Chapter 36
Even though I had spoken with determination, the reaction of the two was just so-so. It was Nam Ihyeon who broke the silence.
“Why do compliments from you sound like lies? The Republic of Korea’s greatest esper~ What do you think?”
Nam Ihyeon poked at Kim Haewon. He was right. But I held my head high, meaning I wouldn’t be swayed by such words.
Kim Haewon didn’t care whether Nam Ihyeon was hitting him or not. He just checked his watch once and looked at me.
“It seems like we’re done talking, so I’ll be going.”
“No, where are you going! You didn’t give me an answer. I said let’s do it together! We’re uncovering a conspiracy together!”
“I’m not interested.”
It was completely different from what I expected. Didn’t novel protagonists like this kind of thing? Kim Haewon seemed completely uninterested in such things. I was so dumbfounded that I grabbed him.
“Is it okay if Esper Nam Ihyeon and I whisper about something together? I’m your pair guide, Kim Haewon-ssi.”
I deliberately said it hoping his damn obsessive cleanliness would react, but he pushed my hand away. His expression had become as cold as could be.
“You’re going to do it anyway even if I stop you, aren’t you? Guide Park Garam.”
This bastard, he’s already figured me out completely? I couldn’t bring myself to say no and looked at Kim Haewon. He snorted as if he knew it would be like this and left the hospital room.
This bastard is even testing me now? Even when I belatedly expressed my disbelief with a “Huh!”, the person in question had already disappeared. Nam Ihyeon sat on the sofa eating refreshment cookies and continued.
“Now that the troublemaker is gone, shall we talk seriously?”
Still, I was glad I managed to salvage one of the two. Of course, whether that would be fortunate or not remained to be seen until the end. I sat down next to Nam Ihyeon and said.
“Actually, I know the glasses alone won’t be much use either. But setting a trap and catching them in the act is the best we can do right now. That’s why I prepared this.”
“I think so too. Since you’re willing to be the bait, I welcome it.”
“Someone like that was just going to let themselves be misunderstood and move on?”
Nam Ihyeon snorted and continued while opening another cookie.
“Back then, this kind of setup wasn’t in place. When someone else sets up the stage and I just need to help a little, is there any need to refuse?”
“Your personality really sucks.”
“Sucks like a dog? I hear that often. Woof woof~”
Nam Ihyeon definitely was annoying, but there was no choice. He was the only person willing to help me right now. Han Miyeon was banned from visits and hadn’t fully recovered physically. I tried to keep my head straight and continued.
“Looking at the reports, video evidence was the most reliable when proving the use of hypnosis-type abilities.”
“Isn’t that from decades ago?”
“But it’s stuck there, so there hasn’t been any particular updates.”
“You’re saying we need a camera that espers carry around?”
“Yes, the smallest one possible.”
Espers could borrow and use all kinds of cutting-edge devices for free from the association. Especially S-class and above had access to a very wide variety of equipment.
There were cameras so small they were almost invisible that could record 360 degrees in all directions, and contact-type voice modulators that could mimic a person’s voice exactly like in animated movies. Everything had high potential for criminal use, so private ownership was prohibited.
“I should look for something better than your crappy glasses. But did you really think you could catch evidence with that? So reckless.”
“Everyone’s really making fun of me, but this was actually in the real materials. It’s proven to have some effectiveness.”
“Okay. Then the operation is simple. I hide somewhere around here, and when I see the hypnosis being cast, I’ll pounce and capture them alive. Then immediately submit them to the Management Department with the evidence?”
I nodded. The operation was simple. But it required overwhelming power to subdue Jeong Sanghyeop. That was something Nam Ihyeon possessed. Moreover, being S-class, he had the ability to hide somewhere in the hospital room without being noticed. I didn’t have such a cheat key.
Of course, if Kim Haewon had helped too, one worrying aspect would have been perfectly resolved. I carefully brought up that topic with Nam Ihyeon.
“Um… And one more thing.”
“What else?”
“I think it would be good if someone was guarding Guide Han Miyeon’s room too.”
“Isn’t that a prime room? No one can approach it carelessly, right?”
“I’m bothered by the fact that they specifically asked the Management Department to visit both people.”
“You mean they’ll make Han Miyeon keep her mouth shut? Even by killing her.”
I hadn’t thought of such extreme methods, but if I were the culprit, I would choose the safest route. If being swept into the gate was also to take her and make her do guiding kidnapping… Now that she was no longer useful, it would be better to eliminate her so no other words would come out.
Moreover, Han Miyeon now wanted to appeal to anyone for help to prove Nam Ihyeon’s innocence. They could judge it better to remove her before someone listened to her voice. Of course, I hoped that wouldn’t happen.
“I’ll look into some A-class esper guys who could secretly stand guard. Two should be enough? S-class is a bit difficult to call because there’s an event that day.”
“What event?”
“To commemorate Kim Haewon handling the Chicago gate, Chicago and Seoul are signing an exchange agreement. Esper Department 1 must attend. Kim Haewon left because of that too, without needing to hear more.”
“What about Esper Nam Ihyeon?”
“I’ll just show my face appropriately and slip away.”
Nam Ihyeon spoke as if it wasn’t a difficult task. If someone else had said it, I would have thought it was ridiculous bragging, but for some reason, this scoundrel seemed like he would really do it. And it probably really wouldn’t be that difficult.
“Is that okay?”
“What else wouldn’t be okay?”
“It would have been nice if Esper Kim Haewon could think that flexibly too.”
“That guy’s difficult. He’ll have to be on the podium the whole time. The attention will be high too.”
I nodded in agreement. Everyone would be watching him. But Kim Haewon probably didn’t leave because of that. He just left because it sounded absurd. Cold bastard. Even as I cursed him internally, I understood. I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t read the novel and if there weren’t reasonable circumstances to suspect.
I had to stay sharp going forward. Stranger things than this could happen, and I could get more deeply involved.
“By the way, aren’t they upgrading you to a prime-class room? You played quite a part in that Chicago achievement too.”
“Chief Secretary Hwang Changho said I could ask if I wanted, but I didn’t think it was necessary. This place is already really good.”
“Really good? This?”
Nam Ihyeon looked around the hospital room incredulously. His tone was like a prince who didn’t know the life of common people, which was a bit disgusting, but I could tolerate it.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have asked if it was necessary, I would have just upgraded you. The security is poor, and the room is shabby. Anyway, the lack of sense is the same now as before.”
Nam Ihyeon spoke as if he was disgusted with that aspect of Kim Haewon and got up from his seat.
“Day after tomorrow at 2 o’clock.”
“Yes.”
“Call if anything happens.”
“Yes, though I don’t want to.”
“You never let even one word slide.”
“You never use honorifics either.”
“Just speak informally to me too, will you? It’s annoying.”
Nam Ihyeon stretched once and left the hospital room. Still, I was glad Nam Ihyeon ended up helping. I could post guards at Han Miyeon’s room too, and I could fill in the parts that these crappy glasses alone wouldn’t be enough for.
I put down the glasses I had been fiddling with and picked up my phone. It would be nice if a novel chapter was uploaded at times like this, but there was nothing like that.
“The serialization schedule is completely random.”
It showed me a little, then didn’t show me anything, which was maddening. They say life is originally about living without knowing what’s ahead, but isn’t this a bit different?
“If you put someone’s life into a novel, you should take responsibility.”
I put down my phone and looked at the empty ceiling. The hospital room was quiet like the calm before a storm. Even when everything seemed false and like fantasy, when I opened my eyes, it was reality.
When I got hurt, it hurt, and when someone faced something unreasonable, I felt indignant. It didn’t stop at a level where I could just empathize within a story, but moved with actual sensations in my life. That was the more brutal part. The fact that it was reality, not a novel.
The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt. I just wanted to sleep, so I buried my body deep in the pillow. Then my phone vibrated as if shouting not to sleep.
[Notification] <I’ve Been Possessed by a Real-Time Serial Novel> Chapter 12 has been uploaded.
As if hearing my voice from somewhere, the novel that hadn’t been uploaded was finally uploaded. It was just one chapter, but even this was precious now. I immediately pressed the notification. And I tilted my head seeing the title on the very first line.
“Special episode? The story of a certain D-class esper?”
The only D-class esper that had appeared in the novel so far was Jeong Sanghyeop. When I scrolled down, it was indeed a story about him. And it was a long diary that started from a very long time ago. Why was his life story being revealed now? Was it to change my decision?
I slowly scrolled down. I read his story more carefully than ever before. And I learned why a certain D-class esper had come to learn hypnotic abilities while wearing down his own life.
