# Chapter 119
Dohyun moved toward the doorway. In front of him on the floor, he saw a small glass bottle rolling around. It was the small bottle containing a dark reddish liquid that Dr. Yoon had been holding.
His gaze fell on it, and Dohyun stopped walking. In that moment, his pupils trembled and his expression contorted. Dohyun bent down and gripped the bottle.
Crash!
The bottle shattered, and the dark reddish liquid flowed out from Dohyun’s hand. Glass fragments embedded deeply into Dohyun’s hand, and his blood mixed with the dark reddish liquid staining the floor.
‘Help… me.’
That phrase he had said to Choi Geonwoo, who had come looking for him that day when he was intoxicated by Yoo Jiwoon’s Guiding, echoed in his mind once again.
***
The Center was in complete chaos.
“What exactly happened here?!”
All the high-ranking ability users who had been guarding Lee Jaehee and Dr. Yoon outside the examination room had been subdued and were lying collapsed. The same was true for Dr. Yoon, who had been inside the examination room.
And one person was missing. Among all those who had collapsed, only Lee Jaehee had disappeared without a trace.
“Gather the Espers immediately! Find Guide Lee Jaehee!”
But this wasn’t the only problem. While they were already in a panic over Jaehee’s disappearance, an abnormal symptom suddenly appeared at the Gate. An examiner opened his eyes wide in shock and shouted loudly:
“The wavelength readings flowing from the Gate are rising rapidly!”
It was different from before. The Gate was forming at a rapid pace as the readings increased. The reason was unknown. It was showing a completely different progression speed compared to the numerous Gates that had formed until now.
While searching for the cause, something strange was discovered near the Gate. Even though the area around the Gate had been sealed off, there were signs that someone had violated the order and entered the Gate. There were bloodstains and broken glass fragments.
An immediate investigation began to determine whose blood it was, and meanwhile, a psychometry ability user discovered who had entered the Gate through the glass fragments. The blood test results also matched.
“What? Who did you say?”
“It’s Esper Kang Dohyun’s blood.”
And the culprit was Kang Dohyun. Jaehee’s disappearance and Dohyun entering the Gate. As suspicious thoughts multiplied, yet another problem erupted.
“What? Someone else is missing too?”
Everyone’s faces filled with shock at the news.
“Guide Yoo Jiwoon can’t be found either? Are you sure you searched properly?”
When Choi Geonwoo was affected by the deadly poison, Jiwoon who had been nearby was also injured. Because of this, he had been recuperating in his private room. But now Jiwoon had also disappeared along with Jaehee.
There was only one possible conclusion.
“All of this… is Esper Kang Dohyun’s doing?”
Everyone looked confused. Dohyun’s noticeably changed attitude recently and his personality that had somehow become sharp as if he had an edge. The way he guarded Yoo Jiwoon while also following Jaehee with his eyes suggested that Dohyun was likely the culprit in this situation.
“If they’ve entered the Gate…”
The examiner hesitantly replied.
“We can’t follow them in right now.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“The Gate entrance has… closed.”
At those words, the eyes of those around changed. The sudden abnormal phenomenon of the Gate, the soaring wavelength readings. And now even the entrance had closed. It was showing a completely different pattern from ordinary Gates.
In the case of regular Gates, one couldn’t enter before the Gate was fully generated, but in this case, due to the high wavelength readings, the entrance remained open and forcibly absorbed things nearby. Like swallowing prey that came close to it.
“So we can’t enter at all?”
“That’s still difficult to confirm. We’ll have to wait until the Gate is fully formed to know for sure.”
If the Gate formation was completed and the wavelength readings from it stabilized, the entrance might open again. In the end, not knowing what had happened to those who had gone inside, they had no choice but to wait until the Gate fully opened. It was an even more worrying situation because they couldn’t know what might happen inside the unstable Gate.
“Get everything ready as quickly as possible!”
One consolation was that as the wavelengths surged, the Gate’s formation accelerated. If so, they needed to hurry. Once inside, one couldn’t leave until the Gate was cleared. If it was true that Dohyun had taken Jiwoon and Jaehee into the Gate, they wouldn’t be able to come out before clearing it. They needed to go rescue them quickly. It was a Gate too large for an Esper to clear alone.
“…By the way.”
Suddenly, the Center Director asked.
“Where is Esper Choi Geonwoo right now?”
The Center Director asked among those who were racking their brains over the other problems.
But no one answered him. Because he had already disappeared.
***
Jaehee opened his eyes with difficulty. The inner wall of a cave came into view.
And he heard the voice of someone in agony.
“Urgh…!”
It was Dohyun. Dohyun was in pain, holding his head with his hands. He had also destroyed the surroundings. Around him lay the corpses of monsters.
“You’re awake?”
Behind Dohyun, Jiwoon was sitting on a large rock. Unlike Dohyun, he was looking at Jaehee with a calm face and a smile.
Seeing Jiwoon, Jaehee immediately tried to get up. But his body wouldn’t move properly.
“It’ll be hard for you to get up yet.”
Watching Jaehee, Jiwoon said while resting his chin on his hand.
“The drug’s effects probably haven’t worn off completely.”
Saying that, Jiwoon turned his head to look toward Dohyun.
“More importantly, how long are you going to stay like that, Esper Kang Dohyun?”
Jiwoon looked at Dohyun with a strange expression. Jiwoon had made numerous efforts to draw out the desire hidden within Dohyun. Using Guiding energy to control him, distorting his emotions, leading him toward the wrong path.
But strangely, there were times when Kang Dohyun wouldn’t listen. Jiwoon had been curious about his behavior, which was like a broken doll.
Jiwoon lowered his gaze. He raised one corner of his mouth while looking at what was in his hand.
“So you used this.”
In his hand was a small bottle. Inside it was a dark reddish liquid.
Jiwoon held it and shook it a few times to make the liquid inside splash, then relaxed his hand and let it go. With a clinking sound, the bottle shattered into pieces, and the dark reddish liquid stained the ground red.
“I didn’t expect Kang Dohyun to be drinking the poison I was looking for to feed to Lee Jaehee.”
Jaehee’s pupils trembled. Seeing that, Jiwoon formed a cold smile on his lips.
“I wondered why he wasn’t listening well.”
Jiwoon looked down at the dark reddish liquid staining the floor and continued in a monotone.
“But that’s over now too.”
Jiwoon’s voice brightened again.
“Both the ability users searching for you and the poison leaving Kang Dohyun’s body.”
Jiwoon’s eyes curved gently. He looked at Jaehee and spoke in a soft tone.
“I wonder which will be faster?”
His voice was highly excited.
“…!”
Jaehee furrowed his brow and opened his mouth. But his paralyzed body couldn’t move properly or make a sound. Looking at Jaehee in this state, Jiwoon continued.
“If it’s the former, Choi Geonwoo will enter the Gate. Then he’ll deal with Kang Dohyun and save you. If it’s the latter, it will be your end.”
Jiwoon rose from the rock. Releasing Guiding energy around him, he slowly moved toward Dohyun. To properly control Kang Dohyun, who was resisting his will.
Jiwoon smiled as he looked at Dohyun.
It was then.
“…Why… not?”
A small sound, like scraping vocal cords, could be heard. It was Jaehee. He was barely managing to make a sound while trying his best to free his paralyzed body.
“…Why… aren’t you… kill… ing me?”
Jaehee’s eyes were cold. He was asking why Jiwoon wasn’t killing him with his own hands like he had done before. Looking at Jaehee, Jiwoon made an expression as if he found it ridiculous and said:
“Kill you with my own hands?”
Jiwoon gestured with his chin toward Kang Dohyun.
“Why would I do that when Kang Dohyun is here?”
Jiwoon said with an audible sneer. Seeing Jiwoon looking as happy as someone about to play an amusing prank, Jaehee opened his mouth.
“…Is there… a reason… you can’t… kill me?”
In response, Jiwoon’s eyes, which had been curved with amusement, hardened, and his expression crumpled.
“…That’s not the case.”
