[Cha Jae-woo Massacres Low-Rank Espers]
The grandiose title made him frown instinctively. The video, which had racked up over ten million views within just two days of being uploaded, kept drawing his eyes no matter how much he tried to ignore it.
Honestly, he didn’t even need to watch it to know what it was about. And it was better not to watch it—unless he wanted to overturn the favorable impression he had formed of Cha Jae-woo just a short while ago.
Ever since Cha Jae-woo had started diligently participating in gate missions, articles and videos about him had begun flooding the internet like mushrooms after a rainstorm. Since gates didn’t only appear in remote mountains but also in urban areas, there were plenty of videos captured by civilians.
Cha Jae-woo always entered and exited gates with a bored expression, as if nothing had happened. People cheered when they saw him, but Cha Jae-woo never spared them even a glance.
Most videos followed that same pattern, but a few clips in particular had garnered overwhelming popularity. One such clip showed Cha Jae-woo emerging from a gate just two minutes after entering. Behind him, a group of other Espers stumbled out awkwardly. They all insisted, in unison, that they hadn’t needed Guiding, a statement that sparked heated discussions across countless online communities for days.
“He took care of everything on his own so fast that we didn’t even get a chance to use our abilities.”
The interview with that B-Rank Esper, which had been turned into countless memes and circulated everywhere, was especially memorable.
—As expected of an S-Rank, lololol
—He just makes other Espers look useless, right?
—I can finally relax now that Cha Jae-woo cleared the gate.
└Didn’t they manage the gate fine even without Cha Jae-woo?
└Manage fine, my ass, lol. They were a complete mess. If they spent a whole day on a gate Cha Jae-woo cleared in two minutes, doesn’t that say it all?
Thanks to that, while there were heaps of praise directed at Cha Jae-woo, there were also plenty of malicious comments disparaging the other Espers.
—Now that I think about it, surprised that D-Rank guy didn’t drop dead.
—But seriously, how does a D-Rank stabilize an S-Rank? There must’ve been a mistake in the Guide ranking, right?
└Totally agree.
The attention even extended to him. There was a noticeable surge in reactions saying the Guide ranking must have been wrong and that it needed to be re-evaluated.
Since he did have things he was hiding, it made him feel nervous. Even though he knew that even if he were re-evaluated, he’d still be categorized as a D-Rank, it was impossible not to feel uneasy—because you just never knew what could happen in this world.
Still, the public’s interest in this video was relatively benign. Videos that pulled in jaw-dropping view counts usually had this kind of flavor. It wasn’t a video praising Cha Jae-woo’s impressive stats. Regrettably, as the title suggested, it was footage of Cha Jae-woo brutally laying waste to innocent Espers, and it was spreading like wildfire, sparking endless chatter.
Since Cha Jae-woo had started going on gate missions, people who praised him had certainly appeared. But the number of people standing on the opposite side, criticizing him, was far greater. All of it boiled down to Cha Jae-woo’s personality issues. The problem was that he kept pulling those crazy stunts, indiscriminately attacking other Espers without any clear reason.
He knew. This video wouldn’t be any different. Yet he couldn’t resist the tug of curiosity and ultimately hit play. Maybe, just maybe, this time would be different—he held a sliver of hope.
But what he saw was exactly what he had expected. The footage captured the moment from two days ago when Cha Jae-woo attacked and sent three Espers flying all at once inside a gate. The Espers were flung at least ten meters before collapsing where they landed. While others rushed toward the fallen Espers in panic, Cha Jae-woo disappeared without a trace, seemingly unfazed by the commotion and the cries of, “What the hell is wrong with that bastard?”
—Isn’t Cha Jae-woo completely insane? Why is he using his powers on innocent Espers?
—Now that he has a Guide, does he have so much energy left over that he can waste it like this?
—Fuck, even if he’s S-Rank, how the hell does he fling three other Espers around like that?
└Honestly, sometimes Cha Jae-woo gives me chills.
└Same, seriously.
└Look at that, not even a flicker of emotion on his face. As if sending a few Espers flying was nothing.
—Maybe those Espers were completely useless inside the gate?
└Even if they were useless, you don’t just toss them aside like that.
└If they screw up twice, is he planning to kill them next time?
—Ugh, seriously, what’s wrong with him????
“Seriously, what is wrong with him?”
After mindlessly scrolling through the comments even after finishing the video, he scowled deeply. He couldn’t deny that he was just as curious.
Cha Jae-woo had come to him for Guiding afterward as if nothing had happened—with an absurdly gentle face, no less. Cha Jae-woo’s expression was always at its softest when receiving Guiding. It was probably because his turbulent wavelengths settled and he felt at ease. Even knowing that, it still sent a shiver down his spine. The fact that he had soothed those distorted wavelengths after Cha Jae-woo had gone around attacking innocent Espers—it was unsettling to the core.
“What are you doing?”
As he hastily rubbed the goosebumps off his arms, Kim Geon-ung plopped his bag down next to him and settled into the seat. Without a word, he shoved his phone toward Kim Geon-ung, who let out a small “Ah,” before asking,
“Why’d he do that?”
It seemed natural to Kim Geon-ung that he would know the answer.
“I don’t know.”
In the past, when reporters asked, Cha Jae-woo would at least give a brief reply, but nowadays, he didn’t say a word about it. Honestly, he was dying of curiosity himself.
“Did you ask him?”
“Would you be able to ask if you were me?”
“Hmm… Fair point.”
But even if he did ask, would anything really change? Cha Jae-woo would probably just say something like, I didn’t like them, and that would be it.
It was easier to just let it go like that. It was far better than sucking up out of curiosity and ending up pissing off Cha Jae-woo. Those Espers might have been fine because they were Espers, but he—he was just an ordinary civilian, no, a Guide, fragile enough to die with a single wrong move. He had an obligation to treasure his own life.
“Even if I did ask, it’s not like he’d attack me…”
He murmured as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. In reality, it was highly unlikely that Cha Jae-woo would lash out at him just because he got annoyed. Cha Jae-woo was the one who had blocked interference from the Guide Association to ensure he could continue receiving Guiding without any interruptions, even after he had become a subject of constant research and summons.
Cha Jae-woo didn’t want a situation where he couldn’t receive Guiding. So, logically speaking, he wouldn’t hurt him. Thinking rationally, the answer was simple.
But sadly, just knowing that didn’t magically give him courage.
“By the way…”
“What.”
“You’re not… purposely overexerting yourself, are you?”
“……”
“I mean, do you… enjoy pushing yourself to the brink of losing control?”
“’Was that supposed to be a question?”
“…No. It’s just… I can’t imagine why else you keep throwing yourself into gates and wrecking your own wavelengths like this…”
To be honest, until recently, he had been able to ask Cha Jae-woo whatever he wanted without hesitation. Looking back now, it might’ve sounded a bit passive-aggressive. Still, Cha Jae-woo had only looked at him like he was pathetic—never angry. He answered what he deemed answerable, and ignored what he didn’t feel like responding to.
But these days, it was different. He didn’t know why, but recently, whenever he stood in front of Cha Jae-woo, his lips would tremble and clamp shut. His heart would pound so violently that he couldn’t even get words out.
Was it because Cha Jae-woo’s wavelengths were too fierce? No, they had always been like that.
Was it because he now knew how powerful Cha Jae-woo really was? No… he had known that from the start too.
Was it because Guiding had gotten more difficult? That didn’t seem right either…
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t find a reason. He soon gave up trying to figure it out, telling himself it would probably pass with time.
But far from getting better, the symptoms were only getting worse. These days, the only things he managed to say to Cha Jae-woo were, “I’ll start the Guiding now,” and, “The Guiding is complete.”
Of course, Cha Jae-woo was even worse. He wouldn’t say a single word, just giving a slight nod.
“Isn’t it possible that Cha Jae-woo could attack you too?”
“Don’t jinx it.”
“I’m worried about you, you know?”
“Don’t waste your worry. Haven’t you heard that words have power?”
Kim Geon-ung shrugged and made a weird face. He drooped his lips and widened his eyes so much he looked like a flounder.
Maybe he thought he was handsome enough to pull it off, because Kim Geon-ung had a knack for making ridiculous faces. His self-love was overwhelming. Honestly, the only person who could make bizarre expressions and still look good was probably Cha Jae-woo.
“Ha…”
The image of Cha Jae-woo’s ridiculously handsome face floated into his mind, and with it came a long sigh.
It was honestly ridiculous—he couldn’t say a single word in front of Cha Jae-woo, yet because he saw that face every single day, Cha Jae-woo’s image popped into his head at all hours. Because of that, even when they weren’t physically together, it constantly felt like he was still with him.
Of course, it wasn’t just because he met Cha Jae-woo daily. Even if he stood still and did nothing, stories about Cha Jae-woo drifted in from everywhere, making it impossible to forget him.
Whether it was at a café, out on the streets, or right here in the lecture hall, Cha Jae-woo’s name was mentioned nonstop. He made for such a popular topic of conversation. Even now, a group sitting at the back of the lecture hall was chatting about Cha Jae-woo’s looks and personality.
At this rate, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that his entire day was filled with Cha Jae-woo. On days when Cha Jae-woo went into a gate, his mind would be completely consumed with worry.
At first, he had been stunned.
‘Me? Worrying about Cha Jae-woo?’
Thankfully, it hadn’t taken him long to realize he had mistaken the object of his concern. It wasn’t Cha Jae-woo he was worried about—it was himself. He worried that Cha Jae-woo would either attack another Esper again or bulldoze through a gate alone and come back with completely wrecked wavelengths. Because cleaning up that mess always fell to him.
“Why the sigh? Hey, I was joking, okay? I don’t really think Cha Jae-woo would beat you up.”
“…Is that so.”
“Even if you’re just a D-Rank, it’s not easy to find a Guide with that kind of matching rate. Why the hell would he screw that up? He should be worshipping you.”
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Did you leave a comment under that video or something? Because you’re parroting exactly what I read.”
“What are you talking about? Everyone’s thinking the same thing, obviously.”
Instead of answering, he just ran a hand roughly through his hair. Maybe because autumn rain was on its way, his hair was frizzing up into little curls. Leaving his rebellious hair alone, he decided to just flop face-down onto the desk. There was still some time left before class started.
He had honestly thought he’d be taking a leave of absence this semester, but his train of thought shifted rapidly as he drifted. He had been sure Cha Jae-woo wouldn’t allow it. He figured even if occasional outings were fine, attending school regularly would rub Cha Jae-woo the wrong way. After all, who knew how the Guide Association might react.
He had even prepared arguments to persuade Cha Jae-woo:
‘I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything about Guiding. If I act like I’m totally clueless, it’ll be fine.’
Of course, all of it had been completely unnecessary.
Cha Jae-woo only gave him two conditions: Move with a driver at all times, and if the Guide Association reached out, pretend to know nothing and contact him immediately.
He hadn’t said a word about not attending school.
It was a relief, but also a little surprising. He hadn’t expected it to be this easy. Maybe it showed on his face, because Cha Jae-woo had offered a brief explanation.
“You said you absolutely had to attend school. If you don’t show up now, it’ll be obvious something’s wrong.”
It made perfect sense. Back when he signed the contract with Guide Association President Jang Gijun, he had emphasized over and over that he couldn’t give up on school. If he suddenly took a leave of absence, it would only raise suspicions.
“……”
With that, there was nothing more to say. Unlike him, who only thought one step ahead, Cha Jae-woo always had a long-term view. Cha Jae-woo usually already had the answers to the questions swirling in his mind.
‘Still… could you maybe explain your plans to me a little?’ A tiny grumble slipped out in his thoughts.
He wasn’t asking to know about Cha Jae-woo’s private affairs. He just wished that, for things involving him, Cha Jae-woo could take the initiative to explain a bit.
Lately, there were so many questions piled up that he couldn’t ask because his lips clamped shut the moment he stood in front of Cha Jae-woo. How nice would it be if Cha Jae-woo spoke up first?
‘Well… it’s not like he’s obligated to.’
Maybe he should just be grateful that Cha Jae-woo even bothered to answer his questions when he did.
Still, they had been living together for a while now—several months, at that. Would it kill him to offer a little voluntary information? Such petty, childish thoughts kept looping endlessly.
Cha Jae-woo’s face stubbornly refused to leave his mind. He pictured that familiar side profile, gazing out the window with a bored expression during Guiding sessions—the face he had come to know so well.
And the moment Cha Jae-woo’s face became vivid in his mind, his heart sank with a heavy thud.
“Urgh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“…My heart hurts.”
“Eh?”
“It’s beating like crazy.”
His heart, which had dropped like a stone, suddenly started pounding violently. Was his strength leaking away without him noticing? What if he was actually sick?
He scrubbed at his face with both hands in frustration. But even as he tried to calm down, his heart kept hammering wildly, and Cha Jae-woo’s image stayed burned into his vision.
‘Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me?’
Maybe he really needed to see a doctor. There was always the possibility something was seriously wrong with his health.
Esperemos que no te des cuenta que sientes atracción hacia él