Director Shin could not respond immediately. He stammered, his face flustered, “Wh-why are you suddenly asking about that? It’s been well over a year…….” He tried to buy some time, hoping to figure out how to phrase his response. However, Seo Won saw right through Director Shin’s feeble attempt to stall.
“Did I say you could ask again?” Seo Won’s hand swiftly covered Director Shin’s mouth.
“Ugh!” Simultaneously, the ice awl that had been aimed at Director Shin’s left eye changed direction and plunged deep into his left shoulder. The pain of flesh and muscle being pierced was excruciating, but an additional, frostbite-like agony radiated from the wound. The awl had frozen the injury completely, preventing even a single drop of blood from flowing out.
Seo Won kept his hand over Director Shin’s mouth, muffling his screams, and asked again, “If the next words out of your mouth aren’t a proper answer when I remove my hand, I won’t show any more mercy.”
Terrified, Director Shin trembled, his muffled groans sounding almost like nods of agreement. Another ice awl remained pointed at his right eye, preventing him from moving his face.
As Seo Won removed his hand, Director Shin hurriedly replied, “I-I don’t know the details, but it… it didn’t seem like an ‘accident.’ The Esper Association had prepared for that day in advance, or so I heard.”
“Prepared….” That single word confirmed that the heart transplant had not been a coincidence. A bitter laugh escaped Seo Won’s lips. He had long known that the Esper Association had provided the heart for his transplant. In exchange, he had been pouring his abilities and skills into creating what they desired.
“I-I don’t know when the Esper Association started preparing. But Chairman Seo told me… not to tell you the details and to say it was found by chance….”
In reality, Chairman Seo’s immense pressure had accompanied those words. If Director Shin had not complied, his hospital would never have grown to its current size, and he might have been ruined, unable to practice medicine ever again.
But with a sharp ice awl hovering before his eye, Director Shin had no choice but to reveal everything. He knew that the man before him was as formidable as Chairman Seo, and his words could mean the difference between life and death.
After hearing Director Shin’s confession, Seo Won pressed his hand firmly against his forehead, feeling the heat of anger. He couldn’t trust Director Shin’s words entirely; there was a chance that what Director Shin had been told was a lie. However, it seemed unlikely that the Esper Association would ask Director Shin to pass off a ‘coincidence’ as ‘inevitable’ unless there was a reason.
Now, Seo Won knew what he had to do next.
Assuming Director Shin’s confession is true, Seo Won is determined to uncover everything related to his heart transplant.
Removing his hand from his eyes, Seo Won looked at Cha Han-gyeom, who lay unconscious behind Director Shin. Han-gyeom’s complexion was pale, and his breathing was barely audible.
‘If it was truly not an accident but intentionally planned….’ Seo Won’s eyes trembled slightly, and the reflection of Han-gyeom in his gaze trembled as well.
***
Three days had passed since Han-gyeom collapsed, coughing up blood.
“Ugh, haa…, haa….” In the early morning darkness, Han-gyeom’s hot and ragged breaths and groans could be heard.
Seo Won, who had been sleeping lightly, immediately opened his eyes and pulled Han-gyeom tightly into his arms. The first thing he did was press their hearts together, drawing resonance from the Imprint. The gentle energy of the Imprinted enveloped Han-gyeom warmly.
Han-gyeom’s pained groans began to ease. Seo Won then placed his hand on Han-gyeom’s feverish forehead. Had it been a normal body, Seo Won’s hand would have quickly warmed, but fortunately, Seo Won was a Cryokinetic Esper. Skilled in manipulating cold, he could envelop parts of his body with chilling energy.
He didn’t just keep his cool hand on Han-gyeom’s forehead; he gradually spread the cold from the point of contact, slowly bringing down the fever that seemed to consume Han-gyeom. As a result, Han-gyeom’s breathing grew steadier, and his painful groans subsided.
‘Every day he gets this fever, yet there’s nothing wrong?’ Seo Won furrowed his tired brows, thinking of Director Shin.
Since the day Han-gyeom coughed up blood, he had been suffering from these intense fevers every few hours. Director Shin had examined him multiple times, using his ability to scan Han-gyeom’s entire body, but found no abnormalities. His organs were healthy, and there were no signs of other illnesses.
After several examinations, Director Shin cautiously suggested, “As you know, emotions and mental strength are crucial for Ability Users. It seems he might be experiencing these fevers due to some severe emotional or mental shock.”
Recalling Director Shin’s words, Seo Won held Han-gyeom tighter in his arms.
“The ‘client’ is….. definitely you….” Han-gyeom had said.
The client, the one who made the request, was supposedly Seo Won. To understand the exact meaning of those words, Han-gyeom needed to wake up, but he had yet to regain consciousness.
‘If that refers to the client who requested the heart, it can’t be me.’
Before receiving the heart transplant, Seo Won had no idea that there was an S-rank immortal Ability User in the country. The very existence of the Ability Analysis Research Facility where Song Yeon-woo was held had been a closely guarded secret. As an unregistered Ability User and a chaebol, Seo Won had little interaction with the Esper Association, so it was unlikely he would have known about it.
This meant that the real client who had arranged for the heart must be someone else—someone who desperately wanted Seo Won to survive and had the power to pressure the Esper Association into providing such a rare and valuable organ. There was only one candidate: Chairman Seo Gyu-seok.
However, this explanation alone was not enough to account for why Cha Han-gyeom had been so shocked and devastated.
Seo Won sighed and reached for his phone on the nightstand to check the time. As he picked it up, he was surprised to see a name on the screen.
‘Cha Min-hyung?’
Cha Min-hyung, who was supposed to be on a business trip abroad, had sent a text message around 5 AM. Seo Won had set his phone to silent to avoid disturbing Han-gyeom’s sleep, so he only noticed the message now, 30 minutes later.
Seo Won kissed Han-gyeom’s forehead, ensuring he was sleeping peacefully, and got out of bed. His body ached with fatigue despite his attempts to rest. He put on a night robe and checked Cha Min-hyung’s message. After a moment of watching Han-gyeom sleep in the dark, he silently left the bedroom.
Outside, Seo Won carefully closed the door behind him. Lim Du-hyuk and Jung Ah-young, who had been standing guard in the hallway, remained silent until the door was fully shut, understanding the need for quiet.
Once the door was closed, Lim Du-hyuk asked, “Is something wrong?”
Instead of answering directly, Seo Won gestured for Lim Du-hyuk to follow him. Jung Ah-young, who was essentially Cha Han-gyeom’s dedicated bodyguard, stayed behind.
Seo Won sent a brief reply to Cha Min-hyung’s message and said, “Cha Min-hyung is coming. Get ready.”
“Now? It’s not even 6 AM yet,” Lim Du-hyuk noted.
“I know,” Seo Won replied, sending his response to Cha Min-hyung: “Come now.” He carefully read Cha Min-hyung’s message again.
[I’ve just arrived in Korea. Let me know, and I’ll bring the materials you requested.]
The material Seo Won had asked Cha Min-hyung for was specific: the secret records from the Fourth Ability Analysis Research Facility. These records detailed every aspect of Cha Han-gyeom’s life within the facility.
Seo Won’s request was driven by a simple yet inevitable curiosity—he wanted to understand Cha Han-gyeom’s past. All he knew about Han-gyeom were a few brief details and what he had observed since meeting him. To truly understand Cha Han-gyeom, Seo Won needed to know more.
This request was solely for that purpose. In exchange, Seo Won would have to provide unwavering support for all of Cha Min-hyung’s future endeavors. However, at this moment, Seo Won believed that the information could also resolve another of his lingering questions—the mystery surrounding Song Yeon-woo’s heart.
Gripping his phone tightly, as if he might crush it, Seo Won headed straight to the reception room to await Cha Min-hyung, who held the answers he sought.
