VNIROM 5

Kim Yura reached out from a bit of a distance and handed over the documents. It was almost funny, how scared she looked after locking someone behind iron bars. Then again, the researchers here were mostly civilians or specialized Espers—those with mental or intelligence-based abilities who weren’t suited for combat. That explained their behavior.

Still, Haseong’s body wasn’t all that different from theirs.

[Name: Seo Jaewoo (20/Male)]

• • • Matches the child who went missing about ten years ago.
      
    • Fused with a dragon.
      
    • The only successful subject from the illegal research facility “Ideals.”
      .
      .
      .
      
    • Appears to understand speech but does not speak or express will.
      
    • Displays aggression but does not attack unless provoked.
      
    • Extremely wary.

Three sheets of A4 paper were filled with information, but most of it felt useless. What caught Haseong’s attention was that this so-called disaster was only twenty years old—and had been kidnapped when he was just ten. The word “subject” also rubbed him the wrong way. Seo Jaewoo was clearly still a living person. If this started when he was ten, he probably didn’t even understand what was happening to him…

They ruined his life with unwanted experiments, and now someone’s trying to use him again?

Rage boiled in him—not just toward the hidden villains behind it all, but toward the Center, too. All they saw was a tool to be used. No one cared about Jaewoo’s heart, no one thought to make up for his stolen life.

Haseong had originally planned to handle this smoothly. Now he wasn’t sure what to do.

“Can I go inside the cage?”

“What? No, I mean… It could be dangerous.”

“It says here he’s aggressive but won’t attack unless provoked. I’m not planning to provoke him, so I should be fine.”

Seo Jaewoo was hiding himself, clearly wary of the people who only watched him from afar like he was some sideshow attraction. That black mass—upon closer look—was his own wings wrapped tightly around his body. His eyes, his wings… He was definitely not normal. Just trying to approach too quickly might get someone killed.

“Just don’t get too close, okay? You haven’t used your ability yet, right?”

“Right. Got it.”

Yura nervously swallowed and handed over the key to the cage. How did she even manage to bring Jaewoo here when she’s this scared? Maybe the Espers had done the heavy lifting, but surely she’d been nearby.

Haseong took the key and opened the iron gate. He could feel Jaewoo’s gleaming eyes locked solely on him, not wandering to anything else. The intensity of that gaze made Haseong gulp without realizing.

“Seo Jaewoo…? Hi.”

The flood of emotions that poured in were fear, wariness, and surprise. Seo Jaewoo was shocked—and afraid. Afraid Haseong might hurt him… or that he might hurt Haseong.

He’s scared of himself… Scared he might lose control and hurt someone.

Even though people treated him like a ticking time bomb, Jaewoo was the one most afraid of what he might do. Haseong felt a wave of guilt. Maybe I was too confident walking in here like this…

“Uh… It’s okay. Probably. I won’t hurt you, and you won’t hurt me.”

Haseong stepped inside the cage, locked it from the inside, and plopped down casually on the floor. Everyone watching flinched at his sudden action—Seo Jaewoo included. His guard didn’t drop, but still, maybe this would be alright.

A twenty-year-old kid, called a world-ending disaster… and the villain is some gloomy guy who got bullied by his coworkers? Whoever wrote this plot really botched it.

He let out a deep sigh. Did they just write this without caring since it’s not their life?

“Ah, sorry. That sigh wasn’t about you.”

“…”

Still no response. Of course, this was their first meeting—what kind of answer was he expecting? But talking to himself wasn’t exactly fun.

Haseong figured it was time to revise his life plan. He had wanted to coast through odd jobs until he could quit, then live peacefully in the countryside with his savings. But he couldn’t just sit by while a twenty-year-old kid got used or killed. And if he didn’t even know how to return to his original world, letting this one fall apart wasn’t an option either.

“I’m Yoo Haseong. Sorry for skipping formalities and speaking casually. I hope you don’t mind—I’m older, so cut me some slack, yeah? Oh… maybe you don’t like that kind of thing. If you ever want to talk later, just tell me if it bothers you. Until then, I’ll keep talking like this. I’m four years older than you, after all.”

Haseong wasn’t particularly old himself. He had enlisted instead of going to college and jumped straight into the job market after his discharge. He was twenty-six. After being dragged into this bizarre novel world, his body had regressed by two years—but it didn’t really mean much to him.

While he spoke, Haseong didn’t move closer or reach out, didn’t make any sudden movements. He just sat there, watching quietly.

He wasn’t sure how to approach someone with high emotional walls, but he did know how to approach a wary animal. Step one: prove you’re harmless.

Sure, he could’ve used his ability and skipped all this… but he didn’t even know how it worked. And even if he did, he didn’t want to rely on it.

This “disaster” had landed in his hands—so whatever happened next, it would be his decision.

* * *

Several days had passed since Haseong first met Seo Jaewoo.

If you asked what he’d been doing during that time… the honest answer was, absolutely nothing.

Kim Yura, who had originally known how Yoo Haseong controlled monsters, found his behavior strange. It would’ve been fine if she only thought that—but she came right out and asked.

“Esper Yoo Haseong, may I ask what you’re doing right now? This isn’t how you’re supposed to handle a monster, is it?”

Haseong stared at her quietly.

Does she really see Seo Jaewoo as a monster? Is that why she’s saying this?

Honestly, Seo Jaewoo was a victim. A child subjected to cruel abuse under the guise of illegal research—what they inflicted on him had been nothing short of violence. He was ten years old when he was kidnapped, imprisoned, and forced into experiments he never wanted.

And now, the people affiliated with the government were continuing that same violence. They’d taken a boy already broken and thrown him back into a cage.

In the novel, Yoo Haseong had clearly been a villain—someone who made all the wrong choices. He brought about the end of the world.

But Seo Jaewoo?

He’d been abused, then handed over to more hands just as cruel, all without ever being given a choice.

Even if he was twenty now, Seo Jaewoo probably hadn’t moved past the ten-year-old child he once was. And if that were true, then… where were his parents? Did they even know that their barely surviving child was being treated like this? If they did, and still left him like this—then they were killing him all over again. Again and again.

“Do you really see Seo Jaewoo as a monster?”

“Huh? I mean… what are you saying…?”

“That’s enough. Wasn’t this whole task entrusted to me? If so, I don’t need your input. And if you don’t need me either, I’ll gladly step back.”

Of course, Haseong didn’t believe they’d really let him walk away. They weren’t the kind of people to toss aside someone willing to do their dirty work. If they saw a benefit, they’d come crawling right back.

And Seo Jaewoo… he’d likely surpass any S-class Esper in the country. He was that powerful in the novel, after all.

“A-all right.”

Kim Yura nodded, feeling an inexplicable sense of discomfort. She hadn’t truly thought of the boy in the cage as a person. But saying that aloud… felt like something she shouldn’t do. Even if she hadn’t been the one who caged him, the guilt weighed on her chest.

Still, her unease wasn’t just about guilt—it was also about Haseong himself.

A year ago, she’d studied his abilities and his unique trait of not needing a guide. He looked exactly the same as back then. The same long bangs hanging down to his nose, the same thin, frail frame—maybe a bit healthier now. Something was different, though. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what.

“I’ll head in now.”

“…Yes.”

Suppressing the unease gnawing at her, Kim Yura unlocked the cage door. Haseong stepped inside, casting her a brief glance and sighing softly.

He knew she wasn’t the one at fault.

But he couldn’t just stand by and watch Seo Jaewoo be treated like a monster. Like it or not, Seo Jaewoo would never escape this place for the rest of his life. Haseong wanted to give him some kind of freedom… but even if he could, would that really be freedom?

Still, he was too young to spend the rest of his life being treated like a beast.

As Haseong walked in, he immediately felt a pair of eyes on him. He smiled slightly, though his bangs covered most of his face. Whether that smile could even be seen was anyone’s guess.

Tomorrow was finally the weekend, and he planned to get a haircut.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t go out on weekdays, but weekday outings had to be reported. Weekends were a little more relaxed. Espers with assigned guides had no restrictions at all. So why wasn’t Haseong, who didn’t even need a guide, allowed the same freedom?

Because of his power.

If he really put his mind to it, Haseong could end the world even without Seo Jaewoo. That’s why Yoo Haseong could never be free.

Then you should’ve treated him better. No wonder the kid lost his grip on reality after being cast out like that.

Shaking his head, Haseong sat down a short distance away from Seo Jaewoo. The lab floor was cold against his skin, but it didn’t bother him. Well… it had been a problem the first time. His fragile body couldn’t handle the chill, and he’d ended up soaking in hot water for ages afterward. He’d cranked the boiler until he was sweating just to avoid catching a cold.

“Want some? I brought it for you.”

Seo Jaewoo, who had been staring silently at Haseong, flinched noticeably when their eyes met. He was still wary, but maybe… just a little less so. The feelings Haseong picked up from him weren’t all bad.

To Haseong, Seo Jaewoo was a fascinating mystery.

Usually, even when he was with other people, their emotions didn’t come through clearly. He’d never encountered a true monster before, so he couldn’t say how they felt—but the research materials he got from Kim Yura about Yoo Haseong made no mention of emotions.

Even getting that research required enduring her dirty looks.

What’s with her? I just wanted to review my own case files…

On the first day they met, Haseong was horrified to learn that Seo Jaewoo hadn’t been fed in three days. Three. Days.

He wasn’t a monster. He was human.

Only after Haseong intervened did they start feeding him three times a day. He’d also told them to stop gawking at him like some zoo animal.

So now, even Kim Yura would just open the door and leave. Every time Haseong visited, it was just the two of them. She’d said it was too dangerous, but she wasn’t willing to stay herself. That kind of concern was just hypocrisy.

How could anyone expect to open up with an audience watching?

Haseong wasn’t like the Yoo Haseong in the novel. He had no intention of destroying Seo Jaewoo’s heart.

“It’s not dangerous or anything. Look, I’ll eat it first, so you don’t have to worry. You can eat it later if you want. After I leave.”

The first time he offered food, Seo Jaewoo hadn’t touched it for over a day. Seemed like he wasn’t even hungry. Only after Haseong ate everything in front of him did he finally take a bite. Ever since, Haseong always took the first bite when offering food—to show it was safe.

Still, Seo Jaewoo never ate in front of him.

So far, all Haseong had seen were those pitch-black wings and glowing eyes.

The novel never described Seo Jaewoo’s face. His appearance was mentioned, sure—but only vaguely. Something about looking neither fully human nor fully monstrous.

Then again, how many novels go into detail about the face of the world-ending calamity?

The description was barely a sentence. Just one impression from the protagonist.

So, as usual, Haseong spent the day chatting about this and that. After two or three hours, he returned to the office, only to get chewed out by his team leader while sorting through documents.

The team leader didn’t even know why Haseong kept getting called to the lab. He just assumed Haseong was getting special treatment. Since Seo Jaewoo’s existence was top secret, all Haseong could do was shrug.