Exception

XIII. Change of Plans

Jaeyoon stopped breathing for a moment. Without warning, Inseong let go of his wrist, causing him to fall back onto his own chair. Just like that, they sat next to each other in deafening silence for a few moments, looking away from each other, until Inseong caught something moving in the corner of his eye.

His head shot up, and through the windshield he saw two men loitering in front of the apartment complex, while a third was heading their direction. Using his binoculars he prepared beforehand, he confirmed his suspicion: the man walking was indeed Daehyun.

Jaeyoon followed his gaze, and recognition filled him with shock. "That's him!" He frantically tapped Inseong's shoulder to get his attention, already forgetting the awkward interaction two minutes ago. "That one—the one wearing that black hoodie!"

Inseong zoomed in with his binoculars even though he had no idea what his flat mate was blabbering about.

"That's him," Jayeoon repeated. "The Storm Intruder!"

Inseong put his binoculars down and gave him a look of incredulity. "Really? W- wait. Then... Daehyun's meeting up with him, so—"

Jaeyoon nodded reluctantly, feeling just as dubious. "Do you think... could Daehyun be an accomplice?"

"We can't jump to conclusions yet." Inseong carefully wrapped up his half-eaten kimbap with a paper towel and placed it back into the lunchbox. When he looked up, the trio was already heading into the lobby.

Pushing the car door open, he said, "It's time to use your powers, Jaeyoon."

Jaeyoon, slightly confused, just sat in the car for a while. When he finally came to his senses, he scrambled out and followed Inseong across the street to where Daehyun and his two friends were standing a few minutes ago. Inseong gave him a questioning look and he nodded, confident. "I'll use my powers and find out whether they said anything important."

Without more to say, he closed his eyes, and, just like a week ago in Inseong's office, his eyes turned electric blue when he reopened them again. Inseong started pacing back and forth, impatient and slightly anxious.

About five minutes later, Jaeyoon returned to the present and leaned against the wall to regain his balance, feeling the side-effects kicking in. Inseong hurried over to hold him upright. "Are you okay?"

Jaeyoon shook his head. "Just dizzy. Having to watch twenty minutes of content in fast-forward isn't that easy, you know."

"Then... did you manage to learn anything?"

"'Shinhan Bank.'" Jaeyoon shut his eyes, trying to remember. "Daehyun complained, asking why couldn't they just meet up in Shinhan Bank."

"That must be it, their next target." Inseong started reaching for his phone, ready to call for reinforcements, but paused midway, hesitant. "But... there's at least ten branches around Seoul. Which one could they be going for?"

Jaeyoon dropped his gaze. "Sorry, I don't think they mentioned it."

"It's not your fault; you already tried your best." Inseong gave him a warm smile. "The most I can afford right now is to send a few teams to keep an eye on three of the nearest banks from here. I'll stay here, keep watching them, and hopefully I'll be able to follow them to wherever they plan to rob next."

"But they might leave from the backdoor," Jaeyoon pointed out.

"Don't worry, I already asked the security guard to help." Inseong glanced through the glass doors into the lobby. "He'll be watching the CCTV. Meanwhile, maybe you should go home. I don't want to put you in—"