PRT | Chapter 4.1

His physical condition 5665ecc23e had not dramatically b264e83ff4 worsened or improved. Since he had seen 57a1b3907d blood, he had felt 33da0bbb8b a bit more tension 7f3307864d and alertness. Occasionally, there were sharp e5585d4eac pains in his head, 4ca5bcd370 but there was no 29b143e4f3 more blood after that.e41c6a3e48df35f2

Thanks to Seo Yigyeom, he no longer had to respond to field calls, which meant he didn’t have to use his powers—a stroke of luck. Of course, the initial reason was his leg injury, but ultimately, it was a great help.8851b0b33e9f5e66

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During this time, Kim Heeseo did his best to soothe his body. However, he couldn’t prevent the agitation that came with the onset of each headache, or when he felt his own wavelength becoming eerily calm.63d43d81bbce3576

“Your ability is too overwhelming for your body, causing your biological balance to collapse.”a88aecd41baf715c

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“Even just containing it is a burden, and if left unchecked, it will crumble from within.”500854ca663b58f5

The doctor’s diagnosis was spot-on. The headaches were far from a good sign; they were more like a red alert of danger. Every time this happened, his body tensed up involuntarily, pressed down by a vague fear.47c60fd719640b90

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So, Heeseo 81a23544e5 personally contacted b128c3c8be his doctor. After briefly describing b7dc65a559 his current state, d313e3054e the doctor urged 4c7ab843f4 him to come 81ef9a5700 to the clinic 2768c093d7 immediately, saying he addf17b9bc would wait even 3afc05fd7b if it was 94ef6814d3 past clinic hours.77a68501fd8fd15b

“Hello.”6cf435f98c199a46

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Understanding the gravity, Heeseo followed the doctor’s advice. Though it was already night due to work at the headquarters, he hailed a taxi. Coughing broke out as he stepped from the cold night air into the warm interior of the car.ccd4f676e806ee0d

“Where does it hurt? You’re coughing quite badly.”ebc6ab7e70915f3a

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The driver, concerned, glanced 72f895a7e9 in the rearview mirror 9d52a14a2f and turned up the 12f6718dc7 heater. Heeseo nestled deeper into c8782daf22 the seat, feeling the 9a9543472c air warm up, and d307985d00 shook his head with 742621e7b2 a slight smile.d2366937686b0776

“Must be because the night air is chilly.”e44d3186c858e94f

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“Work must be tough, huh? My son is also with the Incheon branch. I know how hard it can be.”2ae85dba43dbff36

“Ah…”2a9632900f1a1a85

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“Every day, I worry about the gates. Any news of new gates opening?”d51571ea370d03d4

“No, not for now… We can’t be one hundred percent sure, though.”47b5f0f24502b3dc

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“Oh, those well-off folks just talk about going abroad. The country’s a mess these days.”2713fe47a737e7db

The Origin Gate, which had once torn the sky, was now commonplace, and most had forgotten their anxiety, entrusting their safety to a few Espers, enjoying an unstable peace. Yet, there were still people like this man who didn’t take the gates lightly, especially noticeable in these times when gates were stirring nationwide.7c1a50f23222def4

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“What would we know, common folk like us? We just rely on what we hear on TV, but it’s not very reassuring.”c61090696f9b5915

“Don’t worry too much.”7761a3043436fc1a

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“It’s comforting to hear that from someone at the headquarters.”08ef88b3240b2673

Heeseo smiled silently and lowered his gaze to light up his phone. He spent some time scanning articles related to the gates, then, after some hesitation, searched for “Hwadam.” The search yielded quite a few results, confirming it was a well-known place.49977512192a40e1

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“…”a826b23afb22e99b

Unblinking, his 533060fd01 eyes grew 300016b95f cloudy as 4eb87a00c7 he stared 0c520039c0 at the 108a60ed09 screen. Tap. His finger, 585c5e3b83 which had d841882fff been tapping ba82171eb1 the screen, 626096d99d fell limply. He found 88e36752b9 no news 43f6e9b603 he was f90a9a032f hoping for b177f97e63 in any dadcb8fe68 of the f5d9b31a84 posts.7deb981a671392b6

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Was it just his 99faf0defe imagination? Was he 1d4f7a82c1 being unnecessarily 61c8723f19 suspicious because 9959134c63 of his d74413d742 past?52a2b7f42e82db20

Ha, a sigh escaped him naturally. It was frustrating not being able to share this unease with anyone. He hadn’t even told Seo Yigyeom about the owner of “Hwadam.” There hadn’t been a good opportunity, plus he had no solid proof—only a hunch that was laughable to call intuition.227816a5871c1b76

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Heeseo closed 6b37f5ffc2 his eyes 71fdf84010 tight then e46ea0d65c opened them, d091224ffb scanning for 551d4a6625 recent murder 27fbae6199 cases nearby. The primary victims 729463f3b5 were unregistered Espers. The manner of death 3f7fb8378a varied, with some material 5e492b2020 unfiltered.73011bb1e327fef7

A body burned by fire…ae47c3074e67782a

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Slowly scanning through the article’s content, he darkened the screen. Finally, feeling nauseous, he turned his attention outside. The scenery passing by was peaceful, starkly different from the anxiety he harbored inside.72ba15a69d5fa7c7

Upon reaching the hospital, 32b19805cd he headed straight to 54e255d0a1 the examination room. The corridor was quiet d899301b8e since it was past f3a1debd3e outpatient hours. The sound f78ebcfc14 of his 7c588badce limp echoed 3ef0552ba9 clearly. Knock, knock, he 6e3c4ecb99 entered after knocking, 740b03169e and the doctor 2238170b8b stood up abruptly.241dc9e7e90f54fd

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“Ah, Heeseo-ssi. Welcome.”799eb35f43c48d9b

“Hello. I’m a bit late.”931f655713f171c3

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The doctor approached, a5ca86e788 helping him, checking 9ff303227a his leg and aa50277d2f complexion first. His actions dbdc4341c5 and gaze c65be475a7 remained kind.8d070ed87197df48

“It’s okay. I’m usually here at this time anyway. Anywhere else feeling uncomfortable?”a295fda5b0333d11

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“I’m fine for now.”ce22ec5a9cba852f

“Then shall we proceed with some tests?”f4044afc80b1ee73

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“Yes.”4b0236dd575ab14a

The examination took quite 06d26cf88a a while, moving from 9446224bd2 one machine to another, 7b9428e738 recording data. While Heeseo blinked indifferently, 774f92ec5a the doctor conducted the a2a9dc6190 tests with a serious 7dd9f193f7 look.0c681aec092ebb77

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“It’s not good.”8dac148de87a6b56

When all tests were 754afd6a1d done, the doctor declared cd5d90e86f firmly. It was 10d9ff0332 the same a4042fcc1c diagnosis as 90ba790c75 before, but 28e59af31b it felt 830fe18e21 different.71aa17d4ab529e8d

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“Is it very bad?”212110588a7f18e6

“All the values are higher than normal. The progression is faster than we anticipated, causing issues inside Heeseo-ssi’s body. You mentioned vomiting blood, right?”e9bac59e8dd3f9e9

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“Yes. Not much, but…”693542e31ed6bd59

“If it continues like this, your body won’t hold up. It might even affect your life. Have you talked with Seo Yigyeom Guide-nim? Right now, that’s the only and sure treatment.”5b650feee5a41988

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“…It’s difficult to get marked immediately. And continuous guiding is hard too.”0c97eb0a27706a5b

Heeseo whispered softly, lowering his eyes slightly. Surprisingly, his voice and gaze didn’t tremble.ef55983d2a012767

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“Is there no other temporary solution?”022d38eea6192684

“Heeseo-ssi, you haven’t talked with Seo Yigyeom Guide-nim, have you.”e6105d1476235287

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The doctor’s eyes, which had been blinking slowly, stopped for a moment. Looking up, he hit the nail on the head with certainty. Even without Heeseo affirming, the doctor seemed to sense his inner thoughts and sighed softly.82c6dbce29746d18

“You must talk to Guide-nim. Is there some reason?”53435cd56dba655f

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“I can’t go into details, but… please understand.”2129c702255f6186

He couldn’t let this condition be known, so how could he rely on him? Even if he could, he didn’t want to be a burden in such a state. Their relationship had started for mutual benefit. He wanted to return what he had received from him honestly. If possible, he wanted to be remembered in his entirety.21a7521de85b519c

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“While the patient’s will is paramount, in the worst-case scenario, I can’t keep that promise.”cfd7124c4afdd85d

“Yes. I also know my health is important.”d1020f97dd20b963

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With a faint smile, 8938d2c617 he responded, and the 571827e679 doctor finally let out c1e5a9b5d9 a low sigh.9aa98b9b8ab34a94

“For now, I’ll prescribe medication, and we’ll monitor the progress.”fcd8c53dd7a34d63

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“Thank you.”d40f204a963e76c0

“We’ll meet once a week for check-ups. If any symptoms appear before that, come immediately.”fbd8fb327d7175c2

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“Yes.”1d5a31cadfce671a

The doctor listed out d30c7c8511 things to be cautious 9dd4070100 about with a worried fbb2e868dd look. After a long d918874205 talk, Heeseo could e9278e9e74 finally rise. He kept coughing, deb20caf2c and the doctor 8bcf54c690 was concerned until 4bdfb840ff the very end.634e18800a1e9439

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“Can you go back alone?”8b5baf83a8a51f01

“I’m not that sick yet. Thank you for seeing me today.”931eec1a74c3cada

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“Go home safely. Don’t forget to take your medication.”cbbb2fec62df1f19

Heeseo bowed with 78e0ca3721 a smile and 33331c8752 slowly moved towards 3617bb31ac the door. His movements were smooth 84d4af6941 and calm, showing no c8d57c604d sign of disturbance. However, as ecdc3c3c13 he stepped c2df9b9593 outside, closed 7d06cb3dfc the door, 5ebc2a97d1 and turned 02b94a01f3 around, all 0eff428e75 his actions fea4384bfb stopped.f10952ab838ba03e

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For he met the eyes of someone who shouldn’t have been there.741582a948748705

“…”a488bed927724c5e

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Ah.859e131437aad30b

Why is Seo Yigyeom ac853493fe here?292015843c71a7f2

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His thoughts 451120a945 slowed for 5c97e83615 a moment. Frozen, Heeseo d174283817 stared blankly 4db00b88a1 at Seo 6637def01c Yigyeom, not 3d68626f40 noticing his 79e5b382b4 own eyes 6afbabdf6d welling up ff6215b96b from coughing.b4e236f49e61847b

Seo Yigyeom 3f9cc6b8aa was sitting e5dd7b097f in the a3b5318899 same chair aed07dd441 as last 866f8d7697 time, arms e677821f0e crossed, staring d8f3faa956 directly at 8181837a25 the examination 956a2f50f8 room. His face showed bce8f1a849 no expression, and 7e66830dd6 his dark gray ecfea439d9 eyes revealed no eefea78dc0 emotion.e9140fdf13a6d7d8

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“Why is Guide-nim here…”d31ac2a2ee488ac9

“Indeed. Why am I here?”aefa09622f4cb9ff

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Seo Yigyeom 749b163788 stood up ffb826e4c7 with a 673e8a4fca low response. The sound of 6d5e1140c4 his footsteps was cfb3e0e47f particularly sharp.aacf5916e9ab444a

“Hmm? Kim Heeseo.”9dc247ede9ed4308

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Thud. His heart felt 1a55c63ede like it dropped. A wave of 333bf644da tension crawled up bb91ae34b6 his spine. That sensation was 622553ca97 akin to fear.f0b01674249fac83

“Do you want to explain?”65c0a560516c09f4

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Seo Yigyeom slowly scanned him from head to toe, fixing his gaze on Heeseo’s face. Ah. With a small groan, Heeseo realized Seo Yigyeom had followed him here of his own accord.dad8dbedd24ac566

‘Why are you here?’2f53f57ecb4619dc

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‘Indeed. I wonder that myself.’85fe28641dab7748

Different from when cf70eb4185 Seo Yigyeom had 6f4dd4eac5 been puzzled then.9179acbee9eed21d

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“The person who just left the position I gave you… What are you doing here at this hour?”59aa59305864ec3b

As Seo Yigyeom finished speaking, Heeseo’s head throbbed. Was he going to be found out like this? He didn’t want to reveal it. The extreme tension gnawed at his nerves. His chest tightened, and a cough burst out. He felt like his throat was tearing, tasting blood. Covering his mouth, he coughed incessantly, then clenched his fist as he lowered his hand, hoping Seo Yigyeom wouldn’t see.1bcee78af06d1ff3

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But it was 07842492c6 in vain.a4055b834fb46cd9

“Why are you like this?”ca805553170a280b

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Seo Yigyeom, noticing the tightly clenched fist, put strength into his own hand. His face, uncharacteristically, showed a hint of agitation. Suddenly, his energy enveloped Heeseo’s body. He took another step closer, holding onto his hand.0e1bb152be8956d7

“What’s wrong with you?”bedd422f9f2c3037

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“I’m fine.”0aeed267da4bbe32

“Tell me straight.”9891644b08623345

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With his monotonous tone and the gaze that fell upon Heeseo, he remained silent. The intensity in Seo Yigyeom’s eyes deepened.f47f6d22998905d6

“I’ll listen.”e9395cb9f5f4d3b0

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The grace period Seo Yigyeom gave was short. Pulling his gaze away, he forcefully pushed open the examination room door with a ‘bang!’3dce12084a303d80

“Uh…”77cd370c7d35b55b

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“Just the facts, briefly.”0a6beb92ff8580b3

Even when the doctor was startled, Seo Yigyeom demanded coldly. The atmosphere sharpened in an instant. The doctor’s expression wavered under Seo Yigyeom’s gaze, evidently quite taken aback by the situation.402b28a55d07f99e

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For a moment, the doctor’s eyes showed dismay as they turned towards Heeseo. Heeseo also looked at him earnestly. However, their eyes met only briefly. The doctor, looking apologetic, focused on Seo Yigyeom.db111fa4d9135289

“…He’s in a very dangerous condition.”8e7b530430eb2a65

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After a brief hesitation, the doctor’s long explanation made Heeseo sigh and lower his eyes. The fact he had tried so hard to hide was now laid bare. Even if he tried to ignore reality, he could feel it—Seo Yigyeom’s gaze was fixed on him, unwavering as he listened, not releasing his hand or stopping his guiding.a73d2c22bed24857

“From now on, all of Kim Heeseo’s test results will be reported to me, without exception.”369498e68d961b17

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Seo Yigyeom’s response at the end of the conversation was decisive, indicating no other options were available. He spoke in a manner close to command and turned away without hesitation. Holding onto Heeseo, he walked out and slammed the door shut.3df8c2907b51363f

“You, follow me.”466769e6607e3b8d

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Releasing Heeseo’s hand, Seo Yigyeom took the lead. Heeseo, touching his wrist where red marks remained, limped after him. Despite Seo Yigyeom’s sharp aura, he walked slower than usual, making Heeseo feel unsettled.e20efb5d86f0846d

Once outside, Seo Yigyeom bit into a cigarette but didn’t light it, just chewing on the filter while lowering his gaze. His exhaled breath, like cigarette smoke, was filled with irritation.e3db9865bac03bbe

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“How did you know to come here?”9d2515d0e4b996a0

“Even in this situation, Kim Heeseo is curious about that, huh?”d92274c89999d031

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Ha, with febd20c387 a short, 6c3f2ba37c exasperated laugh, 33398b5e3b Seo Yigyeom 0cc151abc9 retorted sarcastically.4d7db2cc9efdf59a

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in this state?”cd35ca946606e1d5

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“Do I have to tell you?”8549e8e578cef451

“What?”89abd0b5c1bce515

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Catching his breath, fb22f485ec Heeseo looked up ca4f229d3e at Seo Yigyeom 531d7eaa0c slowly.4a771ed014311c85

“You said it would be troublesome if I were a mess.”549f884734970d46

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Meeting his eyes squarely, 4e14ff5fb6 Heeseo spoke quietly, making 5712b80994 Seo Yigyeom pause.e41a068e5366a61c

“I can do as Guide-nim wishes. Whenever you need me… I can just be used according to your plan. So, you don’t have to worry.”ac48af1172aaf9ba

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“…”8ae02370261e7adf

“After all, our relationship was like that from the start, so my condition doesn’t matter, right?”e518a60453c21255

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