# Chapter 87
Four days had passed since clearing the A-class Gate.
During that time, the injured Espers were transported to the medical ward for treatment without even having time to report to their superiors after completing the Gate mission. Yoo Jiwoon, being a special case who manifested inside the Gate, was called to various places for interviews, level measurements, and Guide registration.
People who had been worried about the sudden change in Gate classification breathed sighs of relief upon seeing the safe return of the ability users, and they cheered for the newly emerged S-class Guide.
But that didn’t last long.
It was because Choi Geonwoo had taken Lee Jaehee and disappeared into the building exclusively for S-class Espers.
“Esper Kang Dohyun!”
In such a situation, there was no way Kang Dohyun could be in his right mind.
That was still the case now.
“You shouldn’t be moving like this right now!”
The healing Espers in the medical ward wore troubled expressions. This was because Dohyun, who had been put to sleep with difficulty to ensure stable treatment, had woken up again.
“R-release this right now!”
As soon as he woke up, Dohyun struggled against the restraints binding his body as if he would break them. The tightly pulled restraints creaked as if they might snap at any moment.
“Hurry, hold him down!”
The Espers who saw this turned pale. Everyone rushed to push down on Dohyun’s body and restrain him.
“Calm down! Captain!”
Hyeono was among them. Hyeono frowned. He knew why Dohyun was acting this way.
“Where’s Lee Jaehee? Where is he?”
During treatment, Dohyun woke up repeatedly, and each time, he looked for Jaehee like this. It must be because the last scene he saw before collapsing was Choi Geonwoo taking Jaehee away.
“Quickly administer the sedative again!”
The healing Espers grabbed the struggling Dohyun and forcibly injected the sedative. Only after administering an excessive amount did Dohyun fall back into a deep sleep.
“Haah…”
Dohyun was currently in a state where his injuries were severe enough to require absolute rest. Everyone exhaled in relief at the thought of putting him back to sleep.
But they didn’t feel good about it. Everyone’s expressions were grim. Among them, Hyeono’s expression was the darkest.
“What are we supposed to do…”
The sudden change in Gate classification.
Encountering an A-class Gate for the first time.
It was fortunate, if anything, that the ability users who participated in the Gate clearing mission had managed to survive.
All the Espers had been injured, with Kang Dohyun sustaining the most severe injuries, but there were no casualties. It was truly a miracle. The existence of S-class Esper Choi Geonwoo had become everyone’s salvation.
But what came after was the problem.
“…”
Hyeono turned his head to look out the window. There stood the building exclusively for S-class Espers, built in preparation for the potential emergence of an S-class Esper. It was a place the Center had painstakingly created to better withstand the unimaginable abilities of an S-class Esper, even if only slightly.
Geonwoo had taken Jaehee into that place as if he knew it was prepared for him, even though no one had told him about it. Afterward, he blocked everyone’s entry, not allowing even a glimpse of Jaehee.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t tried to enter. But it was impossible against an S-class Esper.
Moreover, the building exclusively for S-class Espers was difficult for even a reasonably powerful ability user to leave so much as a small scratch on. From inside such a place, Geonwoo used his ability to crush anyone who tried to approach without his permission.
The only people allowed to enter were the select few who helped with Jaehee’s treatment.
No one else could approach. How many would dare to get close when even attempting to approach meant risking their lives?
So it was impossible not to worry.
Especially in the current situation, where they couldn’t confirm whether Geonwoo’s one-sided Bond with Jaehee had been severed or not.
***
Three more days passed.
During that time, the Espers in the medical ward were busy treating Dohyun and the other Espers who had participated in the Gate mission.
But the quarters inside the building exclusively for S-class Espers were different. The room, where warm sunlight filtered through the curtains, was quiet, and inside were four people.
Dr. Yoon and his assistant stood near the bed by the window, and on the bed lay Jaehee, unable to open his eyes.
Geonwoo sat in a chair in front of the door, his gaze fixed on Jaehee.
“…”
But Geonwoo’s expression as he fixed his gaze on Jaehee was not good. The tips of his fingers had turned pale white from clenching his fists so tightly.
It was because of the scene he had witnessed in the Gate. It was like a dream. The situation that unfolded before Geonwoo’s eyes when he entered the Gate immediately after his manifestation was a perfect reenactment of his hyung’s death that he had seen in his dream.
That frightened Geonwoo. It made him endlessly imagine terrible possibilities.
‘What if I hadn’t manifested then?’
‘What if I had gone berserk without manifesting?’
‘What if my method of using my ability had been inadequate?’
‘What if I had entered the Gate even a little later?’
‘What if I hadn’t had that dream?’
Jaehee wouldn’t be here… That thought was etched in his mind and wouldn’t go away. Geonwoo wrinkled his eyes mercilessly and lowered his head.
What was going on?
At the end of countless thoughts, he recalled ‘prophetic dreams.’ That seemed like the most reasonable explanation. But there were points that bothered him.
First, the past was different. The young Choi Geonwoo who found comfort in his hyung’s warmth existed only in the dream. In Geonwoo’s actual past, that was a memory that didn’t exist.
The difference in attitude between the hyung in his dream and Jaehee was the same. The stark contrast between the hyung who was there for him and Jaehee who pushed him away was clear.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t shake the thought that he had dreamed of future events. It had been a week since he brought Jaehee here. During that time, events he had seen in his dream actually happened in reality.
In his dreams, Geonwoo had seen his hyung die in so many ways. The fact that all those deaths could become reality filled him with terror. He couldn’t stay sane.
If there was a silver lining, it was that he had managed to change the numerous deaths he had seen in fragments in his dreams, as if rewinding a tape. The Geonwoo in his dreams had protected his hyung. He somehow managed to extend the days spent together with his hyung, day by day.
But.
‘…It wasn’t the last one.’
The last dream was different.
An S-class Gate. Choi Geonwoo showing signs of going berserk and Lee Jaehee dying, collapsed on the ground. No one reached out to help his hyung. They merely wore regretful expressions, hoping his hyung would die.
Even his dream self couldn’t protect his hyung at that moment.
Geonwoo gritted his teeth. He was afraid that the last dream would become reality. He didn’t want to reenact the sad ending of himself and his hyung. Just seeing his hyung’s death countless times was already at the limit of what he could bear.
Tap-!
It was then. Dr. Yoon, who had approached Geonwoo at some point, held out something in front of him. Geonwoo looked down at what Dr. Yoon was offering. It was a bag of medicine containing numerous pills.
“Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
Dr. Yoon, meeting Geonwoo’s gaze, hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Since you entered the Center without receiving separate education, you might not know this.”
Dr. Yoon tried to speak as normally as possible, trying his best to hide his nervous appearance.
“It’s common for ability users to manifest as an Alpha or Omega within a week after their manifestation. That shouldn’t be different for Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
After saying that, Dr. Yoon pointed behind him. His assistant was there. He was a healing Esper. As an Alpha, he was crouching down, panting as if he was having difficulty breathing.
It couldn’t be helped. Right now, the room was filled with a thick Alpha pheromone that choked the breath, along with the waves of an S-class Esper that raised the tension to the limit. Moreover, pheromones of the same type naturally cause a sense of rejection.
“So, hurry.”
Dr. Yoon was about to tell Geonwoo to take the suppressants.
There were some who manifested late or didn’t manifest at all, but they were extremely rare. Besides, Dr. Yoon himself was an ordinary person and couldn’t sense pheromones, but judging by his assistant’s condition, Geonwoo was clearly in the process of manifesting as an Alpha. This was because during the initial manifestation period when one wasn’t accustomed to controlling pheromones, all pheromones were released in full without restraint.
But instead of accepting the medicine, Geonwoo stood up. He moved away from the door. Seeing this, the assistant hesitated briefly before opening the door and rushing out, as if he couldn’t endure any longer.
Geonwoo looked down at Dr. Yoon. The implication was clear: now that they were gone, continue with the treatment.
Dr. Yoon’s lips moved as if he was about to say something, but he closed them again and turned around. He approached Jaehee. On the table next to Geonwoo, who was watching him, were numerous Alpha suppressants.
‘Suppressants, huh.’
Contrary to Dr. Yoon’s thoughts, Geonwoo knew about suppressants very well. Though not his real self, the self in his dreams had memories of education about Alphas and Omegas, as well as taking suppressants.
Geonwoo turned his head to look down at the suppressants. And he became lost in thought.
‘What if back then…’
And he recalled the scene that had been cut off just a moment ago. He began to continue the interrupted thought.
‘In the S-class Gate.’
Geonwoo reached for the suppressants.
‘Instead of the Bond between an Esper and a Guide.’
He grasped the suppressants.
‘If it had been the Bond between Alpha and Omega who share each other’s lives.’
And then he used his ability to burn the suppressants without leaving a trace.
‘…Would it have been different?’
The Alpha pheromones permeating the room began to grow stronger.
