Chapter 7

“Major!”

“You can’t! Come back!”

Kang Yu-han sprinted at full speed, ignoring the shouts from his subordinates as he dashed deeper into the building, heading toward the Center Chief’s office.

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If he were going to stand idle while the Number 9 siren blared, what was the point of holding the rank of Major?

More importantly, Kang Yu-han wasn’t just a member of the Esper Bureau anymore; he was part of the task force directly under the Center Chief’s command. With the Chief Secretary’s whereabouts unclear—and no confirmation on whether the Chief Secretary and the Center Chief were together—Kang Yu-han had no choice but to confirm the threat himself.

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Turning a corner, he arrived in front of the Center Chief’s office. The area was eerily quiet. Where the secretary should have been standing, there was no one, and an unsettling silence filled the space.

Kang Yu-han cautiously pushed the heavy door open, scanning the interior. The office preceding the Center Chief’s workspace, where the administrative secretaries usually worked, was completely empty.

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The stillness was unnerving, almost oppressive. Feeling uneasy, Kang Yu-han furrowed his brow and stepped inside.

That’s when he heard it—a rustling sound. Snapping his head around, he saw someone sitting at a desk just beyond a low partition. It was Lieutenant Lee, the same person he had spoken to in the cafeteria not long ago.

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“Lieutenant Lee? What’s going on? Where is everyone?”

Kang Yu-han took a step closer but stopped abruptly. Blood trickled from the corner of Lieutenant Lee’s mouth, staining his pristine white uniform a dark crimson. Behind his chair, two men lay sprawled on the floor.

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They were new administrative staff members in the office. One had a gaping wound on his neck, blood pooling around his lifeless body. The other’s arm was severed at the sleeve, the jagged stump resembling the aftermath of an animal attack. The grotesque sight made Kang Yu-han’s skin crawl.

Except for the blood covering his face and body, Lieutenant Lee looked the same as always. But this wasn’t the kind, humanistic young officer who often chatted with Kang Yu-han or sheepishly admitted his mistakes. No, this was no longer Lieutenant Lee.

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He was a Variant.

That’s why the Number 9 siren had sounded.

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“Uh… where is everyone, you ask? Well, I don’t know. Strange, isn’t it?”

Lieutenant Lee’s lips curled into a crooked smile, his eyes dull and lifeless. Though his irises hadn’t changed color, there was no sign of clarity in them. A nauseating stench of blood filled the air as he spoke.

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When they had met in the cafeteria earlier, there had been no obvious signs. He had seemed perfectly normal—exactly as Kang Yu-han had always known him. So how? Why?

Kang Yu-han couldn’t make sense of it. Just a short while ago, this man had been ordinary. How had he turned into this monster in such a short time?

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‘Could it be…’

Earlier, Lieutenant Lee had claimed he had no appetite, leaving most of his food uneaten. But the moment he saw Kang Yu-han, his eyes had sparkled, and he had said his appetite had returned—as if normal food didn’t interest him, but ‘people’ did.

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Suspicious as it was, he had still seemed in control of himself.

Had he already become a Variant then? Or had he been one for much longer without anyone noticing? Kang Yu-han couldn’t pinpoint when it had begun.

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Could such a thing even happen inside the heavily fortified Center? His mind swirled with questions, struggling to process the chaos.

“Major, I’m hungry.”

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Suddenly, Lieutenant Lee stood up, making Kang Yu-han flinch and drop into a defensive stance.

“When did it start, Lieutenant Lee?”

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Not every Esper could instantly unleash destructive power. For someone like Kang Yu-han, whose specialty was clairvoyance rather than telekinesis or gravitational manipulation, preparing for an attack required time.

Carefully channeling energy into his fingertips without drawing attention, Kang Yu-han asked calmly, “When exactly did you become a Variant?”

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“Uh… do I really need to answer that?”

“Yes, answer me.”

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Lieutenant Lee opened his mouth slowly, dragging his words.

“Well… to be honest, I’m not entirely sure.”

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“Say whatever you remember.”

“I… got lucky. I’m only half-infected, you see. I really don’t know.”

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“Half-infected? What does that even mean?”

Kang Yu-han’s brows knitted tightly. A Variant was either infected or not. What did “half-infected” even imply? It made no sense.

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Then, Lieutenant Lee’s gaze shifted to Kang Yu-han’s exposed neck. His collar had come undone during his hurried sprint, leaving the usually hidden area fully visible.

“Ah… about that…”

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Lieutenant Lee’s round, soft eyes now carried a dark and oppressive energy. Hunger gleamed in his gaze, like a child salivating over a delectable piece of candy. He even licked the corners of his mouth with his tongue.

“Lieutenant Lee.”

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Instinctively sensing the change in him, Kang Yu-han clenched his teeth.

“Let’s get you treated.”

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“What?”

“You might not know this, but there’s a team working on a cure.”

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“A cure?”

“Yes, a treatment that can bring you back to being human.”

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At Kang Yu-han’s calm and coaxing tone, Lieutenant Lee blinked slowly in confusion.

“I have to take medicine…?”

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“That’s right, Lieutenant Lee. You understand me, don’t you? Right now, you’re in a condition that needs treatment.”

The priority was to buy time. If he could keep Lieutenant Lee’s attention focused, he might get another chance. Kang Yu-han’s mind raced to come up with a plan.

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“Uh… so does that mean, Major, you think I’m not human?”

“That’s… not what I meant.”

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Kang Yu-han faltered for a brief moment, but that was all Lieutenant Lee needed. In an instant, he lunged forward, leaping high into the air.

Like a predator pouncing on its prey, he slammed into Kang Yu-han’s upper body, sending him tumbling backward before he could properly defend himself.

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Damn it. He’s faster than I expected.

“Hee-hee!”

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Lieutenant Lee towered over Kang Yu-han, his face twisted into a grotesque grin as he laughed. Saliva dripped from his mouth, landing messily on his chin and uniform.

“I’m starving! I’m so hungry I feel like I’m going to die!”

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With a crazed gleam in his eyes, he reached out, trying to wrap his hands around Kang Yu-han’s neck. Summoning all his strength, Kang Yu-han wrenched Lieutenant Lee’s wrists outward, breaking his grip. The Variant let out a piercing scream of pain, thrashing wildly.

At that moment, the door burst open with a deafening crash.

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An invisible wave of telekinetic energy surged into the room, striking Lieutenant Lee’s head. It exploded with a sickening splatter, sending blood and brain matter flying across the office and onto the partitions behind him. Kang Yu-han’s uniform was drenched in blood.

What just happened?

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Pushing the lifeless body off of himself, Kang Yu-han turned to see Seo Ji-hyuk standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the shattered doorframe. The door hung limply, having been kicked off its hinges.

“You… how did you get here?”

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“How do you think? My watch wouldn’t stop screaming.”

Seo Ji-hyuk raised his left wrist, pointing at his communicator. It flashed and vibrated incessantly. Lieutenant Lee had linked the two of them as temporary partners, setting up the devices to alert one another in emergencies.

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It made sense now. Seo Ji-hyuk hadn’t followed the sound of his voice or footsteps; the watch had alerted him to the danger.

In the end, both the watch and Seo Ji-hyuk’s intervention had saved his life. For that, Kang Yu-han was undeniably grateful. Yet a sharp pang of disappointment cut through him.

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Still lying on the floor, Kang Yu-han stared blankly at Seo Ji-hyuk. The latter casually cracked his neck and walked further into the room. He glanced around at the wreckage: the two fallen administrative staff, the pool of blood, and the Variant’s mutilated body.

“Lieutenant Lee was… you know, he was…”

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“What?”

“I was talking to him.”

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“Ha, talking? About what?”

“About getting treatment….”

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Kang Yu-han murmured, his voice barely audible. The research was still in its infancy, and no one knew if a cure would ever truly be developed.

Even so, Kang Yu-han had brought up treatment in an attempt to calm Lieutenant Lee. He didn’t care if it sounded like a ridiculous pipe dream—he desperately wanted to believe that Variants could be returned to their human selves.

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Lieutenant Lee, his fencing teammates who had become Variants, everyone he once cared about—they weren’t just monsters. They were people.

The fragile sense of normalcy Kang Yu-han clung to crumbled before his eyes, mocking him for even trying to hold on.

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“I just… wanted to bring him back… wanted to help him get treated.”

“Spare me. Instead of wasting time with nonsense about treatment, focus on killing one more of them.”

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Seo Ji-hyuk let out a dry chuckle, wiping at the blood splattered on his face with his hand. The action only smeared the blood further, spreading it across a larger area.

“To Variants, you’re nothing more than a slab of meat. You know you’d be dead without me just now, right? Do you get it? You almost became someone’s meal.”

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Kang Yu-han lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the floor. Annoyed by the lack of response, Seo Ji-hyuk clicked his tongue.

“Stop sulking. At least be grateful.”

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Kang Yu-han’s jaw trembled slightly. The overwhelming helplessness, exhaustion, and dizziness left him unable to move. Seo Ji-hyuk bent down, grabbing Kang Yu-han’s wrist in a firm grip.

“Get up already. Let’s go.”

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