#100
“There was an incident where Ho-woo was kidnapped by Esper Bae Gi-hong. Although we managed to rescue him safely, during the confession, Esper Bae Gi-hong said something strange. He said his ability didn’t work well on Ho-woo.”
Ho-woo nodded as he listened to his words. It was certainly true. His body was clearly under control, but his mind was clear. Bae Gi-hong seemed quite surprised too.
If Bae Gi-hong’s ability had worked…
Ho-woo pushed away the bad thoughts. It’s a useless assumption for something that didn’t happen. However, one thing he was curious about was the whereabouts of Bae Gi-hong and Gi Hyeon-deok. At that time, Oh-yul seemed reluctant to talk about it, so he couldn’t ask again, but are those two locked up in prison now?
Ho-woo, who had briefly thought about the two, soon focused again on Seong Ha-young’s voice that followed.
“Isn’t it common for people to resist mental Espers? People with high mental barriers are found among Espers and guides, and even among ordinary people occasionally.”
“That’s right. Ho-woo could be such a case.”
Kim Jin-woo agreed with Seong Ha-young’s opinion. Mental Espers are powerful, but there are certainly people whose abilities don’t work on them. It’s just that this fact doesn’t become apparent until it’s directly experienced, so it’s only now being revealed.
However, Oh-yul shook his head firmly and with certainty.
“That’s not possible.”
“How can Oh-yul be so sure when you’re not even a mental Esper? Has Ho-woo had contact with mental Espers before? You didn’t order Choi Seon-woo to do something, did you?”
It was an open secret that Choi Seon-woo would do anything at Oh-yul’s command. Surely he didn’t do such a thing to his own guide. Seong Ha-young and Kim Jin-woo’s eyes sharpened. They were researchers affiliated with the management corporation, but they were also people who had known Ho-woo since childhood.
The 10-year-old Ho-woo they were introduced to through Do-hyun had a darker expression than his age group, was thin and weak, so at first, they thought he might be abused. After carefully observing for a month to catch evidence of abuse, and even after knowing it wasn’t the case, they somehow continued to worry.
It was all strange that he had no memories before the age of 10, and that his father, Lee Ho-yeon, knew about it but took no particular action, but they didn’t get deeply involved. This was because Ho-woo, the person in question, seemed to have no aversion to the state of having no memories, and there was also a reason that the lost memories were unlikely to be good memories.
Although not their own child, it had been 18 years since they met Ho-woo through Do-hyun. The couple briefly exchanged glances. If Ho-woo was maintaining the relationship due to coercion, they would help.
But Ho-woo, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, waved his hand more frantically than Oh-yul at Seong Ha-young’s words.
“No, that’s not it!”
Although there were a few suspicious points, Oh-yul wasn’t someone to be interrogated like this. Ho-woo felt that the feelings he showed towards him were infinitely close to sincerity. Although Oh-yul’s life was strangely tailored to Ho-woo to an odd degree. Food, behavior, and even his polite and kind attitude, as if he had been preparing for a very long time.
Even if that was a bit strange, Oh-yul was a kind person.
That’s how Ho-woo thought of Oh-yul. No matter what others said, he was kind and infinitely gentle to him. To the extent that he would show his weak side to Ho-woo without hesitation and crave affection, which he didn’t show to others.
“That never happened. Choi Seon-woo has never used his ability in front of me either.”
“Ho-woo, you don’t know because you don’t understand. They might have erased your memory of being affected. That’s the kind of people they are.”
Seong Ha-young replied coldly. Having observed Espers longer than Ho-woo, she didn’t easily trust Espers and didn’t lower her guard.
“If he had used his ability on me, it wouldn’t have worked just like with Bae Gi-hong, and then I would obviously know about it.”
“…That’s…”
“I trust Yul. That he’s never used his ability on me.”
Ho-woo said firmly, looking at Yul. He was silently looking at Ho-woo. He should either agree with Ho-woo’s words or say something, but his black eyes, showing no emotion, remained quiet.
“Yul?”
When Ho-woo called out questioningly, Yul’s eyes finally crinkled slightly.
“That’s right. I’ve never given such an order to Esper Choi Seon-woo.”
Seong Ha-young still looked doubtful, but she didn’t say more. Since the person in question said so, insisting further would only lead to a fight, so she calmed her mind for now.
“Then, Oh-yul Esper, you seem to think there’s another reason why Ho-woo resisted the mental ability.”
“Yes, during guiding, the Esper’s energy flows through the guide’s body to help. However, you both know well that not all of that energy returns to the Esper after guiding ends. Some of it remains in the guide’s body. What if he’s affected by that small amount of energy?”
As his words ended, a chilly silence descended in the office. All three had their faces strangely distorted. Oh-yul smiled at the three pairs of eyes that seemed to be asking what on earth he was talking about.
“Well, putting aside all the difficult talk, to put it simply, it seems that Ho-woo is becoming an Esper.”
Me?
Ho-woo blinked in confusion. How was he becoming an Esper? Oh-yul, who was stating a fact that even Ho-woo himself didn’t know, was full of confidence.
“That’s nonsense. If that were the case, all guides would have become Espers long ago.”
“That’s right.”
Seong Ha-young nodded in agreement with Kim Jin-woo’s words. If Oh-yul’s claim were true, the same phenomenon should have already appeared in guides. But there were no such research records or cases. They denied Oh-yul’s opinion based on the facts they had accumulated so far.
“Well, I think I should first inform you two about the special situation between Ho-woo and me. Ho-woo is not a normally manifested guide. He’s in a state where his body’s energy pathways have been forcibly opened due to me, and I’m unilaterally exploiting Ho-woo’s body.”
“―!”
The couple’s eyes widened simultaneously.
“An artificial guide!”
It’s not that there haven’t been attempts to artificially create Espers and guides before. Such research had never succeeded. Their gaze fell on Ho-woo, who was rolling his eyes back and forth.
“The fact that you’re telling us this means you’re giving us an opportunity, right?”
As researchers, they had caught a very big opportunity. But was it really a coincidence? Seong Ha-young felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if the Esper in front of them had wanted them to be called to the management corporation. Like a well-fitting puzzle piece. However, if she had already stepped into the puzzle, she intended to make the most of the piece assigned to her.
“If secrecy is needed, you can use a mental Esper’s suggestion. I don’t intend to go around talking about it anyway.”
It was best to keep such things hidden as much as possible. The more special, the more it should be hidden. Because there would be countless people aiming for that specialness. She had no intention of putting Ho-woo in danger.
“Good. I’ll send Esper Choi Seon-woo for that later.”
The Esper raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction. Ho-woo, who had been quietly watching them, cautiously raised his hand.
“Can I speak now?”
Seong Ha-young, who had instantly transformed from a cold, rational researcher to a neighborhood aunt, relaxed her expression.
“Yes, do you have something you’re curious about?”
“Anyway, you’re saying that since I’ve become strange, we need to do some tests, right?”
“…That’s right?”
“I don’t really understand, but I’ll cooperate if necessary.”
“Just think of it as getting a health check-up, I’m not trying to do any grand experiments on you.”
At Seong Ha-young’s words, Oh-yul looked at her intently with his eyes curved. That gaze was very chilling. However, that gaze softened gently at his lover’s call.
“And Yul.”
Ho-woo glared at Oh-yul with a very displeased face. It was absurd hearing it from the side.
“It’s not unilateral exploitation, I’m giving it willingly.”
“…”
“If you used force, I couldn’t refuse, but you wouldn’t do that, right? So I’m saying I’m giving it willingly.”
He is not a doll. He is a living person with thoughts and feelings. So Ho-woo chose it himself. It could never be exploitation.
“You trust me too much.”
“There’s no such thing as trusting too much. It’s just trust.”
Trust is a consumable. It’s difficult to fill in your heart, but it’s too easy to lose. Whether you trust yourself or others, that doesn’t change.
Ho-woo still trusted Oh-yul.
Ho-woo threatened Yul, telling him to never speak like that again.
Watching this, the couple sighed deeply, thinking of their son. After cherishing him so much, it was like they had well-cared for him only to hand him over to someone else’s mouth. One of the things that made the couple’s blood boil was that he was the type of person who would say it’s fine as long as Ho-woo is happy.
