Chapter 120: The Unveiling

[Then Seol-won can handle the negotiations alone here, correct? I need to go check on something.]

[As you wish. I have no business with them.]

As expected, Han Do-hoon readily released Kang Tae-han. Despite Kang Tae-han being a person of interest, ranked second on the bounty list, Han Do-hoon showed not an ounce of interest in capturing him.

His gaze remained fixed, from beginning to end, solely on Rain, who had replicated Sa-yoon.

“……”

Sa-yoon glared at the space on the CCTV feed where Kang Tae-han had vanished, leaving only Han Do-hoon and Rain.

Could he finally understand now? The reason Han Do-hoon had initiated this meeting, even going against the principles the Esper Alliance had always upheld.

Oblivious to Sa-yoon’s burning impatience, Han Do-hoon continued to stare at Rain for a long time. The more he stalled, the more advantageous it was for Sa-yoon and Air Rain.

This had been their plan from the start: to buy enough time for Kang Tae-han to escape with the hostage and Kang Ah-jun, who was waiting outside.

While Han Do-hoon’s leisurely pace should have been a boon for Sa-yoon, a growing discomfort gnawed at him as he watched the screen.

[…….]

Continuing to observe Han Do-hoon, Sa-yoon felt a strange sensation. In his eyes, Han Do-hoon appeared to be hesitating.

He seemed unable to even utter a name, as if questioning the figure before him—a perfect replica of Sa-yoon’s own face—’Is that truly you?’

[You…]

After a long silence, Han Do-hoon finally moved. He slowly approached and brushed Rain’s cheek, mimicking Sa-yoon.

Sa-yoon’s cheek twitched, as if Han Do-hoon’s touch had landed on his own skin.

Han Do-hoon, his hand still resting there, remained still for a moment before finally speaking.

[You’re not Sa-yoon.]

The words Han Do-hoon uttered after such a long pause were low and dark. A pained voice, like a rasp from the abyss, pierced through the low-quality speakers.

Rain offered no response to his accusation.

Even if Rain had mimicked his body and voice, there hadn’t been enough time to learn Sa-yoon’s specific mannerisms of speech. They had agreed it was better to remain silent and buy time than to speak awkwardly.

Watching Rain’s mute response, Han Do-hoon’s back rippled with a subtle tremor.

[How did you replicate him? What did you do to Sa-yoon?!]

The shout that came through the headset was so loud it deafened Sa-yoon. Han Do-hoon, having realized that the being standing there, disguised as Seol-won, was somehow different from a human, acted swiftly.

The CCTV screen shook. In an instant, the room, superheated to an extreme temperature, collapsed like a mound of mud.

Rain stumbled as steel chair legs warped and desks toppled. Due to the intense heat, Rain’s form slowly began to melt from its fingertips.

Sa-yoon knew he had to retrieve Rain before it took enough damage for the transformation to completely unravel.

Sa-yoon pressed a button he had located earlier, and streams of water erupted from the ceiling. Sprinklers burst, and cold water poured down, cutting through the intense heat.

As the heat Han Do-hoon emitted met the water, the screen filled with steam.

Sa-yoon swept his hand across the air, instantly shattering all the screens in the control room, then moved towards the conference room. If Rain, disguised as him, had acted according to plan, it would have reverted to slime during the momentary loss of visibility and escaped into a corner of the ventilation shaft.

He had to retrieve it and flee. Whatever thoughts had caused Han Do-hoon to hesitate, his prolonged indecision had bought Kang Tae-han and the hostage enough time to escape.

Sa-yoon ran through the walls, diligently scanning his surroundings. Following Rain’s life signature, he quickly pinpointed its location.

He broke through a ventilation pipe, and a translucent liquid dripped onto the floor. Sa-yoon pulled out the glass bottle he had brought and opened it.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

–It’s hot.

“You did well. I’ll release you into the lake as soon as we get back.”

–Ice, too.

“I’ll put in enough to make you shiver.”

He collected Rain as it flowed into the bottle and sealed the lid. Quickly hiding it in his chest, Sa-yoon turned.

Han Do-hoon’s location was difficult to ascertain. The strong, self-assertive green dot, indicative of his immense power, was obscured by the steam-filled vision, making his precise position unknown.

Trying to scan his location would only serve to painfully confirm they were in the same space. Sa-yoon moved in the opposite direction from where he had entered.

Fortunately, the entire building was empty for the negotiation, allowing him to pick up speed. He continued to burrow through the walls, just in case.

[Escape complete. You can return now. Were you discovered?]

A message arrived on his silent phone. Sa-yoon glanced at it and typed a reply as he ran.

[Discovered. I’ll make my own way back, you go ahead.]

As he typed the message, the floor shook. The building, which had been trembling subtly, began to violently convulse. Heat rose from the soles of his feet as it shook more intensely.

This was no earthquake. The entire expansive ground was heating up as if placed on a griddle.

“Han Do-hoon. That damned bastard.”

Sa-yoon gritted his teeth. He knew Han Do-hoon wouldn’t let Rain go so easily, but he hadn’t expected him to scorch the entire area.

It was a surge of power that conveyed a clear intent: he would kill Seol-won, or the Rain impersonating him, no matter what.

At this rate, the ground would melt, and the entire building would be submerged. Sa-yoon pondered, watching the walls slowly liquefy.

‘How am I supposed to escape?’ If the ground and walls melted into a liquid, even Sa-yoon would struggle to remain unharmed. More importantly, melted objects had tangled coordinates. Things that had turned into liquid were the most difficult for Sa-yoon to manipulate.

Sa-yoon let out a long breath in the suffocating heat. ‘If Han Do-hoon is human, he won’t be able to move while generating such intense heat.’ In that case, the answer was to escape quickly, without concern for his own body.

Clutching the glass bottle in his arms, Sa-yoon crouched low. He moved through the walls, unnoticed. ‘No matter how powerful Han Do-hoon is, he won’t be able to find me if I escape through the walls.’

Just as he thought this, extending his foot confidently, the wall directly in front of Sa-yoon crumbled.

“……!”

A rush of scorching heat surged through the gaping wall. The moment he covered his mouth with his wrist and pulled back, a hand instantly reached out and seized Sa-yoon.

Sa-yoon lost his balance and stumbled. Dragged into the wide corridor, he met the gaze of the man looking down at him under the bright lights.

The very person he had sought to avoid was now staring down at him. Han Do-hoon’s gaunt face, which he hadn’t been able to properly see as his back was to the CCTV, was now close.

Even in this dire situation, Sa-yoon thought that the face he now saw in the bright light for the first time in a long while was profoundly different from before.

His well-defined features were the same, yet his overall impression had completely transformed. Han Do-hoon had always maintained his composure with an air of nonchalance.

Now, he wore an expression as desperate as someone shipwrecked, swept away by a colossal wave.

Sa-yoon’s gaze became fixated on Han Do-hoon, as if hammered in place. This lifeless, desperate expression was unlike anything he had ever seen from him.

Because of this, Sa-yoon even forgot that he was supposed to pretend not to know him.

Han Do-hoon, observing Sa-yoon’s wide eyes, his subtly trembling pupils, and his slowed breathing, slowly smiled. He gripped Sa-yoon’s wrist, which covered his mouth, and pulled him closer.

“…It’s been a long time.”

The body heat transmitted through their connected wrists felt like an electric current.

What should he say if he encountered Han Do-hoon? What would Han Do-hoon say to him? Sa-yoon had wondered countless times.

Would he be angry? Would he vent the resentments he couldn’t express before they parted? Or perhaps he could face him coldly, feeling nothing at all.

He had resolved to let go of Han Do-hoon in his heart, to remain unshaken when facing him, and to walk his own path.

All those thoughts proved futile. The moment he felt the body heat on his hand, the sound of breathing close by, the subtle thumping of a heartbeat, everything Sa-yoon had resolved crumbled like foam.

Han Do-hoon was gaunt. His sunken eye sockets beneath thick eyebrows, and his pale cheeks, were different from what Sa-yoon remembered. Yet, his gentle voice was precisely the same as when he used to call Sa-yoon’s name.

It was a voice so missed that memories, like ghosts rising from a grave, tried to grab Sa-yoon by the collar and drag him back into the earth. Distracted by it for a moment, Sa-yoon startled and pushed Han Do-hoon away.

“Get away from me now.”

He yelled in a sharp voice, taking a few steps back to regain his balance. Sa-yoon lowered his trembling body and pressed himself against the opposite wall. Han Do-hoon looked at his own hand, which had touched Sa-yoon, and murmured.

“So you recognize me now. Jin Sa-yoon. The real…”

Han Do-hoon paused, his eyes narrowing. The fragments of emotion that had flowed through his gaze dried up, hardening.

“I missed you.”

“Why?”

A sharp retort escaped him unconsciously. Sa-yoon bit his lip in surprise. He knew he shouldn’t react to Han Do-hoon, yet his body moved on its own.

It was as if, just as the White Elder had said, a deep-seated resentment towards Han Do-hoon still manipulated him.

Regaining his composure, Sa-yoon crouched into a combat stance, ready to respond the moment Han Do-hoon moved. He wished to avoid a confrontation, but he was confident he could win if they clashed.

Han Do-hoon briefly held his breath, watching Sa-yoon’s wary posture.

“What kind of brainwashing did Air Rain subject you to?”

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