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Minjae reached out toward Jihwan, gesturing for him to hand it over. Although he had an esper ID that could be used as a credit card, using an esper ID for payment in a remote place was definitely not a good idea.
Moreover, since Minjae’s photo was embedded in the esper ID, it could cause people to panic, thinking something major had happened in this quiet neighborhood.
Additionally, since if something went wrong, he’d have to create a brick to throw or abandon his phone, Minjae didn’t use mobile banking either.
Jihwan searched through his clothes and pulled out a crumpled 50,000 won bill from his pocket. That should be enough. Minjae led Jihwan toward the convenience store/supermarket by the beach.
Minjae and Jihwan bought cup ramen, hot bars, peanut snacks, and beer. The total came to less than 20,000 won.
There were folding tables and chairs in front of the convenience store. They sat down and ate the ramen. After roughly satisfying his hunger with ramen, Minjae opened a bag of snacks and drank beer.
“What did you originally want to do here?”
Minjae asked.
“Um… originally I wanted to go to a café, then take a walk on the beach, dip my feet in the waves…”
“…Aren’t those things people usually do during the day?”
“I guess so.”
Jihwan smiled awkwardly and stirred his ramen with his chopsticks. He seemed a bit disappointed that the café was closed, having prepared various activities for the trip.
Minjae looked toward the sea. The lights from the convenience store spread toward the ocean, making the crashing waves faintly visible in the darkness. There were few people passing by, so the sound of waves was quite loud.
What do normal people do at the beach at night? As Minjae was thinking, his eyes caught sight of a pile of fireworks stacked at a display near the convenience store entrance.
“Should we set off some fireworks?”
“Do they have fireworks?”
Jihwan’s eyes widened. Minjae pointed with his chin at the fireworks display.
“Have you done it before?”
“No. I’ve only seen others do it.”
Jihwan, his eyes shining, suggested they do the fireworks. Minjae nodded.
The two went back into the convenience store and spent almost all their remaining money. They bought a mix of long tube fireworks that shot sparks into the air and sticks that you light at the end.
As they entered the sandy beach, the surroundings seemed to grow darker. It was hard to see ahead. Jihwan lightly took Minjae’s hand and pulled him along.
“Will this spot work?”
As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could gradually make out the scenery. Jihwan stopped right in front of where the waves were breaking.
“Let’s do this near the water just in case.”
Jihwan first took out a foam-type firework labeled “missile.” Minjae pulled out a lighter and tried to light it, but the wind was strong, making it difficult. Jihwan spread out his jacket to block the wind.
“Will this work?”
Minjae lit the lighter again. Jihwan’s face, standing very close to Minjae, was illuminated by the lighter’s flame.
Why is he standing so close? Feeling a bit strange, Minjae quickly lit the firework and turned off the lighter. Then Jihwan overlapped his hand on Minjae’s and extended the firework forward.
“Hey, light yours too.”
“With the wind blowing, I think it’s better to do one at a time. It’s dangerous.”
Jihwan’s arm pressed against Minjae’s. Jihwan’s shoulder touched Minjae’s back.
Just as Minjae was about to tell him to move to the side, he felt something shooting out from under his hand.
Wheeeee-
The spark shot up. The spark that rose in a short straight line burst with a bang and showered down. It was smaller and less impressive than he had thought. Still, watching the brief moment when the spark that popped out from under his hand exploded and lit up the night sky wasn’t bad. It was quite enjoyable.
The first missile firework ended more quickly than expected. Despite being nothing special, Minjae and Jihwan continued lighting fireworks and shooting them up. Then they picked up fireworks labeled “sparklers.”
Jihwan lit one stick and handed it to Minjae. Then he brought another stick to Minjae’s stick. The sparks jumped around and caught fire.
The two watched the sparks, relighting them when they went out. Jihwan waved the stick around, drawing circles or lines.
The fireworks that made crackling sounds as they burned down truly resembled flowers, or perhaps candles. After watching for a while, Minjae gathered the remaining sticks and stuck them in the sand. Then he pulled in more sand to create a small mound to stabilize them.
Hey, give it to me. Minjae held out his hand to Jihwan. Jihwan handed over the lighter and crouched down next to Minjae.
Minjae lit all the remaining sticks at once. They looked quite like nice candles. That should be good enough. Minjae raised his head.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what people usually say on graduation trips, but… congratulations on graduating.”
“Uh…”
Since Jihwan had said this was the graduation trip he had wanted to go on, Minjae felt he should say something. But Jihwan had no particular response.
Minjae looked to the side. Jihwan was staring at him with a blank face. Is this too much? Minjae felt embarrassed.
“…Thank you, Sunbae. This is the best graduation trip ever.”
The fireworks went out with a sizzling sound. Jihwan spoke in almost a whisper.
Even with the fireworks out, it wasn’t that dark. A bluish dawn was breaking. That’s why Minjae could clearly see Jihwan’s bright smile. Feeling even more embarrassed than before, Minjae quickly stood up.
“It’s getting light, let’s head back.”
***
As soon as Minjae and Jihwan returned to the Center, they were summoned to the Center Director’s office. Whatever the matter was, the Center Director expressed through Secretary Yoon that he would appreciate it if they could come right away.
“Does it have to be now? Later this afternoon…”
[The Center Director has a separate schedule this afternoon. Is it really inconvenient for you right now?]
Secretary Yoon’s voice was full of trouble as he said this. Minjae sighed.
“I’ll come now.”
[Thank you! And he specifically asked for Esper Park Jihwan to come along.]
“…Yes, I understand.”
Upon Minjae agreeing to come, Secretary Yoon’s voice brightened considerably.
So that’s why he had the secretary tell me to come. If the Center Director had personally asked Minjae to bring Park Jihwan, he wouldn’t have brought him.
What scheme does he have that he wants us both to come? Minjae looked at Jihwan with a troubled mind. Jihwan, seeing Minjae’s serious face, had also stiffened his expression.
“We’ve been summoned to the Center Director’s office.”
“Ah, you must be tired… Do we have to go now?”
Jihwan asked.
“Yeah, and you need to come too.”
“…Me?”
Jihwan asked, pointing to himself with his index finger, seemingly confused. Minjae nodded.
“When we go into the Center Director’s office, you have just one job. Stay quiet. Don’t speak first, and don’t answer carelessly no matter what he says. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Jihwan nodded earnestly. There wasn’t even a question about why he shouldn’t do those things. His answer was so clean that it was almost surprising.
Minjae and Jihwan stood in front of the Center Director’s office. Secretary Yoon rose from his chair to greet them.
“You’re here. I’ll let the Center Director know you’ve arrived.”
“You’re working hard.”
“Not at all. Thank you.”
Secretary Yoon reported to the Center Director over the phone. Shortly after, the two entered the Center Director’s office.
The Center Director welcomed his guests with a smile that pretended to be friendly.
“Here are the two espers who are the pride of our Center.”
“…What did you call us for?”
“These days, there are many good stories about Minjae and Jihwan’s partnership. You quickly responded to the Crow incident and saved many lives, didn’t you?”
“I think that’s too much praise.”
Good stories? Minjae felt most uneasy when such words came out of Kim Jinsung’s mouth.
“Among those saved were future heroes who will protect our country, as Minjae’s juniors. Many people are touched by this story.”
You must be desperate to make people feel touched. Minjae sneered inwardly. He could roughly anticipate what would come next.
“While we’re at it, I think it would be good if you two visited an esper school to inspire the children. We could also naturally expose the Center’s good educational environment.”
“I won’t do it.”
That meant journalists would swarm like bees on the day Minjae and Jihwan visited the school. Minjae immediately expressed his refusal.
“Park Jihwan?”
The Center Director called Jihwan with a smile. Minjae turned his head to the side to look at Jihwan.
Jihwan smiled awkwardly, glanced at Minjae, and answered with a small “Yes.” Minjae opened his mouth.
“Even though they’re now affiliated with the Center, these children still have deep wounds, so I don’t think public exposure would be good for them.”
The Center Director’s eyebrows twitched slightly at Minjae’s words.
“There’s strong public sympathy right now. I thought it might be a good opportunity to heal the rejection they experienced from their parents.”
“Conversely, they might end up on the chopping block.”
Hmm. The Center Director placed his interlocked hands on the desk.
“Is that Jihwan’s opinion too?”
The Center Director brought up Jihwan again. Jihwan once more moved his lips with a troubled expression but stopped.
“Jihwan, you need to think carefully. Heroes don’t just save people by physically moving. Reassuring people is also important.”
“…Yes.”
“Right now, people are focused on the heartwarming story of you two. That’s not bad. However…”
The Center Director turned his gaze to look at Minjae.
“I’m worried. It’s rare for deaths to occur at a scene where two of the most capable people in our country are deployed.”
Son of a bitch. Minjae gritted his teeth.
“If that happens, we’ll have no choice but to determine whose mistake it was.”
The Center Director was warning that if problems arose, he would cut them loose.
Espers cannot be fired. Therefore, it was impossible to guarantee what kind of responsibility they would bear.
In fact, getting fired would be more terrible. Espers who don’t fulfill their duties as espers can’t belong to society as formal “humans.”
The Center Director was essentially holding hostage the espers who had been deployed for rescue operations that day. This was the method the Center Director always used to subdue Minjae.
“That’s too much…”
“I understand. In return, please inform the journalists to minimize exposure of the children. Wouldn’t that also help the image that the Center Director needs to maintain?”
Minjae cut off what Jihwan was about to say and interjected. The Center Director nodded and smiled.
“The children will like that.”
You piece of trash. Minjae cursed inwardly as he nodded back.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
