Chapter 8
People never stopped gathering around Lee Youngwoo, everyone’s sunbae with a kind, angelic smile. Everyone, juniors and seniors alike, followed him. It was rare to see Youngwoo alone, so opportunities to have one-on-one conversations with him were almost nonexistent.
Before things could become awkward, Youngwoo was the first to gesture with a smile.
“Everyone just went out to buy snacks since they were hungry. Let’s grab seats before they come back.”
“Ooh, thank you!”
As Jaeha quickly took a seat on the highly competitive sofa spot, silence fell between them.
Youngwoo, who was never without company, rarely initiated conversations. It was only natural since anyone would approach him even if he stayed quiet. On any other occasion, Jaeha would have eagerly continued the conversation out of happiness at meeting Youngwoo, but Jaeyoon’s warning about delusions weighed on his mind.
Just as Jaeha was about to get up, thinking he should just say hello and leave after dropping off the game cartridge, Youngwoo spoke to him.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Me?”
“You’re frowning. You usually walk around with a smile.”
Jaeha was happy that Youngwoo remembered something about him despite always being surrounded by so many people. He couldn’t tell him that he’d unintentionally frowned because he remembered Jaeyoon’s warning, so he used breakfast as an excuse.
“I ate too much for breakfast, so I guess my expression looked bad because my stomach is upset.”
“Oh dear. Looks like you’re still not feeling well.”
When concern appeared on Youngwoo’s kind face that was always smiling, Jaeha felt a pang of guilt.
“I’m fine now. I just ate a bit too much, that’s all.”
“Shall I take a look at your hand?”
“Ah, no, it’s okay. I’m a bit scared of hand acupressure and things like that.”
Although Jaeha stood up awkwardly, waving his hands and smiling, Youngwoo had already approached the side of the sofa. Before he knew it, Youngwoo had taken his hand and sat him down on the sofa, firmly pressing between his palm and fingers.
“Does this hurt?”
“No?”
At Jaeha’s answer, Youngwoo concentrated more intently, pressing various spots on his palm meticulously. Since Jaeha had never had the chance to see Youngwoo this closely, he carefully observed his face.
Even the way his light brown hair lightly brushed against his metal glasses frames when it moved seemed harmless. Youngwoo, who looked like the perfect image of a “kind sunbae,” acted that way too. Only then did Jaeha realize that the spots Youngwoo was pressing were acupressure points used to relieve indigestion.
“How about now?”
“Oh, yes. I think it hurts.”
“Is that so? I’ll press a little more. Even if it hurts, it will get better if I do this, so can you bear it?”
With Youngwoo’s gentle smile, Jaeha felt like he should say it didn’t hurt when it did, and that it did hurt when it didn’t. He smiled awkwardly.
After massaging Jaeha’s hand several times, Youngwoo tilted his head in confusion.
“You have incredible endurance? I pressed quite hard.”
“What?”
“Or maybe my grip is too weak to be of any help?”
As Youngwoo’s expression became dejected, Jaeha hurriedly pretended to be in pain.
“Oh, no. It hurts. Ow ow ow, it hurts.”
“Pfft, your acting is so clumsy.”
“No, it really hurts. Ouch! Youngwoo-sunbae, you’re killing me!”
Youngwoo burst into laughter at Jaeha’s exaggerated reaction. Even his laughter somehow seemed like a painting, unreal. Excited by that laugh, Jaeha made an even bigger fuss, not realizing he was about to provoke someone’s anger.
* * *
After sending Jaeha ahead, Jaeyoon examined the building. He could tell that the excessively large university building layout concealed hidden spaces. There might be separate underground areas. He wanted to check the power usage, but he was worried about having sent Jaeha alone.
As he was about to move in the direction Jaeha had gone, a neatly posted flyer on a large bulletin board caught his suspicion.
There was a club promotion related to dreams, hallucinations, and auditory hallucinations prominently displayed at the top, and a public service announcement-like poster asking people to visit the counseling office even for small concerns was taking up prime space.
Unlike ordinary people, potential awakened ones experience various symptoms different from others. They become abnormally strong, hear things others don’t, or start seeing things others can’t see. The fact that counseling was normalized and made routine showed an intent to recruit ability users in advance.
“If it’s like this, it must be connected to that place.”
Jaeyoon’s eyes quickly moved to the bottom of the poster.
Seeing the familiar company name, a curse involuntarily escaped his lips.
“As I thought. Those bastards.”
He couldn’t suppress the emotion that burst forth the moment he saw the foundation’s name.
It was a corporation that had controlled the early awakened ones however they pleased, steering everything to their advantage despite knowing the world would be turned upside down.
“So that’s why those Esper bastards around hyung got entangled so easily.”
Joo Dojoon, Lee Youngwoo, and even Kyun Jiho.
There were already three high-ranking Espers in the same university as Jaeha.
Judging that he couldn’t leave his brother here for even a moment, Jaeyoon moved quickly.
“Hyung…”
As his magical power, not yet activated, made Jaeyoon’s senses more acute, he naturally felt Jaeha’s presence. Despite being pre-awakening, the sense he had engraved in his body for years desperately tracked the faint energy.
It was both fortunate and concerning that he could use his senses to this extent even though magical power hadn’t yet emerged.
‘Is the effect of Black Pig appearing this quickly?’
Black Pig had provided minor help in recovering magical power and training senses even before awakening, not just for ability users. But it was difficult to see such a significant effect after eating it just once or twice. Perhaps there was something else in this school to accelerate awakening.
With that thought, the strange decorative objects that didn’t match the sophisticated exterior and interior of the building bothered him.
Feeling Jaeha’s presence above his head, Jaeyoon grew more urgent. He wanted to take Jaeha and escape this place as quickly as possible.
The stairs would be faster than the elevator. Like at the apartment, Jaeyoon went out through a window leading to the outer wall. He inserted his hand into a small gap, climbed the wall in one go, and entered through an open window, only to find a person he never wanted to see again holding onto Jaeha.
“Ow ow ow, please let go now.”
“Not yet. Let me check a little more.”
Jaeha was wincing as if in pain, and Youngwoo was smiling.
Witnessing in reality a scene that had been replayed countless times in the now-vanished future, Jaeyoon’s vision turned red.
Esper Lee Youngwoo, who had inflicted pain on Guide Seo Jaeha while smiling. When Jaeha begged from unbearable pain, Youngwoo would threaten him by mentioning Jaeyoon. And ultimately, with a smile on his face, he had pushed Jaeha into the abyss.
“Lee… Youngwoo.”
“Hm? Who are you?”
“Hey, how did you come in through the window?”
Jaeha discovered Jaeyoon coming over the window and looked bewildered, but he quietly pulled his hand away from Youngwoo’s grip.
Seeing this, Jaeyoon realized that Jaeha had been holding hands with Youngwoo despite remembering his warning. Looking at Youngwoo, who still maintained his kind face in this infuriating situation, Jaeyoon’s patience hit rock bottom.
He wanted to rush over and stab him immediately, but seeing Jaeha’s shocked face as he stood between him and Youngwoo, he barely held back.
“Get away… from him right now.”
Jaeyoon’s whole body trembled with anger that made even normal speech difficult.
Jaeha’s eyes grew as large as possible when he saw Jaeyoon’s fingers sinking into the window frame he was gripping.
“You, hey. Your hand.”
“Hyung, come over here.”
Though he tried to control his emotions by gripping the window frame hard enough to destroy it, the killing intent flowing from his voice was unmistakable. With Jaeyoon clearly showing emotions of wanting to tear apart his opponent, Jaeha instead hid Youngwoo behind himself.
“Why are you looking at someone like that? Calm down.”
“Hyung?”
As Jaeyoon took one step inside, his glare at Youngwoo, as if he would bite him at any moment, became even clearer.
“Stop. Just stop for a moment. I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but you’re going to cause trouble like this.”
While restraining Jaeyoon, Jaeha backed away. Yet he kept Youngwoo hidden behind his back, even reaching back to check on him. Seeing Jaeha like this, the fierce emotions pouring from Jaeyoon became disrupted.
“How could hyung…”
“Hey, hey. Let’s send Youngwoo-sunbae out first and talk just between us.”
“How could you do this to me, hyung?”
How could you follow me all the way to university and do this?
‘Are you seriously here to ruin my college life?’
Swallowing his true thoughts that he couldn’t voice, Jaeha desperately racked his brain to resolve this situation.
Unlike the serious pair, this situation was unfamiliar to Youngwoo.
In this serious situation, Youngwoo’s thoughts were simple.
‘What is that?’
Most people showed him goodwill. This was the first time someone had displayed such clear hostility that it almost made his skin tingle.
The man with a face so distorted it seemed possessed by an evil spirit climbed onto the window and glared at Youngwoo. He and Jaeha seemed to know each other, as they continued their conversation. The demon-like man was still glaring at Youngwoo, but Jaeha stood between them, blocking the way.
Having someone protect him was an unfamiliar sensation. Everyone had always tried to get something from Youngwoo. Whether information or affection, they were eager to receive something from him.
The only ones who had protected him without him giving anything were his parents who had passed away when he was young. Even his grandparents showed affection based on his grades or evaluations from others.
But now, with the appearance of this demon-like man, Jaeha tried to protect Youngwoo. The junior, who was a head shorter than him, moved his hand behind to check Youngwoo’s position and firmly blocked the front.
“Let’s send Youngwoo-sunbae out first and talk just between us.”
Jaeha’s words revealed his intent to protect Youngwoo.
Thump.
Thump.
Lee Youngwoo’s heart suddenly started beating fiercely. While spring winds seemed to be blowing in Youngwoo’s chest, the demon-like man’s face took on a human-like expression.
“How could you do this to me, hyung?”
Even the voice expressing resentment toward Jaeha somehow mixed in a hint of youthfulness.
“Haah, Seo Jaeyoon. Man, you need to calm down.”
The man called Seo Jaeyoon’s face, unlike before, changed to a contorted expression filled with hurt.
“How can I calm down? When hyung is like this right now!”
“Hey, hey, your hand. You’ll hurt your hand.”
Even in this surreal situation where the window frame Jaeyoon was gripping was breaking apart mercilessly, Youngwoo felt a pang in his heart when Jaeha showed concern for someone else.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
