My jaw clenched and my teeth ground together. Rage boiled up as if it would reach my brain, but conversely, my heart was becoming more and more still. It wasn’t just my imagination that his attitude toward me during the month we lived together had changed from the past.
‘It’s too early to jump to conclusions.’
But to make a hasty judgment, I had only circumstantial evidence, no physical proof.
I gripped the bracelet on my wrist and spread my energy around the area. I needed to see with my own eyes what was in his head by meeting him directly.
“Hyung?”
Yang Garam, who was right beside me, flinched in response to my energy and turned to look at me. I spread my sensory energy throughout the entire amusement park. Since I remembered Joo Seolhyeon’s unique wavelength, it was only a matter of time before I noticed him if he was within range.
“Do you want to go in first? I just remembered something I need to do.”
Due to the emergence of the dungeon, almost all visitors had left the amusement park. Aside from the people gathered at the reservoir, there were hardly any people moving around the park. Perhaps because of this, I found Joo Seolhyeon’s location faster than expected. He was standing motionless in the middle of the rose garden, in the opposite direction from the reservoir.
‘Surely he hasn’t already been attacked?’
A chill ran down my spine. It wasn’t fear of him dying, but fear that I might not get the answer about whether he had regressed.
“Hyung, can’t I come along? I might be able to help.”
Yang Garam moved his lips, saying he wanted to help me with anything, but I shook my head, cutting off his words.
“This is a problem I need to resolve myself. I appreciate the thought.”
And before Yang Garam could stop me, I ran toward the rose garden where Joo Seolhyeon was.
The colorful, beautiful roses were spread out like a painting against the sunset, but none of it registered in my eyes. I ran frantically toward where I sensed Joo Seolhyeon’s wavelength. Going through areas that weren’t paths, my skin got scratched by rose thorns, but I didn’t have time to feel the pain.
For some reason, his wavelength, which I had first detected, was growing weaker. It was similar to falling asleep, but fundamentally different. If my instincts were right, his bodily functions were on the verge of shutting down.
“Found him.”
The place I arrived at was the back yard of the large greenhouse located at the innermost part of the rose garden. The greenhouse was built on a hill, and below it were white wild roses planted all around. And Joo Seolhyeon was lying there as if dead. It was a location that would have been difficult to find if I couldn’t read his wavelength.
‘Why on earth is he in a place like this?’
It wasn’t a path where people came and went, so unmanaged wild roses stretched out randomly and luxuriantly, and it was the same where Joo Seolhyeon was lying. By the time I reached Joo Seolhyeon, who was abandoned among the thorny vines, my skin was stinging all over. I raised my hand and placed it on Joo Seolhyeon’s forehead. The first thing I sensed was the trace of another Esper left on him. It was certain that someone had used their ability to try to kill Joo Seolhyeon.
‘For someone who was attacked by an Esper, his insides are too clean. Was there no resistance?’
Quite some time had passed, as the unique wavelength left by the Esper had faded considerably. Moreover, it was difficult to know exactly what ability had been used just from the wavelength. All I could guess was that the person was skilled enough to reduce an S-grade Guide to this state without a single wound, and that they had neutralized Joo Seolhyeon quickly, giving him no time to resist.
‘His heart will stop soon.’
Wavelengths can only be detected in living people. Despite being right next to him, Joo Seolhyeon’s wavelength was in a precarious state, as if it would break at any moment.
If he died in this state, it was clear as day that the cause of death would be ruled as a heart attack, or an accidental fall from the terrace of the greenhouse located on the hill.
‘Wait, this method.’
I frowned as I sent my energy into Joo Seolhyeon’s increasingly cold body.
‘It’s similar to when Jeonghyun was killed.’
As I recalled the past incident that had been covered up without a proper investigation, the nearly-dead Joo Seolhyeon looked different to me.
‘What if the Esper who attacked Joo Seolhyeon is the same Esper who killed Jeonghyun?’
When I first set out to find him, I didn’t think he would die. I only needed to confirm if he was truly the Joo Seolhyeon who had regressed. But now I had to make a choice.
Should I save him, or let him die?
The original me couldn’t have saved Joo Seolhyeon, but now I had an unused artifact on my finger. If it was a healing artifact from an S-grade dungeon, its effectiveness was all but guaranteed.
The decision was quick. His regression status was no longer important to me. I had to save him as the only clue to finding the Esper who killed my younger brother.
“I’ll never forgive you, but now I’d rather you hadn’t regressed.”
That way, at least I wouldn’t have to hate you.
“But if you are the regressed version and I save you with my own hands.”
I muttered quietly as I infused my energy into the artifact.
“You’ll regret surviving for the rest of your life.”
Light emanating from the ring enveloped Joo Seolhyeon, and I gave all my strength as the artifact absorbed it. The amount the artifact consumed was enormous—I would have collapsed from exhaustion if I hadn’t received Guiding from Yang Garam.
“Seems like only S-grade users could even use this thing.”
Fortunately, the effect was good. Both Joo Seolhyeon’s breathing and heart rate returned to normal, and color returned to his previously pale complexion.
I looked down at the sleeping Joo Seolhyeon with a drained face. Then habitually, I fidgeted with the bracelet on my wrist.
“Now show me what your true identity is.”
The bead attached to the bracelet resonated with my energy and vibrated with a faint hum. With that, I placed my hand on Joo Seolhyeon’s forehead. His memories poured into me like a flood.
***
“Termination of contract?”
Joo Seolhyeon thrust an envelope of documents toward the man with a dumbfounded expression. Though they were facing each other, the man’s face was hard to see, as if shrouded in shadow.
But Joo Seolhyeon knew this man well.
A stupid and timid man who brought shame to the title of S-grade Esper belonging to the state. A man who ruined his own body pining after another man like himself. The more he did so, the deeper Joo Seolhyeon’s disgust grew, yet the man’s attitude remained consistent, oblivious to the creepiness and horror Joo Seolhyeon felt.
Joo Seolhyeon raised the corner of his mouth in the coldly frozen atmosphere, but since only one corner of his mouth went up, it became a sneer. If it weren’t for the matching rate, they would never have had to see each other’s faces in their lifetime.
“You’re not getting proper Guiding either, so I think this is right for both of us.”
Having barely come home for nearly a month, just being in the same space with the man for that short moment made Joo Seolhyeon feel like he would break out in hives. With the thought that he could endure this much if only he could end this insufferable relationship, Joo Seolhyeon watched the man. He was biting his lip to the point of bleeding as he looked at the envelope Joo Seolhyeon had handed him.
Five years as the man’s dedicated Guide. For Joo Seolhyeon, just facing the man had been time enough like hell.
“Hyung, why are you doing this so suddenly? Did I do something wrong? Tell me and I’ll fix it.”
The man rose from where he was sitting on the sofa and knelt on the floor. Joo Seolhyeon frowned, thinking the man’s monstrous hand—discolored dark red with bumps due to the side effects of his ability—might grab him at any moment.
“Hah, that’s not what I’m talking about.”
Just facing this monster was too disgusting.
Though it had been almost half a year since they had a proper conversation, Joo Seolhyeon was going crazy with agony from every second of this. If only he could punch the man as usual, it would ease his mind, but because his lover hated violence, he barely managed to stop at just clenching his fist.
“Can’t you just do it?”
Joo Seolhyeon gritted his teeth and spoke once more, thinking of his lover’s smiling face. He knew that a man who hadn’t let go for five years wouldn’t terminate the contract just because of a few words. Having prepared for this adequately, Joo Seolhyeon controlled his anger and looked at the man.
“Hyung, perhaps, with another Esper besides me…”
Bang!
Despite the sharp pain that rose up, Joo Seolhyeon couldn’t stop the anger that reached the top of his head. As soon as he understood the meaning of the man’s words, the reason he had been holding back flew away instantly.
The man’s face was still obscured by shadow and not clearly visible, but one thing was certain. Joo Seolhyeon thought that if he had a knife, he could stab the man’s face without hesitation.
“Did you investigate me behind my back?”
“Investigate? Why would I, Hyung…”
Looking at the man who was just gaping like a carp, Joo Seolhyeon inwardly chewed on curses. At some point, he had become unable to suppress his murderous intent when looking at this man. Nevertheless, the reason he endured to this extent was because of the lover waiting for him.
“Sohyeon asked me to end this nicely. But now I’ve got something to say too.”
Joo Seolhyeon rose, dusting himself off, leaving the man who was stuttering like an idiot. Suddenly, he remembered the breaking news broadcast on the radio before he visited the house with the documents. Joo Seolhyeon tried to recall when he had last given Guiding to the man, but it was so long ago that he couldn’t remember.
The man insisted on wearing only long-sleeved shirts and pants even in summer to cover his skin, but the red spots that had reached his face revealed how serious his condition was.
“Oh, right. The news was in an uproar earlier, saying a massive dungeon has appeared that will require every S-grade Esper in the world to close.”
“…”
The man wore an expression of not understanding why Joo Seolhyeon was suddenly bringing this up. For the first time, Joo Seolhyeon greeted him to his face.
“Goodbye.”
There was another way to end this relationship without having to complete the paperwork.
“It would be better if you don’t come back.”
As Joo Seolhyeon said those words, for the first time, he wore a genuine smile, not a sneer.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
