LONG CHAPTER AHEAD

---

04. Over spec

February 5, 2242. Weather: Rain.

* * *

Today, I received the information leaflet for the ‘Long-Term Training Camp.’

When I showed it to my teacher, he looked sad for a brief moment, and that worried me.

I also feel sad and disappointed that I’ll have to be apart from him for a long time.

I won’t be able to eat with him, bathe with him, or fall asleep by his side anymore.

When I told him that made me sad, he patted my head once and reassured me that everything would be okay.

…Will it really be okay?

I don’t think I can live without him anymore.

* * *

“Next time, come in before the withdrawal symptoms start.”

“….”

“Or just keep holding out like this and drop dead in the line of duty.”

“…Ahem.”

As Hajin absentmindedly tapped on his tablet screen, the displeased reaction from the other side came immediately.

Here we go again, he thought, but he wasn’t foolish enough to say it aloud.

Espers who stubbornly resisted purification were a rare breed, but they all shared the same trait—unyielding pride, yet not enough intelligence to justify it. If pushing logic didn’t work, the only way to deal with them was by making it a matter of life and death.

Hajin stifled the sigh rising in his throat, instead repeating himself once more before fastening his wrap skirt and pressing the final confirmation button on his screen.

And with that, his last purification session for the day was over.

Outside the window, dusk had settled, the sky darkening as night crept in.

Feigning interest in his client, Hajin instead let his gaze wander past them, staring out the window before shifting back to watch the man leave the purification room. His expression remained impassive.

Most Espers were tall and broad-shouldered, which only made Hajin look even smaller in comparison. While he was of average height for a regular man, among Espers, who all seemed to start at at least 180 cm, he might as well be invisible.

Speaking of which… Benny seems a bit short for his age, too.

No matter how much Hajin made sure he drank milk every day, no matter how diligently he gave him supplements for bone growth, there were no noticeable results. It was frustrating.

Or maybe his biological parents were just short.

Hajin’s thoughts drifted as he stared into empty space, recalling Benny’s bright, innocent smile, that pure expression he always wore whenever he looked up at him.

“Hajin, aren’t you leaving?”

“Ah.”

Adam strolled in without even knocking, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Only then did Hajin snap out of his daze. Right, he reminded himself, hurriedly gathering his things to leave. Not that there was much to prepare—just grabbing his car keys and coat—but his scattered thoughts made him sluggish, wasting precious time.

“You weren’t like this when Benny was around. Now you look like a broken doll.”

Adam, as always, had no filter. The contrast between how Hajin acted with Benny versus without him must have been so stark that it made Adam’s words sting even more.

“Or… is it because you heard he got badly injured recently?”

“Well, trainees get hurt. It happens. They said he’s fine now.”

Just as Hajin doted on Benny, Benny, in turn, relied on and adored Hajin. Because of that, Hajin had spent every day experiencing a kind of paternal love he never thought he’d have in his lifetime.

But in a world where Espers existed and Creatures roamed freely, it wasn’t possible to raise a child with abilities as just an ordinary person forever.

The government-controlled Espers and their guides lived under strict supervision, with their freedoms subtly, yet undeniably, restricted. And so, two months ago, as soon as Benny turned eighteen, he was sent to a training camp jointly run by the government and the Esper Center.

The system was reminiscent of the military from Hajin’s original world, making it feel somewhat familiar. But knowing that Benny was in such a place made his heart restless.

Young Espers were required to live at the training camp under the guise of group training, keeping them separated from their guardians for extended periods. Those who endured this final phase of training would graduate into independent adulthood, officially leaving their guardians’ care.

Many considered this last stage a rehearsal for standing on their own.

If the military in Hajin’s original world trained soldiers for battles between humans, the training camps in Hajin Orion’s world were far more brutal—designed to turn Espers into survivors of life-or-death battles against Creatures.

Still, Hajin had been able to send Benny off with dignity—because he trusted him.

The training camp, built deep in the mountains to prevent potential harm to civilians, made him uneasy. But considering the sheer destructive power of an Esper, it was a necessary measure.

It was the government’s carefully calculated solution—a way to allow these energetic, powerful teens to spend the last of their adolescence in a controlled environment while also ensuring they could be tightly regulated. Hajin couldn’t exactly argue against it.

No matter how much they tried to avoid it, Benny was no exception. He had to enter the training camp, and there were still a year and a few months left before he could graduate.

How am I supposed to live without Benny until then?

Hajin was in the middle of putting on his coat when his thoughts spiraled again. He stood there, blankly staring into space, completely zoning out.

Adam, noticing this, called out loudly, snapping him out of it.

“Hey! Can I come over to your place today?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Damn, at least pretend to think about it before answering.”

“You should try thinking before you speak.”

Hajin shot back smoothly, immediately turning Adam’s words back on him. Adam’s face scrunched up in irritation, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

How the hell is he twenty-eight? Hajin thought, amused by Adam’s childish pout. He stifled a laugh and stepped out of the purification room first.

“Damn, playing hard to get, huh?”

“Of course. I’m a high-value man, so don’t even dream about it.”

“The hell…?”

Hajin disliked how empty and quiet his home felt without Benny, but that didn’t mean he wanted to bring anyone over. Adam, who read him like an open book, immediately pulled a sulky expression.

“No guardian dotes on their ward as obsessively as you do.”

“I know.”

It wasn’t news to him. Espers in this world were too busy trying to survive to care about raising children. They looked at kids like they were nothing more than stones on the side of the road.

They didn’t understand that children were the only hope left in this harsh world.

“I just don’t get you,” Adam huffed. “Espers getting hurt during training is completely normal, but the moment you heard about Benny, you started freaking out, talking about storming the training camp. Do you know how embarrassing that was? Seriously.”

“What was I supposed to do when I heard he was injured?” Hajin snapped.

“That’s exactly the problem! Most people don’t react like that! You know everyone calls you overdramatic, don’t you? And you still don’t get the hint?”

Hajin’s only wish was for Benny to grow up healthy—nothing more, nothing less. But the moment he sent him off to training, the first thing he heard was bad news.

How could he not worry? And if this was just the beginning, what more would happen in the future? That thought only burned at him more.

Adam wasn’t wrong—trainees getting injured was common. It wasn’t even something worth worrying about.

But logic didn’t change how Hajin felt. No matter how much he told himself otherwise, he just couldn’t brush it off. His chest tightened every day, anxiously waiting for Benny to return.

“At this rate, you’ll probably faint the moment you get a death notice for your little bunny.”

Whack!

“Fuck—!”

Adam let out a strangled yelp, clutching his solar plexus as he staggered back.

Hajin’s fist hovered in the air, trembling slightly from the impact.

Normally, his punches were so weak that Adam would just laugh them off—he’d even been called honey fists because he barely packed a hit. But this time, it landed. Properly.

Adam had let his guard down, sure, but it was also because Hajin became impossibly sensitive the moment Benny was involved.

“Say that shit again. Next time, I’ll break your fucking front teeth.”

Adam looked genuinely offended.

He wasn’t just spewing nonsense—training was necessary. It was a process designed to forge stronger Espers, and those who couldn’t endure it…

Well, they didn’t survive.

Dying young was tragic, yes, but in this world, the weak simply did not survive.

For ordinary civilians, it was different. But an Esper—someone with superior strength, an enhanced physique, and supernatural abilities—dying in human-controlled training? That was nothing short of disgraceful.

That was why Esper guardians didn’t just feel grief when they lost a trainee in camp—they felt shame. They were held responsible, accused of failing to raise a proper human weapon.

Adam, having grown up completely entrenched in this world’s culture and expectations, genuinely couldn’t understand why Hajin was so angry.

“Still, Benny was in the top ranks at school, wasn’t he? If you keep stressing out, you’re just gonna go bald for no reason.”

Only after seeing the sheer severity in Hajin’s expression did Adam finally realize how serious the situation was. He stepped closer, deliberately softening his tone, trying to coax him out of his foul mood.

If Hajin left like this, there was no way he’d get sex anytime soon—probably not for days. And for Adam, that was a major problem.

Hajin knew exactly why Adam was acting so concerned now, and that only irritated him more. He refused to relax his expression, his displeasure still clear.

“The instructors even said he’ll manifest as at least a B-rank Esper. So don’t worry too much, okay?”

Adam’s persistent flattery must have done something because Hajin finally exhaled, his heavy breaths evening out. His tense shoulders dropped slightly, his mind settling back into its usual rhythm.

Adam had a point. The instructors assigned to the training camps were frighteningly accurate at assessing an Esper’s potential. If they believed Benny was at least B-rank, then there was no reason to doubt it.

Besides his height being slightly below average, Benny was already an exceptional child. His test scores were proof of that. And even with Hajin’s limited knowledge of Esper abilities, it was obvious that Benny had an extraordinary future ahead of him.

More importantly, Hajin could never forget the day that had proven it—the incident that set everything in motion.

It was the moment Benny had truly changed Hajin Orion. The moment he had matured into a true adult.

That day, a young Benny, still a child, had recklessly unleashed his power—for Hajin.

Because someone insulted his guardian.

He had no control over it, and yet, the force he had released had been powerful enough to knock out a grown man. If that was just a glimpse of what lay dormant inside him, then his potential was far beyond what anyone could predict.

In an Esper-dominated society where strength mattered more than morality, Benny had gotten off with just a three-week suspension.

And ever since then, his power had only stabilized.

So it wasn’t just Hajin who had high expectations—every superior, including the camp officers, had their eyes on him.

Since even in the original novel, Benny had awakened with a decent ability, Hajin chose to put his faith in that.

That’s all I want. Nothing more, nothing less. Just come back safe and healthy.

With that thought repeating in his mind, he hurried toward the exit.

“These days, there are more and more stubborn bastards refusing purification,” Adam remarked.

“Yeah?”

Hajin hummed, nodding in agreement.

Adam, for whatever reason, was still following him, his long strides easily keeping up. Whether it was for sex or just because he saw Hajin as a friend who needed watching over, Hajin wasn’t sure.

He did know that Adam had at least some genuine concern for him, though, so in the spirit of their long history, Hajin decided to let go of his irritation.

“It’s annoying.”

“Well, makes sense. There are more drugs these days that boost purification effects. Didn’t our center just get the latest formula? They say the side effects are minimal. Isn’t that great news for you?”

“Great, my ass.”

“Why?”

“Because I actually have to use my ability to keep things circulating in my body. You guys can release energy through sparring or training, but I only have one method.”

“Oh. Right.”

Adam scratched the back of his head, only now realizing how pointless that so-called solution was for someone like Hajin.

With a heavy sigh, Hajin rubbed his temples as if warding off a headache. The moment he stepped into the first-floor lobby, he pulled out his Esper watch and beep—stamped his time for the day.

Adam, still trailing behind like a lazy shadow, did the same and immediately sidled up next to him.

“What about Benny? Are you gonna use your purification ability on him, too—?”

“Are you fucking insane?!”

Hajin had been about to ask why Adam was leaving work so early, but the moment those words hit his ears, his voice exploded in sheer outrage.

Adam had clearly not expected such a visceral reaction. His face twisted in genuine surprise, looking utterly baffled.

What the fuck? This is a landmine too?!

“Think before you fucking speak, asshole!”

Even after snapping, Hajin’s anger didn’t subside.

He picked up his pace, marching toward the exit, both to escape Adam and to get away from the attention his outburst had drawn. After all, yelling in a crowded lobby naturally made people stare.

Adam, still looking like a kicked puppy, quickly jogged after him.

“You’re way too aggressive, Hajin. ‘Fucking’ and ‘asshole’ are bad words, you know.”

Hajin wasn’t oblivious to Adam’s usual tactics—whenever he had nothing to say, he’d just latch onto some other nonsense to keep the conversation going. It was even more irritating because Hajin knew exactly what he was doing.

His frown deepened as he fought to suppress his growing annoyance.

Sensing danger, Adam let out an exaggerated eek! and ran off in a dramatic escape, only to loop right back around with a cheeky grin. He looked so ridiculous—like some idiot with flowers in his hair prancing around—that it made Hajin’s irritation spike even further.

“Still, you have to admit, Benny’s damn smart. Even though this is how you have to use your ability, he says he respects you for it.”

“What does a kid know? He probably just sees me working hard and thinks it’s admirable.”

“I don’t know about that. Benny knows. The way he was staring at your wrap skirt right up until the moment he left for training? That kid wasn’t clueless.”

“You must’ve seen wrong. Benny always looks at my face. He says I’m the most handsome person in the world—why would he look anywhere else?”

“…What the fuck kind of bullshit is that? There’s no way—”

Hajin immediately kicked at Adam’s shin.

“Aghh!” Adam shrieked like a dying animal and scrambled away.

Finally.

Watching him flee, Hajin let out a sigh of relief, his brow smoothing out just a little. At last, I got rid of that nuisance.

I should just stop talking altogether, he thought as he let out a deep breath, heading straight for his car.

Beep-beep!

With the familiar chirp of his car unlocking, he instinctively adjusted his grip on his keys before slipping his hand into his pocket.

A habit.

Every winter, he used to pull Benny’s small hands into his own pocket, rubbing warmth into those tiny fingers so they wouldn’t get too cold.

Benny would always laugh shyly, wiggling his gloved fingers against Hajin’s palm. Hajin had found it adorable, so he had kept doing it on purpose.

But now, without Benny beside him, his pocket just felt empty.

“…Maybe I loved him too much.”

Hajin muttered to himself as he climbed into the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel.

Even as he started the engine, adjusted the brake, and shifted the gear, his mind was entirely occupied by Benny.

He had poured so much of his time, affection, and life into that child. But how could he not? He had met Benny when he was ten, and they had spent eight years together. It was impossible not to form a deep attachment.

Benny had gone from a tiny, cherubic angel to an even more beautiful and lovable boy. Even at eighteen, he still looked up at Hajin with those clear, sky-colored eyes, his gaze always soft, always filled with trust.

And now, Hajin already missed that look.

—When I grow up, I’m going to marry you, Teacher!

Benny had said it with a shy, love-struck smile, his golden lashes fluttering over bright, innocent eyes. That memory was still so vivid, lingering in Hajin’s mind as if it had happened just yesterday.

He smiled to himself, recalling that moment.

How grateful he was—to have a child who loved him so earnestly, so purely.

In his old life as Kwon Hajin, he had never experienced such unconditional affection. But Benny had been different. The love he received was always reflected back, just as deeply, just as openly. For eight whole years, Hajin had basked in that warmth, drowning in a happiness he never knew he was capable of feeling.

So this is why mothers cry when they send their sons off to the military.

With a bittersweet sigh, Hajin started the car.

It felt like he should be driving to the school gates right now to pick Benny up, to bring him home as usual. He gripped the steering wheel tighter before finally redirecting himself toward his actual destination.

It had only been one month since Benny left.

And yet, Benny was probably doing just fine—better than fine.

He had always been mature, kind, and considerate beyond his years. It wasn’t hard to imagine him adjusting well, making new friends, and settling into the training camp with ease.

I’m sure Benny will do great. So I need to take care of myself, too.

With that thought, Hajin finally loosened his grip on the wheel.

Maybe Adam was right—he was an overbearing guardian. He needed to act more like an adult.

Only a year and a few months remained before Benny would be discharged. Just a little more time. Hajin just had to hold out until then.

He clenched his jaw, lightly thumping his fist against his chest as if reassuring himself.

I can do this! Kwon Hajin!

Benny, who had left as an eighteen-year-old, would return as a full-grown man of twenty.

He would become a fully recognized adult and an official combat-assigned Esper.

With that, he would leave the safety of their little nest behind, stepping into independence as an individual.

That was always the purpose of raising a child—to help them grow into an adult who could stand on their own.

So Hajin would throw him a welcome-home party, just like he planned. He’d make sure Benny had a stable environment, just like every other Esper learning to navigate the world alone.

Not little Benny anymore. Adult Benny.

Hajin couldn’t even begin to imagine how much he would change. But in his heart, he knew one thing.

No matter how grown-up Benny became, he would always be cute and precious.

Without a single shred of doubt, Hajin believed it.

And he would continue to believe it—right up until the day Benny finally came home.

* * *

Benny is coming home!

Hajin stepped out of his house, his heart pounding with excitement. It had been a long time since he had dressed so neatly, even putting on his formal uniform. Today, he would finally see how much Benny had grown, how he had changed, and what kind of impressive adult he had become.

Since he had taken the day off, he had made the most of it. First, he met with Mason for his routine health check-up early in the morning, and afterward, he bought a bouquet of flowers for Benny.

For Hajin, who had raised Benny since he was ten, today was a profoundly emotional day.

There had been no updates after that one terrifying notice—the one informing him that Benny had been seriously injured right after entering the training camp. But after that, there was only silence.