As I was rolling my eyes with a lukewarm expression, Hyun Yoonseo shrugged his shoulders as if to say “what does it matter?” and asked.
“So, did I pass?”
“…Pass?”
“You said you were contemplating whether to avoid me or not.”
“Well. For now—.”
It was just as I was about to answer that he seemed okay.
Beep—. Beep—.
In an instant, a high-pitched warning sound rang throughout the entire center, and security devices activated from all directions, controlling the surroundings. It was something that happened in the blink of an eye.
“…Don’t tell me!”
Having already experienced something similar in the past, I reflexively turned to the side at the familiar sense of déjà vu. If he was the same Esper, he would know this situation even better, so I hoped he would deny it.
“We’re fucked.”
However, this was merely wishful thinking. When our eyes met, Hyun Yoonseo briefly nodded as if to confirm my thoughts were correct, then cursed.
“How the hell does that bastard Do Ganghyun manage his waves to cause shit like this!”
And even the unwanted confirmation.
Only then did I move my feet quickly with an anxious heart.
I had hoped so much it wouldn’t be, but if the situation I anticipated was correct, then the warning sound right now was signaling an emergency. One that could become a disaster and a catastrophe. And unless a gate burst open, there was only one person in the center who could trigger an emergency code of this scale.
Do Ganghyun.
My pair Esper was in danger of going into rampage.
There was no room for doubt. It had happened just a short while ago. It was when Do Ganghyun was pathologically avoiding me and suffering from side effects while hanging around with other guides. However, back then…
‘I got a message through the watch first!’
I had received real-time contact through the watch linked to Do Ganghyun. But this time, unlike then, the notification came with a warning sound ringing throughout the entire center. In other words, it meant either his rampage happened that quickly, or there was a problem with the central communications station in the center.
‘Just how serious is the situation?’
Still, the fortunate thing was that no explosion sounds could be heard from anywhere yet. If the communication devices were being maintained belatedly and broadcasts were going out, it seemed at least the people around Do Ganghyun were maintaining consciousness and dealing with it. This meant the worst situation hadn’t arrived yet.
‘Right away, if I just go right away…!’
I roughly gasped for breath as I passed Hyun Yoonseo. This wasn’t the time to be leisurely having conversations. Those who had been wandering outside would already be evacuating to shelters, and Espers would be waiting near the Guide building to protect guides according to protocol. Naturally, Hyun Yoonseo and I had different destinations to go to.
“I’ll go ahead—.”
“Let’s go together.”
Thunk, my wrist was grabbed. I tried pulling with force in my anxious state, but it was hopeless. I glared at Hyun Yoonseo with a look that said “what are you doing?”
“During emergencies, Espers are supposed to protect guides. You shouldn’t be grabbing me—!”
“You’re a guide too. In this situation, nothing would be worse than something happening to you. And I have to go anyway. If things go wrong and get screwed up, I’m one of the Espers who has to step up first.”
At those words, I stopped breathing with a pale face.
‘If things go wrong and get screwed up? Then just how do you plan to stop it? I’m his pair guide, so why—.’
My vision gradually blurred. Hiss, hiss. I breathed in shallowly and quickly, consciously, but my blurred vision didn’t return. Rather, it became even hard to stand properly.
“Anyway, I can’t seem to get through to you.”
Just then, my body was lifted upward. When I came to my senses, I was in Hyun Yoonseo’s arms. Feeling that my condition wasn’t very good, he had picked me up.
“Get your head on straight. If you’re like this already, it won’t work either way.”
‘Hold on tight.’ With those final words, Hyun Yoonseo kicked off the ground powerfully.
A fierce wind that made my eyes sting rushed over me. As I braced myself with force to prevent my upper body from being pushed back, Hyun Yoonseo glanced to check my condition and then increased his speed.
“Do you know where to go?”
‘I can’t find it because everywhere is full of that bastard’s waves.’ Hyun Yoonseo said while jumping across building rooftops. Since the speed was dizzingly fast, I couldn’t explain with my ordinary dynamic visual acuity. Instead, I could definitely locate Do Ganghyun’s energy, that one thing for sure.
I first blocked the vision that was actually hindering me from finding Do Ganghyun. I closed my eyes, buried my face in Hyun Yoonseo’s shoulder, and steadied my shaking body.
When I calmly deployed my waves outward as if doing broadcast guiding, Hyun Yoonseo’s body flinched. I vaguely heard what seemed like the curse “Shi X,” but since it wasn’t important, I ignored it.
‘I need to spread it wider than when doing broadcast guiding, like stretching a thin membrane.’
I finished deploying my waves while imagining in my head covering the entire center with a large dome. I didn’t forget to spread the membrane as thinly as possible so that if wave consumption was severe, I wouldn’t be able to stop Do Ganghyun’s rampage.
“Shit, really…! This is C-rank?!”
‘Hey, kid! Give me some explanation!’ Just then, Hyun Yoonseo suddenly shouted as if having a fit. He had already stopped jumping around from building to building.
“I’m concentrating, so be quiet.”
I was slowly reaching my limit. Sweat formed on my forehead and my posture began to crumble. If I let my waves flow any more than this, there might be problems guiding Do Ganghyun—.
That’s when it was. In the swamp of rough and violent waves, I detected a familiar wave that swayed and welcomed me.
“Found him.”
***
“…Research lab, we need to go to the research lab!”
“Research lab?! The Esper-exclusive research lab, there? Okay.”
When I shouted urgently, Hyun Yoonseo immediately adjusted his hold on me and moved between buildings again.
Since there was no reason to consume more power, I quickly withdrew my waves and took a rest. Just from using my ability a few times, my hands were already trembling.
‘About two more times from now?’
I counted the number of times I could guide internally and relaxed my body. It was an action simply to avoid being a hindrance to Hyun Yoonseo’s movement due to lack of stamina, but I heard a strange clicking of the tongue.
“Somehow the situation is turning out quite unsettling.”
‘If hyung seems like he’s going to die, you have to make sure to explain, okay~?’ He also spouted some nonsensical gibberish.
Since I couldn’t understand the meaning, I didn’t bother responding. I just leaned my head against his shoulder and urged him to hurry.
“I’m serious! I don’t want to die from getting misunderstood over nothing when I haven’t even done anything!”
Misunderstanding, what misunderstanding.
While the situation was serious, Hyun Yoonseo shouted again demanding an answer. Since I had neither the energy nor interest to ask what he meant, I nodded my head carelessly.
I realized how important Hyun Yoonseo’s shout was right after facing Do Ganghyun.
***
Considering we came making such a fuss, the area around the research lab was quite quiet. Of course, that was only on the surface.
“Whoa, this side is already properly destroyed.”
When we stepped inside, the interior of the research lab was starkly revealed, and the various barriers inside the building, famous for being sturdy, were half-destroyed.
“Ugh…!”
“Ah, it stings!”
In addition to that, Do Ganghyun’s waves that had already filled the center were even thicker and sharper inside the research lab. It was at a level where there was no room to doubt the person in question was here. And that wasn’t all—his waves were extremely hostile to strangers approaching the research lab. The breath I inhaled felt as if needles were mixed in, and it was like sprinkling salt on wounded skin. If it was this much for me, his pair guide, I wondered how much worse it must be for Hyun Yoonseo.
When I turned my head wondering if he was okay, Hyun Yoonseo was somehow grinning with burning competitive spirit. Seeing that, it seemed I didn’t need to worry. I could see why people called Espers moths to a flame. Not satisfied with having clashed with Do Ganghyun last time, and even though the situation was this serious, his fighting spirit preceded the pain.
“Put me down.”
I tapped Hyun Yoonseo’s shoulder with a coldly subdued face.
From here on was my job. Not knowing what the situation inside was like, and more than anything, I had to avoid Hyun Yoonseo and Do Ganghyun clashing as Espers. That would truly mean the situation had become irredeemably worst-case.
It might not end with just one center collapsing. An SS-rank Esper’s rampage was threatening enough to erase Seoul from the map. To prepare for that, many countries built bunkers underground and developed various drugs, but there had never been a case of containing an Esper’s rampage without casualties.
Moreover, Do Ganghyun was currently in a research lab, not a properly prepared underground bunker. There might be temporary facilities, but it was dangerous all the same. So rather than Hyun Yoonseo getting close to Do Ganghyun, it was better for him to maintain distance and prepare for contingencies.
“Don’t talk nonsense and just guide the way. It’s no fun if I came all the way here just to guard a building.”
“Are you in your right mind?!”
“Do I look like it?”
“…No.”
“You saw correctly. But I’m not completely thoughtless. I came here thickly coated with your guiding, so it’s useless even if it falls off now.”
‘Maybe I’ll become the number one target?’ Hyun Yoonseo muttered nonchalantly.
