No one had ever heard him speak of it. In fact, he had told a few, but all those who heard were dead. Joo-hyun, briefly thinking of his fallen comrades, took a few more steps forward.
"How did you feel back then?"
Beom-jin's expression was serious, devoid of any mockery or curiosity. His solemn face suddenly reminded Joo-hyun of Beom-gyu, prompting him to speak.
"Once I came to my senses and grasped the situation, I wanted to die."
If this scene were broadcasted, the entire nation would know how despicable and miserable a person Joo-hyun was. A part of him feared this, while another part of him hoped people would scorn him.
"Surviving after the runaway esper incident is often called a miracle, but to me, it felt like a punishment to atone for my sins."
As life went on, rather than atoning, his sins only seemed to pile up. If someone threw a stone at him, he thought it might lighten his burden, even if just a little.
"Do you still feel that way?"
Joo-hyun couldn't answer Beom-jin's question. He had spotted something strange in the water beside a broken tree.
In an instant, Joo-hyun's eyes sharpened, causing Beom-jin and Seo-chan, who were watching him, to tense up. Joo-hyun broke a branch and poked it into the oddly rippling water. The water was only thigh-deep, but the branch kept going in until it swallowed his entire arm and still didn't touch the bottom.
"What is this?"
"...It's a new gate that no one has discovered until now."
Someone gasped. He couldn't tell who, and he didn't care. Joo-hyun felt the same way.
"Does this mean there's another gate within this gate?"
"It's rare but not unheard of. They're called twin gates and are usually located close to each other in the real world as well."
The three exchanged glances. Beom-jin looked troubled, while Seo-chan appeared slightly frightened.
"...Are you going in?"
"I have to. We don't know what kind of monster might have crossed over."
Since the gate was underwater, it was likely the other side was underwater too. It made sense that it hadn't been easily discovered.
Not knowing what the situation was on the other side, it would be dangerous for Beom-jin and Seo-chan to enter recklessly. He decided to take them to the entrance gate and cross over alone.
"Seo-chan, wrap the camera in plastic."
It seemed Beom-jin was determined to follow him. Watching him wrap their bags and broadcasting equipment in large plastic sheets from his backpack, Joo-hyun sighed.
"That's not necessary."
"I'll say this beforehand: we're going to follow you to the end. It's our job."
"Yes, I won't stop you now."
Beom-jin and Seo-chan exchanged puzzled looks as they were suddenly enveloped in a transparent barrier and lifted into the air. Before they could say anything, they were plunged into the water.
Joo-hyun, who had entered the gate, found himself surfacing, despite having entered from above. He started swimming vigorously.
Dripping wet, Joo-hyun emerged from the water and placed Beom-jin and Seo-chan, who were still inside their spherical barrier, onto the muddy ground. The two bewildered men watched Joo-hyun struggle to shake off the water.
"Can't you use your powers on yourself?"
"I can."
"Then why..."
Annoyed by the hair sticking to his face, Joo-hyun swept his fringe back, revealing his deep red eyes. As he felt the water droplets trickle down his skin, he began to speak.
"Why waste it?"
Anyway, he would get soaked fighting the monsters. There was no need to use his power now. Having grown accustomed to conserving his strength, Joo-hyun didn't second-guess his words and began scanning his surroundings.
They were in a mountain area with a sizeable stream. It seemed to be the same mountain they had climbed earlier, though their exact location was unclear.
Joo-hyun, who had turned his back on the silent duo and was looking around, discovered a fallen tree that resembled the one he had seen beyond the gate.
"It was as expected."
A monster had crossed over. Joo-hyun prayed it hadn't gone far as he caressed the tree marked with teeth marks.
Fortunately, the clues to the monster were quickly found. A trail of slime, likely from the monster, led to a larger stream than the one they had just crossed.
Leaving the two behind, Joo-hyun created an invisible barrier around them and cautiously investigated the water.
Monsters from another world rarely blended well into reality. The creature's strangely blue skin was submerged in the deepest part of the stream. He couldn't attack blindly before confirming what kind of monster it was.
Using his power, Joo-hyun carefully prodded the monster. Sensing the intruder, the monster quickly crawled out of the water.
Splashing, a giant salamander-like creature with deep blue skin slowly approached. Except for an extra pair of legs on its side, it looked quite familiar compared to other monsters.
When it opened its mouth, sharp teeth filled its jaws. It must have been the one to bring down the tree. Its soft skin would be easy for Joo-hyun to tear apart with his powers.
However, he didn't use his powers immediately.
[Grooo-]
A painful groan escaped the monster's mouth. A thick, sharp branch had pierced its palate and protruded outside.
"Is it injured?"
Seo-chan's murmur was heard. The monster's purple blood dripped to the ground.
"Its main diet is soft wood from beyond the gate. It must have hurt itself trying to eat the hard trees here."
Exhausted from the injury, the monster trembled, breathing heavily. Its eyes were red. Unlike Joo-hyun's darker shade, its ruby-red eyes looked oddly sorrowful. Surely, it was Joo-hyun's feelings creating that illusion.
"...."
At the moment Joo-hyun envisioned a sharp shape to swiftly end its life,
"Oh? There's another one!"
A smaller, sky-blue monster, no bigger than a large dog, sprang out at a much faster pace than the one before. It was clearly a baby.
The baby monster blocked the space between Joo-hyun and the larger monster, as if trying to protect its mother.
No one spoke in the unexpected situation. Joo-hyun bared his teeth, looking down at the growling baby monster. Despite its size and age, a monster was still a monster. Once through the gate, it had to be killed.
"Did it come with its baby?"
"The baby probably fell through the gate, and the mother followed. The entrance was too small for the mother to come through first."
Having crossed over and unable to find a way back, it had tried to stave off hunger by chewing on trees and had gotten hurt in the process.
But Joo-hyun knew the mother hadn't stopped chewing the trees even after getting hurt. Purple blood was on the tree stump, and there were small wood chips everywhere.
[Grrooo....]
In pain, the mother monster stepped forward, shielding its baby.
If this scene were broadcast, Joo-hyun would face punishment. Not only that, but he would be branded incompetent, and his colleagues might also face criticism.
But Joo-hyun wanted to act as he chose in moments where he could make decisions. No matter how severe the aftermath, he wouldn't regret or blame anyone because it was his choice.
Joo-hyun's right hand sliced through the air lightly. With that, the giant salamander's body lifted. Though it struggled a bit, its exhausted body couldn't escape Joo-hyun's power. The baby monster circled beneath its floating mother, unsure of what to do.
With a flick of his fingers, the giant blue monster screamed in pain. The sound was so loud that Beom-jin and Seo-chan flinched. The baby monster cried out and charged at Joo-hyun.
"Joo-hyun!"
Beom-jin's shout was sharp. Joo-hyun patted the cold, slippery, but soft skin covering him.
"Don't worry. Your mother is alive."
Despite its softer body, its eyes were the same red as its mother.
[Grr....]
Hearing its mother's cry, the baby monster looked up. A long branch, soaked in purple blood, floated in the air, and next to it, the mother, with its mouth closed, slowly descended to the ground.
The baby, still breathing heavily, gazed at its mother in a daze. Only when the mother groaned again did the baby climb off Joo-hyun and run to its mother.
Watching them for a moment, Joo-hyun stood, stretching his stiff body.
"I'll send you home."
Two pairs of red eyes turned to Joo-hyun. Though he couldn't understand the monsters' language, he felt they wouldn't attack again.
Joo-hyun used his abilities to lift the two monsters and carefully set them down by the brook where the gate was located. The monsters, recognising the entrance, headed straight for the gate. Just before stepping through, the mother turned and gazed at Joo-hyun, her look lingering as if expressing gratitude.
"This is quite an unexpected situation," Seo-chan remarked, watching the monsters slowly swim into the water. Beom-jin nodded in agreement.
"You'll be punished when we get back," Beom-jin stated.
"What?" Seo-chan responded, confused.
"For the crime of sparing the monsters," Beom-jin clarified.
Joo-hyun, trying to shake off as much of the slime from his clothes as possible, combed through his still damp hair and turned to face them. "The mission is complete. Let's head back to the others."
Deciding against crossing the gate again due to the energy they had expended, the three of them chose to walk through the mountains. Although the gate offered a quicker passage, their extensive use of powers had left them wary.
"Is it time to head back now?" Seo-chan asked.
"Yes. We just need to file the report," Joo-hyun replied.
"Do you write it yourself?" Seo-chan inquired.
"Every runaway esper writes their own reports," Joo-hyun said. Although assassination missions, which Joo-hyun frequently undertook, did not require reports, gate-related missions necessitated them for information gathering.
"Why did you spare those monsters?" Beom-jin asked.
Joo-hyun remained silent, unsure of the exact reason himself. He had felt a simple compassion, but that alone did not seem a sufficient excuse to risk punishment. Then, the image of the red eyes filled with pain and despair flashed in his mind, and he understood. It was a sense of kinship.
"…They didn't come here by choice," he said, stepping on a branch that snapped under his boot. His wet shoes were uncomfortable, but his life had never been easy.
"We should seal the gate by the brook to prevent this from happening again," Joo-hyun continued.
"Is it possible to close a gate?" Seo-chan asked, curious.
"Usually not. But since this gate is on the ground underwater, it can be blocked."
Most gates floated in midair, and blocking them usually attracted more attention, leading to even more monsters breaking through. Hence, the best approach was regular monitoring.
Climbing the rough mountain was arduous, but thanks to the tracker on the BE-16 gate, they did not get lost. The team, waiting at the gate, looked bewildered as the trio emerged from the bushes. Only after listening to the explanation did they realise that monsters had indeed been out in the world, leaving them stunned.
"Getting down is somehow harder than climbing up."
"That's how mountains are. One wrong step, and you're done for."
Joo-hyun, adept at navigating rough terrains, pricked up his ears at the conversation behind him. He moved slowly, ready to assist if someone slipped, noticing that the team's chatter had dwindled to a murmur.
People tend to lower their voices when discussing matters they wish to keep private. Joo-hyun, not intending to eavesdrop, was about to offer his help to the panting Seo-chan when one of the crew members approached him.
"Could you use your ability to help us out a bit?"
The question caught Joo-hyun and the quietly descending Beom-jin off guard.
"Other espers have helped us in the past. You can lift people with psychokinesis, right?"
Joo-hyun could indeed lift them effortlessly, floating them down safely. However, he could not agree to it. As a runaway esper without his guide nearby, using his power carelessly was tantamount to triggering a ticking time bomb, and he was already anxious enough.
There were too many reasons, too difficult to explain. After a moment's hesitation, Joo-hyun replied slowly, "My matching guide is incredibly busy, yet he makes time to guide me. I can't use my powers lightly. I'm sorry."
The crew member's expression soured at the unexpected response. Another staff member, already irritated by the arduous descent, voiced his frustration.
"You're making a big deal out of nothing. Using your powers a bit more won't change anything."
"Hey, knock it off."
"No, seriously. We didn't want to come here in the first place, but we did. Is a bit of help too much to ask?"
The man's gaze met Joo-hyun's, his irritation clear. The dark red eyes, starkly visible in the sunlight filtering through the leaves, gleamed menacingly.
"There's no need to be so harsh about it…" the man's voice trailed off, realising that Joo-hyun was not an ordinary esper, but a runaway esper.
Seeing the evident fear in the man's eyes, Joo-hyun's thoughts drifted to someone else—Cha In-ho, who met his red eyes without flinching or tensing. In-ho, who would meet his gaze head-on and smile.
Joo-hyun sighed quietly, feeling his thoughts returning to In-ho more frequently of late. He resumed walking, feeling guilty about the heavy mood but unable to alleviate it.
By the time they reached the waiting vehicles, everyone was covered in dust. Joo-hyun, followed by Seo-chan, tapped on the window to wake the driver who was napping in the front seat.
The journey back was bathed in the hues of the setting sun. Seo-chan's voice broke the silence.
"I'm about to ask something that might make you uncomfortable, but please bear with me. The higher-ups insisted."
Seo-chan, looking genuinely concerned, watched Joo-hyun closely. Understanding the necessity, Joo-hyun straightened up, signalling he was ready.
"Can you tell me how you ended up being matched with In-ho?"
Joo-hyun had anticipated this question. It was the primary reason for his notoriety among the runaway espers.
"When I first heard, I thought it was absurd. Who could ever match with a runaway esper?"
Joo-hyun and the other espers in Block C had laughed it off as a ridiculous rumour. But what seemed impossible became reality.
"Then In-ho showed up, and somehow, we ended up signing the contract."
There was no need to share every detail—the glares exchanged, In-ho accidentally pressing the summoner, leading to Joo-hyun's bloodied emergence. Some memories were best kept private.
"Do you get along with him?"
"We don't have a bad relationship," Joo-hyun replied, omitting his uncertainty.
"What kind of guide is Cha In-ho?"
Joo-hyun pondered, wishing for multiple-choice options. He knew only two types of guides: the trash heaps and Cha In-ho. Compared to the former, In-ho was an excellent guide, though he suspected Seo-chan wanted a different answer.
"He's a very warm guide," Joo-hyun finally said.
Unlike the cold, painful guidance he had received before, In-ho's was warm and gentle. Smiling slightly, Joo-hyun looked down.
"He scolds me when I get hurt but always guides me anyway. He asks if I'm lacking anything and shares interesting stories I didn't know. He's sometimes playful too."
The sunset lit Joo-hyun's face, his amber eyes glinting like tiny lanterns. Lost in thought, he exhaled a laugh and looked at the camera.
"I'm glad he's my matching guide… But please edit that out."
Seo-chan laughed awkwardly at Joo-hyun's suddenly serious request.
Realising his words were embarrassing, Joo-hyun felt his cheeks flush. He wanted assurance that the scene would be cut, but Seo-chan avoided eye contact, raising his hand apologetically.
"Sorry, but that's not up to me."
Joo-hyun sighed, his head drooping. He really hated being on camera.
It seemed that the other espers were being filmed from mission preparation to the mission's conclusion and their return to their lodgings, but due to security reasons, this was not possible for Block C. Under the violet sky, two cars were parked by the deserted roadside.
Joo-hyun stood alone some distance away from Beom-jin, who was engaged in various conversations with the Block C staff. Leaning against a fence, Joo-hyun smoked a cigarette and stared blankly at the setting sun.
Reflecting on how people would react once the broadcast aired only brought heavy sighs. He didn't use his powers for others, he released monsters, and as a runaway esper, he was fortunate to be matched with Cha In-ho. By this point, he was curious about how much he would be criticised.
As Joo-hyun stubbed out his cigarette and wrapped the butt in a tissue to put it in his pocket, he noticed someone approaching.
"In-ho just contacted me. He suggested we all have a meal together. What do you think?"
Beom-jin, who looked exhausted and disheveled unlike his neat appearance in the morning, asked while holding his phone.
"Then I suppose this is where we part ways."
"You're included too, Joo-hyun."
Joo-hyun met Beom-jin's gaze. Behind his slightly dirty glasses, Beom-jin's eyes smiled lightly but showed no sign of backing down.
"They're buying us meat! Of course we should go," chimed in Seo-chan, suddenly approaching, making it hard for Joo-hyun to refuse.
"In-ho said he won't come if you don't."
That was the deciding factor. Unable to refuse the earnest looks of those who had worked hard all day, Joo-hyun reluctantly nodded.
It was just a meal; how long could it take? He doubted he would go out of control in such a short time, despite his anxiety and fear.
Moreover, if Cha In-ho really came, he might receive guiding. If that happened, it would be the third time this week, which was a significant benefit for Joo-hyun.
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the right decision. Thinking of Cha In-ho's smile, Joo-hyun nodded more firmly than before.
And that was why Joo-hyun now found himself sitting in the corner of a luxurious restaurant he had never been to before, staring intently at unfamiliar dishes. He berated his earlier self. He should have known it would turn out like this, and his stomach churned at the thought that he hadn't anticipated it.
Upon entering the restaurant Cha In-ho had reserved, they were immediately led to a room—a spacious and antique one that had been prepared in advance. The room had no windows, possibly out of consideration for Joo-hyun.
At first, he was glad about this. No one would see him and report a runaway esper. But he hadn't considered that he wouldn't be alone in the room.
You might wonder why this mattered when they had all come for a meal together, but it was unavoidable. For eleven years, Joo-hyun had lived in isolation, receiving boxed meals and eating alone in his room. Occasionally, he ate with colleagues when the timing was right, but comparing that to the current situation was meaningless.
"Doesn't it suit your taste?" Seo-chan asked.
"No, I'm eating," Joo-hyun replied, carefully picking up a side dish with his chopsticks. Satisfied that he was eating, Seo-chan turned back to his colleagues, laughing and talking loudly.
The only people in the enclosed room were Joo-hyun and several civilians. There was the driver who had brought Joo-hyun to the mission, but he wasn't an esper and wasn't armed.
The café had been bearable. One wall was a large glass window, so he could dash out if something happened. But this place was enclosed, windowless, and lacked anyone who could restrain Joo-hyun.
He felt suffocated. If he went out of control in such close quarters, everyone in the room would die before the bomb around his neck even detonated.
He wanted to punch himself for thinking he had become accustomed to his companions in just half a day and for following them so recklessly.
He was a runaway esper. He shouldn't forget that, yet the moments when he did were increasing. This had certainly started after Cha In-ho appeared in front of him.
"Ah, In-ho just messaged. He's stuck in traffic and will be a bit late. There are a lot of espers around, probably due to a gate," Beom-jin said, showing everyone his phone. The photo, seemingly taken by Cha In-ho, showed a controlled road with uniformed espers scattered around, looking busy.
"Is there a gate near here?"
"There are quite a few, including undisclosed ones."
"The nearest to the road in the photo is AN-32, inside a closed tunnel."
At the low murmur, everyone in the room turned to Joo-hyun. He felt a subtle tension but remained composed, his senses alert. He had never liked being the centre of attention.
"To be exact, it's a tunnel that was closed after a gate appeared. It wasn't disclosed because it caused public anxiety, being too close to the city."
"Joo-hyun, that's understandable, but how do you know this, PD-nim?"
"My brother told me."
Beom-jin grinned bitterly, placing his empty glass down with a thud.
As Beom-jin said, AN-32 was a gate that had abruptly appeared in the middle of a tunnel used by many cars, forcing its closure and the construction of a new road. While its location was inconvenient, AN-32 was otherwise a typical gate, gaining the Association's attention because of the monsters it produced.
"I didn't hear all the details, but the monsters that come out of there are quite troublesome."
Though smaller than other monsters and not capable of spitting poison or fire, these creatures excelled at hiding. Not just in the usual sense—they could make their bodies transparent, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
A few years ago, on another gate mission, Joo-hyun had encountered such monsters. Thanks to an esper's abilities on the team, they had captured the creatures without much difficulty, but alone, Joo-hyun would have struggled significantly.
"Ah, this is confidential, so don't go spreading it around," Beom-jin said playfully but seriously, making everyone gulp and nod.
Meanwhile, Joo-hyun was deep in thought. If espers were controlling the road, a monster must have crossed the gate. AN-32 was one of the few gates monitored by standby espers, yet if a monster had escaped, it meant the guards had likely been severely injured or killed.
Feeling bitter, Joo-hyun quietly stood up. Everyone else was too engrossed in their conversation about interesting gates to notice.
Wearing Beom-jin's borrowed jacket and pulling the hat low over his face, Joo-hyun stepped outside. The tightness in his chest eased a little.
For the first time, Joo-hyun realised that a company dinner wasn't just about eating. Everyone seemed far more interested in drinking and talking than in the meal itself. As an obvious outsider, the more time passed, the more he was consumed by the fear that he might go out of control in the city.
"If Cha In-ho were here, it might be a bit better," he muttered, feeling embarrassed at his own thoughts. He kicked a stone and rubbed his face with his hands.
"Going for a walk?"
Joo-hyun had already sensed the approaching presence and slowly turned around. Seo-chan, with a camera slung over his shoulder, was grinning.
"...You're not drinking more?"
"An esper's walk can make for good footage too."
Despite being faced with a runaway esper, Seo-chan approached fearlessly, raising his camera. Amused by his consistent attitude, Joo-hyun couldn't help but chuckle and nodded in acknowledgment.
"I won't take responsibility if it's boring."
"Documentaries don't need to be exciting."
It was funny how he had fled the company of others out of fear, yet felt comforted by someone's presence. Smiling sardonically, Joo-hyun began to walk the night streets.
"Where are you heading?"
"Somewhere with no one around."
"Why's that?"
Passing a bright shopping district and entering a dark alley, Joo-hyun glanced at Seo-chan. He still had the camera. Would this scene be aired? It seemed too mundane and dull for anyone to watch.
"Because that's what I've always done."
Just as everyone had said, he was a time bomb, surviving by staying hidden. It was dirty and dangerous, and yet that was his life.
Joo-hyun realised he had walked quite far. He turned around, deciding to head back to the restaurant, thinking it might be too dangerous for Seo-chan to go further. Then he stopped abruptly.
As he continued, Joo-hyun noticed the streets becoming grimier, the alleys more dilapidated. With light, even the darkest places in the city had their dangers. The city's back alleys were notorious, a labyrinth of decrepit buildings built by desperate people who couldn't afford better. A careless step could lead to harm or worse, although it was rare for even bodies to disappear completely.
The authorities had attempted various policies to clean up the areas due to the danger, but these efforts failed to keep the alleys spotless for long. They had been neglected for too long, and refuse had piled up.
They hadn't fully entered the dump, but already the smell was overwhelming.
"Do you know this area well?"
"…I've been here a few times when I was young."
Other areas had changed over the past eleven years, but the dumps and their surroundings remained the same.
Even during the day, it was difficult to navigate. At night, the darkness seemed to swallow everything. The damp, green-stained streets gave off a stench, familiar to those who'd visited frequently, yet still evoking a sense of unease.
They had walked a long way. Fearing for Seo-chan's safety in such a perilous place, Joo-hyun decided to return to a restaurant they had passed earlier.
"Why?"
At Seo-chan's question, Joo-hyun whispered in a low voice without sparing him a glance.
"Run."
"What? Why all of a sudden—"
"Don't say anything, just quietly leave and report to the Centre immediately. Tell them a Yellow-grade monster has appeared. They'll handle it if you mention that it likely escaped from the AN-32 Gate."
Joo-hyun stared directly at the monster lurking in the distance, its movements bizarre as it scanned the surroundings. Though it wasn't yet transparent, it was so inconspicuous that Seo-chan hadn't noticed it. The creature appeared as if it were encased in finely crafted, jewel-like glass.
Despite the darkness, Joo-hyun recognised it immediately, memories of tormenting encounters from years ago flooding back.
"Those creatures are sensitive to sound. It probably couldn't endure the city's noise and came here seeking quiet. I didn't expect to encounter it here."
Monsters that could become invisible turned their eyes transparent as well, rendering them blind but significantly heightening their other senses, especially hearing. He had struggled immensely with these creatures, which would charge at the faintest rustle.
In the past, an esper on their mission had possessed sonic abilities, perfectly countering the monster. Naturally, that esper wasn't here now.
Seo-chan, having grasped the situation, turned his camera toward the monster. Though terrified, he managed to step back more calmly than expected.
Joo-hyun knew all too well the fear that if he took his eyes off the monster, it would charge. Yet his self-defensive reaction turned into a significant mistake. Seo-chan stepped on a loose tile in the cluttered alley, falling with a loud crash.
"Ah...!"
Before his scream ended, Seo-chan covered his mouth, but the monster's gaze had already shifted toward them.
Joo-hyun immediately activated his power. An invisible, sharp spear shot towards the monster. As expected, it turned transparent and vanished from sight.
Seizing the opportunity, Joo-hyun helped Seo-chan up and seated him beside a large rubbish bin. In the already dark alley, the shadows cast by the bin would likely keep him hidden.
"I'm sorry for changing my instructions. Just stay as quiet as possible and don't make any noise. You can report this via text, right?"
"Joo-hyun ssi..."
When the monster moved, it made a sound similar to a giant crystal cup scraping the ground. The sound, a sharp, tinkling noise, grew closer. Joo-hyun, glancing down before looking up again, spoke to the frightened Seo-chan.
"You must remain silent. Even if I die right in front of you, stay still. It'll leave once it loses interest."
With a reassuring smile, the esper rose and walked towards the monster. His guiding levels had already dropped significantly from their earlier task. Aware of this, Joo-hyun knew he couldn't back down.
"Let's see which monster wins."
Would the monster tear Joo-hyun apart first, or would he defeat it before his runaway powers erupted? They would soon find out. The runaway esper unleashed his abilities.
The battle wasn't on the other side of the Gate, making it more disadvantageous for Joo-hyun. Everything around him was a hostage.
In an area full of poorly constructed buildings, a slight misstep could cause significant casualties. Thankfully, this dangerous neighbourhood was deserted after dark.
Joo-hyun had one more thing to rely on: the esper reinforcements would soon arrive to handle the monster. It wasn't a matter of life and death inside the Gate, but a game of enduring until help arrived.
Barely dodging the transparent monster's charge, Joo-hyun clenched his teeth.
The darkness and haphazard buildings severely hampered his movements. He could use his powers to create a shield, but that would waste too much energy.
As Joo-hyun silenced himself, the monster revealed itself momentarily to locate him. He seized the chance to capture it, but was unexpectedly interrupted.
"Joo-hyun-ssi! There's more than one!"
Seo-chan's shout drew the monster's eerie, opalescent eyes towards the bin.
Swallowing a curse, Joo-hyun created several layers of barriers in front of the alley where Seo-chan hid. Three out of five barriers shattered, but fortunately, the monster chose to charge at Joo-hyun instead.
"There are monsters in the city too, so all available espers have been dispatched there. No one can come here right now…!"
Seo-chan's voice was filled with despair. Joo-hyun frowned, clapping his hands a couple of times to draw the monster's attention.
It was obvious which would take priority: the bustling city or this foul-smelling dump. Yet, many people lived here too. Despite the squalor and confinement, they had built their nests and slept, dreaming of tomorrow.
[Eeeeee—]
The monster's cry resembled the high-pitched friction of glass being cleaned. The shrill noise made Joo-hyun wince.
Even with the ground breaking and loud sounds around, no one opened their windows. Here, intervening in others' affairs often ended badly. It was fortunate for Joo-hyun, struggling as he was to protect Seo-chan.
Though he managed to catch the monster in his psychokinesis, its sharp, glass-like claws shattered the shield, and it escaped.
Joo-hyun could do far more than typical psychokinesis users, but he paid a price. His abilities were physical, vulnerable to breaking and tearing under strong force.
Ordinary espers might not consider it a weakness. They could just keep using their powers until the monster's strength waned. But Joo-hyun was a runaway esper, unable to recklessly expend his energy. Even with a matched guide, he had to conserve his strength.
If he lost control here, it would result in two monsters instead of one. He would soon die from his powers exploding, but who knew what havoc he might wreak beforehand.
"Damn…"
Bam! He narrowly avoided another charge but couldn't dodge the tail, crashing into a wall. There was no time to indulge the pain.
As he ducked, the wall above crumbled with a loud crash.
Facing an invincible enemy left him with two options: charge at it, ready to die, or flee and await support.
Support was uncertain. If he risked everything, it would only reduce the countdown on his ticking time bomb. It was a desperate situation with no retreat.
Joo-hyun detested the thought of innocent lives being lost due to his cowardice. Spitting out bloody saliva, he strained to hear the monster's movements.
Despite its complexity, the monster was only Yellow-grade because it wasn't hard to kill once caught. Its body was tough but fragile against overwhelming force.
If he could just capture the invisible beast, the fight would end swiftly. Of course, that was easier said than done.
"Ugh, how much longer?"
A faint light glimmered behind the bin, likely from a phone. Seo-chan peeked out, tears brimming as he shook his head.
Swallowing a sigh, Joo-hyun ignored the throbbing headache and prepared to activate his powers again.
"Haaa…!"
A small pile of stones collapsed with a high-pitched voice, drawing Joo-hyun's gaze. Beyond the broken wall stood a child, frozen in terror with their hands clamped over their mouth.
Filthy and ragged, the child was clearly a resident of the dump. They seemed to have hidden from the monster, unable to return home.
As their fearful eyes met Joo-hyun's, countless thoughts raced through his mind—safe places to move the child, how to distract the monster.
But monsters never waited patiently for their opponents to devise plans. After a brief silence, the invisible monster reappeared, turning its head directly toward the child. Joo-hyun moved instinctively.
"Argh…"
The child slowly opened his eyes, trembling with fear.
Though he didn't know the child's life story, Joo-hyun wished they could find some peace in this moment. Forcing a smile, he lifted the corners of his mouth.
"Ugh…"
With the monster's claw piercing his abdomen, even that was a struggle. The child clung to him, staring at the blood and wound.
As his breaths grew ragged, Joo-hyun instinctively hugged the child tighter.
"Espers don't get hurt by something like this."
"But, there's blood…"
Joo-hyun, noticing the monster about to move, used his power to sever the claw embedded in his abdomen. Though a piece remained, it was better to leave it than to forcefully extract it.
The child smelled and felt incredibly warm at the same time.
Joo-hyun realised the child would manifest as a Guide. It wasn't fully manifested yet, so guiding wasn't possible, but Joo-hyun smiled genuinely.
"Thank you. Because of you, I can catch this thing."
"What?"
"Please take the child away."
Despite his voice not being loud, Seo-chan, who was intensely focused, urgently rushed out, cradling the child and sprinting behind a rubbish bin. The child, initially struggling as if fearing abduction, calmed down, feeling Seo-chan's trembling.
The monster became transparent again. A predator never leaves an injured prey that's almost captured. But…
"Sorry, but I can see everything."
Joo-hyun's invisible blade severed the monster's arm.
[Screech!]
With a tearing sound, the monster, writhing in pain, briefly became visible before disappearing again. It didn't matter. The monster could only make its body invisible, not the blood Joo-hyun had sprayed over it.
Activating his power again towards the floating bloodstains, he shattered a part of the monster's massive head.
The end was near. Although the street was damaged, it seemed possible to resolve this sudden, disastrous situation without any casualties.
But as always, the world detested seeing Joo-hyun happy.
The monster, blinded by its shattered face, lunged at Joo-hyun. Enhanced by overflowing endorphins, Joo-hyun easily dodged and delivered the final blow.
With a sharp noise, the monster, with a large hole in its torso, instinctively fled in the opposite direction from Joo-hyun. The problem was, instead of a road, there was a building there.
Boom! The four-story building, with almost all its paint peeled off, stood on four pillars, and the monster completely destroyed one of them. Exhausted, the monster couldn't maintain its form and crumbled into small pieces.
With one pillar gone, the building began to tilt forward. Joo-hyun had only one option.
He sprinted directly in front of the building, using his power at maximum capacity. The tilting building halted mid-air as if held by an invisible hand.
"Evacuate quickly!"
Seo-chan, frozen behind the rubbish bin, dashed out at Joo-hyun's desperate shout.
"Everyone, come out! The building is collapsing! You need to get out!"
In response to his urgent cry, people began to emerge from the buildings that had started to light up after the clash with the monster. They hurriedly fled, taking only the bare essentials, initially shocked by the sight of Joo-hyun standing there with blood dripping from his nose, but quickly fleeing at Seo-chan's urging.
Meanwhile, Joo-hyun couldn't even move a finger. Any movement might cause him to lose control and the building to collapse.
The headache had already reached his eyeballs, and blood was pouring from his nose like a faucet. Though there wasn't much bleeding due to the still embedded claw, his body was not in good enough condition to hold out for long.
At least, if the building collapsed, it wouldn't bring down the neighbouring structures.
He knew without looking that his eyes had turned completely red. His entire body felt hot and cold simultaneously.
Suddenly, Joo-hyun wanted to see someone. Would the man who helped people as if he were being chased be proud of him now? Perhaps he would smile and say well done, then soothe Joo-hyun's headache with his kind guiding.
"Is everyone out? Is anyone still inside?"
"There's no one on our floor, the third floor!"
"The first floor is clear too."
"What about the second floor?"
The residents, glancing at each other, turned pale.
"There, at the window!"
Barely moving his eyes, Joo-hyun saw a child clinging to a second-floor window, crying. Terrified of the tilting building, the child couldn't come out.
"Byul!"
The child Joo-hyun had saved earlier cried out in a frightened voice from behind Seo-chan. People stopped the child from entering the building.
Joo-hyun knew he had already exceeded his limits, but seeing the scared child reminded him of his younger self, and he couldn't ignore it. Weakly pulling with his power, Byul surprisingly complied.
"Oppa…"
The child, now in her brother's arms, began to cry in relief, and everyone sighed in relief. At that moment, the building made a loud noise as it tilted significantly.
"Ugh!"
The runaway esper spat dark red blood. He was really at his limit. Noticing his strange condition, people began to distance themselves, and Joo-hyun thought that was a relief.
"Shin Joo-hyun!"
Though even standing still and breathing was hard, Joo-hyun somehow turned his head. There stood Cha In-ho, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, with a face that seemed half-filled with fear and anger. He reached out urgently.
Maybe the world didn't hate Joo-hyun that much after all. The runaway esper closed his bright red eyes and smiled. The building collapsed.
* * *
His whole body felt stifling. That was the first sensation he felt before opening his eyes. His head, body, even his fingers felt hot and stifled.
As he struggled to open his unusually heavy eyelids, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view. Unlike the grey ceiling of Block C, the white, clean ceiling was foreign to Joo-hyun.
The room was empty. Lying alone in the spacious hospital room, he tried to sit up but failed.
He was almost like a modern mummy. His body was wrapped in so many bandages that finding an unbandaged spot seemed difficult. It was understandable since he had been buried under a four-story building, but surviving again felt almost unreal.
As he stared at the blue sky beyond the spotless window, he heard the hospital room door open.
"…"
Having washed his face, Cha In-ho glanced at the awakened Joo-hyun and rummaged through a bag on the sofa.
"Um, hey."
There was no response. Joo-hyun, failing to rise again with his casted arm, spoke once more.
"Cha In-ho?"
"Why are you so foolish?"
Cha In-ho's voice was neither soft nor kind. The tone, sharpened to wound, pierced Joo-hyun.
"Why do you keep repeating the same thing?"
"…"
"You save lives only to endanger your own repeatedly. How much longer will this go on?"
Even though espers were more resilient than ordinary people, severe injuries could still lead to death. Though not fully healed, Cha In-ho must have worked hard to bring Joo-hyun back from under the collapsed building.
As he said, Joo-hyun had been saved by Cha In-ho several times now.
It was natural for Cha In-ho to be frustrated and tired of being called out unexpectedly due to Joo-hyun's frequent injuries. From his perspective, it might feel like trying to fill a bottomless pit. The runaway esper's missions were typically tough, but this wasn't even part of his mission.
"You told me not to do reckless things. Why do you keep running into danger then?"
Joo-hyun, unsure what to say, bit his lip and whispered softly.
"…I'll be more careful from now on."
"From now on?"
The scorn in that brief question was cold and sharp as an icicle, piercing Joo-hyun.
"How can I maintain a match with an esper who doesn't value his own life?"
Cha In-ho turned and left the hospital room without hesitation, clearly not wanting to see Joo-hyun.
Left alone, Joo-hyun, not understanding Cha In-ho's feelings, simply looked up at the bright sky. Perhaps it would have been better if he had died back there. That thought crossed his mind too.
* * *
"If it weren't for the retired esper living nearby, you would've truly died."
Seo-chan said, peeling an apple and offering it to Joo-hyun with a fork. However, Joo-hyun, lying motionless, didn't even consider taking it, so Seo-chan awkwardly ate it himself.
Joo-hyun had woken up in the infirmary of Block A. Though he was a runaway esper and normally couldn't access Block A, he had been there for several days. According to Seo-chan, it was thanks to Cha In-ho.
"If In-ho hadn't insisted, you might've died while being transferred. Your condition was that bad."
"…Was it?"
"Yes. Now that you're okay, we can laugh about it, but back then, seeing the people who tried to stop us was infuriating. By the way, In-ho is really scary when he's angry."
Whatever Cha In-ho had said, if it weren't for him, Joo-hyun would've died on the way to Block C.
Runaway espers receiving treatment in Block A was very unusual. While they had to be monitored for potential rampages, that was nothing.
Come to think of it, Tae-seok had mentioned Cha In-ho having some influential connections. Perhaps that played a role in this situation as well.
"…"
It didn't matter. Now, Cha In-ho was just another stranger to Joo-hyun.