Chapter 93 – An Unexpected Face (Part Two)

Good grief. Of all the people to run into here, it had to be her.

Il-hyeon’s expression soured as he realized things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

Oblivious to his inner turmoil—or perhaps not—she approached him.

“I just finished clearing a Gate when I heard terrorists had shown up at the airport right next door. I thought I’d come have a look, and what an unexpected face I find. You ignored my offer to stay with Aegis, and now you’re out committing acts of terrorism?”

Seol Ah-yeong said with a wicked laugh, clearly amused by Il-hyeon’s predicament.

Once again, he was struck by her face and smile, both radiating an air of pure benevolence.

On the surface, at least.

“Whoa… It’s Seol Ah-yeong!”

First Lee Soo-yeon, and now a string of celebrities since yesterday. Seo Jeong-hwa muttered in awe.

“What brings you here…?”

The government-affiliated Awakened looked just as flustered, clearly never having imagined she would show up here.

Seol Ah-yeong, however, paid them no mind, treating them as if they didn’t exist. Her gaze was fixed solely on Il-hyeon.

“I asked you a question. Why aren’t you answering?”

“I’d answer if you asked a real question. Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Hm? I just told you. It was a coincidence.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth. Do you really think I’d take time out of my day to come all this way just to mess with you?”

“Given your usual behavior, it’s not an unreasonable assumption.”

Seol Ah-yeong scoffed at his remark.

She didn’t seem particularly offended.

She glanced over at the government Awakened and gestured for them to leave as she spoke.

“Just leave them and go back. I’ll vouch for him.”

“What? But our orders were to investigate them without fail…”

*Crack!*

With a casual wave of her hand, Seol Ah-yeong sent the two men flying into each other, their heads cracking together.

Blood trickled down their foreheads, which were already swelling from the violent impact.

Il-hyeon and Seo Jeong-hwa were more shocked by her sudden, insane act than anyone.

The two Awakened whose heads had been smashed together wore expressions of humiliation, but they didn’t dare protest.

Though they all worked for the government, these men were leagues below the Response Team.

Their opponent, on the other hand, was the untouchable and powerful leader of Response Team 1. Getting on her bad side could easily cost them their jobs—or their necks.

“Don’t make me say it twice. Get lost.”

Seol Ah-yeong said in a low voice, her head tilted slightly.

The man wiped the blood from his forehead and, despite having done nothing wrong, bowed his head low before retreating with the other Awakened.

“See?”

Having driven them away, Seol Ah-yeong spread her arms and looked at Il-hyeon triumphantly.

She wore an innocent expression, like a child proudly showing off an ant they’d just crushed, completely unaware of the cruelty of the act.

“This is the difference between a private company and the government. To think someone with your skills is getting pushed around by small fry like them… Isn’t it about time you faced reality?”

“I told you before, I’m not interested in your offer.”

“*Sigh*, are you still holding out because of that petty pride of yours?”

Seol Ah-yeong pressed a hand to her forehead in frustration.

“Even after I’ve shown you the difference so clearly?”

“Unlike some people, I don’t have a hobby of abusing my power. If you need a teammate, you should spend this time looking for someone else.”

“Honestly, do you think I’m just trying to fill a quota? Do you think I do this for just anyone? What is it you want? Why do you keep playing hard to get?”

Il-hyeon sighed, and just as he was about to repeat himself, he thought of a way to get under her skin.

“Ah, in that case, I’ll join if you give me a position higher than yours. Like, say, you hand over your Team Leader spot. Hmm, yes, that sounds good.”

“Wha—what?!”

Seol Ah-yeong couldn’t help but shout at the absurd demand.

He’d realized this before, but there was no end to it if he kept entertaining her nonsense.

She was the epitome of self-centeredness; the longer he talked to her, the more he felt like he was sinking into a swamp.

In situations like this, cutting things short was the best strategy.

“No? Well, anyway… My flight is boarding soon, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Wait, wait!”

Seol Ah-yeong quickly called out to stop Il-hyeon as he tried to leave.

He doubted she was actually considering giving him a higher position, but after debating whether to just ignore her, he stopped, figuring it would just cause more trouble later.

“What is it now?”

“No. Fine, I’ll let the recruitment offer slide for now and assume you need more time to think. But… don’t you have anything to say to me? I just saved you from wasting hours dealing with those nobodies. Isn’t there something you’re supposed to say when someone rescues you from a tight spot?”

“Ah, right. Well… thanks for that.”

“Hmph. As long as you know.”

Arms crossed, Seol Ah-yeong seemed satisfied with his gratitude. She turned without a second thought and started walking toward the exit.

Of course, she couldn’t resist calling over her shoulder for him to think about her offer.

“Yeah, it was a total waste of time. Send a car to the entrance. What? The Gate is already taken care of, so who cares if I leave on my own?”

Il-hyeon watched her retreating back as she spoke on the phone with someone who, he imagined, must have a terribly hard time working with her.

She was truly an unpredictable woman.

Unrivaled among anyone he had ever met.

“She’s scarier than I thought. I just assumed she was a nice person.”

That was Seo Jeong-hwa’s impression after seeing Seol Ah-yeong for the first time.

It was a reasonable assumption, given how different she was from her public image.

But unfortunately, she was much more than that.

“No, she’s just insane. You’re a much better person by comparison.”

“Really? But she did help us… Wait a minute, what are you trying to say by comparing me to her?!”

Il-hyeon suppressed a laugh at her protest and changed the subject, pretending he hadn’t heard.

“Let’s hurry. We’re going to be late.”

They had wasted far more time than expected.

They’d been told to just bring themselves, so they didn’t have any heavy luggage like suitcases, but if they dallied any longer, they were going to miss their flight.

So, the two of them picked up their pace.

“By the way, how in the world did they find you?”

Il-hyeon muttered, still unable to make sense of the situation.

Within Aegis, the only people who knew about Seo Jeong-hwa were the members of Team A, Representative Ryu Jin-tae, and the executive who had spoken with Lee Soo-yeon.

But if word had leaked from inside, the information would have gone straight to a high-ranking official like Seol Ah-yeong, and she never would have let them go so easily.

With no solid intel coming in—thanks to the enemy’s powerful brainwashing and their tactic of eliminating members the moment they’re caught—Seo Jeong-hwa was more than just another operative; she could be a crucial key.

However, judging by the confidence of the government Awakened who first appeared, they must have found something on their own.

But the fact that the information hadn’t reached Seol Ah-yeong suggested it wasn’t considered particularly important.

“I know, right? All the surveillance cameras in the station were off, so they didn’t get my face, and after that, you captured me and dragged me around, so they couldn’t have tracked me. There’s no way they could have found me now.”

“Did you secretly hide any leftover explosives or something?”

“I betrayed the organization. Why would I do that?”

“Hmm…”

He kept mulling it over as they walked, but no answer came to mind.

He was starting to get genuinely curious about how they’d been found.

Lost in thought, they soon reached a crowded departure gate.

There had been several security checks before even entering the terminal, and it was no different inside.

In fact, the baggage and security screenings were even more stringent.

The checks were meticulous, as a single Awakened from a criminal organization sneaking aboard to attempt a hijacking would be an unimaginable disaster—one that would be nearly impossible to stop once the plane was in the air.

For those who had already registered as Awakened, the identity verification process was even more rigorous.

The recent wave of terrorist attacks had clearly thrown the entire country into a state of high alert.

However, Il-hyeon, whose very presence was a better guarantee of the flight’s safety than any security check, was ushered with his companion through a separate lane, bypassing the inspection entirely.

“Is that it?”

“Yes. You can proceed that way.”

“Seems like it would be a huge problem if someone used an ability to change their face and impersonate someone.”

“The scanner you just passed through can also detect special powers, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Ah, I see.”

Il-hyeon gave an awkward nod and headed inside.

The ferrets with Seo Jeong-hwa were nearly flagged by security, but since it was fairly well-known that Il-hyeon commanded summons, they were allowed through without any issue.

Il-hyeon headed for Gate 31 as indicated on his ticket, unwrapping the bandage from his shoulder as he walked.

“This thing is more annoying than I thought.”

“You’re taking the bandage off already?”

“It’s already healed.”

“I can’t tell if I’m traveling with a human or a monster.”

Seo Jeong-hwa shook her head in amazement at his recovery speed. Just yesterday, his shoulder had been pierced through, and now he was casually rotating his arm.

‘Four hours, huh? I can get some sleep and I’ll be there.’

The flight to the United States would take four and a half hours.

It was remarkably fast for a passenger jet, but it was nothing compared to the Aegis transport craft he usually flew in.

Flight technology had advanced to the point where crossing to the other side of the planet was a quick affair, but not everyone could enjoy such speeds.

The components required to withstand such speeds were expensive, and the abysmal fuel efficiency meant that only military hardware or vehicles for the Awakened could achieve that kind of velocity.

Fortunately, the jet Il-hyeon was taking belonged to a high-end airline, so its travel time was shorter than most.

Il-hyeon glanced through the large window beside him, watching the countless passenger jets taking off and landing on the tarmac.

‘I wonder who’ll be waiting for me.’

* * *

*Bang!*

The heart of a street plunged into chaos. Loud gunshots echoed from all directions.

But the bullets streaking through the air stopped dead, frozen in place.

A woman, screaming as she fled.

A terrorist, yelling as he aimed his gun, a citizen held captive in his grip.

All of them were frozen, as if time itself had stopped.

And in their midst, a man in a black coat, Song Jun-ho, walked with leisurely strides.

His movements seemed to defy the laws of physics, a lone figure in motion within a frozen world.

Thanks to this, taking down the half-dozen paralyzed terrorists and freeing their hostages was child’s play for an Awakened.

“I think that wraps things up.”

Song Jun-ho, a member of Aegis, said, looking to one side.

A tall, handsome man, also in a black coat, stood there with one arm outstretched.

“Somehow, we managed to wrap this up. The problem is, even when we stop one, these incidents keep popping up endlessly.”

“Things should get a little clearer once the people from headquarters arrive.”

“You’re right. They should have left by now, right? It’s a shame I can’t go greet them myself.”

The man smiled, pleased at the news of Il-hyeon’s arrival. As he slowly lowered his outstretched arm, the frozen world lurched back into motion.