# Chapter 76
The examination took quite a long time due to the emergency situation—the first of its kind since the Association was established. The examination was conducted jointly by researchers and medical staff, who kept glancing at Hajin.
However, having already suggested that Hajin’s Guiding was needed once and been rejected by both Hajin himself and given dirty looks by the Alpha Team, they merely hurried through the examination.
“Hmm. The wavelengths are stable, but as expected, the bx15 component has been detected in the Alpha Team’s bodies as well.”
“What is that?”
When Hajin stepped forward like a guardian and demanded an explanation, the Alpha Team felt a satisfaction so intense it made their chests tight.
Except for Cha Jinwoo, they all expressed their affection by grinning or subtly clinging to Hajin.
Seeing them grinning foolishly and not taking their own situation seriously, Hajin swallowed a sigh. With the mindset that at least he should stay focused, he concentrated on the explanation that followed.
“It’s a component detected in Guide Han Jiwoo’s body. We’ve never seen this component before, so a proper investigation hasn’t been conducted yet, but we’ve determined that this component affects Espers’ wavelengths.”
When Han Jiwoo’s name was mentioned, Han Seungho asked with a serious expression:
“Oh, right. Where is that bastard now? Surely you haven’t been treating him well?”
Han Seungho, who had been holding a grudge since hearing the truth from Hajin, clenched his fist as he asked about Han Jiwoo. The medical staff glanced at each other with troubled expressions.
At this unsatisfactory response, Lee Doyoon, who had been harboring as much resentment as Han Seungho, asked again:
“Where did Han Jiwoo go? Don’t tell me the Association Chairman ordered you not to tell us?”
When he spoke as if he wouldn’t let it slide if that were the case, the startled medical staff shook their heads, saying it wasn’t like that.
“Well… actually, Guide Han Jiwoo has died. By the time the Association identified the abnormality, his body had already been damaged beyond repair due to the side effects of the drug…”
Despite offering various excuses, the conclusion was that due to the Association’s delay, they hadn’t properly identified anything, and even Han Jiwoo, who should have been punished, was already dead.
Those who had been eagerly planning to deal with Han Jiwoo—the one who created this situation—all the way back, could only frown at their anger having nowhere to go.
“Are you kidding me? He joins hands with that bastard Seo Juan, sells out Hajin hyung, and then just dies, and that’s it?”
Han Seungho’s throat rumbled threateningly. As the medical staff swallowed hard and stepped back from his murderous aura, Hajin grabbed his hand to calm him down.
“Calm down. Getting angry at these people won’t bring back the dead, right?”
Of course, Hajin was equally displeased with the Association for being slow to understand the situation, but he had long since lost trust in them during the kidnapping process. This meant he had no expectations.
But unaware of this, the medical staff looked at Hajin with brightened faces, as if seeing a savior—a case of completely different perspectives.
Filtering out those gazes appropriately, Hajin asked what he really needed to know:
“So, has a treatment been developed? And will there be any side effects?”
The medical staff who received the question merely looked down at the documents they were holding, as if avoiding his gaze.
“Well, since this is a new drug we’ve never seen before, we haven’t been able to develop a treatment yet.”
When Hajin’s expression turned serious at the news that there was no treatment, the Alpha Team’s atmosphere also sharpened. Naturally, the medical staff fell silent in this atmosphere.
It would have been better if they had kept quiet, but perhaps trying to lighten the heavy mood, one younger-looking medical staff member thoughtlessly opened his mouth:
“But now that Guide Lee Hajin has returned, won’t it be fine? Since he’s a real S-rank Guide, he should be able to treat them with mucosal Guiding, right?”
“What the fuck, you call that talking?”
Park Seongjun, the medical staff member who had spoken, widened his eyes in genuine shock at Han Seungho’s fiery reaction.
“W-what’s wrong?”
He looked at his seniors in confusion, but they too hung their heads with miserable expressions.
Park Seongjun kept looking back and forth between his seniors and the furious Han Seungho. And to help him understand the situation, Han Seungho spoke directly:
“The Association’s incompetence caused this mess, and now you want to dump the cleanup on Hajin hyung? Don’t you see what state he’s in?”
Only then did Park Seongjun notice Hajin’s condition.
Though his complexion had improved significantly, his hair was disheveled in all directions, and the nosebleed on his shirt had dried and turned brown.
“Oh…”
Hajin looked like a patient in need of immediate examination and hospitalization to anyone. Moreover, he was the one who had been kidnapped.
It was no wonder Han Seungho had flared up when Park Seongjun suggested that Hajin could just treat all the other Espers himself.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Finally realizing the meaning of what he’d said, Park Seongjun hurriedly bowed and apologized, but the situation showed no signs of improving.
Han Seungho was still angry, and the expressions of the others weren’t good either.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come back…’
Hajin, who would normally have stopped Han Seungho’s anger, was lost in different thoughts. He had been disappointed in the Association too many times over a not-so-short period.
From allowing Seo Juan’s intrusion too easily, to the lack of active rescue attempts despite Hajin having been kidnapped for a long time, and the fact that only the Alpha Team had come to rescue him.
If he could, he wanted to just take the Alpha Team and leave the Association.
‘Haa… but this is the only place I can return to.’
Hajin bit his lip slightly at the sudden image of his father’s face. It was one of the reasons he had to return to the Association.
The anti-government forces would probably try to eliminate him now. Though there were Espers there who had received Hajin’s Guiding, their existence didn’t seem like it would have much impact.
Hajin had only escaped from there, not brought down the anti-government forces.
Though the Alpha Team had torn through the headquarters, their objective had been to rescue Hajin, not to destroy the opposition’s base. So they would recover before long.
And the anti-Esper forces were another matter entirely. The most dangerous force for Hajin remained intact, so he had no choice but to return to the Association.
Even if it was a mess, there were people gathered under the name of the Association, which was better than being isolated.
‘Such is my fate…’
Swallowing a sigh inwardly, Hajin stopped Han Seungho, who was still intimidating Park Seongjun. If pushed any further, they might see a grown man burst into tears.
“Mr. Han Seungho, that’s enough now.”
“…Aren’t you angry, hyung?”
Han Seungho’s voice grew softer as he forcibly suppressed his anger at Hajin’s intervention. Then, as if reading his mind, Hajin raised his hand and patted his back lightly.
At the gentle thumping sensation, Han Seungho’s lips loosened into a smile before he could help it.
“Come on, who do you think this is making happy? I’m still angry.”
With a foolishly relaxed face, Han Seungho still claimed to be angry. He wanted more patting. Hajin, who had now fully opened his heart to the Alpha Team, chuckled at his unconvincing act.
Perhaps because he had dealt with even crazier people, this level seemed cute to him. Hajin reached out to Han Seungho’s head as he stooped his large body, stroking it with an affectionate touch.
‘Somehow it feels like I’m petting a large dog, is this okay?’
For a moment, Hajin glanced at Han Seungho with that thought, but he seemed content, grinning and enjoying the touch.
After petting Han Seungho a suitable amount and lowering his arm, Hajin addressed the medical staff, including Park Seongjun, who was sighing in relief at escaping the concentrated barrage:
“For now, I’d like to receive an examination. I need to be in good condition to perform Guiding.”
Despite the barbed comment, the medical staff seemed more grateful that he had stopped Han Seungho, and immediately took Hajin to the examination room.
The examination was thorough, literally from head to toe, to ensure nothing was missed.
Only after such a long time had passed that the waiting Alpha Team asked if there was a problem, did Hajin emerge from the examination.
He couldn’t continue wearing his dirty clothes, so he had simply changed into a patient gown, but they strongly insisted that he should be hospitalized for several days.
“What? I’m fine. There’s no need for hospitalization.”
“But you never know. Pain might set in once the tension eases.”
People who rarely opposed Hajin’s words were opposing him this time.
It wasn’t particularly surprising from Cha Jinwoo, who was always rational, but when Baek Jaan took his side, even Hajin couldn’t help but be surprised.
“I think it’s better to do as Team Leader says, hyung. You don’t know what problems your body might have.”
Even Baek Jaan, who would believe Hajin if he said he could make chocolate from beans, had sided with Cha Jinwoo. But Hajin couldn’t back down either.
He finally had to confess what was too embarrassing to say out loud.
“Home…”
Though it came out softly, the Espers opened their ears and focused. This concentration made Hajin even more embarrassed, and he continued with a reddened face:
“I think I’ll only feel safe if I go home.”
Hajin hung his head in shame at whining like a child about wanting to go home. However, he couldn’t hide the fact that his nape and ears had turned red along with his face.
“Let’s go right now.”
“Our hyung was scared. Then we should go. Let’s hurry.”
Han Seungho and Lee Doyoon completely melted at their first glimpse of Hajin’s honest feelings.
“I’m sorry, hyung. Not realizing that… Let’s go back right away. Would you like to sleep with me tonight? No, I mean, let’s sleep together. I’ll protect you.”
While the three of them stuck close to Hajin, comforting him, Cha Jinwoo called the medical staff in charge of Hajin again.
“This is Esper Cha Jinwoo. Please cancel the hospitalization procedures. Yes. Guide Lee Hajin will be returning with us.”
Of course, Baek Jaan and Cha Jinwoo were no different. Hajin couldn’t raise his head, seemingly embarrassed by the Espers’ fuss. However, it wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
