# Chapter 20
He began to worry that the man might take him instead, like a chicken substituting for a pheasant.
Han Jiwoo, who had been raised sheltered under the Association’s protection, held at least a slight fear of the world outside the Association. This was the power of education that the Association had provided since childhood.
They particularly emphasized the dangers of forces other than the Association. Anti-Esper groups were described as people who would do anything to eliminate Espers.
For such people, killing a Guide wouldn’t be difficult. In fact, Hajin had nearly been shot by them.
But that didn’t mean the anti-government people were any better. Han Jiwoo wouldn’t be able to act as he was accustomed to there.
Hadn’t Seo Juan just said with his own mouth that Guides were few? If he were captured there, he would surely become nothing more than a slave performing Guiding.
“Thinking of calling for help?”
Han Jiwoo quickly turned at Seo Juan’s voice. He didn’t know what the man might do behind his back. Though he tried to turn around confidently, he was still scared and unconsciously took a few steps backward.
“…If I scream, Espers will come running.”
“Liar. This is the Guide training center. Espers can’t enter, as I understand it?”
‘How do you even know that…!’
Han Jiwoo bit his lip hard to keep himself from cursing out loud.
He was completely like a mouse caught in a trap. His heartbeat seemed audible in his ears from tension and fear.
After those words, Han Jiwoo was subdued by the gaze that simply stared at him without saying anything. Like a frog before a snake, he ultimately trembled in fear.
“Aw, why so tense? I’m an Esper—you don’t think I’d harm a Guide, do you?”
So breathe, breathe.
Only upon hearing those words did Han Jiwoo realize he hadn’t been breathing.
“Hah! Cough! Hah, hah…!”
Han Jiwoo doubled over, coughing violently. After gasping for a while to recover his breath, he finally straightened up and glared at Seo Juan.
Seo Juan let out a small exclamation at the still-defiant gaze.
“Oh, you’ve got spirit.”
“What are you trying to pull…?”
Seo Juan snickered.
“Pull? I came to make a proposal.”
“…A proposal?”
Questions filled Han Jiwoo’s eyes. Seo Juan concealed his true intentions, approached with a bright smile, and before Han Jiwoo could back away, put an arm around his shoulders like they were close friends and whispered in his ear.
“Don’t you want to get rid of Lee Hajin?”
He couldn’t answer immediately.
When his innermost thoughts, which he hadn’t shared with anyone, were exposed, words failed him. But more frightening was how this man had found him at such perfect timing.
Han Jiwoo certainly did see Hajin as a thorn in his side. But his hatred had intensified to this degree because of the conversation he’d just overheard.
So how did this man know to come looking for him now, at this exact moment when his hatred for Hajin was at its peak, and whisper such words?
‘I need to be careful.’
Han Jiwoo swallowed dryly, tense once again. This was a trap. Unless the man could read minds, the timing was too perfect.
“It’s just a proposal, that’s all. Don’t be so tense. You get rid of someone you can’t stand, and we get a Guide. It’s a win-win.”
“…Ha, do I look stupid enough to fall for that kind of talk?”
“Hmm?”
Han Jiwoo roughly pushed away the arm draped over his shoulder. Despite his strength being insignificant compared to an Esper’s, Seo Juan stepped back willingly.
Having regained some courage just by increasing the distance between them, Han Jiwoo glared at him fiercely and continued.
“I have no reason to cooperate with you, but even if I did, do you think the Association would be satisfied with just an A-class Guide after losing their only S-class Guide? And if you talk, I’m the only one who gets screwed. Do you take me for an idiot?”
Han Jiwoo stared with cold, fierce eyes, forgetting his trembling, but Seo Juan laughed out loud in response. This was not something to do in the middle of enemy territory, no matter how secluded the spot.
“Haha, you have a point. But I’ll come back again, so think about it.”
With those words, Seo Juan vanished.
His abrupt retreat seemed even more suspicious, but Han Jiwoo, who had been extremely tense, had no mental space to consider that.
“…Haa.”
Han Jiwoo exhaled roughly and slumped down, leaning against the wall. For someone who had only faced danger under the protection of Espers, a threat without a protective shield was too much to handle.
After sitting there for a while, waiting for strength to return to his body, someone approached Han Jiwoo.
They say once bitten, twice shy. Han Jiwoo jerked his head up at the sound of approaching footsteps. His intense reaction surprised the other person instead.
“Oh my!”
It was Deputy Manager Park Hyunjun. He must have been in the habit of smoking here, as there was a cigarette in his mouth. He had simply approached to see who was sitting there, with no particular intention.
Park Hyunjun was startled to see Han Jiwoo drenched in sweat and glaring at him.
“Guide Han Jiwoo, are you alright? Why are you sweating…?”
‘Should I tell him?’
Seo Juan was a key figure in the anti-government faction. Moreover, due to his vaunted abilities, he was considered one of the most troublesome individuals by the Association. Just his appearance at the Guide training center was a serious matter.
‘But he said he’ll come back again, so think about it.’
Han Jiwoo, who had been about to speak, closed his mouth firmly.
“If you’re not feeling well, I can call the medical team.”
“No! I’m fine. I was just feeling a little unwell and sat down, but I’m better now.”
Han Jiwoo couldn’t understand himself. An encounter with Seo Juan, especially his appearance at the Guide training center, was a code red level of danger.
So why was he keeping quiet?
‘…I’m afraid I might be suspected too. Nothing happened anyway. There’s no need to make trouble where there is none.’
Han Jiwoo swallowed hard, his face rigid.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Now that we have Guide Lee Hajin, you don’t have to push yourself so hard alone, Guide Han Jiwoo.”
Park Hyunjun had spoken with the intention of lightening Han Jiwoo’s burden.
However, for Han Jiwoo, who had been stubbornly carrying that burden out of his own greed, the words had a negative impact.
‘Damn it, Lee Hajin… Lee Hajin!’
The usual Han Jiwoo would have shouted in rage, asking what he lacked compared to that guy, but he merely kept his mouth tightly shut instead.
“I’ll handle it myself. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
His jaw ached from clenching his teeth, but he didn’t relax. Only Deputy Manager Park was left, scratching the back of his head in confusion.
* * *
At that time, Hajin was heading to his original home to gather his belongings. Of course, he wasn’t alone. Han Seungho and Baek Jaan sat on either side of Hajin, exchanging hostile words.
Having argued over who would sit next to Hajin, they had ended up placing Hajin in the middle.
‘The middle seat is the most uncomfortable.’
It seemed these immature Espers, regardless of their preferences, didn’t understand the concept of consideration.
Moreover, with them constantly talking from both sides, it was also noisy. Even Hajin, who prided himself on his patience, was starting to get irritated.
“Let’s stay quiet on the way.”
Fortunately, they at least listened when Hajin spoke like this. If they had ignored him completely, he would have seriously considered asking to change teams.
Though he could feel them watching his mood from both sides as he appeared displeased, Hajin just looked straight ahead.
Only then did he acutely realize why Cha Jinwoo had seriously said there was no need to indulge their whims.
As the surroundings quieted down, time seemed to pass more quickly. The scenery gradually became familiar, and soon the car stopped in front of a familiar building.
“Association staff have already completed a search, and they’re still watching the surroundings, so you can feel at ease.”
Nodding, Hajin entered the building and opened the front door. He widened his eyes at the sight that greeted him.
“This is…”
In response to his stunned voice, Cha Jinwoo spoke in a small voice, as if embarrassed.
“Um, the situation was so urgent that they probably didn’t think to take off their shoes.”
Footprints. Black footprints were spread all over the floor of the house. Intellectually, Hajin understood.
When someone might be hiding in the house or there might be traps, who would think about taking off their shoes?
…Still, looking at the shoe marks spread throughout the house was horrible. It was like having to tolerate someone climbing onto a bed with their shoes on.
‘No, this isn’t my house anymore anyway.’
The Association had agreed to dispose of the house on behalf of Hajin, who had become part of the Association and would be living in their quarters. Once he reminded himself it wasn’t his house anymore, his mind eased considerably. ‘I don’t have to clean it up.’
“I’ll just gather my things, so please wait here for a moment.”
“Can I help you?”
Lee Doyoon approached with ulterior motives, but when Hajin shook his head, he retreated, clicking his tongue softly.
Leaving the four men sitting on the sofa, Hajin headed to his room. He planned to pack only what he needed, thinking he would discard all the small items.
He opened the suitcase he had brought and first packed his clothes. Since he didn’t really go out except on days off, most of the clothes were formal suits.
‘I’ll need to buy some new clothes.’
After packing clothes and underwear, he opened the drawer. It was a space where he kept important items. He had worried that something might be missing, but since the targets were after Hajin himself, all the items were intact, with nothing missing.
After making sure he hadn’t forgotten to pack his bankbook, personal seal, and necessary documents, there was nothing else to pack.
It wasn’t because Hajin lived frugally, but because everything else was already prepared within the Association, so there was nothing else to pack separately.
“That should be all I need.”
Finally, Hajin packed a framed family photo taken when he was young. Since his parents passed away, he hadn’t taken any photos except for graduation pictures or ID photos.
For someone like him, this framed photo was his only childhood memory.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
