# Chapter 41
Someone’s voice resonated in my head as if broadcasting through a microphone.
“What is this sound? Did you hear that?”
It seems I wasn’t the only one who heard this voice. People stopped in their places, looking around and murmuring. The intensity of the bright light diminished.
“Look over there! There’s someone!”
Someone shouted, pointing at the sky. As I shifted my gaze in that direction, I could see three or four people standing on top of the stage equipment.
“Gasp! Those are Espers from NECC!”
“Looks like they’ve come to save us!”
“Wooooow!”
They were wearing special tactical uniforms with “NECC” written on them, and their faces were covered with sturdy goggles and masks.
“This is NECC! Currently, there is a level 2 Rift occurring 100 meters above ground.”
The panicked crowd seemed reassured by NECC’s appearance and cheered enthusiastically for them.
“We will handle the Rift. Citizens, please move in an orderly fashion and exit the concert venue. I repeat, NECC’s objective is the safety of citizens. Please leave the Rift to us and exit the venue in an orderly manner.”
At the reliable Esper’s voice, people lined up toward the exit as if they had never caused a commotion.
“NECC! Fighting!”
Someone waved an idol lightstick toward the Espers. Taking that as a signal, others also waved their lightsticks above their heads, cheering for the Espers who were entering the Rift.
“NECC! NECC!”
The entire stadium was colored with various lightsticks, creating an exotic scene. It almost looked like the earlier fireworks had been brought down to the ground.
“What a show…”
Jeongmun frowned and muttered upon seeing the colorful lightsticks that instantly illuminated the entire stadium. He seemed quite displeased with the situation. It was a moment that confirmed once again that people from the Earth Peace Research Institute harbored animosity toward NECC.
There were four Espers who appeared here. Two of them entered the Rift by stepping into the air as if there were invisible stairs in the sky. The remaining two checked for people’s safety, making sure no one was in danger. People maintained order as they watched their skillful work with bated breath.
The Rift that the Espers had entered gradually diminished in size, and before long, it completely disappeared. It had been less than 10 minutes since NECC appeared. People who confirmed the disappearance of the Rift embraced each other and cheered.
It gets resolved this quickly?
I was dumbfounded as I looked up at the sky where the Rift had been. The pitch-black sky was as quiet as if nothing had happened. The Espers disappeared silently right after dealing with the Rift. It might sound childish, but they were truly like heroes from a movie.
If it weren’t for the ambulances and police cars waiting outside the stadium, I would have thought I was dreaming with my eyes open. Looking around, I saw that most people couldn’t easily leave their places. Some were giving interviews to the media with excited faces, while others were confirming the safety of friends or family they had lost in the venue and shedding tears of relief. Everyone seemed quite shocked by the unexpected Rift.
Perhaps because I had already experienced a Rift before, I felt relatively calm about the situation. Rather, the appearance of the NECC Espers, whom I was seeing for the first time, was more surprising.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. How about you, Jeongmun?”
“I’m fine too.”
Jeongmun checked the condition of the camera he was holding and then let out a slight sigh of relief.
“Given the situation, it will be difficult for us to return to the office together. You should go home first. I’ll send the photos we took today to your phone.”
Did he manage to take photos in that chaotic situation? These people truly gave their all to requests that came in, even though they might seem uninterested in office work.
“Aren’t you going?”
“I have more to look into with Hanyoung noona.”
“…Is this another important and dangerous task that excludes me?”
“That’s right.”
Jeongmun looked at me with a troubled expression. Now familiar with the feeling of exclusion, I forced a smile and left.
When I reached the bus stop right in front of the stadium, it was already packed with crowds who had exited the venue.
It seemed impossible to take a bus home right away. I considered taking the subway even if it meant transferring a few times, but the subway would likely be just as crowded, if not more so. In that case, it would be better to walk a bit farther to another area to catch a bus.
“Sigh. What trouble am I going through because of Son Jaeyeon.”
Fatigue built up, and I sighed involuntarily. Still, when I checked my phone, I found dozens of messages and missed calls from Jaeyeon, who must have been worried. I was about to call her back but sent a message saying I was okay instead. After being in such a large crowd, I didn’t have the energy to talk to anyone.
I trudged along the road, feeling completely drained. The incoming breeze felt hot against my skin. Sweat beaded on my forehead even though I hadn’t been walking particularly hard. It was palpable that spring had passed in an instant and summer was approaching rapidly.
It had already been three months since I started working at the Earth Peace Research Institute. I had thought my life wasn’t particularly smooth, but the last three months had been the most eventful in my life. Among all the things that had happened to me, the fact that I was a Guide was the most unbelievable. Who would have known that someone as ordinary and unremarkable as me would have such an ability?
“Maybe I’ll apply to NECC as a Guide after a year.”
This would have been something to scoff at before, but not anymore. Although I still didn’t understand what resonance or energy really was, I was genuinely guiding an Esper. If I joined NECC, I could secure the stable and comfortable life I wanted. Even though the people at the Earth Peace Research Institute disliked NECC, it would clearly be a great workplace for me.
But wait a minute. If I joined NECC, wouldn’t the office people feel betrayed? No, before that, how do you even get a job at NECC? There’s nothing publicly available about that.
I was in the middle of pondering how to get a job at NECC.
Honk!
“…?”
Honk! Hoooonk!
I heard a car horn from the road. I was about to ignore it and continue walking when the horn sounded once more. Could it be for me?
When I turned my head toward the sound, I saw a familiar-looking car following me, matching my pace. As I stopped in place, the passenger window rolled down. I immediately bent down to check who was behind the wheel.
“Jaeo!”
“Ha Suan?”
The familiar vehicle was Ha Suan’s car that I had ridden in before. My eyes widened at this unexpected encounter.
“Where are you going?”
“Home…”
“Where’s your home? Want a ride?”
“Really? That would be great, thanks. Just drop me off at the nearest station after crossing the bridge.”
Without hesitation, I got into Ha Suan’s car. I was quite tired and the weather was hot, so this was a stroke of luck.
Ha Suan started the car after confirming that I had fastened my seatbelt. As I had noticed last time, his driving skills were certainly smooth and proficient.
“How have you been? I couldn’t contact you much because I’ve been busy.”
“Same as always… What’s kept you so busy? Isn’t exam period over?”
“Well, I’ve had various things going on.”
A hint of fatigue flashed behind his enigmatic smile. Whatever it was, he must have been very busy.
Since our last meeting, we had only exchanged occasional messages, so I wasn’t well-informed about his recent activities.
“By the way, are you heading home after work? Your office isn’t around here.”
“Ah, I had field work. What about you?”
“I was on my way home after taking care of something nearby.”
“I see.”
We continued with casual small talk. Ha Suan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and looked up at the dark sky.
“Did you see the Rift that happened earlier? I was really startled.”
“Mmm.”
Being tired, I simply nodded instead of telling him that I had been right there at the scene until just now.
“It’s a good thing NECC came so quickly. It could have been a disaster.”
“Yeah…”
Unlike everyone around me, Ha Suan showed a friendly reaction toward NECC.
This is the right response, isn’t it?
I had been feeling a bit uneasy about considering a job at NECC later because of the Earth Peace Research Institute people, but it seemed there was no need for that.
The car, which had stopped at a traffic light after crossing a wide bridge, started moving again. We reached a bustling area, and I could see a subway station entrance nearby.
“Ah, you can drop me off in front of exit 2 over there.”
“Okay.”
The car came to a stop as smoothly as it had started.
“Thanks for the ride.”
As I was about to get out of the car after unfastening my seatbelt, the clip seemed to be stuck and wouldn’t come out properly. I could have pressed the buckle calmly and pulled it out, but as I tried to force it out, it became even harder to unfasten the belt.
“Hold on. Let me help you.”
Ha Suan, who had been watching quietly, leaned his upper body toward me and reached out his hand. Naturally, his hand rested on top of my hand that was gripping the belt. His cool body temperature transferred to me. For some reason feeling tense, I swallowed dryly as I watched Ha Suan unfastening the clip that was stuck in the buckle.
“Got it.”
With a click, the clip was released.
“…?”
Something electric ran through my fingers and swept through my entire body.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
