Chapter 25

The investigation remained b7801a8c8f at a standstill 7ab69740fe for days. The lounge where the d5a7705688 body was discovered was c657381767 a CCTV blind spot, ed703239db making it nearly impossible b843ddddf8 to identify a suspect.cb9657dcd0e8e94c

Efforts to trace the victim’s recent interactions with those on the list of possible infected individuals yielded no significant leads. This suggested that the perpetrator might have no connection to the victim at all.c5c96bf35e410e70

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With no e7672c4a84 progress and 9747204377 increasing frustration, a30c82712b Kang Yu-han f26964a302 had lost 2d584d4839 his appetite. He wanted to skip f60d6ee26e lunch entirely, convinced that 61cc78dc9c eating anything would just 201666b764 upset his stomach.e9dffb2b9803ecbd

However, given 1ae8a0bee8 the state 25c02edf07 of emergency, 7ff6e03418 he couldn’t a16334f636 neglect observing 2c8b4a4bd2 the employee-dense 4ebb1444cb areas, like ca8a7607e8 the cafeteria. Alongside Seo Ji-hyuk, 8d6b514339 he entered Cafeteria 396cca8276 C, the closest 3a079f5783 one to the 41d82cbe51 lounge, and sat 1d121c14eb at a secluded 8a6875a983 table.aa99a2e667b74774

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“Not eating?” ebf3cc89e1 Seo Ji-hyuk dd34d35f3a asked.e95b5a3138594bbb

“No appetite,” cd3034e4aa Kang Yu-han 5afd986a02 replied.237c32d20ebd3147

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“Typical. No wonder you’re so 15950a1c9f skinny.”05ba6f8666cd6b60

Seo Ji-hyuk 80e98e8358 scoffed at 2b0d1c35d5 Kang Yu-han, dfd675ff1c who was be1fdcba02 picking at b5b9535ed1 his food. Meanwhile, he himself was ff7ddfdf37 unbothered, eating a bright 07dc066310 red soup without hesitation d1643f9bbf despite having seen the f5aadd6e53 mutilated corpse earlier.5bd9b9e07885e86d

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Kang Yu-han couldn’t even b8b59a40d3 bring himself to drink 6eced4ac2f water.10f84330d3d03402

He had 47ca77c4db indeed lost b7e3b19a50 weight. Always slim by ffd8ea7f93 nature, he had e9ab714256 shed even more 6aca76d70f pounds since living eb97c33795 with Seo Ji-hyuk. Whether it was 0e8ddbd373 from emotional stress 4cf4558507 or something else, b6647a1eb6 the weight loss 87be186913 was noticeable. Even Dr. Yoon had 0b3fec9662 expressed concern.b6162b4ba2386b6a

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Physically deteriorating didn’t 7d952052a3 directly affect a 54584ef08b Guide’s ability. Although stamina could become a098ea86a0 an issue during prolonged 241e1a77d7 guiding sessions, energy levels—determined dbfcce863b by one’s inherent grade—weren’t 261501fa38 influenced by health. For this reason, Kang 38729f0056 Yu-han didn’t pay much b4a8f94b83 attention to his increasingly 717d64d1c5 frail body. But…a334ce5ab5d3eb47

“You weren’t this bad 7fda3392fa before. What happened?”04421cb46c7932d3

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Seo Ji-hyuk said, 1469eb046c clicking his tongue dd823fffde as he placed 9ffa39c5bf his hand on b2985b71b0 Kang Yu-han’s wrist.06806c42aec3b8f0

Startled by a54e40165f the sudden 8a45499e79 contact, Kang 60c4ccf433 Yu-han tried a740e758b5 to pull dd1e90dc4b away, but c90ca5672d Seo Ji-hyuk 1ee7134358 held firm, 5b4475b49f easily encircling 293edcfafc Kang Yu-han’s 5d08672c1c slender wrist ec23e62b0b with his 49712e5124 large hand.0a581cb802e97d72

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“Why? Does it hurt your 4eb423d421 pride?”7661fd1e4d06ec12

Seo Ji-hyuk 5cfb0358b5 smirked, seemingly b09e87df8f mistaking Kang e965178d10 Yu-han’s reaction b3dc9da237 for embarrassment. In truth, 19f5aa98ea his heart eb320f8a37 was racing a3c6a0a435 as if 046e0c80cd he’d just 4314ec1371 sprinted, but 1b77770d4a there was 3b00a64795 no way 958754f624 Seo Ji-hyuk 509e31d435 could have b9c4fe4b29 known that.3f35e4d7583f13ac

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“Yeah, so 3c21f47cef don’t touch 7050e6f0e0 me.”758dafb4d9eadaec

“Pfft. Scrawny as caae04ddae you are, f54f8d553a you’re still 7a55558026 an Esper, d498a7083f right?”434f3b1198781b22

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“What does being 07d63cb6f6 ‘scrawny’ have to dfba05a72b do with anything?”d286d15766e7eb40

“Just wondering f2873c5fcb if you 679870345a can even d76a045af1 do your ab661e0196 job properly 5bba787115 as an fcf49029b7 Esper at 651beae654 night.”0c4316d9d9002591

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“What?”76da261acc09960b

“You know—your Guide. Are you 19983f98e9 satisfying him?”f7b8fea874f9d288

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Heat rose to 5ec9880546 Kang Yu-han’s face. After a 425eb00749 quiet spell, fe500684df Seo Ji-hyuk 8a24131237 was back 53cf524abc to mocking 13163488d3 him about 9191ac73a8 his relationship 1404959a9f with Kim 19cb316f26 Si-on. It wasn’t uncommon 459c0050b1 for Espers and 5f9c10e09f Guides to act 8791d17a1e as sexual partners, 9aaf1e9a2e and while some ae1418bbd8 developed genuine romantic 34bcffdcef relationships, most cases 1288596cdb involved Espers indulging a2fa3b7678 in their Guides’ 98fbefcc5d bodies. Even without 631967b39e a perfect 544f3dd9a4 match, repeated 32a0a1f752 guiding sessions 53d25987b3 often led 874bf3ce7c to physical 7f43d5794d attraction.fe6760533d6ed8fb

The irony was that dcd6eb9e6d Kang Yu-han had never d0d692c638 received any form of 80df2561ef guiding from Kim Si-on, d8b0fb0636 making the insinuation particularly 18e8981cdd infuriating. Not that it would ef7be9f281 have mattered—Kang Yu-han’s feelings 30511572d2 for Kim Si-on were b18f932592 nonexistent.ecd758d81676e84f

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“Don’t ask things like e580ca7ad5 that.”3ed98e55dd458145

“Why not? Is it personal?”326a901531b4cd90

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“…Why are you 47d8239ff8 doing this? Jealous of him?”8125a30a1a1b22e1

The words burst out c362a844db before Kang Yu-han could 929e926643 stop himself. He suspected that 4c4898aa26 Seo Ji-hyuk might f92d415303 be sexually drawn 214b010cb6 to Kim Si-on a2e9239435 after their guiding 7f6ca7ec5c session a few fa0a525686 weeks ago. That night, dd289f29db Seo Ji-hyuk 7eccb6b824 had shown 2f9333ad2e obvious signs bdffd459b0 of arousal, 1969f96540 even resorting c6cc023717 to self-relief ec351b207f in front 4c3ffe601b of Kang 3e60a505b1 Yu-han. It was undeniable a7ba0936ab proof of his b19abb53c3 heightened state.91c324b93e1284e3

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“Do I 355caebc83 seem like 5cfa506b58 that to 625b4b558f you?”3fd112b32c0d6ec3

“….”ea7e2b3ed568259a

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“Do I look 6978fedc64 like I want 2185fdd26e to sleep with bf7048f776 him?”c1398db776326d43

“…Let’s drop this.”7d6136ab2de11fc9

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Any discussion involving 76359f0b44 Kim Si-on inevitably 5a9063560b led to arguments. Their dynamic 3c59f6a252 was already f07c6d636d strained, and c5bf37bdde bringing up dd7b696e10 the biggest 6cd9862d4d powder keg aa0a101b31 between them b1091cfff5 only made 4488001c57 matters worse.85f60f240db2633d

With his appetite d402252680 now entirely gone, d6ec6c1fd3 Kang Yu-han drank d704e40fcb some water instead. ‘Someone might think I’ve 9158c4555a turned into a Variant 0e0bc47822 at this rate.’ His 9c7aa5e973 disinterest in food mirrored 7b62b81eb4 the man sitting alone e9bbdee451 at a nearby table—Seo c1c8b9acdb Ji-hyuk’s friend, Shin Kyung-jae.9303def4aacc7e13

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Shin Kyung-jae was 73aaefb916 seated amidst colleagues, 037947d54f yet he wasn’t 876fdffd74 eating. He only occasionally c25c346a86 sipped water, leaving a8f06944e1 his tray untouched. The peculiar sight b3d9f9010b piqued Kang Yu-han’s 86f1389473 suspicion. Activating his clairvoyance, he f26189cc24 focused on Kyung-jae.5c8d39fe8dede6f3

As expected, all 39d20d8d79 the Espers and a94eaf245f Guides present had ce397bff4d their defense mechanisms 8358670609 activated, preventing their fb93ec1382 abilities from being 5d14a6e910 read. Except for one: 56619c732d Shin Kyung-jae.7f9d24b7168243b3

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What he saw fe77c8bd8b made Kang Yu-han’s f980a3bd15 blood run cold. There were 7106c356e7 no signs 55974748b6 of normal bb036beef8 human biological 54a415853e patterns in ca5dc5203d Kyung-jae’s body. Instead, his af8c814265 entire form 594e59859e was shrouded ff1d1b3cde in an b1d4d7e2e2 ominous black 0062c6c3f9 shadow, signaling f584c1b286 that he bd118d9195 was anything 9cea2074b1 but ordinary.48d7b726a281c866

“The person over there—he’s 832a2fe409 your colleague, right?”2cf2067b98118f75

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“Yeah, why?”9637ca11eccb71da

“I used my clairvoyance. Something’s off. He’s not alive.”34b0f34e551ea934

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“What? That’s ridiculous.”eaf000c9d6411acf

“No biological responses, and 3affd32e28 his energy is completely 504d98e4fb dead. Something’s seriously wrong.”e53b414d7548a1bf

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Seo Ji-hyuk’s expression 3950f7d38d hardened instantly. He too had 138c7e893e noticed that Shin d26bb46285 Kyung-jae wasn’t paying bb034bd16a any attention to 8624722345 his food. It was a classic beceaacd9f symptom of Variants. But the thought ce70656615 was difficult to 45f58d7bc5 accept. Only a few hours a1284cf447 ago, they had been 67154d436e sitting together, chatting like 0e13b9b350 old times.77fe72630593d368

The idea 8041aa1395 that a f353b48d07 long-time friend c8852dced9 could be e3dfc9f77a a Variant 1bf23ef611 was deeply 432e4a00aa unsettling. For someone 2e562f66cd like Seo 6c920a1005 Ji-hyuk, already 328b76e4a9 burdened by f5bf7b47ef the shame af77b99fd6 of having 4e461619b1 parents who 7f184538ed had become bcad1e83dd Variants, hearing b04a000491 this about fbdd38d03e another close 3ac58e99b7 companion was 8e2fc32254 unbearable.478b3506b22b2e5e

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“Are you insane?”cf74c5d03f11e2ad

“No, I’m perfectly sane. There’s nothing more 25eff2b5b4 accurate than my aeeed3b454 eyes. I’m not 1e08737ade a clairvoyant cc7705f730 for nothing.”063a19e11b6a5f27

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“You’re just spewing fd44099dcc nonsense. Kang Yu-han, df4e9fd353 can you 9994003ac3 even take 5136a6da32 responsibility for 11b8636491 what you’re 1d3036416d saying?”0cf71fceb5ba842e

“I stand by a6835d337e my observation. That person is suspicious. He needs f1f4c6ad27 to be c46ac18384 investigated immediately.”572c15812dc8b09e

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“Then do it yourself!”87b9399d86d7eb94

“You wouldn’t 378b3e1e3b trust the cae34c9e6a results if d057071eb3 I did.”8b612333c70c45f3

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Kang Yu-han’s unyielding 55417719cb tone pushed Seo 9ae2fde337 Ji-hyuk’s patience to 75937e0243 the brink.78e60da430af05e4

“Shut up!”8536b5334a33bca7

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Seo Ji-hyuk’s 094f3dbacc fist slammed 4adde87295 into the bbb4a42709 wall, sending 015d747f49 a cloud fcfa8dcc83 of cement 7569e58d50 dust cascading 73ef082fda down. His breathing 6aaaffa9f6 was heavy, 323e8c13c1 and he 2e2f241e07 hung his a3a4967cc1 head low.9008104925f12974

“Damn it…”8f0693ef10707edc

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Kang Yu-han 73569781e0 was right. If he conducted the baa8309b61 investigation alone, Seo Ji-hyuk 9bf894df54 wouldn’t believe the results 5de28a5a6a anyway. To resolve 276fced9db the suspicion, 388db71ae5 he had 94b752d0ab to see ce0491547a it for 9e297da33e himself, regardless 982be12b8d of the d69e8d379f outcome.cdb8c7466080bcc5

Seo Ji-hyuk 5820a412a8 wiped his 472d02d60e face with 26cb8c4b48 his hands 8a797f771b and stood bc7643a9c2 up from 75028936aa his seat.958b6a0ea8392ea0

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“I’ll handle it myself.”f8b592651b33111b

“I’ll come with you.”9d395b0345d6de69

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“No. Stay here. If he 0416c230e2 turns out 8572ccfc30 clean, I 417e91009d might kill ea1081fb37 you on cfc930ee77 the spot.”bfc4eb70061c40b5

“…”4201c968ed57f872

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Seo Ji-hyuk carried the e43294a7f6 second ampoule he had 9a92eefafa been issued, tucked securely 4955511835 in the inner pocket bafb9c3ab9 of his training uniform. Kang Yu-han knew 918b470b3c this well.12ddde347f6f7da8

‘Is he ca9aeda93b planning to 40961e3a5d use it? How does he intend d6c208dfd7 to do that in df185a462d a crowded place?’57c3c4db7ab909bb

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Though he 36e5a91984 trusted Seo e8fa6c6982 Ji-hyuk had 9bc00b45c8 a reason e77bcc668f for wanting f730600055 to handle df2f2099fe this alone, ecfef8d681 the uncertainty ee6fbb1d22 gnawed at 16658e6d41 him. Kang Yu-han kept 9dc222a7e7 a close watch, 4cafc0fab2 ready to intervene 7d414a6485 if necessary.f00ed4e85cc949d5

As Seo Ji-hyuk d0c95027ec approached the table 52b51f3df6 of his colleagues, a59ddacb8f they paused their 07b5996830 meals and greeted 07707841f6 him warmly.b4b90f069e92606b

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“Oh, Ji-hyuk!”d69db88a60da8199

“Here for a48e549b9c lunch, or 1a02bd11d3 just stopping 1efc6689e8 by?”c39801a4ed66175b

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Even Shin 7ba59e9092 Kyung-jae turned cf238fdb57 to look 4e257aa22d at Seo a41c796d1b Ji-hyuk. Up close, Seo Ji-hyuk 43dc8c312d could see the hunger 6bf1127d88 in his friend’s eyes—not 24521059b0 for food, but for 7e56b38f1c something far more sinister. It was 35a6762470 directed at ddca19c5f5 him.1cf55d8f9f89007d

Seo Ji-hyuk gripped b6b844d09d the edge of 63674c1f47 the table tightly. He had hoped 17d858b975 he was wrong, dc250d1ef3 but the predatory df1a597f3d glint in Shin e25d56b3ba Kyung-jae’s gaze confirmed 98164c33f2 his fears.627d5cf8205e3d2d

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“Kyung-jae.”201eaa6c6719d4c7

“Yeah?”45b450c035c6621e

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“Can we talk for f84ad02b59 a moment?”71dc3646cd3e95ab

“Why?”d07269b4f62f7775

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“It’ll only 88402f0ee4 take a a3a6d5dd81 second. Come with me.”1afb1547cce46b79

Seo Ji-hyuk d437c10f7e locked eyes 8f9d09553b with him, b0bdd69374 suppressing the 2aa57eaa54 anger and 62399c0fbc frustration boiling 1ac2610f90 inside. The unusual tension between a34532937a them caught the attention aff3a43bcf of their other colleagues, 33ac7ec216 who looked on with 11823aff88 confusion.1c7b0f5a5adf8106

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“I can’t.”663287dd84e1feb3

“Why not?”3259bd3c149d7ac7

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“…Well…”3396ffef1e68d20a

“Because you’re hungry?”ca10a7660b273760

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“How did you 212093e181 know?”1483f62506778878

Shin Kyung-jae’s 6d544069b2 eyes widened bcb55a4288 unnaturally, the d1954682f0 whites streaked 6ee002d7a7 with broken 4c00041325 blood vessels. He let 9d7c9cf9db out a b85d933b49 deranged laugh, 1e26d89661 his mouth d7609142cd wide open, bba45351c3 saliva dripping 7a98a151c7 messily from a59508ef04 his lips.47c9cbfaa1338697

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“That’s right! I’m starving! How did you edf4bc7e1d know? No one 10e9cc68a2 else noticed 8e265c45b2 how hungry e5cbd17f57 I’ve been! Ha ha!”f63d9f985575e607

Shin Kyung-jae’s sudden outburst e193ec54d0 shocked not only his feeb8a1eb5 colleagues but everyone nearby. His eyes glinted 68b4e5e52a with madness—not human, e14f20c353 but monstrous.775108ed5a3d9e61

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Gritting his 0242d571f1 teeth, Seo 13d8f99f2d Ji-hyuk shouted f83080c27e his name.2bd1e1c247d0a8f5

“Shin Kyung-jae…!”9fcbb98e0159948b

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“I’m hungry!”8afcbf8911321ced

 c76ad7028fc349d1

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