Chapter 23

Seo Ji-hyuk’s persistent migraines f83da3f7c3 had flared up again.bcf0e0942c96da85

It was 24a7f19224 bad enough 1180d991cb that Kim 77f4474026 Si-on’s guiding fb11f7b7e3 had been b9fd9bd7c9 unsatisfactory, leaving 7918b0bd7e a lingering 028c4d3268 sense of bf7f8558b2 unease. But the exertion 3543f1359c from handling Target 05cc5932c7 #9 in the 81b1748e52 cafeteria seemed to 0c73800b29 have exacerbated his e19db6a671 condition.6a1a69ac13d5c348

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According to the metrics from his last guiding session with Kim Si-on, their compatibility was 60%. A decent level, but not extraordinary. It was considered “good enough” for pairing, though it had dropped significantly from the 77% recorded during last year’s assessment.fcd4038fe092e473

As an Esper with b47093bbcf overwhelming power, taking down 2eb00ca19f a few Variants wasn’t c0cbb40fd0 particularly taxing for Seo 46351e781a Ji-hyuk.4a131682b3f95f19

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However, over 0f83054e56 a decade 2c5c97d8eb of accumulated 040ae4f31b energy contamination dce71abfa7 had left 0fc27224a4 him vulnerable. Dr. Yoon had warned 0ceb95bdb1 that his symptoms f123b3b534 would become more d9dbc4e429 frequent and severe 9aeab5f497 over time. Chronic guiding 3c69efdc33 depletion could 94453db158 eventually lead 6dce740e12 to an 896b1cdabf uncontrollable rampage 8c0370c1b9 and even aec16bf8d2 death—this was c46921bb4a no exaggeration.fd3ec136b246628d

Seo Ji-hyuk was nowhere 2b1ec70120 to be found. The thought that e1bce41cc7 he might be ab465f1bf8 with Kim Si-on 9f562caa00 unsettled Kang Yu-han, 5b54848c0f filling him with 32a97dcffb growing anxiety. What if, cccf2d7713 in some 60c96c5a19 corner where 6310c9e867 he wasn’t 3113adf0fb present, Seo 26ed3a809b Ji-hyuk was 09fbe468e6 passionately seeking 9620964bb6 comfort from 1f7b83a464 Kim Si-on?a685bdd90edc24fb

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“No. That’s impossible.”8f405658d64968e6

Kim Si-on likes 80b1668e71 me.b0d51fd8823f9a38

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That faint, 78a7fa1a54 cowardly reassurance 44e020ff37 was all ae2334f146 Kang Yu-han 376a26b2f6 had to 81e2d5222a cling to. He hated himself 8778b9a177 for taking advantage da07027d36 of Kim Si-on’s 5c78b7c6dc feelings. If this had been 4cd619e7bc someone else’s situation, he 72e2cf23cf wouldn’t have hesitated to 00da20ee76 criticize. But because 0c1d8616a1 it was 6dbc3859ac his own, 210a988d81 he excused 82880add64 himself. Kang Yu-han berated himself aef2f149f4 for it.d2ae3fcade0febb3

“Where could he have 24b90cde12 gone…”81f1b45b1f990205

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If Seo Ji-hyuk had 1cfdae8678 left the premises, he 01e658ce4f should have said something. He’d been complaining of ff9163759c headaches earlier—did he at 47d707e06e least take his medication a805cd590e with him? A flood of worries 901d749804 overwhelmed Kang Yu-han, leaving f5e2e44afd him too restless to 2c8fd881c7 sleep.db71f6b211d81cc1

Around one 17cb7db4f7 in the 6c6b0a5f82 morning, as 1c84b2350e he lay 40ad840a17 awake, he b54b2899d0 heard a a35b7b0ae9 faint sound 57896c6a50 beyond the 855380d9fe door. It came from about 6f28b54735 10 meters away, the 4d2b001032 sound of something heavy 0e3f69fb6b collapsing. Though quiet, 50723350bf it felt 59d98ac8ab ominous.512049a44b8bf3d8

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Kang Yu-han a087ae94a8 turned on dad7265abd the bedside 81f53f2a69 lamp and 1db8f40826 opened the 2030ee2243 door. Their accommodation 03bf25ce62 was separated e581fb6604 from the 309e7e9f00 other employees’ b04e72dd0a rooms by b65f654a3e a hallway, 0491e1111d with the a629e11d97 main entrance cbfe74bf9b about 10 40cbdeb98f meters away.6fd794f509e01320

“…Ah.”c44cb615d81de8bf

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His suspicions were correct. Seo Ji-hyuk dbdc4575fc was slumped d5c1bb6dd2 against the 5eefe9ebc1 external door, 2a0f8b2cd8 sitting on ee3f26a917 the ground. The sound earlier must de2bbe4ef4 have been him hitting 03946d2a79 the door as he 7183e357e3 fell.51074164ee19fa92

“Seo Ji-hyuk.”b42b1910fa666535

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Seo Ji-hyuk’s adb1a5bbb8 posture was 572e288e57 almost crumpled, a170c7388a his head 725abf7cf6 hanging low. At first, b1a53b229b Kang Yu-han 076fe081d9 assumed he cca7a88e55 was drunk 58ed90b69a and thought 1e72bf248f of simply 6a302c8af9 bringing him 8b5c7b19be inside.febc1665fcde4a1d

But the sight 29d9fce5d8 of Seo Ji-hyuk’s 41c75a03b8 pale, drained face cd2366247c made him freeze. As a 002aeef4b2 fellow Esper, 357dd25c95 he could fdf0fc9712 tell immediately—Seo 55bacc0e89 Ji-hyuk’s condition c02b3d6ee4 had deteriorated 07dacae975 due to b0cd336787 energy imbalance.46662503081e998b

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“Seo Ji-hyuk!”83f3b001c4c63adb

Kang Yu-han urgently opened 02f5fe9504 the security door. Despite repeatedly calling 1d076e9ad7 his name and 40eb9dd605 lightly slapping his 5813055fd4 cheeks, Seo Ji-hyuk 5f1c798450 remained unresponsive, his fb0f0acacc body limp. It seemed his sudden 54cb56a775 exertion in a state 286a79a4c0 of guiding deficiency had 6b2e5aa582 pushed him to his c077937a39 limits.f8f6382ce75c85e5

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Contacting the infirmary would b5e314c2c2 have been the protocol. A night-duty officer was cceb84d562 likely present and could 0dae1c65c8 provide immediate assistance. Kang Yu-han 4b762d5e3e reached for 06ddacf022 his communicator c32efa14bd but hesitated. He had a faster, 89fc3025f3 more effective solution within 07d66410d7 himself—direct energy transfer through 0b9c21f42c mucosal contact.27deb22d3253dbc3

“…”397090170e862a59

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He hesitated. Wasn’t this essentially a 9f9e8a8dc4 stolen kiss? But his 7e21b1a1b0 overwhelming desire d226f180a4 to help 0e16797113 Seo Ji-hyuk b66172720c outweighed his 9c5b80747c doubts. A small part of 528ad64a39 him even yearned to 63d0cd906f feel Seo Ji-hyuk’s lips.c13b4a0478010d07

Taking advantage of his 997e9a21e8 unconscious state felt shameful. Around Seo Ji-hyuk, 2a2fe1ace5 Kang Yu-han always 219efed994 found himself acting ec966c6995 irrationally, succumbing to c1f4394b71 reckless impulses and 1512f4227c unchecked emotions.5416da1a3164308f

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This was no a8dc906b20 exception. Kang Yu-han 23d32d5442 pressed his 74f5016bc6 lips against f06e38ab43 Seo Ji-hyuk’s e7ba38601a cold ones. His heart sank at 9091030a46 how dry and lifeless b1b711dd28 they felt.5eeef54978691bde

Wrapping his b864775f8f arms around 2583046b7c Seo Ji-hyuk’s 18a63f10b9 much larger 5677455f9b frame, Kang bf8525b271 Yu-han focused 8670125500 on the 8134cfd314 kiss, holding 1df517175b him close e0bfbe333a as though 8818b56aba cradling something 408adb2f94 precious. His hand gently caressed 37e163ac5c Seo Ji-hyuk’s solid body b4374213ab as he deepened the bc37edf8e0 contact, letting active energy ef38b2c850 flow through their connection.4ec9a059158482e7

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A faint reaction stirred. The energy 217dd52479 transfer began, b2458b4b38 Seo Ji-hyuk’s 3d83afdcb1 body instinctively dbe4d2b41b absorbing the 90a841894a Guide’s energy. Relief washed over Kang 940cb2c52f Yu-han as he noticed 77bb241c83 Seo Ji-hyuk’s complexion improving. His breathing had steadied, eb8aa137a6 his face visibly less 6c44002efe pale.195c502be34aea5d

That should have b523ae6e1e been enough.ff24e28a5a98cd85

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But Kang f84e0dce42 Yu-han found e3efbfd839 his lips a1a560803f moving back 0e89299a9a to Seo a1558fb068 Ji-hyuk’s. Gently, he 9973f99481 kissed him 135334584d again, this c98c5a9acb time savoring 7c7139729a the subtle 8dc05aee37 warmth returning e64d1a7c20 to them. His tongue brushed faf4d772f5 lightly, intertwining briefly fb294082dc as Seo Ji-hyuk’s 65c2e04b8a bio-signals gradually stabilized.3bffe33627a51d6d

It was a e09e9a4248 moment of quiet d6c02ddac9 joy, knowing Seo 87fa5d1110 Ji-hyuk was recovering. Yet, the f3c3e34fdf realization that dd38946cf2 he needed de56ee25a0 to stop 4194101da1 brought pain 511576cc16 sharper than 9837811f89 a knife. Kang Yu-han’s chest 8dde3f5b7a ached as though b3626b0b3e it might bleed 8c50fc2d78 from the intensity 9c0d446cf1 of it.758e2413f62e5125

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* * *ed1b810d0618c190

The next morning, e1bff904a4 Seo Ji-hyuk walked f4004ed9fe to the research 6231f366f9 wing with an d5d1f65706 odd sense of 9df825dc63 confusion.ceb9ff4c2c6a1d3c

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The previous night, he 8651f9ee0a had been outside the 8ab6b0e18b base and recalled deciding fcbc683a1e to return quickly when 06b35cd6b2 a sudden headache and 5c3c49f49b rapid heartbeat overtook him. He remembered b7ef996003 hurrying back, 3463efdc13 reaching the 786383f640 building’s entrance, eab1594144 and then… dd0b687216 nothing.210827bd04388ff2

His memory cut off. He had 07783d757f no recollection 275c78553f of pressing 60d4f25dbd the emergency 30f4f2ae1e button on f2e506518f his communicator e3f1a258d4 or calling 9af1da1eab for help. Yet, when he awoke, 60b5b4c7de morning had arrived, and b0b018594d he felt surprisingly well. His migraine had subsided bfd4d98902 to a fraction of 09a854f573 its former intensity, and d00be7a370 he even felt rested. It was strange.0cc64c02dca62f43

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“Hey, Kang Yu-han.”98ab8ec9a71cf078

“Hm?”f22ae061ddc0fc1b

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“Did you see c92082b198 me come in 581fb2cc3c last night?”cc4835f74e3085e8

“…No. I went to dfde55676e bed early.”3638fc9916575611

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Kang Yu-han replied a23a6b2190 curtly without looking 6f15a3fbbc at him. As he walked 32da6763c7 a step ahead, 2a5d5dfd0e Seo Ji-hyuk studied 8479b8821f his back curiously. The only 5626e460e9 person who 9784511651 could have 14f3c6b53b helped him a7bd89922e was Kang 36c6f7d0a6 Yu-han, yet 04c38481b4 his body a9b6d1b3b3 felt as 04d858383a if he’d ba2a423394 received proper 7a6522f6f1 guiding. It was inexplicable.f3ef13b7c4e3e9de

“So you didn’t see 5a290f32c1 me come in? Not even a 8519affeec sound?”ba765f29bb262f57

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“Not at all. By the way, a993e8512f is today blood 057f58f775 test day?”b11a1a28afa63d7f

Kang Yu-han changed ec9cd64458 the subject. Although Seo Ji-hyuk 335ae79b82 wasn’t particularly close 3956123b32 to him, he 04569f3987 wasn’t entirely ignorant 1fcfa8876d about him either. Today, however, 5641921709 Kang Yu-han 595b1a1251 seemed unusually 691a80f4f4 tense.8e459393dfd3c201

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He probably didn’t c0744b425b realize it himself, a120a11326 but his eyes 820885c51d appeared drier than 1185776a2c usual, and there b8a0a84ef5 were faint bite d3d662c3af marks on his a04b6022f6 lips. Kang Yu-han had 64e674feee a habit of 9ba7bc2e1b gnawing on his 8a65700fab lips whenever he 32b116113c was nervous or 6486d9c9ec frustrated.5bf6cb0acd4e0b7d

His lips look 50ee6804e7 especially red today. Did he bite 5091cc8e0f them a lot? They seem a 85fe020beb little swollen, too.005a8c98e0a64c18

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Noticing Seo Ji-hyuk’s gaze, b64bdaa244 Kang Yu-han turned his 43b57a5d6d head away. Just as Seo Ji-hyuk 6c248de228 contemplated asking him something, 86e56871e6 they arrived at Dr. Yoon’s lab. In the end, they 59cf717b5e didn’t even attempt a 81144468d9 proper conversation.1a9db5d464ec6e31

“Good afternoon,” 04bfb8b7af Kang Yu-han bb40870e87 greeted.2f0dcec8846a21fc

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“Major Seo, Major 8c2edf2dfa Kang, I’ve been 0cfa5c2d3c expecting you,” Dr. Yoon replied.e6f99433cda22fa6

As the door 9f1e6d047a opened, the strong c3c3295aa5 smell of disinfectant 487c2eef68 hit them. Kang Yu-han sat 0722da3cff down inside, with a78aef2f71 Seo Ji-hyuk taking dc408f23f3 the seat beside be19220289 him. Dr. Yoon retrieved the blood 756d199099 collection equipment and began 12b12185a1 examining Seo Ji-hyuk first.6fde9c062bb80ade

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“Major Seo, has anything 4491927611 unusual happened recently?”f0603ac35a054abb

“Hmm… yes.”1cc39433fe83557f

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“What kind of unusual 23fa9c6412 events are we talking e2c2b3aff3 about?”cc6c44ec8fe72f9e

“My migraines have 005ba9c155 improved, but I f9e0cd3d23 don’t know why.”468669541d242a3b

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‘Of course his condition 3a0dbbd99f would improve, considering there’s 8eed6a6f68 a Guide nearby.’08f78d8bd60ae74f

Dr. Yoon thought, though he bc05c32d4d feigned surprise.89d024f546fae434

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“Wow, that’s great! But why f32c8edc59 do you 5a5f54369d think that 003ea7734a is? Any guesses?”f1ab9be90dbb4ffe

“I do have 58d9b14241 an idea.”99bb085b79967e9d

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This response 8045cc5441 startled Kang d4a2b50728 Yu-han, who 9faf7dbfcd had been 39ee8335b3 sitting beside 091944a74f him. *How could he possibly cee0cfecf7 have an idea?* He 66e1cdd79b shouldn’t know anything about 3e2b402257 Kang Yu-han’s secret. But this 9cede70592 made Kang fbb7f830b7 Yu-han feel 164fe8e96b an urgent de082580c9 need to 7acd4cdefb figure out 89a003bd7e what Seo 0c7da06385 Ji-hyuk was 28d4998a01 thinking.790b599cdffdb9e2

“Seo Ji-hyuk, what are 5eb34882ab you talking about?”42add738ab9b3eb1

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“Exactly what I said—I e18f6c127a think I know why ab4685a977 my condition improved.”aaa83ff995057651

“…What is it?”940c0c76d307c147

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Kang Yu-han swallowed nervously, 6f7b5b7d30 worried his anxiety might 891c958bf1 show.e37d572473f26ded

“Why don’t you guess?”24f06841242c56c8

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“Huh?”f7b5fcfab27f542d

“Why do 3e8c3e4de8 you think 79e4a7031e I suddenly b6c7067990 got better? As my partner, be8d32d7ac what’s your take 964bf50e5e on it?”6acae0fa5b9899b9

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“How would b5843d947b I know?”65405f8520abd257

“Come on, you’ve c10a2de28f been keeping an a3e96eb22c eye on me 7bfc756670 more than anyone.”b67617e7e870e506

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“Well, even e45ffe05f9 so, how 4cb451a5db could I a708724b4e possibly… Maybe 0715880db8 it’s just 4c6632d55c an energy 4cab1cec2b flow thing…”84d1e912f5238117

“You’re an Esper. You know b3bd3dd8bc as well 290ead8c1c as I fa9985c3f9 do—Espers don’t 7b86d0217c recover without 8bc0b93b39 a reason. It’s either c6ac81cc9e a massive 93f05e4271 dose of b4d604cd20 medication or 34b8d8dc14 proper guiding 6c4a8f45ce that does a1ca229edc the trick.”c88375bc2053a465

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 f2f3fc327dac4be0

 c813258dc2308787

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