I fell to my knees. Blood poured from where the knife had stabbed me. Nam Ihyeon yelled something, something. But it only buzzed in my ears and didn’t sound like words.
It was Nam Ihyeon who had tried to wake Han Miyeon first. But she only answered with sleep talk at that time. Seeing how it was different when I spoke to her, it seemed she had been hypnotized in advance to only respond to me.
When, and who did that? Jeong Sanghyeop hadn’t entered here yesterday or today. Someone other than Jeong Sanghyeop had moved. That meant someone else could also use hypnosis. Moreover, it was someone who could come and go from this place without the hospital staff knowing.
My stomach ached sharply. Shocking pain spread as if my body was slowly being contaminated from the pain point. Something must have been coated on the knife. The speed at which my consciousness faded was very fast compared to the depth of the stab wound.
I felt my hands and feet becoming cold and numb. It seemed like paralysis was setting in. What had been on it, I was thinking, when I remembered the medicine bottle I’d seen in my dream.
‘Ah, I should have asked if Jeong Sanghyeop knew X before he died…’
Even as my consciousness was being dyed pitch black, that thought crossed my mind. He definitely seemed to know. What connection I had with X too. The last words Jeong Sanghyeop had left me echoed like an echo.
[Don’t become a dog like me and run away!]
What did that mean? In the middle of my consciousness dyed black, Jeong Sanghyeop was standing. While wearing a worn hoodie, looking at me lying in the abandoned hospital.
X and EEON, Jeong Sanghyeop and Han Miyeon.
And me and Kim Haewon.
I couldn’t even guess how complicated the relationships between these were.
Before long, my consciousness completely shut off. In the place where everything had turned pitch black, Jeong Sanghyeop was no longer visible. No. It was a world where nothing could be seen or heard. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even feel pain.
* * *
Director Choi Hyeonseok’s expression wasn’t good when he came back in after briefly going out from the event venue. Haewon’s gaze also followed Director Choi Hyeonseok. He whispered to the general manager, and after several whispers, the event proceeded in a greatly abbreviated manner.
The nerves that had been continuously sensitive since Nam Ihyeon left the event venue became sharp as if about to explode. Clearly something had gone wrong. Unless something like Garam’s ridiculous intuition came true—an esper using hypnotic ability appeared—there was no way the event would be reduced.
“We have an announcement for our distinguished guests. The organizers have made an urgent decision to somewhat reduce today’s event for the Ability User Association members who have worked hard with the greatly increased gate deployments recently. We ask for the understanding of our distinguished guests and will proceed with the remaining schedule.”
The professional MC smoothly led the proceedings without being flustered even by the cue card hastily given. As the event ended hastily, the first thing done was to safely send off the high-ranking officials who were on the podium.
If an esper with hypnotic ability really appeared, they could infiltrate the event venue and target key government figures.
The S-class espers gathered for the event suddenly became their personal bodyguards and moved. Director Choi Hyeonseok only approached Haewon and tapped his shoulder.
“You move with me.”
“Yes, understood. What happened?”
“I’ll explain in the car.”
“Yes.”
Haewon followed Director Choi Hyeonseok without saying much else. Seeing that they were moving without even a driver, it seemed to be a top-secret matter. Hyeonseok sat in the driver’s seat. As soon as Haewon got in the passenger seat, he received a tablet.
“Play the video.”
Haewon followed Hyeonseok’s instructions. He could immediately tell where the location in the video was. Because it was Garam’s hospital room.
Haewon doubted his eyes while watching the video that was only a few minutes long. Just as Garam had said, Esper Jeong Sanghyeop was trying to use hypnotic ability.
Strength went into the hand holding the tablet. Fortunately, the lenses he had given had an effect. The hypnosis didn’t work on Garam. Thanks to Nam Ihyeon’s coordinated attack who had been waiting at the right time, the culprit was caught quickly.
But even though the culprit was caught, Haewon’s expression didn’t smooth out. It was because there was still quite a bit of playback time left for a video that should have ended here.
When Jeong Sanghyeop attempted suicide, Garam started crying. While shedding tears without even knowing why he was crying, he told him stories about his dead older sister.
In a way, it was a breach of confidentiality. But that seemed like the last courtesy Garam could show to the dying Jeong Sanghyeop.
Haewon frowned. Garam’s face that seemed to have fallen into despair was captured too vividly. Futility, wretchedness, and what seemed like incomprehensible anger also appeared to be mixed in. It was a range of emotions he couldn’t understand.
The video ended with Garam rushing out of the hospital room looking for Han Miyeon. As soon as the video ended, Haewon asked Hyeonseok.
“What happened to Guide Park Garam?”
“He’s unconscious.”
“What? What do you mean?”
It didn’t make sense that he was unconscious when he clearly saw him running out fine at the end of the video. Haewon asked as if pushing without giving Hyeonseok a chance to speak.
“What exactly happened? Who attacked? Weren’t there security personnel defending? How did they pass hospital security? Please tell me in detail.”
Hyeonseok was startled by Haewon’s pressing and rubbed his right ear.
“I’m listening, man. One at a time. One at a time.”
“Please tell me Guide Park Garam’s condition first.”
“Just as I said. He was stabbed with a knife coated with poison. Emergency treatment was immediately administered, but he still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
Who, how, why. He couldn’t stand the anger at what Nam Ihyeon was doing while Park Garam was being attacked. Still, he wanted to demand whether an S-class esper quite famous in the Association was only that much.
Haewon continued speaking while forcibly suppressing his boiling anger.
“What are the circumstances of the incident?”
“Seems Han Miyeon was under hypnosis. The target was Park Garam. She was in a sleep state and responded to Park Garam’s voice. After the attack, Han Miyeon immediately killed herself. In the same way as Jeong Sanghyeop.”
“……”
“Ihyeon said it didn’t seem to be of her own will. She was hypnotized, so she stabbed someone else and killed herself too. You know what this means, right?”
Haewon nodded. It meant the situation was much more serious than expected. Psychic-type ability users could attack others without using their own hands. They were cunning and vicious, so they could mobilize civilians to attack.
Haewon’s expression darkened. He had thought that Garam’s story might not be completely groundless. But there wasn’t enough physical evidence to focus and listen to it. He judged that it would be enough to just have items that could minimally protect Garam.
But Haewon had miscalculated. It was a mistake he rarely made. Because of that, Garam got hurt.
When Garam asked about the black bamboo gate, Haewon thought this matter might grow a bit bigger. Not telling him in detail about the Markos or the situation at that time was to protect Garam.
But he was wrong. He should have reported to Cha Hyeonseok right then. He should have been by Garam’s side, not at the event venue.
“Damn it.”
Haewon muttered an emotion he rarely revealed. Hyeonseok’s eyes turned toward him, but he didn’t notice.
He couldn’t prevent Garam from getting hurt. He had been complacent. He looked down on him, thinking he might be accepting all incidents like hero play after suddenly becoming S-class. He had to admit it.
Garam was hurt because of his mistake. The existence that always healed him. Hyeonseok watched carefully before continuing firmly.
“Kim Haewon. You need to snap to attention. This is a really big size. What’s revealed now is only a very small part.”
Hyeonseok’s words didn’t enter his ears well.
“Guide Park Garam.”
“Huh?”
“Can he wake up?”
Hyeonseok was flustered by Haewon’s question. Because the Haewon that Hyeonseok knew should have first asked questions like who he thought was behind it, what he thought the scale was, who should be tracked, and so on.
“Don’t know yet. That bastard Ihyeon isn’t answering his phone.”
Only then did Haewon nod and gradually regain his composure.
“What’s the most likely faction?”
“Still searching. It seems to be narrowed down to two or three, but since they stopped activities so long ago. Even if we find them, we’ll have to investigate more to find out who among them set it off.”
“We’ll have to go up in reverse from Jeong Sanghyeop. They might have sent him for that purpose.”
“Right. We’ll have to dig from the bottom. Even if he’s dead, we can follow his tracks.”
“I’ll commence the investigation immediately.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Haewon immediately ordered the people he employed to investigate Jeong Sanghyeop’s tracks. They were personal informants not affiliated with the Association. Sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds of people moved. Kim Haewon used them in the right places to obtain the information he wanted.
It was an independent information network that only Kim Haewon could employ. Outwardly it had the appearance of following Hyeonseok’s instructions, but in fact, it was being asked for help. In his overwhelming talent, intelligence, and information network. If he refused, no executive in the Association could persuade or oppose him.
Hyeonseok turned the steering wheel while deliberately avoiding the frightening thought. For them, for whom people dying and living according to every minute and second was routine, overtaking and speeding were basic.
“Man, and it’s been rolling along quietly for a few years.”
Haewon had no expression change. That felt even more frightening. The car they were in headed quickly to the hospital.
