17
“Is it true that you’re paired with Woo Minjae?”
“What activities are you planning to do as a pair?”
Questions poured in. Jihwan became frightened when he heard questions related to Minjae. He felt like he might make another mistake if he answered these questions hastily. Ahem, ahem! Hoyoung was also sending some indecipherable signals.
Jihwan opened his mouth, wanting to wrap up the situation quickly.
“Um… I just arrived here… for rescue operations…”
Jihwan pointed enthusiastically toward the sinkhole with an awkward smile. However, the reporters paid no attention and continued shouting questions, extending their microphones over the line. Jihwan took a small step back and waved his hands, but it was useless.
Jihwan broke into a cold sweat. Could I just turn around and leave? What if some weird article gets published?
“Why did you arrive so late? Was there something else happening at the Center?”
“How is your relationship with Woo Minjae?”
Relationship with senior. Jihwan became visibly dejected. It reminded him of how he had ended up here in the first place.
When Jihwan slightly bowed his head while waving his hands, the reporters unleashed even more provocative questions.
“You look gloomy. Is your relationship with Woo Minjae not good?”
“Have you ever argued with Woo Minjae?”
“Are you being bullied? Is it true that discrimination based on rank exists within the Center?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected barrage of questions, Jihwan quickly waved his hands again.
“No! Nothing like that! My senior is…!”
As Jihwan began to speak, the reporters focused intently. Surprised by the sudden quiet, Jihwan rolled his eyes around before carefully continuing.
“My senior treats me very well! We have an extremely good relationship!!”
His tone was obviously awkward to anyone listening. Ah… Hoyoung sighed. That’s when it happened.
Boom…
The sound of the ground rumbling echoed. It seemed like a small explosion had occurred.
Huh? What was that? Jihwan muttered. His eyes met Hoyoung’s. Hoyoung quickly shook his head. What? Jihwan wanted to ask, but he couldn’t.
“Has something happened?!”
“Is there a secondary collapse?”
The reporters, standing at a safe distance from the sinkhole, began asking questions. Some civilians nearby screamed, apparently frightened by the sound. What’s going on! What do we do! Murmurs rose from the crowd.
“Park Jihwan! Park Jihwan!”
The reporters continued calling for Jihwan. He debated whether to answer.
Just then, Hoyoung gestured toward the sinkhole.
“Go down and bring senior back.”
Saved. With that thought, Jihwan nodded and jumped into the sinkhole.
“Wait. Jihwan! Please answer!”
The clamor faded as he descended. The inside of the sinkhole was dark. There were flares set up by espers with light abilities, but not enough to see clearly.
“…Senior?”
Though uncertain of Minjae’s location, Jihwan called out vaguely for his senior. With eyes half-open, scanning the surroundings, Jihwan suddenly hit something on his left temple in the darkness.
“Ugh!”
It seemed like he had collided with a protruding rock or a hard tree root from the unevenly collapsed ground. Or maybe it was rebar. Whatever it was, it hurt terribly.
This is going to leave a bump. Jihwan clutched his head and blinked back tears.
That’s when it happened. A white light glowed from a corner up ahead.
It’s senior. Following his instinct, Jihwan quickly flew toward it. He grabbed a dim flare floating nearby. It felt slightly hot.
As he got closer, he heard mumbling sounds. Sounds like Senior Minjae’s voice. Jihwan continued approaching. Thanks to the flare, he could faintly see ahead.
Minjae had his hand inside someone’s mouth. Strange black cords were tightly wrapped around his body.
“Senior…?”
Jihwan cautiously called out to Minjae. Minjae looked at him and moved his lips as if trying to say something, then coughed up dark red blood.
“Senior!!!”
Minjae’s upper body tilted. Jihwan quickly approached and supported him. Uh… uh… This is strange. Jihwan felt like his voice was echoing from far away.
“Help! Someone help!”
Jihwan shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice hit the walls and came back. His ears rang.
Then someone covered Jihwan’s mouth. The tangy scent of blood invaded his mouth. Jihwan held his breath. Minjae was looking at him with powerless eyes.
“Shut… up…”
Cough. Minjae spoke in a strained voice.
“Senior…”
Jihwan felt his voice trembling uncontrollably. His chin was also shaking.
“Outside, reporters, still, swarming?”
Minjae asked. Understanding the meaning, Jihwan quickly nodded. Minjae sighed at Jihwan’s response. What should I do? What should I do? Jihwan thought.
Ugh… Minjae groaned softly. Jihwan quickly examined him.
“This bastard, make him, pass out.”
“What?”
Minjae spoke as if each word was a struggle, barely exhaling. Jihwan was so shocked that he completely forgot the absolute rule with Minjae and questioned him. But Minjae didn’t answer.
Hearing a strange mumbling sound, Jihwan turned his head to see the man in whose mouth Minjae had shoved his hand. The man’s veins were bulging as if he was clenching his jaw. Fuck. Minjae cursed, frowning in pain.
Oh no. Startled, Jihwan reached out and grabbed the man’s jaw, forcing it open. Ugh! The man’s groan hit the walls. Is this man trying to commit suicide? Jihwan wondered.
“Hur…ry. Please.”
Minjae added. At Minjae’s words, Jihwan removed his hand from the man’s jaw as he tried to do something, and there was a grinding sound from the man’s jaw.
Ah. Minjae groaned again. Jihwan gritted his teeth and struck the back of the man’s neck hard. There was a thud.
After a moment, Minjae sighed and removed his hand from the man’s mouth.
“Uh, uh, uh.”
Only the syllable “uh” kept coming from Jihwan’s mouth. Minjae placed his hand near the man’s nose.
“Not, dead.”
At Minjae’s words, Jihwan could calm down a little. Minjae moved slowly, trying to remove the black cords wrapped around his body.
“I’ll, I’ll do it.”
Jihwan slapped his cheeks hard to regain his composure. Then he began unwrapping the cords. Meanwhile, Minjae was barely sitting, kneeling with his body slightly shifted.
The cords were rubber-coated wires. There were also what looked like crushed plastic fragments here and there.
Senior, what is all this? Jihwan wanted to ask. But at the same time, he didn’t want to know. This whole situation frightened him.
“Take him up.”
Minjae said in a small voice. His voice was getting softer and softer, as if it might sink into the ground. That scared Jihwan the most.
Jihwan looked at Minjae’s face. Minjae slightly tilted his chin, indicating the man.
“What about you?”
Jihwan asked. He realized he was sobbing only after he spoke.
“When I say, take him up, just, do it.”
Minjae frowned. Jihwan couldn’t tell if it was from pain or anger at his constant questioning.
Jihwan shook his head. He had a feeling that if he went up and came back, he wouldn’t be able to find his senior. Minjae looked that precarious.
“Go, and come, back.”
“I can’t leave you, Senior…”
Jihwan kept shaking his head. It wasn’t his first time seeing someone severely injured, but on those occasions, there had always been colleagues nearby. Senior Minjae had always treated both his wounds and others’.
And now that same Senior Minjae was injured like this.
“You, really… are a pain…”
After saying that, Minjae tried to laugh but clamped his mouth shut in pain.
“Senior, please don’t talk too much.”
Jihwan added urgently.
“Without, reporters, knowing, tell only, someone up there… 977 situation… ask them to clear, the reporters…”
Minjae’s voice grew fainter, and Jihwan had to listen carefully. 977? Puzzled at first, Jihwan’s expression suddenly hardened.
977 was a code used when confirming terrorist situations or external intruders. Did that mean the man he had just knocked out was a terrorist?
“First aid, kit… bring it.”
“Senior, Senior…”
Can you hold on? Jihwan wanted to ask. But he was too afraid to ask that.
Minjae weakly pushed Jihwan with a hand that had no strength at all. Jihwan took Minjae’s arm and carefully helped him lie down. Then he pulled a flare and let it float near Minjae.
Jihwan kicked off the ground and flew up. As he headed out of the sinkhole, he kept feeling like his body was sinking.
Jihwan squinted as the brightness hit his eyes when he emerged with a leap. The area seemed to be getting organized. People were gradually dispersing.
Ambulance. No, where is Senior Hoyoung? Looking around, Jihwan spotted Hoyoung moving in front of an ambulance.
“Senior! …977 situation.”
After placing the man down in front of the ambulance, Jihwan approached Hoyoung, who was moving first aid supplies, and whispered. Paramedics approached the civilians. Hoyoung’s eyes widened.
“What about Minjae?”
Hoyoung asked.
“He asked to clear the reporters. Senior is injured… please give me the first aid kit for now.”
Jihwan spoke rapidly.
Hoyoung was very flustered but acted quickly. He gestured to the paramedics not to approach the civilians hastily, then found the esper-specific kit among the first aid supplies and handed it to Jihwan.
Jihwan snatched the kit, held it to his chest, and began to fly.
“I’ll fire a signal flare!”
Hoyoung shouted after Jihwan. Jihwan threw himself back into the dark sinkhole.
Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Jihwan kept repeating to himself. His flying speed seemed too slow. Crawling would be faster than this. Jihwan self-deprecated. His heart seemed to be beating too fast, or maybe not at all.
The inside of the sinkhole was still dark. When he first entered, the sight of multiple flares had been welcome, but now they were a nuisance. Jihwan needed just one flare now. One that would lead him to Minjae.
Jihwan flew blindly in the direction he remembered.
“Senior!”
He called for Minjae, but there was no answer. He couldn’t remember how long he had been flying. The time spent flying through darkness seemed to stretch endlessly.
Just as his breathing became ragged and he felt the urge to scream, he spotted Minjae’s pale figure ahead. Jihwan drew in a breath.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
