Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

Before Han Seo-jin could say anything in response to my words, Park Mu-il quickly stepped inside. Han Seo-jin’s face stiffened, unable to stop him in time. I ignored his expression and followed Park Mu-il into the living room. 

 

“I never imagined that I would ever see you again. Honestly, I thought you were a doll earlier and my heart almost stopped. What happened? I thought you were… unable to make it out of that dungeon that day. I even joined the search, and, no offense, but my team is pretty skilled. We didn’t find a single trace of you, hyung nim…” 

 

“You too?……Well, things just ended up that way. But what was all that talk about earlier? Novarion?” 

 

Han Seo-jin, who was eyeing both of us sitting comfortably on the sofa as if it were our own place, snapped sharply. 

 

“You don’t need to know about that. Stop saying unnecessary things, Park Mu-il.” 

 

“Huh? Hey, I was just…” 

 

I raised an eyebrow at Han Seo-jin’s habit of constantly picking fights. 

 

“Are you going to keep interrupting? You’re telling me the people who attacked me back then were with Novarion, and yet this isn’t my business?” 

 

Realizing I knew that much, Han Seo-jin was momentarily speechless and glanced at Park Mu-il. Park Mu-il, sensing the tension, rubbed his hands together apologetically. 

 

“I didn’t know, honestly. Who could’ve expected that you’d be here, hyung nim?” 

 

“….” 

 

“Still, Seo-jin ah. Doesn’t hyung nim deserve to know this?” 

 

“He’s right. You said it was my business, so tell me.”

 

“If you don’t tell hyung nim anything, he will just misunderstand.”

 

“Exactly, exactly! You’re worse for trying to keep it from me, you jerk!” 

 

I quickly nodded in agreement with Park Mu-il, and Han Seo-jin let out a long sigh before finally opening that tight-lipped mouth of his.

 

“We’ve been investigating this group separately. We found out they’re connected to your death, so we’re looking into it.”

 

“Ah… right.” 

 

Of course, Han Seo-jin knew that I had been tangled up with Novarion. 

 

After all, I had left that drug behind with the intention of giving Ye Sung-woo a hard time. During the investigation into Joo Ho-hyun’s death, it was only natural that Novarion would come up. I’d been so caught up lately with the issue of my impersonator that I had nearly forgotten that the Guiding Supplement I’d left at the center also belonged to Novarion. 

 

I’d already been suspicious because of their connection to Ye Sung-woo. But now, with this imposter of mine appearing, my thoughts about them were increasingly negative. Ye Sung-woo and that fake version of me, both of them are from the same organization? What a complete mess…

 

‘Wait a minute… Ye Sung-woo and the fake me. They were both looking for Hamal, weren’t they?’

 

The realization suddenly hit me, leaving me stunned with my mouth slightly agape. I had known this, but I hadn’t connected the two. Ye Sung-woo was a lunatic who had been willing to kill Joo Ho-hyun because of Hamaal. Could my imposter, being part of the same group, really have good intentions in searching for Hamal and the other constellations? 

 

That night, the fake me had told Seong San-ha that he already knew Ryu Su-yoon was Hamal’s counterpart. If that’s true, then could Ryu Su-yoon’s death also be… connected?

 

But I still couldn’t figure out why Novarion had attacked me. There were too many loose ends. Did they somehow find out that I was Kang Eui-jin? Or maybe they discovered Cloud? 

 

As I stayed silent, Han Seo-jin carefully observed my expression and asked.

 

“You’re not surprised. Did you already know about the drug?”

 

“I had it tested beforehand. That’s why I escaped.”

 

The word “escaped” made Park Mu-il’s eyes widen in shock. 

 

“Escaped? You mean you knew? You knew that Ye Sung-woo and Guide Ryu Su-yoon…”

 

“Park Mu-il, stop saying nonsense.”

 

Han Seo-jin cut in belatedly, but it was too late—I had already heard enough.

 

‘So Ryu Su-yoon was murdered too. That’s why Joo Ho-hyun asked me to protect Ryu Su-yoon.’

 

I hadn’t understood the connection between protecting Ryu Su-yoon and safeguarding the constellations, but now the pieces were falling into place. Ye Sung-woo and my imposter were both trying to kill the constellations. But hadn’t my imposter already joined forces with Seong San-ha?

 

‘Seong San-ha, that fool. This is why I told him not to trust anyone…’

 

Back then, I thought it was Seong San-ha’s problem, not mine. But now that I had been given this quest, it was no longer just his issue. Especially with a penalty that could result in seven catastrophic disasters.

 

“Yeah, I knew everything.”

 

I finally admitted, making the atmosphere even heavier. Park Mu-il glanced cautiously at Han Seo-jin, whose expression had become serious.

 

After a long pause, Han Seo-jin asked in a heavy voice.

 

“Is that why you didn’t tell me? Because you didn’t trust me?”

 

“What are you talking about? It’s not that I didn’t want to trust you—I just couldn’t. I wasn’t in a position to trust anyone. It’s all because of Ye Sung-woo, so if you want to blame someone, blame him. Do you think I’d want to go back to the center in this situation?”

 

My casual response only made both of their expressions stiffen even more.

 

“By the way, does Novarion know I’m still alive?” 

 

I asked, trying to keep things vague since I couldn’t reveal my identity as Kang Eui-jin or mention Hamal. Han Seo-jin, however, gave a completely unexpected answer. 

 

“…..Rather, it’s probably because of the Guiding Potion.”

 

“Guiding Potion? Why are you suddenly talking about the Guiding Potion?”

 

Han Seo-jin’s words caught me off guard, so I asked, feeling perplexed. Park Mu-il chimed in with a grimace. 

 

“He means Kang Eui-jin. There are quite a few people who’ve had their potions stolen.”

 

“Stolen potions? What do you mean by that?”

 

“We found out while investigating Novarion. They’ve been forcing people to sell or transfer their potion recipes as Kang Eui-jin. There are a ton of unpublished potions that are now under his name, and they’re planning to release them one by one. It’s insane—everyone’s bound by absolute contracts. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re planning to do the same with the Guiding Potion.”

 

“We’re still investigating, so it’s not confirmed yet.”

 

Hearing this, my jaw dropped. The shock and frustration hit me like a cold splash of water.

 

‘That bastard! Is he really pulling something like this?!’

 

This wasn’t just tarnishing my reputation—it was dragging it through the mud and shoving it off a cliff. There was no need for further contemplation. 

 

Novarion was clearly a den of scumbags. And Seong San-ha, blindly following along, was about to hand over the constellations on a silver platter. I needed to wake him up fast and stop this imposter from continuing his schemes.

 

I turned to Han Seo-jin, who was clearly an obstacle to all my plans, and said. 

 

“Seo-jin ah, let’s go.”

 

My expression must have been filled with determination, as Han Seo-jin looked at me in disbelief.

 

“Go where? Didn’t you hear what we just said? Those guys are after the Guiding Potion. It’s dangerous if you go.”

 

“That’s exactly why we need to go now. If what you’re saying is true, then even Seung-yeon’s in danger.”

 

Han Seo-jin averted his eyes, his face clouded with stubborn resistance. 

 

“This is bigger than we expected. We still haven’t figured out the full scope of who they are. In a situation this dangerous, how could I let you go?”

 

“Then what about Seung-yeon? They’re probably thinking he’s the one who made it! That means he’s in even more danger! And our mercenaries are strong, they’ll be fine.”

 

I blurted out, my frustration boiling over. Dealing with Han Seo-jin felt like talking to a wall. In my outburst, I let more slip than I intended. 

 

Both Han Seo-jin and Park Mu-il stared at me, confused. 

 

“What do you mean? ‘Thinking she made it’?” Han Seo-jin asked cautiously.

 

“Hyung… what are you saying? It almost sounds like you’re suggesting someone else made it,” Park Mu-il added, frowning.

 

“…”

 

I tried to dodge their stares, but it was too late. They had already picked up on the slip. To divert their attention, I raised my voice.

 

“That’s not the important part right now!”

 

“It’s pretty important,” Han Seo-jin shot back.

 

“Right, so who did make it then?” Park Mu-il pressed, not letting it go.

 

“There’s only you and Yeon Seung-yeon in the mix,” Han Seo-jin said, narrowing his eyes. “And that extra guy.”

 

“We’re Espers, hyung. And the Guiding Potion is a big deal. So, who really made it?” Park Mu-il asked, dead serious.

 

I could feel the sweat dripping down my back. They weren’t saying it outright, but I could tell they had already come to their own conclusions. I was cornered.

 

Unable to take the pressure anymore, I shot up from my seat and shouted, “This is your fault, damn it!”

 

“…Did you really make it, hyung?”  

 

“Yeah! You ungrateful bastard. I worked my ass off making that thing for you. I made it because I thought you were struggling with Guiding, but after you drank it, you called it trash and then locked me up the moment we met again.”  

 

I guess I’d been more hurt than I realized these past few days. I wasn’t used to getting treated like this, especially after putting in so much effort. Words just kept spilling out, but Han Seo-jin, who had been staring at me without blinking, suddenly stood up. Slowly, he walked over to me and placed both hands on my shoulders. His voice trembled a little as he asked.  

 

“You made it for me?”  

 

“How many times do I have to say it? I made it thinking about yo—”  

 

Before I could finish my sentence, Han Seo-jin pulled me into a hug. Stunned, I looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with a horrified Park Mu-il.  

 

Crap.

 

Park Mu-il’s face was stretched in shock as he pointed at his chest with his index finger once, then at the door twice with his thumb. His expression was clear—he was asking if it was time to leave. With a scowl, I pointed at the door and then made a slicing motion across my neck with my hand.

 

‘You step out, you’re dead.’

 

I had to make sure Park Mu-il stayed right here. He half-lifted his bottom from the sofa, but after seeing the murderous look on my face, he sat back down.  

 

At that moment, Han Seo-jin, who was still hugging me tightly, asked in a soft, almost trembling voice.  

 

“…Can I ask you something?”  

 

“What?”  

 

“Were you happy after you left?”  

 

I answered without hesitation.

 

“Yeah. I was fcking happy.”

 

“…If you say it like that, how am I supposed to hold on to you?”  

 

As I lifted my hand to pat his back, Han Seo-jin, now snuggling deeper into my shoulder as if seeking comfort, mumbled against my neck. 

 

“Please… guide me.”  

 

“Out of nowhere?”  

 

“I need your guiding, hyung.”

 

I could give a light guiding without the system’s help, but I decided to open my skill window and use contact guiding anyway. As soon as I activated it, the energy flowed swiftly into Han Seo-jin. His body started trembling subtly as he felt the guiding, and my shoulder began to grow damp.

 

‘What’s going on?’  

 

After a moment’s thought, I asked,  

 

“Are you crying?”  

 

“…Shut up.”

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