52
People were lined up along the railing of a bridge spanning the river.
They stood holding each other’s hands, draped in long black cloths. The drooping black fabric joined together, forming what looked like a single curtain. At a glance, it resembled a theater curtain lowered after a performance had ended.
“What are you doing!”
“It’s dangerous! Come down!”
People on the bridge honked their car horns or got out to shout, but they hesitated to approach those standing on the railing.
Minjae and Jihwan got off at a roadside spot with a clear view of the bridge. Given The Crow cult’s characteristics, having an esper approach too closely could agitate them.
“What’s all this about?”
Jihwan asked, bewildered. Minjae was wondering the same thing. Not only adults but also children were standing on the railing. A child passing by on the street burst into tears. The parent covered the child’s eyes and hurried along.
The sky was turning red and yellow. The same colors spread across the flowing water below. Just as the sky and river seemed to become one flowing entity, one figure among the black-clothed group shouted loudly.
“The golden time has come!”
For humanity! Their slogan echoed out. Then they all jumped, spreading their black cloths like wings. They looked just like crows.
Huk. Jihwan’s breath caught audibly. Screams erupted from the surroundings. Some people started taking photos or recording videos on their phones. Minjae glared at the fluttering black wings.
At Minjae’s signal, the espers who had arrived and were standing by near the bridge all immediately jumped into the river. The maritime police and helicopters were also deployed. Some people even brought tourist boats to assist with the rescue.
Children were being rescued first and quickly. Minjae put on a mini-tube around his waist and a life vest before entering the water.
Unlike their dramatic plunge, the cult followers kept thrashing about in the water, then desperately clung to the espers or police who came to rescue them.
“Let go! I said let go!”
“Please stay still, it’s dangerous.”
Some among them struggled, demanding not to be rescued.
A man struck Minjae’s head and pushed him underwater. Water continuously rushed into his nose and mouth. Fuck. Minjae lifted his head above the surface and gasped for air.
The man who had been pushing Minjae’s head down was lifted up. Jihwan could be seen carrying the man and placing him on the riverbank. The man struggled, but once his body was lifted into the air, he seemed too frightened to move vigorously. Minjae swam toward another area.
“Just leave us alone!”
“Leave us be! Just die, you rotten bastards!”
Some people who had gotten out of their cars were shouting from outside the bridge. Minjae twisted a struggling man’s arms behind his back, then swam toward the shore. His clothes were soaked, making his body feel heavy.
The man continued to curse and swear viciously. Minjae handed the man over to paramedics while still holding his arms.
“Let me go! Augh! Seriously.”
“No! Why are you taking my child! He’s a purified child. He’s not dirty like you!”
“Mom…”
At the riverbank, junior espers were fighting with The Crow followers. The children who had been rescued and were espers needed to be transferred to the Center, but parents were stubbornly refusing. It was chaos.
“What’s the matter?” Minjae asked.
“He’s clean now. He’s just a normal child. Let me take him!”
The woman was crying. Mom! The child called out to the woman again. The child’s body began to float in the air. It seemed he couldn’t control his ability.
“Get down right now!”
“I’ll take him, sunbae.”
The woman screamed. Hoyoung, who had flown in from a distance, embraced the child, covering his ears.
Hoyoung gave Minjae a quick bow and flew off to the vehicle where the children were being boarded. The woman began to cry even louder.
Minjae turned and dove back into the river. There were still people left to rescue. Minjae swam back and forth to the shore, pulling people out of the river until no more struggling figures could be seen in the water.
The sky was changing from golden to increasingly red as it darkened. The black cloths floated on the river’s surface. Their limp shapes looked just like spirits.
Water rippled just below Minjae’s chin. Where did it all go wrong? Minjae asked himself.
He couldn’t properly guess where they had lost track. He thought they had found some clues, but this was a complete defeat. The cult leader couldn’t have planned this all alone. Where did the roots extend to? Minjae didn’t even know exactly what he had been trying to find.
And if he did find it? Would all of this end then? Minjae felt extreme fatigue.
“Sunbae!”
Jihwan flew over and extended his hand in front of Minjae. Minjae looked at Jihwan, whose work clothes were soaked to a similar degree as his own.
“…Is this a problem?”
Jihwan asked. Like at the press conference, he looked around as if planning to just grab Minjae and fly away. Are you being that obvious? A bitter laugh escaped Minjae’s lips.
“Let’s head back.”
Minjae took Jihwan’s hand. He was pulled out of the water.
***
[Cult followers of The Crow caused a ‘mass suicide incident’ from a bridge. They claimed to be acting on divine communication, occupying the bridge and jumping into the river at a specified time. Professional personnel including the Hero Center and maritime police were deployed, successfully rescuing most people after a three-hour operation. Currently, approximately six casualties have been reported.]
[Public reactions are divided on what measures should be taken against The Crow cult members who have shocked the nation. Issues of child abuse against esper children within The Crow and general households are also being highlighted.]
Minjae picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Similar news had been repeating for days.
From the government’s perspective, it was difficult to choose sides. Although the commotion was nearly terrorism-level, it was also complicated to severely punish a suicide attempt by people who had tried to take their own lives.
In the end, the cult followers were fined for disrupting traffic and paralyzing the city, and recommended psychological counseling.
Public opinion continued to shift. Minjae wondered if he should be grateful that there hadn’t yet been any evaluation of the Hero Center espers causing casualties during the rescue operation.
Several days had passed since the incident, but the Center Director remained quiet. Is he going to drop another bombshell and drive people crazy again? The pain that felt like his skull was shaking continued.
Minjae poured vodka from the bottle on the table and drank it.
“Sunbae, you need to go to work.”
Jihwan knocked on the front door from outside. Minjae trudged over and opened it.
“Did you sleep well?”
Jihwan asked with a smiling face. Minjae nodded vaguely. In truth, he had barely slept since that day. Even when he dozed off briefly, he only had nightmares. But there was no need to tell Jihwan about that.
“…That’s a lie.”
Minjae stopped walking. He looked at Jihwan. Jihwan pursed his lips as if he didn’t believe him.
“What did you say?”
“Sunbae, you need to show your face at the ability testing for the rescued children today.”
Jihwan blurted out the words and started walking ahead. It was clearly a schedule that Wooseok must have informed him about. Minjae sighed heavily and moved his leaden feet forward.
All the rescued children had been assigned to the Hero Center. Team 1 was in charge of supervising the personnel while conducting ability tests on the rescued esper children.
As Minjae entered the testing room, Seoyeon approached and greeted him. Then she kept glancing at him as if she had something to say.
“What? Tell me.”
“Have you met Eunjeong recently?”
Eunjeong? Minjae’s nerves sharpened at the mention of her name.
“…Why?”
“I’m worried. She hasn’t come out of her room since that day. She’s ignoring all my messages too.”
Ah. Minjae blinked and placed his hand on his head. His head kept throbbing.
Minjae recalled Eunjeong looking anxious during a recent meeting. I should have paid more attention. Did she perhaps encounter her mother at the scene? Minjae thought he should go see Eunjeong.
“Did you fight with Eunjeong?”
Minjae pretended not to know.
“No?”
Seoyeon’s expression wasn’t good. Everyone at the Center knew how much Eunjeong adored her guide, so it was unusual for her not to respond to communications.
“I’ll go scold her soon.”
“No, that’s not…”
“I understand.”
Minjae shrugged at Seoyeon, who was shaking her head with a bewildered face. Seoyeon didn’t ask anything more about Eunjeong. Minjae looked at the children undergoing testing.
-What’s going on?
Minjae texted Eunjeong. There was no reply. When he called, a voice announced that her phone was turned off. Something’s definitely wrong. Minjae thought.
Her parents’ names weren’t on the casualty list. Minjae thought he should check the list again. Since Eunjeong must have a reason for deliberately shutting herself away, it was better than barging in without understanding.
After confirming that the children had entered their temporary accommodations, Minjae looked at Jihwan standing beside him.
“Next.”
“Pardon?”
“What’s next. If there’s nothing, you can go in. I have somewhere to…”
“There is. Just a moment.”
Jihwan lifted Minjae’s wrist. He seemed to be checking his guiding levels. Minjae gently brushed off Jihwan’s hand. Not only his head but also his eyes were throbbing.
“Where is it?”
At Minjae’s words, Jihwan walked ahead. Minjae walked while looking at the floor.
Jihwan guided Minjae to the entrance of his quarters.
I’m already exhausted to death, and now he’s messing with me? This bastard. Minjae pressed his temple.
Jihwan reached into his pocket, took something out, and handed it to him. It was a canned drink.
“They say it helps you sleep. Please get at least a few hours of rest.”
“No, the next schedule.”
“If falling asleep is difficult, should I help you sleep?”
The conversation wasn’t getting through. Irritation welled up.
“Hey.”
“You really need to sleep, sunbae. Otherwise, you’ll again…”
What do you know? Minjae swallowed the words he was about to lash out with. It was because Jihwan’s face turned pale, preventing the words from leaving his mouth.
“Can’t you rest for just a few hours? Tell me what time you want, and I’ll come wake you up.”
Is my sleeping something he needs to plead for like this? Minjae felt a bit embarrassed, wondering if he really looked like such a walking corpse. A department head being cared for by a rookie—it was unseemly. Minjae opened the door with self-deprecation.
“…You should rest too.”
Jihwan’s face noticeably brightened at Minjae’s parting words.
Making a fuss over nothing. Minjae closed the door. “Have sweet dreams!” Jihwan’s farewell came through the closed door.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
