Cha Jae-woo knew that Jo Gyeong-hoon and Lee Jae-hoon were on the move. He had sensed for a long time that Esper without abilities were lurking around him.
Jo Gyeong-hoon hadn’t even realized how far Cha Jae-woo could see. The fact that he couldn’t even bow his head and beg for his life, instead pretending, was an incredibly arrogant act.
Unfortunately, Cha Jae-woo also predicted that they would target Lim Haeyul instead of him.
Of course, it was a bit later than expected. He didn’t know what they were doing in the meantime, but he thought they should reveal themselves now. He was also getting tired of waiting for them. If he had known this would happen, he should have just eliminated them all at that moment.
Looking back now, even if he had just ended his revenge by killing them, he wouldn’t have felt this much regret. He should have just taken care of them so they would never appear in front of him again.
It was a surprisingly new thought. In fact, he started thinking this way because all his nerves were focused on Lim Haeyul. After that, Cha Jae-woo had no room to care about Jo Gyeong-hoon and the others.
Recently, Cha Jae-woo was annoyed by everything because Lim Haeyul was rejecting him. What was so wrong? People who deserved to die had died. Yes, there might be innocent people among them, but Cha Jae-woo had no obligation to consider them.
Were they any different? No, ability users were only concerned with protecting themselves. If the situation were reversed, Cha Jae-woo would have been ignored. Kim Sol, whom Lim Haeyul trusted so much, was no different from him.
Was it impossible to make him understand that?
Cha Jae-woo wondered and answered his own question. So, he tried to accommodate Lim Haeyul’s feelings. He kept Kim Sol by his side and called his friends to make him feel a little better. He thought he could at least try to soften his heart. Well… he had to use his mental abilities for that, but he could tolerate that much.
However, Lim Haeyul did not understand his efforts at all. Instead, he tried to run away from him while drunk. He whined to his friends, whom Cha Jae-woo had sent for him, to escape, and struggled to get away.
At that moment, Cha Jae-woo’s eyes flipped. So, he coveted Lim Haeyul. He wanted to imprint on him. You are mine, and therefore, you can’t go anywhere.
So now, Cha Jae-woo was determined to focus on completely confining Lim Haeyul. To do that, he needed to take care of the pests that were bothering him, so he deliberately met Lee Ju-yeon.
By now, Jo Gyeong-hoon would know what Lee Ju-yeon was after. Today, as Jang Gijun, who had been detained, was being transferred to the prosecutor’s office, he would think that Lee Ju-yeon was targeting him and that Cha Jae-woo was cooperating with him. Then they would think that now was the right time to target Lim Haeyul.
And Cha Jae-woo’s prediction was spot on.
“Ha…….”
Cha Jae-woo let out a short sigh as the car sped forward with a roar.
The situation was unfolding as he had planned, but he felt no satisfaction. Instead, he felt a slight unease. It was strange since there was no reason to feel that way. Perhaps because of this, his mind was becoming increasingly anxious.
Screech!
The car came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road, interrupting his chaotic thoughts.
Just then, a car approaching from the opposite side swerved sharply. The car stopped for a moment but soon started moving again. With few cars on the road, it seemed intent on crossing the median and escaping.
But Cha Jae-woo did not let them have their way. As he reached out his hand, the car, which had been about to reverse, stopped unnaturally. He had immobilized it.
Cha Jae-woo walked towards the stopped car. Honestly, for a moment, he thought that maybe he should have waited until the car reached its destination before making his move. Jo Gyeong-hoon wouldn’t be there.
However, even though it was a rational thought, Cha Jae-woo did not do so. Strangely, he had no desire to do so.
Bang!
Realizing they could no longer move the car, the men opened the car door and stepped out. He thought they would obviously try to escape, but they attempted to attack him instead. It was quite a commendable courage. Cha Jae-woo frowned and walked past them without a glance.
“Move.”
His already hurried pace quickened even more. He couldn’t see Lee Jae-hoon among the men.
It wasn’t just any task; it was about taking Lim Haeyul away. Lee Jae-hoon had to be involved in this mission, as his abilities were crucial to dealing with the Esper guarding Cha Jae-woo’s house.
The fact that Lee Jae-hoon was nowhere to be seen meant that Cha Jae-woo had overlooked something. This realization filled him with sudden anxiety. He ignored the men who were being thrown back as they lunged at him and quickened his pace.
“Ugh, blegh! Cough!”
Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, Cha Jae-woo heard Lim Haeyul’s voice, sounding as if he was in immense pain. The sound of him seemingly on the verge of death made Cha Jae-woo’s heart sink.
With only a few steps left to reach the car, Cha Jae-woo broke into a run and used his ability to pull the car towards him.
The tires screeched as the car came to a halt right in front of him. Cha Jae-woo flung open all the car doors.
“Fuck!”
Immediately, a fiery blast shot out towards Cha Jae-woo—clearly Lee Jae-hoon’s doing. Cha Jae-woo, however, felt relieved by the attack, as it had no effect on him.
“……Lim Haeyul.”
“Ugh, ah, huh…….”
What truly affected Cha Jae-woo was the sight of Lim Haeyul, his shirt torn and disheveled, tears streaming down his face as he retched, barely conscious.
“Come any closer.”
Lee Jae-hoon threatened, using Lim Haeyul as a shield. He had no other option, but it was a mistake.
Cha Jae-woo felt a rush of anger, his vision blurring for a moment. When he regained his senses, Lee Jae-hoon was enveloped in Cha Jae-woo’s powerful energy, his body contorting under the pressure. The energy around Lee Jae-hoon’s neck intensified, constricting him further.
“Kgh!”
Cha Jae-woo stood by the car door, watching as Lee Jae-hoon struggled in vain. The energy waves were penetrating his skin, about to tear through his veins and organs.
“Ugh!”
Lee Jae-hoon tried desperately to escape, but it was futile.
Cha Jae-woo watched with fiery eyes, determined to crush Lee Jae-hoon completely, to burst his insides and reduce his bones to dust.
“Huh, ugh…….”
However, a faint touch on his collar brought Cha Jae-woo back to his senses. Lim Haeyul, with a trembling hand, had grabbed his collar briefly before letting go. This small gesture was enough to stop Cha Jae-woo’s attack.
“……Lim Haeyul.”
Cha Jae-woo finally took a good look at Lim Haeyul. His eyes were swollen from crying, his body hunched and pitiful. He seemed terrified, shaking uncontrollably, yet he managed to shake his head slightly.
Even in his distressed state, Lim Haeyul seemed to understand that Cha Jae-woo was about to kill Lee Jae-hoon and was silently pleading for him not to.
“…….”
Cha Jae-woo said nothing. Lee Jae-hoon’s body was contorted, his neck half-twisted, and his skin flushed red as if all his blood vessels were about to burst. He was still writhing in pain, unable to escape Cha Jae-woo’s grasp.
Cha Jae-woo knew that if he didn’t release his energy, Lee Jae-hoon would continue to suffer until he died. He wanted to tear Lee Jae-hoon limb from limb, but he restrained himself, unwilling to kill in front of Lim Haeyul.
“I won’t kill him.”
Cha Jae-woo said to Lim Haeyul, even though he knew Lee Jae-hoon would die soon anyway. For now, he had stopped his attack.
Lim Haeyul neither nodded nor shook his head. His body went limp, and his eyes remained tightly shut, as if he didn’t believe Cha Jae-woo’s words.
* * *
Two days had passed, and Lim Haeyul was still unconscious. Cha Jae-woo was consumed with worry.
He knew that the time Lim Haeyul had spent in the car with Lee Jae-hoon had been brief, as he had rushed back as soon as he realized the danger. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it might have felt like an eternity to Lim Haeyul, and that something terrible might have happened to him, preventing him from waking up.
Cha Jae-woo felt a growing unease, a feeling that had been building for some time. Ever since he saw the fear and desperation in Lim Haeyul’s eyes, and realized that Lim Haeyul wanted to escape from him, he had been grappling with this emotion.
But Cha Jae-woo chose to ignore all these thoughts. He believed that time would heal everything. He thought that as time passed, Lim Haeyul’s anxieties would fade, and he would eventually come to accept everything, just as Cha Jae-woo himself had.
“Cha Jae-woo, or rather, Mr. Cha Jae-woo. Is this level of guiding… helpful at all?”
“I like you, Mr. Cha Jae-woo. …Ah, because of the guiding side effects!”
But now, he wasn’t so sure.
From the moment they first met to the present, Cha Jae-woo couldn’t be certain if Lim Haeyul would truly accept and understand everything. He had changed so much, and Cha Jae-woo couldn’t help but wonder if Lim Haeyul would ever be able to fully embrace his situation.
In reality, Cha Jae-woo didn’t need to care how much Lim Haeyul had changed or how dark his demeanor had become. But since Lim Haeyul was unable to guide, Cha Jae-woo found himself inevitably concerned. He was compelled to monitor Lim Haeyul’s condition.
“No, no, that’s not it. I don’t want to do this because I dislike it… Ah!”
But something felt off. Shouldn’t he just be angry? Why did he feel so heartbroken and distressed? Was this emotion solely because Lim Haeyul wasn’t providing proper guiding?
“Lim Haeyul……?”
All the questions and thoughts that had been swirling in Cha Jae-woo’s mind vanished in an instant. For the past two days, Lim Haeyul’s closed eyelids finally fluttered and slowly opened.
“Lim Haeyul. Are you awake?”
Seeing this, Cha Jae-woo jumped up from his seat and rushed to Lim Haeyul’s side, his previous thoughts forgotten, overwhelmed by the joy of seeing Lim Haeyul regain consciousness.
“Hic……!”
However, Cha Jae-woo’s joy was short-lived. As soon as Lim Haeyul realized Cha Jae-woo was there, his face filled with terror.
“I like you. I really, truly like you… I like you, Mr. Cha Jae-woo….”
There was a time when Lim Haeyul’s eyes were filled with love and affection for him. His feelings had been so overwhelming and evident. Cha Jae-woo hadn’t particularly enjoyed it, but now, seeing Lim Haeyul turn away from him in fear, he found himself desperately missing those moments.
“Ugh…….”
Seeing Lim Haeyul turn away, Cha Jae-woo realized that there was nothing he could do. He finally understood that he had been on the wrong path for far longer than he thought, and there was no turning back.
