Chapter 277

Michael Marsh => Michael Marsh (Male, Athlete), SSS Agent => SSS Agent (Not specified), Dugu Elil => Dugu Elil (Male), Son Jin-hyeok => Son Jin-hyeok (Male, CEO, Lives in a House), Hong Soo-jung => Hong Soo-jung (Female, Not specified, Lives in a House), Yoo Se-ra => Yoo Se-ra (Female), Yang Gang-wook => Yang Gang-wook (Male, Martial Artist, Lives in a House), Son Yoo-jin => Son Yoo-jin (Female Child, Lives in a House), Min Yong-rak => Min Yong-rak (Male), Jin Seon-kyu => Jin Seon-kyu (Male, Athlete), Hong Soo-hyuk => Hong Soo-hyuk (Male Child), Kim Hyeong-tak => Kim Hyeong-tak (Male, Coach), Yoo Jin => Yoo Jin (Female Child, Lives in a House), Jin Hyuk => Jin Hyuk (Male, Not specified, Lives in a House)

—

Meh-.

Facing the hollow eyes in the mirror, sticking out my tongue playfully.

Swoop-.

Son Yoo-jin, who had been teasingly flicking her tongue, retracted her provocative gesture.

“Can’t you talk?”

【······.】

The shadow, almost falling for Son Yoo-jin’s trick, tightly closed its mouth.

How did it get caught? Even after thinking about it, there was no memory of making a mistake.

Erasing the child’s memory and running away would be easy, but the child wouldn’t want that.

“You’re the uncle who used to play with me every night when I was a baby, right?”

Knowing how much this child cherished the faint memories with him, he didn’t even consider such a cold-hearted plan.

This child probably recognized the shadow through the faint energy left in her body.

There was no particular threat to the child, and with a strong human like a bear staying by her side, he just hoped that over time, she wouldn’t sense the shadow’s presence.

“No way-. I really need to quit hamburgers.”

【······.】

The shadow barely held back the urge to cling and beg her not to.

It’s not the clingy type.

And there’s more to enjoy in the world than just hamburgers.

Just going to the park near the stadium, you can smell delicious food everywhere.

It’s not just about food.

In the park, there’s lively music, and in the stadium, grand music plays. Every time Son Yoo-jin bounces to the beat, the shadow almost feels like it’s become human.

‘Sorry, kid. For your sake, I can’t reveal myself.’

All he could do was silently apologize through a mental suggestion.

***

After breakfast, Son Yoo-jin and Yoo Se-ra’s group headed to the stadium.

Her brother had come in first in the first race yesterday and second in the second race. Today, he’s in the semifinals. Sports are harder than math. There’s a lot of English and numbers.

Centennial Olympic Park outside the stadium.

From the morning, the vast plaza commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Olympics was bustling with people.

Yoo Se-ra checked her watch and called Yang Gang-wook.

“It’s still a while before it starts. I’ll be in a meeting for about an hour, so Team Leader Yang, please take care of the kids.”

“Mom, can’t I come with you?”

“You have to behave. Don’t throw a tantrum like last time, demanding more money for your brother’s bail.”

“Okay-.”

Hong Soo-jung, who had demanded $50 million instead of $20 million during a meeting with a sports brand. Whether it’s a business instinct or a con artist instinct, it’s clear she’s not an easy child. That’s why Yoo Se-ra didn’t stop her daughter from observing. It’s a kind of early education.

“Assistant Min, let’s go together.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Min Yong-rak, who was finally participating in business work instead of babysitting, gladly followed. Carrying Hong Soo-hyuk’s diaper bag.

Yoo Se-ra, Hong Soo-jung, and Min Yong-rak headed to the stadium. Foundation and federation staff followed, with Liam Miller and SSS agents backing them up.

Now, Son Yoo-jin, Yang Gang-wook, and three American SSS agents remained in Centennial Park.

“There’s about two hours until it starts. Yoo-jin, do you want to eat that?”

“Yes! Hot dogs are delicious-.”

Centennial Park is full of people and food.

Even though it hadn’t been an hour since breakfast, Son Yoo-jin could eat again. Delicious things are just irresistible.

Yeah, hamburgers are good, but hot dogs are great too.

I heard Son Yoo-jin’s inner thoughts. Glad you like it.

“Wouldn’t it be nice with cola too? Hehe-.”

“Of course.”

Yang Gang-wook even bought her cola, promising to keep it a secret from her mom.

With three kids, he’s a bear who understands children well.

“Wow-.”

As Son Yoo-jin watched the hot dog being made, the American sister at the food truck smiled warmly.

Swoosh, sizzle-.

Splitting the long bun, placing a long, reddish sausage on top.

And then adding this and that······.

‘It looks really delicious. Right?’

【······.】

‘Huh? Right? Uncle Dugu Elil?’

Yes.

He couldn’t ask how this child knew of his existence, and it was giving him a headache trying to figure it out, but for now, he had to do his best to pretend not to know.

Did she notice during the roller coaster ride?

“Aren’t you eating, Team Leader Bear?”

“Coffee is enough for me.”

“Coffee is bitter, hehe-.”

American coffee tasted different from the mix coffee she secretly drank at home.

Hot dogs here are different from those in Korea too.

In Korea, hot dogs are made by skewering sausages with wooden sticks, coating them in flour, and making them chubby. Here, they split the bun and stuff it with a huge sausage, and then, and then-.

“Add lots of pickles. And plenty of sauce.”

Ah, right. Pickles.

Watching Team Leader Bear order reminded her.

She took the hot dog Yang Gang-wook handed her.

‘Mmm-, smells delicious.’

Chomp-.

Just as she was about to take a big bite.

Son Yoo-jin didn’t intend to.

She didn’t mean to turn her head. With food right in front of her, she should focus on it, but her head turned on its own toward the center of the park.

Swoosh-.

“Yoo-jin, what are you doing?”

Yang Gang-wook asked, but Son Yoo-jin’s strange behavior continued.

Her eyes were out of control too.

Son Yoo-jin’s eyes, usually sparkling like stars, were now eerie.

‘Why is she like this? Her eyes are scary.’

Seeing the child acting strange, Yang Gang-wook crouched down and looked into her eyes.

As if asking if she was hurt.

The bustling crowd, moving chaotically.

Among them, Son Yoo-jin stood alone, acting bizarrely.

Following her gaze, Yang Gang-wook’s eyes landed on an object by the fountain in the center of the park. A large black Boston bag.

Swoosh-.

Son Yoo-jin’s eyes, fixed on the bag, moved to meet Yang Gang-wook’s.

Creep-.

A chilling aura emanated from Son Yoo-jin’s eyes, enough to make an ordinary person faint. Yang Gang-wook’s spine tingled, and his hair stood on end.

“Why······, are you doing this?”

As Yang Gang-wook barely managed to ask, Son Yoo-jin’s lips moved mechanically, and a voice flowed out.

“Traz Ardofje ta Lemok Nevma.”

It was a language incomprehensible to the ears.

Yet, somehow, Yang Gang-wook understood it.

【A bomb is about to explode.】

Instead of avoiding Son Yoo-jin’s gaze, Yang Gang-wook stared back and asked.

“How much time do we have?”

Beyond Son Yoo-jin’s retina, toward the being who effortlessly infiltrated consciousness, as if humans were insignificant.

***

“One hour and thirty minutes left.”

Jin Seon-kyu, who had been lightly jogging around the track, approached.

“How’s your condition?”

“Hmm! Feeling light. Excited and in a great mood.”

“Do it without pressure, no regrets.”

“Brat. Giving me the kind of encouragement old people give.”

Jin Seon-kyu scolded but didn’t seem displeased, grinning.

It wasn’t wrong. In the professional world, the more skilled you are, the more of an adult you are.

Jin Seon-kyu already acknowledged Jin Hyuk.

‘You’re the best.’

He had promised to answer any tricky questions from someone who set a better record in the quarterfinals.

Last night before bed, Jin Hyuk had advised Jin Seon-kyu instead of using his question privilege.

– “From what I saw running behind, Marsh’s condition doesn’t seem great. But he’s got his rhythm, so he’ll barely make it to the finals. Just focus on catching Marsh.”

Remembering that, Jin Seon-kyu looked at Michael Marsh warming up in the distance.

‘I can see it too.’

Some people with keen insight, like Coach Kim Hyeong-tak, excel at understanding and guiding opponents. But those stuck at a growth barrier often lack the ability to assess opponents.

Having broken through a four-year barrier, Jin Seon-kyu could now see world-class athletes as potential rivals.

‘Marsh looks energetic, but his complexion isn’t great. Is there a problem with his breathing?’

Maybe it’s just a mild cold, he guessed. Athletes, who must be cautious even with medication, often endure colds. If a blood test after the race shows a drug reaction, years of effort for the Olympics could go down the drain.

Though they became friends during training, now they’re rivals. Exploit the enemy’s weakness.

“Thanks to the sauna, my body feels refreshed and great. Muscles are tight.”

“If you sign with Sein, you can use the training center in Yeouido.”

Jin Hyuk didn’t miss the opportunity to bait.

It’s natural for agencies to grow with more talented athletes. Especially those with Olympic experience.

“Yeouido?”

What training center is in Yeouido?

Jin Seon-kyu’s eyes widened, showing excitement.

“You know the construction materials company that moved? Sein built their headquarters there.”

“Yeah. I know. That mirror building, right? Can’t see anything from the outside······.”

Jin Seon-kyu recalled the building’s exterior recently featured in the news, squinting.

“The site is spacious.”

“Isn’t the area next to the building a park?”

“There’s a training center under the park.”

Gulp-. Jin Seon-kyu couldn’t continue, his lips moving like a goldfish.

“The underground training center isn’t very high, maybe fifteen meters······.”

Jin Hyuk gestured, measuring the height as if checking someone taller.

“It’s a dome, sturdy, and you can train in any weather. On a standard track.”

“Shouldn’t a place like that have a bomb shelter?”

“It was built to serve as a bomb shelter in emergencies. Normally, it’s Sein Foundation’s training center. There are a lot of pillars because of the bomb shelter function-.”

“Have you been there?”

“Yes. Once.”

Jin Seon-kyu asked again with a dumbfounded expression.

“But why on earth did they build something like that?”

“For the future.”

The future.

Such a broad term left Jin Seon-kyu bewildered.

An underground standard track, even if it’s a bomb shelter.

Chairman Yoo Se-ra’s ambition, and Sein as a company. It’s beyond what a mere track athlete can comprehend.

“Everyone’s out of their minds······.”

***

Yang Gang-wook was already out of his mind.

When he arrived in the U.S. for training, Son Jin-hyeok had firmly advised him after separating from his younger brother.

– “If Yoo-jin does something strange alone, don’t be scared. Kids are unpredictable, you know.”

He thought it was just to comfort Yang Gang-wook, who had to look after his younger brother all the way in the U.S.

‘Seems like it wasn’t just that.’

A monstrous guy with a bizarre younger brother.

To briefly describe Son Jin-hyeok and Son Yoo-jin in Yang Gang-wook’s eyes, it’d be something like this.

Even in this surreal situation where some transcendent being was trying to control him, Yang Gang-wook held onto his rationality.

The human will to not let his thoughts and actions be controlled.

Anyway, the moment he met Son Yoo-jin’s eerie eyes, Jin-hyeok’s words came to mind. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

“What should I do?”

【Save the child.】

It was speaking to Yang Gang-wook.

Words imbued with an undeniable force commanded Yang Gang-wook’s mind.

【Protect the child. There’s not much time.】

Reality has more mysterious and incomprehensible events than novels or movies.

Especially soldiers in special forces experience such things more often than civilians. Like seeing humanoid objects flying in the forest or finding bones while digging, only for them to disappear when reporting.

Of course, that doesn’t mean this situation is understandable.

With a clear voice in his head and the urgency of a bomb, there was no time to doubt or analyze logically.

‘This must be what it feels like to receive a divine revelation.’

Nodding, Yang Gang-wook reached out to hold Son Yoo-jin and evacuate.

That’s when it happened.

Son Yoo-jin’s pupils, which had constricted, dilated again, and her eyes returned to normal as she muttered something.

“Nooo-. There are too many people.”

“There’s no time to explain. More people mean more chaos.”

“People aren’t bugs.”

Bugs?

Ah, though her focus returned, Son Yoo-jin wasn’t looking at Yang Gang-wook. Her eyes just wandered aimlessly.

Only then did Yang Gang-wook realize Son Yoo-jin wasn’t talking to him.

*

【Impressive.】

Both Son Yoo-jin, who broke through barriers to talk to me, and Yang Gang-wook, who resisted control, are humans beyond expectations.

Even as a part of a consciousness with little presence, I didn’t expect them to escape the shadow’s suggestion so easily.

“You have to give them a chance to escape-.”

The attempt to take over Son Yoo-jin’s body and make her escape alone was also futile.

Then there’s no choice but to step forward and persuade. The shadow had no choice but to reveal its voice to Son Yoo-jin.

【Your safety is important. There’s no need to worry about insignificant humans.】

“Each person is an individual. My brother said we shouldn’t see lives as just numbers.”

Both brother and sister are stubborn as hell.

The shadow sighed internally and spoke persuasively.

【There’s no time for everyone to escape. They won’t believe you.】

“It’s sad if they suffer without knowing why.”

【You sound just like your brother.】

“I’m my brother’s sister, after all-.”

Sigh-. So stubborn.

The shadow rubbed its nonexistent forehead. Son Yoo-jin rubbed her forehead too.

While Son Yoo-jin fretted like someone in conflict, Yang Gang-wook immediately assessed the situation.

The being talking in his head isn’t the top priority. It’s unexplainable.

What it is doesn’t matter.

It’s about belief.

‘Whoever planted the bomb is a later issue.’

Confirm the dangerous object, then evacuate civilians.

If we alert them about the bomb and evacuate quickly······.

‘Wait, what if the bomber is watching?’

In a place full of people, each with their own voices and time.

A space where freedom becomes poison. Regardless of the type of explosive, if it’s triggered the moment evacuation starts, it’s trouble.

He made eye contact with the American SSS agents.

“You’ll see a black bag by the fountain. Don’t turn your head. Look around subtly to see if anyone’s watching it. One of you stay with me.”

Two American agents nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

‘We need to prepare for the worst.’

Now it’s time to request cooperation from the authorities.

No matter how capable Yang Gang-wook is, he can’t defuse or throw a bomb into the sky.

He called Liam Miller.

– Go ahead.

“It’s an emergency. Call the police. There’s a bomb in the plaza.”

Night. Bomb.

– What’s in the plaza? It’s too noisy here, I can’t hear you. Ah, please don’t misunderstand. It’s the stadium, but it’s noisy around me······.

Yang Gang-wook covered one ear and clearly recited the phonetic code.

“Bravo. Oscar. Mike. Bravo.”

B.O.M.B.

He could almost hear Liam Miller’s breath hitch.

– ······Are you joking?

Yang Gang-wook closed his eyes and growled softly but clearly.

“Do I look like I have time to joke with you?”

– I don’t understand Korean.

I don’t know how to say this in English, man!

“Call the police or whatever.”

A bomb in the plaza. That explanation alone should prompt the necessary actions.

After hanging up, he took a gun from the agent’s holster and tucked it into his waistband.

Evacuating people is hard, but making them run is possible.

‘Damn it. Never thought I’d end up shooting in the U.S.’

As he headed toward the bag, Yang Gang-wook felt one hand empty and looked around.

The calmness that had held firm through strange phenomena crumbled.

“Yoo-jin?”

Where did she go?

His eyes, having lost what shouldn’t be lost, shook in panic.

Like when he was seven and got lost looking for his mom working at a restaurant.