The two of them didn’t exchange a word, seemingly agreeing that silence was better than awkward conversation.

‘It’s bigger than I thought.’

Even though Yeo Han-ol had admitted he hadn’t achieved everything on his own, his affection for this space remained obvious. Woo Ju-eon shook his head quickly, trying to dispel these intrusive thoughts. He had his own problems to deal with.

He needed to return to Myung-hwon as soon as possible. The man he now pitied was the same one who had tried to use him to orchestrate a terrorist attack on Myung-hwon.

“This place is bigger than I expected.”

“They get more funding than you’d think.”

“…Does all that funding go to him as well?”

“Yes.”

What had Myung-hwon been like as a child, before meeting him? Thinking about how Myung-hwon must have felt growing up under Yeo Ji-woong’s care, during a time when parents loomed largest in a child’s world, made Ju-eon feel like crying. Just because his own parents maintained a good relationship, he had arrogantly assumed other families functioned the same way. Losing his family so suddenly became a topic he avoided even thinking about, let alone discussing, and he hadn’t asked Myung-hwon about it either, assuming he wouldn’t want to talk about it.

‘I shouldn’t have done that.’

And yet, he had dragged Myung-hwon’s mother—someone he had worked so hard to cut ties with—back into his life, only for her to end up dead. Logically, he knew circumstances beyond his control caused this, but emotionally, the guilt suffocated him.

“Are you okay? Do you want to rest for a bit?”

Noticing Ju-eon’s twisted expression, Lee Cho-won stopped in front of a door and asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

At Ju-eon’s response, Cho-won immediately placed her thumb on the fingerprint scanner.

BEEP—

Authentication complete.

This marked the third door already. Cho-won led the way, opening door after door equipped with security systems. Ju-eon gave a bitter smile, thinking how he would have been caught immediately had he tried escaping on his own. He felt relieved he hadn’t simply bolted during that weird back-and-forth scene of people betraying each other.

“Are we close?”

“We’re almost there.”

Cho-won spoke accurately, as they had to stop a few times after sensing other presences nearby.

BEEP—

Authentication complete.

“This is the last door.”

Relaxing slightly at Cho-won’s words, Ju-eon waited quietly for the door to open.

WHIRR. As the door slid open, an exit leading outside came into view. Two people stood there.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

“I… have something urgent to do.”

Cho-won tried sounding composed but failed. The two people already stood in combat stances.

“…They’re not with you, are they?”

At Ju-eon’s question, Cho-won shook her head.

“Weren’t you both supposed to be out on an assignment?”

“We forgot something in the control room and came back. Then we saw something interesting on the CCTV.”

Having seen the CCTV footage, they had no room for excuses. If Ju-eon’s arms remained tied, they might have claimed they were transporting a hostage, but now they stood caught unprepared. Cho-won sighed and ran a hand roughly through her hair. Just beyond them lay the exit.

“You seem really popular.”

“That’s not what most people would call ‘popularity.'”

Ju-eon replied with a look of disbelief at Cho-won’s random remark. This entire situation struck him as absurd. Even though they all belonged to the same terrorist organization, they secretly worked under government officials. The situation bordered on laughable, like a bad joke.

Cho-won nudged Ju-eon’s side with her elbow and whispered quietly.

“That door has a regular lock, just like a normal house.”

Given the secure interior, Ju-eon had assumed the exit would also feature heavy security, but it disguised itself as an ordinary residential door with a standard lock.

“What?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to get out with you.”

THWACK.

Before Ju-eon could respond, Cho-won leapt forward and attacked the two people blocking their way.

“Hey!”

Ju-eon called out in distress, but Cho-won already engaged too deeply to reply.

SHHHK.

CLANG!

Cho-won blocked a dagger aimed at Ju-eon’s neck.

“Go, now!”

Without even turning around, Cho-won shouted while fending off the two attackers. Ju-eon followed her instructions, sprinting past the three of them toward the door. He knew staying to help would only interfere.

“Thank you.”

As Ju-eon’s footsteps faded into the distance, one of the attackers shouted.

“Get that b*stard!”

“Do you think I’m a joke just because there are two of you?”

Cho-won, known for her skills even within AGT, faced two mid-level opponents. Provoked by her taunt, the two attackers lunged at her simultaneously.

THUD.

“Ugh!”

Meanwhile, Ju-eon quickly unlocked the door and opened it. Outside, he found himself in a hallway that didn’t match the interior—an old, run-down corridor. The exterior resembled a typical apartment hallway. Ju-eon hurried across the corridor and exited the building.

Once outside, Ju-eon glanced at the unfamiliar surroundings and sighed. A few buildings stood nearby, but none showed signs of life.

Though he had escaped, he lacked a phone, money, and any idea of his location. He didn’t even know which direction to head.

Fearing the organization’s members might pursue him, Ju-eon started walking aimlessly. However, the farther he walked, the fewer buildings he saw, until he found himself on an unpaved road surrounded by wilderness.

“Should I go back?”

He hesitated, considering turning around, but quickly shook his head. Getting caught while returning would end everything. He didn’t know Cho-won’s rank or the rank of those she fought. If they matched evenly, all Cho-won could do was buy him time. He couldn’t waste that chance.

“Where the h*ll am I?”

Ju-eon stopped walking and let out a heavy sigh. He tried estimating how much time had passed since losing consciousness. According to Myung-hwon, the conversation he overheard while captured happened live.

And he had woken up only a few hours ago. That meant little time had passed since his abduction.

“Probably somewhere on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.”

Sweat beaded on his forehead from all the walking. He had finally reached a main road, but not a single car appeared in sight. The place felt like a ghost town.

Thankfully, before long, the loud engine of a car, seemingly accelerating at full speed, echoed in the distance. The car headed straight toward him.

While he couldn’t afford to be picky, someone driving so recklessly seemed unlikely to help him.

Still, Ju-eon extended his hand and began waving. He figured he had nothing to lose—at best, he might borrow a phone.

SCREECH—!

Contrary to his worries, the car came to a sudden stop right in front of him.

**

It wasn’t Gu-young’s fault, but he felt immense guilt over Ju-eon’s kidnapping.

He had told Myung-hwon, trusting that he would handle it. But still no word came from Ju-eon, and Myung-hwon, who Gu-young thought had gone to rescue him, attended an international assembly.

Unable to stay home, Gu-young decided he must go to the assembly venue. Even if he couldn’t speak with Myung-hwon, he couldn’t sit idly by.

“Huh?”

There, he spotted Jin Su-hui, who worked as a staff member managing the general public.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you say you couldn’t come because you had to keep an eye on Ju-won oppa? Did you come with him?”

“…No.”

Gu-young’s dejected tone made Su-hui tap the shoulder of the person next to her and shove her staff ID into her pocket.

“Excuse me, I need to step away for a moment.”

“But the espers, including Yeo Myung-hwon, are about to appear.”

“It’ll only take a moment.”

Her firm tone left the other person no choice but to agree reluctantly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“This much is fine. What’s going on? Why do you look like you’re about to collapse?”

Su-hui led Gu-young to a spot she had scouted earlier for her breaks. Putting her hands on her hips, she demanded an explanation. Tears welled up in Gu-young’s eyes.

“What’s wrong? You’re making me nervous.”

Startled by his unexpected reaction, Su-hui shook his shoulders and pressed him for an answer, her tone growing sharper.

“Well…”

In a trembling voice, Gu-young explained what had happened the previous night. Su-hui listened silently until he finished, then suddenly smacked him on the back.

SLAP.

The loud sound made Gu-young stagger. Su-hui had hit him with full force, expecting him to block it, but when he didn’t, she momentarily looked taken aback.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“There wasn’t anything I could do.”

“Still, it’s better than sitting around clueless like an idiot!”

“…Sorry.”

At Su-hui’s scolding, Gu-young hunched his shoulders even more. Normally, he would have argued back, but he lacked the energy right now. Instead of responding, his eyes grew even redder with tears.