Not Imprisonment, but Living Together (1)
Sa Hae-geon had shown signs of going berserk? For a moment, my mind went blank. Espers who experience signs of going berserk invariably become fixated on Guiding. Even after receiving sufficient Guiding, they can’t feel at ease and cling desperately like children. All the Espers I’ve seen so far were like that.
But Sa Hae-geon remained detached about Guiding despite experiencing signs of going berserk. Being an S-class Esper doesn’t necessarily mean he can control his desire for Guiding better.
I stared at my trembling hand, realizing I had been gripping the phone too tightly, then closed my eyes tight. Though I felt bad for reading his message without permission, now that I had confirmed with my own eyes that he’d shown signs of going berserk, I couldn’t just ignore it.
“Hae-geon.”
“Yes.”
I unconsciously sighed at his usual calm response.
“…Hyung?”
Whether he sensed something with an Esper’s characteristic sharp intuition, Sa Hae-geon called me with a tense voice. I had to choose. Should I ask about the signs of going berserk right now, or should I cover it up for now and have a serious conversation later?
The former would ease my mind, but I didn’t want to burden Sa Hae-geon while he was driving. If I were to ask, I should do it when we got home. I put the phone back in Sa Hae-geon’s coat pocket, brainwashing myself.
‘I only saw the articles about Shin Woo-jun. I didn’t even see the messages.’
Thinking that way made my mind feel calmer.
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, that… It really is Shin Woo-jun. There are so many articles. No lie, there must be a hundred of them.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He must hold a grudge against Jong-hyeok hyung, I wonder if he’s okay?”
Instead of asking about going berserk, I changed the subject with a plausible topic, and Sa Hae-geon reacted.
“Jong-hyeok… hyung?”
“Ah, An Jong-hyeok the Esper. Hmm, maybe you don’t know him well?”
“No, I do know him…”
Sa Hae-geon stopped there and closed his mouth. He seemed to have more to say but was considering whether it was appropriate. With a serious expression that created a small wrinkle between his eyebrows, Sa Hae-geon soon moved his lips.
“Do many people call you hyung too? Do you call people you’re close to hyung? So are you close with that Esper An Jong-hyeok?”
Hearing Sa Hae-geon’s questions, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. I didn’t expect him to be so curious. Was he interested in my relationships? I glanced at Sa Hae-geon’s strangely furrowed face and said:
“Well, we’re pretty close. I’ve been on the same team as Jong-hyeok hyung since we were young. Back then, Jong-hyeok hyung wasn’t a team leader Esper yet.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. He was a regular team member like me. The person who was the team leader back then is now the Esper Center Director at the Central Center.”
“Are you close with that person too?”
“Not exactly close friends… Just sort of comrades-in-arms? I called him uncle in private settings.”
“Comrades-in-arms… uncle…”
Sa Hae-geon repeated the words I’d said several times, as if they left an impression. Well, it made sense that he would be surprised, since he hadn’t properly experienced social life yet. Even I, during my training school days, constantly heard that centers and guilds had strict hierarchical systems where you had to be on your best behavior.
Of course, the ability users I actually encountered in society weren’t that rigid. They didn’t obsess over hierarchy unless they were in the field, and in the office or private settings, they would casually call each other by name.
Thinking about my team members whom I hadn’t thought about for a while, I suddenly missed them. More precisely, I missed the moments when we worked together happily.
While I was briefly lost in thought, I suddenly heard Sa Hae-geon’s voice.
“So other people besides me call you hyung?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking if I’m not the only one who calls you hyung.”
I couldn’t help but laugh softly at Sa Hae-geon’s words. A sidelong glance showed his sulky face. Could he possibly be jealous? Was that why he had been muttering the words “comrades-in-arms” and “uncle” earlier?
How cute. I decided to play along with his adorable behavior in my own way.
“Of course not.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I don’t think anyone calls me hyung as cutely as you do, Hae-geon.”
Sa Hae-geon, who had momentarily frozen, suddenly blushed and became flustered. Seeing the embarrassment spread across his pretty face made me want to laugh even more.
“T-that’s not what I was asking. Why do you keep…”
The veins on the back of his hands bulged as he gripped the steering wheel. As I chuckled at the sight, I once again remembered the message that came to Sa Hae-geon’s phone and felt uneasy.
‘When did he show signs of going berserk? He seemed fine when he was with me…’
Could it have happened while I was asleep? If so, I might not have noticed. I was a heavy sleeper. That was both an advantage and disadvantage in dungeons, and though I’d tried various ways to fix it, I always failed. There was nothing I could do about my inherent sleep habits.
Anyway, I examined Sa Hae-geon’s face with eyes now devoid of laughter, then turned my gaze to the window.
“Hyung, how about kimchi fried rice for dinner?”
“Kimchi fried rice? Sounds good to me.”
Sa Hae-geon nodded at my answer, then focused on driving again. Though the road was filled with cars as it was close to dinnertime, I didn’t feel bored because I was talking with Sa Hae-geon.
* * *
Nam In-cheol, the chief researcher at the Dungeon Research Institute, had been extremely tired ever since the Ability Department identified Shin Woo-jun as the culprit in the Gust incident. Nam In-cheol sat in a chair in his private break room, staring at the firmly closed door while sipping coffee.
After adding six shots, the coffee was so bitter that it was hard to tell whether it was coffee or poison, but isn’t coffee better the more bitter it is? The bitterness was refreshing and very good.
Though nothing had been arranged, Nam In-cheol was waiting for a visitor in his break room as if he were certain someone would come.
“It should be about time…”
Nam In-cheol had only one hour, and he had already spent about thirty minutes waiting for his visitor. If they didn’t arrive within five minutes, he would lock the break room door and go to sleep without regret. Just as he was anxiously checking his wristwatch:
The closed door burst open, and the visitor he had been waiting for barged in. Nam In-cheol, soothing his startled heart, glared at the person who had come to his break room as if they were an unexpected intruder.
“I told you to fix that habit of barging in without making an appointment, didn’t I? It’s lucky that I happened to be on break. Why are you such a stubborn kid?”
“Nam In-cheol.”
“Yes, I’m Nam In-cheol. So what?”
“Did you see what the Ability Department announced?”
“Yes, I saw it. I saw it this time. You’ve been pestering me about it, so of course I saw it. Anyway, why are you here this time?”
“When is the expected date for the S-class dungeon to appear? Has it been determined precisely?”
With his brow furrowed at the completely unexpected question, Nam In-cheol asked curiously:
“Why are you suddenly curious about when the S-class dungeon will appear? Weren’t you going to beg to borrow a tracker again this time? Did you really give up?”
“Answer me.”
Nam In-cheol looked incredulously at An Jong-hyeok, who was confidently demanding information as if it were his right, then sighed. Probably no one could win against An Jong-hyeok when he was being stubborn with that face.
“They’re estimating about 40 days left.”
“40 days? Is that certain?”
“Well, even if there’s an error, it’ll be within an hour, just like with other dungeons.”
“Then I need to deal with Shin Woo-jun before that.”
“Well, that would be good if it’s possible, but is it an easy task? From what I can see, he doesn’t seem to be alone. He has quite a few Espers with him, doesn’t he?”
An Jong-hyeok only twitched his eyebrow without giving any particular answer. What a frustrating person. Nam In-cheol tapped the seat opposite him with his index finger.
“Sit down.”
An Jong-hyeok glanced at the seat Nam In-cheol indicated and pulled out the chair to sit.
“Do you think Shin Woo-jun can find a highly compatible Guide in Korea?”
“I don’t know yet. Dozens of new Guides have awakened since Shin Woo-jun was imprisoned.”
“That’s not what I meant… What I’m saying is, isn’t there a possibility that Shin Woo-jun will go back for Jeon Ju-hwan?”
“Jeon Ju-hwan?”
An Jong-hyeok frowned as he pondered Nam In-cheol’s words. Given their high compatibility rate, Shin Woo-jun had even formed a pair with Jeon Ju-hwan and considered him quite important. If their relationship hadn’t soured in that way, Shin Woo-jun would have really intended to ‘use’ Jeon Ju-hwan for life.
“Honestly, from Shin Woo-jun’s perspective, who could be more convenient than Jeon Ju-hwan? High compatibility rate, good Guiding performance… There’s no one more suitable than him, I tell you. So rather than searching around for a highly compatible Guide who may or may not be in Korea, wouldn’t it be much better to capture Jeon Ju-hwan, who emigrated, and bring him back?”
“…If that’s the case.”
“Yes. He’ll definitely go looking for Jeon Ju-hwan. What satisfaction would he get from receiving Guiding from some Guide found through back channels? It would only leave him wanting more.”
Nam In-cheol clicked his tongue at An Jong-hyeok’s expression, which had become serious at some point, and added:
“If I were you, I’d have someone watch over Jeon Ju-hwan. Isn’t that the fastest way to catch Shin Woo-jun from behind?”
As soon as Nam In-cheol finished speaking, An Jong-hyeok left the break room without even saying goodbye. Nam In-cheol shook his head.
“Always in such a hurry.”
It was certainly something he could have figured out on his own, but he was so impatient that he couldn’t see it. Still, he would realize it eventually. Nam In-cheol shrugged and then sighed deeply. He had realized that once again, he had spent his precious break time meeting with An Jong-hyeok.
