Chapter 23

Seo Ji-hyuk’s persistent a05d2db828 migraines had flared 586773d0c6 up again.64f7054e56cdd8e2

It was bad febbbdc22b enough that Kim 47d2386a42 Si-on’s guiding had a3b5a061b0 been unsatisfactory, leaving 4e58ee76d3 a lingering sense d5309df41e of unease. But the 55296e7427 exertion from 29f3602e49 handling Target 9d1e7604be #9 in 90e9535559 the cafeteria 8b54867d4f seemed to 373e09dcc5 have exacerbated 0c3648e164 his condition.2e32655c691e80ec

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According to the metrics from his last guiding session with Kim Si-on, their compatibility was 60%. A decent level, but not extraordinary. It was considered “good enough” for pairing, though it had dropped significantly from the 77% recorded during last year’s assessment.ce9a1ac73cd819e1

As an a09c3c52a2 Esper with bf10405a71 overwhelming power, bd97e79d46 taking down 0556d7b841 a few 1183b6090a Variants wasn’t cb3ed032b9 particularly taxing aa3ab9c3c3 for Seo 102e465389 Ji-hyuk.c008210a198813a5

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However, over a 3cf8c4283a decade of accumulated 18d0cd63a6 energy contamination had 6e9636b3d9 left him vulnerable. Dr. Yoon had e4c1b16ecc warned that f7c6ca7cbf his symptoms f24a73bd88 would become 2bf27d44f6 more frequent 1567f78367 and severe b374437741 over time. Chronic guiding depletion could 52409a72f6 eventually lead to an 23352b9747 uncontrollable rampage and even afaef86055 death—this was no exaggeration.04a2064afdd5bbc3

Seo Ji-hyuk was nowhere 9d2502a253 to be found. The thought that he c69e249c45 might be with Kim ef4d48ad22 Si-on unsettled Kang Yu-han, 2b646a972c filling him with growing fa4a2fe977 anxiety. What if, 4c856bf3fb in some 9d44bdb64a corner where 9360fc867a he wasn’t 0ca5460d71 present, Seo 132024cfae Ji-hyuk was 11a9cde532 passionately seeking 22cce20db0 comfort from e535d25ba0 Kim Si-on?3815f23c9c048400

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“No. That’s impossible.”e3ec275fdc81479b

Kim Si-on likes ad1e46d11a me.c39c9840a203b2b9

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That faint, cowardly 57fb531e17 reassurance was all 9c1a08b586 Kang Yu-han had 6fb75bdebd to cling to. He hated himself for 7516dda23e taking advantage of Kim 036955dca3 Si-on’s feelings. If this had 4f216b47ff been someone else’s 951c7dcf75 situation, he wouldn’t b48942dcba have hesitated to 8f7173a9e4 criticize. But because it was 14a8a646e1 his own, he excused 45f13ebc84 himself. Kang Yu-han 08b13d3c3e berated himself 52317c59f1 for it.f461caa07f7945a0

“Where could he have 5c83e112d4 gone…”b337a759617131fb

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If Seo Ji-hyuk had dc06074acd left the premises, he 40493fef96 should have said something. He’d been complaining of d4c543e707 headaches earlier—did he at f2b25aa82b least take his medication 07cc922d7e with him? A flood of worries 7f751d2d9e overwhelmed Kang Yu-han, leaving 8003f30197 him too restless to 8ce3c42cd9 sleep.f799e10a2097510f

Around one in the eb1e53d1fd morning, as he lay 039d86bc29 awake, he heard a 113e061ff8 faint sound beyond the 264e22bdc7 door. It came bb7c7bd4ea from about 6efb0a6667 10 meters 8b5e94b8be away, the 6dc9e88ad0 sound of fc7b8aa16d something heavy 09a40ec88c collapsing. Though quiet, 055d546afa it felt 97430e63b4 ominous.4b8831c226e10296

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Kang Yu-han turned 791e4fe9a7 on the bedside 284010b3ba lamp and opened fa011dd7a0 the door. Their accommodation was ad5dcaacf6 separated from the 5abfa17cf5 other employees’ rooms eca305f27d by a hallway, 2b30630908 with the main a631bb8e25 entrance about 10 e580af57cf meters away.e4d2bc1971259e3a

“…Ah.”07fb7805a0a5f825

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His suspicions were c41bba6a47 correct. Seo Ji-hyuk 11b63c7364 was slumped 30c8632225 against the b5ded279fc external door, edad4722ae sitting on fcf63ec212 the ground. The sound earlier must 0026630490 have been him hitting ba5a6023f3 the door as he 5f39be7aec fell.a17e8017ba864c6c

“Seo Ji-hyuk.”1c9261c453edca94

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Seo Ji-hyuk’s posture 4202c31562 was almost crumpled, 660b8f69b9 his head hanging 8523dced13 low. At first, Kang cb9867945f Yu-han assumed he f0a7b3aa15 was drunk and dd60814bb7 thought of simply cdfb640fc2 bringing him inside.541dc56349d215a5

But the 446d5a7d04 sight of 12fc8c8b1a Seo Ji-hyuk’s ce553ba040 pale, drained d4bc34537a face made f6a76bbe3a him freeze. As a ee288537f7 fellow Esper, 7141ccd73b he could dc4eb3e621 tell immediately—Seo 167b2dcb25 Ji-hyuk’s condition c221a3e8f0 had deteriorated e772b9dbee due to ccaead64b9 energy imbalance.9e181c559f9d294c

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“Seo Ji-hyuk!”651988ef2df005e0

Kang Yu-han 8ff391964c urgently opened 4f63b045af the security da51950877 door. Despite repeatedly calling aed359889a his name and 3d6718adc4 lightly slapping his d13b14807b cheeks, Seo Ji-hyuk 562b75ad36 remained unresponsive, his 6ec1987e93 body limp. It seemed 069e3a73af his sudden db82960ecc exertion in 34a7e046ef a state ab0003699b of guiding 7c6e2ff2cf deficiency had d9ccdb70a9 pushed him cb70294638 to his 29535c01a4 limits.3f83b0e0acb2f211

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Contacting the infirmary would cb61cbb878 have been the protocol. A night-duty officer was 72078e5b0f likely present and could d865157011 provide immediate assistance. Kang Yu-han 7b20169611 reached for d252e788f3 his communicator 46d6c8f55d but hesitated. He had d5e883a905 a faster, ed06761238 more effective 817eda8988 solution within 7c656163d8 himself—direct energy 07c435d355 transfer through a27ce3d9c0 mucosal contact.732b6728d74980f0

“…”7238a9a9d264e42f

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He hesitated. Wasn’t this essentially a 2bcbc8b8ef stolen kiss? But his overwhelming ecdbf9355a desire to help eec777be12 Seo Ji-hyuk outweighed 0453ce3009 his doubts. A small 0dcbf9fed0 part of 7de83c2ed8 him even 33656a3d3d yearned to 44cb073085 feel Seo 54dea2054f Ji-hyuk’s lips.cf977c0c2ce6759a

Taking advantage of his 0bd11c9584 unconscious state felt shameful. Around Seo 5ebf3a24f8 Ji-hyuk, Kang ba16fe066a Yu-han always 444989be37 found himself c483c59988 acting irrationally, 815f643072 succumbing to 5d4721720d reckless impulses 89ee130089 and unchecked 0f2e7137c2 emotions.f463bc43e01ad90c

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This was no exception. Kang Yu-han 606756b9a2 pressed his 239993e110 lips against e2e9e506ad Seo Ji-hyuk’s 0ad09ba773 cold ones. His heart sank 420d0a2bc5 at how dry b1fd81be9b and lifeless they da439c0bd2 felt.b6992550369fc083

Wrapping his arms around 858ca34e4b Seo Ji-hyuk’s much larger cbdf6689c6 frame, Kang Yu-han focused a06f86c7fe on the kiss, holding 7019af3250 him close as though 09568b579f cradling something precious. His hand gently caressed 4ac163c0be Seo Ji-hyuk’s solid body 68292f47e4 as he deepened the 3fd70b562f contact, letting active energy d58377e538 flow through their connection.940a701ae019fd76

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A faint reaction 28067c674f stirred. The energy transfer began, 3e49a0ba60 Seo Ji-hyuk’s body instinctively d60fcb0b45 absorbing the Guide’s energy. Relief washed over Kang d510ab2c15 Yu-han as he noticed 9a6cfac853 Seo Ji-hyuk’s complexion improving. His breathing c1b3863e7e had steadied, 5292e51f1f his face 8aa3ca5216 visibly less cf550e6898 pale.64e837cf306b5fc3

That should have 3103887190 been enough.aacd09fe37424398

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But Kang Yu-han found c43e902ae5 his lips moving back 42b0f536a6 to Seo Ji-hyuk’s. Gently, he kissed 81bb52e841 him again, this 574d5ca0f3 time savoring the 5e13a6d59e subtle warmth returning 8072330d8f to them. His tongue brushed 7a55376b28 lightly, intertwining briefly 3a122902bf as Seo Ji-hyuk’s f0c96c6337 bio-signals gradually stabilized.db952d431c515fa1

It was a moment 31344bcb29 of quiet joy, knowing 437129b30a Seo Ji-hyuk was recovering. Yet, the 8dc7290669 realization that 04fa8ea196 he needed b841d57cb4 to stop c376a3b60a brought pain c50ed6dd81 sharper than 2224ce74d3 a knife. Kang Yu-han’s chest 1f7c636b3a ached as though 2ad9201527 it might bleed 664505954a from the intensity bb6a3b940f of it.00bf7dedf1a6b1fc

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* * *60fef857d6a15b55

The next 7a9b9d7a0a morning, Seo 307f1dbc37 Ji-hyuk walked 011f38f5e2 to the 1a283a39e7 research wing 6d58181c4c with an 83e5be4961 odd sense 0c6cd04dd7 of confusion.12823a3a16523121

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The previous night, he fcbfa55856 had been outside the 0875a90d68 base and recalled deciding 9f7caa2e42 to return quickly when cf3911a572 a sudden headache and f6d2c56a6d rapid heartbeat overtook him. He remembered hurrying 7cc97f9d53 back, reaching the 061fdc2e51 building’s entrance, and 0820db8b91 then… nothing.6b5522d8e35d66c9

His memory cut off. He had no 8ffe4b9a6f recollection of pressing 430b800153 the emergency button 101fbf23ee on his communicator 9470fd69ed or calling for d8f5d298cc help. Yet, when he awoke, b2c648abc9 morning had arrived, and 343a554cf1 he felt surprisingly well. His migraine had 2a7ddaf52f subsided to a d53bbe4a4c fraction of its b65a674966 former intensity, and f460937a8f he even felt 24771d1440 rested. It was strange.76951a97a4ec7325

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“Hey, Kang Yu-han.”9379be14d9d601ed

“Hm?”be69126b60477d1b

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“Did you afb9185666 see me f7b46dbb92 come in 7eefd94aaf last night?”96ce503d42d69778

“…No. I went to bed 7bf0d88c62 early.”70a046410a9f7729

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Kang Yu-han replied curtly 849ac784be without looking at him. As he walked ba2993a4b4 a step ahead, 7985e9133d Seo Ji-hyuk studied 7642a7f832 his back curiously. The only person who 9e430ea0be could have helped him 0f0dc9c12d was Kang Yu-han, yet 6783bcd285 his body felt as a2561e745e if he’d received proper 92ba2bd4ec guiding. It was inexplicable.ef4b4bd11d15cd3e

“So you didn’t 70789570f4 see me come 4ad2db73c7 in? Not even a sound?”0d68f1fad2da481b

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“Not at all. By the way, is f9c425048d today blood test day?”9fed1b16dca7f6d2

Kang Yu-han ff6999eb0e changed the 9894816c80 subject. Although Seo Ji-hyuk 30e9e52873 wasn’t particularly close 9e3a6ef0f7 to him, he 25967bb371 wasn’t entirely ignorant f9bba731d9 about him either. Today, however, Kang 9f96e6ff8f Yu-han seemed unusually 79ce143c4f tense.24a687300a40aaf8

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He probably didn’t realize 292c8ca027 it himself, but his 36877b7781 eyes appeared drier than fcfba2f8f7 usual, and there were cf735c8e89 faint bite marks on 2c3c18f834 his lips. Kang Yu-han had a f3b61f2e56 habit of gnawing on 00c248f636 his lips whenever he 65766c1b65 was nervous or frustrated.40781bc78a3bb312

His lips look especially 3280a6f58a red today. Did he bite 9d63d95fb2 them a lot? They seem 57c9c852ba a little 7394fc23e8 swollen, too.f72c641776a067d2

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Noticing Seo Ji-hyuk’s c82337b733 gaze, Kang Yu-han fb376b89d8 turned his head 22bc528059 away. Just as Seo Ji-hyuk 97f1f38d58 contemplated asking him something, 37e5b84a67 they arrived at Dr. Yoon’s lab. In the e1220f43ed end, they 5eeefd338c didn’t even c18271dbbe attempt a ea50ea7ece proper conversation.c2465a516d405c3e

“Good afternoon,” Kang 1cde442e8a Yu-han greeted.44c47b5262b00c3d

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“Major Seo, Major 1c018dad28 Kang, I’ve been 294932fb90 expecting you,” Dr. Yoon replied.7ea56f1837dda13f

As the door opened, 9fa4b39a68 the strong smell of fe59fb935d disinfectant hit them. Kang Yu-han sat down e042421e47 inside, with Seo Ji-hyuk e37d95b376 taking the seat beside 6cd2f5fcd5 him. Dr. Yoon retrieved 28aecd0db3 the blood 2a88d458ec collection equipment 5ca85e6b05 and began 914e0afb6b examining Seo 1a28284b99 Ji-hyuk first.700761325b4cf113

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“Major Seo, 0a7980ccdd has anything e3ca4e6155 unusual happened d21806d16b recently?”c208dd0d3a051b35

“Hmm… yes.”fc3bb538990c346f

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“What kind of 5b5ff99f43 unusual events are 965230cb63 we talking about?”fa304a1602946cda

“My migraines have ce69c03fa7 improved, but I 230eaad7c3 don’t know why.”93e1040b7f46b233

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‘Of course his condition f7b56d606d would improve, considering there’s 7671e355a2 a Guide nearby.’2a2638c1cfe3c8b5

Dr. Yoon thought, though d9e0aff1d1 he feigned surprise.3612593203e68044

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“Wow, that’s great! But why do 8bd93754f7 you think that f764e969b6 is? Any guesses?”193f1f48d8f7b077

“I do have 22f94b347c an idea.”e6bfa5ee58d16699

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This response startled 8f4bef8061 Kang Yu-han, who e4b18a2471 had been sitting 93c742fe34 beside him. *How could 94b59c5442 he possibly aa540f8b06 have an 15adf16813 idea?* He f0c3e89088 shouldn’t know be0dc3a2ce anything about 192fb8f333 Kang Yu-han’s b5b019973f secret. But this e2c1e0d076 made Kang 6edb4a47ee Yu-han feel 38f8d66b78 an urgent c99e66be82 need to 5eb7908ea3 figure out e313eb3232 what Seo 64ee4c5277 Ji-hyuk was dbcb1700a5 thinking.34ad0fc687f4e7ec

“Seo Ji-hyuk, 7dec9e7727 what are 896e525878 you talking 299aef47ab about?”96d46f693bfd225d

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“Exactly what I said—I bb06875833 think I know why 0dd840cb5c my condition improved.”7ce68a951e6ef04e

“…What is it?”477ebf61d9608b4f

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Kang Yu-han b598fd56e9 swallowed nervously, a47fe65ac1 worried his 56ce1b15f4 anxiety might 748274edbb show.25a477cded26b53a

“Why don’t 1f4543a1da you guess?”265a2a635a7d86b1

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“Huh?”ae4a198fb41b50e0

“Why do f4978b6094 you think f29c3ad90a I suddenly 02e4db5387 got better? As my 23a43aad0c partner, what’s fe14d0cb81 your take fdbf5ef4aa on it?”a8868ebd68546e06

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“How would I 847413a059 know?”3ddf0ec61e11bfd7

“Come on, 452ae4fe42 you’ve been 0cb820e068 keeping an 3651f91fd2 eye on 588a2f5037 me more 5ad1787dd4 than anyone.”e7cd72b6f46edc69

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“Well, even so, how ea46d724ef could I possibly… Maybe ab442ff1c7 it’s just an energy bcac2f6b87 flow thing…”801b1db3f7bcf0bc

“You’re an Esper. You know 2d8f1d4be0 as well 462c61fa0c as I f5324c3dab do—Espers don’t 2863d94d43 recover without bf11909f80 a reason. It’s either cf1cd69fb4 a massive 2fa8bc66fe dose of 8c05d59b57 medication or 14b5568ea9 proper guiding ef8297a479 that does dffa12f865 the trick.”8235372a42c8b78e

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 50da9210fef6e4ae

 1e4631f9563edd86

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