Chapter 63
Yeonwoo’s body tilted forward precariously. At the same time, as he entered the soft barrier, silence descended upon the noisy world. The alarm that had been painfully ringing in his ears and the shouts of people could no longer be heard.
The only sound was Chahun’s breathing.
Despite being in a dangerous situation where they should be fleeing immediately, Yeonwoo quietly looked up at Chahun’s silver hair. Chahun, who had approached unsteadily, reached out to Yeonwoo. When Yeonwoo also extended his hand, their fingers intertwined. Looking at their interlocked hands, his pounding heartbeat began to calm down slowly.
Chahun slowly regulated his breathing before embracing Yeonwoo. Through their pressed chests, he could feel Chahun’s rapidly beating heart. When Yeonwoo lightly stroked Chahun’s back as if to calm him, Chahun put his weight into the hug. It was stifling, but not unpleasant.
Unable to bear Chahun’s weight, Yeonwoo staggered and leaned his back against the barrier. The barrier, which had been soft until the back of his head touched it, had become firm by the time his shoulders made contact. As he slowly sank down, Chahun, who had been rubbing his forehead against Yeonwoo’s neck, also sank down slowly.
Yeonwoo carefully supported the docile-looking Chahun. There were no signs of going berserk, suggesting he might be accepting the Guiding. Yeonwoo gestured to the guides, indicating everything was fine. The barrier thinned, and Guiding poured in.
The concentration was so thick it felt like being submerged in a sticky swamp. Yeonwoo was grimacing from nausea when he checked Chahun’s hair nuzzling into his embrace. Thanks to the Center’s guides rushing in, the silver-glittering hair had already turned black. Only after confirming that Chahun’s rampage had ended could Yeonwoo sigh with relief.
It’s fortunate nothing serious happened. Yeonwoo patted Chahun’s back while looking around. By the way, which bastard pushed my back? If he had been caught up in Chahun’s rampage, Yeonwoo could have gone berserk too. What if a berserk Yeonwoo had teleported with Chahun? The thought alone was terrifying. Not only the Center but civilians could have been harmed.
The possibility was… probably…
Watching Jung Eunyoung and Jo Heeseo, Yeonwoo pushed away Chahun, who was slumped over him. Chahun held Yeonwoo in an embrace with his eyes closed. Yeonwoo, who had created some distance, pulled open Chahun’s eyelids to check the color of his pupils. Like his hair, his eyes, which had been glowing sky-blue, had returned to their original black color.
After Yeonwoo confirmed that Chahun’s rampage had ended and gave a hand signal, the barrier began to soften gradually. As the barrier that had been supporting Chahun’s weight disappeared, Yeonwoo’s head hit the ground with a thud. While rubbing his head in pain, a shadow fell over his body. It was the guides approaching for inspection.
“It seems the rampage has ended, but to be safe, let’s move to the Guiding room.”
Chahun didn’t lunge at the guide’s touch; instead, he was just avoiding their hands as if annoyed. Yeonwoo, stroking the back of Chahun who was clinging to him instead of the guide, tried to get up but failed. Looking around, he spotted Choi Dongwon. Yeonwoo reached out to him as if asking for help, unable to move because of Chahun. Though Dongwon hesitantly tried to pull Yeonwoo up like pulling a radish, his attempt remained just that—an attempt. The hand wrapped around Yeonwoo’s waist refused to let go.
Yeonwoo struggled to get his feet to touch the ground. Despite several attempts, he failed. Eventually, the waiting guide spoke up.
“You’ll have to come together. Can you teleport? I’ll give you the coordinates.”
Yeonwoo shook his head just to be safe. The guide nodded, saying it might be an effect of the rampage, and signaled to an auxiliary-type Esper to wait a moment. The moment Yeonwoo’s eyes met with the auxiliary-type Esper’s, his vision flipped.
“I will begin Guiding.”
The waiting guides poured Guiding onto Chahun. I wish they would detach this while moving me to the bed. Even after being moved to the bed, Chahun still had his arm firmly wrapped around Yeonwoo’s waist, refusing to let go. Yeonwoo stroked Chahun’s hair, who was lying on top of him, and asked the guide.
“How is his condition?”
The busy guide felt Chahun’s forehead. Seeing Chahun curl up to avoid the touch, the guide smiled faintly.
“The rampage has definitely ended, and now he seems to be sleeping.”
Reassured by the guide’s words, Yeonwoo let out a small sigh. What is all this about? Yeonwoo patted Chahun’s back and looked up at the ceiling. Even after nearly two months at the Center, do you have no one to rely on but me? Recalling Chahun’s suffering during the rampage yet still seeking him out, Yeonwoo unconsciously pulled Chahun closer into his embrace.
“Esper Kang Chahun!”
At the sound of the door banging open, Yeonwoo startled and pushed Chahun away. The Center Director searched for Chahun, pushing aside a guide who tried to stop him. When the Center Director then headed straight for Yeonwoo who was pinned underneath, the Deputy Director grabbed him and gestured towards Lee Sangwon, who was entering. The Center Director glared at Sangwon, took a deep breath, and pointed to a waiting area.
“Alright, tell me step by step what happened.”
At the Center Director’s words, Sangwon sat down with a bright smile. Instead of explaining, Sangwon seated his team’s guide on his knee and began receiving Guiding. Though the Center Director exploded, asking what the hell he was doing, Sangwon didn’t even blink.
“I told you already.”
Despite the Deputy Director’s urging, Sangwon only opened his mouth after receiving enough Guiding to satisfy himself. After emphasizing that Esper Kang Chahun had repeatedly acted alone, Sangwon sighed loudly, as if wanting everyone to hear.
“If you want to place blame, you should interrogate Esper Choi Yurim, not me. I offered to guide him, but Esper Choi Yurim took Esper Kang Chahun, saying she would take responsibility.”
“Check it yourself if you’re suspicious,” he added, then stood up with a long yawn.
“I need to rest now.”
Unable to connect Chahun’s rampage with Sangwon, the Center Director couldn’t stop Sangwon from leaving. At the sound of the door closing, the Center Director gritted his teeth, then signaled to a mental-type Esper. When the mental-type closed his eyes, images appeared in the air.
The video showing Chahun arriving at the plaza and going berserk, and the awakened individuals rushing at the alarm, flickered slightly. Then it showed Yeonwoo passing through the barrier. Who pushed me? Yeonwoo examined where he had been standing, then bit his lip when he saw the scene of Chahun embracing him.
“Can you explain this?”
Explain what? When Yeonwoo just blinked without answering, the screen repeatedly showed the scene of Chahun hugging Yeonwoo.
“Is… Esper Han Yeonwoo really an Esper?”
Though Yeonwoo answered yes to the Deputy Director’s question, the Center Director looked at him with a dubious expression.
“That’s what I thought too, but… it’s clear that Esper Han Yeonwoo calmed Esper Kang Chahun’s rampage…”
What are you talking about? Yeonwoo tried to remove Chahun’s hands digging into him and pointed at the screen.
“I didn’t calm his rampage. As you can see, numerous guides at the scene were radiating Guiding, so how could I…”
“Most guides at the scene claim that Esper Kang Chahun did not accept their Guiding.”
The Center Director, showing the moment Chahun’s hair color changed when his hand touched Yeonwoo’s, stared at Yeonwoo with greedy eyes. So, the Center Director is now saying that I calmed the rampaging Chahun…? Since only guides can calm a rampaging Esper, he’s doubting if I’m really an Esper? Yeonwoo inadvertently let out a hollow laugh.
He had lived as an Esper from the age of 12 until the moment of his death. Not an ability instability sufferer but a guide? Yeonwoo used his ability with whatever he could grab, checking his condition. After confirming that his ability wasn’t erratic, he folded space and slipped out of Chahun’s embrace.
Even with this demonstration, the Center Director’s gaze remained unchanged. He slowly looked Yeonwoo up and down and reached out his hand.
“I have no intention of interrogating Esper Han Yeonwoo at all. I understand your confusion, but how about taking a test to confirm your constitution?”
“What kind of test?”
At Yeonwoo’s question, the Center Director silently turned his gaze to the Deputy Director. The Deputy Director looked at Yeonwoo with an awkward smile.
“Just a basic test. It won’t take long, and—”
“What kind of basic test?”
“Well… that…”
“It will be a test about mana affinity, that is, whether you can sense natural mana.”
Instead of the hesitant Deputy Director, a guide standing nearby explained. Upon hearing the words “mana affinity,” Yeonwoo closed his eyes tightly. No Esper had ever had mana affinity. Yet suggesting a test was an accusation that Yeonwoo might be hiding a Guiding ability.
It was absurd. Who doesn’t know that an awakened person can only use one ability?
As Yeonwoo failed to hide his bewilderment, the Center Director approached and extended his hand again.
“If you dislike the test, would you try Guiding me? If you can’t distinguish the sensation, you can use mana if you prefer.”
If team members could tell whether someone was a guide or not that way, they would have noticed first. Yeonwoo shook his head, not hiding his displeased expression. Despite his insolent attitude, the smile didn’t leave the Center Director’s face.
“I wondered why he was so protective…”
Muttering, the Center Director suddenly approached and grabbed Yeonwoo’s hand. Yeonwoo frowned at the mana he felt from his grabbed hand. Just as the Center Director made a suspicious expression, ice shot up from beneath his feet.
“Let go of that hand.”
Chahun created a boundary with ice pillars and embraced Yeonwoo. The moment he touched Yeonwoo, a cozy sensation enveloped his body, and satisfaction welled up. Though a lonely feeling surged as if he was the only one left in a destroyed world, a lazy sigh naturally escaped him from the warm fullness that pushed away negative sensations. Chahun tightened his arms and leaned his forehead on Yeonwoo’s shoulder. Yeonwoo’s mana felt at every point of contact seemed like the only thread connecting him to the world.
He wanted to monopolize this thread by any means necessary.
Chahun steadied his breath until the unpleasant heartbeat subsided, then glared at the Center Director, who was still holding Yeonwoo’s hand. With each heartbeat, mana spread through his veins. Just before the uncontrollable sensation engulfed his entire body, he heard Yeonwoo’s voice.
“Kang Chahun.”
Yeonwoo turned around and cupped Chahun’s cheeks. Yeonwoo’s brown eyes moved quickly, examining him. Chahun smiled contentedly at the sight of Yeonwoo completely focused on him and reached out to grab the Center Director’s wrist.
“Get your hands off my guide, you bastard.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
