The girl with pink curlers in her hair quickly turned her head and pulled the curler from her bangs.
After fixing her hair, Do Mingxi looked up expectantly at Axel as he approached.
At the same time, the chubby Ju Ci Yun also turned to look at him with a composed expression.
The moment she saw Axel, Ju Ci Yun was briefly stunned.
He was undeniably striking, the kind of man who seemed completely out of place in a quiet rural Korean county.
Even in a city like Metropolis, he would attract attention everywhere he went.
When had someone like this appeared here?
Could he be coming for her?
The thought crossed her mind, but her expression remained unchanged. A carefully measured hint of surprise and anticipation appeared on her face.
Ju Ci Yun was no ordinary person. Her intelligence far exceeded that of normal people. Learning a language after hearing it once was trivial to her, and acting was even easier.
She grabbed Do Mingxi's hand and leaned closer.
"This person is really unusual."
"Right? When I saw him, I thought I was imagining things. Even celebrities on TV don't look like that.
And the way he walks, it's just normal walking, but somehow it feels impressive.
Ah, ah, he's getting closer. Why does it feel like he's actually coming toward us?
Ci Yun, do you know him?
You didn't secretly meet some handsome guy and hide it from me, did you?"
Do Mingxi squeezed her friend's hand.
Ju Ci Yun could clearly feel her heartbeat racing.
But she genuinely didn't know Axel.
He definitely wasn't anyone she had seen in the laboratory where she spent her childhood.
So why had such an extraordinary person come here?
And why was he walking directly toward her?
More importantly, Ju Ci Yun was certain his eyes were fixed on her.
This wasn't imagination.
She noticed details that confirmed it.
He was definitely here for her.
Her lips pressed together slightly as she took a subtle breath.
She silently prepared herself.
Even prepared for violence if necessary.
Then Axel closed the remaining distance and stopped before the two girls.
Looking down at the pair of high school students, he grinned mischievously.
The instant he smiled at her, Do Mingxi's heart nearly skipped a beat.
"Oppa... are you waiting for the bus too?"
They were waiting for a regular bus, not a school bus.
To her, that seemed like a reasonable assumption.
Ju Ci Yun thought otherwise.
She had already noticed the expensive watch on Axel's wrist and the impossibly seamless clothing he wore.
A man dressed like that would never take a bus under normal circumstances.
Meanwhile, Axel carefully studied Ju Ci Yun.
That round face.
That deceptively foolish expression.
That delicate appearance.
It was exactly the witch from his memory.
After confirming her identity, Axel unconsciously licked his upper lip.
Then he suddenly reached out, grabbed Ju Ci Yun's cheeks, and shook her face from side to side.
"Hello, Kim Da-mi. You're thinner in person than on screen.
Then again, cameras always make people look a little heavier.
You're prettier than you appear on TV, though not quite as adorably clumsy."
"Aish!"
Do Mingxi finally reacted and immediately slapped at Axel's wrist.
"Oppa... no, uncle! How can you just grab a girl's face like that?
And why are you speaking English? I can't understand a word!
Do you already know our Ci Yun?"
Unable to pull Axel's hand away, she instead grabbed Ju Ci Yun and tried to pull her back.
"Ci Yun, your English grades are the best in school. Can you understand him?
My English is terrible. If I'd known a handsome foreign guy would show up beside me, I would've studied harder.
But how do you know someone like him? You barely go anywhere.
And you never told me! Were you worried I'd steal him from you?"
"Huh?"
Ju Ci Yun seemed to react a little late.
She stepped backward.
"Aiya!"
Because Axel still had hold of her cheek, the movement hurt.
When he finally let go, her cheek bounced back with a soft popping sound.
Fear immediately appeared in her eyes.
"I... I don't know him!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, tears began gathering in her eyes.
Do Mingxi froze for a moment before glaring at Axel.
"You scared our Ci Yun!
Who grabs a girl's face when they've never met her?
Can you even understand what I'm saying?
And you're not Japanese, are you? Baka!
Get lost!"
Even though Axel's appearance still made her heart race, she wasn't about to abandon her best friend.
Axel listened to the stream of Korean with mild annoyance.
He understood English perfectly, but he had never bothered learning Korean.
Even now, with his intelligence, learning it would be effortless.
He simply had no interest.
Ignoring Do Mingxi entirely, he looked at the crying Ju Ci Yun.
"Right, right. You're called Ju Ci Yun now.
I don't know any Korean, but you should understand English and Chinese.
Let's stick with English.
After all, English is the dominant language around here. Blame global politics for that."
As he spoke, Axel reached out as though to place an arm around her shoulder.
Seeing this, Do Mingxi immediately stepped between them.
"What is wrong with you?!
I don't know what you're saying, but stop it!
Do you think we're some kind of easy targets?
Touch her again and I'll call the police..."
Before she could finish, Axel casually pressed a hand onto her shoulder and turned her around.
At the same time, he lightly smacked her on the backside.
Do Mingxi instantly froze.
While she stood there stunned and blushing, Axel stepped toward Ju Ci Yun.
Looking directly into her eyes, he chuckled.
"I have no idea what that little girl is saying.
But she isn't important.
I got a late start today, and time matters.
Let's not waste it.
I know who you are, and honestly, I admire you.
Come with me.
This place is too small for you.
I'll take you somewhere more interesting."
Then he grabbed her wrist.
Ju Ci Yun's pupils contracted.
She had been paying complete attention.
Yet she hadn't seen him move at all.
Not even a trace.
Behind them, Do Mingxi turned around and shouted furiously.
"You... you hit my butt!
You bastard!
My dad is the chief of police!
Let go of Ci Yun right now or I'll call the police!
Take your hands off her!
And I don't understand what you're saying, but every sentence sounds suspicious. Get lost..."
Her words abruptly stopped.
Because she vanished.
Axel had finally grown tired of the nonstop chatter and simply teleported her home.
With his senses, locating Ju Ci Yun's family house was effortless.
Axel knew exactly what happened.
Ju Ci Yun did not.
From her perspective, her best friend had disappeared instantly in a burst of fire.
A moment later, the harmless and foolish look vanished from her face.
Cold eyes locked onto Axel.
Her fist shot toward his chin.
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed through the air.
The impact generated a visible shockwave.
Axel remained completely unharmed.
In fact, he found it amusing.
Ju Ci Yun felt no pain.
Pain tolerance was second nature to her.
Seeing that her attack accomplished nothing, she wasn't surprised.
She knew she was powerful.
She had always been the strongest among the children from the laboratory.
But she never believed she was the strongest person in the world.
Besides, she wasn't using her full strength.
Her body could barely handle it.
If she pushed herself too far, severe internal bleeding would quickly follow.
After reassessing the situation, she spoke in fluent English.
"Mingxi was an ordinary person. What you did was cruel."
"Cruel?"
Axel blinked before shaking his head.
"You think I killed her?
Come on.
She's annoying, sure, but annoying isn't a death sentence.
I just sent her home."
Axel's worldview had always been straightforward.
Some people occupied a special place in his eyes.
Like beloved pets.
If a cat scratched him, he wouldn't care.
Do Mingxi fell into that category.
Loud, annoying, but harmless.
Others had no such protection.
Those people simply didn't matter.
And if they happened to provoke him, the outcome could be very different.
Looking at Ju Ci Yun, Axel shook his head again.
"I didn't kill that girl.
I teleported her back to your house."
By now, nearby pedestrians had noticed the commotion.
Several people had even screamed after witnessing Do Mingxi disappear.
As the street grew increasingly chaotic, Axel glanced around.
"Whatever.
Let's go verify it ourselves.
Once you've confirmed she's fine, stop wasting time.
You can come along and see the world.
Actually, I know someone who'd find you fascinating.
Lex Luthor has spent years pursuing human evolution.
You're a remarkable example of what humanity can become.
Besides, I should probably acquire some gold while I'm here.
Gold stays valuable in every world.
Anyway, let's move.
The crowd is about to become a problem."
With that, Axel grabbed Ju Ci Yun's hand.
Flames erupted around them.
They vanished.
An instant later, Ju Ci Yun's vision cleared.
The noisy street was gone.
She stood inside her own home.
Her eyes widened.
One moment she had been outside.
The next, she was here.
A chill ran through her.
Had the organization that created her developed an entirely new generation of superhumans?
Unlike the psychic abilities possessed by her and the other children, did these newer subjects possess teleportation as well?