# Chapter 59
# 19. Uninvited Guest
Jaeha couldn’t move in front of Youngwoo, like a mouse before a cat. The fear of explosion and death he had buried deep in his memory came rushing back.
“I’ve been wanting to see you, Jaeha,” Youngwoo called out cheerfully in the same voice as before, ignoring Jaeha’s frozen face.
“Didn’t you miss me?”
Youngwoo’s smiling face appeared as he pulled his mask down to his chin.
Youngwoo stared intently at Jaeha, who was too terrified to respond, waiting for an answer. While doing so, he naturally lowered his hand that had been holding Jaeha’s wrist and overlapped their palms together.
At that moment, the guiding began. Through their connected hands, Jaeha could feel his power being drained at an alarming rate, giving him an idea of how much power Youngwoo had used up recently. Fortunately, the familiar sensation quickly brought him back to his senses.
“Sunbae Youngwoo.”
“You really are different, Jaeha. I wanted to hold your hand.”
Youngwoo thought it was special how good he felt when holding Jaeha’s hand, not realizing it was guiding.
From a certain day, Youngwoo had kept trying to hold his hand. Now it made sense—he must have instinctively wanted to receive guiding. He might have awakened earlier than others.
If that was the case, when had Jaeha himself become a guide? Above all, the moment he recognized that the other person was an Esper, he realized there were numerous other Espers here as well.
Among those Espers was his brother. With family in the same place, Jaeha’s need to protect them grew stronger than his fear.
As his fear subsided, Jaeha couldn’t believe Youngwoo had the nerve to show up here. The one who should be laying low right now wasn’t Jaeha, but Youngwoo.
“Sunbae, what are you doing coming to a place like this?”
“Are you worried about me?”
Despite Jaeha’s stiff face and voice, Youngwoo interpreted it in his favor. Facing this shameless person, Jaeha began to speak what he had kept inside.
“After you were captured, the bomb went off. Dojoon and I, and even our families, were almost hurt.”
Despite Jaeha’s reproach, Youngwoo’s smiling face didn’t change. It wasn’t the look of someone taking pleasure in setting off a bomb—it was simply the same expression of joy at meeting Jaeha.
“Why did you do it?”
“I didn’t know it would explode, Jaeha.”
When a hint of regret mixed into Youngwoo’s smile, it felt sincere.
“That was my first time too. I was surprised to hear the bomb go off in the distance while I was being captured.”
“What do you mean…”
“I didn’t know the bomb would automatically explode when I was separated from it. If I had known, I would have either recovered it or detonated it when there was a barrier.”
If Youngwoo’s words were true, it wasn’t intentional, but that didn’t change the fact that they had been in danger.
‘But if it’s true it wasn’t deliberate, maybe I can convince him?’
As Jaeha stood speechless with complicated feelings, the Association Chairman’s boisterous voice rang out behind him.
“Well~ instead of arguing like this, why don’t we compare the A-class telekinesis with B-class psychokinesis that everyone’s curious about? I’ll open the training room, so those who have time for a test, let’s move together.”
“Wow! The Chairman is so generous!”
“I’m not missing the front seats. Let’s hurry.”
People were excited about the reveal of a previously undisclosed Association facility. As everyone rushed to secure front seats, Jaeha’s body wobbled, and Youngwoo pulled him into his arms.
“Ugh, Sunbae?”
“Why would I hurt you? It feels good just holding your hand like this.”
A picture-perfect smile. Calculated actions. Is it possible to walk around freely after killing people?
Jaeha suddenly looked up as a thought occurred to him.
“Sunbae, I heard those people weren’t police. What happened?”
“Jaeha, you really…”
Behind Youngwoo’s bright smile, cheers from the crowd were heard again. While everyone was rushing inside the lobby, only Youngwoo held Jaeha’s hand and led him in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?”
“Should we go to the island first? I just got it, and it’s a mess from all the explosions, but there are still many nice places.”
Jaeha couldn’t understand anything Youngwoo was saying.
“Sunbae, wait.”
In the commotion, he tried to pull his hand away, but it didn’t budge against the enhanced strength of an awakened person. Finding it strange that Dojoon hadn’t intervened despite all this time, he looked back and saw him still standing by the elevator, looking toward Jaeyoon.
Jaeha took a breath, thinking he could shout loud enough to be heard, when a rattling sound caught his attention even through the commotion. Seeing several black marbles rolling in Youngwoo’s hand, he couldn’t bring himself to shout.
“I’m not going with you, Sunbae. I’m staying here.”
Though he knew it wouldn’t work, Jaeha tried to talk, and Youngwoo responded readily.
“Why? I can show you lots of fun things if you come with me.”
“No, I enjoy playing games at home the most.”
“Then should I show you something amazing? Let’s go see the gate.”
“I’m a complete normal person, so I’d die if I went to such a place.”
“But I’m here.”
Though he said the same thing as Dojoon, Jaeha didn’t trust him at all. Jaeha gave up trying to persuade him awkwardly. Watching Youngwoo head toward a suspicious door labeled “Restricted Area,” Jaeha desperately tried to think of something convincing to say.
“My family and friends are all here. I won’t leave.”
“What about me?”
Honestly, Youngwoo shouldn’t mean anything to him now, but he acted as if he genuinely didn’t understand. The good thing was that Youngwoo, who had been walking recklessly, stopped and faced him. Seeing Youngwoo’s face that looked almost innocent as he demanded an answer, Jaeha replied, worried whether he would understand.
“If you come here, we could stay together, Sunbae.”
“That’s not possible. Even though it was useless, I killed people.”
It was logical yet completely irrational thinking.
“I want to be with Jaeha…”
Youngwoo tilted his head and pondered. It seemed as if he had his own way of thinking, which made him even more frightening.
“The obstacles are your family and friends… that would be Seo Jaeyoon and Joo Dojoon.”
Jaeha felt a chill down his spine at Youngwoo’s casual muttering, wondering if he had made a mistake.
“Joo Dojoon is a bit tricky… if I remove your brother, would you choose me?”
Jaeha’s awkward smile disappeared at the question, which was as casual as asking about someone’s well-being. At Youngwoo’s direct threat, Jaeha felt not fear but anger surge within him. The sudden switch in emotion made him realize how foolish he had been trying to handle this situation positively.
“I will never forgive those words.”
Youngwoo looked surprised to feel genuine hostility from Jaeha.
He had tried to persuade him for fear someone might get caught up in this, but faced with a threat to his family, Jaeha couldn’t maintain his composure.
As Jaeha’s back neared the wall, he swung his free arm with all his might. With a thud, his wrist hit the wall, causing a tingling pain, and at that moment, an emergency alarm began to sound. People were startled by the sudden alarm.
“W-what’s happening?”
“Isn’t that the fire alarm?”
“Really? Is there smoke somewhere?”
Youngwoo, tilting his head in confusion, noticed the broken communicator on Jaeha’s wrist, widened his narrowed eyes, and then smiled.
“Wow, why did you wait until now to use something like this?”
“You threatened my family, Sunbae. I’m done trying to persuade you.”
“You didn’t use it because you were trying to persuade me? That was for my sake.”
Youngwoo’s bright smile as he interpreted things his own way again made him look happy and pleased. He released Jaeha’s hand and reached toward his face as if to caress it.
“You fear me but still worry and try to give me a chance. How could I not be crazy about seeing you?”
“Sunbae, you’ve crossed the line. You don’t mess with family.”
Even at this clear rejection, unlike his previous ambiguity, Youngwoo smiled deeply enough to narrow his eyes.
“Jaeha, you really are special. I think I’ll have to take you with me.”
As Jaeha was being dragged away by Youngwoo’s obsession, treating him like a cherished possession, he heard a sound.
Click.
Even amid the alarm and noise from countless people, the tiny sound of bomb marbles rolling reached his ears. The marbles dropped from Youngwoo’s hand onto the floor. Jaeha instinctively reached out to catch them and shouted toward where Dojoon might be.
“Joo Dojoon!”
Right after calling his friend’s name, an unidentified roaring sound was heard, and the surrounding noise quieted down. It was thanks to Dojoon immediately drawing up mana forcefully to deploy a barrier. Youngwoo’s happily smiling face instantly cooled as he was pushed back by the barrier.
“I let you chatter away because it was cute, but now I’ve missed my chance. What a shame.”
Expressing genuine regret as he backed away, Youngwoo kept his eyes fixed on Jaeha even as he passed through the door. Jaeha couldn’t see anything as his view was blocked. Even inside the perfect barrier, his heart was racing madly with tension.
“You call him first when I’m right here?”
Hearing a playful, sulky voice, Jaeha realized it was Jaeyoon covering his eyes. Only then did his tensed body relax, allowing him to look around. The bombs he had caught were now floating in the air, wrapped in a barrier.
“What about Sunbae?”
“He passed through the door and disappeared.”
“What? Shouldn’t we chase after him quickly? Not you. The police or… no, stronger Espers.”
Jaeha firmly grabbed Jaeyoon’s uniform, afraid he might follow. At Jaeha’s action, Jaeyoon’s stern face softened. Jaeyoon had already embraced his brother protectively with both arms.
“It would be useless. That organization has someone with portal abilities.”
“Portal?”
“Yes, they were probably waiting outside the building and closed the portal as soon as Youngwoo came out.”
Looking past Jaeyoon’s shoulder, Jaeha could barely see that the metal door labeled “Restricted Area” had been dented.
“When you say Youngwoo passed through the wall, you mean he broke through it?”
“That was my doing.”
“…Then what’s the point of having the mana regulator on?”
Youngwoo passing through walls or Jaeyoon using psychokinesis to blast doors—all of it was based on mana. The barrier protecting him and Jaeyoon was the same.
As Jaeha was bewildered at how meaningless the mana regulator seemed with everyone using powers freely, Jaeyoon answered casually.
“The mana control is set weaker in the restricted area for emergencies. It’s confidential, but it seems the information has already been sold.”
“You and Dojoon used your powers too.”
“Joo Dojoon can do it because his mana overflows. I’m just good at working around things.”
Rather than finding Jaeyoon’s brazen words absurd, Jaeha felt relieved. As his mind eased, he had the leisure to look around. Amid the loud alarm, staff and guards were belatedly evacuating people. Something kicked by people’s busy feet caught his eye as it flew.
“Huh?”
It was another black marble that rolled up to the barrier, hitting it with a thud and stopping.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
