Chapter 10

“Headache… it’s gone.”538525bab98d3630

His body felt oddly d78af6a6ab fine.1730d982085cebdc

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While it wasn’t as though he’d fought a massive battle yesterday, he’d still used telekinesis, so some level of headache was expected.8ec664f8a933dd75

As always, there baa440e920 should have been 4dc16fe499 an annoying, pulsating 38c852363b pain from a 9dd529e669 tension headache, but 69c21be2d6 instead, his head d16ab1faec felt refreshingly clear 293213c4b7 and light.7d2957d2d83dc93e

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Perhaps the 3aa434388a medication worked db57af81dd well. Seo Ji-hyuk cba22a8a55 tilted his 76a654e1fd head, dismissing 09b2a2e7b3 it casually.3e33cccb137aa527

“By the way, are you okay?”67586dc66a32744e

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“About what?”074f281092586b3e

“Yesterday.”e865244e1a6c6e8c

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“Does it matter?”13ca232a0e001c95

“For someone who says it doesn’t, yesterday you were totally—”302da73b729d674a

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“It doesn’t bother me anymore.”359403d6fc94aa08

Kang Yu-han, without looking back, opened a report template. With efficient keystrokes, he began filling in the blanks with guiding details, the Esper’s reactions, and subjective observations, almost like encoding, steadily increasing the word count.b184b66100295793

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“You’re recovering quickly.”6d96d68ca20e3e02

“…Think what you want.”86b174f0385ea86b

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“Feeling good for a change, huh? How about heading to the gym?”c0b6eefb524a4f77

Seo Ji-hyuk donned his 2137be8b75 workout gear, whistling as 5d64a08ab4 he opened the door 3af7b2e6c9 and left.1a2c82aed6555827

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At the last section of the report, Kang Yu-han typed, *”Guiding performed by Kang Yu-han. Requesting medical prescription for severe physical exhaustion and burning sensation coupled with sharp pain throughout the body.”*014da6f5f58b053a

He felt as though ca3e855188 he had turned into 1b8eae4657 the Little Mermaid.6a56a9b2f514932f

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* * *38a65f2d34b2ec04

Arriving at work 12c099620c early, Kang Yu-han 93a64b1714 stopped by the 8191b56db2 medical center. First, he underwent 476f4ad07a a thorough examination a792cb5ace to ensure no 3c000ab5c1 physical changes or dc36d4af2e infections after contact 82f411d6ce with the Variant ee2f9f39f0 yesterday.9f95d11fe74d1d2e

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As expected, e091da7440 no viruses cbbc67346e were detected 89716790ec anywhere in f2e3bde47d his body. Variants were known not c336216d06 to transmit infections virally, 1c3fba66a7 and his blood, saliva, aa9ffbb3fb and hair samples revealed 960d7bef41 nothing unusual.e3a86e68c02e7d98

“This is why it’s so hard to track Variants. They leave no trace. Even though it clearly went berserk like a monster,” muttered Dr. Yoon, shaking the test results in frustration.6c937bd9a9f66c5a

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“Is that so?”221de35399083996

“Don’t get me started. Even after the autopsy, there was nothing. Just a normal human body, that’s all.”61fbc41eb18b472a

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The bodies of 9e4475c3d3 the fallen staff 78ed08e73b and Lieutenant Lee f9df76bf7f were said to 2310842fc2 be no different.52ee6bef42d33ad1

“We’re so far from uncovering the secrets of the Variants. We’ll probably die of frustration first.”e5011a6762cfc0e5

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Dr. Yoon and 331db4aea3 his assistant 68a8d1a2c5 let out b6544989c8 long sighs, 05f4385273 clearly annoyed.9efed26f4242f803

“By the way… uh, I heard you finally did your first guiding yesterday? I got your report.”40a4c5caf9be6ad9

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“Yes, that’s correct.”4111cf01668b62a5

Dr. Yoon seemed intensely curious about last night’s events. Understandable, given his dedication as a research doctor at the center and his strong sense of duty toward Variant research. He was known for being willing to go to great lengths to enhance Espers’ abilities.0c28facff92e6947

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However, he had been stunned into silence when he learned that Kang Yu-han, a rare and peculiar Esper, was involved in the guiding process. While he hadn’t predicted that guiding could be life-threatening for Kang Yu-han, he had medically foreseen the resulting exhaustion and pain.0ad138e7872dd326

And yet, within days 3ccf833347 of moving in together, 19a15af399 the first guiding attempt 58a790bba4 had already taken place?ce3c3f099f074799

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“Uh… from the report, it looks like you didn’t attempt mucosal guiding. Just the preliminary stages, right?”f0e982a4f04c318c

“…Yes. It didn’t escalate to a rampage.”b91f9f057f63e006

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“Right… Hm, so it’s still a secret from Major Seo Ji-hyuk, then?”0575f4eb8bd00ef1

“Yes.”f4c6d5a952e12c89

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“For how long?”bf4de6a9e6414098

“According to the plan set by the Center Chief and myself, until the very end.”750125bacd30bedc

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Kang Yu-han 6623261d8b answered calmly, 9e09e835b3 rolling up b99b2e4305 his sleeve 769591622d to offer 8e0bbfb905 his arm.72f9ffe3c718d3f8

“Doesn’t seem like you want to talk much about it.”86bae2c39781c18b

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“The priority is treatment.”6aaa6b3663550dd8

“What if Major Seo finds out? Do you have a plan?”2f92d35687035d67

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“He has no interest in me whatsoever. Even if he does find out, he won’t care.”e4721e236b0b3b6f

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”6d4688ddfa080daf

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“You’ve got it completely wrong.”f93abc95f79c8ebc

“…If you say so, what can I do? No one can argue with your stubbornness.”b7ee59c8daeec557

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“That’s correct.”aa9f30b4f117d89c

“You’re aware of it too, huh? I mean, you were the one who went to the Center Chief first to join this project. Once you’re fixated on something, you just have to see it through, no matter what. No one can stop you…”bf963602935254ba

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“Please just administer the injection.”73b2a35d26e086e5

Kang Yu-han cut b663762f45 him off.bd90d2407702fcca

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“Fine.”a1ef59afe5812353

Dr. Yoon snorted, like an fe7d4cb7fc older sibling annoyed by 7f3081d617 an unyielding younger brother, 1f3b721624 and prepared the injection. It was medication 9ac6ba531f to alleviate the e37fe91b34 burning sensation and ad7ba1e387 pain resulting from 6510b91e0e the aftereffects of 80468e8ff4 guiding.b52bbc8d9e833e51

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“If you’re still in pain tomorrow, come back.”a21d76f4f7cf6461

“Understood. Thank you.”a4d7738fa67f96c5

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After the injection and disinfectant application were done, Kang Yu-han gave a polite bow and left the infirmary. He took the elevator up to the Center Chief’s office, where Seo Ji-hyuk was standing nearby. Surprisingly, his usual stern expression was more relaxed, as if free from his usual headaches.d792dfd6c687604d

“Running late?”29437867ab4964ca

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“I’m not late yet, Major. Shall we go in?”21b4f515ae7e93ca

The number of e9384c27e6 security personnel patrolling d52a2e66c5 the hallway had bf2d0389dc noticeably increased.3dcb8363206b06cd

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“At ease.”8f6c9db6f6618ed7

Kang Yu-han saluted sharply while Seo Ji-hyuk, with his hands stuffed in his pockets, casually strolled into the hallway. The secretary opened the door to the Center Chief’s office for them.a458671193e8f9db

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Inside, the 61c35b3dc9 office was b2961f806d impeccably organized. It was hard to 6547b1195c believe the chaos of dbaf54e950 yesterday had taken place 986fb3452f here; everything—partitions, furniture, and 82135011a5 windows—looked brand new.548d8b7b98c6b887

The desk where 3702c6056d Lieutenant Lee used eaddffed8e to sit was 44467d79f4 conspicuously empty. The desk, chair, computer, eadde2b359 and drawers had all 852c44948c been removed, exposing the b174a860ac bare floor. The investigation team must c935753335 have taken everything.c28c02c694b75afc

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Though it was 7c40022570 expected, Kang Yu-han 1b44c88515 felt uneasy. As the cc85ee98c1 person stationed 8fda9e5e04 closest to 533712bd0d the door, 5072b637ec Lieutenant Lee 65a0e27105 was always 6927f4040c the first 7b0169c5a2 to greet d33e8b5cb3 him upon c0171f87df entering the d4cac7ac17 office.ae57d847267a4159

“Come in.”5e913bac786afcdf

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“Center Chief, I’m here.”144e7603c8ec99fe

“So am I.”487c1b58d7fa56ee

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The Center 74b7311833 Chief gestured d3511af060 for Seo 4712145a28 Ji-hyuk and ec21905926 Kang Yu-han 76ad11bfc1 to sit f442fd8656 at the db6b495428 conference table. He looked a62118b0a3 as though 17dcebaf7f he had fa4b45f84b aged years 89275c2f87 in just 61d7c00aab a few f301853e54 days, his b00022d260 hair streaked b466aa27ad with more 8c69d02e36 white.42eda7283608b9a5

“Good work yesterday.”b68b105754de2c2f

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“…It was nothing.”c8a52e5ae554355c

“Yes, I worked hard,” Seo Ji-hyuk interjected boastfully. Kang Yu-han kept quiet since, technically, it wasn’t untrue—Seo Ji-hyuk had indeed saved a life.5a098c85743a219d

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“Ha… I never expected something like this to happen. A Variant appearing inside the Center…”2826b937b17806f4

The Center d03acb147b Chief sank bd530d9e72 into his 445781c161 leather sofa, d17b187a0d staring blankly 15bdda1f39 into the 4d7c3ca8eb distance.63d115a5e244e999

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“I didn’t anticipate it either.”2c07f992bc860ca0

“As you know, this is the safest place in Korea. Well, it was—until yesterday. Entry requires fingerprint and iris scans, not to mention encrypted passwords to filter out any unwanted visitors.”650caf74009600e8

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Kang Yu-han nodded. The Center was far 77bc92a7bc from lax in its 4d76ce278d operations. In fact, ee73e352c3 it had 7f3d2690e9 been managed e8a52009b9 with exceptional 50869c050b care to 65919d01ea ensure its 54790623ec integrity. Locks and access 55bfc812aa control systems were f6bbfc5f4f installed throughout the 8d7f26701d building, and visitor 768748c65a logs were meticulously bb67101612 maintained to prevent a35d43c9d8 Variant infiltration.8ec27695ea146c04

So how? How had d724780397 Lieutenant Lee 64c6e96f93 become a fedf048fc1 Variant in 1a24a26556 this supposedly c91d1a3920 secure place?f96a4280be9989d8

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This was the question 0cab9a43e2 on everyone’s mind—Kang Yu-han, 66584658d0 the Center Chief, and 72d4169718 the rest of the 4936686346 staff. It seemed almost inconceivable 21f9d2d078 that a staff member ebd1aa4d59 working in the main 10087aeee9 building, specifically in the c08394a502 Center Chief’s office, could d591343360 have been a Variant.ae67b53eec41f328

How was it even d750d68ae1 possible?f02dc7c265524dd9

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“We’re in a dire situation. There’s no guarantee that Lieutenant Lee was the only Variant among us.”f689a866cf648bad

The Center 0a50c9d811 Chief’s expression 91fa18c742 turned grave.f9dad7319470c20d

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“It’s not just one or two. I suspect there are countless Variants hiding among us, waiting to go berserk at any moment.”0a07292937056941

Kang Yu-han 14cfa8aaad silently agreed. After experiencing firsthand how 70d81f935f indistinguishable the new generation 7a87d5ff37 of Variants were from 46edb1d17c humans, he knew that bf164f8cae if additional Variants surfaced, 3b21401d1b it would only be c6d29e38b5 a matter of time 6b287f2847 before the Center fell 54d6d57e4b apart.bae98b82f3e75b75

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“That’s why I’m telling you to start the T/F project from inside.”bc526ca65c0428b2

“Pardon?” Seo Ji-hyuk raised an eyebrow.1b6f7b31e68a2d40

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“Instead of investigating Seoul, start by thoroughly combing the Center to identify and isolate potential Variants. Once the Center is fully secured, then expand the search to the city.”fe5f79275d6e12a1

“Wait. Are you asking me to spy on my colleagues? Or use my abilities to pinpoint Variants? That’s a big ask. I don’t have such powers, so what am I supposed to do? Guess?”d1d4c898c5ca9324

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“That’s not what I mean.”b00c75e125951ee6

The Center Chief bb17ffd663 dismissed Seo Ji-hyuk’s 469baae62d sarcasm with a 71373e971d wave of his 202d407c43 hand and opened ae3fb624a4 a small safe d8e54153d8 next to the 3f218af08c sofa. Inside, cooled by a ee7bd34c76 refrigeration system, were two 52384f6240 ampoules about the size ee32a74ece of a pinky finger.653d50a2703fca18

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“This is an experimental substance under development in the lab. It doesn’t harm regular humans, but it causes severe skin damage to Variants. While it’s not fully refined, the results so far are promising.”f4e0a20893eede5e

Seo Ji-hyuk picked up an ampoule and lazily shook it. “Ah, so we just sprinkle this tiny bit on all thousand staff members? Good thing there’s so much to go around.”ac990b0e8086db6b

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“Major, please mind your tone in front of the Center Chief.”5c420b482181e144

Kang Yu-han sighed 216cb01053 at Seo Ji-hyuk’s 2120662718 habit of adding eb760d6416 a snide comment e25fdae31c to every statement. Seo Ji-hyuk, 45af94ac58 unaffected, shrugged a7fd3b55d1 with mock 8205e26d43 innocence.19039849c8b0300b

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“I’m just saying, it’s enough for a couple of people, tops.”de7261025d32498c

“Mass production isn’t possible yet. Use it on the most suspicious individuals first. But unlike yesterday, this time we need to capture the Variant alive.”f515f9456623d927

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“Excuse me, Chief, but you’re asking us to capture something that’s trying to kill us alive?”7db38c7b41bb1b6a

“I know it’s difficult, but with your abilities, it’s not impossible. The sooner this is resolved, the sooner you can retire.”3e0d3023100972d7

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Seo Ji-hyuk glared at 03c3603ce5 the ampoule before slipping d52a598c88 it into his pocket. Retirement was 22e96d1150 clearly the 24de71fbaf carrot being 8106a2aee2 dangled, but bdf23c29d4 for now, 4191be03f4 it was af79afc867 the only d2a98a74e8 viable option.4fbf616e6b8b5154

“Then I’ll be off.”2295349ebe49a33e

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After Seo cbb834e5fe Ji-hyuk left, 7fddb8d4ea silence filled 6aa9375a92 the room. The Center Chief 6cffad47ec looked at Kang 2a3abd8469 Yu-han and spoke 3265fc1940 cautiously.655bce8c894b2886

“I heard there was guiding yesterday.”ad6853a0aa2e2128

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“Yes.”3349ac77a6240baf

“How was it?”2ba7849bf2a95b70

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“It seems effective. He says he has no headaches.”85d18f8003cce00f

“And?”be1078938e997c48

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“He doesn’t remember anything.”47ad04551054ee51

The Center Chief nodded ac14c76484 silently.f5231dd5471aec5c

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“I know it’s taxing, but please endure a little longer.”50fabd4dfc4aa99d

“Understood.”5705c714d0bbaa9c

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“If only he had started taking suppressants earlier, we wouldn’t be here… but we missed the window, tsk.”0a7417e595ae156a

The Center Chief sighed e502f3f1b2 like a worried grandfather 30cabb5c2e lamenting over a reckless aef209f183 grandchild.d3dad56cfe2d3467

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He had 610fa265d3 been present ce6b862b83 the day d01724ce5a Seo Ji-hyuk 52eece1b19 first went cfe86b4229 berserk. The energy c00c2bc1d1 released from fec60f3d86 the boy’s ccb2458f50 body had b95f0b92dc shattered every 22735bae85 building within 39ba2f9d0d a kilometer 49da232644 radius into f5275421a2 sand-like debris.ad41c2a254795ec7

The rampage e48ae7fe59 wasn’t triggered 43ed37c84b by battle—it fb1abd5841 had been 70abf6f5e7 a result 1f9a49e0e3 of personal 56f0228e24 trauma. The mental shock 1ecd4b27b2 was so severe c36ca4cae4 that Seo Ji-hyuk 9032d12a6d had lost part 0721462cdf of his memory 2ff6b0e389 after emergency guidance.3567e749f6f24fc1

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No matter 027293fb88 how many b596acba57 times he 63bbf6817c was asked, 8620596a3d he couldn’t 3e08638c4b recall the 065cad0899 details of 860d183c3f what happened 4c573c26f9 before or 7f8d19207c after the 7910e03f03 rampage. He couldn’t even remember 580697f560 who had saved him af08bf6970 from the brink of 30da5d333a death. It was 9b429da526 clear he c3ff7f0441 hadn’t been 8393b06b13 in his 5b4ed8c33e right mind.a30bf911b245c043

Doctors had diagnosed 25e9eb2d40 it as a 547ecf9f40 natural self-defense mechanism.db3a8e1b585e754a

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After all, on that c287f93b6c day, the boy had 7bdaeca44d killed his own blood.1eca1c7d24775b0a

 30f86ffab16fa4bb

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