Boy Monster Chapter 36

It was then that he grit his teeth, recalling Jae Eunho’s translucent skin and the breath that had shimmered above his pupils. The clock on his phone’s lock screen changed to 11:27.

“…?”

For a moment, his mind went blank. At the sweet sensation of his thoughts and consciousness melting away one by one, Shi Taehyun ground his teeth ferociously and shot his eyes open.

“Don’t tell me, you attempted a communion?”

It was a sensation he couldn’t have experienced otherwise. Grasping his reddened neck against the immense force crushing his mind, he let out a breath that had risen to the tip of his chin. The blood vessels all over his body swelled as he desperately tried to resist the communion ability. Even in his pain, Shi Taehyun smirked, his lips parting as he muttered.

“Jae Eunho, you son of a bitch…!”

Fortunately, the signal that had shaken Shi Taehyun’s mind, whether it was interfered with or controlled, stopped right away. After disappearing so quickly, it didn’t occur again. However, Shi Taehyun had already made his decision.

Shi Taehyun’s steps were stiff as he exited the station. A thick cloud of anger rose from the speed and force with which he pushed through the crowd.

Staring straight ahead, Shi Taehyun’s eyes were focused on one spot, like a predator on a hunt. There was only one target. A single prey not currently in his sight.

Shi Taehyun stood behind a 0.5-ton truck parked in a secluded area of the entertainment district. The truck’s cargo bed, plastered with banners for a newly opened club bar and a massage parlor, was locked with a chain.

Unlocking the chain, Shi Taehyun reached into the trunk. From within the darkness of the trunk, an air rifle, a sniper rifle, a sashimi knife, a pipe, a hammer, infiltration ropes, and lock-picking tools emerged one by one. After placing the items one by one into a golf bag, Shi Taehyun tightly wrapped his palms with bandages and put on gloves.

Passing through a street bustling with glamorous people and cigarette smoke, Shi Taehyun stopped at the vibration from inside his jacket. When he took out Jae Eunho’s phone, several disaster alerts had arrived.

Emergency Disaster Alert

Public Safety Alert
[Seoul City Hall] 07.17
Mechanical failure occurred during KTX train operation.
All passenger boarding at Yongsan Station and Gwangmyeong Station has been suspended, and the city railway at the corresponding subway stations will operate without stopping. Nearby citizens are requested to evacuate to the nearest designated shelter immediately.
23:32

Shi Taehyun held the key ring strap with his teeth and took out a finger cap from the golf bag. It was a device he had made by lifting Jae Eunho’s fingerprints left on the air boat. He placed the finger cap on his index finger and long-pressed the disaster alert, revealing a secret summons message.

[URGENT]
S.E.T.U. Special Ops Team Emergency Mobilization Request

Request Target:

• All members of Poong Hwelju of 3rd rank or higher (1st rank must respond)

• All members of Su Hwelju of 3rd rank or higher (2nd rank must respond)

• All members of Hwa Hwelju of 2nd rank or higher (1st rank must respond)

• All members of Ji Hwelju of 2nd rank or higher (1st rank must respond)

Incident Details: Terrorist attack on Honam and Gyeongbu Line KTX trains

All train engineers are dead.
Two trains, KTX No. 000 from Seoul to Mokpo and KTX No. 000 from Busan to Seoul, have been rerouted to collide at Gwangmyeong Station and are running at 280 km/h.
20 minutes until collision, total of 430 passengers.

The eyes above the black mask read down the summons request message. After reading the incident summary with an indifferent attitude, Shi Taehyun lifted his head. He finished a brief calculation. His cold gaze slowly scanned the night sky.

“Our teacher is my prey, you fucking crazy hyenas.”

Within the eyes that scanned the darkness, multi-colored sparks flashed for a moment. Shi Taehyun narrowed the space between his eyebrows and muttered in annoyance.

“Shit, they’re being a pain in the ass.”

He changed direction and started to pick up speed. The path Shi Taehyun was heading towards was not in the direction of the National Intelligence Service where his prey was, but an uphill road to Namsan. Shi Taehyun’s black shoes, carrying the heavy golf bag, sped up and dashed up the slope.

:･⚜️⊹.️

Jae Eunho threw off his glasses and ruffled his hair. The clock showed 11:45 PM. His colleagues had no idea Eunho was being held in the 1st-floor reception office quarters, and with no phone, he had no way to call them.

Lim Geonhwi, who had disappeared leaving the bedding stained with his and Jae Eunho’s bodily fluids, had confiscated Jae Eunho’s phone and gone to the Ministry of National Defense. The Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters must be in a state of emergency as well.

A little while ago, Jae Eunho had clearly felt his communion ability go out of control. The vein of power rose from the tips of his toes like boiling bubbles and instantly burst out of his body and mind.

When his appointment to meet the boy was thwarted, an explosion had occurred in Eunho’s subconscious, unknown even to himself. A certain emotion, compressed and condensed for a century, had become the fuel.

‘Don’t tell me I had a communion overload because of that bastard, Shi Taehyun…? No way. Nah, that’s not it. It was because of Hwonwoo.’

As Eunho’s communion ability was not limited to Hwelju and was exceptionally outstanding, it was directly controlled by the Blue House based on the judgment that it could be misused, but there was clearly an upper limit to what the control chip could handle. Why hadn’t he known until now? ……It was simple. Because he’d never had the chance to find out.

The answer was that there had been no incident that could have caused Jae Eunho’s ability to go rampant until now. And it also meant that the recent Jae Eunho had been that shaken by the boy’s life or death.

Shi Taehyun had shaken such an Eunho with enigmatic threats and the antics of a rampaging beast, so easily!

“It’s not because I couldn’t meet that bastard. It’s! Not! It!”

He washed his face to cool the churning emotions inside. He splashed cold water on his face to cool the heat. Standing in front of the mirror with water dripping from his face, Jae Eunho hurriedly ran to the door at the sound of shouting from in front of the reception office.

In front of the special forces soldiers guarding the door with guns, Deputy Chief Choi Jungkyung and Oh Jigeun’s party were causing a commotion.

—Hey, come on! Who said we’re taking him? We’re just delivering the news, there’s been a terrorist attack, a terrorist attack!

Thanks to Deputy Chief Oh Jigeun shouting at the top of his lungs, Jae Eunho was able to grasp the situation immediately. Jae Eunho quietly pressed his ear to the door. Deputy Chief Oh Jigeun and Choi Jungkyung took turns deliberately raising their voices.

—Two trains might collide, right now!

—When hundreds of people might be sacrificed, does it make sense to just summon the Hwelju and lock up the Captain! Does it!

A train terror attack, it was a truly shocking incident. The bastards had thrown down a direct challenge with a bold move.

While searching for a solution, a plan formed in Jae Eunho’s mind. A way to get out of here. Jae Eunho knocked politely on the door and said.

“I will just deliver the operational plan for a moment.”

At Eunho’s polite voice, the agents seemed to step aside. The approaching footsteps, from the sound of them, belonged to Choi Jungkyung, who was acting as Eunho’s deputy. Jae Eunho gave the order in a small voice.

“Disguise yourself as Lim Geonhwi. You can do it, right?”

—What…?

“You’re the best at disguising among the Hwelju. The clothes Lieutenant General Lim Geonhwi wore today are in the news photos. Bring a Ji Hwelju 1st rank too, to unlock the door.”

Choi Jungkyung, who immediately understood Eunho’s thoughts, answered quickly.

—Got it.

“I need Jaewoong too. Tell him to come, I’ll explain.”

—Got it. Get ready and wait.

Deputy Chief Choi Jungkyung and Oh Jigeun left the reception office. After one failed kidnapping attempt, the unidentified assailants had committed a daring act of terrorism. It was a trap to lure him out. The calculation was that if they attempted a train terror attack, Jae Eunho would make a move. Of course, he had no intention of showing up there and becoming bait himself.

He planned to command the operation remotely without going to the train or a nearby station himself. If he wasn’t going to be on site anyway, he could have given orders from inside the reception office, but Jae Eunho absolutely had to get out of here. Because he had to meet Shi Taehyun, even if it was late.

There were 20 minutes left until the train collision. He had to resolve the matter with countless lives at stake first, and then immediately meet Shi Taehyun to explain the situation. Jae Eunho was anxious that his future with Hwonwoo, which had seemed to be within his grasp, to have become a reality, would shatter like a soap bubble. With a terrorist attack on top of everything, it was hard to calm his ragged breath.

Both sides were in a hurry. Every minute, every second was precious. After finishing his preparations to leave in the bursting tension, the footsteps of three men finally echoed from outside. Jae Eunho folded the bedding and pushed it under the bed. Choi Jungkyung, disguised as Lim Geonhwi, perfectly mimicked Lim Geonhwi’s voice and tone.

“At ease.”

The soldiers guarding the front stood back. Then, in front of the lock, a short, fatal tension flowed. The Ji Hwelju’s ability was dimensional manipulation. It was a process of tricking the lock’s system by virtually inputting countless possibilities with precise manipulation to unlock it, but if it took too long, they could be discovered.

“……”

Even Eunho, who never lost his composure, bit his thumb to overcome his anxiety. 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 12 seconds….

Click, the lock opened. He secretly let out a sigh and turned around. Choi Jungkyung disguised as Lim Geonhwi, a Ji Hwelju 1st rank, and Hyeon Jaewoong appeared. Hyeon Jaewoong had his head turned away awkwardly. Eunho grabbed Hyeon Jaewoong’s elbow and explained.

“This mission is too dangerous. It’s different from the missions so far. There are guys aiming for my body and spirit who are trying to turn our country into a wasteland. You can’t be dispatched without Yeonri. I can’t release my ability control right now, so I can’t stop you from going berserk.”

“……Yes.”

“There’s something you need to do. Disguise yourself as me and guard this place now. I’ll wear your clothes and leave.”

Eunho spoke as if to persuade Hyeon Jaewoong, who was pursing his lips and hesitating to answer.

“I’ll apologize after we catch the terrorists.”

“……No, Captain. You don’t have to apologize. There’s nothing to apologize for. That’s fine, but….”

“Then?”

“Take me on a date.”

Choi Jungkyung, who had become Lim Geonhwi, was staring at the guy with an expression of amazement.