Central Ability User Medical Hospital VIP Center. The condition of patient Park Garam who received treatment today is not good, so he will be moved to the intensive care unit for treatment. (Fever, difficulty breathing, etc.). The Center will do its utmost for the improvement of the patient’s symptoms. We ask for your understanding that we are contacting the pair esper instead of the guardian due to security-related matters.
As soon as Haewon saw the message, he said to Hyeonseok.
“I’ll step out to make a call.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
They had been continuing a three-way meeting with Ihyeon, with materials spread out widely in Hyeonseok’s office. Haewon entered his office and immediately called the outgoing number.
The nurse in charge explained that the current condition wasn’t serious, but they moved him to prepare for any unforeseen situation. But that didn’t reduce Haewon’s anxiety. Two people died instantly on the scene from that poison. In an instant, without any way to do anything about it. He couldn’t be reassured. As soon as Haewon entered Hyeonseok’s office, he reported.
“They say Guide Park Garam’s condition has worsened. I’ll go to the hospital briefly.”
“What? Where are you going? For how long?”
Ihyeon stood up from his seat and asked. Probably because he was at the scene, he was reacting sensitively. However, even thinking that, Haewon disliked this reaction. It seemed Ihyeon was taking excessive interest. Haewon deliberately didn’t answer. Then this time Hyeonseok spoke.
“Is it very serious?”
“They said they moved him to the intensive care unit. I think I’ll have to go to know the details.”
“Are those doctor bastards doing it properly? Director-nim, I’ll go see too. This won’t do.”
Nam Ihyeon rolled up his sleeves with the momentum to teach them a lesson right away. Cha Hyeonseok continued speaking while frowning.
“Why are you going, man.”
“I watched the whole thing from the scene. I know more about what happened there too. Of course I should go together.”
“It’s excessive interest. I alone am sufficient.”
Haewon spoke as if cutting with a knife. Ihyeon immediately countered.
“Actually, wouldn’t it be right for me to go rather than Esper Kim Haewon? Esper Kim Haewon doesn’t know anything.”
“Someone with no relation can’t enter. You’re not a pair, and you’re not a guardian either.”
“That damn pair talk is so disgusting I could die. People who see will think you cherish him. When in fact you’d want to cut it off if it weren’t for guiding.”
“What do you know to say such things!”
When Haewon approached Ihyeon and shouted, Ihyeon also approached closely as if he’d been waiting. Hyeonseok stood between the two and mediated.
“Where are both of you going? What are you going to do there? If it’s intensive care, you can’t even visit, so will you sit in the waiting room sucking your thumbs? We have to solve this first so there won’t be more victims.”
“……”
“Don’t you know how big the damage could get if initial response goes wrong? Are you amateurs? Will both of you not snap to attention? Did you forget why we gathered here?”
At Hyeonseok’s scolding, the two people withdrew their clashing gazes. And simultaneously looked down at the desk. Hyeonseok’s long desk was full of materials. It was information gathered in an instant.
Among them was content about Esper Park Geun-yeong who died long ago. Hyeonseok shook his head from side to side while picking up Geun-yeong’s photo.
“How did Guide Han Miyeon know this name?”
Materials about Park Geun-yeong were materials that only a very small number could access even in Esper Department 1. Even considering that Park Geun-yeong was kind and informal to everyone while alive and had wide connections, there were many strange points. It was because he was already someone who died 8 years ago, and there wasn’t a single gate he went to together with Guide Han Miyeon.
“It could be to confuse us. She was also in a hypnotized state.”
“The hypnosis was lifted then. She clearly said that bastard, you know?”
“She could have been mistaken.”
“How could she mistake that? Do you just not believe anything I say?”
Ihyeon looked at Haewon with an unfavorable gaze. He felt like Haewon was picking fights with him at every turn. Because Ihyeon’s personality wasn’t easy either and he never let things slide, the two people easily clashed. Hyeonseok waved his hands and stopped the two again.
“Haewon’s words also make sense. Even that could be planned. They deliberately made Ihyeon remember Geun-yeong hyung’s name. Anyway, if they investigate the case, it’s bound to reach Haewon’s ears. They must have thought we’d react emotionally.”
At Hyeonseok’s analysis, Haewon showed no reaction. It would be a lie if the suddenly started talk about Park Geun-yeong had no impact. Because he saw the end of the senior he trusted most right before his eyes. Moreover, he even killed him himself.
At that time, Haewon was a nineteen-year-old boy, two weeks before becoming an adult. When Haewon, who had been in a coma, came to his senses, the sun had already set. It was no different from the worst coming-of-age ceremony.
Eight years had passed since then. Haewon experienced more deaths, grieved, and became stronger. And more than anything, he became able to understand Geun-yeong’s choice that he couldn’t understand back then. He became that age. So he could look at the case a bit more objectively.
“It might be better to focus on Jeong Sanghyeop rather than Geun-yeong sunbae. Anyway, that kid is the tail.”
“But in the first place, he was a loner, so there’s not a single person close to him even in the same Esper Department. As for family, he only has one younger sibling, and they’re still a student.”
At Haewon’s words, Ihyeon answered while flipping through Jeong Sanghyeop’s materials. The materials were only a few pages. As if he deliberately hadn’t left traces.
“There will be information that can’t be known from Association reports. In the first place, we shouldn’t exclude the possibility that Jeong Sanghyeop hid materials due to high distrust of the Association.”
“I agree on that part. I’ll take charge of finding this.”
Nam Ihyeon waved the materials related to Jeong Sanghyeop. Because the problem started in his hands, he wanted to end it in his hands. At least Jeong Sanghyeop. Hyeonseok told him to do so and continued speaking.
“Previously too, there were bastards who tried to cause trouble by impersonating Geun-yeong hyung’s name. The Association discovered them in advance and cleaned them all up, but it wouldn’t be bad to dig into what’s behind those bastards. I’ll take charge of this part. Is there anything from Haewon’s informants?”
“We found traces of phthaldomide being distributed. The route is complicated, so a bit more investigation is needed. Other than that, we found two espers with a history of using forbidden psychic-type abilities. Their whereabouts are still unclear.”
“Then Haewon will take the phthaldomide distribution route and those two espers. As for Geun-yeong hyung, we’ll proceed when more materials come out.”
Cha Hyeonseok gave each person tasks and organized them on the briefing board. Even though not much time had passed since the incident occurred, just the information so far required a lot of investigative personnel, from related factions to suspicious parts. Cha Hyeonseok finished even the personnel allocation in an instant.
“First, we’ll make the problem more concrete, report to the higher-ups, then commence action. Don’t move recklessly and cause an incident. Especially Ihyeon, you’re getting a special pass this time, so be especially careful.”
“But I didn’t not say anything.”
“Hey, man. The size got too big.”
“I understand.”
Nam Ihyeon stuck out his lips then pulled them back in. Haewon looked at Ihyeon then looked at Hyeonseok again.
“Then since we can’t move currently, I’ll go to the hospital before more information is gathered. I think it would be good to directly confirm Guide Park Garam’s condition.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Haewon spoke as if logically, but his appearance of quickly leaving the director’s office was uncharacteristically emotional. Ihyeon muttered while touching his chin.
“Now that he has a pair, he’s doing things he didn’t do before.”
Although he’d watched Haewon closely for a long time, this was the first time seeing this appearance. Hyeonseok thought Garam had changed Haewon. Whether that was a good direction or not, he’d have to watch a bit more going forward.
“Then, I’m clocking out too!”
“Huh? No, these guys are running away as soon as I give them a little work.”
“Right now I have to go with Kim Haewon to be able to enter. He’ll say I’m not qualified and make only me unable to enter again! Hyung, I’m going!”
“I told you not to call me hyung at the company, this bastard!”
Nam Ihyeon hurriedly chased after Kim Haewon. Cha Hyeonseok let out a short sigh while looking at the door that closed with a bang. Perhaps it wasn’t only Haewon who had changed. Cha Hyeonseok became curious about what kind of change the existence called Park Garam would bring to Esper Department 1. And when those ripples headed in the wrong direction, how far he could stop them.
* * *
The moment Haewon was fastening his seatbelt, the passenger door opened wide. Nam Ihyeon got in the car as if it was nothing.
“What? Get out.”
“Wow, your two-facedness is intense. As soon as you leave the office, you immediately use casual speech.”
“I don’t have time. Get out.”
“Since you don’t have it, hurry and go.”
“Don’t you think you’re being too meddlesome?”
“I don’t?”
When Haewon frowned, Ihyeon continued speaking while fastening his seatbelt.
“Pairs aren’t in a romantic relationship.”
“Why is that話 coming up now?”
“I mean I’m interested in that direction? Now it’s not meddling, right? Let’s depart. Depart.”
“Does Park Garam also know you’re being like this…”
“He wouldn’t not know I’m being like this. I made it quite obvious. Who knows?”
“……”
“Maybe he’s waiting for me, not you?”
At Ihyeon’s words that were relaxed throughout, Haewon clenched his molars tight. It had been a long time since he felt the emotion of wanting to smack someone. He also wanted to interrogate Park Garam asking what happened between the two of them.
In that brief moment when he wasn’t there. But if asked whether he had the right to do so, he had nothing to say. If it was a relationship tied by favor or affection rather than esper and guide, from there it wasn’t an area Haewon could get involved in. It was a part he should have no interest in, apart from whether he could or couldn’t.
It should be that way. It has to be that way.
Haewon thought so while starting the car. But his insides felt stuffy as if something was sitting on them. It felt like questions he wanted to ask directly while facing Garam’s round eyes were piling up one by one in his chest.
