“Wow... So this is Abite, huh.”

Do Hyeokjin, an Esper from Sungan, narrowed his eyes at the small island floating in the sea.

He had long harbored a deep interest in Jeokryunhwa, and had joined the Sungan Guild under the condition that he’d be allowed to access the research data from Sungan Pharmaceuticals. But after the contract was signed, Sungan changed its tune—delaying and eventually withdrawing their promise to show him the Jeokryunhwa labs.

In the end, Do Hyeokjin gave up on waiting.

Instead, he decided to sneak onto Abite Island on his own.

I bought a yacht for this. Even got my license.

As the island drew nearer, a wide grin tugged at one side of his lips. But then his expression froze.

The smell of blood.

A putrid stench of rotting flesh and gore wafted from the island, heavy and sickening.

He anchored the yacht and ran toward the massive estate visible in the distance.

The stench was coming from there.

As soon as he arrived, Do Hyeokjin was rendered speechless. The once grand mansion was buried in corpses—monsters and humans stacked like mountains.

A Gate Break?

That was the first thought that crossed his mind. But something felt wrong.

A Gate Break meant monsters emerging from rifts in reality—unless the boss was subdued and the gate sealed, it wouldn’t stop.

And yet, there was no trace of life here. Not among the humans, not among the monsters. Everything was already dead.

With a dagger strapped to his hip, Do Hyeokjin tightened his grip and cautiously entered the estate.

Mana...?

He halted.

A tremendous flow of mana was emanating—not from the grand mansion—but from a decrepit outbuilding that looked like a storage shed. Completely mismatched with the estate’s elegance.

On edge, he sprinted toward the shack.

The door was splintered, its remains scattered across the floor. As he tried to step inside—

A blade-sharp streak of mana came slicing toward him.

Startled, Do Hyeokjin leapt back and looked up to see—

A boy drenched in blood, glaring straight at him.

Everything was red, except for his eyes—black ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) pupils that gleamed with a sharp, inhuman clarity. They pierced through the gore with eerie presence.

Do Hyeokjin swallowed dryly. Power swirled violently around the boy’s small frame.

He’s the one who killed the monsters.

He didn’t need anyone to tell him—his instincts were screaming it.

“Hey, kid. I’m not a bad guy. I’m here to help—”

He tried to offer reassurance, but the boy’s black eyes only narrowed in suspicion.

This child didn’t trust humans. At all.

Do Hyeokjin quickly changed his approach.

“I-I just came to look around. For fun. Saw some monsters and got curious, that’s all.”

“......”

“Did you defeat them?”

The boy gave a silent nod.

“Incredible. My name’s Do Hyeokjin. I’m a really famous S-rank Esper in Korea. What about you? What’s your name?”

He knelt to the boy’s eye level and asked kindly.

But the child remained silent.

“Don’t want to say?”

At Do Hyeokjin’s gentle probing, the boy slowly shook his head.

“I... can’t really remember.”

“You don’t remember?”

He hadn’t spoken or heard his name since he was six. The staff had never acknowledged him as part of the Joo family. They never called him by name—not even once. Only “hey,” “that brat,” “you fake.”

The boy searched his memory, and finally opened his mouth.

“Seunghyuk.”

“Huh?”

“Probably... Joo Seunghyuk.”

“What?!”

Do Hyeokjin’s eyes widened in shock.

Joo Seunghyuk was the name of the Sungan chairman’s youngest son—the one rumored to be living overseas.

That very day, Do Hyeokjin filed an emergency report to Chairman Joo.

Gate Break confirmed on Abite Island.

All townspeople and estate staff: deceased.

1 survivor – Joo Seunghyuk (13).

Estimated he subdued the Gate boss alone.

Manifested Esper traits – mana measurement required.

Over 99% chance of S-rank classification.

Joo Seunghyuk scoured the estate, frantic—but there was no sign of Lee Yeonsu.

A crushing anxiety gripped his chest, stronger than anything he’d felt even during his years of abuse.

He burst out of the estate, barely able to breathe. Then—from a corner—he heard a quiet sob.

He turned toward the sound and walked with long, unhesitating strides.

It came from the storage shed. He threw open the door—

There, clutching an old book and sobbing uncontrollably, was Lee Yeonsu.

He didn’t leave me. He didn’t leave me again... not like last time...

Seunghyuk exhaled in relief—and pulled Yeonsu into a desperate embrace.

***

I tried to run.

If I didn’t leave now, I might never get another chance. This could be my last window of escape.

I grabbed the handle of the towering front gate. No more hesitation. Just open it.

If I stepped through that gate, I’d be free. I could escape Joo Seunghyuk forever.

Forever...?

The strength in my hand drained away.

This was different from the time I ran off with Jeonghan. Back then, I only planned to stay hidden until the wedding passed.

But if I left now—I’d never see Seunghyuk again.

If I got caught again, it would mean permanent confinement. I'd have no choice but to take drastic steps, like changing citizenship.

And if I did... the fallout would be huge. One of Korea’s only S-rank Guides in his twenties disappearing? The public would see it as betrayal. My family would be dragged into it too.

But more than all that—what scared me was the thought of never seeing Seunghyuk again.

Even though I was trying to run away from him.

If I left... what would happen to his guiding? He’d take it hard. Would he cry again?

Those pathetic thoughts surfaced late—and weighed down my feet.

As I stood frozen, unable to decide, the mana stone in my ring began to glow.

“Huh?”

Before I could even react, the ring surged with power and pulled at my body.

Without my will, I turned from the front gate and walked toward the gazebo. The ring then pointed toward a shack beside the old cauldron.

Honestly... I felt relieved it wasn’t leading me outside the gates.

Once inside, the mysterious force faded.

What the hell was that? Why did the artifact lead me here? 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

I looked around the room. No—it wasn’t a storage shack.

There were worn-out blankets, old clothes, a bundle of cloth that had clearly been used as a pillow...

Someone had lived here.

Despite the mansion having dozens of spare rooms—someone had been forced to sleep here?

Among the old belongings, five books stood out.

“Hangul for Beginners”

“Hangul Master One Two Three”

“Knock Knock Knock, Hangul”

“My Mate’s an Omega”

“Alpha’s Pure Love”

Three were children’s Hangul textbooks. The other two were once-popular internet romance novels.

What kind of combination was this?

Was a child here? Or maybe a middle or high school student who liked web novels?

Thinking I might find a clue, I carefully opened My Mate’s an Omega.

The moment I did, the ring blazed—flooding everything around me in white light.

Then a harsh voice echoed in my ears:

“How dare a fake like you dirty the Director’s estate! From now on, live like the filth you are—in here!”

A man screamed as he threw a boy to the floor of the shack.

Even as he was cursed at, the child’s face remained blank—his eyes dull and expressionless.

I knew exactly who he was.

It was Joo Seunghyuk.

A young Seunghyuk curled under a worn blanket, trying to sleep in the freezing dark.

The mansion’s staff beat him and shouted obscenities just for fun. They threw him leftover bones and moldy bread, laughing the whole time.

It was torture. But Seunghyuk never cried. He didn’t beg. He didn’t ask for help.

He bore it all in silence.

This... this was how Joo Seunghyuk spent his childhood. Not in a grand room—but trapped in this shack.

My throat tightened. I wanted to cry—but held it back.

The ring continued showing me everything that had happened here.

The staff didn’t stop at starvation and insults. They made him work. From dawn till late at night, Seunghyuk toiled until he collapsed, then curled up to sleep in exhaustion.

Once, starving, he devoured a cup of expired instant noodles like his life depended on it.

One day, the man who tormented him most threw a bag of books at him.

Used textbooks, and novels filled with emoticons and typo-riddled sentences. A deliberate act of cruelty.

But Seunghyuk didn’t get angry. His eyes lit up as he opened a book.

He began to study Hangul. Relentlessly. All through the night, without sleep.

It was the first time I’d ever seen him look... happy.

And as I watched—my tears fell.

Seeing him, face glowing with joy over a ragged book... struggling to write emoticons without knowing what they meant...

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

He didn’t know how to hook pinkies for a promise. Had never seen the cartoons every elementary kid obsessed over. Didn’t even know what chicken nuggets were.

But he said he’d had cup noodles.

Now I understood why.

He’d been robbed of everything a child was supposed to have.

That’s when someone embraced me from behind.

It was Seunghyuk.