HG | Chapter 24

How much time had passed?

When Hakyung regained consciousness, he found himself in the on-campus infirmary. It was a specialized infirmary for awakeners, only available at the Special Ability School of Hanguk University.

In the main sector, which resembled a hospital emergency room, Hakyung was the only one lying down. Perhaps that’s why they hadn’t drawn the curtains, leaving the empty beds lined up on either side and below him in plain view.

“Alright, handle it that way… Oh, you’re awake?”

Since Hakyung was lying near the entrance, he made eye contact with the doctor who happened to be coming in. Hakyung instinctively raised his hand to lift his stiff body but then hesitated.

“A cast…”

“Your fingers from the index to the pinky were all broken, didn’t you know? Fortunately, they were clean breaks, not shattered, so a couple of healing sessions should fix them up nicely. If you can’t wait, you can find an esper you know. The cast is just to keep you from moving your hand, so don’t worry too much.”

“Oh… yes. Thank you.”

“Tsk tsk… I don’t know what you were doing to get hit, but if you get into another fight, tell the other person not to hit your face. Seeing that bruise makes me ache.”

“Oh…”

‘So I have a bruise on my face… Well, it would be strange if I didn’t.’

The doctor seemed genuinely sympathetic, making Hakyung smile awkwardly. He was tempted to ask if the bruise couldn’t be healed.

Leaving the friendly doctor behind, Hakyung exited the infirmary to find it was around 3 PM. He had been unconscious for about five hours.

Hakyung clutched the strap of his bag on one shoulder and headed straight to the bathroom. He wanted to check the mirror.

‘Wow.’

The face he finally saw in the mirror was swollen and blue. He understood why the doctor had clicked his tongue. His whole cheek was bruised, making it look like half his face had suffered a severe injury.

Hakyung muttered in distress.

“This is bad.”

Dad might get really angry if he sees this.

If he knew a healer, he would visit them, but the only esper he could call a friend was Cha Hyunseo, and he wasn’t a healer.

“Oh, right. Hyunseo…”

Hakyung groaned, clutching his forehead. Come to think of it, he had completely forgotten about him.

‘I didn’t even give him my new phone number.’

His dad had given him a new phone as a gift and changed his number, so Hyunseo wouldn’t know it. He must have been surprised when he suddenly lost contact.

Seizing the moment, Hakyung took out his phone and sent a message to the number he remembered.

Cha Hyunseo. It’s Hakyung. Sorry for the late contact.

Brrrr-.

“Oh.”

Wasn’t he in training? As soon as he sent the message, a call came through, making Hakyung flinch as if he was about to be scolded.

Is he really angry too?

Thinking he might have upset the few people around him, Hakyung pressed the accept button.

“Hello…”

-Im Hakyung!

As expected, an enormous shout erupted from the other end.

“S-sorry.”

-Where are you! What were you doing that you couldn’t contact me? You went back home, right? Is the overload okay? No problems?

The barrage of questions revealed how worried Hyunseo had been. Hakyung felt even more guilty and lowered his head.

“Uh… the overload has subsided, and everything’s fine. My dad moved me out of the dorm while I was unconscious, and I guess the phone got broken then… I got a new phone and number. Sorry for the late contact.”

-Haa…! Well, it’s good if there are no problems. I saw them moving your stuff out. It looked like your dad’s people. Oh, and don’t go back to the dorm. It’s a mess. I tried to handle it, but it’s a flood of them. Those persistent bastards. They should use that mindset to train.

Hakyung nodded unconsciously. He had guessed when he found out the rumor about the overload had spread. It wouldn’t be surprising if they did something to his door.

‘Secretary Song must have packed my stuff.’

It would be troublesome if they did something dirty before that….

Naturally, his dad would be informed about it.

“…Oh.”

Or maybe he already was?

“So back then…”

-Back then what? I can’t hear you well.

“Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself.”

‘Hakyung is dad’s only light.’

The day his dad suddenly asked if he was being bullied. And the day he learned of his dad’s plan for revenge and begged to join him.

It was an important day for Hakyung in many ways. It’s not an exaggeration to say his mindset changed after that day. In a way, it greatly influenced his confrontation with Han Hee-gyeom today.

The belief that no matter what he did, his dad was behind him, and he loved him.

Some might say he was acting out because he relied on his dad’s power, but it was a good thing for him.

-So what are you going to do now? Are you going to keep going to school?

“Oh, yeah. I went back today. School, probably…?”

-What? Today? What’s with ‘probably’? So are you going to keep going or not?

“Uh, well…”

How should he explain this? After hesitating for a moment, Hakyung summed it up briefly.

“Jang Yuseong hit me.”

-What?! That crazy bastard…!

Hyunseo, who usually didn’t curse, was clearly furious if he used the term ‘crazy bastard.’

Hakyung smiled faintly. He thought if he imagined someone who grew up well-educated and properly in a good family, it would be Cha Hyunseo.

As they talked, Hyunseo’s previous suggestion naturally came to mind.

‘If I say I want to pair with you. Then will you be my guide?’

-Wait till I get back, I’ll beat those bastards up….

‘Will Hyunseo… understand?’

As Hyunseo’s voice faded, a thought emerged.

Would Cha Hyunseo, a man of character, understand if his friend committed the taboo of guiding with family? Even if it implied physical contact in that guiding.

He didn’t know. But if it was Cha Hyunseo, it seemed likely.

He was the friend who genuinely reached out when Hakyung was at rock bottom. If Cheonghyeon’s parents were his saviors, then Cha Hyunseo was that for him when he was lost and wandering.

“Cha Hyunseo. Thank you.”

Hakyung suddenly expressed his gratitude. Hyunseo, who had been venting his anger, paused. Then he returned to his familiar self and joked.

-Oh… Our Hakyung, have you finally fallen for the perfectly handsome next-generation super rookie Cha Hyunseo?

“You say that yourself…”

-So did you fall for me or not?

Sigh. Hakyung let out an exasperated sigh. This guy and that guy, they’re both the same, never changing. But the familiar response did lighten his heart.

“You’re the worst.”

His face was smiling as he answered. Hakyung met his grinning face in the mirror opposite him.

“So, by the way, Cha Hyunseo, do you know any healing espers?”

***

In the end, he couldn’t find a healer.

“This is really a big problem…”

-Ah… Sorry. It seems even the most handsome Cha Hyunseo needs to look into that.

Honestly, he didn’t have high expectations when he asked. But he thought maybe Cha Hyunseo might have at least one name he could pull out immediately, but even he couldn’t do anything about finding a healer.

Healing espers are rare. It’s true there are only a few worldwide, but they’re especially rare in Korea. There’s even a rumor that because of the outbreak areas in Korea, no healing ability users are born here.

Regardless of whether that rumor is true, Hakyung knew that the number of pure healing awakeners in Korea was less than three digits. Even if you included magic-type espers who could perform healing magic, it was said there might barely be a hundred.

Here, Hakyung was caught in a question.

“It’s a skill that removes all status abnormalities… Doesn’t it count bruises from getting hit as a status abnormality?”

It was about his skill.

An incredible skill that allowed him to feel the guiding effect even on espers who weren’t his partner. It seemed like anything was possible, but he unexpectedly realized its limits. Physical injuries from fighting didn’t heal.

However, there was one element worth hoping for: whether only injuries from fighting people didn’t heal, or if injuries from monsters were the same, needed to be tested. For example, in a ‘dungeonized’ area, it healed the land itself, but outside, the skill activation message didn’t appear.

‘Maybe ‘status abnormalities’ only apply to monster or awakener energy.’

Having sorted his thoughts to that point, he sullenly rubbed his injured cheek.

‘Even a mask can’t cover it all.’

He tried wearing a mask just in case, but it only made him look more pitiful. It solidified the image that he was covering his face because he got hit.

Either way, his dad would surely be upset if he saw it.

Hakyung trudged to the teaching assistant’s office. Given his current state, he planned to ask the professor to remove Han Hee-gyeom’s group from his practice partners and, further, to adjust so he wouldn’t encounter Esper A class. Even if he quit school, it would be better to reduce encounters for now.

To do that, he needed to schedule an appointment through the professor’s assistant.

The teaching assistants at the Special Ability School all used office spaces comparable to professors’ offices. Naturally, the assistants were also awakeners, so this was a measure to prepare for overloads. It was a small difference from other departments.

“Um… Hello.”

“Student Im Hakyung?”

“Ah, yes.”

The guiding practice professor’s assistant’s office was open. A woman with dark circles under her eyes stood up from behind a partition.

“I heard there was an incident during class. Looking at your injury… It must have been painful. Did you receive proper treatment?”

“Uh… Yes. Thank you for your concern.”

“Of course. The professor left instructions for you. He also wanted me to convey his apologies. I was going to contact you tomorrow, thinking you’d return today, but it’s good you came. Just a moment.”

‘The professor took care of it first… That’s a relief.’

As the assistant disappeared behind the partition, Hakyung sighed in relief. If the professor had taken action first, it was reassuring for him. He had worried about whether the professor might be displeased, subtly side with the espers, or feel his request was overstepping. All those concerns that had troubled Hakyung quickly dissipated.

“Let’s see… The professor said you won’t encounter Jang Yuseong during guiding practice again. He’s suspected of forcibly harassing a guide, so he’ll obviously fail our class, and he won’t be allowed to participate in guiding practice until the next semester.”

“Oh…”

“And this is a note the professor left separately.”

The assistant handed over a small note. Hakyung nodded in thanks and read it.

Hakyung, I’m sorry you got caught up in an incident on your first day back at school. I feel bad.

I’ll take responsibility for Yuseong and hand him over to the disciplinary committee, so focus on recovering.

Send my regards to Esper Im Cheonghyeon.

‘The disciplinary committee, huh.’

That meant the professor was prepared to expel him from the school.

Hakyung was taken aback by the scale of the measures. Given the note to send regards to his dad, it seemed the professor was quite anxious about facing Cheonghyeon’s wrath.

“Could you please let the professor know I received the note well?”

“Of course.”

“And also… If possible, during guiding practice, I’d like to avoid encountering Jang Yuseong’s group… or at least not have them as practice partners.”

The assistant scratched her cheek, looking slightly flustered.

“Um… Could you tell me their names?”

***

Having taken all the measures he could, he left the main gate of the Special Ability School. A slightly humid spring breeze brushed past his cheek.

Now, all that was left was for his dad to find out.

‘Will he scold me?’

For not calling him.

As soon as he thought of him, a smile crept onto his lips. He would surely be upset, but why did that make him so happy? Imagining the possibility of being scolded after a long time, he slowly walked to the school entrance.

“Huh?”

But just a few minutes after leaving the Special Ability School, he encountered a bustling crowd.

“Why are there so many people?”

Hakyung tilted his head at the puzzling sight. It was strange because there was no reason for a crowd to gather here. There were only a few colleges and a parking lot, and compared to the student plaza or the cherry blossom-lined central avenue on the opposite side, it was practically a wasteland. The Special Ability School area was particularly secluded on the vast campus.

He could just pass by, but he felt an inexplicable pull from that place. Hakyung felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had to join the crowd and see what was there.

‘…Should I just check it out?’

Whatever’s there has nothing to do with me. I’m going to see my dad.

Contrary to his rational mind, his heart was anxious to know the identity of what was hidden from view. It was an attraction that was hard to understand.

Hakyung reluctantly stepped toward the crowded area. As he reached the point where he couldn’t move forward due to the wall of people, the murmurs around him reached his ears.

“Is that really Im Cheonghyeon?”

“Damn, that’s amazing.”

“Is that the esper? His build is insane…”

“But why is he here?”

“How would I know, you idiot. If I knew, would I be asking?”

Im Cheonghyeon?

A name he shouldn’t hear here caught Hakyung’s attention.

‘Did dad come?’

“Excuse me, sorry. I’ll just pass through. Sorry.”

Given the crowd gathered in this secluded campus area, it was highly likely his dad had come. Despite not being active outside, his appearance was widely recognized by the public. Of course, his recognition was unmatched by any celebrity.

At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

「Dad」.

Seeing the name on the screen with a gentle vibration, he immediately accepted the call.

“H-hello?”

-Hakyung, don’t hang up.

He didn’t know what his dad was planning, but Hakyung obediently agreed. He swallowed the saliva that had pooled in his mouth. For some reason, tension was rising.

It felt like something was about to happen….

And then, it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. The murmurs from the distant front grew louder, and the crowd began to part to either side.

The parted waves soon reached where Hakyung stood.

“Oh, oh.”

Hakyung was unintentionally swept to the left. In an instant, a path opened up.

Thanks to that, he could clearly see the man’s figure with both eyes.

‘Wow…’

Hakyung was genuinely impressed. His dad was wearing his usual black shirt and pants, but today he had added a black jacket, completing an all-black suit.

His tall stature, broad shoulders, thick chest, and a waist that tapered diagonally as it descended, with solid thighs and long calves.

An all-black suit tends to make a person look sleek.

Even in Hakyung’s judgment, his dad in a suit looked sharper than usual, and the animalistic movement of his muscles was concealed, giving him a relatively gentlemanly impression. His bare body was so intense, and the pressure from his large frame was significant, leading to such thoughts.

His dad seemed to have pinpointed Hakyung’s location just by hearing his voice on the phone. That’s why he was walking directly toward where Hakyung was.

Hakyung watched in a daze as his dad approached him.

His dad, drawing closer with the spring breeze. Even though there were no cherry trees here, it felt like cherry blossoms were fluttering around him.

Step by step.

His dad seemed to have driven himself, parked in the lot, and was waiting for his son.

He’s coming.

With each step he took, the path that had opened ahead retreated a little further. It was like a school of minnows fleeing from a predator. It must have been an instinctive movement for them too. Cheonghyeon was simply walking without uttering a word.

“Hello, son.”

Finally reaching his destination, Cheonghyeon greeted Hakyung while holding his phone to his ear. Hakyung nodded dumbly.

Perhaps because it was an unexpected meeting, his tongue was tied, and he reacted like a fool.

“Hmm…”

His narrowed gaze lingered on Hakyung’s hand cast and cheek.

Crack.

The phone in his dad’s hand crumbled to dust. Gasp, the sound of people inhaling in shock was occasionally heard around them.

He slipped his empty hand into his pants pocket and touched Hakyung’s cheek with his remaining hand. It was a very cautious touch.

His handsome brow furrowed deeply.

“Child, which bastard did this to you?”