SC 4

“Because he’s an S-rank Esper with mind-control abilities. He can use self-suggestion to prevent a rampage.”

“Even so, isn’t Guiding still necessary? Suggestion is just a temporary trick to fool the brain—it doesn’t address the root cause.”

“He’s the kind of Esper we’re not even sure can be Guided. He awakened early, so the first attempt at Guiding came much later. Because of that delay, his powers have been repressed for so long that if you try to Guide him now, it could not only kill the Guide, but also push Woo Seonwoo himself into a full-scale rampage. There won’t be any situation where you’ll need to Guide him, Yoo Sejin. Today is just a formality. Now that introductions are over, let’s move on.”

Yoo Sejin listened to Yeo Dohun’s explanation with rebellious eyes, his jaw tight. As soon as Dohun finished speaking, Sejin clenched his fists—and then, with a shout, punched him square in the face. Veins popped in his neck as he yelled.

“You’ve been talking like that to a kid from earlier! You psycho! You’re a grown-ass man—what the hell is wrong with you?!”

Yoo Sejin was the second person to treat me like a kid.

But he was the first person to get angry for me.

That was my first meeting with Yoo Sejin.

* * *

The alarm rang. The sound of the clock bell might as well have been the national anthem.

The Center operated with a certain level of autonomy, but ultimately, it was a government-affiliated special Esper military force. I heard that there were civilian military units made up of ordinary people too, but honestly, I don’t know much about them.

How the nation was doing, how the global situation was unfolding, what illegal Espers were doing without Center authorization… I was never taught any of that.

Because that information isn’t necessary for me.

I wasn’t allowed to watch the news or read newspapers. Even the books I read or the videos I watched had to go through screening and be approved beforehand.

As for the world before the First Disaster—I’m not even allowed to know about it. It was before I was born anyway, and any information related to it is strictly prohibited to me.

The Center said that, since I’m an Esper with mind-control abilities, knowing too much could overwhelm me. So I’m only allowed to know what’s absolutely necessary. I’m only allowed to form essential relationships. That’s the way I have to live.

Even going outside is restricted for the same reason. Since I’m still a minor Esper with unstable powers, my guardian—the Center—has to protect others from me. So they control my every move.

As a mind-control Esper, I had to remain aware of the danger my own powers posed.

When I turn twenty, I’ll be conditionally allowed to go out, and I’ll officially sign a contract with the Center as an adult. But for now, that’s still in the future.

I did have my coming-of-age ceremony this year. But legally, I’m not an adult until after my birthday. Since I was born in December, I won’t have the full rights of a twenty-year-old until the end of the year.

“…Ah. I agreed to go in someone’s place today.”

I checked my device. A call message was flashing.

I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. My room was a converted storage unit in the old annex of the Center. Truth be told, the Center didn’t really have official housing for Espers.

Most Espers affiliated with the Center lived in their own government-provided housing in Central, but I had a special reason that made it impossible for me to leave the Center. That’s why they set up this space for me.

I brushed my teeth, staring blankly into the mirror. It felt like I had just gone to the New Year’s party, but somehow half the year had already passed. Summer was coming.

The weather was getting hotter. The Center maintained a constant internal temperature with its automatic system, but looking outside, the bright sunlight was enough to tell that it was summer.

“Guess I’m finally going outside again.”

I swished some water around in my mouth and spat. I tried to talk to myself when I was alone—just to keep the habit.

They say that if you don’t talk for too long, your language skills can deteriorate. Yoo Sejin was the one who told me to start speaking more.

There was a time when no one talked to me, and I ended up going weeks without saying a word. Even though I usually had some conversations with Yeo Dohun or Dr. Seo during training or missions, it just so happened both of them were away on business trips during that period.

When Yoo Sejin came back, I tried to say “Welcome back,” but my voice caught. My throat hurt like it was tearing open. I grabbed my neck in shock. Sejin must’ve noticed something was wrong because he asked what was going on.

Once I explained everything, he was horrified. He banged his fist against his chest and shouted in rage:

“Someone talk to this damn kid, you bastards!”

During training or missions, I could at least say “Yes” or “Understood” when I received orders, so I told him not to worry—that I’d talk again once Yeo Dohun and Dr. Seo returned.

But Sejin didn’t let it go.

He said the only words I ever seemed to say were “Understood,” “Acknowledged,” or “I’ll do as instructed,” and that didn’t count. He was right. How did he know?

Yoo Sejin told me to talk. Not just listen to others or silently follow instructions—he said I should speak too. But it’s really hard. I’m not good at talking.

“Feels like it’s been a while since I’ve been on a mission with Ki Sihyeon.”

I muttered to myself as I washed my face. There was still time before the scheduled call, so I figured I had time to grab a bite first.

Even though I was an Esper, I occasionally took on backup roles instead of a Guide—though that only happened in extremely rare situations. It was practically unheard of.

The more an Esper uses their abilities, the more their mind becomes contaminated. If they overuse their powers, it can lead to hallucinations, delusions, and phantom pain. That’s what they call a “rampage.”

And a Guide, someone whose mental wavelength is compatible with the Esper, is able to stabilize them through physical contact. That’s what guiding is.

I can do something similar to guiding.

“It’s okay.”

I can implant suggestions.

“It’s okay.”

I’m good at brainwashing, too.

“It’s okay…”

Mental domination is my specialty.

So, I just have to do that. Implant the suggestion in the rampaging Esper that it’s okay. Brainwash them into thinking it’s okay. Dominate their mind until they believe it’s okay. That creates a similar effect to guiding.

With A-rank Espers, I can completely control their minds. In some ways, it’s even more effective than guiding. But with S-ranks, all I can do is implant suggestions.

Still, if I repeat the suggestion enough times, I can temporarily stabilize even an S-rank during a rampage.

I muttered to the mirror. Staring back at me was a monster who looked like they’d never smiled a day in their life. Just looking at him was depressing and gloomy.

No wonder people hate me and get uncomfortable around me.

Maybe if I looked a bit warmer, a bit nicer… like Yoo Sejin.

“I’m okay.”

Someone once said I had a cold impression. I don’t really know what that means. Maybe like Yeo Dohun? He feels cold.

Do faces have temperatures? If they do, I’m definitely not on the warm side, so maybe that checks out. Gyeon Yejin always said I looked like a corpse whenever she saw me.

Gyeon Yejin is an S-rank elemental Esper specialized in combat, with wind as her attribute. She’s on the same Alpha Team as me, and she absolutely loathes me.

She always picks a fight the moment she sees me. According to her, just seeing my pale, corpse-like face makes her blood boil. Is it really that bad? A corpse, huh… I’ve gotten so used to my face that I wouldn’t know. I’m still alive, though.

“You okay?”

Every morning, I look in the mirror and ask myself that. Just like now. To keep myself from going on a rampage. I brainwash myself. I tell myself I’m okay. I dominate my own mind.

“I’m okay… sort of.”

The fact that suggestion, brainwashing, and domination work on me is actually a huge deal. If it works on me, that means it might work on other S-ranks too.

I looked in the mirror again and muttered,

“Ki Sihyeon might not like this… that it’s me instead of Yoo Sejin.”

In situations where a rampaging Esper absolutely couldn’t be guided, they’d use me instead. When that was first discovered, the higher-ups at the Center and the government practically exploded with excitement.

The Center has always suffered from a shortage of Guides. So, of course they’d be thrilled to have someone like me—someone who could suppress a rampage alone, and in theory, didn’t even need a Guide.

But the Espers at the Center didn’t see it the same way. If anything, they started avoiding me even more, like I disgusted them. Who’d be comfortable around an Esper who can imitate guiding with mental domination?

Guiding is supposed to bring peace. But what I do isn’t peace—it’s a trick. It makes them think they’re okay when they’re not. It’s a fake, a temporary patch that buries the real issue.

There was a time I implanted a suggestion into Moon Seungrok when he was on the verge of a rampage instead of having a Guide help him.

Moon Seungrok always seems lethargic and indifferent. He’s another member of Alpha Team, the same age as Yoo Sejin. He used to be an unregistered Esper doing illegal work before the Center brought him in.

“A-ranks respond well to suggestions. Wonder if it’ll work on an S-rank too. Should we test it out, Seonwoo?”

“Yes. I’ll try.”

When I told him it’s okay—implanted that suggestion—Moon Seungrok grabbed me by the collar and beat me repeatedly with his fists. Then he growled like a wild animal and warned me.

“If you ever mess with my head again, I’ll kill you.”

Even though he’s an Esper who controls electricity, he didn’t use his power at all. He beat me with his fists. Still, I remember seeing flashes of white lightning in my vision while it was happening.