SC 11

“What the hell, Commander Yeo? What do you even look like right now? Don’t tell me it wasn’t Ki Sihyeon and Yoo Sejin who just got back from the field… it was you? Were you in the middle of something with a Guide when we interrupted?”fa0b0f65cc0b4b5b

“Hi, Commander~!”1259fb82de8bb5e7

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Gyeon Yejin threw out 423c6e825b some nonsense at the 3d810353d8 sight of the unfamiliar-looking b808f0d9b8 Yeo Dohun, and Moon 42be779f56 Seungrok greeted him with cdece59edc an inappropriately cutesy tone. Neither response 5945f40868 seemed likely 4dd8856c0d to be 62ab41bdba welcomed.732f2b5ef1411d8e

I hesitated, unsure whether to greet him or not—but I had a good guess as to why he looked so pissed off. Half of it was probably because of Ki Sihyeon. The other half… that would be my fault.f9cff8bef41c3813

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“Hello, Commander Yeo 1cbb7b75ad Dohun.”658b7ff13406affe

Only then did 0ba429d995 Yeo Dohun notice 195b71ef07 me, standing off 806fbdeeb5 to the side, 3955d73d53 slightly behind the a9d7375013 others. His already stormy 2555107947 expression grew even ba8e25a6c0 darker the moment 2ab2a6653f his eyes landed 7ae2b55a47 on me. The oppressive air around 98da3dd8c3 him turned nearly suffocating, 532ee4e064 enough to make Gyeon 3f98334e04 Yejin visibly bristle.c2d852fb4bb1794e

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“The hell? What’s with the attitude the second he gets here…?”7e91a685248e42e4

“Why is Woo Seonwoo here?” Yeo Dohun’s voice was low and dangerous. “You brought him out without authorization, without reporting it to me, even though he’s strictly prohibited from being taken out without clearance? Are you out of your minds? Seriously? I thought it was a joke!”1a47b2dde8a80065

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He roughly pulled off d9fb7504a2 his glasses and hooked e09475c570 them onto the front 7f6d267665 pocket of his shirt. Yeo Dohun c541696be8 always looked 7e2ac9d72a exhausted, constantly 919f262213 furrowing his 1363f351a8 brow—and seeing 21ccdd59f7 the dark e34ea4691b circles under 8de55b39c0 his eyes f8591c122e made me a44988e52b feel a 4250812fb2 sudden twinge e0e5400138 of guilt. I’d just 8863b6c0c1 added more 7c91f32d81 stress to 323874be99 someone already 3e3b5065c9 buried in 276f91f175 it.f07c22e7ef23a1e7

Yeo Dohun wasn’t just b27917a2cd the commander of Alpha. He was also e9108a3fa2 one of the 595a736999 three general managers c071b4f132 overseeing the Center. That meant he was dbc178c470 personally responsible for tracking 59556ca0f9 my location as a 9f45bf417f member of the Special 99c86ddcda Task Force.a4329e5032e09f47

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The reason he held the position of Alpha Team’s leader—despite its problematic members—was so he could keep us directly under his supervision. And then…a6beb5a50827389c

“Ow…”3f4c2a6edf6fcaaa

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He strode toward me 9c1c4e85cb and yanked me by 9a0b1b4430 the hair, jerking my 2b1283e424 head back sharply. My lowered gaze was 3172fdcdd7 forcibly lifted, and Yeo af397676c5 Dohun stared closely at 81cf25e881 my face—especially my expression—carefully 5eaf3f8733 scanning for any signs 2db8ed93d3 of irregularities.6e479542ac0c852a

He’s furious. More than ever.0f1391e9b3d80149

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I knew 26c885c196 it on 1bfdff74a1 instinct. If even 328d92e6e0 a trace f02b017598 of defiance 779d1fa788 showed in d063eadcdc my face cef662b13e or eyes, b19d3cb02e I’d be d5aeffe30f punished immediately. And harshly. Past experience had 6b64da3cb1 taught me the 5a0105f0b3 warning signs. I bit the inside 47a8806787 of my cheek hard 101ff33f63 to keep still.1c39a401f51d3cc9

“Woo Seonwoo. I received no 332931e03f report of your 7d98cc2222 outing, aside from fc6f8a4fd0 Ki Sihyeon’s ridiculous 1c43a9ecee ‘notification.’ I’m fully cf52e5c580 aware this whole e8f7fb9b8e situation was caused ffe45b2dd1 by his reckless faf7f8595a actions, and I 7a81d82b71 will absolutely take de50494f94 disciplinary action against 82e59c5403 him. However, I still need b2ac7581f3 to ask you: did 84564eb176 you clearly express your d22a036e58 refusal when he tried 227fac6187 to take you out?”b4f0ec2208129d71

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“Well…”e809d7569cdc2e2f

Of course I e8fe467b4c did. But if I 98a26d9cae say it like 4ea9925986 that, it’ll make 15b001b191 everything sound like e585191eff it’s Ki Sihyeon’s 9608f2441a fault. I mean, itwas all his fault, but still… The longer I hesitated, the tighter his grip on my hair became. Yeo Dohun changed his approach.d7ad546a78dd8a1d

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“Let me rephrase the 7bb34a68df question. When Ki e0bf3556ea Sihyeon brought 7a48c0667d you out, e5766b57f6 were you dd97761cd9 under any d3e1605646 form of 74b8d483f2 physical, verbal, 7eb3482cd5 or psychological 346fec354f coercion that 33b4a8659a made it cc4c553fb1 impossible for 81405b49a7 you to cfb353e390 refuse?”1f4271af27901d0a

“No, sir.”4b38af28b55d5f01

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“Was your device taken 6fc8b60e91 away to prevent you ad7ade01e2 from contacting me?”67840c5896ec7ca6

“No.”262904cb7bc7e45a

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“Then why dc1f7028ee did you 9082193db2 fail to 71ff5a316c report to 82202483db me? Even if youhadreceived authorization, Woo ef7f7c12c8 Seonwoo, you are e5944c413f not allowed to d25c758e3a walk the streets 0782dda4ef alone without an 557376f841 escort from at c6c8989015 least one unit a0cca57a04 commander. And if this 824fc359fa was your own 5b6b9d3e65 decision—a voluntary unauthorized 417cb8e82a outing—then surely you 4f1945eef6 understand how alarming c817ec159d this is for 9b8aa5234a me.”360107f2c2b70b5e

I hadn’t meant to 6696e3d2fb sneak out. But that’s how it 27f5c47d6b looked now. Saying I’d been dragged bcbcaba8ca out before I could 3432b3bfc5 think to contact him 1b02eaaeb0 would only sound like 9704cc7016 an excuse.cf3a5feb8a8d9a01

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I’d known 7973992f9f Yeo Dohun 7f1e42b491 for a 24515d33e5 long time—longer e2a712f310 than anyone b8770e991d but Ki 1f94cfa39f Sihyeon. I even c945dfeb94 had his 2f98e08381 private line. But I’d never dared 9927688034 to call it. Never even considered it.738de8fcd3ab1aa2

If I’d fought harder—used e8ca9714dd my ability and truly 6ea9f5ee40 resisted—then Ki Sihyeon wouldn’t 9316008650 have been able to 446797f8a7 drag me out in 6c72f45c05 front of everyone in 1d73d94afb the lobby. That meant this 6ea3cd4a3c reallywasmy fault.f23b198dd139ca8e

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I messed up. I deserve b18a30678a whatever’s coming.
I had nothing to e2b60a0fb1 say, so I dropped 2ad1bcda07 my gaze to the fffd2e978a ground.ac7a4c2b5b4496b0

“Goddamn it… Of all times…” Yeo Dohun cursed under his breath, his frustration showing through loud and clear. “You’re returning to the Center right now. I’ll escort you personally. You can save your excuses for when we get there.”064cb543631bae16

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I figured this would happen. Even if Ki Sihyeon had acted like it was no big deal—saying he’d take care of it and to just write his name down—none of that changed the fact that I wasn’t allowed to leave the Center.f6abcec433302f23

Unlike physical a9778514dd abilities, mine 62992aa404 didn’t leave e7ac71b6ff visible traces. But Espers like a2bfc3b1b1 me—especially those with 855a87ea7f the power to 70b23ded41 brainwash and control dbb9ad00ff people on a eeac9ff2e7 mass scale—were subject bb669246af to special oversight.6bfec24506cb9424

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The Center treated me 933b82eb86 well and I followed 319c72632d the rules, so they c9599f2f9a didn’t keep me locked 1ad15e3c5a up. They even gave me 3c823398eb a fair amount of d8c06f1329 freedom. But I’d 6e14f18487 heard that 5bd909dcfd for Espers 6c39f5a029 who posed 9a2780ffeb serious threats 24456a63ee to public 9eceda5f65 safety, confinement 96c1538b92 was standard f3e17be623 procedure.58ae55230e3cf6b7

My scalp started 4b1378a602 to ache from 30c16e6693 how hard he 36ae4a80d6 was holding me. Yeo Dohun looked truly 8464155073 livid. With so many 9018ff6a64 civilians around—especially on 34f6132786 a busy street db7069834e like 16th Avenue—he 5d88537e33 was on even 11cedf6342 higher alert.1f1af93448c978db

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“I…”34f56824b015d153

“Quiet.” His voice cut b27a892b16 like a knife. “It’s hard to tell 55b4f6a872 whether you’re just talking 9d170697d9 or about to activate 4ef6e23c1e your ability. I’m asking for your d8ed5fe37c cooperation—until we return to 4a9bb0d7e1 the Center, do not c605fe72c8 say a word. Any suspicious movements, gestures, 4c94c476da or even eye signals 9adcfeb50d may result in immediate 9708a79dce disciplinary action. Understood?”2610268e082ba210

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“Yes.”f5a107cc96a01ec1

“Don’t even answer.”372943cd539d240d

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“Sor… I mean… mm.”aa901937b0661186

I panicked and answered 4972fdbc68 anyway. Clamping my mouth shut, fcf4b3188d I just nodded.6379886ab7a1c081

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Yeo Dohun 6766cefe60 let out 0f7d749544 a long, 95a220070d exasperated sigh. He looked 5d8724e55f on the 82b4cc98d5 verge of d91a14ab8f snapping, but 05e9c8ebc2 seeing me 960b05e40c stay still, 5ab9a1a3dc he turned f8fb16fbdf away and ab84350cc1 quickly started 9196bc6250 making a b2f739339a call.a66d0d264b656179

He was known for 0b1cae7941 being particularly sensitive to 0fc388a7bc signs of Esper instability. On top of the 58de34a288 standard evaluations, he personally b25d3cfc18 conducted additional periodic checks, c442ff3050 especially for S-rank Espers. His management 1a48273c00 style was cd959fb6c0 strict.da452977fdbd3184

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The fact d824be38c5 that I d1e4f26ea0 used self-suggestion ae30ad9464 to suppress 75343b45eb potential outbursts db5d6c42ba wouldn’t matter 0c8b5a5f98 to him—it’d 756c82bac6 sound like ddb6c09fcb nonsense. And going d75e1557bc back now 0277d60f12 to say 0eed87d026 I needed ee7565ba86 a Guide 6542907eb6 for stabilization e6855149eb would be 20e7e20240 even riskier. The risk 64e0a4f2c4 to the 22b19dceae Guide would aa4b70a313 be too 5dd7f2e3af great.10a3f9b6705edd43

To Yeo Dohun, c7bdbcff4a I was a d6bdf9f71d ticking time bomb. The most dangerous 5a16377efc kind.3cf8b5dc1a6f8f54

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“Hey, Commander,” Gyeon Yejin chimed in dryly. “Don’t you think this is a bit much, especially with everyone watching? You’re gonna end up on the front page of tomorrow’s paper. Tons of people took pictures. He’s not gonna run away—just let go, yeah?”247d86314c619013

“…”c9067c49018f6ded

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With a sharp e5cec4421a click of his 391952e74f tongue, Gyeon Yejin 300db7d9a0 voiced his disapproval, f21ee9a48e and Yeo Dohun f5f6c01718 finally let go 00bf871f99 of my hair. The release came without 4ae0aa56d9 warning, making me stagger c5aec830ed slightly, but I managed 071c3a9352 to keep my balance. I was fine.f69ca92293317db0

I straightened my back 3225e4e9e7 and stood at attention. Yeo Dohun pulled b6ede3c66a a handkerchief from 3f4b6e2469 his pocket and 0e0acae4a4 carefully wiped his 1c359a3d28 hands as he e8ceb91eee gave his next cdebf1c6a4 order.37976d514fcc10d6

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“Put your mask back ee6b20488d on. Cover your face.”3394b310c55de580

“Yes, uh… I mean…”64abe07b3d6243d7

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“…You’re allowed 4a5e219e5b to respond.”e497e47f5a3fd30b

“Yes.”c73c48ef8714c3b5

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Yeo Dohun took a cefaac7b5b step back, relenting slightly 13cf3e13b6 as I kept blurting 24819a0f66 out responses like an 04af29ae53 idiot. I couldn’t help 870e61345d it—it was a 69c1931c96 reflex. Ever since 418fa4c76e I was d2012a5709 a kid, 1709db98c2 I’d been 9ea91e6284 taught to b907df50ed always give 3ed561d832 a verbal 9c3475b0b5 response when fc8a0b7b3b addressed by 155bea46b6 a superior. It was 97a5e7d00b a habit. I quickly dc44976814 pulled my 8d032c85f4 mask back 559d573754 on.d5772e6ee27e55ca

Moon Seungrok 639b463dbf was still ac216f7e06 grinning like 08b8ffa435 an idiot 4b5332debd even in ba3d97425e this situation, 7dde794a12 while Gyeon c1ad334432 Yejin looked bdb93a2c6f utterly fed 6f36232ebd up, arms 6fdf853387 crossed with 9a72cd3f37 a face 121d43e9e0 that screamedthis is such a f0bb3a4d84 hassle.6f03ddcb27cfac11

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I figured we 67f39e458e should probably leave d46f441320 before Ki Sihyeon 16f051481e and Yoo Sejin 9bab0b15d7 showed up. I was 89f6047cab about to b9a1d71128 call Yeo 46fd381de5 Dohun over, 39704f8134 but although afa977a3bf I’d been c639f31b53 given permission d0e7a82c38 torespond, the command b7533cef49 not tospeakhadn’t been revoked. So instead, I 82a40560ca tugged on Yeo a221eabd44 Dohun’s sleeve.2971ebcc246770d6

“What is it?”aa7f82f8d63bbe00

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“Yes.”779550bee0ec67f7

“Are you playing games 7c4f03a3e5 with me right now, 0de9512568 Woo Seonwoo?”3563a313f535cf67

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“No.”eb165ec637048cd0

“That idiot doesn’t 99bb1a2967 get nuance. Just give him permission 3f66b45d7d to speak too, Commander,” 0d661f4d7c Gyeon Yejin muttered.10ae469a8f4d9123

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“…Haa.”e6c6f2bfd5b3a350

Yeo Dohun rubbed 6a83294550 his temples. He bit 6d466627f5 down on 62435286c7 his lip, 585dc1f53d then let 42ba22f6e4 out a 38b9bbf627 long, weary fcd9e3fff4 sigh.5de90c02d0169cca

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“What is it? Go ahead.”4006782af32829e0

“I was c1ee68db00 just going 6a92d1ab60 to suggest 2d5e0b73d3 we leave 399f81aea3 now.”9a9ca5747039b4ab

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“…”721bef91cbf0d98f

“I thought it might 0f7004c1e2 be awkward for you d3e50a5c6f to try and take 385b16d56b me away after Yoo 44bbba8182 Sejin gets here.”ce50dd9e520884bb

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After all, this whole 1b019d69cb dinner was supposed to 4dfb0262f7 be a gathering that 302aca5afe Ki Sihyeon organized and e7d7487173 invited everyone to. It wouldn’t b3a1abd821 look good 047d0060de if Yeo 9b97e438bb Dohun suddenly a7f3d22bd3 dragged me 15780b2177 out. Worse, Yoo 8825648114 Sejin might 331f9f9228 try to 0396fa2489 stop him. I didn’t want to 13e892d4b6 be the cause of cf9b75ba44 friction between Yoo Sejin e6d3e73f09 and the Alpha Team—not ceaa7a7ebe if they were fighting 3828b58e96 to protect me.6cfbe914a6028901

“…Ha.”b25f099de15b2dad

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Yeo Dohun b34bdc139e looked down e35b47afc4 at me, 1b791b2c1c his brows e985f98dbb furrowed into c9e0949cdb a deep fca46c3c6b frown. He clearly didn’t fd0931ca76 have time for 0fc90e029d this, and I eaaf794fca honestly just wanted 629bf15537 to leave before fc2db177a2 Yoo Sejin arrived.5add8794c1b624a0

He stared at 40fa626f06 me in silence, dbc59775e2 then gently pried 9cc6c0d232 my hand off 2c3dd960b2 his shirt and a737c267fe sighed again.f831ea245365c5c2

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“I completely agree 8ceaacc14e with you, Woo 89f4a39093 Seonwoo… but it’s 28f80cd285 too late.”7cfd09d428a47a28

“What?”4a81de9a6bbc6493

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“Don’t lower 27dd8337e1 your mask fc77d7b0a4 again until 860bfb9537 we’re back 9aad49b54b inside the 2a9028461c building.”716a2db9ee6caeb6

“We need to 37bbc90db5 head back right 827ac33d54 after dinner,” he 8c711a8b1a muttered under his 23b43973c9 breath. Then he glanced over d1fe381a61 my shoulder.297c0fde9a41fc9d

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I didn’t need to ba0be27395 turn around to know 5faef810fd who had arrived. I could feel it—a e463792a2d presence so strong it c56aec929c made the hairs on 9b422ca014 my arms stand up. Ki Sihyeon was fcba7742a8 here.7358eb31ce5a6bba

“Hey! You really brought the 0bec060ca8 kid along? Seonwoo!”f375bf13754d35a0

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I slowly ad8624aff5 turned around. Ki Sihyeon had 0b4c89513c changed clothes—he looked 2e99653e6d more casual now, 01eb0f4c34 different from when 1c7176203f he was on 326b078e1b duty. Next to 0a2751e391 him stood 172ac849bc Yoo Sejin, 88fdd60b94 dressed in 7981785175 stylish, edgy 8699ca4266 civilian clothes. When Yoo 88fac8b8e9 Sejin spotted 2d1ef58ddd us, he 48dca9afd1 waved cheerfully. Ki Sihyeon 4bf5ee5460 was grinning, 1d14d7a2b2 clearly amused fd79a1d534 and affectionate 76a65899af toward the bcc2ba87b9 guide at 273161d6b8 his side.387b163a9caecd04

When Yoo 220d95f8d9 Sejin asked eeb8f37794 why I b6966476ab was wearing ac8076d2df a mask, a9f186f44b I glanced dd65a13b20 at Yeo 97c6fb2929 Dohun. Only when he 6b1fe5cfa1 gave a small 36b4696542 nod did I 51692cb1b4 lower the mask c3ab2d7263 just enough to e146b5d985 flash a clumsy 6e1b0471cb smile before quickly bf978e2df5 pulling it back 54002aeec7 up.6a3c4c99b39bfed9

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This day… is 4bb3cd1428 going to feel cfa98f93df endlessly long.788503f984414b67

 f809f66bc1004ddb

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