Everyone’s gaze converged. The researchers subtly guessed, “Well, as usual, he’ll probably mock us endlessly in his polite tone.” However, the words that came out of Ji Gwanyeong’s mouth were completely unexpected.

“I’ve been trying quite hard recently.”

The minister, unable to respond to the man staring directly at him and speaking in a clear voice, cleared his throat quietly. In truth, he had long been feeling intimidated inside, but he was deliberately trying to assert himself with extra force in an attempt to avoid admitting it.

No matter how much the other party was Esper Ji Gwanyeong, if he backed down in this power struggle without saying a word, his dignity would be in tatters. But Ji Gwanyeong seemed entirely uninterested in the minister’s display of bravado and continued speaking without any change in expression.

“My guide is clearly bothered by the idiots at the center, so I had to dumb myself down to their level, even doing a little ‘Sese’ for them…”

Ji Gwanyeong wasn’t one to let things slide easily. Despite his ordinary tone, his words caused sighs from Taehun and the researchers at the center, but his face, unlike the sharpness of his words, appeared effortlessly languid.

“I’ve been gracious, putting up with all the nonsense, ‘go here, go there,’ and the annoying stuff.”

The Esper’s gaze shifted towards the center director, Kwon Dahee.

“So what’s with this line of trash?”

‘Line of trash.’

The meaning was clear. Ji Gwanyeong was referring to the bodyguards he had knocked out at the walls to make his way here, and ultimately, the short, stout minister standing before him. No one in the lab failed to understand this.

“What is this insolence…? Do you even know who I am to speak to me like that?”

The minister raised his voice, trying to sound commanding. In the current situation, with his bodyguards scattered near the door and only his secretary trembling left, his behavior was somewhat brave.

Finally, the expression on the typically composed man’s face changed. One of his eyebrows lifted slightly. Now, Taehun and everyone at the center understood what that expression meant. Ji Gwanyeong, with his gaze angled downward, looked at the middle-aged man before him with contempt and spoke.

“Who do you think you are?”

“I… I’m someone who eats the country’s food! Huh? I’m the minister of this country! And yet this bastard, who shamelessly associates with other men, dares to hold his head up high, acting arrogantly!”

Ji Gwanyeong found it deeply unpleasant when his dignity was tarnished. His antagonism toward the center’s people stemmed from the same frustration. He couldn’t tolerate being treated as nothing more than a lab monkey.

The monster’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the minister, who had been talking aimlessly, unaware of what was going on in his head.

Damn. This is going to be a disaster.

The researchers at the center exchanged looks, unwilling to assist the minister. However, Ji Gwanyeong raised his hand, not to choke the minister’s neck, but to speak in a low voice that would be enough to captivate anyone.

“Taehun.”

For a moment, the person being called didn’t realize it was him and stood dazed. The guide, noticing that everyone’s eyes, except for the minister’s, were on him, mentally repeated the words Ji Gwanyeong had just said.

Taehun… Taehun?

“Yes, yes?”

Taehun answered in a voice that cracked, his voice trembling slightly. Ji Gwanyeong, finding this adorable, squinted his eyes. Taehun felt a little embarrassed by his sweet demeanor and quickly glanced around, checking if anyone was watching.

But it seemed like Ji Gwanyeong wasn’t concerned about such things. His words flowed without hesitation.

“Should we move abroad?”

“…Huh?”

“I’m going. Yeah, pick a country.”

Ji Gwanyeong turned a question into a statement so quickly that Taehun froze, still mouthing “Huh?” The first thought that crossed his mind was, ‘But I like it here…’, but he knew it wasn’t the time to say that out loud.

Ji Gwanyeong urged his guide gently.

“Anywhere we can’t go? Huh?”

Finally, the center’s people caught on to the meaning behind the almost cryptic words.

‘Esper Ji Gwanyeong-Guide Choi Taehun pair’s immigration’? That was truly unthinkable. It would be a huge scandal, something that even the president would have to come running to prevent.

The clever and cunning Esper had just played his trump card.

This was so typical of Ji Gwanyeong. To him, hierarchy meant nothing. As long as his guide wasn’t holding the leash, he was ready to show disdain for anyone else.

Sometimes, madness can be useful.

The center director barely managed to stifle a laugh. The guide, unaware of the situation, was looking surprised, but Ji Gwanyeong had even turned down a lunch with the president not long ago. He had curled his lips in front of the chief secretary at the Blue House and said, “I’m busy. If you want to have lunch, come directly. I’ll fit it into my schedule.” At that time, the director had really wanted to strangle that smug man.

But at this moment, she decided to forgive all of Ji Gwanyeong’s transgressions. Given that kind of counter, she could forgive a hundred times over.

“Hey, Ji Gwanyeong, Sir!”

“Haha. You’re making all my unfulfilled dreams come true. To be a Teacher, thank you.”

“……”

“I went to a special school. I dropped out, though.”

What?!

Taehun and some researchers who didn’t know that fact widened their eyes. Taehun was especially surprised. Ji Gwanyeong, someone who teaches? It was so far from what he expected, it might as well have been light years away.

And on the other hand, it was a relief. If he had taught students with that personality, all the young sprouts would have grown up dull and faded.

“How about America? LA. It’s warm and nice, right? Or maybe…”

“Ji Gwanyeong, I misspoke. What I meant was…”

“-Shall we go to Russia? Why not? I’m thinking of dedicating my life to dig out a tiny country from the map.”

That was the final blow.

Now the minister’s face was pale to the point of looking pitiful, and his hands were trembling. If he were to force this rare pair, who had emerged by an incredibly unlikely probability in this tiny land, to leave for Russia, where relations were already cold, losing his position as minister would be the least of his concerns.

No, even worse than losing his ministerial position was the cold reality of the twisted Esper, who would eagerly dive in to strike a knife into his own country.

“Taehun, which one do you prefer?”

“…Well, that is…”

“Shall we visit a few embassies later? We can hear out the conditions. When starting something new, it’s important to be thorough.”

“Oh, Ji Gwanyeong! And here, this side… I mean…”

Esper kindly reminded his guide of his name.

“Choi Taehun.”

“Choi Taehun, yes. I misspoke. So, don’t be upset. Okay? I’m really sorry. I’ve become a bit senile…”

Now, Taehun was thoroughly dumbfounded. How did the unpleasant middle-aged man, who had been asking about sleeping arrangements and other bothersome things, suddenly start calling him “teacher” and act like he was trying to gauge the situation? What kind of situation was this?

The guide, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, didn’t know how to respond to the minister’s words and just rolled his eyes. Seeing this, the minister, his heart softening, reached out to Taehun, asking, “Hey, it’s okay, right?”

But before his seemingly affectionate gesture could even touch the guide’s shoulder, it was sharply swatted away. The minister swallowed dryly as he looked at Esper, who was now standing beside the guide with an attitude of defiance.

The ordinary man, not an esper or a guide, felt the brutal warning deep in his subconscious. He could feel the chilling sense of danger. The elegant man in front of him wasn’t the actor Ji Gwanyeong, but the Esper Ji Gwanyeong, who had once terrorized Gangnam by ruthlessly torturing a terrorist who had only been a threat to the young man standing beside him, as if playing with a toy.

“Not even a beast…”

“…Ugh.”

“I just don’t get why people have to follow orders only when their rank is set.”

A small groan mixed with humiliation and fear escaped the minister’s mouth. Despite his handsome appearance, there was no sign of any emotion on his face, which only heightened the strange sense of terror.

“Crawl on all fours.”

Even his disheveled hair, drenched in sweat, and his wrinkled clothes didn’t diminish Esper’s overwhelming presence. If anything, it made him feel even more raw and unsettling.

“If you don’t want the obituary to be published as a suspicious death in the newspaper…”

“Ji Gwanyeong!”

“Oh, I misspoke just now.”

With a bright, cheerful smile, Ji Gwanyeong added, and although his face was unmistakably that of South Korea’s top actor who could control the country, no one around him took his words as a mere slip of the tongue. In fact, the people at the center understood it even more clearly.

Esper Ji Gwanyeong wasn’t joking. He had the real power to make it happen.

On the other hand, Choi Taehun was pale with fear from the cheerful murder threat.

‘I should have stopped him!’

While the guide was momentarily lost in thought, he grabbed Esper’s arm, who had just casually thrown out an enormous threat, and, unable to sit still, bowed to the minister, who was frozen like a statue. Then, without a word, he dragged his partner out of the lab.

Of course, Ji Gwanyeong, despite being dragged away by Taehun with little resistance, did not take his eyes off the minister, whose face was still pale with fear. His gaze was like that of a predator, thoroughly studying its prey, and even the researchers at the center, who were no longer the target, couldn’t help but shiver slightly from the coldness of the moment.

Even after Esper had completely left the lab, the minister was still trembling, unable to hide his shaking hands, sweating profusely. He hastily fled from the center. It was a far cry from his dignified entrance.

The center, which had been so busy and disoriented by the minister’s sudden visit, was now eerily quiet. The researchers, still stunned, felt like the whole sequence of events that had just unfolded was some sort of dream.

That awful man, who they had always wanted to bring down!

The minister had always been a thorn in their side, strutting around with an air of superiority and spewing nothing but unpleasant words. It wasn’t surprising to think that he could’ve been beaten up by an angry Esper at any moment. But to see him so thoroughly broken in such a clean, perfect way with no aftermath—what a surprise.

“…Oh my god.”

“…”

“What should we do? I think I’m going to end up loving that bastard’s personality.”

Despite the crude nature of Miyeon’s words, they were shockingly accurate, and all the researchers at the center agreed. They had all felt so much frustration and anger toward the minister that they couldn’t help but secretly nod along, even Yeon, who had been thinking about hacking into the minister’s computer and leaking classified information.

Currently, Ji Gwanyeong was being scolded by his guide in the center’s reception room.

“Ji Gwanyeong, no matter how angry you are, you can’t say things like that!”

“…”

“Don’t even think about killing anyone!”

Ji Gwanyeong, who was curious about what his guide thought of his abilities, was a bit intrigued. He was a physicist Esper with the most powerful killing potential, and yet his guide was telling him not to think about killing people. It seemed somewhat absurd, to be honest.

Moreover, the upright, well-mannered guide clearly did not understand why the minister had turned pale at the mention of immigration. But Ji Gwanyeong, without replying in a negative way, calmly responded. Of course, he didn’t mean it seriously.

“Yeah.”

“My goodness… Was the filming finished already? What is this?”

Esper looked at his guide with a bewildered expression, his demeanor almost arrogantly confident.

“You called me.”

“Pardon?”

“You kept calling me.”

“…?”

Before Taehun could respond, Ji Gwanyeong pulled his guide closer. At first, he hadn’t intended to hug him, but when he realized that I was drenched in sweat and dust, he smiled bitterly and adjusted his hold on Taehun, pulling him in.

It was a swift action, leaving no room for protest.

“It’s been hurting here for a few days now.”

“…The name?”

With a small nod, the guide gently placed his head on the back of Taehun’s neck in a cautious manner. Taehun reflexively shrugged at the soft, warm breath against his neck, but he didn’t push Esper away and simply held him quietly.

But there was something that didn’t make sense.

Did I call Ji Gwanyeong? Taehun mulled over those words for a moment before a thought crossed his mind.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, he had been waiting for Ji Gwanyeong’s contact for the past few days. And every time, Esper would almost immediately send him a text or call, as if he knew. It was nearly always the case!

Could it be that every time… he was saying his name hurt?

Taehun felt a slight dizziness, as if his assumption was true. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of embarrassment swept over him. He didn’t want to imagine what Ji Gwanyeong might have thought of him during those times.

As Taehun pressed his eyes shut in embarrassment and looked away, a soft voice reached his ear, brushing against his guide’s reddening ear.

“Are you angry?”

“…No. Why?”

“Were you angry because of that threat just now?”

‘That threat.’

Ji Gwanyeong didn’t even regard the minister as human. In fact, many people likely didn’t get treated like humans by Ji Gwanyeong. Now Taehun knew that well.

“Well. Saying you’d kill someone is definitely a no-go… but…”

“….”

“I’m not angry. Honestly, he was a bit annoying.”

The guide answered honestly. In fact, looking back, it was somewhat satisfying. But Ji Gwanyeong didn’t respond to Taehun’s words, remaining silent.

“Gwanyeong?”

Taehun called his partner in a slightly confused voice.

But Esper still remained silent. The guide, unsure of what to do with the man holding him, hesitated before gently shifting his body. That caused Ji Gwanyeong to wobble and almost collapse. Startled, Taehun managed to catch him just in time.

“…”

Only then did the sound of even breathing become noticeable.

Taehun stared at Gwanyeong, who was either asleep or unconscious in his arms, with a slightly incredulous expression. He was always so impeccably clean, almost perfect, a man with such overflowing pride that he rarely let his guard down, especially not when they were alone. However, now this Esper, who was known for his pride, was asleep at the center—a place he utterly hated, wearing clothes stained with sweat and dirt.

“If you’re tired, you should just say it…”

Taehun sighed softly as he looked at the slightly pale face of Gwanyeong. All he could do now was hold the man tighter, who was leaning on him, sleeping.

“Ji Gwanyeong. I’ll kill you.”

Miyeon’s vicious voice, filled with anger, slipped out. Her confession of love had already turned cold within a day. Yet no one dared to object to her words. The center was now in even more of an emergency than when the minister had visited. No, it was more accurate to describe it as a state of war.

“The PR team is asking for someone to be sent. Otherwise, they want to use the phone line together.”

“Tell them to handle it themselves, we’re too busy here!”

“They really said they’ll kill us. What should we do?”

From Damyang in South Jeolla Province to the center located in Jung-gu, Seoul, it was about 283 kilometers. And it only took Ji Gwanyeong about 50 minutes to cover that distance.

The Esper, traveling alone without a car, had cut straight through the direction, stopping at a rest area in Chungnam for a drink and borrowing a phone to check the map. The top actor from South Korea appeared out of nowhere, smiling and signing a few autographs before disappearing without a trace.

He reappeared several minutes later, in Gyeonggi Province. Soon after, he was in Seoul. The high foot traffic made it impossible for him to avoid being noticed. Ji Gwanyeong, frowning, jumped across buildings, and the center’s researchers easily recognized him from the shadow caught on CCTV.

[Ji Gwanyeong, no way. I saw him at a rest areaㅋㅋㅋㅋ damn, he’s so coolㅋㅋㅋㅋ he suddenly appeared, borrowed a phone from a womanㅜㅜ] [I’m in Suwon. I heard Ji Gwanyeong was here, so I took a picture and chatted with my friend, then went to Instagram and saw he was already in Seoulㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Yeah, I was in Yeongdeungpo. Saw Ji Gwanyeong flying around, he was suddenly standing on a utility pole, looking at something far away] [Wasn’t he filming a drama?] [Why the hell would a clothing company manager suddenly need to be standing on a utility pole? What’s going on?]

The internet is now flooded with “Ji Gwanyeong sightings.”

Honestly, he could have moved a little more discreetly. There was no need to prove that he was the hottest and most popular actor in this way! Miyeon pulled her hair and let out an exasperated scream. Newspapers, magazines, and TV programs were throwing questions at the center left and right as if attacking it.