TG Ch 6 Part 3

Sijin turned and ran, his legs pumping. The monster, unfazed, gave chase, its heavy footsteps pounding behind him.

‘Please, communication center… communication…!’

He fumbled with his tablet, trying to activate the emergency communication system. His shaking hands kept missing the button.

Crash!

The monster, disoriented by the taser, crashed into trees as it pursued him. The sound of splintering wood filled the air. The taser had bought him some time, but Sijin’s hope was fading.

He finally managed to connect to the emergency communication line just as he reached the entrance to the secondary communication center. The long hallway stretched before him. 

[Dr. Baek! We’re unlocking the emergency firearm storage.]

“No, send someone!” 

[Enter the communication center. We’ll initiate emergency lockdown.]

“Just lock it now– ugh…!” 

Sijin tripped on the stairs, his foot catching on the edge. He hadn’t seen it in the darkness. His hands scraped against the rough concrete, and his tablet flew out of his grasp. He gritted his teeth as pain shot up his ankle, but he had to get up. 

Crash!

The monster slammed its head against the wall beside him. 

Its red eyes were focused on him. Their eyes met, and Sijin froze, paralyzed with fear. 

Then, he heard a voice from his fallen tablet.

[Guards are on their way. Estimated time of arrival: three minutes.]

“Three minutes…! Just… lock it down now!”

Three minutes? With the monster right there? Sijin scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his ankle. His only option was to enter the communication center.

The monster was ramming its head against the entrance, the building shaking. He limped down the hallway, his heart pounding. The metal bars from the ceiling were descending, blocking the entrance.

The communication center was a two-story building. The second floor, however, was filled with equipment, and the emergency stairs were locked. Boom! The monster slammed its head against the partially closed gate. Sijin limped towards the end of the hallway, fear gripping him. 

‘The gate won’t hold for long…’ 

He had to confront the monster directly. He ran to the emergency firearm storage located at the end of the hallway.

The Center had firearm storage units installed throughout the building, accessible only with authorization from command during emergencies. He reached the end of the hallway and retrieved a rifle.

Sijin quickly loaded the rifle, his mind racing.

‘I have to aim for the heart.’

A frenzied monster would keep fighting even with a head injury. Only guiding or a fatal blow to the heart could stop it. The metal gate, halfway down, was bent, but still holding.

However, the ceiling mounts were starting to loosen. The gate would give way soon. 

‘No…!’

He finished loading the rifle just as the gate crashed down.

[Building lockdown failed. Building lockdown failed.]

Red sirens blared as the monster entered the hallway, its grotesque body dripping with an unknown liquid. Its eyes were fixed on Sijin.

Sijin knew it would charge at him.

Bang! 

He fired. There was no time to hesitate.

A voice came through the communication center’s speakers. 

[Guards will arrive in two minutes and thirty seconds.]

“Can I… leave a last message?”

[Dr. Baek. Don’t… Don’t give up.] 

Bang! Sijin fired again. The monster, unfazed, slammed its head against the wall.

The voice came again.

[Aim for the heart.]

“It’s not working! The bullets aren’t penetrating its hide!” 

[Don’t give up. This is the F12 Center.]

Their reassurances offered little comfort. Sijin was a realist.

‘Jeong Taeyul…’

He was alone, trapped in the place he thought was the safest.

‘You promised to protect me.’ 

He was pathetic, clinging to resentment in his final moments. He pushed the thought aside, struggling to focus through the fear. His hands were slick with sweat.

The monster was charging.

His heart pounded in his chest, his body trembling. His grip on the rifle weakened, but he gritted his teeth and fired.

The monster didn’t even flinch, its pace increasing. 

He was going to die.

He dropped the rifle, his eyes wide with fear.

A wave of nausea hit him as he braced for the impact. He imagined his body being crushed.

There was no time for a life review. He simply felt a profound sense of emptiness.

And the fact that he couldn’t think of a reason to live only amplified his despair. It was a strange, miserable feeling.

Then, he heard a voice through the speakers, a different voice. 

[Dr. Baek.]

The monster suddenly stopped. Was this his life flashing before his eyes? A bullet shattered the reinforced glass window beside him, sending cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.

[Duck.] 

Shatter!! 

The window exploded inward as a figure lunged through the opening, tackling the monster. He grabbed its thick mane, his grip unwavering.

The monster screamed, thrashing its head against the wall, but he held on, refusing to let go.

The monster, its body convulsing, suddenly collapsed. Its red eyes dimmed.

“Ha… ha…”

Sijin, backing away, gasped for breath.

He realized what had happened. Someone had forced their wave energy into the monster, subduing it with brute force.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again. He saw the man, his knee pinning the monster’s neck to the ground. He looked at Sijin and grinned. 

“Sixty seconds. Not late, am I?”

Jeong Taeyul asked, his voice ragged as he caught his breath. There was a thin trickle of blood on his cheek, probably from a glass shard. Sijin stared at him, his eyelashes fluttering.

“J-Jeong Taeyul…” 

Sijin stammered. Jeong Taeyul stood up, brushing himself off. He reloaded the rifle, then aimed it at the monster’s heart and fired. Then, he approached Sijin.

“Whew.”

Jeong Taeyul, still under the influence of the tranquilizer, staggered slightly. But his gaze remained fixed on Sijin as he walked towards him.

Sijin, watching him, recalled Jeong Taeyul’s words from their earlier conversation.

‘The Alpha Team will be here to protect you within sixty seconds.’

He had kept his promise. Sijin, his legs giving way, slid down against the wall, his body trembling. 

“How… H-How did you…”

The monster, which he’d assumed was unconscious, suddenly let out a ragged gasp. Sijin flinched, curling into a ball. 

“Don’t worry, it can’t move.” 

Jeong Taeyul said calmly, his foot pressing down on the monster’s neck, crushing its windpipe. He must have channeled his wave energy into it again, because the monster went still. A pool of blood spread across the floor beneath its dark, grotesque body.

“Whoo… Secondary communication center, situation clear.” 

Jeong Taeyul reported through his smartwatch, his voice regaining its steadiness. Sijin continued to tremble, his heart pounding in his ears. The encounter had been too close for comfort.

Jeong Taeyul knelt before him. 

“Dr. Baek, look at me. Are you hurt?”

“…No, I-I’m… o-okay…” 

“It’s over. Take a deep breath.”

“Yes… yes… I’m… okay…”

“…Dr. Baek.”

Jeong Taeyul’s voice wavered. Sijin, unable to even lift his head, continued to tremble. He felt pathetic, but he couldn’t control his fear.

He hiccuped, a sob escaping his lips. Jeong Taeyul draped his field jacket over Sijin’s shoulders. The warmth of the jacket enveloped him.

But his body continued to shake. Sijin clung to the jacket, his head bowed, repeating, “I’m okay… I’m okay…” He had no right to seek comfort.

“Dr. Baek, look at me. Hm?”

“…I-I’m okay… I’m fine, really…” 

“Baek Sijin.”

“…..”

“Please. You don’t have to pretend to be okay with me.”

“…..”

His voice was soft, soothing.

Sijin finally looked up. Jeong Taeyul was staring at him, his eyes filled with concern and a hint of desperation. He cupped Sijin’s face and said, “You were scared, weren’t you? And you were alone. I’m sorry I was late.” 

“…..”

Sijin’s gaze faltered.

He bit his lip, his carefully constructed facade crumbling.

It wasn’t okay. He had been terrified. He had almost been ripped apart by a monster. Tears welled up in his eyes.

Jeong Taeyul, witnessing his breakdown, did something unexpected. He pulled Sijin into his arms.

“Hic…”

Sijin sobbed, burying his face in Jeong Taeyul’s chest, seeking solace in his embrace. Jeong Taeyul, instead of mocking him, held him tighter.

Sijin’s nose pressed against his shoulder, catching a whiff of Jeong Taeyul’s sweat. Being in his arms calmed his racing heart, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

Jeong Taeyul had kept his promise. He had protected him. The realization filled him with a profound sense of relief.

[Captain Jeong Taeyul, Captain Jeong Taeyul. Report your status. Is Dr. Baek alright?]

Jeong Taeyul’s smartwatch buzzed. He sat up, still holding Sijin. He released one arm to answer the call. 

“N-No…”

Sijin panicked, clinging to his back, his grip desperate.

Jeong Taeyul chuckled and ignored the call. 

“You’re really scared, aren’t you? Clinging onto me like this.” 

“Don’t… don’t let go. Don’t let go…”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Reassured, Sijin cautiously peeked over Jeong Taeyul’s shoulder. He saw the monster lying on the ground, its dark body still. He stared at it, fear still lingering, then realized what it was. He mumbled, his voice muffled by Jeong Taeyul’s shoulder, “A… A boar…?”

“Yeah. We caught a boar, Doctor.”

Jeong Taeyul said, his voice gentle, as if coaxing a child. He was probably teasing him, but Sijin didn’t have the energy to care.

Then, it finally hit him. 

The monster hadn’t died from the three bullets he’d fired. It had been subdued by Jeong Taeyul’s guiding. No, even before that, he had managed to stop the monster momentarily. It was the power of an S-rank Guide, a power that surpassed A-rank.

And he had found Sijin within the vast Center grounds. 

“How… How did you find me?”

Sijin asked, his voice trembling. His tracker was malfunctioning. 

Jeong Taeyul’s answer was casual. 

“I always know where you are, Doctor.”

“My tracker’s broken…” 

“Mine isn’t.” 

“But… you were on tranquilizers.”

“Yes, I was. …What happened to your hand?” 

Jeong Taeyul, as if the tranquilizers were a minor inconvenience, stared at Sijin’s injured hand. The scrapes from his fall were bleeding. 

And Sijin noticed his arm.

There were several deep cuts on his arm, bleeding. They looked like puncture wounds, probably from something sharp. They were much worse than Sijin’s scrapes. 

“You’re bleeding… What happened?”

“Ah… this?” 

Jeong Taeyul said nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.

“I had to wake up.”

Sijin realized what he meant. He had injured himself to break free from the tranquilizer’s effects. He stared at the wounds, his voice laced with worry, “We need to get you treated…!” 

“Yeah, the medics are here. Show me your hand.”

Just then, the support team arrived, rushing down the hallway.

The medics checked on Sijin, who was still clinging to Jeong Taeyul.

They bombarded him with questions, but all Sijin could say was, “I’m okay.”

***