VNIROM 4

Unfortunately, the original Yoo Haseong was supposed to know who she was. With no other choice, Haseong answered that he thought he might remember. At that, he could hear Kim Yura’s voice brighten noticeably. The fact that she was talking about last year was actually a relief—it meant it had been a while since they’d last met. According to the date on his phone, it had already been seven months into the new year.

“What’s the reason for your call?”

He wasn’t sure what kind of research she was talking about, but if it had ended last year, there was no way it had suddenly resumed. That made him all the more curious about her purpose. If it was about his ability, this version of Haseong didn’t know anything at all

—Finally! Esper Yoo Haseong, you finally have the chance to use your powers! Don’t you remember saying last year that you’d do anything to be able to use them?

What the hell? I said something like that?

Haseong was taken aback but didn’t say it out loud. The real Yoo Haseong probably had been desperate to use his abilities. In this organization called the Center, he must’ve felt like a third wheel—or even like trash. He received all the benefits an A-rank Esper was entitled to, yet couldn’t use any of his powers. It didn’t take a genius to imagine how much pressure he’d been under.

Even now, Kim Yura was pretending to be supportive while still pushing him. Didn’t you say you wanted to use your powers? Right? That’s what she was really saying. He had a bad feeling about this. Where would an Esper who could control monsters even use their abilities? Obviously, it meant dealing with monsters directly.

Haseong had been born in an ordinary South Korea, a world without monsters—or anything even close. Unless you read fantasy novels or watched movies, you’d never encounter them. For someone like him who came from that world, being asked to control monsters in real life might be enough to make him faint. Sure, he’d served in the military like any other Korean man, but this was something else entirely.

“Well…”

—Starting today, please head to the 3rd basement floor of the Second Research Lab. You don’t need to bring anything. We’ve got it all prepared on our end. I know your powers better than anyone else, Esper Yoo Haseong, so just come without any pressure. See you soon!

Before he could finish his sentence, the ever-enthusiastic Kim Yura cut him off and said everything she wanted to say. She added that the entire team had already been informed and asked for his cooperation going forward. If she was going to act like this, why bother pretending to ask if he remembered anything?

Whether it was a center or a company, Haseong was just a grunt. If they told him to jump, he had to ask how high. It wasn’t like he had the right to refuse. As soon as she finished speaking, Kim Yura hung up. Beep… beep… beep… The dial tone echoed in his ear.

“Where the hell is the Second Research Lab…? And why is this place so damn big?”

It was hard to believe a place this spacious existed under the sky of Seoul. This wasn’t the South Korea he had known. With the threat of gates opening and monsters appearing, every country prioritized its Esper Centers above all else. No wonder they gave up even the most expensive land in Seoul for them.

Haseong clutched his pounding head and headed to the bathroom to wash up. He didn’t want to go, but he’d been paid, and he had to earn that money—so he had to move.

The first thing he did once he started to fully accept this wasn’t a dream was check his banking app. It logged in with fingerprint recognition instead of a password, and he could see how much money was in the account. Seeing the balance, he figured he could survive even if he got ostracized. Since he wasn’t the original Yoo Haseong, he didn’t particularly care if people avoided him.

He had quit his last job partly because of bullying, but more so because of the root cause behind it. Being outcast here didn’t really matter. It just didn’t feel real.

He took a quick shower, changed into his uniform, and geared up with his ID badge hanging around his neck. He left the dorm, already accustomed to the routine.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find the lab. The sprawling Center had directories for newcomers. The Second Research Lab was just a short walk behind the main building, right next to the First Lab.

Of course, you needed your Esper ID to get in. He scanned it at the sensor and stepped inside. Even the elevator wouldn’t move without scanning it again. He pressed the button for Basement Level 3.

Why did it have to be underground…? He had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

“Ah! You’re here. I was just about to go up and meet you on the first floor.”

The moment the elevator doors opened, a woman in a white lab coat greeted him with a smile. Her lips curved into a smile, but her eyes didn’t. And from those eyes, Haseong could sense something—she looked down on him.

Even if she masked her tone, her eyes betrayed her feelings. She thought Yoo Haseong was pathetic.

A name tag on the right pocket of her lab coat read Kim Yura. Not that he needed the tag to know who she was.

His bangs still half-covered his face. He’d spent the weekend desperately trying to wake up from what he thought was a dream, but next weekend, he’d definitely need a haircut.

“This way, please. Everyone’s waiting for you, Esper Yoo Haseong.”

Her polite tone had an edge to it—Everyone’s waiting for someone like you, so get a move on. Or maybe he was just being sensitive.

She led him to a room with a huge steel door, tightly shut. Maybe it was because they were underground, or maybe this place was just built that way, but the high ceiling and massive door felt intimidating.

Kim Yura entered a password on the keypad next to the door, scanned her researcher ID, and then went through facial recognition.

Only after all those steps did the steel door slide open with a soft hiss. It looked incredibly heavy, but it opened automatically. As it did, a wave of cold air poured out from inside—so intense it gave him goosebumps.

“Ah…”

A small sigh escaped him, and his breath turned into a white cloud. It felt like even his exhale might freeze. The blast of cold in the middle of summer shocked him into alertness.

“Come in. Esper Yoo Haseong has arrived. I’ll give you a quick explanation, and then we’ll get started right away.”

Inside the door were several others in white lab coats like Kim Yura.. They ranged from older researchers to younger ones, a mix of all ages.

They only gave Haseong a quick glance. No one looked like they expected much from him.

If they’re going to look at me like that, why even bother calling me here?

“Esper Yoo Haseong, do you happen to remember the illegal lab raid from a few weeks ago?”

“Illegal lab…?”

Haseong clenched his jaw in frustration. It was only natural—this illegal lab marked a major turning point in the world he had entered. After the lab was shut down, its operators imprisoned, and the facility destroyed, the government collected all of the research data. Among that data… was something related to the Disaster.

A Disaster that sought to destroy the world—and had the power to do it.

Even as Haseong was summoned today, he had hoped—foolishly—that it wasn’t because of that. But of course it was. What other reason would the Center have to call him in? The biggest reason Yoo Haseong was ever able to become a final boss in the novel… was because he could control monsters. And that was significant, because the Disaster was a monster.

“Yes, the illegal lab had to be destroyed, no question about that… but in the end, their research succeeded. You don’t know exactly what they were studying, do you?”

Actually, Haseong did know. The lab’s focus was on fusing humans with monsters. The man who had started the research wanted to become someone with powers—like an Esper. But awakening wasn’t something granted to everyone. Not equally.

Unable to awaken himself, the man—who was still quite intelligent—decided that if he couldn’t gain power on his own, he’d create something that could, and control it. So he began experimenting with injecting monster abilities into humans.

After relentless trials, the research eventually succeeded.

But the man’s ambition was only half-realized. He had managed to create a being with powers—but he couldn’t control it. Eventually, one of the staff members, terrified of what they had helped create, tipped off the Center. That’s how the truth about the illegal lab came to light.

Unaware that Haseong already knew all this, Kim Yura explained the events with minimal courtesy. Her explanation wasn’t exactly friendly, but it was understandable.

In the end, what they wanted was for Haseong to control the monster—because he had the ability to do so.

“This way.”

Haseong turned his head in the direction Kim Yura indicated and spotted a massive iron cage. The kind you’d use to contain a huge, dangerous beast. And huddled in the far corner of the cage… was a pitch-black mass.

He blinked, peering through his bangs to see if he was really looking at what he thought he was. Kim Yura glanced at him, wondering if he could actually see anything through that mop of hair. She had tried to cut it last year but gave up when Haseong had a meltdown. She wanted to brush it aside again now, but knew better.

Haseong was just as frustrated. As he approached the cage, the white-coated researchers standing near it stepped aside, almost as if they didn’t want to get too close. That irritated him—he furrowed his brow.

In the novel, it was only briefly mentioned that Haseong had the ability to control monsters. But he was still human. He was an Esper. And yet, people treated him like he was a monster.

Maybe that’s why, when he encountered the Disaster—something treated the same way he was—he had felt a kind of thrill.

“According to the records, it’s been confined for ten years. It was the only living specimen left in the lab, aside from the researchers.”

It was hard to tell if the darkness inside the cage was just from the lack of light or if the creature’s skin was actually black. Judging by the rise and fall of its chest, though, it was definitely breathing.

The moment Haseong reached out and gripped the cage bars, the creature’s closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

Its pupils were vertical—long slits that ran up and down—and glowed an eerie orange. Eyes no normal human could have. The kind of eyes you’d expect from a feline predator or a reptile.

The moment their eyes met, Haseong felt a sharp, crushing pain in his chest—like someone had seized his heart in a fist.

“Ugh…!”

“Esper Yoo Haseong?”

Kim Yura called out, startled, as he collapsed, clutching his chest. But no one else moved closer. The only thing between him and the cage was the steel bars—and he was the only one who had stepped right up to them.

After the pain came a flood of unfamiliar emotions—fear, tension, sorrow. Overwhelming and disorienting.

Then, Haseong realized something: these weren’t his emotions.

They were the creature’s.

It suddenly became clear—maybe his ability wasn’t just “monster control” after all. Maybe it was something deeper. Something more complicated.

He can feel its emotions…

The idea of sensing the feelings of something he might be expected to kill… it was deeply unsettling.

Thankfully, as mentioned in the novel, most monsters didn’t have emotions. That was why his ability had simply been labeled as “control.” But the Disaster in front of him… wasn’t just a monster. It felt like a person. Which meant… it had emotions.

“Are you all right?”

Kim Yura looked concerned. If he was already struggling this much, how was he supposed to handle what came next?

Haseong shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Not like they could do anything about it anyway. And he wasn’t about to rely on them for anything.

Now that he knew he was the final boss… now that he had met the Disaster… Haseong had already made up his mind.

He would give it freedom.

The Disaster was a fusion of a human and a monster that resembled a creature straight out of myth—a dragon. Of course, real dragons didn’t exist in this world, but the name stuck. And dragons were reptiles… which explained the slit pupils.

Haseong exhaled quietly. He wanted to set it free—but even if he did, what then? Could someone with such striking eyes live in the world without being killed… or used?

How it lived or died wasn’t technically his responsibility.

But still… he couldn’t help but care.

In the novel, the Disaster was mercilessly used by the final boss—and then killed by the protagonist.

“So, what do you think? Can you control it right away?”

What did they think this was, some kind of vending machine for powers?

The truth was, Haseong didn’t know how to control it—not exactly. And even if he did, he had no intention of using his power the way they wanted.

The Center was no different from any other group. They’d want to use the Disaster for profit—just like in the novel.

The line the final boss always said to the Disaster echoed in his mind:

“The Center’s going to use you for money.”

And honestly… he didn’t think that was a lie.

“I won’t know until I try. Can I see the data?”

“Ah, here it is.”