#85
“I’m not trying to send you away because I don’t want to be with you.”
“Hmm, then it wouldn’t be difficult to grant me one favor in exchange for going, right?”
“Let’s hear it first.”
Knowing from experience that one shouldn’t blindly agree to any request, Ho-woo was cautious. Surely his lover wouldn’t ask for anything unreasonable, but there’s always a possibility.
“When you go back today, please wait for me at my place.”
Ho-woo raised a big question mark on his face at Oh-yul’s words. It wasn’t a difficult request since he was going home anyway and it was right next door. Although it was a bit burdensome to have to stay in someone else’s home while the owner was away, it was something he could agree to without much deliberation if asked.
“Is that all?”
“Ah, and my shirts are in the bedroom closet.”
“…?”
“That’s right.”
As Ho-woo belatedly realized what he meant and looked dumbfounded, Oh-yul burst into laughter like a mischievous prankster. His low laugh resonating in his throat and his curved eyes were full of playfulness.
“…Just get going already.”
Ho-woo gently pushed Oh-yul’s back. The man, who normally wouldn’t budge at such a small force, allowed himself to be pushed a step and slipped his house key into Ho-woo’s pocket.
“I’ll be back.”
It was a brief farewell, but the greeting implying he was returning to where he should be had a way of tugging at the heartstrings.
Oh-yul, who had been hesitating as if reluctant to leave, leaped up at a suitable distance. Despite his light movement, the man who had shot up into the sky quickly disappeared into the distance with agile movements.
Watching from below, his speed seemed faster than expected. It made sense that moving in a straight line through the air would be much faster than following set paths on the ground, but it seemed even faster than one might imagine.
After watching the sky where Oh-yul had disappeared for a long time, Ho-woo walked towards the subway station to return home. He was dragging his feet, heavy with fatigue, and had reached about halfway to the nearest station when it happened.
As Ho-woo was briefly pondering what to eat for dinner when he got back, someone lightly grabbed his shoulder.
“Hello.”
Ho-woo turned to face the person, wiping the surprised look off his face at the casual greeting. The somewhat familiar voice made him think it might be someone he knew, but when he turned and saw the face, he was puzzled.
It was someone he never expected to encounter here.
“Aren’t you the person I saw in front of the subway station that time?”
“You remember me, I see.”
The Esper with an amiable, likeable face grinned at Ho-woo’s words. It was a refreshing smile that didn’t seem to have any particular ulterior motive, but Ho-woo remained wary of this suddenly appearing person.
Given that the other was an Esper, there wasn’t much Ho-woo could do to match him, but…
He reflexively fiddled with the pager on his wrist. Oh-yul hadn’t been gone long, so he believed that if he received an emergency call from this side, he would surely return.
The man’s gaze briefly rested on the pager on Ho-woo’s wrist, noticing this small movement.
“That’s a pager, isn’t it?”
“……”
“I heard Oh-yul Esper got a new Guide recently…”
Though he spoke as if casually probing, he seemed utterly nonchalant, as if he already knew everything. Despite his pleasant demeanor, the unnaturalness of the situation made the conversation uncomfortable.
It was also concerning that he had approached as if he had predicted Oh-yul would leave his post due to an emergency call.
“I heard that Guide even stopped his rampage. Alone, at that. It’s something that couldn’t be attempted with an ordinary matching rate, but I was really surprised to hear he stopped it so easily.”
Now the man was clearly showing that he already knew Ho-woo was that Guide. It wasn’t such a secret story among Espers and Guides.
After all, not just one or two, but most of the personnel remaining at the corporation that day had seen Ho-woo rush to Oh-yul. And among them were those who had seen Ho-woo up close, walking around with Yu Hee-eun in Guide attire.
The majority reaction was that they had expected as much. They said Oh-yul had been so fussy because it was his own Guide he was taking care of. Some who found it strange that Oh-yul, with his notoriously bad matching rate, had calmed down so easily, even spread underground rumors that they might have imprinted on each other.
Of course, these rumors quickly died down when they saw Oh-yul receiving guiding from other Guides in an exploitative manner.
All of this had happened within the corporation, and Ho-woo, unaware of the rumors, couldn’t grasp what this barely familiar stranger wanted to say by bringing up that incident.
While Ho-woo was choosing his words, the man stared intently into his eyes as if he hadn’t expected an answer.
“Give me the pager, will you?”
As the words fell like a command and the man’s eyes gradually turned purple, Ho-woo belatedly flinched and stepped back.
A mental type!
Yu Hee-eun’s warning echoed in his mind. She had warned him to be careful of people with purple eyes. But this was close to a disaster that Ho-woo couldn’t have avoided even if he had been careful.
What the hell.
The curse came out involuntarily. Ho-woo lowered his gaze and stepped back, trying to escape even a little.
“Ah, trying to run away?”
However, the man who had come close grinned and lightly touched Ho-woo’s shoulder. Even C-rank Espers possessed superhuman strength and speed. Mental types, though not as physically strong as physical types, could easily manipulate a single person. He treated Ho-woo’s attempt as a minor rebellion and acted leisurely.
Ho-woo tried desperately to operate the pager. He was sure he had tried to.
“That’s right.”
Ho-woo couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he unfastened the pager with his own hands and handed it to the man. He had tried to call Oh-yul, but what he actually did was unfasten the pager and hand it over as the man had demanded.
It was a very strange experience.
The man examined the pager he had received, confirmed there were no notable special functions, and tossed it aside carelessly.
“Well then, shall we go somewhere quiet and talk more?”
Ho-woo tried to say no, but no voice came out.
His mind was clear, or was it really clear?
Ho-woo doubted whether he was in his right mind. He was being kidnapped while walking on his own feet without a single finger being laid on him. Thinking about the smiling face he must be wearing made it even worse.
“What’s your matching rate with Oh-yul?”
The man asked as they walked. Even though he knew better than anyone that Ho-woo was unable to answer, he kept talking.
“I don’t particularly have any ill feelings towards you. It’s just that the situation turned out this way.”
“……”
“You know the saying about shrimp getting their backs broken in a fight between whales? You and I are just those shrimp, so don’t feel too wronged.”
Saying this, he maintained a clean expression without a single hint of personal emotion towards Ho-woo. He even introduced himself rather shamelessly, unfitting for his position as a kidnapper.
“My name is Bae Gi-hong.”
When a faint ‘I’m not interested’ expression appeared on Ho-woo’s face, he chuckled. Bae Gi-hong’s face clearly showed a faint liking and blatant curiosity.
“Wow, do you know how amazing you are?”
Ho-woo, was it? Bae Gi-hong muttered as if talking to himself.
Although Ho-woo didn’t know what was so amazing, he instinctively felt that the current situation wasn’t turning out well for him. If only he could open his mouth, he would at least try to shout loudly, but he felt frustrated as if trapped in someone else’s body.
“Your mental defense wall is so strong, I thought you were an Esper too. And I couldn’t even break through it all, ending up like this.”
Bae Gi-hong expressed regret, saying he had originally intended to devour all of Ho-woo’s memories and consciousness right there. His eyes, now a deeper purple than before, glistened as they scanned Ho-woo.
“The original plan has been a bit derailed… but it’s not bad for me.”
He stopped not far from the training center and looked around as if waiting for someone. After checking the time on his wrist pager, he showed displeasure towards a man approaching after getting out of a van in the distance.
“You’re late.”
“It took a while to turn off the CCTV here.”
The man who got out of the van was also someone Ho-woo had seen before. The other Esper who had been with Bae Gi-hong at the subway station entrance blinked in surprise when his eyes met Ho-woo’s, who was standing behind.
“His gaze is quite clear? Are you sure you’re controlling him properly?”
“Does it look like I am to you?”
“…No.”
“Then don’t touch him. I’m barely holding him as it is.”
At Bae Gi-hong’s words, the man who got out of the van quietly opened the van door, seemingly not intending to interfere.
“Mr. Ho-woo, get in the car.”
I don’t want to.
Ho-woo inwardly sighed at his body obediently getting into the car following Bae Gi-hong’s order, contrary to his thoughts. Would Oh-yul be able to come help him in time?
Listening carefully, it seemed their goal wasn’t kidnapping but manipulating his mind. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what they would gain by manipulating him.
Judging from Bae Gi-hong’s attitude and words, it definitely wasn’t personal grudge against Ho-woo himself. Given the expression about shrimp getting their backs broken in a fight between whales, the only Esper deeply related to him was Oh-yul. It was certain since Bae Gi-hong had also mentioned Oh-yul.
And the whale that could fight with Oh-yul…
Ah.
