[AwakenedNet Forum]
>Anonymous
I heard the apprehended Guide was Esper Min-Jae's ex.
>HunterFan92
Bro, there's no way Esper Min-Jae would date a low ranking Guide. He already has Yi-Hyun.
>GuildWatcher
That's... actually true... But there's still a chance that the Guide was Esper Yi-Hyun's ex. There was rumor that went around one time.
>Moonlight27
Stop spreading misinformation, @GuildWatcher. Everyone knows Min-Jae oppa and Yi-Hyun oppa are together.
>Reply
Facts. People just love making stuff up.
>Anonymous
Maybe the Guide committed a crime?
>ConspiracyHunter
Or maybe the NAA knows something we don't.
>Reply
Stop making conspiracy theories. It's probably just another unregistered Guide.
>ConspiracyHunter
Right... because the NAA always kidnaps "just another unregistered Guide" in broad daylight.
[Blacksmith Guild.]
Jae-won lowered his phone, his brows knitting together. Unlike everyone in the comments, he wasn't interested in who Hanseong used to date.
He only cared about one thing.
Why was the NAA involved?
According to Ah-In, Hanseong wasn't supposed to matter.
A sick feeling settled in his stomach. Something felt horribly wrong. To make matters worse, his heartbeat quickened slightly.
Could they know about Hyung's weird System?
He shook his head dismissing his thoughts. That was impossible unless the NAA had some System Anomaly checker.
But then again, it was still the NAA. The organisation known to test or contain anomalies if they were ever found.
Cold sweat ran along his forehead as he adjusted his collar. He didn't like the idea of his Hyung in custody of the NAA.
What if something went wrong? What if the story re writes itself with Hanseong as the main character?!
Well, that was what Ah-In nonna said when she called him earlier.
He couldn't just leave his hyung hanging...
He thought looking down at his phone, his finger hovering over the call button.
Hanseong hyung said he'll disown me if I call her...
"What's wrong kid?" A man tapped Jae-won's shoulder. He stiffened, hid his phone in his pocket and turned.
"Nothing sir..."
The man crossed his arms not believing Jae-won's words at all.
The man studying him wasn't just anyone.
It was Jang Dojun.
Guild Master of the Blacksmith Guild.
The only guild in South Korea led by an A-Class Esper, with a rare S-Class skill known as Metal Manipulation.
Jang Dojun ruffled Jae-won's hair. "Come on, spill it kid." He chuckled.
Jae-won hesitated before explaining what had happened to Jang Dojun.
Jang Dojun nodded carefully as he listened to Jae-won's explanation.
The NAA had kidnapped an unregistered Guide in broad daylight and didn't even bother addressing the news that was spreading.
Dojun's expression hardened.
The NAA didn't make public arrests.
If they'd dragged someone away in broad daylight... They wanted the entire country to see.
Jang Dojun had seen this before, he had no intention of getting involved.
Not after what happened between him and the NAA years ago.
But looking at the way his student spoke about his hyung. He knew he was someone he truly cared about.
He let out a quiet sigh and massaged his temples.
"Those Kwon bastards..." He cursed under his breath.
"So, what are you planning?" Jang Dojun asked as he studied his Jae-won's expression intently.
"I... I'll find a way." He muttered.
"Around the NAA?" Dojun couldn't hide the surprise in his voice as brushed his dark bangs away from his face allowing Jae-won to see his seriousness.
Dojun didn't even let him speak. He grabbed his coat. "Let's go pay President Kwon a little visit, shall we?"
Jae-won blinked completely surprised. "Master?"
"What?" Dojun cracked his knuckles. "If you're planning on taking down the NAA, you might as well have some backing."
Dojun concluded. Jae-won had been his student for four years now. He knew the boy had potential and he couldn't sacrifice him for any reason.
Jae-won offered a polite bow. "Master... why are you helping me?"
Dojun waved his hand dismissively "Because I don't leave my people behind."
Jae-won tilted his head, his eyes watering slightly, before he hid with a small cough and turned away. "I really appreciate it, Master."
****
A brutal, throbbing headache dragged Hanseong back to consciousness.
The ground beneath him was vibrating rapidly, tilting side to side. But as he forced his heavy eyelids open, the harsh, fluorescent lights nearly blinded him. He slowly opened his eyes.
He was strapped to a moving medical gurney.
Two NAA agents—men dressed in high-grade tactical suits, were pushing the gurney down a sterile white corridor at a very fast pace.
Wait... didn't President Kwon say something about letting me go home?
"Where... are you taking me?" Hanseong rasped. His throat felt like sandpaper, and just squeezing out the words felt like torture.
The agents didn't stop. They didn't even look at him. But Hanseong caught their low, tense whispers over the squeaking wheels of the gurney.
"Why is he awake?"
"We gave him a very strong sedative. One that could knock out a C-Class Esper for two days.
"Then why are his eyes open?!" The second vouce sounded panicked.
Hanseong's jaw clenched when he heard this.
I'm suing, he thought viciously thought, his jaw felt too heavy to even form the words. I'm hiring the most expensive lawyer in the country and suing the NAA into bankruptcy...
"Hey..." Hanseong forced his voice out again, trying to sound authoritative, though it came out as a small squeak. "This is illegal restraint... I'm filing a complaint..."
The Esper on his left didn't even flinch.
Desperate, Hanseong tried to push himself up, but a massive hand slammed down on his shoulder, pinning him flat against the gurney.
A sharp groan escaped his lips as pain shot through his back.
"Save your energy, Mister Jung," the agent said coldly, not looking down. "Resisting the NAA will only make things worse."
Hanseong didn't have the strength to glare, let alone fight back. He allowed himself to succumb to the darkness again.
You bastards are going to regret this...
----
The next time Hanseong woke up, he wasn't on a gurney anymore. Two broad-shouldered NAA Espers had him by the arms, dragging him toward reinforced vault doors.
Labelled with; [SECTOR X]
His eyes widened and his groggy mind instantly became sharp. "Where are we going?"
The titanium doors suddenly hissed open.
"Hey! You guys promised to let me go!" He struggled against the Espers before they threw him into dark room.
He landed on cold titanium floors. He groaned in pain and quickly crawled towards the doors trying to get out. He didn't reach it before it slammed right in his face.
He punched the door and cursed. "You bastards promised to let me go!"
As the words left his lips the hair on his back suddenly stood straight. A sharp shiver ran down his spine.
Someone was standing right behind him. His feet were glued to the ground, he couldn't move, he was too scared to do so.
"Another one?" He heard a very deep voice behind him. Then without thinking, he turned.
Long black jet hair, mismatched eyes that were now blood orange and yellow. And an aura that screamed to anyone that was in range of him:
Run.
The person was none other than, South Korea's first S-Class Esper.
The leader of the Six Pillars and the leader of the Vanguard Guild. He was also the second X-Class Esper of South Korea.
Hanseong's breath hitched. Yes, he was cooked.
Did he have any memory of how he got into this situation? No.
All he remembered was some President Kwon questioning him and promising to let him go after running a blood test.
So how the fuck did he end up with Lee Taehyun?!
Lee Taehyun's eyes narrowed and before Hanseong could react.
A hand clamped around Hanseong's neck, lifting him up effortlessly.
Hanseong tried clawing at his wrist, but it did absolutely nothing.
Lee Taehyun's grip wasn't enough to crush his throat. But it was just enough to remind him it could.
And that made Hanseong even more terrified.
A familiar ding echoed in his mind and he stiffened.
[DING!]
[Congratulations on reaching your target, Host!]
[Timer Updated!: 30 minutes.]
[Objective remains unchanged: Guide Esper Lee Taehyun to sanity.]
'What the fuck?!'