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Beyond The Control – Chapter 89

Chapter 89

“Don’t give it to Ji-hyeok, eat it all yourself.”

“Didn’t you bring it for yourself?”

“I brought a whole container.”

“Thank you.”

Holding the sausage with both hands as I thanked him, he patted my shoulder encouragingly.

“You’ve worked hard. Stamina is important in long battles, so eat up and go to bed early.”

“Yes. You rest well too.”

Feeling uncomfortable eating outside, I grabbed my backpack and went back to the barracks. I opened the most appetizing ready-to-eat meal and properly filled my stomach for the first time in almost twelve hours.

After eating, I opened an energy drink can. When I had almost finished it, a sudden thought made me look down at the can.

‘Did I drink this for nothing? What if I can’t sleep?’

In such a tense situation, I was overthinking even the smallest things. I ended up finishing my meal by pouring what little remained of the drink onto the ground.

But my worry became reality. When I lay down on the cot, my body felt heavy like a water-soaked cotton ball, but my mind was wide awake. Even with my eyes closed, the scenes I had witnessed today replayed vividly.

The most shocking by far was the blood-covered Esper who had returned early, and the Guide who wailed at the sight of him. Feeling tightness in my chest, I silently took a deep breath. But I still felt suffocated, as if something inside was blocked.

As I tried to breathe deeply again, Song Ji-hyeok, whom I thought had already fallen asleep, spoke to me.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“…I should.”

I secretly clutched the fabric of my clothes near my solar plexus. The moment I heard his voice in the darkness, the source of my inexplicable discomfort and anxiety became clear.

All sorts of unexpected situations can arise during combat. And no matter how skilled an S-grade Esper Song Ji-hyeok might be, he’s still human and not completely immune to injury or worse.

I was afraid that Song Ji-hyeok might appear before me like those Espers who had returned in precarious conditions today. I worried especially because I knew his style was to attack aggressively without hesitation.

Trying to suppress the nausea rising in my stomach, I slightly moved my lips. I needed something to quell this anxiety.

“Can I ask you for one thing?”

“Suddenly?”

Song Ji-hyeok’s voice sounded amused, but he immediately asked what it was.

“What is it?”

“Can I hold your hand? …If it’s uncomfortable, just the tip of your finger is fine.”

Even as I spoke, I didn’t really expect him to agree. I thought he might scold me, asking why I was being so creepy, and that would be fine too. It would reassure me that Song Ji-hyeok was right beside me, safe and sound.

But I was surprised. Contrary to my expectation, Song Ji-hyeok immediately grabbed my hand. His hand felt slightly dry but with noticeable warmth.

“Damn, why are your hands so cold? Are you hiding ice somewhere?”

“That happens when the bed is uncomfortable.”

I spoke nonsense, not wanting him to discover the thoughts circling in my head. Song Ji-hyeok scolded me, saying there’s no such thing, but held my hand even tighter.

“Go to sleep quickly. Otherwise, we could sweat it out once more, and I’ll force you to sleep.”

“I will. You should sleep soon too.”

Though I knew it was just empty talk, I hurriedly closed my eyes again. As if seeing my behavior, Song Ji-hyeok chuckled, then hugged me and lifted one leg over me.

“You’re heavy.”

“But I’m warm, right?”

His voice still carried a hint of laughter. I looked toward where Song Ji-hyeok’s face would be in the darkness, then turned my body to face him and moved my hands. I lifted his combat uniform top, which was neatly tucked into his pants, and stealthily placed my palm against his bare skin.

“Ssss, you startled me.”

“This is what it takes to get warm.”

Taking it further playfully, I felt his cracked abs as I explored. Song Ji-hyeok was startled and grabbed my wrist but didn’t pull my hand out from under his clothes. Meanwhile, I went as far as wrapping my arm around his back in an embrace. As expected, Song Ji-hyeok didn’t push me away.

Soon, I said in a small voice:

“Good night, Ji-hyeok.”

“You too, senior.”

Before long, I could hear the sound of steady breathing. In contrast, I remained unable to fall asleep for quite some time afterward.

I wanted to clear my mind like the pitch-black view, but my thoughts wouldn’t obey. Whether I was asleep or still awake, whether dream or imagination, I had to endure a chaotic night watching and sometimes becoming entangled in unclear scenarios.

The next day.

The situation hadn’t changed much from yesterday. The assault team, having completed preparations before dawn, disappeared into the dark blue darkness, while those who remained sat on outdoor chairs, attended to their tasks, or scribbled something.

Time passed, and the morning sun rose. But it wasn’t the brilliant sun one typically imagines. It was an eerie, chilling sunrise, like the blood-red twilight I had seen in the dungeon where herds of rhinoceroses appeared.

A precarious calm descended, but even that didn’t last long. Not long after the assault team left, a figure appeared approaching the base camp.

“S-someone’s coming!”

“Already?”

Everyone’s gaze turned in the same direction. Before anyone could identify who it was, the defense team leader’s agitated voice rang out.

“It’s a monster. Everyone, prepare to attack!”

I was shocked by those words. The assault team should be advancing while completely eliminating threats, so were there survivors they missed? Or had something appeared from a different direction?

Amid the confusion, a battle suddenly unfolded. An attack with visibly tremendous power was fired at the wolf-like monster, causing a thunderous noise and raising a cloud of dust. It was powerful enough to have torn the flesh to shreds if it had hit properly.

But as the dust settled, I felt cold sweat running down my back at the scene revealed. Instead of being torn apart, the monster was launching a fierce counterattack against the Esper.

‘Is this real?’

Even seeing it with my own eyes, I had no sense of reality. Generally, dungeons spawn higher-grade monsters the deeper you go inside. And the Espers remaining here, entrusted with the crucial mission of protecting the Guides, were talented individuals proficient not only in barrier skills but also in combat.

Yet, just on the second day, seeing them unable to subdue it instantly made me wonder if this was normal. Moreover, the monsters were unusual too. Typically, monsters hesitate and show fear when fatally wounded, but these monsters’ bodies continued to writhe for a while as if searching for targets even after losing their heads. It was a truly eerie and bizarre scene.

Dismally, this was just the beginning. On the following day, and the day after that, abnormally imprinted monsters appeared frequently, and the number of injured Espers returning from the assault team gradually increased. Simple injuries were relatively fortunate. Already, more than ten Espers had suffered fatal wounds—part of their head blown off or lower body severed—barely clinging to life through guiding before being teleported away.

It was clear how dangerous and intense the battle site with direct conflicts was, even without seeing it. In the distance, dark red smoke rose as if something had exploded, flashes of light illuminated the unpleasantly colored sky, and the ground sometimes shook violently.

The base camp no longer maintained even a hypocritical calm. In a situation reminiscent of a war zone, someone would let out a terrible scream, and another would wail desperately. The worst of all was undoubtedly the news of an Esper’s death. When news of an Esper’s death broke through the atmosphere of trying to keep it quiet for morale, I felt a pain like having my heart carved out with a knife.

As a result, I became desperately concerned about Song Ji-hyeok’s safety. When the assault team left, I would gaze endlessly in the direction they disappeared, waiting; when they returned, I would frantically examine his entire body before pouring all my strength into guiding.

More challenging than physical condition or stamina was the mental aspect. As time passed slowly and painfully, by the fourth day, problems began to arise among the Guides too. With fewer Guides to begin with, and now having to perform guiding almost indiscriminately regardless of affiliation without proper recovery, it was inevitable that issues would occur.

Choi Young-sun was no exception in looking exhausted. Her complexion had seemed poor since morning, and eventually, she had to release the Esper’s hand not long after starting guiding, covering her mouth and hastily leaving.

Somehow, I found myself making eye contact with the Esper left alone. Although there was a faint red wavering in his pupils, it wasn’t at the danger level of going berserk. But his expression was visibly marked with anxiety and fear.

What if he ends up fighting monsters again without receiving guiding? What if he suddenly goes berserk?

It was as if I could hear the voice in his mind. Meanwhile, the Esper made a desperate request.

“Could you please guide me just a little? I’m begging you.”

It would be a lie to say I didn’t hesitate for a moment. Coldly speaking, Song Ji-hyeok was my priority, and after pouring out energy to the point of strain for two consecutive days, I hadn’t fully recovered yet. Moreover, it was obvious that the recovery rate would increasingly fail to keep up with the consumption rate.

But that didn’t mean I had no energy left at the moment. I still had about 80% of my energy remaining, which was quite good in the current situation. Sparing myself when I had the capacity would leave me with considerable guilt, so I decided to respond to his request. However, I set one condition.

Hyacinthus B
Author: Hyacinthus B

Hyacinthus

Beyond The Control

Beyond The Control

비욘드 더 컨트롤
Status: Completed Author: Released: 2025 Native Language: Korean
Lee Su-hyeon is judged to be a Dual Awakened, even rarer than S-class Awakened, possessing both Esper and Guide abilities. However, due to his low rank, he’s quickly overlooked by the public. Living quietly like a background extra, one day an unimaginable, dream-like opportunity comes his way. His guiding compatibility rate with Song Ji-hyeok, a newly recruited S-class Esper at the guild, turns out to be over 80 percent. But life isn’t so simple. Song Ji-hyeok openly ignores Su-hyeon due to his low rank… “Let me say this again, I have absolutely no intention of pairing up with you. So stop wasting your energy like this.” His expression was emotionless and calm. If he had sneered or acted arrogant, it might have sparked some defiance, but his matter-of-fact delivery made the impact even greater. After maintaining silence for a moment, Su-hyeon barely moved his lips. “But you heard what Manager Park said. The higher the matching rate, the more efficient the guiding…” “I said I don’t want to.” The sharp interjection made Su-hyeon’s mouth shut automatically. Song Ji-hyeok let out a sigh and stared directly into his eyes again. “You look like you don’t understand, so I’ll be frank. To me, a guide partner’s rank is far more important than matching rate. Honestly, how dare a C-rank try to match with an S-rank? Have some self-awareness.” “……” “I’ll fulfill the period the manager mentioned, but that’s it. Persuasion won’t work, so you should give up.” It was perfect defense. He had somewhat expected this, but if the rejection was truly because of rank, there was nothing he could do about it. ‘…Nothing. There’s nothing.’ But still! He couldn’t just quietly let go of this opportunity that had come his way. Throwing away unnecessary discouragements, he looked at Song Ji-hyeok with eyes full of determination. “Since I’m your junior by both experience and age, I’ll speak casually. While I can’t change my innate rank, I’ll do my absolute best. I’ll make sure you won’t be satisfied with anyone’s guiding but mine, so be prepared.” Despite the bold declaration of war, the guy wasn’t intimidated. Instead, he just sneered as if Su-hyeon wasn’t even worth dealing with.

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