Chapter 20: Kidnapped?

Bodam, who had finished the long-named chocolate mousse cake in two bites, smiled with satisfaction.

His mouth moved busily, savoring each of the three layers of the dessert plate.

“This is so delicious?

This is also delicious.

What’s that?

Oh, it’s delicious again.

What’s going on?”

He admired the dazzlingly and delicately decorated desserts for a moment.

Bodam, who had made a crying face, saying they were too pretty to eat, now held a fork and knife in both hands, getting lost in the flavors and emptying the plates.

It was originally a set that could only be ordered for two or more people, so he just said, “Give me everything.”

The kind staff member was considerate enough to prepare a generous single serving and only added a certain amount to the bill.

He decided that he definitely had to have his birthday party here and added one more glass of champagne.

“Ha… did I die, perhaps….”

He mumbled as he bit into a crispy pastry with caramel apple sauce that melted in his mouth.

He was so happy it felt like he was in heaven, not reality.

If this was reality, then his past days had definitely been hell.

He wondered if the gates of heaven had opened after enduring hell.

Bodam, who lived for the happiness of eating, was so happy at this moment that he repeatedly ate and paused.

In between, he thought about the miracle that had happened to him with an utterly serious face.

Anyone looking at him would think he was savoring every taste carefully, like someone enjoying their last meal before death.

“Wow, this, what, wow…. I really liked jambon beurre sandwiches, huh.”

Bodam, surprised by the taste of jambon beurre, which he had never heard of or eaten before, stopped eating and took a picture.

The saltiness of the thinly sliced ham combined with the butter that neutralized it created a crazily harmonious flavor.

“Ah, really.”

As he was taking pictures, Lee Tae Hwan’s KakaoTalk notification screen appeared, relentlessly.

He thought about blocking the texts too but decided to leave them for now.

It was amusing to watch him throw a tantrum by himself.

Normally, he would have had to pretend to be considerate and rush to finish the guiding.

But now, he just thought, ‘Bark, bark. Only your throat will hurt,’ and chuckled.

He wasn’t his Esper anymore.

Soon, he would be an Esper with whom he had little to no connection.

“Ahem.”

He quickly grabbed his wine glass, feeling a lump in his throat as if he had choked while eating.

He swallowed the food with the moderately sweet sparkling wine and picked up his fork again.

His petty personality, which made his eyes redden whether he was angry or happy, was about to kick in.

He was so happy his throat felt blocked.

Buzz.

Bodam put down the tart he was eating at the vibrating sound of his phone and checked the KakaoTalk window.

The long-awaited reply had finally arrived.

[What’s up]

His sister’s reply to his message, ‘Bomi, Bomi, Yoon Bomi,’ sent three hours ago, had just arrived.

He had called before texting, but someone else had answered.

[Your number changed. Did you get a new phone?]

[Yeah. Contract ended, changed it two years ago.]

He hadn’t had a reason to talk to his sister for nearly two years.

It was mostly just short KakaoTalk exchanges when something came up.

Bodam, who was still sitting with the eco-bag neatly placed on his lap, exhaled a long breath, then inhaled, and continued the conversation.

His emotional lips were still stretched wide, reaching his ears.

[I’m going home this week, let’s have dinner with Mom.]

[No no no. Busy this week. You two eat. Bye bye.]

[It’s about time for a new phone, isn’t it?]

[I await the day my brother arrives.]

Bodam chuckled at Bomi’s quick reply and ended the conversation, saying, “Alright.”

“Shall I reheat your tea?”

The staff member, who had been observing Bodam’s table, where only the wine had been emptied, approached and asked.

The jasmine gold tea next to the fig jam was sadly growing cold.

Bodam usually sought alcohol more than plain water.

There were times when he sought alcohol more than water, and that was now.

He didn’t even glance at the pretty teapot with flower petals drawn on it.

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s so delicious! This is delicious too. That’s delicious too!”

“Thank you for enjoying your meal.

This is a popular baked pastry called Sablé Breton, and that is Brioche, a traditional French bread made with a lot of butter.

Please feel free to call us if you need anything while you’re eating.”

“Yes!”

Bodam, whose mood was lifted by the sugar rush, replied brightly.

Since he had already eaten all the elaborately shaped desserts, only the basic bread remained.

He was a truly cute customer, belatedly wiping the pastry crumbs from the corners of his mouth.

The staff member smiled and bowed their head, about to say that since the portion was large, he shouldn’t overeat and that they could pack it for him, but then quietly retreated.

His expression, savoring each bite and furrowing his brow in delight, looked supremely happy.

The staff member, seeing Bodam’s champagne glass quickly emptied, decided to offer a complimentary tasting of another type of wine and left the hall.

Before going to get the wine, a man blocked the path of the staff member who was walking towards the entrance to briefly check the counter.

“Welcome, sir. Do you have a reservation?”

“No.”

The man, who quickly surveyed the hall, replied curtly.

The staff member, reading an unusual atmosphere in his gaze, lowered their eyes to check if he was wearing a wrist watch.

Espers were required to wear watches in their daily lives.

“I came looking for someone.”

‘Small and white…’ the man mumbled, his eyes landing on the owner of the unusually lavish table sitting at the window seat far away.

The round back of his head, busily stuffing food into his mouth, swayed from side to side.

***

Seung Ho returned to the Center after suppressing the Gate in Sector 2.

His A-class Teleport Esper, who was permanently assigned to his movements, transported him to Exit A-1 on the 36th floor of the main building in the blink of an eye.

He was an Esper who had an exclusive contract with Seung Ho, who frequently performed field work.

“Good work, Team Leader Han.”

Seung Ho, who only nodded his head in response to the Teleport Esper’s greeting, immediately walked towards the elevator.

True to an Esper who had just finished slicing monsters inside a Gate, he was covered in sticky, murky blood from head to toe.

“Ah, please go ahead, Team Leader Han Seung Ho.”

The group standing in front of the elevator, which had just arrived on the 36th floor, made way for Seung Ho.

Team Leader Han’s aura and even his physique were extraordinary, even more so than an A-class Esper.

Compared to the average tall and physically developed Espers, he was a head taller.

“What floor are you going to?”

One good-natured Esper asked as he entered the elevator one step after Seung Ho.

He had intended to press Team Leader Han’s floor button faster than his own.

His deeper intention was simply to exchange a few words with him.

However, Team Leader Han’s reply was,

“I’d prefer to ride alone.”

As rumored, he seemed ready to create sub-zero temperatures with a cold breeze.

Starting with the Esper who had placed his foot in and then withdrawn it, everyone waiting for their turn at the elevator just stood still.

Until the iron door closed, everyone’s gaze was fixed on Team Leader Han Seung Ho, who occupied the wide elevator alone.

The person receiving those intense gazes, however, remained coolly still, staring straight ahead.

He was truly a person who lived his life completely alone.

Clank.

Seung Ho opened the Attack Team 3 waiting room door and entered, his eyes scanning the empty living room.

The kitchen, visible without even turning his head, was also empty.

Of course, the dedicated guide, who would have been sitting on the sofa killing time with nothing to do during long waiting periods, was absent.

The small, round, brown head that used to pop out in the middle of the long sofa was not to be seen.

It was as he had expected.

Seung Ho’s footsteps as he walked into his room, emitting the strong stench of monsters, were as heavy and firm as ever.

He walked at a consistent speed and stride, as if weights were attached to his body.

Entering his clean room, devoid of any decorations or accessories, he immediately went into the bathroom.

Guiding was at a level that could be resolved with medication.

His wavelength would drop to a stable level if he attached the guiding machine in his room, took a nap, and woke up.

So there was no immediate need to find a guide.

He no longer pressed his watch to check for guide call signals.

Whoosh.

Seung Ho, standing under the shower still in his combat uniform, stripped off his clothes one by one right there.

They were all dirty anyway.

They all needed to be washed off completely with hot water.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Amidst the strong jets of water, the vibration of his phone was detected by his sensitive hearing.

Seung Ho turned off the shower and exited the shower stall, his upper body bare.

Seung Ho glanced at the name on his phone screen for a moment, then, annoyed by the water dripping on the floor, answered the call.

“What.”

-F*ck, Hyung! Is Yoon Bodam kidnapped?!

At Tae Hwan’s voice, which erupted as soon as he answered the phone, he changed it to speakerphone and placed it on the sink.

Tae Hwan’s booming voice, completely opposite to Seung Ho’s ultimate indifference, was going wild.

“Didn’t you see his location was detected, or couldn’t you receive it?”

–Why would he go out to Seoul?! He’s never skipped work without permission before, the son of a b*tch!!

“Well. It’s a disciplinary action, for now.”

-His phone was off, then suddenly turned on, and he blocked my number! Isn’t that weird?!

“What do you want to say. Say it briefly.”

Seung Ho turned on the sink water and wiped the stains from his face, speaking stiffly.

He desperately wanted to wash himself clean and lie in bed to receive guiding.

He needed guiding. Guiding.

-Find Yoon Bodam.

“You find him.”

-F*ck, don’t you know I’m tied up in Sector 4 right now?!

“Lee Tae Hwan.”

Seung Ho’s low voice, like a warning, resounded at the f*ck that came so easily to his mouth.

Being in the bathroom, his voice deepened and reverberated even more.

“Are you serious? Kidnapped?”

-…….

“Would a kidnapped child be eating at a fancy restaurant?”

-…….

“Don’t pretend you’re not thinking straight.”

He tightly closed his tired eyes, relaxed his neck muscles, and continued speaking. Ignoring Tae Hwan’s rough breathing.

“He just went out to play.”

He maintained an indifferent attitude.