They could only untie his bound hands and feet once the Captain’s permission essentially fell. But Kwon Jeonghoo still remained silent.
Cha Uihyeon, who had glanced at that sight, shook his head.
It seemed like a battle of wills between the Captain and the Ace had begun after a long time, but as expected, there was no room for him to intervene.
Moreover, since this wasn’t the first or second time he’d seen the two of them pressuring each other like this, he just needed to smile awkwardly and play dumb as much as possible.
Naturally, while adding more force to the gravity holding down Yeo Dowoon’s feet. Well, if he threw ice all around with the determination to destroy everything, that would be a different story.
That’s when it happened. Kwon Jeonghoo opened his mouth leisurely.
“Go sit in your seat, Yeo Dowoon.”
He maintained a consistently relaxed attitude even toward Yeo Dowoon’s sudden action, and that atmosphere was contained in his voice without room for compromise. Yeo Dowoon spat out a sneer and mocked him.
“How impressive. Now the Captain even decides whether we attend meetings?”
It was a tone and manner of speech that seemed armed with annoyance on one hand, while also seeming to carry a certain degree of aggression.
Kwon Jeonghoo, who had been quietly observing him, called out “Yeo Dowoon” as if it was out of the question. Using the gentle tone he always did before scolding team members.
But the words that followed were never gentle.
“Your attitude is excessive today. If it’s at the level where you need to run out before the briefing even ends, you should take off your Delta badge.”
“…….”
“You want to disgrace your teammates?”
“…Damn it. I’m saying I won’t participate because I feel like I’m disgracing myself. You should speak properly.”
“No matter how much you babble day and night with your ill-mannered upbringing, you only make yourself more ridiculous.”
“That’s not something the person making me ridiculous should say, is it?”
“That’s not something a bastard like you who’s making a fuss wanting to become ridiculous can say either, you punk.”
His sharp reproach made Cha Uihyeon jump and gasp in shock rather than Yeo Dowoon.
He knew long ago that these were people whose tempers were impossible to rank, but this was the first time he’d seen them argue this severely.
Kwon Jeonghoo thoroughly drove in the wedge again to the non-responding Yeo Dowoon.
“Acting without patience was only possible when you were clueless. At your seniority, at your age, if you act like an immature brat, that’s disgraceful and a nuisance to others—isn’t it about time you realized that?”
As if completely determined, he tears at a person’s heart.
Cha Uihyeon quickly glanced at Yeo Dowoon at his scolding that made even him feel hurt. Because he was worried about what to do if he was very shocked.
But despite his concerns, Yeo Dowoon only responded indifferently. He shrugged and answered.
“The mentality of leaving civilians behind because you’re scared of monsters is sufficiently disgusting and ugly too.”
……Civilians?
Cha Uihyeon felt a doubt that came like a flash. Because his word choice brought about puzzlement. But before he could point that out, a hostile voice continued.
“How is selling out Guides to carry out operations any different from saying let’s exploit civilians? If I have to be bitten to death by Sirens, I’d rather it be me—I have no intention of putting Guides in front and following behind them.”
This made it certain. Yeo Dowoon apparently felt no strangeness in treating Guides as equivalent to civilians.
……Of course, compared to Espers they could be called ordinary people, but don’t Guides fundamentally belong to the new humanity that possesses ‘waves’?
So treating them only as targets to be protected would be more unreasonable, so why is he being so stubborn? They’re clearly superior to civilians in every aspect.
If you called Guides civilians, well. Real civilians would be beating their chests in frustration.
“I’m a civilian…?”
Even Shim Woomin, an A-class Guide, seemed a bit embarrassed, repeatedly letting out stiff laughs of “huh huh.” But he didn’t dare add words. Because he didn’t have the courage to make such remarks.
It was partly because he didn’t want to jump into the battle of wills between Kwon Jeonghoo and Yeo Dowoon and suffer humiliation.
But the researcher looked at each Guide gathered in the conference room with desperate eyes as if requesting reinforcements. His Adam’s apple bobbed continuously, as if he was swallowing multiple times.
Especially when making eye contact with Cha Haseong, he didn’t take his eyes off him with the momentum to grab his pant leg, so thanks to that, Cha Haseong had to sigh shallowly and take on the burden.
“……Dowoon-ssi.”
As he opened his mouth heavily, the researcher immediately showed a posture of rubbing his hands together as if he’d been waiting.
Cha Haseong was someone who could calm Yeo Dowoon’s anger with just a few words. Furthermore, he was an S-class Guide with the ability to adjust an Esper’s mood, so it was worth pinning hopes on.
Cha Haseong continued in a sweet mid-low tone like sugarcane extract, as if soothing Yeo Dowoon.
“It’s all been agreed upon, so don’t get too heated. You’ll get a headache later.”
“…….”
“They’re sending us out to handle monsters as shields, but do you think they planned the operation without our consent? Every single one of us came after agreeing.”
“…….”
“The Delta members will protect us, so there’s no reason to refuse. I trust Dowoon-ssi. Your abilities too.”
Wow, he’s really trying. Cha Uihyeon quickly covered his mouth with a “Hup!” before unconsciously muttering.
He was already stealthily watching for the timing. When Yeo Dowoon calmed down a bit, he planned to immediately release the gravity seizing that moment.
Actually, Yeo Dowoon’s waves had been pushing him away this whole time, so it seemed like the power would be released before long anyway.
If that happened, he’d be scolded by Kwon Jeonghoo, so Cha Uihyeon planned to pretend he’d withdrawn his ability first and play innocent. Isn’t Yeo Dowoon someone who’s crazy about Cha Haseong? He’ll definitely calm down quickly…
“There are many, many people asking to be protected besides Guide-nim. If we could protect everyone without exception, there wouldn’t be so many casualties and injured.”
He thought he’d calm down, but this time he was reacting in the exact opposite way.
Cha Uihyeon instinctively realized the situation wasn’t flowing as he expected and hurriedly applied the gravity more strongly. Yeo Dowoon recited in a bone-piercing tone.
“As if I can protect whoever I want to protect, as if I can save anyone just by deciding to…, you speak as if I have a choice.”
“…….”
“If I could protect everyone I wanted to protect, there wouldn’t be situations where I blame myself and feel frustrated every time the number of people I couldn’t save increases.”
Until then, Cha Haseong’s lips, which had been beautifully curved in a soft arc, gradually began to change to a straight line. He even slightly frowned as if bewildered.
But Yeo Dowoon continued without rest to pour out the duty and limits of being an Esper.
“Guide-nim can say that because you’ve never protected anyone even once.”
“…….”
“From the position of having to fight knowing that there are many people to protect but you might not be able to protect them all—you can never say such things.”
Perhaps because of this, Cha Uihyeon felt more like he was sitting on a bed of thorns than Cha Haseong, who was hearing Yeo Dowoon’s bitter words directly.
He was also an Esper, so naturally it wasn’t that he didn’t understand Yeo Dowoon’s feelings.
As he said, there existed emotions that could only be felt from the position of having to go into battle knowing that there are many people to protect but you might not be able to protect them all.
For example, things like a sense of defeat or frustration. These were all emotions felt every time he returned home after finishing gate cleanup operations and saw his loved ones again.
Those people I couldn’t save must have also been people who had someone waiting for them like this. Then I must have returned home alive without ultimately protecting people who were that precious—such thoughts continuously gnawed at the Espers’ minds.
At those moments, no warm comfort helped, and no splendid rewards helped. They were just buried in agony. Deeply, thoroughly steeped in helplessness.
Cha Haseong offered an apology without being as worked up as expected. He said in a gentle tone.
“……I didn’t intend to pressure you, but I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“…….”
“I misspoke because I was too eager to persuade you.”
His sensitively colored eyes reflected Yeo Dowoon as cleanly as glass. Yeo Dowoon always felt his warm eyes, which shone vividly even from afar, were painful and piercing.
When he smiled at him, he became happy as if he possessed the world, but when he revealed boredom he couldn’t hide, a feeling of his heart dropping arose.
So he always wanted to tell him only good words, feed him only good food, and show him only good things. But what he needed wasn’t such selfish favors. It was purely his own delusion.
