Chapter 68
He’s going to… die?
That statement implied two things. The fact that he was still alive now. And the fact that he would die in the future.
Fear consumed Seoyul’s body. Seoyul had already experienced Dowoon’s death once, before the regression. That’s why the meaning behind those words hit him harder, causing a tremendous shock.
“This ability is quite useful, you see. If you don’t do anything, the future I showed you tends to play out exactly as shown.”
He rose from his seat as if he had said everything he wanted to.
“So it would be better for you to listen to me. If you want to protect that Esper, that is.”
I see…
‘I have no choice at all.’
Tears welled up in his eyes. He wasn’t even allowing Seoyul to die. He was threatening to kill the most precious person to him if Seoyul didn’t obey.
It might have been an empty threat, but the seed of anxiety had already been planted.
Seoyul asked with a trembling voice.
“What… do you want from me?”
Maybe he wanted something else. Something I can give… something I’m capable of? If I could give him what he wants… could I prevent the future where Dowoon dies?
But Han Sejun crushed that small hope and spoke.
“What do I want? Obviously, your Guiding.”
Seoyul was devastated.
That was a request he couldn’t fulfill even if he wanted to. If that was all Han Sejun needed, there was nothing Seoyul could do.
Was he really going to have to wait for Dowoon’s death, unable to do anything?
‘Esper-nim…’
Seoyul’s world came crashing down.
* * *
He demanded that Seoyul Guide him and his organization members in exchange for changing the future where Dowoon would die. Additionally, he asked Seoyul to make Guiding drugs.
If it had been possible, Seoyul would have done it. Even if it meant being exploited like in the past, he would have agreed if it could save Dowoon.
But…
‘It’s impossible.’
Seoyul chose to remain silent rather than answer.
Was this how both he and Dowoon would die? Was it impossible to change the future?
‘Is death… something that can’t be changed?’
Since the future he knew held neither Dowoon nor himself, he couldn’t help but dwell on that question.
Amid his dark thoughts, he briefly considered that Han Sejun’s words might all be lies, but it was only for a moment.
Having experienced the future once himself, Seoyul found it difficult to shake off the negative thoughts flooding in.
So he continued to sleep.
He didn’t want to hear Han Sejun’s persuasion anymore, and he didn’t want to say with his own mouth that he couldn’t do it.
Then, at some point, Han Sejun stopped visiting.
‘Has he… given up?’
Thinking it didn’t matter either way, he closed his eyes again and shut out all his senses. Strangely, no thoughts came to mind. He felt nothing.
But at that moment.
—Don’t give up!
An unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind. Was he hearing things as death approached?
Just in case, he waited for the voice again, but no sound came. It seemed it had been an auditory hallucination after all.
—It’s not a hallucination!
Huh…?
Seoyul bolted upright. But his body had already weakened, causing him to stagger with dizziness.
Quickly steadying himself, Seoyul looked around with shaking eyes.
But… there was nothing.
‘What… was that?’
Seoyul’s heart began to pound. It felt as if a small thread of hope had lowered just within reach at the threshold of death.
And then, a familiar tone that almost brought tears to his eyes pierced his mind.
—I’m coming to rescue you.
Ah… yes.
—Wait for me.
This is…
—Seoyul.
It was Dowoon’s voice.
Hot tears rapidly filled Seoyul’s eyes. Even if it was an auditory hallucination, he had a strong conviction that it was definitely Dowoon.
Dowoon said he would come to rescue him again, asked him to wait. So he had to. He didn’t want to disappoint Dowoon.
Even if all of this was just his delusion, Seoyul wanted to remain dignified when it came to anything related to Dowoon. He wanted to remain a strong Guide.
‘Alright. Let me endure.’
Seoyul raised himself up again. Though his anxiety hadn’t completely disappeared, he felt that if it was Dowoon, everything would be okay.
But… nevertheless…
‘Please don’t die… Esper-nim.’
Even the smallest anxiety felt overwhelmingly large to Seoyul right now.
* * *
“Did you deliver it? Are you sure you delivered it properly?!”
Dowoon shook the Guild’s communication-specialized Esper frantically. The B-class Esper’s body was being mercilessly shaken by the hands of an S-class.
Seeing this, the team leader intervened with an irritated voice.
“What kind of rudeness is this to someone we’ve worked hard to bring in? I should have told you I’d remove you from the team if you don’t kill that impulsive nature of yours.”
At these harsh words, Dowoon’s eyes flashed as he glared at the owner of the voice. But apparently immune to such glares for a long time, the team leader simply turned away and spoke to the communication Esper.
“I apologize on his behalf for being such a brute. More importantly, it must have been difficult to transmit a message through the barrier. Are you alright? If you need Guiding, I can provide it anytime, so please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“N-no, it’s fine. I completely understand Cha Dowoon Esper-nim’s feelings. I did use a lot of energy, but it’s not unbearable. Thank you for your concern, Team Leader Shin.”
“It’s nothing. Just part of my responsibilities as a leader.”
Yujin praised the communication Esper’s hard work repeatedly while wearing a smooth smile.
Dowoon, who found this sight distasteful, frowned deeply. But as Yujin had said, without him, they wouldn’t have been able to understand Seoyul’s situation or transmit a message through the barrier, so he kept quiet and thought to himself.
‘We need to move quickly.’
The Guild’s clairvoyant had told them that Seoyul was dying, having given up on everything.
The shock of learning this was indescribable. Dowoon knew he had to do something. That’s why he had borrowed the power of the Guild’s communication Esper to send a message to Seoyul.
To prevent him from choosing death of his own accord.
‘Two-way communication would have been better.’
Since the communication Esper was only B-class, it was difficult to establish complete communication through Han Sejun’s barrier.
Still, they could transmit short messages. Dowoon could only hope that Seoyul would hear these words and hold on just a little longer.
‘Please… just stay alive.’
Dowoon clenched his fists tightly and steeled his resolve. One mistake was enough. He reaffirmed his determination to rescue Seoyul this time for certain.
As he continued making these promises to himself, Yujin returned to Dowoon after seeing off the communication Esper.
Feeling Dowoon’s gaze on him, he spoke in a cold tone.
“You’re really something else. How can you not stay still for even a moment? I don’t know at what age your mental development stopped, but why are you so disobedient?”
“…”
Dowoon ignored his words. He was referring to how Dowoon had interrupted during the communication to transmit his own message.
Since it had been firmly established from the beginning that only the person using the ability should transmit messages, Yujin warned him with a fierce smile.
“If you’re going to keep disobeying and running wild, leave my team right now. I kindly accepted you, so why do you keep acting on your own?”
“…”
Dowoon remained silent. Because Seoyul was involved, no matter how hard he tried to remain calm, his emotions were difficult to control.
Moreover, standing before him was Yujin, the person he disliked the most. So he could only painfully suppress his desire to be contrary and keep his mouth shut.
‘Ah, damn it!! Why does that guy have to be the leader!’
Shin Yujin was a Guide who didn’t pass out when Guiding him. That’s why Dowoon had made a big decision and asked for him to be added to the team.
But what he had wanted was to add Yujin to his team, not to join Yujin’s team himself.
“If you don’t like it, just leave. You know our team will be at the forefront, right? Since failure doesn’t exist in my life, I don’t need team members who won’t follow my orders.”
“…”
To think the day would come when he’d have to serve under Shin Yujin. No matter how he thought about it, this situation seemed absurd.
But that was just Dowoon’s subjective opinion, and objectively speaking, Yujin possessed excellent leadership abilities.
He had proven his abilities by producing results and was recognized by many as the Association’s outstanding leader, by common consensus. No matter how much Dowoon disliked him, he had to acknowledge that much, which left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Moreover, recently, the Guiding that he hadn’t expected much from was showing subtle effects.
Dowoon speculated that it might be due to his desperate mindset.
‘Still, it’s just as disgusting as ever.’
Since Yujin probably felt the same way, Dowoon frowned and closed his eyes. Yujin immediately responded sarcastically.
“Seeing as you’re not answering, you must want to leave?”
Dowoon felt a surge of anger. He never let anything slide.
“Fine!! You just do your job properly!”
“I always do well. If you just move according to the plan, there won’t be any problems with the operation.”
“…”
Though his tone was annoying, it was partly true, so Dowoon had nothing to say. After all, Shin Yujin was the one who had led all operations to success.
Perhaps because of that, he seemed just a tiny bit… just a tiny bit trustworthy.
‘No! No matter what, praising Shin Yujin! My mind has become lax! Pull yourself together!’
Dowoon shook his head to regain his senses. Was he having such thoughts because he was worried about Seoyul and his body and mind were gradually wavering?
‘Seoyul. This time I’ll definitely rescue you. Please wait for me.’
The plan was perfect. It was an operation involving numerous Guilds and prominent Espers and Guides. This time, they would not only rescue Seoyul but also uproot Han Sejun’s organization.
Thinking of the day he would meet Seoyul again, Dowoon turned his head. And he confidently reached out his hand toward Yujin, making his demand.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
