Chapter 48
“Esper Kang Chahun!”
Entering Chahun’s private training room in the A-zone, Yeonwoo immediately looked for Chahun, but no one was there. Is training not over yet? Yeonwoo caught his breath and flapped his training uniform to release the heat, looking around.
Well… No matter when I see it…
Yeonwoo’s brown eyes moved busily, scanning the disorderly arranged training room, but he didn’t see anything unfamiliar.
If I’d known it would be like this, I should have waited in the C-zone.
Throughout training, people had been discussing who might have acquired the item, even setting up secret bets behind the Training Director’s back. Seohyun, who giggled saying she had invested in Chahun, ran to the training room entrance as soon as the end-of-training bell rang. Several Espers waiting anxiously for Chahun pushed Yeonwoo’s back, telling him to go quickly and ask.
Normally, he would have calmed everyone down and waited for Chahun, but since this was his first deliberate attempt to change the future, he couldn’t afford to wait. He couldn’t stay put, curious about whether the future had changed as he wanted and what kind of causality boomerang he might face as a result.
As he lingered in front of the A-zone portal, Jeon Dohyun, who was finishing his delivery and heading home, opened the door for him. When asked about the shooting test results, Dohyun laughed and asked what shooting test a supply department member would know about, then left. And Yeonwoo had rushed straight to Chahun’s training room.
Looking around the training room once more for storage compartments, Yeonwoo habitually began tidying the room.
It would be fine even if Chahun hadn’t acquired the item. Lee Sangwon’s pride would have been crushed by the fact that Kang Chahun, who hadn’t even received proper training, had matched his performance.
Sangwon’s patience wasn’t particularly long, so he easily got excited by small provocations. The fact that he could become the leader of the raid party despite his temperament was thanks to his parents who held his reins. If he lost those reins… or if Sangwon couldn’t control himself and threw them off on his own, Chahun’s path would become smoother.
But parental love is like that.
They were the ones who embraced Sangwon no matter how much trouble he caused. Well, thanks to that, their precious son not only walked into a dragon’s jaws by himself but also made others his companions on the journey to the afterlife.
So he needed to make Sangwon throw off the reins himself…
“Hyung?”
Yeonwoo, who was organizing mana balls by size, turned around with a start. He rubbed the fingernail marks left on his palm with his fingers as he first checked Chahun’s wrist.
“Why are you here, hyung?”
“How did it go?”
The voices of the two asking questions simultaneously mixed together. Yeonwoo answered that he came after training ended, but instead of answering, Chahun just raised his eyebrows. At this, the corners of Yeonwoo’s mouth rose involuntarily.
This guy? If it were Yeonhwa, he would have laid her down right away and demanded to know how she thought she could deceive her brother, but he couldn’t do that to Chahun, so Yeonwoo just examined him with his eyes.
“Well, you know…”
Chahun muttered and ran his hand through his hair. Watching the black hair leisurely scatter beneath his hand, Yeonwoo felt like he was going to burst with impatience. Don’t Koreans know the concept of “hurry up”? As Yeonwoo was contemplating whether he should urge him now, Chahun looked him over and repeatedly ran his hand through his hair. What’s with him?
At that moment, as Chahun’s training uniform sleeve rode up, a glittering bracelet was revealed.
“Wow!”
At Yeonwoo’s reaction, Chahun finally smiled proudly and let mana flow into the bracelet. The bracelet, which slowly swelled, sluggishly created something. Creating not what he intended, but literally “something,” Chahun quickly covered Yeonwoo’s eyes.
“Ah, it’s my first time. It’s my first time doing this. Don’t look.”
“Alright.”
After Yeonwoo clapped his hands, saying “well done” and “good job,” Chahun’s expression finally softened. Glaring at the bracelet that wouldn’t move as he wanted, Chahun suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ah, you really should have seen that bastard’s face earlier.”
“What happened?”
At Yeonwoo’s words, Chahun grinned and explained.
After Sangwon’s turn ended, Chahun was positioning himself when he looked around, feeling something off about the gun. Was it because Yeonwoo wasn’t there? Feeling something missing, Chahun was feeling the gun with his fingertips when he used his ability.
The ice flower that bloomed at Chahun’s feet rushed toward an Esper standing to the side. The Esper, bound by the ice flower and unable to move, shouted asking what this was about, but Chahun extended his hand with a face that couldn’t hide his irritation.
“Hand it over.”
At those words, the Esper, who swallowed dryly, protested to the Training Director. He ran his mouth saying how well could an Esper who couldn’t even control his ability properly shoot. As the Esper said he felt unsafe being in the same space and would leave first, Chahun wiggled his fingertips toward him.
The ice flower, blooming according to Chahun’s will, blossomed from the Esper’s auxiliary bag.
“Shall I open it? Or would you like to?”
The Center Director, who approached asking what was happening, gestured for the Esper to open the bag. When the Training Director opened the bag instead of the resisting Esper, six bullets were discovered.
Recalling Yeonwoo’s warning that A-zone Espers use abilities more delicate than his own and that he should imbue mana into the gun each time he checked it just in case, Chahun retrieved his ice flower.
Good thing he listened to his hyung. Following Yeonwoo’s words not only brought him rice cakes while sleeping but practically gave him a rice cake shop, so he had no choice but to follow them diligently.
Instead of the bullets handed over by the Training Director, Chahun loaded new bullets, checked the gun once more, and confirmed the target. Lightly tapping the floor with his toe, Chahun pulled the trigger.
He received the same score as Sangwon this time too, but the Center Director announced that Chahun had won. The Center Director, who realized that the spatial-type Esper who had hidden the bullets was from the raid party, raged at Sangwon. The Esper said he had planned it himself and Esper Sangwon had nothing to do with it, but the Center Director shouted, asking how a team leader could manage his team in a way that allowed such things to happen.
Then, suddenly changing his attitude, he said “good job,” patted Chahun’s shoulder, and personally placed the bracelet on Chahun’s wrist.
“That’s what happened.”
Just as he was puffing out his chest with pride, Chahun’s brow furrowed at the sound of knocking on the door. “Why the hell are they coming?” Chahun muttered a curse and walked toward the door. If he hates it that much, he could just lock the door and hold out. He’s kind of nice deep down.
“Congratulations, Esper Kang Chahun.”
The Center Director extended a fruit basket to Chahun, and when Chahun didn’t take it, he laughed and set it down beside him. The colors and sizes were irregular, suggesting they were dungeon byproducts. Doesn’t he know what the Deputy Director did yet? If he does and still brought that, he’s truly wicked.
“Ah. Esper Han Yeonwoo is here too.”
Their eyes had met the moment the Center Director entered the training room. Yet the Center Director greeted Yeonwoo as if he had just noticed him, then gestured toward Chahun.
He probably meant to ask if Yeonwoo had confirmed whether Chahun had plans to contract with another guild, as he had asked before. As Yeonwoo only raised the corners of his mouth, the Deputy Director approached quietly.
“Why are you here?”
The Deputy Director turned around and smiled brightly.
“Haha. Our Esper Kang Chahun has a personality as refreshing as his ability. The reason is, since Esper Kang Chahun will be handling a mana item for the first time, I came to show him how—”
“No need. Please leave.”
Cutting off the Deputy Director’s words, Chahun pointed to the open door. The Center Director stepped forward at Chahun’s gaze, which seemed to ask why they weren’t leaving yet.
“You’ll adapt to handling the item as you train, but have you registered it before that?”
When Chahun answered no, the Center Director clicked his tongue, saying “Hmm, not even telling you about that,” and nodded to the Deputy Director. Hearing that item registration was necessary to prevent various accidents such as loss or theft, Chahun obediently followed the Deputy Director.
Seeing this, Yeonwoo made a small sound of admiration. There was another way to bind Chahun to the Center.
“To register, you first need to name the item. Do you have something in mind?”
Name? As Chahun was pondering, Sangwon appeared before him. Is my training room some kind of meeting plaza? Sangwon was about to hand Chahun a bouquet when he opened his eyes wide, seeing the people filling the training room.
“I thought I was the first to come congratulate you, but there were others who came first?”
Sangwon, who had been staring at the Center Director, shifted his gaze to Chahun and smiled brightly.
“Are you going to register the item? Wow, today is the day Esper Kang Chahun officially becomes part of the Center, so we should have a small party, right?”
At those words, Chahun looked at Yeonwoo with an expression that asked what this was about. Why are you looking at me? When Yeonwoo looked at the Center Director, Chahun followed his gaze and glared at the Center Director.
“You didn’t know?”
By Esper law, items acquired by an Esper become the property of the organization to which the Esper belongs. To use the item, one must be a member of that organization, so to register the item, one must first contract with the Center. Upon hearing this, Chahun unfastened the bracelet without a moment’s hesitation.
“Forget it, you can just take it.”
At Chahun’s words, the corners of Sangwon’s mouth slowly fell. Chahun threw the bracelet at Sangwon and waved his hand, telling them to leave now.
“Well, you don’t have to register it right away. But since Esper Kang Chahun worked hard to get this item, he should at least try using it a few times.”
The Center Director, who couldn’t hide his stiffened expression, retrieved the bracelet from Sangwon and placed it in Chahun’s hand.
“It seems you haven’t sorted out your thoughts yet… I’m not asking you to decide right now, and there’s still time left…”
“Yes. Two weeks left. You’re not going to interfere this time, are you?”
“Think about it slowly. Other places won’t be different from here. It will be hard to adapt there too.”
Chahun gestured toward the three unwelcome guests with his head turned away as if he didn’t want to hear it. After pushing away the Deputy Director who was trying to persuade him until the end, Chahun glared at the doorless entrance. They said there were no door handles for the Espers’ safety, but wasn’t that a lie too?
In place of the hesitating Chahun, Yeonwoo fastened the bracelet on Chahun’s wrist. Then he rolled up the training uniform sleeve to make the sparkling bracelet more visible.
“Do I have to show it off like this?”
At the sullen voice, Yeonwoo nodded firmly. He had provoked excellently by saying “you can just take it,” and now it seemed like he just needed to stimulate Sangwon a little more. “It’s a bit embarrassing,” Chahun muttered, glared at where the Center Director had been standing, and snorted.
“They’re acting like this because they’re afraid I might contract with another guild? If they were going to act like this, they should have treated me well all along. Why suddenly act like this?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
