Chapter 32: An Unexpected Encounter on the Beach

Had Sa-yoon’s abilities not been kept secret to conceal their true nature, his feat would have been etched into the annals of world history. Even without official records, the sight burned Sa-yoon’s name indelibly into the minds of every agent who witnessed it.

Yet, Sa-yoon, the architect of this incredible achievement, merely yawned languidly. Complaining of hunger from the scent of grilled squid, he had simply sauntered away.

“I’ve wanted to speak with you ever since then, but my extended overseas deployment never allowed for the time. I’m honored to finally introduce myself today.”

“It was four years ago; no need to make a fuss. You certainly have a good memory.”

His mention of overseas deployment suggested he was like Han Do-hoon, someone who had been abroad and returned due to the recent terror incident. All team leaders, except for Han Do-hoon and Sa-yoon, were A-rank Espers. If this man was also a team leader, he was likely A-rank, and remarkably polite.

“Which brings me to this: if the opportunity arises again, I’d like to arrange some time for—”

“What’s this interesting conversation you’re having?”

Han Do-hoon approached, stepping between the two men. His large frame moved without a sound, interrupting their discussion before he settled directly behind Sa-yoon.

“Oh? Weren’t you on a mission?”

“Upon reflection, I realized breakfast was rather inadequate.”

Han Do-hoon extended one of the ice creams he held in both hands toward Sa-yoon. It seemed he’d felt a pang of conscience, having been the primary reason Sa-yoon couldn’t go to the buffet, forcing him to rely on room service.

“It appears to be a rather famous place. I had to queue for quite a while to get these.”

The thought of Han Do-hoon, a man conspicuous even from 100 meters away, standing in line at an ice cream parlor likely teeming with female customers, almost made Sa-yoon snort with laughter.

“Given your effort, I suppose I’ll humor you and eat it.”

“Thank you.”

Taking a bite, he found refreshing strawberry chunks intertwined with the vanilla flavor. For a fleeting moment, he almost felt offended, wondering, ‘Why strawberries, of all things?’ But the wave of sweetness that enveloped his tongue quickly enchanted him, making him forget any unpleasant feelings as he took another mouthful.

Wedged between the two men, Team Leader Hae Wan-woo’s eyes darted nervously. His previous affable demeanor toward Sa-yoon had vanished, replaced by an undeniable tension.

“Ah, you had a guest. It seemed like you were in the middle of a rather interesting conversation. I hope I haven’t interrupted?”

“Oh, not at all.”

Han Do-hoon regarded Hae Wan-woo with slightly narrowed eyes. Though their gazes had merely met, Team Leader Hae Wan-woo’s shoulders stiffened, and his pupils trembled almost imperceptibly.

“If my memory serves, I believe I briefly saw you on the battlefield some time ago.”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. I was there…”

“Do you two still have something to discuss?”

Team Leader Hae Wan-woo’s face was utterly rigid as his gaze flickered between Sa-yoon and Han Do-hoon. He clearly wished to continue speaking with Sa-yoon, yet he was acutely aware of Han Do-hoon’s presence. He was a truly peculiar individual; he had greeted Sa-yoon, who was infamous for his difficult personality, only to become wary upon seeing Han Do-hoon.

Mumbling around his ice cream, Sa-yoon spoke.

“We weren’t discussing anything particularly important.”

“Is that so? Then you may be on your way. Oh, you have something here.”

Han Do-hoon wiped a trace of ice cream from the corner of Sa-yoon’s mouth. His careful fingers lightly brushed Sa-yoon’s lips before pulling away. Watching this, Hae Wan-woo’s eyes widened in alarm, and he instinctively took a step back.

‘If I let this continue, strange rumors might start spreading again,’ Sa-yoon thought. Frowning, he pushed Han Do-hoon away.

“Hey. Let’s just talk. I’m perfectly capable of wiping my own mouth.”

At Sa-yoon’s actions, Hae Wan-woo clapped a hand over his mouth. He seemed on the verge of shouting ‘no’ but managed to hold it back. Sa-yoon had thought him a polite man, but he clearly had his eccentricities.

“Well then, Hae, what was it? Team Leader of Team 5, anyway. It was nice meeting you. Let’s both do well on our respective missions.”

“Ah, yes. Well, perhaps another time… No. It… it was pleasant. Please, stay well.”

Hae Wan-woo bowed a full ninety degrees, then promptly sprinted toward the hotel. His speed suggested he was making an escape.

“He’s a strange one.”

“Indeed. It seems best not to get too close.”

A few more bites and the ice cream was gone. Tourist area food certainly came in small portions.

“I told you not to keep making contact out in public.”

“Wasn’t it better if we appeared friendly in front of others?”

That was true enough. Just as Han Do-hoon used Sa-yoon’s body, Sa-yoon leveraged his acquaintance with Han Do-hoon. However, what Sa-yoon needed was a connection, not a scandalous rumor.

“It’s because I’m worried people will start rumors that we’re secretly involved.”

“I suppose I couldn’t sue them for spreading false information.”

Instead of suing for defamation based on false information, it would be a case of defamation for stating facts. Sa-yoon elbowed Han Do-hoon in the side, glaring at him as he exaggerated a wince, though it was impossible for him to feel pain.

“Your mission today seems rather relaxed.”

“My mission is tonight. What about you, Sa-yoon?”

“Mine’s this morning.”

His mission for the day was a grand directive, almost too elaborate to simply call a ‘task.’ Sa-yoon’s schedule involved creating a colossal cylindrical space within a hill near Songjeong Beach. This entailed excavating the ground, erecting walls to form an enormous, exit-less chamber, and then disabling all surrounding CCTV cameras. It made him wonder if they were building an air-raid shelter for high-ranking officials.

While seemingly simple, it was a task impossible for anyone but Sa-yoon. This suited him perfectly. He could complete the mission in under ten minutes, yet still claim significant credit.

“Time is… running short, so I’ll head off to my mission for now.”

“I’ll come find you again this evening.”

“I’ll lock the windows.”

Sa-yoon waved a dismissive hand, tossing his ice cream wrapper to Han Do-hoon. Finding a trash can on the streets these days was surprisingly difficult.

Due to his dawdling since morning, it was already past 10:30 AM. He needed to move quickly if he wanted to complete the mission by noon.

As expected, Sa-yoon’s mission was straightforward: construct a hollow, cylindrical structure, as robust as possible. That was the entirety of the directive.

Upon Sa-yoon’s arrival, the advance team had already established a circular perimeter on the low hill.

All that remained was to excavate the interior and erect earthen walls, reaching five stories underground and fifteen stories above. Piles of soil and concrete were already prepared, so Sa-yoon’s task was no different from assembling simple blocks.

Having completed the mission with ease, Sa-yoon scratched his cheek. This task certainly had many strange aspects. It was an assignment that could have been easily handled by someone other than an S-rank space manipulator like himself. Initially, he thought he’d been dispatched because it was a confidential mission, given that only team leaders were supposed to be sent. However, upon arrival, he found many other agents present.

Why were they handling things in such a convoluted manner? They even had a schedule that required him to arrive a day early and wait. Deploying two S-rank Espers incurred significant opportunity costs, effectively meaning there were no S-ranks stationed in the capital at present.

Though he told himself it didn’t matter since he merely followed orders, a sense of doubt lingered stubbornly in his mind.

With a lingering feeling of unease, Sa-yoon made his way to a nearby beach. He stood on the sand, experiencing a different atmosphere from the coastline where his hotel was located.

“It’s truly peaceful here.”

Indeed, in such desolate times, few people had the luxury of leisurely travel.

Around the larger beach where his accommodation was, there were still places where one had to queue for food, just as Han Do-hoon had mentioned. However, apart from a few remaining tourist spots, many scenic areas were sparsely populated.

This, too, was one of those disappearing tourist destinations. The streets that once glowed brightly and buzzed with activity until dawn were now lined with only dilapidated signs and darkened storefronts. Perhaps it would regain some vibrancy once the villas for high-ranking officials began to appear.

“…Uncle.”

He had heard that, once upon a time, this was a country so safe that entire families could travel freely across the nation, and a woman could backpack alone on a rural train. Sa-yoon had never known such an era, but he wondered if those dreamlike days might one day return.

“Uncle!”

“Hm?”

Sa-yoon snapped to attention at the sound coming from behind him, or more precisely, from below and behind him.

Looking down, he saw a small girl standing there, the crown of her head barely reaching his thigh. Her hair was neatly tied into two pigtails, and she wore a dress adorned with several layers of fluttering lace. A quick glance around revealed no other adults nearby.

This was strange. It couldn’t be that an era safe enough for a little girl to wander alone had already arrived. No, more than that, this child was simply too young to be by herself. Sa-yoon knelt down, meeting her at eye level.

“Why are you here alone? Where are your parents?”

The little girl, who had tugged at Sa-yoon’s clothes, now stared at him with wide, round eyes. He wondered if she recognized him, but then she reached out and placed her hand on Sa-yoon’s cheek.

“Oppa. You’re pretty.”

Sa-yoon broke into a wide smile, amused by the sudden change in address from ‘uncle’ to ‘oppa.’ It had been a long time since he’d seen such a young child. Everyone around him was an adult with dubious intentions. Receiving such an innocent compliment after so long genuinely brightened his mood. Sa-yoon gently scooped up the little lady, cradling her in one arm.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“You know what? I came here today for our family gathering. They said lots of people would be here… Why are you here, Oppa? Are you part of our family?”

“I’m just a tourist. Let’s see. Can you see well now? Which way did you come from, little lady?”

With her elevated view, the child looked around with curious eyes. Each time she moved, the red ribbons tied in her pigtails tickled Sa-yoon’s chin.