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“That.”

As soon as Assemblyman Tak began speaking again, Ha-gyeom hastily cut in. The man’s gaze, which had been directed toward Baek Sa, shifted to Ha-gyeom.

“…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because… there’s no precedent.”

There was no way he didn’t know exactly who Baek Sa meant when he said “Esper.” If Ha-gyeom were to participate in the second training, how could he not realize that the Esper who’d accompany him would undoubtedly be Baek Sa?

“In everything, there must always be a pioneer. Sacrifice for the greater cause is unavoidable. You already succeeded honorably once—what is there to be so worried about?”

Forced sacrifice wasn’t sacrifice at all. Ha-gyeom couldn’t agree, knowing how many lives had been claimed in the name of this man’s so-called “greater cause.”

“If this goes well, my influence here will grow even stronger. We’ll uncover truths that no one has ever managed to reveal. It’s not just the training or the mission—District 0 itself is ready for the next phase. If the gifted individuals under me lend their strength, I’ll finally be able to draw the bigger picture I’ve envisioned.”

His tone was polite, yet the words themselves were arrogant. Assemblyman Tak’s position in District 0 was already unshakable. Was he aiming even higher? How much more power did he need before he was satisfied?

Ha-gyeom didn’t touch his plate. His clenched fists trembled violently. His white shirt clung to him with sweat. On the outside, he probably looked simply pale, but inside, it felt as if all the blood in his body had drained away, leaving him unable to breathe.

The younger face of Assemblyman Tak from over a decade ago kept rising in his mind. That rigid, merciless expression he had seen in Ah-rang’s memory.

Trying not to arouse suspicion, Ha-gyeom forced himself to cut a piece of steak and place it in his mouth. But even though he hadn’t eaten anything all day, nausea immediately surged.

“Ugh…”

Covering his mouth in panic, gasping, he felt Baek Sa stand from his seat at once. Quickly yet quietly approaching, Baek Sa crouched beside him and rubbed his back.

“Are you alright?”

His expression wasn’t overly gentle, nor was it cold. As expected, Ha-gyeom couldn’t guess what he had been thinking these past days.

“Tsk…”

Assemblyman Tak clicked his tongue openly, as if inconvenienced. Ha-gyeom had no capacity to consider his reaction. Heat stung his eyes, and he squeezed them shut before opening them again. Unable to watch him suffer any longer, Baek Sa reached out and held his elbow gently.

Ha-gyeom let Baek Sa help him stand. As Assemblyman Tak frowned in annoyance, Baek Sa spoke as if it were nothing serious.

“It would be better for him to throw it up. Please continue your meal.”

Assemblyman Tak waved his hand dismissively as though waiting for this, and thanks to that, Ha-gyeom was able to leave the room with Baek Sa. They passed several attendants, and once they reached the bathroom farthest from the reception room, Baek Sa stepped inside and firmly locked the door.

Ha-gyeom immediately turned on the faucet and bent over the sink. The urge to vomit overwhelmed him, but nothing came up. All he managed were painful dry heaves before wiping his mouth, and when he turned around, his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

“……”

Seeing Baek Sa finally drop his guarded façade made Ha-gyeom’s eyes burn. As if forgetting he’d ever rejected the man’s touch, he stepped forward and buried his face in Baek Sa’s broad chest.

“Breathe slowly.”

Holding him firmly, Baek Sa spoke. He’d seen these panic symptoms not only when Ha-gyeom was young but also here, so he handled the situation with practiced ease. He rubbed Ha-gyeom’s back with warm hands and hugged him tightly to help him calm down, yet Ha-gyeom only grew worse. Not the slightest bit better.

His body shook as though he were freezing. Sweat fell like rain. His whole body hurt as if pricked by needles, and Ha-gyeom could only gasp like a wounded animal.

No matter how he tried to shake it off, Assemblyman Tak’s invisible face kept resurfacing in his mind, driving him mad.

“How much do you know… about that man?”

Even while trembling uncontrollably, he forced the question out. Baek Sa slowly loosened his hold and looked him in the eye.

“That’s what I want to ask you. Why did you suddenly react like that in front of him…?”

“He…”

Now, he couldn’t endure without saying it.

“Did you know he killed my mom, my dad… and my brother?”

It was something from long ago. A tragedy Ha-gyeom had buried deep in his heart for years.

But now that Ah-rang’s memories had crashed into his consciousness, even the slightest trigger brought unbearable pain. He had barely restrained himself from shouting, which made his voice come out pathetically small.

“Hyung… did you know?”

Because Baek Sa had lived as Assemblyman Tak’s loyal subordinate here, Ha-gyeom asked the question.

At that, Baek Sa’s brows drew together, and even the gaze meeting his began trembling violently.

“I saw it in Ah-rang’s memory. Assemblyman Tak was commanding the execution of the gifted families.”

Ha-gyeom’s lips trembled as he begged for answers, like someone enduring intense pain. The heartbeat pounding not in his chest but in his eardrums, the occasional ringing like a sharp whine. His senses dulled as though submerged underwater, yet Baek Sa’s stiffening expression remained painfully clear.

“Hyung…”

At that moment, Baek Sa suddenly covered Ha-gyeom’s mouth. His large hand pressed over both his mouth and nose, forcing him to hold his breath. His expression was sharp, warning him into silence. Footsteps passed nearby, grew louder, then faded again.

Only then did Ha-gyeom remember this was still Assemblyman Tak’s house. His eyes darted toward the door.

“You saw it… through Ah-rang’s memory?”

Baek Sa’s lips brushed his ear as he whispered. Ha-gyeom, struggling under the weight of Baek Sa’s shoulder, still nodded obediently.

“How?”

Baek Sa removed his hand, demanding an answer. How? Ha-gyeom didn’t know either. How was he supposed to explain? Would Baek Sa think he had gone insane? Would he even believe him? If it involved gifted abilities, Baek Sa was the person who understood such things best—what if he dismissed it as nonsense?

While Ha-gyeom’s mind churned with a thousand chaotic thoughts, Baek Sa lowered his voice and asked again, more clearly.

“How did it happen?”

He was surely already guessing, yet this time he asked as if demanding an answer. Around then, Ha-gyeom found himself more frightened by the strength in Baek Sa’s grip than by the panic symptoms.

“The day I met Ah-rang…”

As soon as he said that much, Baek Sa leaned in close enough that their noses could almost touch.

“That memory crashed over me.”

There was no other way he could explain it. Thinking back to that moment—when he’d been helplessly bound while the memories flooded into him—left him dizzy.

As Ha-gyeom bit down on his trembling lips, Baek Sa looked at him with an intensity that felt like his gaze could swallow him.

“Was I… in that memory?”

It was surprising. Ha-gyeom had expected him to question the reason and the mechanism, not this. Caught by those eyes that seemed to see right through him, he confessed without resistance.

“…You were.”

He couldn’t move an inch. A brief silence settled. Considering how terrifying Baek Sa had appeared in Ah-rang’s memories, Ha-gyeom hesitantly studied his expression.

“I saw it. I saw you in Ah-rang’s memory…”

Even after revealing something he’d hidden for so long, there was no visible reaction on Baek Sa’s face. He suppressed the tremor that had shaken him earlier when hearing about Assemblyman Tak, and now he looked at Ha-gyeom with a face wiped clean of emotion.

“The day before the exploration mission… I know Ah-rang went to find you.”

Ha-gyeom added, his eyes clouded with confusion. Whispering despite knowing how thorny the subject was, he did not look away. For a moment, Baek Sa’s brows creased, then smoothed.

Baek Sa, as the one directly involved, would remember it just as vividly as Ah-rang. Would he blame himself? Would he feel shame knowing Ha-gyeom had seen it? Baek Sa didn’t seem to consider his past here something he could stand tall about…

Ha-gyeom waited for him to say something—anything—but he did not reply.

Ha-gyeom had thought all the times he couldn’t read anything from those pitch-black pupils were behind them. But now, Baek Sa suddenly put up an unseen wall.

As if he were asking why Ha-gyeom sought answers when he already knew them.

Ha-gyeom’s trembling worsened.

“Hyung.”

“You shouldn’t call me that here.”

Baek Sa corrected him quietly, brushing his fingertips near Ha-gyeom’s lips. He wiped the sweat streaming endlessly down his face and pulled him back into his arms, trying to soothe him, but Ha-gyeom couldn’t feel the slightest bit comforted. His confusion only deepened under the weight of rising anxiety.

Why won’t he tell me?

About the version of himself that appeared in Ah-rang’s memory.