Uichan lifted his head to look at the man. The bridge of Blacktan’s nose was drawn tight, his golden eyes narrowed in fierce anger. There was fury and killing intent in those eyes—emotions he had never shown before, normally so calm and restrained.Then the beast savagely tearing apart the goblin inside the paper screen could only be Nell. But that meant the paper screen itself was Hyde’s stage ability.“Uichan.”“Yes…?”He called his name but gave no answer. Instead, he bit off his gloves and tossed them into a trash bin, then slowly brushed his large hand down Uichan’s back—shoulders, arms, waist, legs—methodically checking him. The hand returned to Uichan’s face.When their eyes met, Uichan caught something strange in Blacktan’s gaze—something he had never thought possible to see in him.It looked like fear.Uichan hesitated, unable to find his words. Then Blacktan murmured quietly,“We’ll confirm the rest afterward. Don’t move from here.”Behind him, a lithe figure clad in black landed soundlessly—Hyde. Standing atop the paper screen, he looked down at the two of them with a faint, hollow laugh.Blacktan had clearly sensed him. When Uichan instinctively gripped his uniform, Blacktan encircled his neck gently, drawing him closer as if to steady him.“Nell.”At the sound of his command, the beast that had been mauling the goblin inside the screen snapped its head around. The paper panel burst apart, and the black panther leapt out. Its mouth dripped blue blood.“Protect Uichan.”Growl—Nell licked the blood from his muzzle and quickly bounded over. Pressing his head into Uichan’s chest, he curled his body around him protectively. Blacktan pulled on a fresh pair of gloves and rose without hesitation.He was clearly treating Hyde as an enemy.“What are you doing, Blacktan? That man’s not—he’s not like that. He’s—”My brother. But before Uichan could finish, the two had already clashed.Bang—!The world around them warped from moment to moment. The filthy alley covered in flyers vanished—replaced first by a forest clearing, then an old dim chamber, then an endless maze of city backstreets.“Do you need the goblin for something? If you’d just step aside, I’d appreciate it. My brothers and I have to investigate.”“I can’t hand over a criminal to a villain. The creature will be taken to Litan and interrogated today. If you don’t want to be escorted there too, step back.”“Both sides need him, huh? If neither of us will yield, there’s usually only one way to settle that. The one who wins takes him. Right?”“How refreshingly straightforward.”People said Blacktan was a hero who used firearms, but his true ability was creation—though supposedly limited to what his own shadow could produce. Some even whispered that the black panther he kept was one of his shadow-made creatures.Maybe they weren’t wrong. Shadows around his feet were now shaping into countless weapons, firing toward Hyde in volleys. Yet every time the scenery shifted, every attack was rendered useless.Uichan watched with his heart pounding. Nell, still wrapped around him, remained composed. If those two truly fought in earnest, this whole district would be gone in seconds. That could not happen.He tried to stand. Nell clamped his teeth into Uichan’s coat to stop him, but he couldn’t just stay put. To fight Hyde, even for someone like Blacktan, was like facing a mountain itself.He didn’t know Blacktan’s full strength, but even so, he knew that if they kept going, one of them would end up gravely wounded.“Both of you, stop!”His shout didn’t reach them. He shoved Nell aside and ran forward. Some attack—he couldn’t even tell whose—whipped past him like a boomerang. Both men were aiming to kill.If other heroes show up, this will explode into something uncontrollable.Even if it didn’t, he didn’t want to see either Hyde or Blacktan hurt.Grinding his teeth, Uichan charged between them. When their latest collision threw them both back, he snatched the goblin’s stolen ability from where its body lay by the torn screen. His muscles tightened under a sudden surge of power—an enhancement type, maybe not even an ability, but an innate property of the goblin itself.It didn’t matter. Uichan plunged between them, clenched his fist, and slammed it down into the ground.KWAANG—!The earth split open, shards exploding upward. Hyde flicked his fingers together, index and middle raised, but before the protective wall could rise, Blacktan burst through the dust and wrapped his arms around Uichan, dragging him into his chest.He pinned Uichan against the wall to shield him from the flying debris. Wind roared, then slowly died down, and a haze of dust floated quietly through the air.“Cough… cough…”Blacktan covered Uichan’s mouth and nose with his gloved hand, shielding him from the dust. When the haze cleared, Uichan saw Hyde standing alone in the distance.The man who always smiled softly now had no expression. His eyes were cold, empty, lifeless. That blank face sent a shiver down Uichan’s spine.Just as Uichan brushed away Blacktan’s hand and exhaled, Hyde’s lips curved faintly.“…Alright. I’ll retreat for today. I need to discuss the goblin’s disposition with my brothers. Shame—it was quite an entertaining time.”“Hy—Hyde…”Before Uichan could call him again, flames burst where the goblin had been. Blacktan pulled him close once more. His broad shoulders blocked Uichan’s view; he could see only the wild fire soaring high into the sky.“See you next time.”The heat seared like it would melt his eyes. Uichan squeezed them shut. When at last the world grew quiet again, he slowly opened them. The stench of the filthy alley had returned.The dust, the fire, even the smoke were gone. The alley was eerily silent, unchanged—as if nothing had ever happened. Not even a trace of the goblin remained. No heroes arriving, no witnesses—nothing.But just before the flames vanished, he had heard Hyde’s voice brush his ear.“This time I should praise Mother Ship. Thanks to her, Uichan was saved—”Then, soft and lazy, almost brushing against his ear,But Uichan… hyung’s going to be busy for a while.The languid whisper licked across his hearing, making him shut his eyes tight. When he opened them again, Hyde was gone. Only the memory of that unreadable face remained—those eyes filled with a strange, frightening resolve that made his chest tighten.Left alone in the dank alley with Blacktan, Uichan finally pushed the man’s arm away and tried to slip past him. After having his identity nearly exposed on the park bench earlier, he still didn’t know how to face Blacktan now.And to run into him again before he’d sorted out his feelings left him flustered and uneasy.“Thank you… for saving me. But I’m not really in the right state of mind right now. Let’s talk about this later.”Blacktan looked just as taken aback by Uichan’s abrupt retreat. He blocked his path with one arm, pressing his palm against the wall to stop him. Uichan flinched hard, then turned to leave the other way—but Nell was already there, blocking the exit with a heavy body.Uichan pushed at the panther’s head. The beast whined but didn’t move an inch. It was bigger than he was, after all.Growl—growl.It wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he shoved. Then another arm reached out, bracing against the wall. ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Uichan found himself completely caged between Blacktan’s arms. Finally, he looked up at him. His black eyes were full of wariness and mistrust.Yeo Taehwon’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t wanted this. Not like this.“Why are you avoiding me?”Blacktan asked, his voice kept carefully even, but to Uichan it sounded like a tiger baring its fangs.“Have I done anything that could harm you?”Uichan couldn’t answer. Maybe not now—but someday, perhaps.“Or is it because I threatened your brother?”Even Blacktan himself seemed surprised by the tremor in his voice. Uichan slowly shook his head.“That’s not the reason.”“Then what is?”Uichan said nothing. The longer the silence stretched, the more cracks appeared in Blacktan’s composed eyes. He had never tried to understand the fear or hatred others might hold toward him—but when it was Uichan, that was different.“…You’re going to take me to Litan anyway, aren’t you?”

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