Chapter 83: Hunting The Thief

Tae-woo snapped his eyes open and immediately called So-won.

Each time the call went to voicemail, he redialed again and again, but So-won still didn’t answer.

It was strange.

So-won had said he would be staying at his parents’ house for a while, yet he wasn’t there, and on top of that, he had been avoiding Tae-woo’s calls for a long time.

At that moment, the words Si-hyeok had said flashed through Tae-woo’s mind.

Could it be that So-won really left me?

“…..”

With a dark expression, Tae-woo returned home.

Just like before he had left, the lights were off, and the house was completely empty.

There was no bright voice welcoming him whenever he came home.

There was no clear smile.

So-won was not there.

Tae-woo kept repeating to himself that So-won hadn’t left and that he would come back, trying to suppress the anxiety rising within him.

However, the unease was clearly reflected in Tae-woo’s eyes as he restlessly scanned the house.

As he followed traces of So-won, Tae-woo found himself standing in So-won’s room before he realized it.

He slowly looked around the room.

It was neatly organized, as if it had been cleaned recently, but dust was steadily piling up in a room whose owner hadn’t returned.

Suddenly, a clump of cotton on the bed caught his eye.

It was a black cow plushie.

The memory of the day So-won had received that doll from his attending physician and hugged it tightly all the way home came back vividly.

After that day, Tae-woo hadn’t seen the doll and had wondered where it had gone, but it seemed it had been sitting by So-won’s pillow the entire time.

Thinking of So-won, Tae-woo picked up the doll.

At the same time, something that had been hidden inside slipped out and fell at his feet with a soft thud.

“Anxiety medication…?”

Tae-woo’s expression hardened as he picked up the white pill bottle.

It was far too light.

He hurriedly opened the bottle to check the inside.

What must have once been filled was now nearly empty, with only a few pills left rattling at the bottom.

Tae-woo pressed his lips together.

At last, it was time to admit it.

So-won had been pushing himself all this time.

He had been staying by Tae-woo’s side while forcing himself to take medication, and now he had finally grown exhausted and left.

Tae-woo couldn’t say a word.

From that day on, Tae-woo would stand silently in the yard, staring at So-won’s car parked there, before going back inside the house.

Every single day.

Without fail.

Until the leaves fell and winter arrived.

***

Even today, Tae-woo went to work at the Association, waiting vacantly for So-won, who would never come to see him again.

The only difference from usual was that Si-hyeok was sitting on the sofa that had always been So-won’s designated seat.

“Guide Lee So-won didn’t come today either?”

“…..”

“I told you, he ran away.”

Si-hyeok sneered as he crossed his legs.

Tae-woo watched him quietly for a moment, then looked away.

He no longer had the energy to react to every provocation.

Si-hyeok yawned widely and sprawled across the sofa.

Large plastic bags were piled beside him as he lounged around as if this were his own home.

Inside them were far too many sandwiches for one person to eat alone.

“Guide Lee So-won tried to act like he wasn’t, but he was probably scared of you.”

Si-hyeok muttered with his eyes closed.

His voice was languid, as if the warm afternoon was making him drowsy.

“What could an ordinary person do?”
“When the other party is a monster.”

Watching him, Tae-woo suddenly thought of something.

Come to think of it, ever since So-won left, Tae-woo hadn’t slept even once.

But it wasn’t a problem.

He had lived like this even before meeting So-won.

If So-won never returned, he would simply go back to his old life.

Si-hyeok added quietly,

“Well, that’s why he took anxiety meds, right?”

Tae-woo, who had been silently ignoring him, froze.

The anxiety medication he had found on So-won’s bed flashed through his mind.

However, the reason Tae-woo reacted to Si-hyeok’s words was something else entirely.

‘How does he know that?’

The fact that So-won was taking anxiety medication was something even Tae-woo hadn’t known until recently.

Despite living in the same house, Tae-woo had only found out by chance after entering So-won’s room a few days ago.

The fact that Si-hyeok, who wasn’t even that close to So-won, knew about the medication was strange.

Though he had only spent a short time with So-won, Tae-woo had come to understand his personality to some extent.

And he knew So-won wouldn’t have told Si-hyeok something he hadn’t even told Tae-woo.

Now that he thought about it…

As Tae-woo retraced Si-hyeok’s actions one by one, he began to sense that something was wrong.

Si-hyeok’s target had been So-won.

If Tae-woo were alone, there was no reason for Si-hyeok to deliberately seek him out.

Yet even though So-won wasn’t by his side, Si-hyeok had been visiting Tae-woo’s private office every single day.

It was as if he was trying to observe Tae-woo’s reaction to So-won’s disappearance.

And Si-hyeok’s condition improving so suddenly was suspicious as well.

Not long ago, during a routine checkup, Tae-woo had heard from the attending physician that Si-hyeok still didn’t have a guide.

Even then, Tae-woo had found it odd, but now it felt even more so.

Lastly, the moment Tae-woo mentioned that So-won had gone to his parents’ house, Si-hyeok had immediately suggested that he might have run away.

Without hearing any details, he had spoken as if he were certain that So-won had disappeared.

The more Tae-woo thought about it, the stranger it became.

“How do you know that?”

Could it be…

A bad feeling crept over him.

Realizing instinctively that his suspicion wasn’t wrong, Tae-woo’s face stiffened.

The air suddenly froze.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Si-hyeok quietly rolled his eyes.

“Uh… did I just say something I shouldn’t have?”

A brief silence fell.

Both of them moved at the same time.

Si-hyeok rose from the sofa, and Tae-woo stepped forward.

Tae-woo swung his arm wide.

KWAANG!

With a deafening roar, the building shook violently, and the side of the Association burst open.

Through the thick cloud of dust, Si-hyeok shot out.

Floating in midair after escaping the building, Si-hyeok looked at the collapsed outer wall and laughed in disbelief.

With just a single punch, the shockwave alone had completely destroyed an entire floor.

“This is dangerous….”

Judging by Tae-woo’s blazing eyes, he had truly intended to kill him.

Still, since the building hadn’t completely collapsed, he must have controlled his strength.

Of course he had.

There were civilians here.

Si-hyeok glanced down at the ground below.

People were scattering in panic, running in all directions.

Fortunately, it didn’t look like anyone had been injured by the falling debris.

In that case, it would be better for him to leave quickly as well.

If he stayed any longer, he really might get killed by Esper Kang Tae-woo.

“The original plan was to return him after finding a guide, but….”

At this point, sending him back right away wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

Kang Tae-woo might not be too pleased if So-won returned with an injured ankle, but if he sent him back now, it would still be early enough to smooth things over with a smile.

He had never planned to keep him for long anyway.

As he had said before, Si-hyeok hadn’t kidnapped So-won so much as borrowed him briefly while Tae-woo was away.

He had only intended to keep him safe until he found a compatible guide.

Although he still hadn’t found one, Si-hyeok decided it would be best to return So-won to Tae-woo for now.

He turned to head back toward the mobile home where he had hidden So-won.

At that moment, a black blur tore through the thick dust around the building and flew straight toward him.

Si-hyeok sucked in a sharp breath.

In an instant, Tae-woo had reached him.

“Ugh!”

He hastily raised a barrier, but Si-hyeok was struck by Tae-woo’s attack and slammed straight down.

Crashing into the front yard of the Association, Si-hyeok smashed through the concrete ground and was buried beneath it.

Sweat poured down his face as Si-hyeok struggled to push himself up.

This time, Tae-woo really had been trying to kill him.

He had instinctively gathered his strength and deployed a strong barrier, and it had been the right call.

Even so, he could feel his condition rapidly deteriorating from the sudden exertion of such powerful abilities.

Tsk.

Before he wasted any more strength, he needed to get out of here.

THUD.

With a heavy sound, Tae-woo landed in front of Si-hyeok.

Si-hyeok forced himself to speak calmly as he looked at Tae-woo’s icy gaze.

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

“There are civilians around here.”

Si-hyeok gestured toward the chaotic surroundings.

A loud siren blared from the Association, and people were evacuating while avoiding both of them.

The surrounding roads were already being sealed off, and as time passed, the area grew eerily quiet.

Tae-woo spoke.

“Where is Lee So-won right now?”

“Relax, he’s somewhere safe.”

“If you let me go, I’ll bring him back right away.”

Si-hyeok answered quickly.

But Tae-woo couldn’t trust a single word he said.

If he let Si-hyeok escape here, there was a good chance he would hide So-won even more thoroughly.

Deciding it would be better to capture Si-hyeok and force him to guide the way himself, Tae-woo moved.

Damn it, this is bad.

Sensing the danger, Si-hyeok tried to flee, but Tae-woo didn’t let him go so easily.

“Ghk!”

Tae-woo grabbed Si-hyeok by the throat as he tried to escape.

Si-hyeok raised a barrier, but it was useless.

When Tae-woo placed his hand against the transparent shield and applied pressure, it shattered with ease.

SQUEEZE.

As Tae-woo’s grip slowly tightened around his neck, Si-hyeok hurriedly spoke.

“W-Wait.”

“Esper Kang Tae-woo, let’s talk this out.”

“Guide Lee So-won’s location.”

“Take me there.”

“Alright, alright, just let go first—”

A sharp pain shot through him.

Si-hyeok squeezed his eyes shut as the pain suddenly surged back.

The symptoms that had eased slightly after receiving guiding from So-won were flaring up again due to the sudden use of his abilities.

Si-hyeok’s lack-of-guiding symptoms were a skull-splitting headache and eyes that felt like they were burning alive.

They had never been this bad before, but after his guide died, they had worsened drastically.

The agony was on a completely different level from anything he had experienced before.

It was torture so severe that it made him think dying might be preferable.

As the pain he thought had subsided returned, Si-hyeok recalled the call he had received from the Association that morning.

The overseas guide search that was supposed to take two weeks was going to take even longer.

Since he still had So-won, Si-hyeok had generously asked how much longer it might take, but the only answer he received was that they didn’t know.

If he returned So-won to Esper Kang Tae-woo now, he would once again be left without guiding and forced to endure that agony.

To go through that pain again…

“…I’d rather not.”

Si-hyeok muttered softly.

Slowly, very slowly, he opened his eyes again.

His pupils glowed blue.

The moment Si-hyeok opened his eyes, Tae-woo was pushed back by an invisible force.

Pushed back with considerable strength, Tae-woo dug his feet into the ground and stopped himself.

He quickly assessed the situation.

Si-hyeok had already risen and was now floating halfway into the air.

Tae-woo ground his teeth.

He could only leap, not fly.

If Si-hyeok escaped into the sky, it would be over.

He had to stop him from fleeing upward first.

Tae-woo looked toward the Association building.

Everyone had already evacuated, and there was no sign of anyone left inside.

Then he could trap Si-hyeok inside the building and subdue him.

Making his decision in an instant, Tae-woo charged at Si-hyeok once more.

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