# Chapter 51
I moved forward wondering where he might have gone, but I wanted to avoid being caught by the Center Director, so I steered clear of that area.
From the start, I stepped into places I wasn’t familiar with, so all the areas that appeared afterward were confusing.
‘If I keep going this way, will it lead to an exit? It doesn’t seem likely.’
Still, a corridor leading somewhere appeared, so I just kept walking and ended up at a food storage room.
Thinking I’d entered the wrong place, I turned back, only to find a door with a sign prohibiting entry to anyone except staff.
‘Uh… where exactly have I gone?’
At this point, I just hoped to run into someone, anyone.
I needed to return to where I had been and start over.
Then, when I spotted someone wearing a sophisticated suit, I wondered if he was affiliated with the restaurant and quickened my pace to call out to him.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry.”
The person who had been showing his back to me until then turned to face me.
A sculpted forehead and a cold, marble-like face.
I was certain I’d seen this person before, but I couldn’t quite remember where.
‘Who is he? When did I see him?’
Curiosity appeared on his face.
Should I say he looked amused to meet me in an unexpected place?
It seemed certain that he knew me.
“I’m lost. Do you happen to know where the hall is?”
Though I couldn’t recall who he was, I asked for directions anyway.
“It seems you’re lost.”
His incredibly low voice was chillingly attractive.
I couldn’t understand why I simultaneously felt an ominous sensation.
“The hall.”
He spoke and raised his hand.
I naturally looked at his hand and saw his thumb and middle finger touching.
Snap-!
“Esper Seo Eunwoo. You must come with me. Now. Quietly.”
His voice echoed in my ear.
***
Yoon I-jae persistently laid out his story.
He asked if he should try to negotiate better conditions, inquired whether I knew how Guides from other countries contracted, and wondered if joining a multinational management company might be better than being affiliated with a national Center.
Lee Ha-min had zero interest in the conversation and didn’t want to help Yoon I-jae think through his issues.
“That seems like something you should decide. If I say something, you’ll spend your life saying you made that decision because of me and go around badmouthing me for being irresponsible, right? Even if you say that’s not the case, I have nothing to say.”
“Why? Is it because you’re no longer a Guide? Is that it? You don’t need to worry about these concerns anymore? Lee Ha-min, no matter what, you’re still a Guide. They say no one has ever awakened as an Esper after being a Guide, right? They say you’re the first. Don’t you get scared whenever you hear that? I find it frightening. No one knows what might happen to someone like you. Why is it only happening to you? Is that really a good thing?”
“It seems like you’re hoping it’s not a good thing. Fine. Let’s stop. I’m thankful you’re being honest like this. This is more like you, Yoon I-jae, than pretending to ask for advice with fake sincerity. Since we’ve gone this far, don’t approach me again pretending to be friendly.”
Lee Ha-min was genuinely happy.
Now he felt like he could express his anger too.
“Ha-min, that’s not what I meant. You’re getting irritated, that’s why you’re saying this. You’re the person I rely on most at the Center. And that will continue.”
“No. Don’t do that. Please don’t.”
“So you’ve become friends with the S-class Espers now? I get it. You probably don’t want to hang out with mere Guides anymore.”
Ha-min had to admit that he might have underestimated Yoon I-jae.
He was the kind of person who could never end things amicably.
Ha-min left without exchanging any more words.
As he entered the hall, he saw that the Center Director had arrived.
His attendants were there too, and the S-class Espers were seated with him.
Ha-min thought the Director, who usually avoided such gatherings, probably wanted to show his face after seeing S-class Espers appearing on broadcast.
Ha-min searched for Eunwoo with his eyes, wondering if he was there too.
‘Huh, he’s not here? Where did he go?’
He looked at the table where they had been sitting together and noticed it was empty.
‘Where did he go?’
At first, it was just curiosity.
But shortly after, his heart suddenly began to race.
When Ha-min suddenly rushed toward the S-class Espers, they were barely hiding their expressions of boredom.
Some were thinking it might be better to leave early if the Center Director wasn’t going to leave and was just using them as props.
But when they suddenly saw Ha-min rushing over, the S-class Espers all looked at him.
The strange thing was that they all checked behind him after looking at Ha-min.
It was also odd that they all seemed to realize Seo Eunwoo was missing while looking at Ha-min.
“Ha-min. Where’s Seo Eunwoo?”
Byun Tae-young asked first.
“I was about to ask you the same thing. I was with Guide Yoon I-jae until now. I just came here and noticed Eunwoo is missing, so…”
Ha-min’s gaze fell on Kyun In as he spoke.
Kyun In shook his head, not understanding why Ha-min was looking at him.
The same thought occurred to all of them simultaneously.
A mental-type Esper.
They wondered if the mental-type Esper who had left for Origin had returned seeking an opportunity. With that thought, they couldn’t remain in their seats a moment longer.
“Has anyone seen Esper Seo Eunwoo?”
Shim Woo-jin called out in a loud voice.
The Guides who were dining and chatting in the hall all looked at him.
But no one said they had seen him.
The S-class Espers scattered, and Ha-min also tried to go search for Eunwoo.
Just then, he saw Yoon I-jae entering and rushed over to him.
“You! What was that about?! Why did you call me out?!”
Yoon I-jae looked at Ha-min, startled.
“Hey, are you crazy? What nonsense are you talking about? Weren’t you listening while I was talking? I called you to discuss contract terms together. What are you saying?”
Ha-min ran off, thinking he might have been mistaken.
Maybe Yoon I-jae had nothing to do with this.
Finding Eunwoo was more urgent now.
No matter how large the restaurant was, it shouldn’t be difficult to find someone hiding inside if they searched thoroughly, but despite all the S-class Espers looking and using their abilities, they couldn’t find Eunwoo.
Come to think of it, the abilities of the remaining S-class Espers weren’t particularly useful for finding someone who had disappeared.
How could fire power, telekinesis, and the ability to create mental images help find someone?
Ha-min’s ability also didn’t shine at a time like this.
When the S-class Espers suddenly disappeared as if something had happened, the Center Director sent his attendants to find out what was going on.
The attendants, whose job was to follow the Center Director’s orders, went around questioning the S-class Espers.
The S-class Espers were far from pleased about this.
They were barely containing their anger, thinking that if only the Center Director hadn’t suddenly shown up, Eunwoo wouldn’t have disappeared.
They weren’t known for their pleasant personalities to begin with.
“If you’re concerned about the Center Director, it would be better to suggest returning.”
Shim Woo-jin spoke while suppressing his emotions as much as possible, and the attendants noticed the atmosphere.
Seo Eunwoo had disappeared.
They had figured that out.
Almost everyone at the Center knew how much the S-class Espers cherished Seo Eunwoo.
Even someone incredibly dense should have known from what others were saying, but that cherished Eunwoo had suddenly vanished.
The Center Director’s attendants returned to inform him of the situation.
Shortly after, the Center Director and his attendants left the restaurant.
The Guides, though not specifically asked by the S-class Espers, joined in the search for Eunwoo.
They had special feelings for Eunwoo.
Some had even received direct help from him.
They divided into sections, sought permission from restaurant staff, and thoroughly searched even restricted areas.
They also went around asking if anyone had seen Eunwoo.
But no one reported seeing him.
Just as they were thinking he couldn’t have simply vanished unless he’d sunk into the ground, Ha-min grabbed a staff member.
“I think there must be CCTV. Could you show it to us?”
“We can’t share that, Esper.”
“Normally, I’d understand. But this isn’t a normal situation.”
“However…”
Ha-min, thinking there was no need to argue with the staff, said he wanted to speak with the owner.
The people nearby also thought it would be better to check the CCTV and approached Ha-min.
The staff felt threatened by this, and just then, the S-class Espers also came over.
They had heard about the CCTV discussion and thought it would be better to pursue that angle.
However, even with the S-class Espers present, the restaurant staff insisted they couldn’t show the CCTV footage.
“The fact that you’re resisting this much suggests you’re doing something shady. What is it? Are you running some kind of secret room? Providing rooms to people who shouldn’t be meeting? Maybe you’re charging for room access and secretly filming with hidden cameras.”
When Kyun In spoke bluntly, the staff members’ eyes wavered aimlessly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
