# Chapter 14
***
The wavelength examination room was truly the worst. Time flowed at an incredibly fast pace as if under hypnosis. Throughout it all, Yeo Dowoon endured the examination silently without showing any signs of discomfort.
“They’re taking so much blood…”
If all the blood drawn over the past few days were collected, it would easily fill more than two buckets. It felt somewhat wasteful. If he had donated this much blood to the Red Cross, he would have received a commendation with plenty to spare.
“I wonder if he’ll come today.”
Being confined to solitary confinement and enduring long, boring wavelength examinations naturally led to increased self-talk. He found himself newly curious about Cha Haseong, who visited at scheduled times to kiss him and then leave.
Although the kisses were mechanical, the Esper’s body responded faithfully, earning cheers from the researchers. This was because a miracle occurred—every time guiding took place, the possibility of going berserk dropped to 3%.
Even though the very person responsible for this miracle was quick to frown whenever he entered the small room where Yeo Dowoon was restrained, the examination room’s response was nevertheless exceptionally favorable and positive.
“…They’ve done it again.”
When Cha Haseong muttered this, a handsome researcher who had been occasionally observing him made an excuse.
“It’s a measure according to our agreement. It’s clearly specified in the contract as well.”
Nevertheless, Cha Haseong answered without suppressing his fierce demeanor.
“I think his feet could be untied.”
“Well, that… Ahem! After guiding, he maintains a steady wavelength graph at 3% for half a day, but if that time is exceeded, it shoots up to around 40%. If the stabilizer worked properly, it would be a different story.”
The conclusion that came after the brilliant argument was that, for everyone’s safety, restraint had to be given top priority in the current situation.
To be precise, it wasn’t around 40%, but 43%.
Yeo Dowoon waited for the two to finish their argument, wondering why the researcher was being evasive.
Well, he probably didn’t want to upset Cha Haseong, who could be considered the only solution to this situation. If he openly revealed the number, it would be like explaining the remaining months to a terminal patient.
“Dowoon-ssi. Can you see me?”
Yeo Dowoon smiled sadly as he reminisced about his past days when he boasted a low 0.02% possibility of going berserk and pitied the situations of other Espers.
He couldn’t believe the reality that he would be the first among them to approach the title of ’50’.
As he tilted his chin up, sure enough, Cha Haseong’s face shimmered, flushed red.
“Dowoon-ssi?”
Cha Haseong clicked his tongue as he carefully examined Yeo Dowoon, who was particularly slow to respond today. Yeo Dowoon answered with a shrug, his smiling face unchanged. Clank—the sound of handcuffs echoed.
“Yes. I can see you.”
Due to the blood pooled in his eyes, the colors appeared different from reality, but he could still clearly make out Cha Haseong’s eyes, nose, and mouth. The face of the person I like, the person I love.
…The face of the person I don’t want to love.
Cha Haseong seemed dissatisfied with Yeo Dowoon’s answer and remained silent for quite some time.
“……”
Realizing that he was in a state no different from a monster, Yeo Dowoon hastily reassured him.
“The researchers came earlier and washed me thoroughly. Don’t worry about my eyes; they look like this due to examination side effects. They may look a bit grotesque, but they function perfectly…”
“That’s not why I’m looking at you.”
But Cha Haseong abruptly cut him off. Then, approaching Yeo Dowoon with big strides, he carefully placed his hand on the dried-out cheek.
Although it had been only three days since he was tied up at the base, Yeo Dowoon’s body was already crumbling bit by bit.
Partly because the wavelength examination was particularly exhausting and harsh, but also because he was constantly stressed imagining the worst-case scenario if his possibility of going berserk exceeded 50%.
“…I’ll be gentle, so tell me if it hurts.”
Cha Haseong caressed Yeo Dowoon’s cheek and chin, which had scabs on them, and then whispered like sugar coating. His curved lips met Yeo Dowoon’s delicately.
But Yeo Dowoon couldn’t relax his body no matter how much the warm tongue caressed him sensually.
Whether he liked it or not, Cha Haseong was currently measured as the guide with the highest matching rate for him.
So, as he had said, if he truly became part of the high-risk group with a 50% chance of going berserk, he would inevitably take the life of an innocent person to prolong his own existence.
Just like becoming a parasite.
“Hmph…”
Could there be such a travesty? Feeling the pressure, Yeo Dowoon tried to pull his lips away, but Cha Haseong supported his back and waist with one arm, embracing him and entangling his tongue more deeply, rubbing it against his.
His remaining hand firmly held the back of Yeo Dowoon’s head. Enchanted by the fresh scent emanating from Cha Haseong, Yeo Dowoon’s arms twitched.
Clank! The handcuffs connected to both wrists, hanging from the ceiling, created a metallic sound. Only then did his foggy mind clear up.
Cha Haseong, who had hesitantly paused the kiss, sucked on his lips for a while before withdrawing his face.
“…Call me again anytime if you can’t bear it.”
He wiped the glistening saliva and promised close to Yeo Dowoon’s ear.
“I’ll come even if I don’t want to.”
But Cha Haseong must have also been notified of the base’s decision to limit guiding during wavelength examinations to once a day.
So even if it was just a courtesy statement, Yeo Dowoon confidently answered as he pushed away Cha Haseong’s shoulder, which had been pressing down on him.
“Even if I don’t want to endure it, I have to.”
“……”
“That way, Guide-nim will suffer less.”
It wasn’t with the intention of winning Cha Haseong’s favor.
It wasn’t something he came up with hoping Cha Haseong would blame himself, but seeing his beautifully textured eyebrows twitch made Yeo Dowoon wonder if he had spoken too hastily.
Cha Haseong, who had been looking around Yeo Dowoon with eyes that seemed to have something more to say, turned away without lingering as soon as a knock sound spread.
He didn’t even offer a simple farewell greeting before opening the door and leaving.
Yeo Dowoon muttered. Still…
“I hope you don’t feel guilty.”
If, by any chance, he was taking responsibility for this situation.
Unfortunately, the cause of the surge in the possibility of going berserk without warning had not yet been clearly revealed, but Yeo Dowoon had an intuition that it was not a situation caused by Cha Haseong.
“Um, excuse me, Yeo Dowoon-ssi.”
The young researcher who had taken on the verbal battle with Cha Haseong returned to the room and stood in front of Yeo Dowoon. As he tightly bound Yeo Dowoon’s widely spread arms, Yeo Dowoon couldn’t suppress his discomfort and groaned.
“Ugh…”
“I’m sorry…! I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible!”
“…You don’t need to be sorry, just take your time. Don’t make mistakes.”
Suppressing pain wasn’t a difficult task. However, thinking about the various faces that might be watching him from beyond the translucent glass, Yeo Dowoon only wanted to commit arson in this place again.
“Guh…!”
A spasmodic groan burst through his tightly closed lips.
Since cases like this, where the possibility of going berserk suddenly amplified, were very rare, Yeo Dowoon had no choice but to be held like a test subject and offer his body to all sorts of troublesome examinations.
The feeling of excessively administered stabilizers soaking his entire body was something he couldn’t get used to, no matter how many times he experienced it.
Like when he first experienced going berserk in a dungeon made of monster skeletons, his vision became hazy, blood vessels bulged, his neck strained, and unswallowed blood trickled down. As if that wasn’t enough, his hands and feet hardened as if frostbitten.
-It’s okay.
What sustained Yeo Dowoon throughout this terrible moment was Kwon Jeonghoo’s voice, comforting his nauseating chest. The mental manipulation to neutralize the pain stirred his head dizzily.
-Everything will be alright, just endure a little more.
“Haa… Captain is taking it, right?”
Yeo Dowoon spat out the blood clots accumulated in his mouth and asked, looking down at his perforated forearm. It looked as if it would let the wind pass through nicely once he got out.
Purple bruises and green bruises were mixed all around, looking like watercolors painted on a canvas. The more he looked at it, the more he thought it was impressively wrecked.
Thus, there were no absolute humans in this world.
In public, they say Espers are revered and exalted as godlike beings, but whenever that happened, Yeo Dowoon wanted to ask them to please refrain from such nonsense and showcase his body condition.
He spoke, breathing fully due to the significantly reduced total amount of pain compared to a moment ago. His voice cracked roughly like a heavy smoker’s.
“You’re taking it instead of me. Give it back.”
Kwon Jeonghoo’s mental manipulation was just that—manipulation, as the word implies.
He could make consciousness foggy to reduce exposure to pain, but he couldn’t eliminate the pain itself.
Kwon Jeonghoo must have been secretly stealing the pain without the researchers knowing and taking it into his own body. Yeo Dowoon sternly warned,
“Put it back before I confess with my own mouth.”
