# Chapter 177
## 15. Not an Ostrich, but a Human
The spacious woodland located on the outskirts of Chohosi is private property.
Surrounded by mountains and enclosed by fences except for the entrance path, this land of about 20,000 pyeong is difficult for outsiders to access. Even from a glimpse beyond the high fence, it was clearly an undeveloped area. People might have gossiped that it was obviously a failed real estate speculation given how suspicious it looked, but the reason such talk had never actually emerged was because it was so remote that one had to drive for quite a while before seeing any houses. Literally, it was a place where no one would know what happened there.
Naturally, the intermittent threatening sounds currently echoing there weren’t heard by anyone either.
It seemed to be bubbling up from somewhere deep underground. As if protesting that the sound indeed originated from here, the earth trembled slightly. Rumble, rumble… The ceaseless sound was like a massive beast growling from beneath the earth.
The next moment, the terrain completely flipped over.
Fallen leaves from the unmanaged mountain swirled chaotically, and thick tree roots were suddenly exposed and twisted. Rocks that shot up from underground pierced through the spaces between them. High areas collapsed and low areas rose, revealing uneven cross-sections. The sound of sand and rocks scraping and rolling came belatedly. It was like a massive natural disaster moving with a will of its own.
The tectonic movement stopped quickly. The vast land fell into silence as if nothing had happened, but the strata, flipped like an hourglass with the top and bottom reversed, were a chaotic mess.
A man stood on that land.
The hem of his black coat fluttered slightly in a breeze from somewhere. Though the man’s face was obscured by his hair as he silently gazed into space, cool green eyes could occasionally be glimpsed shining through the shadows.
After standing motionless for a while as if frozen, what woke Sano was the sound of his phone. Somehow noticing the small vibration buried in his pocket, Sano slowly pulled out the tiny device.
“What.”
[It seems like it’s been a while since you’ve used that place.]
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, get lost.”
[Thank you, no need for such kind words.]
The idea of purchasing this place and gifting it to Sano had been from the CEO of Jesan, Seohyun.
Superpower users occasionally lost control of their abilities when emotions ran high. It operated on a similar principle to striking out with a fist when overwhelmed with anger.
For an ordinary superpower user, using abilities in such a way would be manageable, but for high-ranking users with disaster-level powers, even a slight mistake could cause a major accident. That’s why it was common for Tier 4 and above superpower users to maintain separate stress-relief spaces where it wouldn’t matter if their powers leaked out while fully expressing their emotions.
Like this land Sano now stood on.
He had always been excellent at controlling his abilities, so even for stress relief, it wasn’t frequently used. Despite his foul temperament, his frequent irritation and nervousness were always at the level of words or intentional threats, never uncontrollably erupting. Sano always used his ability only when he wanted to. It was as simple and easy as curling his fingers to hold a pen. Neither too much nor too little.
Except for one issue.
Even for someone like Je Sano, when searching desperately for a person without a single hair to be found, there were times when anger would fill his heart to overflowing. It consisted of a hopelessness with no end in sight and an anxiety that made him doubt existence itself. That was the only thing that stimulated Sano beyond his control.
Well, still, recently Sano hadn’t used this gift from Seohyun even once. More accurately, there had been no need to use it. Wasn’t he having a pretty good time? It was almost unbelievable that he could gain such stability just by having someone beside him.
Until he heard those words: ‘Now go back to your place.’
While living with Iyeon, Sano had long noticed that he was still fundamentally soft. Despite Iyeon’s struggle to maintain one step of distance from his past self, he never fully succeeded. It was natural. Iyeon had nothing left.
Memories that ended too abruptly left Iyeon with only deep longing. A desire like an ideal that made him reach out despite his fear. Perhaps even desperate.
Whether Sano liked it or not, it had certainly worked to his advantage.
Sano had no intention of missing that gap. In fact, he didn’t have the luxury to let go. He was the desperate one. Sano had endured a hell of loss with the sole thought of meeting again the boy who had reached out to save him on a whim, then disappeared. His mind wouldn’t change because of a few pathetic words.
Compared to the ten years that had passed, this much waiting barely counted as waiting. The physical person was right beside him, after all.
He had enough confidence to wait for the painfully slow Jung Iyeon, but… there are some things in this world that time cannot resolve. Especially for an idiot like Iyeon who, while pretending otherwise, had such strong convictions.
In that case, he had planned to subdue him by force.
Iyeon’s superpower was clearly strong enough not to be ignored and might even surpass Sano in some aspects. Still, that didn’t mean there was no way. Of course, if he used such harsh measures, he would have to sacrifice something. Like greetings given with a smile, a playful voice, things like that.
But he was willing to accept that. Sano needed Iyeon. Losing him by stupidly charging ahead was more than enough once. If necessary, at any time… This sinister thought was always planted in the corner of Sano’s mind like a last fortress.
He thought it was enough.
When Iyeon actually pushed him away openly, such thoughts didn’t even come to mind. The clear line etched on that calm face. As soon as he recognized it, an inexplicable anxiety rose.
Go back? Go back where exactly?
‘I think I already told you.’
There was a strangely sharp quality hidden in that voice.
‘You don’t have a choice.’
However, both Iyeon and Sano instinctively knew. There was no power in that weak threat.
‘Sano.’
Iyeon smiled weakly and raised his slightly cooler eyes.
‘Do you know why my parents died?’
‘…’
‘It was because of me.’
Old wounds opened easily with just a slight touch. They refused to heal despite the passage of time.
They would probably never heal forever.
‘Do you know why your experiment was halted and disposal orders were issued?’
Sano could clearly see that pain.
‘It was because of me.’
Fragments of the past were piercing deep into Iyeon’s lungs. His self-blaming face was calm, but to Sano, he looked like a butterfly pinned in place, unable to move.
‘You almost died because of me.’
And to think I believed I saved you, how ridiculous. Iyeon muttered self-mockingly.
‘You don’t owe me any gratitude.’
Sano’s statement that Iyeon had no choice was sincere. Sano absolutely needed Iyeon. It was Jung Iyeon who pulled Je Sano from the brink of death in the research institute. It was Jung Iyeon who made him want to live. Iyeon had to bear that responsibility for the rest of his life.
Even if he had to drag him by force and make him sit beside him.
‘I didn’t die.’
The only response that came through Sano’s lips was this stupid reply.
The moment he looked into Iyeon’s eyes, his breath caught. Those eyes, filled with guilt, were rippling as if about to cry at any moment. Sano forgot all his violent thoughts and became lost like a child, not knowing what to do. He was desperate to somehow help that gloomy face that looked like it might die at any moment, pushed to its limit. There was no time to worry about his own situation.
‘I’m alive, right in front of you.’
‘But there’s no reason for you to be here.’
Iyeon’s voice, cutting coldly, was paradoxically gentle. At these words pushing him away again, Sano unwittingly gritted his teeth. Even amid his anxiety, he felt irritated.
‘Go back to being the hero of the city.’
He couldn’t be separated like that. As you please, how dare you… Despite the unrefined anger welling up and rising to his throat, he couldn’t utter a single word.
Then at some point, he realized.
It was all a bluff. Sano couldn’t act however he wanted while ignoring Iyeon’s wishes. What he wanted wasn’t that simplistic in meaning.
Images of Lee Jeongyeon when they first met face-to-face and Jung Iyeon when they met again flashed before him chaotically. Smiling eyes and chattering lips, a hand approaching without hesitation. Actions filled with goodwill. He had been tamed before he even realized it. Sano couldn’t bear an Iyeon who disliked him.
Even during the times when Iyeon wasn’t beside him, Je Sano had Jung Iyeon, him…
At the point of realizing this, there was nothing Sano could do.
The violent plans swimming in his brain were all discarded. The helplessness rising through his fingertips felt like shit. After glaring at Iyeon for a long time, at some point Sano abruptly turned around.
SLAM.
The sound of the front door closing was louder than ever before.
