Chapter 64: The Lunatic Who Came Back from the Dead

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, the headquarters guides swarmed. The same ones who’d ignored Lee Chae alone now shrank back before Sung Min-cheol, S-rank esper and Jin-woo’s father, standing solidly behind him. Min-cheol marched straight to the broadcast room and grabbed the mic.

[Emergency board meeting. All directors currently present directors, please gather in the first-floor conference room immediately.]

One sentence—and an emergency meeting was called.

Directors trickled into the first-floor conference room. Min-cheol took the chairman’s seat; the others filed to their places. Kim Jung-mi clicked her tongue at Jin-woo and Lee Chae standing by the entrance, then entered.

“No time, so I’ll be direct. Everyone knows S-rank Esper Cha Haejin is missing.”

Min-cheol glanced at the two and said they’d brought valuable monster intel. But the directors only looked at him like he was pathetic for calling a meeting over personal feelings.

“Where would information exist that headquarters doesn’t already have?”

“Are you serious?”

“We can’t waste resources on unverified intel.”

“Headquarters is already doing everything to find Esper Cha. What more do you want?”

Every word fueled Lee Chae’s rage. They’d praised Haejin as a hero and thrown him into every hard fight—now they acted like this?

Everyone knew one scout team wouldn’t solve it. They’d need a massive force, which would mean publicly admitting an S-rank was gone. So they were covering their asses.

Even in crisis, all they cared about was staying in power—disgusting.

Min-cheol had warned him not to interrupt, but Lee Chae couldn’t listen to this bullshit any longer.

He exploded.

“Listen and then decide!”

Every gaze snapped to him—pure annoyance. If he didn’t hook them with the critical info first, the plan would fail.

Lee Chae quickly recalled Yong-yong’s intel on headquarters’ weaknesses and held up the file calmly.

“This isn’t monster intel.”

“Then we’re done here.”

As directors started rising, grumbling about wasted time, Lee Chae shouted,

“You sure you have nothing to say about Esper Ko Gi-yeol?”

The moment the name left his mouth, every director froze mid-rise, faces drained of color. Kim Jung-mi spoke first.

“How do you…”

Got them.

Lee Chae slowly scanned the room. Every single one stared back in terror. He fluttered the file.

“You think this is all?”

One ashen-faced director stammered,

“What do you want? Headquarters is already searching for Esper Cha.”

“I know what you’re worried about. Chaos if his disappearance leaks. We don’t want that either. However…”

Cold sweat soaked his clenched fists. Lee Chae took a breath to steady himself.

“Allow me—Legion members and me, his exclusive guide—to join the search.”

He was sure they’d cave—they were terrified of the dirt leaking. But he was wrong. These old snakes who’d survived crises weren’t that easy.

And the biggest shock—was Sung Min-cheol’s sudden change.

“Guide Jung Lee Chae, headquarters never recognized Legion as an official guild, nor approved a D-rank like you as an S-rank’s exclusive guide.”

“…”

Min-cheol turned his cold gaze from Lee Chae to the other directors.

“Instead, if you burn that file, we’ll let you observe the search from inside headquarters. Participation—no. That would collapse the hierarchy headquarters has maintained for fifty years. Follow orders.”

Lee Chae considered pushing harder—then realized every second wasted delayed finding Haejin. Fury boiled, but nothing mattered more than bringing Haejin back alive.

“Fine. Even just ob—”

CRASH! The conference room door exploded inward. Wind roared. Papers flew everywhere. Directors gaped at the entrance.

Haejin stood there, looking only at Lee Chae.

“Babe, who said you could hand me over to another guide?”

“Ch-Cha Hae…”

“I’m your exclusive. Who the hell is searching for me?”

“…”

Lee Chae couldn’t speak. It felt like seeing a ghost.

It was clearly Haejin—his voice, the wind he made— but it felt like a desperate hallucination. If he moved, the illusion might shatter. He stood frozen.

Phantom-Haejin strolled toward the chairman’s seat.

“Headquarters was always sh*tty, but today takes the cake. Never asked you to find me. Legion isn’t an official guild? Obviously. Legion’s stronger than headquarters—why would a tiger bow to foxes?”

“Esper Cha, we welcome your safe return, but your words are excessive.”

“My exclusive guide isn’t official? F*cking talk sense. How do you think I survived? Headquarters had already written me off, right? Figured I died fighting the boss.”

The directors, pale as ghosts, kept silent. Haejin slowly walked toward Kim Jung-mi.

“Director Kim’s son—that’s me.”

Kim Jung-mi’s eyes widened in shock—more fear than maternal love. Haejin enunciated every word.

“Guide Jung Lee Chae saved me.”

“No way…”

“No way? A D-rank worked perfectly on me.”

Kim Jung-mi collapsed into her chair like her strength left her.

“Anyway, power’s dogs never change. Have your dogsh*t meeting. We’re leaving.”

Lee Chae, finally snapping out of it, hurriedly gathered the scattered papers—might need them again—hugged the file to his chest.

“Babe, let’s go. We’ve got unfinished business.”

Haejin scooped Lee Chae up like he weighed nothing—bursting with energy for someone who’d just fought a boss.

Jin-woo—still reeling from his father’s betrayal—passed out standing at Haejin’s sudden appearance, then staggered after them.

“That lunatic bastard.”

He’d flipped headquarters upside down—more trouble ahead, but it felt like chugging cider.

“You got ugly, babe. Your eyes are all puffy like a blowfish.”

Even at Haejin’s nonsense, Lee Chae just nodded and smiled. Haejin upped the ante because the reaction was wrong.

“Your cheeks got chubby—look delicious.”

“Yeah. Hyung, I’m delicious.”

Haejin stared in horror and checked Lee Chae’s forehead for fever. No way he was this obedient unless something was seriously wrong.

“No fever… you’re fine…”

“It’s me, Lee Chae. Jung Lee Chae.”

“…Who are you. My Chae would never act like this.”

“Why are you like this, hyung. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

Another shock—mouth hanging open. Lee Chae tilted his head.

“No, you probably want to shower first. Shower then eat? Or together?”

“T-Together…?”

People who suddenly change personality are terminally ill. Or possessed by a humanoid. Haejin decided to verify with a private secret.

“Babe, how many moles on your butt?”

“What are you talking about. I don’t have any.”

“You remember that—it’s really you?”

“Stop talking nonsense and shower.”

The sharp eye-crinkles finally made it feel like the real Lee Chae. But something was still off—uneasy.

He’d clearly searched desperately (puffy eyes, yelling at directors that he was Haejin’s exclusive), yet his reaction to a man back from the dead was too calm.

He should be bombarding me with questions, happier… something’s wrong.

Haejin wrapped arms around Lee Chae’s shoulders and asked softly,

“Chae-ya, why aren’t you asking me anything?”

At the question, Lee Chae’s mouth twitched, then he looked away. He looked guilty. He’d been avoiding eye contact since they met.

What happened while I was gone?