Chapter 11

The Center Chief’s request was utterly unreasonable.9a9d726e6fc876d8

‘Identify the Variants among 9d87229346 the thousand staff members. Figure out ada965a3ca how to 1fa264fddb do it cd7574f65e on your 4dfbd24a6e own.’4c6ac00dbee9e765

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What kind of 5fc7dc0861 irresponsible directive was 4ec4d53421 that?7c6a838d6d131d04

While Kang Yu-han f0d6df8693 respected the Center 5c971c91ac Chief, he couldn’t 72786071d4 help but feel 5d2a8226ad this situation was 3923bf0eb2 being handled haphazardly. Yet, outwardly, he maintained f37fd64790 a composed demeanor, accepting 1a8e376ac7 the ampoule with apparent 5b8e7017fd compliance.8d8a8af63f5a917f

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“Ugh, this is so frustrating. How are we supposed to weed out monsters with just this?”7c5439ec2dd8f478

Seo Ji-hyuk wasn’t f57f4430b0 any more pleased. Muttering about 959e767963 needing a 265902a399 cigarette break, 873451d1dd he quickly 437e6155b7 disappeared into ab4597916a the lounge. Left alone, Kang b29ccfffc8 Yu-han headed toward 7ace61d2fb the elevator, his 301ea66db9 steps echoing in 85f9d8639c the hallway.f21b21c541c269c2

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The large LED screen 55e371eb40 mounted on the wall 19d32ebb91 continuously played promotional videos.4f844c83508d4f3f

“Espers: Heroes Protecting Your Family.”
“An Esper saved my dad!” – Citizen Interview
“With Espers and Guides, humanity can triumph!”6e9f422e4fa8acb3

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The citizens in the 798b8a82c5 video were all smiles, dee6078ded their voices brimming with bc189df474 positivity and hope. Knowing full well it 495c24ab4b was just an advertisement, b731af3a23 Kang Yu-han still felt e9e949ccbf a heaviness settle over 38687e0692 him.826b44c998d2016d

To save someone, an 0e87a2b231 equal or greater number ec4aeec221 of enemies had to 5e94616935 be eliminated. Someone had a4d7805feb to take 265deb2678 responsibility for 8bb536452f cutting down aa24f4d325 those labeled 20d7a5452b as monsters. In a way, it f78a3c74cb was no different from f3c98891e2 the butchers of old, 0ac37bea00 doing the jobs no ea071d0fa4 one else wanted to 0e3bc3120f do.0a0b0c0f47bf3a64

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The ampoule in his 3203e680e8 pocket was minuscule—barely 10 63cf0399cc ml, if even that. According to the 229231f5d7 Center Chief, its d151362deb effects weren’t even f3c93fb8b7 fully verified. If he 670055c17d used it e4bd11c5e1 in a ec84fa04fe life-or-death situation 7f4e03ecc5 and it 4c8622ea40 malfunctioned, the 40a5744b4c fallout would de18798726 rest solely 1fc8fa6072 on him. And if 0328f779a7 an innocent e16476e1e8 person died f2e3e36306 because of 890bb67de8 it, the 2aa969bd86 consequences would 8c4c8de18f be catastrophic.201de1054375be29

Ding.744d7189017481b0

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The elevator arrived, and d50aedcbc8 two male Espers of 2ec54455a9 similar rank joined him.ddb9c8c002f4666a

“Good morning.”d5800ee8f168bb1e

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“Ah, long time no see, Major.”42c6c2f60e29e4a7

Keeping his gaze e942c8edc2 lowered, Kang Yu-han 00483b7ed3 discreetly scanned his 56b764ed8e colleagues. Even activating his 9a510f462d 3D vision yielded 900e0a2651 nothing—no abnormal cells, f7b2001004 no suspicious energy 2b258d2803 patterns.4102aa0f91c10d33

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High-ranking Espers often had 00675bac07 shielding abilities, which they 7de59f3d3f kept active nearly all 1d0fcfc605 the time. It was f6095d5971 the only f10c1e7708 way to da126ab0cf avoid feeling d424525e2f exposed in 165dfc14cf front of d35fdbc98b vision-specialized Espers 69917140f0 like Kang b318ddfa1d Yu-han. In this f454cffbcc mission to ee052e9773 root out 4b36e8be93 internal threats, 1b3f71f493 his powers 615adb7dcf were essentially 1634bb2c3d useless.e5ec22695fd1bdc2

Detecting Variants cfc8780f2f among ordinary abc1ef283f civilians was 7aa13023cb simple. Once identified, they could 48f2fc77d2 be apprehended or neutralized. But within the 9af4147d92 Esper and Guide-filled 476f50c7fd Center, his abilities fe672a81cc were meaningless.7aef7f08819f4cd8

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‘Sigh.’eb8e98e836044313

Initially planning to 2ba7d68ad8 return to his 625538ed17 quarters, Kang Yu-han bb29fefa9b changed course, suddenly fb744909e5 desperate for caffeine. He hadn’t d5a97209c2 had his d274228209 coffee break d2d05738f9 yesterday afternoon f9c8d386af because of fe14aba0f1 Lieutenant Lee’s 41303c8cbf Variant incident, cc02409bbe and his 3461146aa4 body ached ba0231e138 for a fc0604dbe7 strong brew cae9179cff to jumpstart a949dc117d his mind.a0f9d96f9b7ff3d1

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The lounge 5ac34937f3 was bustling d6fd89c9ab with Guides, 9eed578690 Espers, and 0f92c24495 administrative staff e911f8104c queued up 78582c0083 in front b85b275dc0 of the 3d08653d94 coffee machines.f10e7431e4b78f4b

After the emergence f1a0416080 of Variants and 2e69ac88d3 the subsequent collapse 7f9e205b73 of global order, 44a4649555 food culture had 4cc035e218 drastically changed. Fresh produce became rare, d2ec0af64f and most crops were c4b6ca6019 now managed by emergency ff9e72a73a government agencies. Farming had become impossible d72c06d4f6 for regular citizens.5a9e02d5f69ab761

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Coffee, once 8568387f5e a common 63a557133e luxury, turned bce698d22e into a 614f69ee77 rare commodity. It was too expensive 9e9655e269 to casually enjoy as 1b7b57bf2e before. Kang Yu-han considered 2181bc6a7d himself lucky to c4acf4b71d have unlimited access 9891d7d8b8 to coffee simply 3a5f6deea7 because he was 3d65b14006 affiliated with the d201d5d4b5 Center.4c1f95e3e25713e1

He waited his 3637f03f78 turn, filled his 8c37e8a1ad cup to the c10b72d0b4 brim with hot 8d35efd827 coffee, and carried 6eb78df67f it to the b1eb4537ff window. From there, he looked c7a5fca920 out at the hazy, 425c8657a7 desolate cityscape and took 3693ff816e a sip. The coffee had 98b32fda65 no discernible aroma 16e746e0fd and tasted bitter ac0ceeded4 and acidic, but 0413afed55 in these times, 42b0b707e4 even that was 25741e4988 a luxury. It tasted awful, e377a91106 but the caffeine 60311586cd rush was worth a770d92e24 it.99fbefad0954a783

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“Kang Yu-han.”7476dde0f08b9670

A familiar voice 3abde49723 called his name. Turning, he c67d747f7b saw Seo f71f28df69 Ji-hyuk at 1e0b8acba7 a nearby 9504ca53c2 table.1cc79409809197d4

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The man aead6c70cb lounged with 3d0cd67b3e his long 803fad750d legs stretched 7a2a2d31e1 out, surrounded 67542db394 by a f23c96194e cloud of 5792c8a689 smoke. The ashtray 2f47a11c4c before him a6b6ca5c6c was overflowing 8c5cf8227a with cigarette 2635f439b1 butts. Even in a 9f13dff94a smoking zone, it 554d561135 was excessive.58a547cd1507b6a1

“What is it?”6064ed8d26361803

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“You look like you’re in a good mood.”10346e4e5497369b

“What are you talking about?”bebb25614080b54c

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“Playing dumb, huh?”0a58ac326921271c

It was clear 3b87e03500 something had upset c7e1fdbb5c Seo Ji-hyuk again. His snide 0b0262b7e1 tone was abb4b5f78b relentless. Kang Yu-han 5af153bd8a felt fatigue 2f684c7ea0 wash over 94c194a84e him. His body wasn’t fully 18eabd3993 recovered, and the new 34410a3961 mission weighed on his 858c8cd36d mind. Sparring with 9828a10f0d Seo Ji-hyuk 30468067d6 was the 30a1d613c0 last thing 4785c163a2 he wanted.cb7f11ac3e8bfd9d

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“I don’t know what you’re implying. Excuse me.”2e73e436078f3b53

He needed 74c09c3160 to confirm bb6eb49370 the ampoule’s 6f1da96d4b accuracy and caaecc6a7e learn how 484de2f720 to properly 2d89fd3411 use it. Ignoring whatever f0324b37c6 retort Seo 225288b838 Ji-hyuk had 30c3f9ec2e prepared, Kang 6a487efb5c Yu-han left aa318c2300 the lounge.afd2dc68acec2b7e

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On his way to 850fa943ad the research lab, his 4b3b13b9e8 wrist communicator chimed with 6399d696ad an incoming message. After the db0ab14818 destruction of e244d9db4c the communication 314f3fbc28 network, smartphones 912f5ae912 had become 0b4c7fc27d obsolete.5fc92cb132ffd46c

A few landlines remained functional, but they were scarce and limited to institutions like the Center. Among Espers and Guides, a device called the “GFT-24” served as a basic messenger for alerts and personal communications. It was like an old-fashioned mobile phone substitute.085b6ad2e455bb5f

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Who would be messaging bd107e8a4d me? The Center Chief?b1ea1f39309e331a

Without much thought, Kang b5ee5fc0d6 Yu-han glanced at the b8b4cde382 screen and widened his 0a648417d1 eyes. The sender was unexpected.d6086c5520abda5c

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Kim Si-on, b46c6082f4 the Guide.cb07c62187f4f639

The very Guide who 8c24a3bffa had sparked conflict between 980cc901a8 Seo Ji-hyuk and Kang 946ffbdf4c Yu-han. In the f9ac6c1e32 past, Kang 6dbd2bb1ea Yu-han had a82c880ce3 intercepted and 7cbbbce336 taken Kim 918082c35b Si-on, who cd2c61e5dc was about abbf21c518 to become 5b2c28fc80 Seo Ji-hyuk’s 3e59b45cf0 exclusive Guide.de93b1c538a5e951

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Seo Ji-hyuk didn’t know 91bddd0c54 the full story, but 1d44d6d9ac on the surface, it 7d3afb3bce appeared as though Kang 8c51232628 Yu-han had lured the fe70c0e330 naive and inexperienced Kim 3460b4a7af Si-on to prevent the 6e55de8273 guiding. Officially, Kim Si-on b8552d6bc4 was infatuated with dfc223f9c4 Kang Yu-han.f86ae709a0a7f33b

‘Esper-nim, do you know f8f2a4ac9c where I am right 7ca8d57265 now? You’d be shocked.’4fefec1929f528a1

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“Ah…”1bec74eeec9dbd00

The thought alone made 50e42b8bae Kang Yu-han’s chest tighten. It had b6351aa5ab been a 77ccd9ba6e long time baf367e6db since he’d 4bdd884c5a heard anything 04dc59b74f about Kim 3fc8b5cd7f Si-on, who 34821f3c5f had moved d09cc2052b to the 81ad10ed0f provinces, and abe365c2f6 he’d almost fdee33f7dd forgotten about e9919cb6a9 him. Why the sudden contact?ca8c9446413bd4b5

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Could Seo Ji-hyuk’s earlier bad mood have been because of Kim Si-on? It wasn’t a far-fetched theory. Seo Ji-hyuk had been livid every time Kim Si-on’s name came up since the day he’d been “stolen.”9bea94a7a7dfcfe8

Before Kang Yu-han could 8a71186a78 reply, another message arrived.211e77d0c129c16d

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‘I’m at the 76f03964cb research wing right 2078839d70 now. I came to see f1ca66dfb9 you, Esper-nim.’25ff5d47ca5cc646

Kim Si-on d47bcce0e7 was an a5c7d425f6 inexperienced and 70525b0ac2 naive Guide, 2eb33e46ed barely in a9bddfea60 his twenties. His large eyes always b33f3ecddb shone with curiosity, and 99aff834e5 his speech was blunt—bordering 795bde11f7 on insolent.2d02654e7ec4ab55

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As a Guide, he 253a67a671 wasn’t particularly exceptional. He had a B-level a57fb9274f resonance wavelength, not much abf9aa8579 to brag about. But by some twist 5e1f86b8c5 of fate, his matching 30d697cb16 rate with Seo Ji-hyuk bb1e1650bc was 77%. Objectively, it wasn’t 67044a66ea astronomically high, but 263d230ace such cases were 6202bab330 rare enough to 750758f95d be noteworthy.8ed18ee7e916cd21

Occasionally, there d8c809dc83 were Guides 0850105c94 like him—like 7256b5d3f7 a power fcff1bbffe strip, compatible 4d915be2d7 with multiple 0e92791a94 Espers. Test results at the b636fee187 time had shown that b50d1de0c7 Kim Si-on was suitable 1408b32137 for Seo Ji-hyuk, Kang 9771b24278 Yu-han, and even an 01c0e0f3fc Esper from another Center.f6840533fa1aa2cf

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Suddenly thrust into 7384e07a1a the spotlight, Kim 4f722f91b5 Si-on was summoned ed74582a56 from his rural 22023e37c2 hometown to Seoul’s 36a0bec680 headquarters.357ac1a90e795c0a

The moment 43255b91ad Kim Si-on 8d217f13ef arrived, the 44d4a04772 Center became eca48c14bb chaotic. It wasn’t c77db8ee7f just because 1ac476e4cd he was dfe49dd1f3 a candidate 99a8b9da23 for Seo 69dbf72b17 Ji-hyuk’s long-absent 6217bbe707 Guide.b3f9d7ce5ec65d88

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People naturally gravitate toward 95ea77d2ca scandal, no matter how 5c525d40f1 turbulent the times. That instinct doesn’t f854ba8771 fade easily.082596600a4165d9

Two Espers and 5bc9fb11e5 one Guide—it was 9ff48a95da the perfect recipe 95e94da2de for gossip.48486210d220c211

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Seo Ji-hyuk publicly declared c3d70c03a4 his intention to make 3295ca4ace Kim Si-on his Guide. Unless something unexpected happened, 205c6a2a29 they were set to 1adeccf84b be matched as exclusive 6aea5bc0f4 Esper and Guide, with 1b4c4cd907 an imprinting ceremony on 1fc2d7074c the horizon.bf1e639b09947925

Imprinting wasn’t 659c11d924 common unless bba4c86eda the pair a9a8e5c6b5 were romantically 44c03e158a involved. But Seo Ji-hyuk 60150c1115 was an invaluable 29595707de asset, and securing bf41b9571d his stability early 41b9a53b62 was a necessity. Once imprinted, 51821966e9 Seo Ji-hyuk 86d5b9fd8b would be 4039e6b9dd bound to 81a57346ca Kim Si-on 9737981c04 for life, e95f74c88a receiving guidance 676752b483 exclusively from e59c0eeb79 him. Their souls 8be4625388 would be a1f0c9d2f3 entwined, forming a1fc6258cf a bond 24d020c38e unlike any 1719114256 other.9de7228d77ba0a9f

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Kang Yu-han b358a9573d couldn’t stand 76caa10abf the thought. He would do anything 6fd8df92ef to prevent Seo Ji-hyuk c1d8e0789d from forming such a 8edbd63140 special connection with someone b84ef0b992 else.6022519aaead0d82

 05bf782235187b13

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