OL Ch 22

Chapter 22

The door was no longer visible, so he couldn’t open it anymore. However, this wasn’t entirely unexpected. Hayun calmly accepted his reality, surprised at how composedly he could do so.

That day, Hayun had exerted more power than ever before, which naturally resulted in these aftereffects. It was a common occurrence among espers who pushed their abilities beyond their limits during battles. He knew from experience that with adequate rest and consistent rehabilitation training, both physical and mental wounds could be healed.

Despite understanding this, feeling anxious and uneasy about losing something he had always possessed was inevitable.

If my sight doesn’t return permanently, I won’t be able to visit Teacher.

Although Baek Jinha’s body couldn’t be retrieved, Seo Iju’s remains were preserved relatively intact. Of course, this was only possible because Hayun could open portals.

‘I shouldn’t panic; everything will be alright.’

Everything would indeed be fine. Despite numerous things going wrong, he believed it would all work out eventually. Hayun tried to reassure himself amidst his growing anxiety.

Meanwhile, his discharge date was confirmed, and on that day, Mookyeong woke up from his coma. No one expected him to regain consciousness, but Hayun had already secured visiting hours in advance, allowing him to head straight to see him upon his release.

Hayun donned unnecessary protective gear despite his mixed feelings about seeing him again after so long. Initially, joy prevailed, but heavy emotions soon suppressed it. Nonetheless, he had no choice but to visit him.

Following instructions, Hayun patiently waited in the designated waiting room. However, no signal arrived, regardless of how long he waited.

‘Did they forget to call me in?’

Curious if the door might have been opened, he tried pulling on it, only to find it still locked. Suddenly, amidst a loud noise resembling something waking up, the emergency bell began ringing. Startled, Hayun stepped back just as the previously locked door swung wide open.

“…..!”

A familiar figure emerged from between the doors. A rope tethered to his ankle indicated he had been similarly restrained on a bed like Hayun. Unlike his soft fabric restraint, however, Mookyeong’s rope featured some kind of specialized device attached to it, and he still carried the bed with him as he hadn’t fully freed himself yet. The bed floated in mid-air, dripping blood onto the floor below.

Despite his disheveled state, there was no mistaking who it was.

“Mookyeong-ah!” Hayun urgently called out to him. Blood flowed down his arm, suggesting he might have ripped out an IV drip. He hurriedly approached, intending to grab his hand while asking what happened. However, Mookyeong swiftly turned sideways, grabbed Hayun by the neck, and slammed him against the wall.

“…Ugh!” Hayun’s eyes widened at the unexpected rough treatment. Even during sparring sessions, Mookyeong never grabbed him this forcefully. He tried to pry his hand off but couldn’t budge it. Unable to breathe, Hayun’s face turned from red to blue before Mookyeong finally released him.

As soon as he let go, Hayun flew backward. It seemed like he was thrown away once he relaxed his grip. Caught by surprise, he tumbled uncontrollably and attempted a clumsy landing maneuver, but it was too late. Pain surged through his body with a dull thud. His head pounded from hitting the ground hard. Instinctively curling up, Hayun coughed repeatedly.

“Baek Mookyeong, y-you!”

No matter how much of a patient he was, it was unforgivable. Hayun believed that Baek Mookyeong would soon recognize him. Then, he expected him to be startled and tremble uncontrollably with fear. However, Mookyeong continued walking forward without stopping.

Hayun gritted his teeth and stood up. It was clear that Mookyeong must still be half-asleep. Taking deep breaths, he sprinted towards Mookyeong.

“Hey!”

At that moment, a red laser pointer swept across the wall. Instantly, Hayun spun around and hid behind it. Memories from that fateful day resurfaced, causing him to gasp sharply for air. Amidst his panic, he spotted a nurse crouching near another hiding spot.

The red emergency lights were flashing, indicating someone had pressed the call button. The security team responded swiftly to the alarm.

Hayun cautiously peeked around the corner again. Instead of gunshots, he now heard thuds. He glanced sideways and then squeezed his eyes shut before opening them once more.

‘That crazy Baek Mookyeong.’

He initially wondered why he was carrying his bed but soon realized he was using it either as a shield against bullets or to push aside guards. He also snatched guns from the security team and flung them away with telekinesis.

Despite being heavily armed, they were ordinary civilians without any special abilities. Even though Mookyeong was a minor esper, there would be consequences for this chaos. Why on earth was he causing trouble right after waking up from his coma?

Frustrated, Hayun yelled at him one more time.

“You crazy bastard Baek Mookyeong! Stop right there! Do you want to go home or not?!”

Mookyeong halted at Hayun’s shout. The bed lowered onto the floor with a creak, as if protesting his movements. The red emergency lights flickered, illuminating Mookyeong. He turned towards Hayun and ran his hand through his hair. With hostility burning in his eyes, Hayun gulped nervously and clenched his fists tighter.

“It’s time for me to go home now.”

Mookyeong began approaching him. With each step forward, Hayun felt an urge to retreat backward but managed to stand firm by bracing himself on his toes. However, maintaining his stance became increasingly difficult. Surprised, he blinked as his body involuntarily started sinking. In disbelief, he alternated glances between the force pressing down on his shoulders and Mookyeong.

‘This is a lie’

Mookyeong couldn’t manipulate Hayun with telekinesis because the door opened by Hayun blocked his power. This was due to their connection as pieces of each other; they could not use their abilities against one another directly. However, there were workarounds such as manipulating objects like clothes or using doors as stepping stones despite being unable to pass through them.

But now, Mookyeong’s power was affecting him.

‘This can’t be happening.’

Hayun denied the reality, but even as he did, Mookyeong continued advancing toward him. By the time he had crossed half the length of the long corridor, Hayun was already doubled over. Sweat dripped from his forehead onto his chin and fell to the floor below.

All Hayun could think about was fleeing. Reflexively, he tried to open a door but found none would respond to his call. He placed both hands on his thighs and struggled to stand upright again. His breathing was labored. With great difficulty, Hayun raised his head to look at Mookyeong. The latter had reached the middle of the hallway but stopped there, silently observing Hayun without moving an inch.

“…..” 

For the first time, Hayun felt genuine fear toward Mookyeong. Caught in this standoff, he momentarily forgot to breathe as he experienced a strange sensation. It felt like his mind was turning red, and every hair on his body stood up straight. Instinctively, Hayun turned to escape.

However, it was too late.

“….!”

With the sound of shattering glass, followed by impact, pain, and darkness, Hayun lost consciousness.

“He has temporary memory impairment.”

The lawyer dispatched by the Center to mediate this violent conflict between espers calmly informed Hayun about Mookyeong’s condition.

“…..”

As the first rays of dawn seeped into the hospital room, Kim Hayun withdrew his hand from the sunlight. He had barely been discharged but was readmitted due to worsening health.

His wounds stung as he moved slightly. Hayun tried hard not to focus on them.

“The psychic monster’s attack has compromised his memories. Even recalling that day is unclear, especially anything related to you, Mr. Kim Hayun.”

The lawyer chose his words carefully. Unable to find the right phrasing, he rummaged through his bag and produced a medical report detailing Mookyeong’s symptoms. Hayun diligently read the document but couldn’t fully comprehend it. Or rather, he simply didn’t want to think about it at all.

“To be exact… the Hayun in his memories does not match up with the current Hayun.”

“…..”

“The memories are about Hayun, but he doesn’t think it’s Hayun. He recognizes him as someone else that he can’t remember.”

Hayun slowly drew in a breath and cautiously exhaled. It felt like his heart was filled with thorns, and any wrong move could cause him immense pain.

“…What kind of nonsense is this?”

He couldn’t comprehend either the doctor’s report or the lawyer’s explanation. The world seemed to be spewing out gibberish. Hayun felt like he had entered another dimension.

“Well, we haven’t collected all the samples yet, but most individuals exposed to that monster’s attack are reporting various aftereffects. Mookyeong appears to be experiencing one such symptom.”

Seeing Hayun’s blank stare, the lawyer frowned as if feeling helpless. He then handed him several pages of his medical report.

“As telekinesis is also considered a form of psychic power, you’re aware it provides some defense against other psychic attacks?”

Hayun silently nodded.

“I believe during the monster’s attempt to infiltrate their minds and while defending themselves, confusion arose within their memories. To protect themselves, their minds may have distorted these memories, but they remain permanently altered.”

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.” Despite trying to hold back, tears flowed uncontrollably. If not for the presence of the lawyer, he would have buried his face in the blanket and sobbed openly.

“Can this be treated? Will things be okay then?”

Hayun didn’t understand anything else, but he focused on ‘temporary memory impairment’. He hoped it would be temporary indeed, as short-lived as possible. Of course, even this was hard to accept, yet what mattered most was that Mookyeong could recover his memories.

“At present, Mookyeong believes there is nothing wrong with his memories.”

“…..”

“He does not wish for any treatment related to his condition. It likely wouldn’t have much effect anyway.”

Hayun’s eyes widened. “How can he think there’s no problem when he can’t remember properly? He needs treatment! Why won’t he get help?! Why?”

His voice cracked as he yelled.

“Is it because he’s underage and doesn’t have money? No, they’re quite wealthy. Teacher told me how to access their funds if needed. Even Mookyeong knows about it!”

“No, it’s not that.”

“All of you adults–! What does he know for you to let him do whatever he wants? If he is hurting, adults should help and fix things for him. Right?”

Hayun didn’t have the presence of mind to discern if his words made sense or not. He gripped the lawyer’s sleeve tightly and shook him. Despite repeated pleas for him to calm down, Hayun couldn’t hear them. He didn’t want to listen.

“Other than his memories of you, there are no symptoms. Mookyeong can lead a normal daily life without any issues. Currently, there is no known treatment for his condition.”

Inadvertently, Hayun took a deep breath but froze mid-breath. The sudden intake of air exposed his vulnerable state, causing a sharp pain akin to being pricked by thorns inside his chest.

“Then.. .then what do we do? If there’s no cure, what can we do?”

Without treatment, his condition wouldn’t improve, would it? The lawyer frowned at Hayun’s question.

“It may sound irresponsible, but we can only rely on time. Baek Mookyeong is an exceptional esper, so he might regain control of his memories himself or coincidentally reestablish them.”

Mookyeong’s symptoms were considered temporary because there was a possibility that he could either regain control over his memories independently or have them restored by chance. However, if neither occurred, this ‘temporary’ state could last a lifetime.

The saying goes: when things become absurd, one laughs. It perfectly described his reaction. Unable to speak, he burst out laughing instead. How could Baek Mookyeong not recognize him? It seemed utterly unbelievable and nonsensical.

Hayun continued laughing before his forehead creased. It felt too painful to laugh anymore. He silently swallowed his sobs but eventually broke down into tears again.

“Since you were like family, Mookyeong seemed to care deeply for you. Although he can’t recognize you now, it seems that your words in the special ward reminded him of you.”

It’s because I said it, that’s why he understands it, Hayun internally countered the lawyer’s explanation. However, the lawyer reached a different conclusion: The recent violent incident occurred due to sensitive keywords triggering Mookyeong’s heightened emotional state. Additionally, he emphasized how Baek Mookyeong’s parents had died and gone missing during the Seoul labyrinth incident. His intentions behind mentioning this were clear.

Currently, Baek Mookyeong couldn’t use his abilities. However, he hadn’t yet started any intensive rehabilitation training, and there was no definitive diagnosis of permanent ability loss. As such, he was still classified as an esper. Whether it involved combat or non-combat espers, the severity of punishment differed significantly between incidents involving only espers versus those involving both espers and non-espers.

The lawyer’s detailed account of Mookyeong’s state effectively served as a plea for Kim Hayun to show restraint.

“Furthermore, Mr. Kim Hayun, you are prohibited from approaching Baek Mookyeong within a certain distance until he stabilizes.”