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It was the leader of the Seowol Guild. That bad guy who mistreated Ha Seojun.
“Don’t glare so hard and sit down. I don’t intend to take up much of your time.”
Kwak Seokjin gestured with his chin towards the metal chair opposite him. As Siwoo tried to step back, he pointed at the CCTV inside the room with a sharp glance.
“If I harm you, I’m the one with more to lose.”
He tapped the desk with his bandaged fingertips.
“Sit down. I came here with a purpose.”
Siwoo didn’t approach the desk completely. He just stood near the door, glaring at him. He wanted to complain to the staff immediately, but he was curious about Seokjin’s supposed purpose. It seemed likely to be about Seojun.
“It’s about Ha Seojun. You just need to answer my questions.”
I knew it. As his prediction came true, Siwoo couldn’t leave. Finally, he carefully closed the door while keeping his eyes wide open.
Creeak.
He felt he should limit the ears listening, not knowing what words might come out of that mouth. Pressing his back against the wall, he gripped the doorknob, ready to dash out if things went wrong.
“Being cautious is a good quality for a guide.”
Kwak Seokjin crossed his arms and stared at Siwoo from afar. Siwoo got goosebumps from the cold gaze fixed on him. It was also strange.
Even though not much time had passed, Kwak Seokjin’s face looked much older than before. His posture seemed hunched too. His complexion was much darker. He looked like he had aged 10 years in that short time.
“Ha Seojun first revealed his true form in Area A7. No, should I say he was exposed?”
“What do you want to ask?”
“All information about that guy.”
Siwoo’s eyebrows twitched as he stood with a surly expression. Kwak Seokjin continued speaking, sneering at Siwoo’s wariness. He said to tell him everything he knew about Ha Seojun. Anything, no matter how trivial.
“Why are you snooping around behind people’s backs?”
Of course, Siwoo didn’t give in easily. He barely listened to his assigned Espers, so why would he comply with a stranger’s words?
“You don’t like the Baekya Guild, right?”
This was the first time Siwoo had seen someone harbor hostility towards the Baekya Guild. It seemed his disregard for the youngest wasn’t just because he was a beastkin Esper.
“Are you trying to find fault and bring them down?”
Before the Baekya Guild was formed, Seowol had been the representative guild of South Korea. This was a fact known to all citizens, including Siwoo.
Even if they had lost the number one position, how could they hate the Baekya Guild like this?
Words rose to the tip of his tongue: You should be grateful they’re protecting what you couldn’t. He wanted to warn him not to scheme behind their backs.
“What are you trying to achieve by destroying a symbol of peace?”
But his voice didn’t come out as loudly as he intended. It was almost as if he was just moving his lips, his voice shrinking. It felt like those gloomy snake-like eyes were stealing his voice away.
Don’t be intimidated. There’s no need to be afraid.
Siwoo pushed out his chest, trying not to let his shoulders curl forward. As the dedicated guide of the Baekya Guild, he tried not to show any fear. If by any chance that guy attacked him, he had four people who would seek revenge for him. The strongest guys in the Center were on his side. So there was nothing to fear.
“Seems you’ve grown quite attached in such a short time.”
Kwak Seokjin stood up from his chair. The screech of the metal chair was drowned out by his heavy footsteps.
“I have no personal grudge. I’m working for everyone’s sake. To protect the safety of the Center.”
He walked to the window and stopped. His gaze, looking out at the sunset-tinged window, was cold.
“Dangerous elements must be eliminated before they take root.”
Siwoo frowned and turned the doorknob. He was about to leave the room when-
“Do you know what Guild Master Kang Taebeom did first when he manifested his power?”
Kwak Seokjin caught Siwoo’s attention again.
“He made his own brother an idiot.”
He turned his head towards Siwoo and smiled like a snake. With his back to the window, his face was shrouded in darkness. Even in the shadows, his cold gaze remained uncovered.
“He completely erased his brother’s old memories, saying they would hinder his future.”
He pressed his thumb and middle finger to his temple, as if holding a gun to his head.
“Isn’t that amazing?”
Kwak Seokjin let out a heavy laugh and shook his head.
“He mercilessly removes anything that gets in his way and takes all the credit for himself. He sets all kinds of rules as if his word is law, but always makes exceptions for his own guild.”
The moment he mentioned Taebeom’s name, he started rambling non-stop like a floodgate had opened. In the end, he seemed to forget Siwoo’s presence and muttered towards the window.
“To think such a greenhorn represents our country’s guilds. Just because he manifested some fancy ability.”
The veins on his forehead bulged visibly. Cold sweat even formed around his wrinkled eyes.
Siwoo just watched as Kwak Seokjin rambled on by himself. No matter what he said about Kang Taebeom, Siwoo absolutely refused to take it to heart. He tried not to even keep it in his mind.
Kwak Seokjin wiped his sweat and turned back to Siwoo. His white face, devoid of expression, had sunk heavily. The blue eyes shining brightly within showed not the slightest hint of wavering. Seeing this, the corner of Kwak Seokjin’s mouth twitched.
“You beastkin…”
He rolled his tongue in his mouth as if swallowing his words and brushed back his sweat-soaked hair.
“Once you give your heart, you never let go.”
He muttered in a sneering tone as he returned to the desk and picked up his coat hanging on the chair. Even as he prepared to leave, his mouth kept moving. This time, he suddenly brought up the story of the past saturation period.
“Back then, there were many who went berserk. We had to erase names from the guild roster almost weekly.”
He buttoned up his jacket and took a step towards Siwoo.
“More than half of the crossed-out names were beastkin Espers.”
Even his slow approach reminded one of a venomous snake. As the distance closed, Siwoo’s eyes narrowed slightly towards him.
“Remember this. Those guys never self-destruct alone. They drag the people around them to death and into the mud with them.”
They were now close enough to touch if they reached out. Siwoo didn’t avoid him and maintained eye contact until the end. With his chin raised high, he spoke in the firmest voice he could muster.
“You’re going berserk too.”
“…”
“Don’t act like only beastkin do that.”
A frozen silence passed between them. Kwak Seokjin’s expression, which had held a sneer, hardened. He looked as if he might snap Siwoo’s neck right there.
“Well, we’ll see about that.”
Kwak Seokjin left with those final words. The menacing aura continued to linger around Siwoo’s neck even after he disappeared.
Zing, ziiiing-. As he vanished through teleportation, Siwoo’s watch vibrated. It was an alert warning of his elevated heart rate.
“Haah…”
As the tension released, Siwoo slumped to the floor. His frightened heart was making a fuss, begging to be saved.
Siwoo pressed down on his pounding chest and glared at the spot where Kwak Seokjin had been.
* * *
First, Siwoo did what he had to do. He completed the second test and returned to the dormitory, forcing himself to eat. Although he had no appetite, he put something in his stomach to replenish his energy.
Then he immediately contacted the secretary. He wanted to calm down, organize his thoughts, and then report about his encounter with Kwak Seokjin.
Riiing-
However, just as the call connected, Siwoo pressed the end button. Sitting on the living room sofa, he stared blankly at the darkened phone screen. Then he opened the phone book again. This time, he dialed a different number, not the secretary’s.
Riiing-
The properly connected call tone rang for a long time. As the time he held the phone to his ear lengthened, he began to regret not just telling the secretary. He probably won’t answer anyway since he’s busy, why did I even call?
He touched the hard back of the phone, waiting for the call to disconnect. If he didn’t answer, Siwoo planned to contact the secretary again right away.
― What.
However, just as he was about to lower the phone, a deep voice came through. It was Kang Taebeom’s voice.
“Ah, I…”
As the surprised Siwoo opened and closed his mouth, a loud roar sounded from the other end of the phone. It was full of monster noises, probably from a gate site. The surroundings were so chaotic that Taebeom’s calm voice seemed out of place.
― Speak.
Soon after, Taebeom’s surroundings became quiet. Had he moved? Even the ear-splitting screams of the monsters had completely subsided.
“I went for my rank assessment today.”
Siwoo relayed his message as clearly as Taebeom had spoken. He said that the Seowol Guild leader had come looking for him and asked about Seojun. He fumed as he recounted how the man had made frightening statements about eliminating dangerous elements and uprooting them. Saying it out loud made him angry again.
However, he couldn’t bring himself to mention the part about Geonho. The words wouldn’t come out.
― Were you alone?
At Taebeom’s first response, Siwoo hesitated and then nodded. He nodded vigorously even though there was no one in front of him.
“Yes, I was alone. We were in a room, so no one else heard.”
Siwoo emphasized that it was a soundproof room. As he told Taebeom not to worry, a sound like something being crushed came through the phone. It also sounded like something exploding.
― Next time, don’t engage. Report directly to me.
Siwoo, pressing the phone close to his ear, replied with a “Yes.” So he was asking out of concern. I hadn’t even thought of that.
“Ah, and there’s more.”
Fearing Taebeom might end the call, Siwoo quickly continued the conversation.
“That person seemed a bit off. He was sweating a lot and looked unwell. His wavelength also seemed a bit…”
― Did he release his wavelength in front of you?
“No, not that. It seemed to be leaking out.”
He hadn’t intentionally emitted his wavelength. If he had, Siwoo would have noticed immediately. Although he was just beginning to sense Esper wavelengths, he could at least distinguish that much.
For a leader-level Esper to leak wavelength… His physical condition must have been really poor. Moreover, the energy of the leaked wavelength was strange. It felt like the energy of a lower-level Esper. Even to Siwoo, a guide, it didn’t feel intimidating at all.
― Don’t worry about it.
Siwoo, who had been straining to remember, lowered his head at the curt voice. But I am worried, what can I do? He closed his mouth, not wanting to answer, and an awkward silence fell. For about 30 seconds, he just held the phone without saying anything. I should probably hang up soon.
― Don’t go around alone.
Siwoo’s finger, which had been moving towards the end call button, returned to its place. After that, Taebeom told Siwoo to hang up when he was done saying what he needed to say. For some reason, Siwoo didn’t want to end the call and threw out another question.
“What’s your wavelength reading?”
― It’s stable.
Again, he ran out of things to say. He rolled his eyes for a moment, then lifted his legs onto the sofa and moved his lips.
“Are you eating properly?”
As soon as he asked, Taebeom’s surroundings became noisy again. A new gate must have opened, as monster cries started to be heard again.
― Yeah.
With that brief answer, the surrounding noise quieted down once more. Siwoo found this change fascinating but thought he should really end the call now.
― What about you?
“Pardon?”
However, this time Taebeom continued the conversation.
― I asked if you’ve eaten.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
