung Hanseol, crushed by Ryu Yishin’s overwhelming presence, failed to fully comprehend its implication.

“Come here.”

Despite having no obligation to obey, Jung Hanseol, as if under a spell, took another step closer to Ryu Yishin. The intense gaze from Ryu Yishin’s enigmatic pupils, unfiltered and piercing, struck Jung Hanseol’s face, igniting a burning sensation across his neck and ears.

Involuntarily, he swallowed, unable to meet Ryu Yishin’s eyes, and found himself idly staring at his toes, which protruded from his slippers.

“You haven’t done anything, have you?”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t like repeating myself. I asked if you haven’t done anything.”

A heavy, calm voice landed, sending a shiver down Jung Hanseol’s spine. He worked his parched throat, swallowing hard. ‘Haven’t done anything?’ What could he possibly mean? Jung Hanseol had merely approached a little closer, caught off guard by the command to ‘come here,’ and he couldn’t fathom why Ryu Yishin was acting this way towards him.