# Chapter 23
“Ah…”
The Association is involved with Espers, while the Awakened Management Headquarters enforces laws related to the Awakened. Officially, the Association doesn’t conduct investigations or inquiries but handles matters within established rules, whereas the Awakened Management Headquarters carries out large-scale investigations.
If this was truly terrorism, jurisdiction would transfer to the Awakened Management Headquarters, which would be troublesome for the Association, so they preferred to record it as an accident rather than an incident.
“Usually the big shots don’t move unless it’s something major, but since they seem to be mobilizing, the higher-ups at the Association would prefer if you, Bbakdo, the victim, didn’t dig too deep.”
“But even so, wasn’t their reaction a bit… on edge?”
“We’re pretty close with the Association. So we tried to rely on that connection to pacify you, but they were flustered when we openly informed you about this incident.”
Dohyun recalled the face of the Awakened Support Team Leader he saw at the Association and nodded. He seemed to be on friendly terms with Chan and also said he was friends with Handam. Being close to the Association apparently referred to the Support Team Leader, not those who had just visited.
Dohyun’s thinking was correct. The Director and Team Leader were trying to placate Dohyun along with the guild to cover it up as “a fire caused by an electrical short circuit or similar.”
“That’s enough explanation. What about safety measures? Esper Baek Dohyun can’t use his abilities right now.”
“We have several options.”
Chan raised a finger. Dohyun and Haegang’s eyes turned to his finger.
“We could move Baek Dohyun alone to a location assigned by the guild. It seems he was the target this time. There haven’t been any cases where a Guide was targeted.”
“And the second option?”
“Both of you evacuate together.”
Unlike Dohyun, who wore an expression of confusion, Haegang opened his mouth with a serious face.
“It seems they’re not just targeting Espers.”
“Didn’t you notice anything strange in the video earlier?”
At Chan’s words, both of them seemed to be trying to recall the CCTV footage. While Haegang just furrowed his brow, Dohyun nodded.
“There was no smoke at all.”
“Smoke?”
“Whether black smoke or white smoke, when there’s a fire, smoke should appear first, naturally. But in the video, the fire started suddenly without any warning signs.”
Chan nodded at Dohyun’s words. Most items in the house were typical household electronics and cheap furniture like inexpensive bed frames. Normally, when such things burn, thick black smoke should rise. That’s what Dohyun was pointing out.
“It means someone started the fire remotely. If the inside burns instantly with intense heat, it’s usually processed as a fire caused by electrical short circuits or similar. Whether someone was inside or not, the resident would be harmed.”
At that time, Dohyun had just left the gate and was heading to the bank to open an account. If someone had been home, they would certainly have been injured. Dohyun didn’t have family, but what if someone with a family had been subjected to such terrorism? Dohyun felt a chill run down his spine and wrapped his arms around himself.
“Are there other Espers who have suffered similar damage besides Esper Baek Dohyun?”
“Yes. There have been several cases where families of Espers who had just transferred to specialized schools were harmed.”
These were Espers who manifested at a young age, when family presence was significant. Young Espers were separated from their families against their will, and not long after, they received news of accidents involving their parents.
One could argue that if terrorism targeted unaffiliated Espers, they should be forcibly registered with guilds, but guild selection was legally entirely up to the individual. The Awakened Management Headquarters and Association maintained that they couldn’t enforce anything when the cause and scope of terrorism were not clear. This was consistent with how they viewed Dohyun’s case as an “accident” rather than an “incident” until now.
“Even if it’s temporary, isn’t Esper Baek Dohyun already affiliated with a guild? Then why was he targeted?”
“That’s because we handled this matter very discreetly.”
The Somyeong Guild had taken special care to prevent Dohyun’s situation from becoming public knowledge. They couldn’t stop rumors about the appearance of a high-ranking S-class Esper, but they deliberately tried to prevent Dohyun’s ability from spreading.
The Somyeong Guild already had two S-class Espers and one S-class Guide affiliated with them. If Dohyun was included, it would naturally cause a commotion. After all, there were numerous guilds without even a single A-class Esper, let alone an S-class. The Association, too, would not want too much power concentrated in the already top-ranked Somyeong Guild, so they initially blocked any talk of Dohyun’s temporary affiliation.
“That’s why your nickname is ‘The Unknown S-Class.'”
“…What’s with that cringe-worthy nickname.”
With both the Association and the strongest Somyeong Guild restricting information, details about Dohyun were difficult to confirm. As a result, Dohyun became shrouded in mystery.
There were rumors but no official announcement, leading to speculation that he might not be S-class after all. Since his only gate conquest was the recent F-class gate, interest in the long-awaited S-class Esper gradually waned.
“What will you do?”
At Haegang’s question, Dohyun fell into contemplation. Evacuating alone wasn’t a bad option. After all, he had only received help temporarily for about a week. However, the problem was that since Dohyun had stayed there even briefly, there was a possibility that Haegang’s house had already become a target. While Dohyun could handle his own place through his efforts, the potential harm to Haegang troubled him.
“I think we should first make it known that I’m affiliated with the Somyeong Guild, even if temporarily.”
“That’s fine, we can do a temporary guild member public posting. But the problem is, it’ll get quite noisy.”
“Can’t be helped.”
“Right now, people can’t identify your affiliation, and there are rumors that you’re not S-class, so you haven’t received direct contact. The Support Team Leader has been blocking it as much as possible.”
Dohyun looked at his phone, then let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“Try not to answer calls from unknown numbers.”
“I feel like a celebrity who got into trouble.”
Chan laughed weakly at Dohyun’s words. Although he tried to act normal, his mood was indeed quite complex.
“Until now, only non-guild-affiliated Espers were targeted, but now you, Baek Dohyun, have become an issue too. And guilds are obligated to respond when their members face problems.”
This was different from the Association, which tried to quietly resolve matters through police investigation reports and paperwork battles. While Dohyun’s harm was unfortunate, it finally provided a justification for intervention. That explained the subtle expressions of the people who came from the Association.
In a case that had been left unresolved until now, with Dohyun becoming a victim, the guild could finally step in because a guild member had been harmed.
“Then for the time being, let’s continue with Esper Baek Dohyun staying at Guide Choi Haegang’s house. Once we announce his guild affiliation, the situation probably won’t worsen. However, may our guild provide security around Guide Choi Haegang’s house?”
“As long as they don’t enter the house.”
“I have no intention of entering, nor of letting them in.”
Invisible sparks flew between the two again. Dohyun subtly pushed his chair back.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Probably until now, even if some guilds had suspicions, they couldn’t openly investigate. Officially, the Association handles matters not directly happening to Espers but to their families.”
Dohyun decided to take a break from his part-time job for a while. He also decided to carry Haegang’s barrier device. It was an action taken in the desperate hope that he might feel some energy. Holding the device in one hand and Haegang’s hand in the other, he listened to the explanation.
Dohyun had expected Haegang to find this annoying or irritating, but strangely, he was diligent. He had never postponed Guiding sessions, and unless there was a schedule that absolutely needed to be changed, he proceeded with all his planned activities. Moreover, while Haegang usually spoke only when necessary for non-external matters, he would provide lengthy explanations whenever Dohyun had questions.
‘Even I think it’s a bit strange.’
While Haegang was briefly away, Chan whispered, hiding his mouth as if afraid someone would see.
‘Well, it’s not an unseen case. It’s common for Guides to keep their distance from others but be soft with their contracted Espers. But even so, it’s quite an unusual response.’
‘Right? The Guild Master also asked how I managed to persuade him, but I don’t really know…’
‘Well… just get along well for now. Your matching rate is good. If anything else seems strange, let me know.’
‘What else could be strange?’
‘Like, romantic feelings…’
‘If you’re going to talk nonsense, go do it alone in your room.’
His crazy friend’s absurd words kept coming to mind. Talking about romantic feelings, what nonsense. Dohyun had never harbored romantic feelings for anyone until now. Not only because of the practical reason that life was tough, but also because he didn’t have the emotional capacity to be interested in others. Dohyun was busy just managing his own feelings. So there was no way he would develop romantic feelings for Haegang or anyone else.
The reverse was also true. Dohyun thought he had a fairly objective understanding of himself. No one would be attracted to someone as burdened as he was. Of course, he made an exception for his friends who were naturally sociable from the beginning.
But holding hands in the spacious living room for Guiding was a bit awkward, even without any romantic feelings. This would be true for anyone, not just Dohyun.
Although it had been repeating for a week since coming to Haegang’s house, Dohyun couldn’t get used to Haegang’s tall stature and sharp impression no matter what. He couldn’t feel any of the energy that Espers were supposedly able to sense when holding the device, making him wonder what the point of this was.
His mind was troubled—in front of him because of Haegang, and internally because of his stagnant abilities. Just as he had suddenly been told he was an Esper one day, would he suddenly be able to use his abilities too?
When the mentally exhausted Dohyun put down the device, Haegang also released his hand.
“Are you going to wash up?”
“Yes.”
Upon returning home, Dohyun asked Haegang’s permission to use the large bathtub. He had only taken showers before, but today he wanted to soak in warm water. Dohyun headed to the bathroom, and Haegang went to his room.
“Good night.”
“Have a good night.”
Sitting in his study organizing his tasks, Haegang suddenly recalled that Dohyun had headed to the bathroom without putting away the barrier item. He might have organized it after coming out of the bathroom, but the chances were higher that he hadn’t.
Clicking his tongue, Haegang got up and headed to the first floor. Sure enough, the item was still where Dohyun had left it. Exhaling as if annoyed, Haegang picked up the item and headed to Dohyun’s room.
He was about to knock on the door but hesitated. Quite some time had passed since the Guiding session, so Dohyun might already be in bed.
“…It would be better to hand it over tomorrow.”
Just as Haegang was about to go back to the second floor, he noticed light seeping from the bathroom. With an uneasy feeling, Haegang knocked on the bathroom door.
“Esper Baek Dohyun.”
There was no response from the lit bathroom. The sound of running water could be heard faintly, as if the tap had been left on. Frowning, Haegang quickly opened the door to find Dohyun submerged in red water with his eyes closed.
“Esper Baek Dohyun!”
Haegang urgently lifted Dohyun’s body. Dohyun’s body was as cold as the red water, which had already cooled.
The red water instantly soaked Haegang’s clothes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
