Beyond The Control – Chapter 121

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Chapter 121

“Senior?”

But somehow, the inside was completely empty. That wasn’t the only strange thing. He had momentarily forgotten due to Jeon Hyeon-wook, but there still hadn’t been any reply to the arrival notification text he had sent to Lee Su-hyeon earlier.

For a moment, an ominous premonition crept up his spine, but Song Ji-hyeok tried to shake it off.

‘He must have gone to the bathroom or something.’

Trying to comfort himself that Su-hyeon would be back soon, he sat on the sofa and nervously bounced his leg. His gaze was endlessly fixed on the door when his quiet device made a sound.

Thinking it might be Lee Su-hyeon, he brightened and hurriedly checked the device. But the message sender was once again the Deputy Guild Master’s office.

[Esper Song Ji-hyeok, please come to the Deputy Guild Master’s office immediately. This concerns Guide Lee Su-hyeon.]

A name he absolutely couldn’t ignore caught his eye. He had already been feeling a strange uneasiness, and now that the source of that anxiety was mentioned, he couldn’t pretend not to see it and look away. Song Ji-hyeok waited a little longer for Lee Su-hyeon before finally heading to the Deputy Guild Master’s office.

When the secretary opened the door, the Deputy Guild Master was already sitting in the head seat of the sofa. He bowed his head and sat nearby, and her characteristic calm yet charismatic voice was heard.

“You’re a bit late. How’s your condition?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Despite saying that, his unstable emotional state could be felt clearly, but the Deputy Guild Master didn’t particularly point it out. Eventually, she handed Song Ji-hyeok a letter. Toward Song Ji-hyeok, who was asking with his eyes what this was, she calmly spoke again.

“Guide Lee Su-hyeon asked me to give this to you.”

At that moment, Song Ji-hyeok’s pupils visibly shook. The vague anxiety took concrete form and pressed down on his entire body.

“Where is Senior Su-hyeon right now?”

Even as he asked, he felt like he already knew the answer. The experienced Deputy Guild Master avoided giving a direct answer.

“First, read the letter.”

“……”

Song Ji-hyeok’s agitated gaze turned to the white envelope in his hand. The desire to see it and the desire not to see it waged a fierce battle, but the outcome was practically predetermined. With cold hands, he carefully unfolded the letter, and neat, well-formed handwriting came into view.

To. Ji-hyeok

Hi there? Thanks to you, it feels like I’m picking up a pen for the first time in ages. Actually, I don’t have a pen at home, so I secretly borrowed yours. The pen resembles its owner – smooth, soft, and nice ㅎㅎ

By the time you’re reading this letter, I’ll probably be in a dungeon. We promised to go together, but I think my heart would waver too much if we did… Sorry for not telling you beforehand. But please don’t be too angry ><

Lately, I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Having the word ‘pair’ in front of a title, dating sweetly with an awakened person – I lived thinking these things had nothing to do with me… But into my life like that, you came like gold falling from the sky. Looking back, it seems like after getting to know you, Ji-hyeok, each day became more active, there were more fun things, and I could feel various emotions. Thank you for filling my unremarkable life with beautiful and colorful hues. If I could become such a person to you too, I think I’d be really happy.

Even now as I write this letter, I miss you, Ji-hyeok. I’m really looking forward to what changes we’ll have when we see each other again, what special things await us. I hope you’ll hold such expectations and wait just a little!

Is there anything you want to do with me? First, I want to eat Supreme seasoned chicken until my stomach bursts, play games together that I haven’t finished the ending for yet, and when winter comes, I want to go see the ocean. You said you’ve never seen the winter ocean. Actually, me neither ㅎㅎ Oh, and when the new car comes, intensely… you know? ><ㅋㅋ

Thinking about it again, for you Ji-hyeok, it’s all just grateful things. Thank you for making me have the heart to ‘want to become a better person,’ for letting me dream of a happy future.

They say people are born with big and small pouches of luck, and I think your name, Ji-hyeok, might have been in my pouch.

I hope to be regarded as such an existence to you as well. I love you, and I’ll love you much more in the future.

Well, see you again soon!

From. Your one and only pair Guide boyfriend, Lee Su-hyeon

ps> You can’t cause a ruckus just because I’m not there, okay?? Actually, I’ve secretly planted spies everywhere (for real!!) If they tell me you waited quietly and well, I’ll give you a really wonderful gift when I return. You can look forward to it~

While Song Ji-hyeok read the letter, the Deputy Guild Master waited for him silently.

Lee Su-hyeon’s words that “this should probably be fine” turned out to be true. Song Ji-hyeok read through the letter with a face that couldn’t hide his emotions like a child, but surprisingly, he didn’t cause any commotion or disturbance and quietly raised his head. The Deputy Guild Master could see various complex and subtle emotions rippling like waves in his eyes when they met again.

As if understanding all of his feelings, the Deputy Guild Master comforted the still clumsy and incredibly young Esper with a warm smile.

“Guide Lee Su-hyeon is stronger and more steadfast than anyone. So let’s believe in him together and wait.”

Then she didn’t forget to convey what Lee Su-hyeon had earnestly requested, though she didn’t understand the meaning – some important keyword, it seemed.

“I’m also one of the spies. You know there’s nowhere in the guild that my eyes don’t reach, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. I understand you just returned from a dungeon, but today, don’t think about anything and…”

Before she could finish speaking, Song Ji-hyeok’s voice overlapped.

“Senior Su-hyeon is still in the dungeon, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then please keep sending me out as well. I think it would be better to do something rather than just spacing out.”

After a short adjustment period, Song Ji-hyeok was already handling many schedules. While it was proper to rest for about a day after returning from a dungeon, his sentiment that doing something would be better was not incomprehensible.

After brief consideration, the Deputy Guild Master decided to accommodate Song Ji-hyeok’s request.

“Alright. I’ll contact you after reviewing the schedule.”

“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave.”

Even after Song Ji-hyeok left, the Deputy Guild Master didn’t immediately take her eyes off the direction he had disappeared. As the Deputy Guild Master of Sunrise Guild and as a human being, she paid great attention to each and every guild member, and Lee Su-hyeon, who had once been like an icon of misfortune, and Song Ji-hyeok, who was establishing himself as a reliable new pillar of the guild, were no exceptions.

Particularly Song Ji-hyeok, when she first met him, seemed so stubborn that she naturally thought ‘this won’t be easy,’ and she had indeed heard several times that his personality was not to be underestimated. In crude terms, she thought it would take considerable time to make him into a proper human being… She hadn’t expected to see him mature so much in such a short period.

There was no need to think about who held Song Ji-hyeok’s reins. If they could just get through this current crisis safely, Sunrise Guild would have nothing left but to flourish as Korea’s undisputed top guild.

However, her expectations were shattered miserably not long after.

A few days later, ‘Sunrise Guild’ faced the situation of being constantly reported in the media and receiving considerable criticism from the public. For a reason they had never even dared to imagine.

***

As time passes, everything changes and fades. No matter how well you oil and thoroughly maintain a machine, it will eventually rust, and people are no exception.

Park Ung-chul, the head of Sunrise Guild, also once had a time when he commanded the world. In the early days of the chaotic era, he awakened as an S-rank Esper and participated in countless battles, experiencing all kinds of trials on land, sea, and air, living more fiercely than anyone. His life, which he thought would be forever praised as a representative hero of Korea, changed drastically after he suffered severe injuries that cost him both legs in battle.

As the claim that dungeon creation was not a temporary phenomenon became certain, leaders of various countries quickly began preparing countermeasures. Korea was no exception. They established the Central Awakened Association and prepared institutional measures that made it mandatory to undergo testing if one developed abilities.

Thanks to this, by the time he was injured, the social framework was already somewhat established, and it was a time when arguments for ‘establishing private guilds like other countries based on efficiency and flexibility’ were being actively raised. After careful consideration, Park Ung-chul cast his vote in favor of guild establishment. Since rumors of corruption by the Association had been circulating for quite some time, it seemed better to have institutions that could check each other. Also, with tens of thousands of people now identified as awakened regardless of their rank, it seemed better for Korea’s development to have each guild train them with their own characteristics rather than guiding them uniformly.

After long debates and persuasion, legislation for establishing private guilds was finally enacted in Korea. Although he had announced his retirement due to injury, Sunrise Guild, established by an S-rank Esper, attracted many talented individuals from its first year.

Through various trials and errors, Sunrise Guild gradually solidified its position. However, compared to the guild’s reputation, Guild Master Park Ung-chul rarely appeared in public.

During this time, he had suffered from all kinds of rumors unrelated to his abilities. The reality that even his pair contract with the current Deputy Guild Master and even his injury were consumed as gossip made him feel deep fatigue and doubt. As such incidents accumulated, Park Ung-chul eventually referred to himself as an old man in the back room and entered a life of seclusion, though not quite seclusion.

Today was no different. Park Ung-chul, who had arrived at his office via the Guild Master’s exclusive elevator that even low-level employees didn’t know existed, started his day with a warm cup of green tea.

On his desk were thick reports containing various incidents that had occurred overnight. Although he was said to be in seclusion, he was only minimizing his activities while maintaining interest in industry trends no less than any other Guild Master.

“Hmm.”

It was just when he was leisurely drinking tea and turning the first page of the report. His phone, which rarely rang since almost all contact was handled through his secretary, rang loudly. Seeing the name on the screen, he answered the phone happily.

“Yes, Myung-ji.”

Despite being together until he left home, his manner of calling his spouse’s name was as gentle as a spring breeze. But that tenderness didn’t last long. It was because she, who was always calm and composed, unusually raised her voice in agitation.