“That’s impossible.”
Kim Haewon said firmly only after a long while had passed. Logically speaking, it seemed he thought it didn’t make sense. But he couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. His head said no, but his heart was drawn to it.
I could vaguely understand what kind of emotion it was. Rather than getting excited along with him, I tried to calm down. I also tried to speak a bit more slowly and precisely.
“I said ‘what if.’ What if that were the case, what do you think?”
“I said it’s impossible.”
Kim Haewon’s voice had risen a bit higher. I could see his desire to think it didn’t make sense, that it was impossible. I didn’t add more words.
However, Kim Haewon’s such agitation stirred up even greater possibility and conviction within me.
If what the readers speculated was correct, Ryu Heegang was already dead. It’s just that he hadn’t run wild yet. He would transform. Into a monster, not a human. So he might die at his colleagues’ hands, or kill them. He would literally be sacrificed.
This wouldn’t end with just the misfortune of one SS-class esper. It would cause increasingly bigger ripples. Already, tension was flowing between China, Korea, and America. They were scrambling not to be harmed by the “runaway risk” that Pamundong had launched.
‘I wish all these thoughts were futile delusions but……’
It was too convincing to think that way. And it was growing stronger. I couldn’t take my eyes off Emily Ruler.
{There seems to be communication interference. I hear static in my earphones, and I feel electric stimulation. It’s tingling and stinging.}
What she was saying appeared as subtitles, translated in real-time. Her voice was cutting out intermittently. I reflexively looked at Kim Haewon. Kim Haewon was staring at the screen.
“Esper Kim Haewon.”
“Yes.”
“Do you still think there’s not even a small possibility?”
Kim Haewon didn’t answer. He just gripped and released the microphone on his mission uniform. Seeing his hesitation, I continued.
“Even if Esper Ryu Heegang hasn’t become a monster, even if that doesn’t make sense…… the signs inside that gate right now aren’t good. A guide is also moving with them.”
“There’s no notable life form reaction yet.”
“Do you really think Esper Emily Ruler is safe right now?”
The desire not to act hastily had long since disappeared. I spoke urgently. I vividly remembered the deaths that small complacency had brought. Even I myself had almost fallen into that pit of death. So I wanted to be a bit more careful. I continued speaking as if persuading Kim Haewon.
“How about having them exit the gate first, and Esper Kim Haewon going in together?”
Kim Haewon looked at the screen again after quietly staring at me without saying anything. Emily Ruler and her guide were still exploring the middle of the desert. Kim Haewon pressed the microphone power button and continued in English.
{Emily, this is Kim Haewon from Korea. Did you bring a radio wave detector and power meter?}
{A radio wave detector? Ah, yes. My partner has it.}
{Please conduct radio wave detection, not life form detection.}
{I don’t see such facilities here. There’s nothing in the gate that would have electricity either. There’s no life form reaction at all. Is something happening outside the gate?}
Emily asked back as if she didn’t understand. Kim Haewon took one deep breath in and out, then continued.
{No. Nothing’s happening outside the gate. This is just in case, so please proceed once.}
{Alright. It’s Haewon saying this and not just anyone, so I’ll proceed for now.}
Emily stopped walking, unable to wipe away her expression of finding it strange. Her guide took a device out of their bag and fiddled with a small object that looked like a phone.
Inside the screen, it was still bright like midday. Emily operated both the radio wave detector and power meter, then looked at the camera as if she couldn’t believe it.
{What on earth is this? I can’t feel anything!}
{Emily, what were the results?}
{Measurement impossible! It says it exceeded the limit range! How can I not feel a monster of this magnitude? Haewon. Answer me!}
Emily continued speaking somewhat excitedly. She showed the screen of the measuring device on camera. A red light indicating the limit had been exceeded blinked. At that moment, the screen showing Emily began to crackle excessively. Kim Haewon spoke rapidly.
{Emily, get out of the gate right now!}
The moment Kim Haewon shouted and stood up, the screen cut off. Director Kim Jeongseon, who was in another flight cabin, must have seen the screen too, as she came straight to our cabin.
“What’s going on?”
“A monster appeared inside the gate. How much time is left until arrival?”
“I’ll request maximum speed.”
Director Kim Jeongseon gave a signal with a nod to the attendant behind her. She continued speaking while busily handling her phone.
“Has the monster’s nature been identified?”
“It’s not precise. There’s a high possibility it’s a stealth-type monster characterized by electrical stimulation and radio interference. The gate disaster rating is at minimum ‘Eul’ or higher.”
“Then I’ll reset the landing point……”
“I’m the only one who needs to get off anyway. Just lower the altitude. I’ll go down right away.”
Kim Haewon skillfully grabbed a parachute. Even that cold Director Kim Jeongseon showed signs of fluster, but Kim Haewon showed no such indication. He seemed like the type whose head got colder the more urgent things became. The private plane shook slightly. It seemed to be because of the hasty movement.
Was there anything I could do?
Director Kim Jeongseon was busily continuing contact, the captain was moving the plane, and Kim Haewon was preparing to descend after grabbing a parachute. I stood up from my seat. There was only one thing I could do right now.
I placed both hands on Kim Haewon’s back. Unlike when I lightly struck down in the hospital room, gently and calmly. Kim Haewon’s movements stopped for a moment.
“Continue. I’ll do what I can do.”
“Guide Park Garam. Don’t overdo……”
“I’m not overdoing it, I’m doing what I can do. Everyone’s doing what they can do right now.”
Saying that, I started guiding. Kim Haewon stood there as is without saying anything. I put strength into his back and poured guiding energy in.
“Come back as quickly as possible, with minimum damage.”
“……”
“You must.”
I couldn’t save Jeong Sanghyeop or Han Miyeon. Because I didn’t have the power to do so. But Kim Haewon was different. When the power I had reached him, it could save someone. I endured the throbbing in my abdomen and pushed in guiding energy with all my might.
Rather than doing it slowly and leisurely like before, it was closer to pouring it into him like making a downpour fall. After squeezing out the energy to the end and removing my hands, my body swayed slightly. Kim Haewon supported me and seated me.
“I don’t believe the hypothesis Guide Park Garam stated.”
“……”
“So I’ll rescue both Esper Ryu Heegang and Esper Emily Ruler.”
In the end, he too didn’t want to lose colleagues. That feeling was the same. I only nodded my head. I didn’t have the strength left to say even one word. Kim Haewon stood up from his seat and finished putting on the parachute.
“Drop point secured! Lowering altitude!”
An employee from the Diplomatic Management Department who came out from the front cabin said. Through the open door, Director Kim Jeongseon was continuing to talk with someone. Kim Haewon checked his descent equipment and moved to the last cabin where the entrance was.
My ears became suddenly stuffy. I shut my eyes tight. I felt the aircraft’s body shaking. It was unstable flight. I didn’t open my closed eyes. Everything was churning. It felt like being swept away to some unknown place.
“Esper Kim Haewon has successfully descended!”
“Raise the altitude!”
“Esper Kim Haewon is entering the gate directly!”
“Found Guide Miguel Casares 3km from the gate entrance. The US government will rescue directly. Our government will raise altitude and stand by in the airspace.”
“Yes!”
Unlike Kim Haewon’s words to go in the opposite direction from the gate, Director Kim Jeongseon chose to stand by in the airspace where the gate was. But I didn’t raise an objection. Because I didn’t want to run away.
I opened my eyes. The people from the Diplomatic Management Department were quickly doing what they needed to do. The people who had been going back and forth in the cabin where Kim Haewon and I had been all disappeared to the front cabin in an instant.
The door closed, and I was left alone. No one paid attention to me. As if confirming once more that there was nothing more I could do.
Maybe because the air pressure was changing erratically, the injured area felt like it was throbbing more. I pressed firmly on the injured area and returned to my seat.
At that moment, the lamp on my phone lit up. Some notification had come. The moment I saw it, the novel came to mind. When I quickly unlocked the phone, I saw a banner notification.
[Notification] <I’ve Been Possessed by a Real-Time Serial Novel> Episode 17 has been uploaded.
It was the novel. I reflexively looked at the closed door. Right now when everyone from the management department was busy, no one would come to this cabin. It was the perfect opportunity.
The moment I thought that whatever appeared in this episode could help the current situation, my heart pounded. I gripped and released the microphone attached to my mission uniform. Just as Kim Haewon had done.
There was something I could do. Something only I could do. I didn’t hesitate twice and pressed Episode 17. Then I began reading it rapidly.
