It was to apply for a mission. Kim Su-hyun had always been weak to those who reminded him of his younger brother, or to people carrying wounds like Nabin. At first, all he had felt was pity when looking at the boy, but once he realized how dire his condition truly was, a powerful conviction settled in him—he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
Illegal guiding dens were practically a social blight, and even the Center rarely put in effort to wipe them out. The people who went there were Espers who couldn’t receive proper Guiding at the Center.
The Center only ever pretended to crack down on them. No matter how many times they raided, the businesses never vanished completely—cockroaches were easier to exterminate. And from the Center’s perspective, the greater problem was neglected Espers losing control and falling into Outbreaks. That was why the authorities often turned a blind eye to the illegal guiding dens those Espers depended on.
The place Nabin had been forced to work was one of them. But since he had ended up at the Center, the establishment was about to be driven to the brink of collapse. The Center Director had his reputation to uphold, so he issued a purge order as a show of force.
Kim Su-hyun quietly asked an administrative officer to add his name to the list of Espers assigned to the mission. Though a Healing Esper, he was still A-rank—he had combat capability. Compared to those specialized in battle he was weaker, but his power was still far above that of ordinary people.
Even without him, the purge team had enough Espers. Normally, Su-hyun wasn’t the type to meddle. But after seeing Nabin’s broken state, he felt suffocated, as if something heavy were pressing down on his chest. He wouldn’t be able to breathe until he did something.
As the doctor in charge of Infirmary One, he spent most of his time stationed at the Center anyway. He decided this was a good chance to stretch his body while lending a hand in wiping out vermin that served no purpose in the world.
***
Once Kim Su-hyun left the infirmary, Nabin lowered his head onto his drawn-up knees. It was a habit he’d picked up, like a child covering his face and believing others couldn’t see him if he couldn’t see them. In a place where there was no true refuge, it was his only way of finding a little space to breathe.
For a while, he only blinked listlessly. Then suddenly, his head snapped up.
He thought of his mother—someone he’d managed to forget until now. What if she wasn’t safe? She was still in Kim Minsu’s hands. Horror ran through him, followed by shame at realizing he had allowed himself to forget her.
He slid off the bed and limped toward the door. His body was healed, but his strength hadn’t returned. His legs wobbled like a toddler taking its first steps, his frame swaying dangerously.
Just before his trembling hand touched the door, it opened from the other side. Kim Su-hyun had returned from the administration office after filing his mission request. He looked startled to find Nabin standing there.
“If you move around like this, you’ll get dizzy. Why did you get up? Does something hurt?”
He hadn’t expected Nabin to rise so soon, not when he’d thought the boy wouldn’t even have the energy to sit up after treatment. He’d hurried to finish his business while Nabin rested, but now, seeing him upright made his concern spike.
He crouched to match Nabin’s eyes and spoke gently. Meeting those warm brown eyes, Nabin froze, then faltered out a reply.
“M-my mom…”
“Your mom?”
Nabin nodded. Su-hyun immediately took his wrist and guided him back to bed. The moment their skin touched, Nabin went rigid, but he was still pulled onto the mattress. Realizing his mistake, Su-hyun quickly let go and apologized.
“I’m sorry. I won’t touch you again without permission. I must’ve startled you, right?”
“I-it’s okay…”
He was startled, but it felt strange to be apologized to over something so small. Reflex had made him react, but he was already used to people grabbing him without asking. Perhaps it was simply that he hadn’t met someone like Kim Su-hyun in so long—everything felt unfamiliar.
“Is your mother being held by those bastards?”
“…Yes.”
Once Nabin calmed, Su-hyun asked again, his voice heavy. The answer shadowed his expression.
He didn’t need to guess. The establishment had threatened Nabin by holding his family hostage. Su-hyun had wondered what kind of weakness had kept him enduring such torment until his body broke down like this. Now it was clear—his family was the leash.
Su-hyun adored his younger sibling as if they were his own life. To see someone else dragged through hell for the same love of family made his teeth grind in fury.
“Do you know where she is?”
Rescuing the family came before punishing the criminals. At his question, Nabin whispered the hospital’s name.
“…Esper Mirae Hospital.”
Su-hyun knew the place. It was where Espers addicted to illegal Esper-only drugs were admitted—patients whose daily lives had collapsed, like severe narcotics addicts. To have family taken hostage was already cruel, but if that family was also a critical patient unable to move, then there had been no way for Nabin to escape on his own.
And the hospital bills there were astronomical. Anything related to Espers cost a fortune. Normally, Espers earned enough and received support from the Center, so their lives were generally well-off—luxurious even, compared to ordinary people. But once drugs were involved, the Center washed its hands of them.
Support was only given up to a point. If the Esper failed to recover, the Center abandoned them completely, like throwing out waste.
The endings of drug-addicted Espers were almost always miserable. Families often collapsed under the crushing weight of treatment costs, or else abandoned the addict altogether.
But Nabin… instead of abandoning his family, he had sacrificed his own body like an offering, enduring everything just to support her.
“I’ll go and bring your mother back. So, Guide Kim Nabin, your job is to eat well here and focus on recovering your strength. Understood?”
Though his heart was restless, Nabin could only nod. Su-hyun pulled out his phone and called someone. A short while later, a young man in his twenties with bright yellow hair opened the infirmary door, beaming.
“Esper Kim Su-hyun! You called for me?”
He was a C-rank Special-type Healing Esper working as Su-hyun’s assistant. His bright hair was clearly dyed, the black roots already grown out about a finger’s length.
“Esper Noh Si-woo. While I’m away on the mission, you’re in charge of Guide Kim Nabin’s care. Look after him completely.”
“Yes, sir!”
Si-woo answered with vigor and approached. It was his first time seeing Nabin up close—the guide who had become the Center’s most talked-about figure. His eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Nabin was said to have matched with all three of the Center’s S-rank Espers, with compatibility over 95%. Despite being only D-rank, he was so exceptional the Center Director had personally brought him in. Rumors about him had spread like wildfire.
The Espers who had rescued him all kept quiet about the details, which only fueled people’s curiosity. Si-woo was one of them. And since Nabin had been admitted to Infirmary One—the very ward he worked in—he had even lingered outside, eager for a glimpse.
But Su-hyun had barred all others from entering, sending even Si-woo to help in Infirmary Two when he wasn’t needed. If not for being called today, he might never have seen Nabin at all. Now, at last, he was finally face-to-face with the guide everyone whispered about.
Yet the moment he saw him, the curiosity he’d nursed fizzled away. Nabin looked terribly frail. No visible wounds marked him, but his sunken cheeks and skeletal frame spoke of the life he had endured before arriving here.
It was instantly clear why Su-hyun hadn’t let anyone else near him. Si-woo regretted ever having idly gossiped about him.
Healing Espers were, by nature, empathetic. They were inclined to stand against the strong and side with the weak.
And those large, clear eyes watching him anxiously only made his chest ache. Silently, Si-woo swore that if anyone dared to spread ugly rumors about Nabin again, he would be the first to shut them down.
“Don’t worry and go, sir!”
When Su-hyun hesitated, reluctant to leave, Si-woo stepped closer to Nabin and raised his voice. To look more dependable, he even thumped his chest loudly.
But when he saw Nabin’s thin shoulders flinch at the sound, he immediately straightened into a stiff, respectful stance.
