“That thing…”
“Krkk.”
At a glance, it almost resembled a monkey. But its claws were far too long, and its fur was… wrong.
On top of that, the creature snarling at Yu-won had fangs that stretched all the way down to its neck.
They say Gates are swarming with all sorts of monsters, but no one can take photos inside, so we only have reconstructions based on Esper testimonies…
Ugh, it looks disgusting.
Casual conversations he’d once heard from his friends flickered through Yu-won’s mind. But there was no time to dwell on that—he turned and bolted.
Why the hell is a monster outside the Gate?! Weren’t the Espers supposed to take care of everything before it closes?
“Rrraaaah!”
He could feel it—something was chasing him.
The monster wasn’t even tall enough to reach his calves, so he figured he could outrun it.
But not even halfway down the stairs, Yu-won’s foot caught, and he stumbled hard.
“Ugh…”
With legs trembling from fear, he couldn’t even manage to get down a single flight of stairs.
If he’d known this would happen, he never would’ve done something as stupid as sneaking into school.
Cursing his own impulsiveness, Yu-won tried to push himself up—but the monster was faster.
“Ah!”
Before he knew it, the creature had scrambled up onto his legs and slashed his side.
It wasn’t deep—just enough to cut through the skin—but the sheer terror of what it might do next had Yu-won paralyzed on the spot.
“Krk, krk.”
The way it laughed—taunted him—like it was enjoying toying with something not even half its size, was horrifying.
And when the monster raised its arm to strike again, Yu-won clenched his eyes shut, bracing for the pain.
KIEEEEK!
“…Huh?”
But instead of pain, a wave of searing liquid splashed across him.
For a moment, he thought it was his own blood.
But then a strange voice—a sigh—echoed nearby, and Yu-won opened his eyes.
What he saw wasn’t what he expected.
“You okay?”
“Uh… yeah…”
Sunlight poured in through the broken window, and for a moment, it looked like the man himself was glowing.
Sweat trickled down his forehead as he smiled awkwardly and reached out a hand.
“You’re okay? Ah… you’re bleeding…”
CRASH!
Just as the man spoke, the sound of shattering glass burst beside them.
The monster—one he thought had been dealt with—had broken through the window and escaped.
“Damn it, not good. Hold on—just stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait, what—?”
The man who had saved him leapt right out the shattered window.
Clutching his bleeding side, Yu-won rushed over and looked out.
“…Ah.”
He should’ve realized earlier, from the way the man rescued him.
He was an Esper.
Yu-won watched as the man landed gracefully, almost weightless, and swiftly dealt with the monster.
“Whew, that was close. Ah—up there.”
“…!”
Their eyes met.
The man, now airborne again, returned to the third floor and quickly checked on Yu-won’s condition.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I… I’m fine. Just…”
“You don’t look fine. You’re bleeding a lot…”
Yu-won flinched when the man touched him—just a light sting, but the pain shot through his side.
Blood had soaked through his torn shirt, running past his hip and down his thigh.
“Damn it. How did the scene get so badly managed? No—this was my screw-up. I’m still not used to controlling my ability…”
“Um… You’re an Esper… right?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah. Just got into the Center. Fresh out the oven.”
The man gave a playful smile.
But when his gaze returned to Yu-won’s injury, his expression turned serious again.
Without warning, he scooped Yu-won up in a bridal carry.
“Let’s get you to the hospital first. Sorry. I wasn’t clean with the Gate handling… Still rough around the edges.”
“N-no, it’s fine. You saved me.”
Still holding him, the man soared out the window.
It was early April, and the sky was filled with falling cherry blossoms.
Gliding through the air, held in this stranger’s arms, it was surreal.
“…If I’d done my job better, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt at all.”
With petals drifting between the blooming trees, Yu-won honestly couldn’t remember much about how they got to the hospital.
Only one thing remained crystal clear in his mind: The face of the man who carried him through the air.
“I’ve got to do better next time.”
“…Why?”
It was a spontaneous question.
Yu-won normally wasn’t the type to strike up conversations with strangers—but for some reason, with this man, he didn’t feel guarded.
He wanted to talk.
“Because I can. And because I should.”
The man’s smile lit up under the spring sun, glowing like the season itself.
And in that moment, Yu-won knew. He’d never forget that face. Or this moment.
***
“Yu-won!”
Just as expected, Yu-won’s injuries weren’t too severe.
The wound was shallow—clean, thankfully—but had bled a lot.
Had it gone any deeper, surgery might’ve been necessary.
“What were you thinking, going all the way back for a stupid workbook?”
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
His mother, who had rushed over as soon as she got the call, looked like she might cry as she scolded him.
She glanced at the man who had rescued her son and bowed deeply.
“You saved my child… Thank you so much.”
“No, really—it’s what I was supposed to do. If I’d handled the Gate better, none of this would’ve happened. I should be the one apologizing.”
“No, no. My son was the idiot who went into a restricted area. I knew he only ever cared about studying, but I didn’t realize he’d be this reckless…”
Lying on the hospital bed, Yu-won listened quietly as the two talked.
His mother alternated between thanking and apologizing to the man, and then she asked:
“You’re… Esper Kang Rion, right?”
“Oh? You know me?”
“I saw you on the news. They said you’re the strongest S-rank Esper to date… Just joined the Center recently, right? And now you’re already going through all this because of my son…”
Yu-won’s eyes sparkled as he listened.
It was a chance to learn more about the man whose face he knew but name he didn’t.
“No, really—it’s fine. I was just doing my job. Ah, but I should head back to the Center now…”
“Oh, of course. I shouldn’t keep someone so busy. Thank you again—for everything. Please be safe.”
Kang Rion… So that’s his name.
Now that he had the name, Yu-won started looking up everything he could about him during his hospital stay.
To his surprise, just those three syllables brought up a lot more than expected.
[Record-breaking stats… Korea’s 17th S-rank Esper appears!]
[S-rank Esper Kang Rion’s ability: Telekinesis]
[“I want to become the kind of Esper who protects people.” The ambition of a 20-year-old rookie Esper]
These articles were only a few months old.
So he was a rookie, just like he’d said. And what he said—“Because I can”—felt all the more real.
“He’s 20… so four years older than me.”
That moment sparked something in Yu-won.
Until then, Espers had felt like distant, abstract figures.
But now, Kang Rion wasn’t just a name on a screen—he was someone Yu-won wanted to know more about.
Even the rigid study schedules and tightly managed breaks didn’t seem to matter anymore.
“How’s the guy who saved me doing these days?”
“I was going to send a gift to the Center as a thank you, but he said that was too much—that he’d only done what he was supposed to. We haven’t contacted him since. So mature, honestly.”
“Ah…”
“Totally different from you, who goes sneaking into danger while pretending to be mature.”
“Yeah… Sorry.”
At first, Yu-won thought the memory would fade in time.
But the more days passed, the clearer it became.
I want to see him again.
I want to become someone just as amazing, someone I’m not ashamed to be when I thank him properly next time.
But their worlds were so far apart.
Kang Rion was an S-rank Esper, a hero saving countless lives. And Yu-won? Just a middle schooler whose only skill was studying.
Then… I’ll become someone who can help—even if only indirectly.
With that thought, he started looking for what he could do.
And then, something happened that helped him choose his future.
[The legal status of Espers returns to the spotlight. In the aftermath of the recent Chungcheong Gate incident, some call for laws to restrict Esper activity within Gates…]
Yu-won had always been a diligent student.
But he’d never once considered what he wanted to be.
Until the day he found out that Rion—despite risking his life in a Gate— had been sued.
And worse, had been stuck with an incompetent public defender.
That’s when Yu-won found his goal.
It’ll take time. But someday, I want to be someone who can help in those moments.
He applied to high school with a law program as his top choice.
He was confident in his grades, and it wasn’t a wasteful major, so no one stopped him. But unexpectedly, and far sooner than he’d imagined…
Yu-won crossed paths with Rion again.
