"It's used for haemostasis in emergency situations."
"Oh, it's not just cool."
"This can't be cool."
"It's cool in my eyes."
While it may feel like something unique among other espers, Joo-hyun actually felt embarrassed by the tourniquet belt always hanging on his arm.
It was obvious that other espers didn't have it. Because they didn't need it. With guides always nearby, how often would there be a situation where haemostasis was necessary? With multiple guides around, guiding could quickly heal any injuries.
Not only Block A, but also Block B, were equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities. In order to deal quickly when there was emergency patients.
However, a runaway esper couldn't seek help in neither Block A nor Block B. Because it was impossible to put a time bomb in such a place. It's the same with dying espers, who usually received first aid and immediately after were transported straight to Block C, for it was located in a remote area.
Even if an esper went to Block C, there was no guide to ask for help, so an esper would get a dose of guiding drugs, recommended for use only in case of emergency, and call a guide under the pretext of parole. Wearing the belt was to extend their life a little during that process.
As a result, Joo-hyun was ashamed every time he saw the red colour that symbolised his sin.
Since he didn't respond, Cha In-ho quickly lost interest and was now looking at his phone. Sitting right next to him, the screen caught Joo-Hyun's eye even though he had no intention of looking. It seemed like the guide was exchanging text messages with someone.
Joo-hyun, who was more familiar with radios than phones, slowly let go of Cha In-ho's hand.
Cha In-ho didn't hold the retreating hand. He didn't even ask if there was a lack of guiding. Joo-hyun just got out of the chair and went across the room to sit across him.
It was natural, expected even. Both of them were just in a business relationship resulting in mutual benefit. Of course, just like Cha In-ho, Joo-hyun didn't really believe in the matching and was wondering when the guiding would be cut off.
The sunset rays fell on Joo-hyun's fingertips as he touched a straight line of sunlight next to him. As the guide drifted away, the emptiness began to rise again.
Of course, Joo-hyun couldn't admit it. He wouldn't talk about the lingering uncertainty, no matter what. It was dangerous, so he hold his guard up and didn't reveal much. Right now it was better to choose death than to ask Cha In-ho to come to his side again and hold his hand.
Fortunately, Joo-hyun was used to the pain. In fact, all espers in Block C were.
"Well, time's up. I'll go now. See you next week."
With a neither fast nor slow pace, Cha In-ho rose from his seat and bid a casual farewell before exiting the guiding room. Until the door clicked shut, he didn't look back once.
Sitting alone, feeling the guiding fading away, Joo-hyun hesitated for a moment with the burning cigarette butt in his hand before tapping it against the corner of the table. Breathing became uncomfortable, but for a different reason this time.
* * *
Cha In-ho was a celebrity. Namely, an actor. The profile that the stuff were sure to put in Joo-hyun's head stated that he debuted in high school.
To be honest, Joo-hyun had no idea about it. He lived a life too busy and hard to have a fantasy about celebrities that he saw a few times on a small screen. In addition, Cha In-ho himself never boasted about being a celebrity, so Joo-hyun's perception of the guide remained even more blurry.
That's why Cha In-ho, with a script in hand, reading the lines with a serious expression, felt a bit unfamiliar.
He had been reading it since Joo-hyun entered the guiding room; the esper chuckled inwardly at his behaviour of marking the book with a highlighter. Joo-hyun, who had never bothered to bring a new book, silently cursed his ignorance and deliberately dragged a chair with a sharp noise.
Only then did Cha In-ho, who raised his head in surprise at Joo-hyun's entrance, offer a somewhat awkward smile.
"Hello. Any injuries today?"
"I'm all fine."
This time, after fetching a cigarette, Joo-hyun placed his elbow on the table. His eyelids were heavy and his head was throbbing. As he was rubbing the eyes with the back of his hand, Joo-hyun heard a soft voice.
"That's a relief."
When Joo-hyun put his hand down, instead of the sarcastic tone he expected, he saw the usual polished smile on Cha In-ho's face. For some reason, it seemed like the guide had no intention of maintaining the cold attitude he had shown before.
"If you don't mind, could I take a look at this during the guiding?"
Cha In-ho lightly shook the script he had been scribbling on just now. Last time, he looked at his phone several times to kill time, and now Joo-hyun didn't understand why he was asked this.
"What is that?"
"The script. It suddenly got revised, and I'm running out of time."
Again, Joo-hyun remembered the fact that Cha In-ho was an actor. Joo-hyun nodded with a sour expression on his face.
"Do it."
"Thank you."
"You have nothing to thank me for."
"It's natural to feel bad if you do something else while working."
Joo-hyun twitched his eyebrows as if he hadn't even thought of it, and couldn't find a word to answer, so he just pretended he wasn't interested. Joo-hyun flicked off the ash and placed the filter between his lips, while Cha In-ho turned his attention back to the script.
"...Do you have to memorise all of that?"
After a moment, the subtle question made Cha In-ho look up. Glancing at the extinguished cigarette butt crushed on the table, he slowly smoothed out the script.
"It's not all, I only need to memorise my lines, but I usually memorise my partner's lines as well to match the timing."
"Hmmm... It must be hard."
Joo-hyun's leg, clad in black clothing, perched on the empty chair next to him. Leaning deeply into the worn chair, he gazed out through the barred window. Beyond the electrified fence, he could see the bright blue sky and tall trees.
Suddenly, Joo-hyun felt a bit sorry for him, having to split his busy time to come to this harsh and dangerous place to guide a runaway esper. Of course, anyone would say Joo-hyun's life was far more miserable and pitiful, but he was free to think whatever he wanted.
"I heard that others say it's easy money. They think just saying a few lines in front of a camera brings in a big paycheque."
Even as he responded, Cha In-ho's eyes didn't leave the script. Watching him mutter the same lines repeatedly, Joo-hyun spoke up.
"Cha In-ho. Twenty-six years old. Debuted at eighteen in Sea of Whales. Height: 186 cm. Hobbies: working out. Family: parents and a younger brother. Recently won a Best Supporting Actor award. Allegedly, he had been hiding that he was a guide until now."
Cha In-ho looked at Joo-hyun with a face full of curiosity, his long eyelashes fluttering lightly.
The guiding was ultimately about waves, and the quality of those waves depends on the physical state of a guide. Unless the guide was extremely exhausted, there wasn't much difference in quality, but it was obvious when the waves became slightly muddled. It was subtle difference like the one between fresh and not-so-fresh vegetables.
And today Cha In-ho's guiding was less clean than usual.
"It doesn't look that easy to me. It must be creepy to have people you don't know yet they know everything about you."
The information Joo-hyun spouted was obviously something the staff had gathered from the internet, details anyone could find out.
The well-known celebrity looked at the esper hidden away in Block C. After a brief silence, during which he seemed to ponder something, he touched the highlighted script with his fingertips.
"My debut work wasn't Sea of Whales."
"What?"
"The year before, I was in an independent film called Yesterday. I had just one line as an extra."
Joo-hyun didn't know what an independent film was, but there was no need to reveal his ignorance, so he remained silent.
"I waited in the snow for four hours on a winter's day, and the filming was over in three minutes. They gave me a roll of gimbap and fifty thousand won for the effort."
Even though it didn't seem like a particularly pleasant memory, Cha In-ho had a smile on his face. Although he smiled frequently, this time felt different. It had been over a month since they signed the contract, and for the first time, it felt like Joo-hyun was looking at Cha In-ho, not just his guide.
"I don't work out as a hobby. This is my main occupation."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And I don't have a family. I cut ties with them a long time ago."
Cha In-ho still carried a pager, always within reach in his left pocket.
Although they were matched, neither trusted the other, and they hadn't let their guard down. It was unclear why Cha In-ho suddenly revealed a fact that could be considered a weakness in such a situation.
"What if I tell someone about it?"
Of course, there wasn't anyone Joo-hyun could share it with anyway.
Cha In-ho, who had been smiling just moments before, composed his expression. A different smile, cleaner and more practiced, emerged on his face.
"No matter how much people talk, it doesn't mean they really know me, so it's fine."
It was as if a line had been drawn in an instant. The invisible wall pushed you back, as if to say you too should keep your distance.
Perhaps that was why Joo-hyun noticed the leaves outside the window, swaying in the wind behind Cha In-ho's shoulder. The radiation guiding spread more slowly than usual, brushing against his fingertips. With a hint of softness in his voice, Joo-hyun said, "You're lying about manifesting recently, aren't you?"
The unexpected question made Cha In-ho blink. A hint of wariness flickered in his clear eyes before quickly being concealed.
"Do you have a reason to think so?"
Manifesting after the age of twenty was exceedingly rare, making it far more likely he had been hiding it all along. Yet, the world had a way of delighting in surprising people. Assuming someone's situation based solely on probabilities was foolish.
Joo-hyun, who bore the ignominious title of the youngest runaway esper, knew this better than anyone. He smirked, crinkling his nose.
"You're too good to have been a guide for only a month."
Many people thought guiding was simply a matter of physical contact, but in reality, the experience varied greatly depending on the guide's skill.
The higher the grade, the stronger the wave intensity, which meant greater efficiency with less effort. Despite being a mere B-grade, Cha In-ho managed the fine adjustments exceptionally well. The amount of wave he channelled was always consistent, and most importantly, he didn't doubt himself. It was impossible to believe he had only just manifested.
"You've been guiding for at least ten years."
It was something only an esper who had directly received guiding could discern. Officially, Cha In-ho's first matched esper was Joo-hyun, who grinned sharply, showing his canines.
In contrast, Cha In-ho's now expressionless face had turned so cold it was almost oppressive. Just moments ago, his face had been angelic; now, it was as cold and sharp as an icicle. Of course, Joo-hyun, who had seen more frowns than smiles in his life, was unfazed.
"I'm just exceptionally talented."
Cha In-ho's voice was a slow whisper, and a small smile began to curl at the corners of his lips. The icicle melted in an instant, giving way to spring. Such swift changes in expression might have made someone think he was mad, but beauty had its way of making everything seem acceptable.
What was odd, though, was how pleased Cha In-ho looked despite being confronted.
Joo-hyun's smile faded, disliking the strangeness of the situation, while Cha In-ho's smile grew even more pronounced, almost seeming genuine.
"But did you like my guiding?"
"...Why are we talking about this?"
"You said I'm good at it."
If he had to say whether he liked it or not, of course, he liked it. There wasn't an esper anywhere who would dislike guiding that was warm and gentle, rather than painful or humiliating.
However, Joo-hyun didn't want to acknowledge it, especially when Cha In-ho looked so pleased. So, Joo-hyun glanced away and spoke in a nonchalant manner.
"It's not bad... better than the last guide who came, though."
Of course, it was a lie. Among all the guides who had come here, Cha In-ho was easily one of the top three. The issue was that Cha In-ho didn't do anything particularly special. It was just ordinary guiding, but if Joo-hyun admitted to liking it, it would only highlight the fact that he was a runaway esper, so he lied.
"Didn't you learn that it's rude to talk about other guides in front of your matching guide?"
A matching guide. Espers in Block C could only dream of having a matching guide, and now one was standing in front of Joo-hyun, frowning and staring at him.
After a moment of consideration, Joo-hyun simply shrugged. Seeming to give up on the conversation, Cha In-ho shook his head lightly and went back to focusing on his script.
When an esper and a guide were imprinted on each other, hormonal changes occurred, preventing the esper from receiving guidance from anyone else, and the guide from guiding any other esper. But that only happened when they were imprinted, not just contractually matched.
However, some researchers suggested that even matching could cause minor hormonal changes. They speculated that this might happen because of the process of regularly meeting and influencing each other's waves.
Symptoms of hormonal changes varied, but the most notable one was an obsession with the other person. This symptom was more prevalent in espers than in guides.
Of course, Joo-hyun and Cha In-ho hadn't spent enough time together for any hormonal changes to occur. Nonetheless, the reason Joo-hyun feared that Cha In-ho might never guide him again was that he was a damned runaway esper.
Even if he was fine now, Joo-hyun knew that starting tomorrow, he might suffer in agony without any guiding for the next ten days as a runaway esper.
Joo-hyun was well aware that, despite being unwanted by everyone, having Cha In-ho as his matching guide was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck. Of course, if Cha In-ho decided to break the contract and terminate the match, Joo-hyun would calmly nod in agreement. He would never cling to him.
However, if the match continued without any guiding, it would inevitably lead to Joo-hyun's runaway state. He feared this scenario—not for himself, but because of the potential danger it posed to those around him. He hadn't cared about his own body for a long time.
The esper, as usual, took out a match and a cigarette from his pocket. The flame from the match transferred to the cigarette.
Joo-hyun, biting the filter, glanced at Cha In-ho. He was still busy reading his script with his head down.
When the white stick had burned halfway, Joo-hyun, after a brief hesitation, pressed it against his forearm. A sharp pain, like a sting, shot through him. He held the butt there a bit longer than usual before slowly lifting it away.
When he shifted his gaze to hide his hesitation, he saw that Cha In-ho had already put down his script and was looking at him and his arm.
Cha In-ho, with a slightly stiffened face, remained still for a moment before sighing deeply and reaching out. The guide's palm was warm, and that gentle warmth quickly eased the circular burn. Even after the wound had disappeared, Cha In-ho didn't stop guiding.
"If you have any complaints, just say so."
"I have no complaints."
The script lay abandoned. As Cha In-ho, now very close, grumbled softly while continuing the guiding, Joo-hyun secretly exhaled a gentle breath.
He would never admit it, but it felt similar to relief.
* * *
With a light gesture, the floating corpse slipped its head through the noose of the tightly bound rope. As the esper released his hold, the body dropped, and the rope went taut.
Joo-hyun slowly surveyed his surroundings, clenching and unclenching his fist.
What had been a peaceful and happy family home just a few hours ago was now utterly wrecked. Items lay strewn across the floor, furniture was shattered, and above all, there was scarlet blood splattered everywhere, making it look like a scene from a thriller film.
However, this was reality. This was the home of a researcher who had leaked information from the Association, and this was where the researcher's family had met their end.
When he rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand due to a strange itch, he found it smeared with still-wet blood. Since he wasn't injured, it must have been the blood of the man or woman that had splattered on him.
Anyone unaware that an esper had been here would think that a violent fight had ended with one spouse killing the other and then hanging themselves. This was exactly what Joo-hyun intended as he slowly walked towards the front door, carrying the researcher's laptop.
No, saying he walked wouldn't be accurate since his feet didn't touch the ground. Hovering in mid-air, Joo-hyun stopped abruptly. On top of a cabinet, fitting for a harmonious family, were several framed family photos.
Among them were pictures of the now lifeless couple, and in the middle, a child smiling brightly and making a peace sign. After staring at the photos for a moment, Joo-hyun turned and flew out of the house.
Minutes later, ambulances and police cars surrounded the building, responding to a neighbour's call. The child from the photo rushed to the hospital from his school after receiving an urgent call. In front of his parents' bodies, now covered by white sheets, the boy wept loudly in a relative's arms.
* * *
Smack! The sharp sound of flesh striking flesh echoed through the room. Joo-hyun, whose head had been turned to the side, looked back at the person in front of him.
Ryu Tae-seok, the deputy director of Block C and the man who essentially ran it, raised his hand again with a cold expression.
"There were three targets. Why did you leave one alive?"
"…I judged that missing the target was better than revealing my presence. The noise had already led to a call, so I couldn't stay long."
"That's the excuse you've come up with?"
Despite not being on a mission, Tae-seok, who always wore combat boots like in his younger days, kicked Joo-hyun in the abdomen. Without a groan, Joo-hyun fell to the floor, and although he got up with a calm expression, the boot came flying at him again.
After another kick, Joo-hyun remained on the floor, quietly accepting the blows.
"Did you think I wouldn't know you spared the child?"
"No, I, cough, didn't."
"So, you think your judgement is better than the orders from above, runaway esper?"
Even though he was over forty, Tae-seok's sturdy hand grabbed Joo-hyun's collar. He pulled Joo-hyun's bloodied, already bruising face close and spoke in a low voice.
"We took in a worthless wretch like you, fed and clothed you, and you never think of repaying the favour?"
"…"
"Don't forget that you're alive because of our mercy. What you've done is enough to warrant an immediate death sentence. I'm not so kind as to keep a useless dog alive."
Joo-hyun's bruises faded slightly due to the guiding emanating from Tae-seok's skin. Although his low grade meant it only healed minor injuries, Tae-seok frowned, displeased at his guiding was absorbed by the esper in front of him.
"…I'll remember that."
"And don't even think of saying anything unnecessary to that mad guide. That guy has connections in annoying places."
The last sentence was muttered to himself, but Joo-hyun's enhanced esper hearing caught it clearly.
Wiping his mouth, he found it stained with blood, whether from a split lip or a nosebleed, he couldn't tell. His body, covered in bruises, hurt immensely, but Joo-hyun's expression remained calm.
"Clean up the floor and go back."
Tae-seok, having thrown Joo-hyun aside, clicked his tongue and headed to the bathroom attached to his luxurious office. The sound of running water indicated he was about to take a bath.
Despite suffering worse than during a mission, Joo-hyun slowly raised his hand. He flipped his middle finger towards the bathroom door and spat out blood-mixed saliva.
Espers were more resilient than ordinary people. Joo-hyun, in particular, was used to being beaten even before manifesting as an esper. So, if getting beaten meant one child could live, it was a fair trade.
He had feared they might send him after the missed target to finish the mission, but it seemed the child wasn't worth the risk.
Joo-hyun let out a small sigh and began cleaning the floor. Just another normal day, nothing out of ordinary.
* * *
"...."
"...."
"If you had something to say, do it."
Unable to endure the silence, or rather, the intense gaze, Joo-hyun frowned and spoke.
Cha In-ho, who had been staring at Joo-hyun's face without blinking, slowly raised a hand to brush back his hair. Even that simple gesture looked like a scene from a film. In-ho, trying to calm his emotions, exhaled a long, deep breath.
In a place where injuries were common, Joo-hyun felt oddly uneasy seeing someone react like this for the first time. Feeling restless, he spoke as if trying to justify himself.
"It's common for an esper to get injured during missions. That's why there are guides to-"
"Are you saying these injuries are from a mission?"
Surprisingly, Cha In-ho's voice sounded angry. His clenched jaw trembled, and his eyes were tense. Even in anger, In-ho was beautiful, but there was an intimidation that Joo-hyun had never seen before.
"Anyone can tell you were punched."
In-ho, having approached without Joo-hyun noticing, cupped Joo-hyun's cheek. His hand, always warm, gently touched the purpled skin.
The guiding energy quickly alleviated the pain. Though a B-grade guide, it would take a while to fully heal, but within a few minutes, the bruises would fade completely.
Joo-hyun looked up at In-ho, whose expression was a mix of anger and worry. It was unclear what exactly had upset or concerned him. As he had said, espers getting injured was routine, and why should In-ho care about the reason?
"What about this cut? Were you kicked?"
"What does that have to do with you?"
In-ho's hand paused. He looked bewildered as if he had heard something incomprehensible. His face grew even more stern, filled with a greater anger that puzzled Joo-hyun.
"What?"
"I asked what difference it makes to you if I got beaten by someone."
It wasn't a taunt or an attempt to provoke; it was a genuine question. Yet In-ho looked more upset than at any of Joo-hyun's previous attempts to irritate him.
In-ho gritted his teeth but continued guiding. His gentle touch on Joo-hyun's bruised cheek was almost ticklish. In a resigned tone, he spoke.
"Is your memory that bad? I'm your matching guide, Shin Joo-hyun. If you get hurt, I have to guide you. So how can you say it's none of my business?"
"…If it's a hassle, you don't have to do it."
"You were there when we signed the contract. Ignoring your injuries is a breach of contract."
It must indeed be a nuisance for Cha In-ho if his matching esper got injured outside of missions. Technically, Joo-hyun's injuries were an extension of his mission, but In-ho wouldn't know that. Joo-hyun nodded as if he understood.
Only then did Cha In-ho look a little softened, but when his eyes met, he tutted audibly. But it was so exaggerated that it didn't seem like it was sincere at all.
Only then did In-ho's expression soften slightly. When their eyes met, In-ho scowled and clicked his tongue in annoyance, but it seemed too exaggerated to be genuine.
"You wouldn't know, but guiding drains all my energy."
In-ho's thumb touched the injury caused by Tae-seok's boot. As it was near his eyebrow, Joo-hyun closed his eyes reflexively.
"Anyway, just don't get hurt."
Joo-hyun opened his eyes to find In-ho had moved away. He was looking at his phone with the usual indifferent expression, as if he hadn't just guided him. It was almost like the touch on his cheek had been a dream.
In-ho's guiding energy was stronger than an average B-grade, enough to make the bruise on Joo-hyun's hand disappear. The cut was healed, though the nails were still broken. Joo-hyun, fiddling with the jagged nails, muttered.
"I'll think about it."
In-ho didn't reply, but Joo-hyun thought he heard a faint chuckle from the man's bowed head.
* * *
Block C could look quite big from the outside, but inside, it was much larger due to the deep basement levels. The basement went down to the third floor; the first floor was for storage, the second was a training area, and the third was a lounge.
Except for the storage, there was a reason why these places had to be on the ground floor. A runaway esper could go berserk at any time possible. Better to have them ran wild underground and get crushed by the building than causing havoc above the ground.
In the past, instead of a storage room, there had been dormitories on the first basement floor, but thanks to newly introduced safety measures, several rearrangements were made, and the most severe restrictions were lifted - that's why espers were able to feel sunlight within their rooms now.
And currently, Joo-hyun was getting his safety device repaired. It wasn't a device to protect him, rather to protect commons from him.
"...."
"Oh, my bad, I'm sorry."
"Don't."
Joo-hyun's response made the repairman's shoulders stiffen. Joo-hyun just shut his mouth and turned his gaze to a distant place. He still felt the trembling touch near his neck.
The safety devices looked like red scarves on runaway espers' necks. More precisely, a device itself was hidden within it; thus due to the various machinery and wires attached, the thick choker around the neck didn't look too nice. Aesthetically, it was a rough design that paid no attention to beauty, but this small device was actually very expensive. It contained a GPS that updated the location every three minutes and could be used as a communication device during missions if necessary.
And the most important function, and the biggest credit to the Block C espers for being able to lie on their beds and look up at the night sky, was the bomb inside.
If an esper attempted to runaway once more, all it took was for someone in authority to press a button. Then, only the head of the person wearing the choker would coolly fly off without affecting anyone nearby.
In other words, the choker was both a safety device to protect civilians from runaway espers and a leash held by the higher-ups.
However, an error occurred in the GPS function of such an important choker, and Joo-hyun's location wasn't being transmitted. Joo-hyun, who was training on the second basement floor at the time, was led to the centre director by an employee who came to find him.
"I nearly pressed it, thinking you were a runaway again."
The centre director was immersed in the newspaper without even looking at Joo-hyun. Seeing him holding a pen, it seemed like he was doing a crossword puzzle. Joo-hyun, who would have had his head blown off if he had gone on a mission without knowing the GPS was broken, stared at the floor without feeling particularly alive.
"Be more careful from now on."
Joo-hyun couldn't understand what he was supposed to be careful about when he couldn't even control the choker, but as always, he obediently replied and left the centre director's office.
And now, he was sitting quietly, entrusting his life to a repairman who looked like he hadn't come willingly.
It was obvious that the repairman, who clearly didn't want to be there, swallowed his spit and connected the wires. In this place with no windows and blocked from all sides, even if a bomb went off or someone screamed, not a single sound would escape.
The repair technician, Do-jin, arrived at Block C with his eyes covered by a blindfold. Trembling, he took the elevator down and encountered a runaway esper with red eyes.
Do-jin, who worked for a company developing various tools for espers, was well aware of the chokers designed for runaway espers. However, he had never imagined that he would meet a runaway esper in person, let alone have to work in such close proximity that he could hear their breathing.
Meeting a runaway esper for the first time in his life was terrifying. Apart from being a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment, the man was simply intimidating at a glance.
Do-jin had never encountered anyone who exuded danger from head to toe, from every part of their body, quite like this.
The esper was half a head taller than Do-jin, with sharp eyes that held a chilling gaze, and lips pressed tightly together as if he had never smiled in his life. To top it off, he had numerous scars all over his body, making Do-jin wonder how brutal his fights must have been.
Having met various espers before, Do-jin licked his dry lips as he looked at the scar-covered arm of the esper.
Espers, like guides, are graded according to the strength of their abilities, from SS- to E, with significant differences between the lower and upper grades.
Nevertheless, there was a way for a C-grade esper to overpower an A-grade esper: a runaway. When an esper loses control of their abilities and goes on a rampage, they manifest explosive power at the cost of their own life.
And here, right next to him, sat an esper who had experienced such a runaway and could do so again at any moment.
Recalling scenes from the news of buildings being destroyed and cars crumpling like paper, Do-jin tried to steady himself as he replaced the broken circuit. The reason they didn't just remove the choker and send it to the company for repair, even though it would be fixed and returned quickly, was that even that short amount of time without the choker was considered too risky.
"No matter how you look at it, this is still too much."
Do-jin thought, lamenting his fate of having to perform repairs in a confined space, clinging to the neck of a runaway esper. This task had been pushed onto him by his seniors, who had all refused it repeatedly. If it weren't for the promise of a hefty bonus, he would have declined it as well.
Of course, if he had known he would be left alone with a runaway esper without any substantial safety measures, no amount of money could have persuaded him to take the job.
"Such a quiet person," he mused.
Do-jin stole a glance at Joo-hyun's face, only to meet the red eyes and quickly look away, swallowing hard.
When he looked up again a moment later, the runaway esper was staring at a spot on the grey wall. It was a stubborn gaze, either showing disinterest in Do-jin or trying not to intimidate him.
The runaway esper blinked. His rather long eyelashes fluttered, and his dark red eyes remained fixed on the empty space. Do-jin continued his work, glancing at the esper's profile, with slightly steadier hands.
Fortunately, after several minutes, Do-jin finished the repairs without any mishap and sighed in relief. He considered that perhaps it was inappropriate to be so openly relieved in front of the esper, but luckily, the esper showed no reaction.
"All fixed. The circuit connected to the GPS was broken. I also removed a protruding metal shard from the connection area. It seemed like it might have been bothering you…"
His task had been only to repair the GPS. The design focused solely on durability, disregarding the wearer's discomfort, and the additional repairs were not part of his assignment. Yet, Do-jin had fixed it without thinking.
As he explained, he grew increasingly nervous, clutching his bag and looking up at the esper. The esper's scarred, muscular hand brushed his neck. Tracing his fingertips around the area where a faint scar remained, he seemed a bit surprised.
"Thank you."
A slight smile curled up his lips. The dark red eyes, slightly narrowed, held a faint but unmistakable kindness. Upon closer inspection, his face was surprisingly delicate.
Staring at the runaway esper in a daze, Do-jin snapped back to reality and hurriedly left the room.
"You know you mustn't tell anyone about this place. Posting anything online is also forbidden. We will track down and sue even on anonymous sites, so it's best to just forget about it."
Nodding repeatedly, Do-jin heeded the employee's warning.
Meeting a runaway esper and sitting next to him for nearly an hour was a heroic tale fit for a bar story, but Do-jin had neither the means nor the intention to deal with a multimillion-won lawsuit. Forgetting, as the stuff suggested, seemed the best course of action.
However, Do-jin, blindfolded again as he got into the car, thought he would never forget the bright smile the runaway esper had shown him.
* * *
It was a rainy morning.
The wounds of an esper would heal without a trace with proper guiding. This was common knowledge, but not many knew that guiding had no effect on scars. Wounds that had healed without guiding would remain scarred and unchangeable, no matter how much guiding was later provided.
Joo-hyun's body was covered in scars from living in an environment where he couldn't receive guiding when needed. Some of these scars ached persistently on rainy days like today.
Joo-hyun disliked the pouring rain for this very reason, but today was different.
"You seem in a good mood today," Cha In-ho remarked. Joo-hyun, who had been unconsciously rubbing his neck, blinked. He hesitated for a moment, surprised that In-ho had noticed, but then he answered willingly.
"Something that had been bothering me is gone now."
"What was it?"
"Nothing much. Just a thorn."
A metal shard that used to protrude from the locking part of his choker had often caused small cuts on Joo-hyun's neck. He had grown accustomed to it, but it didn't mean it wasn't painful.
However, that shard had been completely removed yesterday. Joo-hyun felt quite grateful to the repair technician who, despite being terrified and barely able to breathe, had taken the time to remove it.
He turned his head this way and that, feeling no stinging sensation. Cha In-ho watched Joo-hyun for a moment, then smiled softly. The smile was so gentle and comforting that it felt almost wrong to witness it.
That was Cha In-ho's strange trait. He would push you away completely, yet when you turned around, he would be right there. There was caution but no fear, clear hostility but no reluctance to touch. He was an unpredictable man.
Usually, Joo-hyun would have glared at him fiercely, pretending to be strong, but today his neck wasn't hurting from the morning, and the sound of the rain had a calming effect. So, Joo-hyun spoke with a relatively calm expression.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
The raindrops hit the windowpane hard.
Joo-hyun wasn't sure what kind of answer he wanted. He had always thought the hand gripping the pager and the eyes that often frowned slightly were signs of fear, but upon reflection, they seemed a bit different from fear.
"Should I be afraid?"
"It's just that most people would be scared having a runaway esper next to them."
Everyone feared runaway espers. The repair technician he met yesterday had been like that. The employees who clutched their guns when he approached were like that. The people who put explosive collars on the necks of the espers in Block C were like that.
But the man who had matched himself with a runaway esper, something an ordinary person would never even consider, seemed to have no intention of acting like everyone else.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've experienced something very frightening. So, you don't scare me."
"You could die, you know?"
Cha In-ho's extended finger lightly tapped the cracked table. The sound of raindrops filled the silence. In the midst of this, Joo-hyun felt his body lighten due to the guiding flowing in.
Cha In-ho leaned back against the old chair with a gentle smile.
"The weather is nice today, isn't it?"
Joo-hyun closed his mouth at the blatant topic change. There could have been a more natural thing to say, but he chose those words. Was it because he wanted Joo-hyun to understand his discomfort, or was there another reason?
Feeling somewhat guilty, Joo-hyun glanced at Cha In-ho. Despite the upward curve of his lips, his eyes weren't smiling. Joo-hyun realised that Cha In-ho didn't fear him; he simply disliked him.
Whether it was a personal feeling or directed at the group Joo-hyun belonged to, he couldn't tell. The one certainty was that Joo-hyun was too accustomed to being disliked by someone.
"...Yeah."
By now, it wasn't anything new.
His scarred hands slowly took out a cigarette and matches. After several failed attempts due to the damp matches, he finally managed to light one.
"You're supposed to say that's a stupid thing to say."
"Maybe you like rainy days."
Cha In-ho laughed, saying that was true. Joo-hyun had long given up trying to figure out someone who would drift away and then return as if nothing had happened. He only wondered when Cha In-ho would tire of this act. That was his only curiosity.
"I actually hate the rain."
Cha In-ho's eyes, trapped behind long lashes, watched as the raindrops endlessly hit and flowed down the window, losing their shape. Joo-hyun couldn't understand why that voice sounded disappointed.
"How is he?"
"Who?"
"Cha In-ho."
At the sudden mention of the name, Joo-hyun lifted his head from the book he was buried in. Seung-cheol, who looked several years older than his actual age due to his unkempt curly hair and scruffy beard, was sitting on the sofa watching TV.Not long ago, Joo-hyun bought the most expensive snacks at the Block C canteen for his birthday. Yet now, he flopped another page of his book.
"It's just okay."
"There's no way. He's a matching guide, after all."
"Even if he is, he doesn't stick around all the time."
As Joo-hyun said, Cha In-ho only came about twice a week, hardly enough to be called a matching guide.
Of course, Joo-hyun knew he should be grateful even for that. Seung-cheol, who hadn't received guiding for five days, still had a wound from two days ago that hadn't healed.
"Does he guide well?"
"More or less."
"Does he do anything weird?"
Joo-hyun's dark red eyes glanced at Seung-cheol. Even though he understood the meaning behind the look, Seung-cheol's face remained fixed on the small TV screen.
"Other than giving me nicotine patches, not really."
"Haha, have you tried using it?"
"As if."
The remote control, wrapped in blue tape, shook in Seung-cheol's large hand. He leaned his arm on the armrest and put his legs up on the table as he spoke.
"You may not like it, but unless he does something that really pisses you off, just put up with it. There aren't many who would volunteer to guide guys like us."
"What do you mean, for guys like us?"
Joo-hyun felt Seung-cheol's red eyes, darker than his own, watching him, but he pretended to read his book and avoided eye contact.
"Do we kill or hit the guides?"
"There's a possibility."
Joo-hyun felt drained. He stuck a piece of scrap paper between the pages of his book and lay down on the sofa.
They had to live their whole lives confined because of the 'possibility of running away again.' He wasn't upset about it. He had resigned himself to it long ago.
But it was the first time that he had encountered a matching guide and a situation where guiding wasn't lacking. So, Joo-hyun found it strange that he was the only esper in Block C to receive such benefits.
At the same time, the fact that espers outside received this routinely made his chest boil with mixed feelings of guilt and anger.
'It's not like I'm doing anything special with Cha In-ho. At most, we hold hands, but guides don't even hold our hands just because of the possibility that we might run away and kill them.'
Joo-hyun thought it might be because he was particularly sinful, but it wasn't the same for the others in Block C. Even Seung-cheol, who had been lucky enough not to involve any civilians when he ran away.
As Joo-hyun rubbed the brown sofa with a sulky expression, a warm hand ruffled his hair roughly. It was more like messing it up than a gentle pat, but Joo-hyun didn't resist.
Seung-cheol was the second person to ruffle his hair. The first time a large hand had approached his head, he had closed his eyes tightly, thinking it would strike. Only after some time did he realise it wasn't a threat.
"Anyway, no matter when he leaves, don't chase him away yourself. Now that you have a guide, you should make the most of it."
"If I chase him away, you might get a chance."
Joo-hyun knew that it wasn't something special about him that made Cha In-ho choose him. It was just luck. Ultimately, what Cha In-ho wanted was a runaway esper, so anyone in Block C would do.
Seung-cheol, who usually acted indifferent but sometimes sharp, looked directly at Joo-hyun.
"You don't even know what proper guiding is."
Joo-hyun had run away at the same time his abilities manifested. He was transferred to Block C immediately afterwards, so he never had the chance to experience what other espers did.
"Don't feel guilty towards us. You didn't take anything from us; it was always yours to begin with."
Joo-hyun, who had rarely held anything of his own, still couldn't shake off the guilt, but he decided to try.
Noticing the change in Joo-hyun's expression, Seung-cheol moved away and grinned. With his unshaven beard, he looked more like an unemployed uncle from the neighbourhood than a monstrous runaway esper.
"Who knows? Maybe he'll like you and keep guiding you."
"He said it was a one-year contract."
"Contracts can always be extended."
"That will never happen."
Yes. It'd never happen. No one had told him explicitly, but Joo-hyun had a vague idea why Cha In-ho had chosen to match with a runaway esper.
The suspicion that he had been hiding his status as a guide had already been overshadowed by the talk about runaway espers. There would be no reason to maintain the contract after a year.
Seung-cheol, who had turned his attention to the TV, pressed the buttons on the remote control. Joo-hyun blinked at the grey ceiling and then yawned widely.
"By the way, does Cha In-ho have any friends?
"How would I know that?"
"Is he close with Seo Bo-ra by any chance?"
"How would I know... No, I don't want to. I won't do it."
Feeling a chill, Joo-hyun tried to get up. Well, he would have, if it weren't for the firm hand on his shoulder, he would have gotten up and left the lounge long ago. Normally, he wouldn't let himself be pushed around, but his posture wasn't good right now.
Seung-cheol chuckled brightly.
"Joo-hyun."
"I said no. Don't make lame requests."
"Just one autograph!"
"I said no!"
"Thank you so much! I'll rely on you!"
"I... clearly said no- Ugh!"
Struggling to free himself from the thick arm, Joo-hyun finally managed to get up and tumble off the sofa. Seung-cheol was still grinning brightly.
Seo Bo-ra was a name Joo-hyun had heard occasionally. Not from TV, but from Seung-cheol. Before his runaway incident, Seung-cheol had received guidance from her at the centre and had been smitten ever since.
The espers in Block C rarely talked about themselves. They were too exhausted to lick each other's wounds. In such an environment, hearing Seung-cheol mention Seo Bo-ra several times indicated just how much he liked her.
Even though Joo-hyun hated the idea of asking Cha In-ho for a favour, in this desolate place, small matters could provide the strength to live another day. Eventually, Joo-hyun sighed and nodded in agreement.
* * *
"Sorry?"
"So, about Seo… if you could…."
"Sorry, I can't hear you at all."
Joo-hyun, who usually intimidated others with his confident demeanour, was no different from a shy bear today.
Joo-hyun felt his cheeks warm slightly and gritted his teeth. Having rarely asked anyone for a favour, he fidgeted nervously with his fingers. If he had just blurted it out as if it were nothing, it might have been fine, but hesitating had only made the situation awkward.
The runaway esper glanced at his guide. Cha In-ho, unusually wearing glasses and appearing more disheveled than usual, looked at him curiously. Even in a slightly shabby state, Cha In-ho's appearance seemed more human.
Clearing his throat, Joo-hyun averted his gaze and tried to speak nonchalantly.
"Do you know Seo Bo-ra by any chance?"
"I do."
"Are you close?"
"We've appeared in a film together, so we keep in touch."
Joo-hyun's face noticeably brightened, though he wasn't aware of it. Cha In-ho's eyes narrowed in response.
He hadn't expected much since not all celebrities were close, but the unexpected result made Joo-hyun's heart lift. Noticing Cha In-ho's suspicious gaze, Joo-hyun coughed and tried to compose his expression before asking cautiously.
"Then, would she give you an autograph?"
His fingers fiddled too busily with his sleeve, trying to appear uninterested. Cha In-ho, his face unreadable, rested his arms on the table.
"Do you want Bo-ra's autograph?"
Joo-hyun, who had unconsciously leaned forward, awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Being asked so directly felt strangely embarrassing.
"Well, is that a problem?"
"It's not a problem, but… hmm…."
Joo-hyun fervently hoped that Cha In-ho would agree. He had swallowed his pride to make this request, and if Cha In-ho refused, there would be nothing gained.
"Okay, I'll do it."
The unexpectedly cheerful response made Joo-hyun smile brightly. He could already imagine Seung-cheol's delighted face and himself basking in glory, which lifted his spirits.
"That's the first time I've seen you smile like that."
"Sorry?"
"I didn't know you were a fan of Bo-ra."
Cha In-ho, smiling slightly, rested his chin on his palm. Despite the lack of makeup, his appearance still shone, though Joo-hyun, preoccupied with other thoughts, hardly noticed.
Joo-hyun wasn't particularly a fan, but it felt wrong to say so after asking for an autograph. He nodded vaguely.
"I thought you weren't interested in celebrities."
"I'm not."
"…Bo-ra is an exception?"
His tone was peculiar. Though his face was smiling, his words carried a subtle edge, leaving Joo-hyun unsure how to respond. Normally, he would have been defiant, but he wanted to give Seung-cheol, one of the few people who treated him normally, a great birthday present.