Like the last time something insane happened, nothing equally insane follows in its immediate aftermath. If there's a shoe waiting to drop, it's taking its sweet time; Kang Jaeha isn't sweeping in with a next strike, no one else is claiming credit for the hit either, and no other espers are targeted. Tae-gun and Hye-jin do have more emergencies and more S-ranks to deal with, because of course they do, it's still a confluence, but nothing out of the ordinary-for-a-confluence happens.

Various security measures are implemented, though. Si-yeon becomes very tight-lipped about whether "his psyops guys" have anything to do with it, but in East and Southeast Asia the media is surprisingly cooperative about limiting its reporting in some ways (they'll still do live reporting of a dungeon's appearance and kidnappings and monsters but not mention nor show any specific espers until afterwards) and the EU does very quickly write up a bill requiring that support teams setting up all dungeons on its soil have to follow this-and-that regulation and other non-EU countries have to follow similar restrictions if they want EU espers to show up at all. The US is, obviously, the most reluctant to do anything that could interfere with "freedom", but not so reluctant that they're willing to stand their ground during a confluence.

"So, what's your plan for after you drop the hitman at his feet like some kind of demented cat?"

He's not going to engage. There's just no point in engaging.

"Aww, c'mon, you must have such a good plan, though! You're Kang Jaeha, master puppeteer and three steps ahead of everyone else, especially me! So tell me. What's your brilliant plant to get Tae-gun-ah back?"

"Don't call him that. You don't get to call him that."

"Yes I do. I called him that on international television. Or are we adding even more self delusion to this meal?"

"Fuck you."

"No thank you, I have plenty of help with that already!" she says cheerfully, half skipping, half-twirling ahead of him. "Or do I need to remind you of the classics...?"

Up ahead, there's a familiar portal.

And two extremely naked people step out of it.

Smiiiiling.

It's times like this that he wishes his power were physical.

"You're a pathetic, contemptible little worm," he says, resolutely not looking at Tae-gun's smile. Tae-gun's smile, which should be his.

"And yet! I am the one who goes home to him every night, and you don't have any kind of plan for getting him back."

"The plan hasn't changed, you bitch. You entering the picture fucks with my timeline but doesn't change it."

"Another helping of self delusion, coming right up! I'm sure you were expecting Tae-gun-ah to suspect you of that thing that you definitely did. All part of the master plan, right? Lose all of his trust in you forevermore?"

He stumbles and glares at her. "Just how—" What is he even asking, there isn't a way for him to get an answer even in principle, here.

Back to not engaging.

"That would be telling!" she giggles.

She twirls in front of him and places an arm dramatically over her forehead. "But you lost the minute I stumbled out of that portal, falling into Tae-gun-ah's waiting arms, crying about how I'd been shot."

"Why would he believe I did it? Why?"

"Oh, oh, I know this one! Pick me, pick me!" says another Hye-jin, from behind him, hand raised to be called on.

"Because you did," whispers another, into his ear.

He's going to kill her. He's going to kill her. He's going to kill her. He's going to kill her.

He needs her to be dead.

"You had your shooooot~" singsongs the Hye-jin in front of him, while the others laugh. "And yet here I am. What are you going to do, try again? I'm sure that'll work. He'll definitely buy that. 'Shot sixteen times in the head, most obvious case of natural causes the world's ever seen.'"

Tae-gun wraps his arms around Jaeha from behind—not that Jaeha can see, but even after all these years there's no way Jaeha would have forgotten how it felt—licks Jaeha's earlobe, then whispers: "She's right."

His composure breaks, and he takes off towards the exit. The other esper and the victim they've been carrying can figure it out themselves, it's not his problem anymore, he needs to get out out out right the fuck now—

"Toodles~! See you next time, and remember! I'll be waiting for your answer!" calls the visage of Nightmare behind him, laughing.

But then he's on the other side of the portal, and the woman is gone.

He falls to his hands and knees, heaving in gasping, ragged breaths, trying and failing to will his heart to calm down and the ringing in his ears to subside. He's fit but he didn't even manage to maintain a good running form, his body was half numb and all he could think about was being anywhere but there—

(If there is one good thing about the stupid security measures they implemented it's that there aren't any civilians recording his indignity.)