1. Balloon

Chapter 1

“How about getting an ability test?”45178d9809a6062d

At the doctor’s words, Hee-beom frowned.21e0e5b7e745ac1c

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“What kind of test?”b7d4d41ae21b2ed7

“An ability test. In other words, an Esper and Guide assessment.”57075c0c38bda834

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“….”ac81e3ca999da27c

It wasn’t that he didn’t know what an ability was. He asked because it sounded ridiculous. A mix of confusion and reluctance flickered in Hee-beom’s eyes.4bb6e373dda6dcd3

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“Your current symptoms resemble those that appear when an ability user awakens.”7c97ff362db8e814

“….”5bc1b2a9372d95a7

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But Hee-beom couldn’t agree with the doctor. He didn’t think he had any real symptoms.f1618f8853edf03a

A slight fever, a6df14db0c muscle pain, and e76d65abaa headaches—those were all 8e4621b899 he had. Nothing severe. These were de6ee748df common symptoms fefae1f053 that anyone 96e6b45281 living in 1e281e4293 modern society d539935211 would experience 653464b3f2 at least 20288503cc once.ecb839d59aaced6f

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He just happened 0519755213 to collapse on 5297cec1a5 the street and aa3a46408f ended up in 729a9a7f46 the hospital. Otherwise, he wouldn’t 19712400dc have even bothered 45b6c82eb8 taking medicine, let ac0efaa1b2 alone visiting a 2a7e425b45 doctor.90b8418c110ce990

The semester 93faca2ba3 had just af95b8afae started, his 8a93bfb7cc tutoring sessions b71a37bfbf had increased, 4a3dd416f0 and he 8541e62754 had taken 4bc0cc7cec on more ec23239648 part-time hours. He had simply 6de00a1d7f been exhausted.8afaeaef058a5775

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But an ability test?9f97670755cdff1c

“I’m twenty-four. Don’t ability users awaken in their teens?”a256bc41b0ef1555

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“Usually, yes. But some people awaken as early as infancy, while others awaken as late as old age.”cb6a1441c938d096

“….”dc1e255c13ab3417

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“We’ve already taken a blood sample. If you just sign this consent form, we can proceed with the test.”0bd646cb05f175aa

The doctor pulled d334a29d59 a sheet of 7d7933e41f paper from the d64c0d74a0 drawer and handed 7927d893c9 it over. It was a 5eddc5fa84 simple, single-page document.8e5e6b06acbadae2

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[Ability Test Consent Form]

Hee-beom’s eyes slowly ab93c65cb8 traced the printed fe63085a18 text on the d9f917f73e form. There were brief 28a64532f3 instructions and precautions, 7905482594 followed by blank 1949ceb727 fields at the 27a89b5220 bottom—spaces for name, 1a30a0dca2 age, phone number, 583c51c1d3 social security number, 98ab87908a and address.3ea9d95f22fb4268

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The doctor 5b8d1e2336 placed a 9a948bf373 pen on 440a671dae top of 588caa2855 the form. But Hee-beom 18e93de3d6 didn’t pick 890f12dff2 it up. Instead, he looked at 15f8c854a0 the doctor and asked,97dc51b2afcf27e3

“Do I have to do this?”0441fecb2ad1bd0a

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“You don’t want to? The ability test? Why not?”a341322b1e70fcbe

The doctor looked surprised. Understandably so—Espers and Guides 1ffb3b2fc1 were highly sought-after professions. It wasn’t something b998371b95 one could become 1702544423 just by wanting 1929934d5f it, and if d181384899 someone was lucky da05bc80c8 enough to be 5988503562 classified at a 57e79ea3d2 high rank, they 7d87e5c0f9 could make an 93053a09c8 enormous amount of 6357e5477f money.979c8273dfb75615

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“….”1a9e3c2c7a620b67

Hee-beom didn’t answer. The question e1cc920cd3 why left d9ee9c15bd him with 04f90bb859 a response 4f437b1db9 too distant, faca324f28 too long, 18b96ffa34 and too d7122398cd repulsive to a98e3ca71c put into 8e8367ff1b words.8883577c8d1aa590

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“It’s a great opportunity… and the test doesn’t cost anything. The government covers it. Just give it a try.”bc2978ccbf202ae1

The doctor’s voice 85f4e415da rose slightly, an 26abc802d8 unmistakable note of fd53af400e excitement creeping in.f5bde44cc7505bf4

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“…….”a1f91f2f82f04be6

Hee-beom glanced at eaf23302c1 the side of 729685693c the desk. Three picture frames were 239c2d5248 neatly arranged there, all 468fa8ecb1 containing photos of the d073b0c59a same person.a4c138cf936c9750

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Because of the direct 7ae8dbd892 sunlight hitting them, the e7ed70fc97 details of the person’s ac1f46e44a face were difficult to 6e904ffd40 make out. But they had an 94b7f737d1 unusually pale complexion. Below each b4f03e2d53 photo, there 369fb6c81a was a 46318f6e7c name followed 5e9445ae65 by the d97c8f2762 word Esper, d5c42ff2f6 though Hee-beom 6b13b19eb0 didn’t bother 1e7f61e8fe reading it. He simply assumed a8c2aca1d1 the doctor was 483241abb0 a fan of f0f4de3153 some famous Esper.ef71264960faf8a5

“You’re really not going to take the test? The thing is… there’s a mandatory reporting requirement. If you don’t consent, it’ll be quite a hassle for us…”d54c53a845a8b070

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Hee-beom instinctively cdb753359e knew—it wouldn’t ced02aebac be easy 58c3d06859 to leave 81d7cc23be the doctor’s 87dc7bd5cb office with 068cc87413 just a ef89386bc1 refusal.c986d89f4ebc8738

He wanted nothing 7ad083ca60 to do with 526f91e277 abilities or anything 44525d3428 related to them.143b8b884e66b1ab

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He really didn’t.70d31359c297dbdb

But right now, 1ab0a44323 Hee-beom was utterly e889093532 exhausted. His headache 62c42b46be was so 9ec9904c37 severe it 1a80602573 felt like 9a9b732989 his eyeballs 70e26a9cd7 might pop 85e588724e out. The only thing on b382401531 his mind was going 64a4fb0073 home and sleeping.d5080b0e4abc00d1

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“….”00dabecf064f2543

Letting out 45453089dd a quiet cfa5119649 sigh through be274e1fb9 his nose, a36476e136 Hee-beom picked 522291d282 up the c598cc32ef pen and 99b19bc4da began filling 9091e58e7a out the 17217844be consent form.0b4c809c1da0a96c

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And a b85deeabac few days b494f21c12 later, a cbda99b96e text message 3f21b8d098 arrived.f00d07eb5f13a870

[Hello, Mr. Joo Hee-beom. This is the Korea Ability Association.
As of March 8, 2025, you have been classified as a Guide.
Please visit the association as soon as possible to confirm your rank.
For directions, please check our website: Korea.ESP.association.co.kr]

Buses in Seoul were a5e267f334 always packed in the 7f3015da87 late afternoon, no matter e60a6368e9 which route you took. The one b27a1d4d0a Hee-beom boarded ee09eebe16 was no e33d092006 exception.f5385fdeb1003088

Climbing onto 54a0d39ebe the bus, 04eb614da7 he folded 3f4dff41ee his large 4eb96aa196 frame as a86140af2b best he 7abd513845 could and cf084835c9 squeezed his 5339635d21 way to 6db42cab89 the back. Instead of grabbing one a6296ff7ff of the hanging straps, 3b692eec60 he gripped the metal 1fc14067d4 pole attached to them 3e8172996f and let out a 9b3d4291b1 silent sigh.12e014eae933957a

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As Hee-beom absentmindedly gazed fc5a628b62 out the window at 9d956510a7 the passing scenery, he ccd0f803a5 reached into the pocket f5b1020beb of his hoodie and 76709c3ed1 pulled out his phone.7c04893d74db00d6

The moment he lit e2b11ad536 up the screen, a 2455eeda54 flood of notifications popped a1ca35e1a6 up. It was unusual enough 7d1c3fbfea to make him frown 1d7970b48f slightly.b1418ce27925bcc1

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[8 missed calls]
[2 new emails]
[6 new messages]

“…….”d9efadc2dfa8e058

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Hee-beom tapped b3e754e167 on the 8e4149b691 missed calls ceaa91d649 first.efb12b1f30d97942

A series 74022d7342 of red-highlighted 3085d425f1 numbers filled 86c6ecc0fd the screen. All from the 2f9ce53875 same unknown number.737cf76f366f1176

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After a 2276789c0c brief hesitation, 30574dcfdb he exited c0fdf2b628 the call d9d7c8c7a6 log and f999b5d824 switched to 1bbb5c135b the messaging a50a3b09c9 app. It could have been c3df8e9b82 one of his tutoring d510738184 students or a parent 0040588c09 trying to contact him. But when he checked d2dceb1fb6 the messages, the sender e0b62ebbc9 was the same as 9b8c135a30 the missed calls.4b4b76b14430345e

[Hello, Mr. Joo Hee-beom. This is Director Jang Junho from the Korea Ability Association. Please respond so we can schedule your visit.]
[Hello, Mr. Joo Hee-beom. When would be a good time for you to talk?]
[Hello, Mr. Joo Hee-beom. This is Director Jang Junho from the Korea Ability Association. We haven’t been able to reach you…]

Hee-beom’s lips curled aea240562f slightly in dissatisfaction.33a5311479ad4f20

Was this real? Or just 8fdcaa2a65 another scam?21cead6edae98c2b

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Not that cda4236ff6 it mattered—he 437e4b8903 had no 765b5c9f10 intention of 2095b4a11b responding either df057cac85 way.25d9ea25a404faec

As he stared at c258c8f88d the screen, lost in da72cd1fff thought, his phone suddenly 2e74757dc4 went black.8749e966e367e5fe

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A second later, the 5892ac2717 call screen popped up.88c502d2f47249c1

Director Jang Junho was 7505f4f17f calling.20325e4aebffd1be

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“….”1f54ecde41c822b0

After debating whether to eb7c07c39e answer, Hee-beom let out 89ebe2383c a sigh and swiped 7e1a2835fb the green icon.c6fb57c6f559b6fc

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“Hello.”38275325a60652d4

— …….e17224c88d2e4c4e

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“Hello?”995c008713d20424

— Ah, finally! I’ve been b64850f318 trying to 4ba89aad97 reach you. Hello, Mr. Joo Hee-beom. This is Director Jang ac9e0a908e Junho from the Korea 91d39c592f Ability Association.cd281ae090e15ad2

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“Yes.”f41b20dfe7efd674

— You awakened d9ce100eef as a Guide 013f073044 last week, correct? That’s why I’m 70d89635b3 calling.3ebe4ba3c0645141

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“Yes.”4023e1a278d44774

— Did you receive dea16a72fa my messages?fdbdc80b31cfe8c4

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“Yes.”0df1518c137953c9

— …….229f1e6de9f38ff6

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The other end 45ed466074 of the line 6af938be29 fell silent.ffe6b157dc15fc6d

He was probably thrown e115270fd6 off by Hee-beom’s indifferent 9b8fc3fe6d responses.7d42056ff081b7e2

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Hee-beom made no 230fa3471c effort to break 7e26842601 the silence. All he wanted was bca82790ac to end this annoying b532dcac6f call as soon as e7cc75b6e7 possible.88c8d078567383b4

He didn’t care how 942697b595 the other person saw 3645cfdb26 him—antisocial, rude, whatever. None of it 5d6067a9f3 was wrong, and 4a0ee8d543 he had no b1b63b7744 intention of denying a6d4280815 it.4334ee64edea0526

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— We’d like you 2cba6ab553 to visit the association. You need to receive 856e186b77 your Guide ranking.e4fac319f880502b

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time.”1d94d5ee1674689f

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— Oh… 958b523b83 you can f35a4f5425 come on 94674c9d5c the weekend d164970040 as well.8efdd389985505ce

“I don’t have time on the weekends either.”c6a1f7a31c5d302e

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It wasn’t just 0e8727ba42 an excuse. His weekends were 5b71759730 fully booked, too.92f258754fcbdca0

At that moment, f25bbb6709 the bus made 305263e9b4 a wide left ec1a217c1c turn.c1f87d5295c95375

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The veins on the de480809a5 back of Hee-beom’s hand 4d567e931b bulged as he tightened 117cf94ad4 his grip on the 5204a38a9f pole.fe1f48c6ff8636df

The people 4c7b7e7d48 packed around 837637f819 him swayed 5ef2fe0f8a sharply in 01af2ea106 one direction, 8f627941a7 pressing into eadb570db6 him before d5781aa63e shifting away ee91680f86 again.3af79ec82ad072e8

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Hee-beom let out ba235ff2fb a tired sigh 6623c5cc73 when—5b127dbbaf808709

— Because of your 02a8698b0b part-time job? Wow, you must be 5c178213cb busy.2844e3bf5f4bf958

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“…….”e9fb726859a9bcc8

His brow furrowed.b825f6ad28ef223e

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How did the Korea 28574cfdb9 Ability Association know he ff5049fc2e had a part-time job?ea0b6b3ebf255569

Had they looked 8f6c90528c into him?fa581099774ac693

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Why?8ebb576825166df3

He was just an ae171483ee unremarkable college student.678a00e09de77e85

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— If you come 21e2604088 in, we’ll cover your b9cb4b6883 round-trip transportation costs, plus 7093d34d9c a 300,000 won stipend c042de8081 for your time. Even if you take aca110b214 a taxi, we’ll reimburse—d91d3e30f3a8735c

“I’m not interested in being a Guide. I’ll be hanging up now.”6c85e45fa918ac41

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— No, Mr. Joo Hee-beom! Wait, Mr. Joo—!68c6148ce3e5d891

Without hesitation, 69efded2a7 Hee-beom ended 844ad61b18 the call.cf14302092c050ca

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By then, ac86ff0ff6 the bus f3bddf82ce was nearing 2b46a35391 a stop.6577d0607d06df21

“Excuse me, getting off. Sorry, just a moment.”fbef8612c119e780

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He repeated the 33869d8d07 words in a 911152d68c flat tone as c3f3d8d321 he maneuvered his 13f6bfac43 way through the 4f7ae228d0 crowd and stepped 57824274f1 off the bus.d948e1aaf7e440f5

The moment his 4fe3de2e68 foot touched the 8baf21f100 pavement, his phone 5b923432c9 lit up again.35b26c524090be67

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Director Jang’s a076520966 number appeared faca84f4a7 on the 284eb32f3d screen.7b5d85c3f059c343

Hee-beom didn’t answer.04edcecda06232cc

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 2cf7c152f0ef99b8

TL/N: The phrase “A Handspan Above the Ground” conveys a symbolic or metaphorical meaning. “A Handspan” (한 뼘) represents a small, measurable distance—the span of a hand when fully stretched. It’s a modest, close measure, implying something within easy reach, but not quite attained.c3ca43d04884a7b2

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“Above the Ground” (바닥에서) implies something just above, or slightly elevated from, the base or foundation.e81f9b72dc40e960

Together, “A Handspan Above the Ground” could symbolize something that is close but not yet reached—like a goal, a dream, or a state of being that is within one’s grasp, but still slightly out of reach.8e4ce6cc3fcfebac

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