# Chapter 41
“Are you saying the enemy infiltrated the training center?”
The Alpha Team members’ faces changed in different ways as they realized they’d left Hajin alone with a dagger lurking right under his chin.
Some contorted with anger, others with guilt. But beneath their varied expressions, one common emotion prevailed: hatred toward the culprit.
When the Association Chairman coughed under the weight of their killing intent, they forcibly suppressed it. That killing intent needed to be directed elsewhere.
“But how did that Guide return safely? And why did he go with Hajin in the first place?”
Baek Jaan asked sharply. He knew Han Jiwoo well. Before Hajin came along, Han Jiwoo was the only A-class Guide who could perform Guiding on S-class Espers.
Although Baek Jaan and the rest of Alpha Team were exceptional even among S-class Espers, Han Jiwoo’s Guiding hadn’t been effective for them, so they hadn’t met since then.
“We haven’t figured that out yet. He’s unconscious and hasn’t regained consciousness—”
Knock, knock.
“Chairman, Guide Han Jiwoo and Employee Kim Jinseo have regained consciousness.”
At the voice from outside, the Alpha Team rose to their feet.
“Let’s go.”
The Chairman swallowed a sigh. If he brought Alpha Team along, it would clearly look like an interrogation, but he doubted they would obey if he told them to wait patiently.
In the end, the Chairman had no choice but to bring Alpha Team with him. They first headed to the isolation room where Kim Jinseo was being held—the employee who had called Hajin and Han Jiwoo and led them to the mountain road.
It could have been the work of an Esper with mind control abilities. Though Kim was likely a victim himself, Association employees were interrogating him thoroughly as a precaution.
“Don’t just keep saying you don’t remember. Think harder. What did you do before your memory cuts off? Was there anyone suspicious?”
“I-I really don’t remember anything! It’s like someone completely extracted my memories… nothing comes to mind…”
The interrogating employee sighed at the repetitive exchange. Watching this conversation, Baek Jaan said to the Chairman:
“Let’s go see Guide Han Jiwoo.”
The reply came from the secretary who had somehow attached himself to them.
“Guide Han Jiwoo is still in shock and needs more time to stabilize.”
“So? Is there anything more important right now than Hyung Hajin?”
There was no threat in his voice. He was simply asking. His expression remained composed. Yet when the secretary met Baek Jaan’s eyes, he felt like a frog facing a snake and couldn’t breathe.
“Baek Jaan.”
When Cha Jinwoo called his name, Baek Jaan shifted his gaze, and only then could the secretary breathe again.
“Cough! Huff!”
“…Let’s go.”
The Chairman made a quick decision. It was clear that agitating them now wouldn’t end well.
Inwardly, he clicked his tongue. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known Hajin would become precious to them.
In fact, it was his own decision to primarily assign Hajin—who could care for all S-class Espers—to Alpha Team in order to put a leash on them. But that choice was made with the confidence that Hajin would remain bound to the Association.
Yet now Hajin had been taken from what was beyond his front yard—practically from his very gut.
The Chairman felt beyond heartburn; he felt as if he’d been stabbed by an invisible knife.
Unable to fully hide his inner turmoil, the Chairman’s footsteps were rough. Considering the current situation, Han Jiwoo was closer to a victim than a suspect, so the place where he was kept had slightly tighter security.
“Guide Han Jiwoo, the Chairman and Alpha Team are here. We’re coming in.”
Han Jiwoo’s complexion was pale, confirming the claim that he had suffered a great shock. Treated with bandages and band-aids from what appeared to be a fall, he looked every bit the victim and patient.
“…I’m sorry. I was with him, but I couldn’t do anything.”
Han Jiwoo bit his lip in distress, as if Hajin’s abduction were his fault.
No one would blame a Guide with no special abilities, yet he seemed overwhelmed with guilt.
“Well, it’s fortunate that at least Guide Han Jiwoo returned safely.”
The Chairman, whose mood had been soured by Hajin’s kidnapping, felt somewhat better seeing Han Jiwoo’s attitude.
After all, they’d nearly lost one of their precious few A-class talents, though not as valuable as S-class.
Feeling the intensifying pressure from behind him, the Chairman cleared his throat and addressed Han Jiwoo.
“I know you need more rest, but this is an urgent matter, so I need to ask you a few questions.”
“I’m fine. If I can be of any help.”
“Then please explain what was happening before your memory cuts off.”
Han Jiwoo bit his lip tightly as if recalling the incident was burdensome, but soon composed himself and began to speak.
Unlike Kim Jinseo, who only repeated that he couldn’t remember, Han Jiwoo provided details of the situation. However, Alpha Team focused intently, looking for holes in his story.
“The car stopped, and since it was an empty mountain road, Hyung Hajin and I were on guard… Then suddenly the employee who had called us dragged me out of the car.”
Before continuing, Han Jiwoo unconsciously swallowed.
“Hyung Hajin tried to help me, but Seo Juan…”
Although Han Jiwoo would be the first to sell him out if necessary, Seo Juan hadn’t told him to keep his identity secret.
“Seo Juan?!”
The Chairman’s eyes widened in surprise. It wasn’t that the name was unexpected.
In fact, when Hajin was kidnapped, the first group that came to mind was the anti-government faction. And the very first name that came to mind was undoubtedly Seo Juan.
So why was he so surprised?
“Are you saying the anti-government bastards have an Esper with mind control abilities…?”
The problem was that the Association had failed to identify this fact. The Chairman clenched his fist at the gravity of the situation.
He needed to resolve this matter somehow. If this crisis, which reflected his incompetence, dragged on, his reputation would undoubtedly suffer.
“Let’s hear the rest of the story first.”
Cha Jinwoo calmed the agitated Chairman. What mattered to him wasn’t the Chairman’s incompetence.
Whether the Chairman changed or not, figuring out what had happened to Hajin and rescuing him was more important.
At Cha Jinwoo’s words, the Chairman nodded and composed himself. With a nod indicating that Han Jiwoo should continue, Han Jiwoo resumed speaking.
“When I saw Seo Juan appear, I tried to escape somehow to report the situation, but I lost consciousness without realizing it. I didn’t actually see him take Hyung, but…”
There was no doubt he was the culprit. Just as the Chairman was about to order his secretary to raid the anti-government faction’s hideout immediately:
“But why did they call you there?”
Han Seungho, who had been watching the pale-faced Han Jiwoo with a blank expression throughout, suddenly threw out a question. Hearing it, everyone couldn’t help but wonder.
No matter how exceptional Hajin was as an unranked Guide, only those who had been present during his rank assessment knew this fact.
Despite how incomparable S-class and A-class Guides were, even A-class Guides were rare among the anti-government faction.
Naturally, they should have coveted Han Jiwoo, an A-class Guide, yet it was strange that they specifically called him out but didn’t take him.
Han Jiwoo’s body couldn’t help but tremble under the gazes of the S-class Espers fixed on him. However, he made no effort to hide that trembling.
Even if there was some suspicion, without concrete evidence, there was no reason for him, as a Guide, to be persecuted.
Han Jiwoo answered in a trembling voice. He must have anticipated such a question.
“I-I’ve been wondering about that too. Why me of all people? I think they must have been watching me accompany Hyung lately.”
“You were accompanying Hajin Hyung?”
Han Seungho, who had thought Hajin wouldn’t have anyone he was close with, recalled the messages he would receive on days when Hajin visited the training center.
[I’m at a cafe, will come later. I have a companion and will be there before dinner, so wait patiently.]
It wasn’t always with someone, but about one-third of the time, there would be a message saying he was with a companion.
“Could it be that you’re the companion he mentioned?”
Though it was an abrupt question without context, Han Jiwoo, who had seen Hajin texting Espers several times, somehow understood and nodded.
“If you’re talking about the person who was with Hyung after exercise, then yes, that’s me.”
After answering Han Seungho’s question, Han Jiwoo continued with what he had been saying.
“Hyung Hajin usually prefers to go around alone, but he often went with me, so I think he might have been using me. To reassure everyone.”
Since Hajin himself hadn’t been suspicious, there was credibility to those words.
Han Jiwoo spoke with a face full of guilt. His voice was laden with moisture, so anyone would have seen that he was struggling with remorse.
“It’s all my fault. I should have been more suspicious…! I acted carelessly because it was a call from an employee I knew.”
In the end, he broke down and burst into tears, making it impossible to continue questioning him. Of course, Han Jiwoo’s tears had no effect on Alpha Team.
But with the Guide-cherishing Chairman stepping in to end the meeting, they couldn’t press further.
“That’s enough for today.”
“But Chairman.”
Cha Jinwoo stepped forward as the representative, but the Chairman was firm. They already knew who the culprit was, and if it was the anti-government faction led by Seo Juan, the priority was to strike them and recover Hajin.
“Rescuing Guide Lee Hajin comes first.”
With Hajin at stake, Alpha Team couldn’t insist further. Reluctantly, they followed the Chairman. However, a sliver of doubt remained with them.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
