HLSEBT - 16

16. Hapjeong Station Gate 5

So this was how it all went down. 

While driving across Yanghwa Bridge alone, Cheon Geon-young heard the siren. 

It was only natural that the surrounding area came to a standstill with the siren—after all, a gate-type rift appearing in the heart of Seoul was a rare occurrence. 

Some people, thinking of the shelters, abandoned their cars and fled, and the ripple effect reached Yanghwa Bridge. 

People trapped on the bridge, unable to move forward or backward, began abandoning their vehicles and running. 

Amid the chaos on the bridge, a rift entrance suddenly formed. 

As if straight out of a hero movie cliché, a child slipped from their mother’s hand and was sucked into the rift. 

Cheon Geon-young, who was nearby, grabbed an emergency pistol and caught the child, and together they fell into the underground of Hapjeong Station. 

Such incidents weren’t uncommon when rifts occurred. 

They were called “rift-strays”—people who got sucked into the twisted gaps in space-time and lost their way. 

Fortunately, Cheon Geon-young and the child falling into Hapjeong Station happened just after the swarm of ants had already moved aboveground. 

With only a pistol in hand, Cheon Geon-young protected the child while battling the queen’s escort ants. 

After exchanging bullets for ant lives, he retreated into the station convenience store, where he acquired a pair of scissors. 

When the next queen kidnapped Song Joon-tae, he had no choice but to enter the nest. 

Knowing the characteristics of the red triangular-horned ants well, Cheon Geon-young tore open the nest to create an escape route and reassured the child. 

That was when Yoon Taeha found them. 

“And then?” 

“I left the next queen to Mr. Cheon and went after the main queen. Simultaneous elimination was the best option, especially since he’s one of our guides anyway.” 

Ko Seung-won turned on the recorder and began typing on his keyboard. Yoon Taeha, sitting across from him, added the rest of the details without bothering to hide her exhaustion. 

“Good work.” 

After listening to the entire explanation, Ko Seung-won turned off the recorder. The air in the conference room, cooled by the overworking air conditioner, felt icy. Yoon Taeha collapsed limply onto the desk. 

Twelve hours after the D-rank rift opened. 

Saturday morning, ARK Headquarters in Yeouido. 

Yoon Taeha hadn’t gone home since the incident. She had roughly washed up in the company dormitory, thrown on the training clothes she had “borrowed” from Ko Seung-won, and headed back to the field. 

“Clean everything up by the weekend.” 

The directive from above was simple. But the efforts required from those below to fulfill it were anything but. 

ARK, as an international organization with guaranteed autonomy, didn’t unilaterally receive orders from the Korean government. 

However, because of its public image as a leader in civilian support, employees were often stretched thin. They had also agreed to cooperate in maintaining public order as part of the conditions for staying in Korea. 

Cheon Geon-young had gone to the hospital due to the possibility of internal injuries. Though he appeared fine on the surface, he too had been exposed unprotected to the rift. 

Thus, there hadn’t been any time to talk. 

She had many questions she wanted to ask. Many, many questions. 

But the answers scared her. And then there was the unintended guiding she had received. Her mind was understandably tangled. 

Knock, knock. 

Lost in thought, she heard someone tapping on the semi-transparent glass door. Yoon Taeha glanced at the visitor and stood up. 

“Come in.” 

Team Leader Cho pushed the door halfway open and peeked inside. In an instant, she realized what he was about to say. This déjà vu again. Again. 

“Uh, Miss Taeha. Can we talk for a moment…?” 

“Disqualification reasons.” 

Team Leader Cho flinched in surprise. Reading everything from his expression, Yoon Taeha stated firmly: 

“Is there an issue with Ms. Ha Su-jin too?” 

It was a question filled with certainty. 

“How did you know? I came down personally to discuss it. It seems she won’t be able to join our company. This keeps happening, and I feel terrible about it.” 

Even Ko Seung-won, who had been staring at his monitor, leaned over. 

“What’s going on?” 

She couldn’t answer. 

A delayed attack, huh? Yesterday, they stayed silent and closed-mouthed, and now they’re acting cute. What do they want? 

“Team Leader.” 

The gears that had been spinning smoothly until now screeched to a halt. The truth was, the decision had already been made. 

There was no way this person would quietly ask their questions and leave.

“Huh? Oh, go ahead.” 

“You’ve already chosen a guide?” 

“Yeah. But both candidates are disqualified now, right?” 

“There’s still one more—another candidate.” 

Team Leader Cho’s mouth dropped open. Wait, really? Didn’t they say they wouldn’t do it? After letting him fuss enough, she finally made her request. 

“I’ll go with Cheon Geon-young.” 

To be honest, she was curious about the business secrets he might reveal. What kind of secrets could this young master possibly be hiding? 

The more expensive, the better. 

Cheon Geon-young’s actions became increasingly enigmatic the more she scrutinized them. 

The grandson of Chairman Cheon had enrolled in and graduated from an institution notorious for its high mortality rate among students. Upon receiving his guide eligibility, he promptly left a familiar organization to join a new one. 

Not only that, but he immediately extracted S-rank information and requested a guide position through some sort of deal. 

She felt as though she were standing before a massive labyrinth. 

“What could someone destined to become a chairman possibly lack?” 

Yoon Taeha suddenly blurted out the seemingly random question. 

Highly focused on sniffing perfumes beside her, Ko Seung-won furrowed his brow. 

“This one’s too strong.” 

He handed her the scent strip. The elegant strip spun delicately between her fingertips. She tilted her head slightly, uncertain. 

“It seemed fine to me.” 

“Doin’ hyung doesn’t wear anything this overpowering.” 

“Really? Then exclude that one.” 

The two had just finished writing their reports and were now at the department store preparing for Seo Dojin’s upcoming birthday. 

While they were at it, Yoon Taeha also planned to buy herself some clothes—though secretly, that was her real objective. 

Seo Dojin, who valued proper attire, had clicked his tongue repeatedly upon seeing her cling to company-issued uniforms again. 

“Seung-won, take her to the department store and get her some clothes. I’ll give you a card. If her guide sees her looking so shabby, they’ll run away in shock.” 

“Why should I care?” 

“I’ll log it as special duty.” 

“I’ll go right away.” 

As expected, Ko Seung-won was thorough when incentives were involved. Yoon Taeha brought another scent strip handed to her by the staff up to her nose. 

Ko Seung-won declared a temporary break, claiming his nose had gone numb. After clearing his throat once, he asked: 

“Why the sudden curiosity about chairmen? Did someone put you up to this?” 

“Just wondering. If you were me and your grandfather was Cheon Sung-beom, how would you live?” 

“Cheon Sung-beom? As in Chairman Cheon of CH Group?” 

“Yeah.” 

Ko Seung-won reached out and placed his hand on her forehead. 

“Are you feeling okay? Having childish fantasies all of a sudden?” 

“Just answer.” 

Yoon Taeha waited patiently without brushing his hand away until he removed it himself. After all, he was just an ordinary person. 

Of course, she hadn’t lost control of her strength since she was seven—it was simply a habit not to touch regular people unnecessarily. 

Ko Seung-won spoke as if imagining such a life filled him with joy. 

“I’d quit my job, move into a high-rise apartment overlooking the Han River, and only venture out once a month.” 

“Isn’t your dream to live like a pill bug until you die? Why even bother going out?” 

“To charm my grandfather with some affection.” 

“Wow…” 

Truly wise. She responded in a deflated tone. 

Yoon Taeha set down the scent strip and turned around. 

“This place isn’t working for me. Let’s try somewhere else.” 

“I’ll only check two more places.” 

“We’ve only been to three stores!” 

“Please. Have some consideration for an ordinary person’s stamina.” 

The two wandered tirelessly, sniffing various scents and picking out gifts they liked. When a tiny bottle no bigger than a palm cost over 50, Ko Seung-won silently gawked. Without hesitation, Yoon Taeha handed over her card. 

“I keep forgetting how much money I make.” 

“If you see something you like, pick one. I’ll buy it for you.”

The expression of the employee handling the packaging instantly transformed into that of an excellent salesperson, sensing an opportunity. Ko Seung-won politely intervened, reading the situation. 

“Every time you open your mouth, you offer to buy something. Are you secretly a chaebol?” 

“I got reimbursed for handling personal missions, so it’s fine.” 

“Then you should save that for retirement.” 

“Retirement?” 

“You’re not preparing, are you?” 

Ko Seung-won’s face turned serious. His default expression was one of dry indifference to worldly matters, but when faced with someone or something that deviated too far from his standards, he made this face. 

“You can’t stay in the field forever. If they move you to a desk job, your salary will be cut in half.” 

Yoon Taeha, who lived by the philosophy that buying a house after death was pointless, didn’t take his words to heart. She also doubted she’d live long enough to switch to a desk job and didn’t feel like airing those thoughts in front of Ko Seung-won, an ordinary person. 

“Aren’t you hungry? I heard there’s a new handmade burger place on the restaurant floor here. Their fries are supposed to be amazing.” 

“What?” 

“I want one of those thick shakes too. My throat feels scratchy from all the dust I inhaled.” 

Ko Seung-won stopped her as she subtly tried to steer them toward the elevator. The look on his face clearly said, “You’re really thinking about burgers right now?” 

“We came here to buy clothes for you.” 

“Changing clothes is the worst thing in the world to me.” 

“Stop whining. Tell me what kinds of clothes you have in your closet.” 

“Do you expect me to memorize that stuff?” 

She countered, and he let out a shallow sigh. For someone who organized their closet by shirt color, understanding Yoon Taeha’s carefree attitude was understandably difficult. 

Three years older than Yoon Taeha, Ko Seung-won was cut from the same cloth as Seo Dojin—someone who knew what suited them and could also judge what looked good on others. 

Having followed the prestigious high school and university track, he had smoothly entered ARK just six months ago. On his very first day, he had set the company bulletin board ablaze with chatter about his “mint cardigan.” 

While mint chocolate had its share of polarizing opinions, no one dared argue against Ko Seung-won. 

He was the shining new face of the central control room and its fresh-faced youngest member. Though he seemed slightly uncomfortable with the position, even that was praised as endearing. 

“We remember things like mint chocolate. You know how lazy I am.” 

“People need to see you like this. Too many people in our company have illusions about you.” 

“Do I work at a different company? Who are these people?” 

He looked down at the S-rank Esper with mild exasperation. 

“Pay more attention to public opinion.” 

“Everyone with security clearance already hates me anyway. What’s the point? Only the baristas at the company café think I’m an angel.” 

“Don’t even start.” 

Ko Seung-won sighed every five seconds while picking out clothes and handing them to her. 

“What on earth did you wear before going to Hawaii?” 

“It was winter. I wore the company hoodie and sweatshirts—the navy ones with the fluorescent orange logo. They’re really cute. I have three of them at home. I’m worried they won’t reproduce them.” 

“You’ve been single-handedly boosting the company MD’s sales.” 

“Leading by example.” 

“Good job.” 

Even tourists don’t buy that much. Ko Seung-won’s morale took a hit.