When they returned with ice cream, contrary to Ho-eun’s worries, Ha-jun had perked up and welcomed them back warmly. Since they’d bought a variety to choose from, the Jjoo-jjoo bar was the first to vanish. With what was left, Ho-eun and Do In-ho enjoyed a brief moment of relief from the heat as they ate.
“Alright! Let’s go again!”
After finishing the ice cream, Ho-eun resumed filming with the camcorder. Taking a deep breath, Ha-jun shouted in a solemn voice,
“Ultimate move… Fly high!”
A mound of dirt rose into the air. The soil moved gracefully in the direction of Ha-jun’s hand, almost like it was dancing, then landed right on top of the blue tarp.
With the weight of the dirt gone, the once-buried corn stalks were now visible, though bent and damaged.
“Cut!”
At the call of “cut,” Ha-jun gave a proud thumbs-up. Ho-eun made sure to capture the last frame on video, smiling in satisfaction before reaching out to Do In-ho.
Do In-ho, blinking at the offered hand, raised his own in sync—and smack! their palms met.
As he flexed his fingers from the high five, Do In-ho watched Ho-eun giving the same cheerful gesture to both Black and Ha-jun.
“So now we can head back to the office?”
“Well, technically, but…”
Ha-jun trailed off awkwardly.
“Oy! You city folks better come on down once you’re done up there!”
A voice called out from below the cornfield. Looking down, they saw an elderly woman—clearly a local—waving a cane at them and beckoning.
“We treat these rural jobs as volunteer work and help out each household. Not many people left in the countryside these days.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, so if you two are busy, feel free to head back first.”
At Ha-jun’s words, Ho-eun and Do In-ho exchanged glances.
“We’re fine. We’ll stay and help too.”
As soon as Do In-ho answered, Ho-eun gave him an approving pat on the head.
Watching him obediently get his hair ruffled, Ha-jun and Black bent over, whispering among themselves.
“He’s totally been trained by Guide Kwon Ho-eun.”
“Right? Honestly, I kinda want to be trained too—”
“Team Lead.”
At Black’s icy glare, Ha-jun quickly looked away, muttering something about checking the final setup.
When Black told the elderly woman they’d be down shortly, the old lady simply shouted back, “Just come to the chili field!” before hopping into her electric cart and disappearing.
Only after Ha-jun used his ability to move the rest of the soil to the mountain did the four of them finally head down to the pepper field.
The work there was simple—just pluck the ripe peppers gently so they wouldn’t tear. Seated in pairs on wheeled chairs, the four of them quickly got to work.
Unfortunately, the field’s owner had assigned the seats, so Ho-eun and Do In-ho ended up sitting apart. Behind Ho-eun, Ha-jun began swiftly picking peppers with impressive speed.
“Wow, Team Lead, you’re really fast!”
“Haha, it’s nothing. I grew up in the countryside. My Esper ability may be C-rank, but when it comes to farm work—I’m S-rank.”
“That’s amazing!”
“Which probably explains why I get assigned to jobs like this so often…”
Ha-jun’s tone lowered as he chuckled, placing a full basket of bright red peppers into a plastic bin and grabbing a new, empty one. His hands moved on autopilot, skillfully repeating the task.
“To be honest, when Esper Do In-ho asked if he could film, I agreed… but then I kind of regretted it. When I first manifested, the village was so proud of me they hung up a huge banner. But now, I wonder if what I’m doing is disappointing them.”
“But you still gave him permission.”
“Of course. It was Esper Do In-ho’s request.”
“Wait—what was that reaction?”
“Haha, let’s just say I owe Esper Do In-ho a favor.”
Ha-jun recalled what happened three years ago.
***
Unlike regular companies, Espers had to pass a promotion test to become team leaders. This test involved going on a mission of roughly double their current difficulty level, and performance was evaluated based on judgment, handling of the situation, and execution.
Ha-jun’s assignment was to rescue kidnapped children. It was the first time he’d been on a life-threatening mission. He still remembered how his combat uniform had been drenched with sweat.
There were three abducted children—all elementary school age. If it had been a standard missing persons case, the Esper Association wouldn’t have stepped in. But these kids were suspected pre-first-manifestation Espers.
Esper manifestations are divided into first and second stages.
The first stage applies to people with Esper-like genes, usually displaying enhanced physical or recovery abilities.
The second stage is when actual supernatural powers emerge. Only after reaching this stage is someone officially recognized as an Esper.
– The suspect and the children have been confirmed to be inside the building. Codename Yellow, status report?
“There are no external traps or devices,” Ha-jun responded through the radio.
Despite being a test, the mission was real, so other Espers stationed around the building were B-rank, while Ha-jun was the only one taking the test.
The kidnappers were regular humans who had heard rumors that first-manifestation Espers could fetch a high price.
Compared to the usual Civil Complaints work, this was a high-level mission. Still, since the enemies weren’t Espers, Ha-jun thought he’d gotten lucky.
He’d even heard some promotion tests involved terror attacks. So this? Piece of cake. He rolled a hard candy in his mouth, waiting for the go signal.
– Begin operation.
Teams were split between subduing the suspects and rescuing the hostages. Ha-jun was on the rescue team.
Slipping in through the rear of an abandoned shopping center, he started searching room by room.
A chill hung over the entire building. Pressing himself against walls and discarded furniture, he swept through empty rooms.
It had been five years since he became an Esper, but this was his first mission like this. The tension dried his throat.
As he walked silently, trying to muffle his steps, he heard faint, trembling breaths from upstairs.
After confirming the hallway was clear, he crept up the stairwell, slowly opening the door where the sound was coming from.
“Hic… hngh…”
Inside were three children, blindfolded with black cloth, mouths taped shut. One had managed to partially remove the tape, letting Ha-jun hear their muffled crying.
“This is Yellow. I’ve found the hostages.”
– Kzzzzzt.
“…Control?”
– Krrzt, kzzzzzt.
No response. Frowning, Ha-jun moved toward the children.
“You were scared, huh? It’s okay, I’ll get you out of here.”
He pulled out a knife to cut the ropes binding their hands and feet.
– Yellow, respond. Situation level has been escalated from B to A. An unidentified A-rank Esper has appeared at the site. Evacuate immediately upon hearing this me—kzzt.
“…The hell?”
He cursed instinctively. An Esper? So much for luck. He wasn’t meant to be lucky anyway—if he were, he wouldn’t have been born a C-rank Esper.
Muttering apologies to the startled children, he quickly cut through the ropes.
– Step. Step.
Then came the sound of footsteps—deliberate, confident, climbing the stairs.
An unidentified Esper, just like the radio said.
Where the hell were his teammates? Why did it sound like only one person was here?
As he stood up after freeing the last child, the door burst open.
“Heheh. Looks like we’ve got ourselves another product.”
“Gah!”
A man in a black mask raised his hand, and Ha-jun was slammed into the wall, blood spurting from his mouth.
He’s a telekinetic, same as me.
Staggering up, Ha-jun stood protectively in front of the kids.
“I don’t usually say this kind of thing… but I’ll count to three. Better run now. I’m stronger than I look.”
He wasn’t sure if the expression on his face matched his bluff. All he could think was: I’m screwed.
He’d never won a sparring match against another Esper before.
“You’re strong? Heheh… Then show me what you’ve got.”
The man raised his hand again. Ha-jun quickly crossed his arms into an X.
“Wait wait! Look, you’re obviously the villain here. But even villains wouldn’t fight in front of little kids, right? I’ve got a move that could blow this whole room to bits, so let the kids go.”
Behind him, the three children were clinging to each other, trembling.
The man clapped mockingly and replied.
“If you’re really that powerful, then you’re more valuable than those brats. Fine. Let’s get rid of the extras.”
He raised his hand. Telekinesis couldn’t be blocked with one’s body. Even if Ha-jun shielded the kids, the man’s power could lift them anyway.
Ha-jun raised his hand like the man did.
Damn… he’s heavy.
The man was strong. Ridiculously strong.
Ha-jun could barely withstand the pressure, even for a few seconds.
Could he buy enough time with just five seconds?
“No!”
When his ability faltered, Ha-jun turned and wrapped his body around the kids, shielding them as he hit the wall.
His brain rattled from the impact. Espers could recover fast, sure—but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. He clenched his teeth against the pain.
“What the hell was that? Why’d you stop using your power?”
“I don’t need it to beat someone like you.”
Letting the kids go, Ha-jun charged and threw a punch.
– Thud!
“Heheh. That’s it? You’re weak.”
Before his fist even landed, Ha-jun was slammed back into the wall.
But he bounced right back like a rubber ball, lunging again and again.
His punches never connected—not once.
“Defective product.”
Defective.
He spat out the blood in his mouth, chewing over that word.
He’d been called a failure before—but defective? That one stung worse.
But it was true. If he could only use his ability for five seconds, he wasn’t functioning properly as an Esper.
How many times had he been slammed into that wall? His healing couldn’t keep up.
Seeing the man trying to leave with the children, Ha-jun reached out.
– Thud.
A stone he’d lifted with telekinesis dropped uselessly to the floor as the five-second limit hit.
Clenching his fist, he remembered the day he learned he was an Esper—how he’d thought he’d become one of the Power Rangers.
He’d imagined himself protecting the world with strength and justice, standing alongside his teammates when he couldn’t do it alone.
But reality? He’d been placed in the Civil Complaints Division—a place nicknamed the loser squad. He was ignored by his fellow Espers.
And now, in his first real chance to save someone, he was completely helpless.
But still—Ha-jun picked up that same stone and ran.
Just as the man reached the stairwell, Ha-jun hurled it—and when it got close enough, he reactivated his ability.
“Huh?”
The rock struck the man square in the head.
Telekinesis required constant focus.
The second the man’s concentration broke, the children he was levitating dropped. He turned with a scowl.
He’s distracted.
Not missing the chance, Ha-jun used his ability again—this time to safely lower the kids down the stairs.
