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.)

...?

Hana tries not to keep her empathy online all the time while she's working, but she was in the middle of squishing this rescued victim's panic and fear, and can't help but feel the flare of - something - that comes from the portal.

She doesn't go outside to look. She doesn't say anything. If she's needed, someone will come get her. (It's the procedure.)

She's most certainly not needed, not once he's recovered enough breath to get a commscreen and teleport home.

The crashing noise of Jaeha teleporting and failing to hold his weight up makes Insoo jump to his feet and, once he sees the source of the commotion, run to him to try to help him to his feet. "Hyung? Hyung, what happened, I thought—"

"Don't touch me," Jaeha spits, slapping Insoo's hand away.

"—hyung, what the fuck—"

"Shut up. Just—shut up, Insoo, before I lose my patience."

"Right, unlike whatever you're doing right now."

"...sorry. I—"

"Oh, fuck your sorries, what's the excuse this time?"