THE OATH

"SO, THIS is why you can't show your face to Noh Yuno," Ki Gayoon said while standing in front of Moon Noa's hospital bed while lighting his cigarette. "I was wondering why you haven't checked the contract yet, and this is where I find you?"

"Esper Ki Gayoon, you can't smoke here~"

By "here," Moon Noa meant the VIP Room of the hospital where he was currently confined in secret.

I have my ways, so I found him.

Gayoon had to look for Moon Noa because it had been a week since he signed a contract with Noh Yuno, but it wouldn't take effect until it was notarized.

Moon Noa had to approve of the contract first.

Moreover, I haven't officially bought Noh Yuno's contract from this cold-hearted bastard yet.

"What happened to your face?" Gayoon asked because Moon Noa's entire face was covered in bandages. "Acid? Fire? Or did they cut the handsome face you're so proud of? Did you shave your hair?"

There was no news about Moon Noa's injuries.

So, Noh Yuno is blissfully unaware of why his boss can't show his face.

"My luscious hair is fine, thank you very much," Moon Noa said. Despite the severity of his injuries, his voice still sounded cheerful. And it didn't seem like he was faking it. "We haven't figured out yet what kind of substance they sprayed on my face. But the effect is similar to acid."

"You may not be an Esper, but you're an S-Class Guide. How could you lower your guard and let someone spray a harmful substance on your face?"

"…"

"Ah," Gayoon said when the realization hit him. "It was probably Ryu Sungbin."

"…"

"Are you stupid?" Gayoon asked, puffing smoke out of his mouth. "Ryu Sungbin is no longer the Ryu Sungbin you know."

"Don't worry about me, Esper Ki Gayoon~" Moon Noa said, still acting stupid. "My Alchemy Team is better than whoever made the acid-like substance. In fact, my face is almost healed. I'm putting this bandage just for show. So, in case they planted a spy here, they'd think my face is still fucked up."

Moon Noa's Alchemy Team was really the best if they could fix Moon Noa's face in just a week after the attack.

Even so, I still can't believe Ryu Sungbin could do that to Moon Noa.

"Are you not going to sue or expose Ryu Sungbin for attacking you?"

"I have no physical evidence that it was Binbin who attacked me."

"You're still protecting that brainwashed bastard?"

"Let's stop talking about me," Moon Noa said, changing the subject quickly. "Don't worry about the contract. I'll notarize it as soon as I get out of the hospital."

"How much do I have to pay for Noh Yuno's contract?"

"I don't need your money— but I need you to make an Oath."

An 'Oath' was a promise made between two Awakened People with their Cores— aka their source of power— at the line.

If you break the Oath, you're dead.

"What kind of Oath?"

"I want you to promise that you will protect Noh Yuno, Esper Ki Gayoon," Moon Noa said in a serious tone. "Noh Yuno is the only E-Class Guide alive. Officially, that is. So, the people who escaped from the Lab before might still be hunting him down. If they show up, please kill them right away."

"You have to tell me what happened to the E-Class Guides first."

"I promise I'll tell you once the right time comes."

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"The President who turned the First Generation of Espers and Guides into lab rats was my grandfather. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Gayoon said bluntly. "And I was the one who killed your grandfather to end his tyranny."

"I don't resent you for that, Esper Ki Gayoon. In fact, I would have killed my own grandfather if I had the power to do so back then," Moon Noa admitted. "My grandfather was the one who discovered the true value of the E-Class Guides. Everything he knew about them, I stole them from him."

Ah.

I think I already know what Moon Noa is trying to say.

"Then I erased the information from my mind and kept it safe somewhere," Moon Noa said. "I erased them from my mind because I was afraid Ryu Sungbin could tempt me from revealing everything I know about the E-Class Guides if ever someone ordered him to do so."

"I don't care about your sob story. When do you plan to tell me about the story behind the disappearance of E-Class Guides?"

"Once I'm certain you're stronger than Ryu Sungbin. You have to be stronger than him if you want to protect Noh Yuno."

Tsk.

Gayoon couldn't even get mad because he knew that Ryu Sungbin might have surpassed him already because he chose to expand his business rather than get stronger as an Esper.

"When do you think you'll be fully healed?"

"In three days. Why?"

"I'm going to enter a Special Grade dungeon and clear it on my own," Gayoon said bluntly. "If I succeed, will that be enough proof that I'm capable of protecting Noh Yuno?"

Moon Noa chuckled. "Let's talk again after you succeed, Yoonyoon."

"Don't call me that, you sly fox."

***

YUNO was about to take a bite of his almost expired onigiri when, suddenly the door of the HoneyMoon Convenience Store burst open even though he locked it.

It was already past 12PM, so he closed the store to have lunch.

But an uninvited guest arrived and ruined his appetite.

"Ahjuhyung, our contract hasn't been finalized yet," Yuno reminded Ki Gayoon who was approaching him with his hands in his pockets— walking like the gangster that he was. "So, why are you here?"

"I'm going to enter a Special Grade dungeon," Ki Gayoon said, stopping in front of Yuno— only the counter between them. "Give me a kiss."

***

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