PRT | Chapter 1.6

With no clear solution in sight, he bit his lip when he heard the sound of someone stepping on the ground. The heavy sound of footsteps clearly announced someone’s presence.

“Seeing a gate open isn’t a good sign for us.”

“It’s not bad either. I was getting bored.”

Just as Heeseo was about to ask for help, he instinctively froze, even silencing his presence. It was Seo Yigyeom’s voice.

Had Seo Yigyeom come too? While it was common for a Guide to accompany on-site, it was surprising it was Seo Yigyeom. Heeseo bit his lip, focusing more on the sounds outside.

“The Head of Division will make things more difficult for you. He keeps trying to make you his exclusive Guide.”

“That old man, why won’t he just die. Can you take him away? He’s started to stink with age.”

“I don’t want to go to jail.”

“Then I’ll have to commit filial impiety.”

“You do worse than that. You’re planning to do more.”

To the pointed remark, the response was just a scoff. Heeseo, dazed, imagined the unseen person in the rubble. The image of a cool yet refined face came to mind.

Filial impiety. The tone was too monotonous to be taken as a jest. His thoughts slowed with the unexpected situation. Even while listening, a loud noise from afar cut off the man’s words.

“…If it opens, the headquarters could collapse in an instant.”

Then, his concentration was broken. The headquarters, collapsing? Heeseo, fixing his gaze in the direction of the sound, held his breath. As he waited for Seo Yigyeom’s next words, the footsteps stopped.

“Jung-o, clear that.”

“What?”

“That. There’s someone under there.”

Slow yet annoyed, it was a different vibe from the laughter earlier. Certain he was the one being referred to, Heeseo froze. A sharp energy seemed to pierce through him.

The rubble, which seemed unmovable, collapsed in an instant. With a rumble, debris fell, revealing the red sky. Behind the crimson veil, Seo Yigyeom stood like a mountain.

“I’m pretty sure I warned you.”

Seo Yigyeom said lowly, staring at Heeseo’s face, clearly recognizing him. Warning. Those two syllables felt like a knife to the throat. Heeseo tried to calm himself as he stood up.

Unlike last time, Seo Yigyeom’s gaze didn’t linger. He looked at Heeseo with an unreadable expression, his eyes calm. Even though he was free from the rubble, Heeseo felt extremely uncomfortable.

The man standing behind Seo Yigyeom also had a stiff face, the primary emotion being dismay, as if he had realized he had misspoken.

“You have a nasty hobby…”

The frozen air broke when Seo Yigyeom took a step forward. His long legs moved gracefully, closing the distance. His gaze, unimpeded, felt like it was choking Heeseo.

“How much did you hear?”

The words he spoke, with barely moving lips, were emotionless. Heeseo’s body trembled involuntarily. The image of Seo Yigyeom crushing an unregistered’s head heightened his tension. Suddenly, fear gripped him, making his breath catch.

“I asked you, now.”

As the emotionless man approached again, Heeseo unconsciously activated his ability.

Crack, crack. A scene unfolded where a stretched tape seemed to turn slowly. Heeseo, with wide eyes, looked at the completely split space. Or rather, the void that had separated the ground where he and Seo Yigyeom stood.

In the blink of an eye, the distorted space created a boundary. It was the first time since his awakening he had experienced this. As he stood there, shocked, Seo Yigyeom also paused, looking at Heeseo.

“…”

Their eyes met across the split void. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed. The eyes, like those of a beast, suddenly gleamed. The lips, which had been tightly closed, briefly smiled.

Without taking his eyes off Heeseo, Seo Yigyeom made a call with just a hand movement.

“From this moment, enforce a lockdown.”

― What? There haven’t been any specific orders from the headquarters…

“If you can’t think, at least watch your mouth. Don’t show your stupidity.”

The voice on the other side stretched out with an “Oh…”

“My order. Can’t you understand?”

― …Yes. Understood. Guide Seo Yigyeom.

Seo Yigyeom ended the call without hesitation, brushing back his wind-tousled hair. The scent he had never forgotten brushed past Heeseo’s nose. Then, the man, who had seemed tense, clearly smiled this time.

“Ha,” Seo Yigyeom laughed softly, tapping the air as if knocking. Heeseo looked up at him blankly.

“Let’s talk?”

This was someone who had always just passed him by. Since joining, there was no reason for them to interact, yet now they were too close. Seo Yigyeom, raising his hand, touched the air, making an expression Heeseo couldn’t understand.

Heeseo’s gaze, which had been stiff, fell downward. From Seo Yigyeom’s eyes to his straight fingers, then to the cracking void, and back to his face.

“Remove this wall. I won’t do anything.”

The gentle voice oddly drained Heeseo’s strength. His body, which had been under the debris, began to throb with delayed pain.

For a while, like a fuse blowing, his consciousness blurred.

***

I had a dream.

It was a nightmare of sinking into an ocean so deep its color was closer to black than blue, a sea whose depths you couldn’t fathom. The flood of water, endless, was silent. Silent, yet the force that slowly tightened around my body was fierce.

It felt like every part of me was being sucked out. My body, robbed of its control, didn’t respond. Heeseo, like a doll whose power had run out, stiffened and sank bit by bit. Yet, strangely, breathing was more comfortable than ever, as if someone was blowing life into me.

The endless fall was terrifying yet as comforting as falling into a cradle, and the cold enveloping my body was icy yet somehow warm. In an environment full of contradictions, Heeseo smiled inadvertently.

‘…Laughing, huh?’

Was it at that moment I heard the voice of another, one that shouldn’t have been heard? It was a voice so sweet it could momentarily turn a nightmare into a good dream. Heeseo, entranced by this indistinct presence, let go of consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, there was a white ceiling.

Through the heavy eyelids, white dots flickered like looking at the sun from deep underwater. I was so powerless, it felt like I might have died there, an absurd illusion.

“Ugh…”

I feel like I’m dying. Heeseo, groaning softly, let out a small chuckle. Breathing was as hard as for a newborn taking its first breath. It was worse than when my ribs were broken. It took a little time to grasp the situation.

Did I collapse again…

The last memory before it was cut off was of Seo Yigyeom. I think I closed my eyes seeing his sharp gaze softening. We were supposed to talk. Was he going to cut off my tongue or hand this time?

Heeseo scanned the empty space before letting his eyelids close. He guessed why he was in this state. It must have been because of the sudden amplification of his ability. Apart from injuries from debris, there was no major trauma, so the only treatment was guiding.

“Was it really scary?”

Seo Yigyeom was there at the scene where the level of ability manifestation the headquarters had long desired occurred. The control of his power, which had never listened before, was ironically possible in front of him. Heeseo reflected on whether his survival instinct was that strong. At the end of these aimless thoughts, the conversation from that time stirred his memory.

“Then I have to commit an act of filial impiety.”

“You do things worse than that already. And you plan to do more.”

Seo Yigyeom’s biological father was none other than the head of the <Esper Management Headquarters>. Originally, the <Esper Management Headquarters> was a place where might made right, power equaled authority. The higher the rank, the more adept at manifesting abilities, the more was forgiven. The S-rank copy ability user, the head of the division, naturally stood above all.

In this context, Seo Yigyeom spoke of filial impiety. What could that imply?

Moreover…

“The headquarters will crumble.”

He was certain of the end of the firmly established headquarters. It was an unfathomable story. A conversation I shouldn’t know, shouldn’t hear. The fact I stumbled upon by chance was more overwhelming than welcome. I had no desire to get involved in the headquarters’ power struggles.

Exhausted, Heeseo let his consciousness drift. Waiting for someone to breathe life into him, he lay there, breathing like the dead. In this space where even the ticking of a clock couldn’t be heard, his senses dulled.

How much time had passed? Click, the sound of a door opening and closing was heard. It was a strange presence. As soon as the one who broke the silence entered, his body reacted with a start. A tremendous aura was gradually approaching.

“…”

His eyelids trembled. He vaguely sensed who the presence belonged to. Who else could exude such a clear, untainted aura?

Squeak, the sound of a metal chair being pulled rang out. Heeseo finally opened his eyes slowly, carefully observing the person in his sight. Long legs crossed elegantly. A shirt with a couple of blue buttons undone, without a tie. Hair swept back naturally. And that strikingly handsome face. It was someone impossible to ignore.

“Hello, Esper Kim Heeseo.”

Seo Yigyeom’s gaze fell straight on him.

“You know who I am, right? If not, I’ll introduce myself.”

His attitude was arrogantly supreme. Yet, it suited him perfectly.

“…Seo Yigyeom Guide-nim.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you?”

Seo Yigyeom, smiling slightly, extended his hand. Heeseo, struggling to sit up, stared at him. He wanted to grab it. His fingertips trembled with the urge, but it felt like he shouldn’t hold Seo Yigyeom’s hand.

“Not going to hold it? You look like you need it today.”

“What about the other guides?”

“You’re looking for another guide when you have me?”

Seo Yigyeom spoke with a tone of curiosity. There was no sign of being offended. He just looked at Heeseo like, “What kind of person is this?”

“They’re not coming. I said I’d come in.”

“…”

“Waiting would be pointless, so if you need it, you should hold it.”

Even as Heeseo hesitated while looking at him, Seo Yigyeom kept his hand extended, only the corner of his mouth slightly raised. Not understanding, Heeseo eventually grabbed his fingertips. His hand, which had been tensely clenched, warmed up.

“…Thank you. But why are you helping me?”

“Isn’t it a bit late to ask that? It’s not the first time, is it?”

The mysterious eyes, like a mix of black and gray, stared directly at Heeseo. Heeseo, though startled, met his gaze. He realized it. Seo Yigyeom seemed to remember their encounter in that alley.

“Thank you for that time too. Thanks to you, I lived.”

Warmth spread from the connected hands, yet his cheeks felt cold and prickled. Seo Yigyeom silently let his energy flow. The straightforward gaze deepened slightly. Heeseo felt strangely emotional, wetting his lips.

“I thought you didn’t do contact guiding.”

“It depends on the situation.”

So, in this case, you have to do it? Even though we have no connection or friendship? Heeseo looked at Seo Yigyeom quizzically. He just blinked in observation. Feeling like he was being dissected, it sent chills down his spine. The sharp gaze seemed like a silent threat, making his heart race.

“I won’t say anything, so don’t worry. There’s no one to tell anyway…”

“What?”