107

“Ah-rang, resent you?”

The eyes that met him when she regained consciousness were clearer than they had been in the past five years. Dr. Cha shook his head as if it were a pointless thought.

“Don’t you think Ah-rang might’ve known? That without her, you’d eventually lose control too.”

“……”

“For an Esper, losing control is a death sentence. If you look at it that way, Baek Sa, the one who drove someone to death wasn’t just Ah-rang—it was you too. In a way, you also drove yourself toward death.”

Whether it was to shatter Assemblyman Tak’s trust or a sign of true resignation, Baek Sa still couldn’t be certain. Either way, he had been the one to send Ah-rang on the exploration mission, fully aware she might lose control. He had no desire now to deny that there had been something more than cold logic in that decision.

Though his heart was pounding fast, Baek Sa calmly stared at Ah-rang. Dr. Cha rubbed the tip of his nose and added,

“Even if she does resent you, now that it’s come to this, I’m curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“About what will happen to Guide Shin Ha-gyeom.”

Dr. Cha didn’t know anything about the disguise. But by now, it was clear even to him that Ha-gyeom was someone special to Baek Sa. Baek Sa’s lips twitched slightly, knowing exactly what would be said next.

“If Assemblyman Tak orders it… would you send Guide Shin Ha-gyeom too? Just like you sent Ah-rang?”

Dr. Cha asked without any caution, pushing up his glasses with an intrigued look, far too light for the weight of the topic. But Baek Sa’s heart wasn’t so light.

Send Ha-gyeom into that place?

That was already in motion, and Ha-gyeom had willingly shown his resolve. Baek Sa had no doubt that Ha-gyeom was the key who could unlock a tightly sealed door. The one who could finally bring this exhausting mission to an end. The only one who could uncover the final clue to break the sinners and liberate this place.

But Ha-gyeom and Ah-rang were never equal in weight. For a very long time, Baek Sa had tipped the scales, willingly, only for Ha-gyeom. Even as he behaved ruthlessly, he had long since stopped justifying it. And yet, when it came to Ha-gyeom, he remained hyper-attuned—his senses sharpened to an abnormal degree, and he knew it.

“Well, that’s something we’ll find out soon enough.”

Even though Dr. Cha’s words sent a chill up his neck, Baek Sa answered calmly. When he crossed his arms and looked down, Dr. Cha pouted as if sulking.

“Fine. Let’s wait and see.”

Beep—!

Without another word, Dr. Cha opened the door. Even without an explanation, it was clear what had to happen next.

Baek Sa slowly stepped into the room, so brightly lit it almost hurt the eyes. The moment he entered, he could see Ah-rang sitting alone in the center, now more clearly in his line of sight.

Even from a distance, Ah-rang’s clear eyes locked onto him. She sat with her hands on her knees, and just as the reports said, her face showed no recognition of him. Though her appearance was the same, her gaze felt completely different. Baek Sa lowered himself to her eye level and met her eyes.

“You really don’t remember anything?”

No response. It wasn’t just that she didn’t remember—it looked like she didn’t even understand what memory was. There was likely no point in pressing further.

Ah-rang was the only guide who had returned alive from the exploration mission. That meant if they were to learn anything about the gravity hole, it had to come from her. But she wasn’t responding—only staring back with innocent, childlike eyes. At this rate, there was no way they could uncover anything satisfying for Assemblyman Tak.

“You don’t even remember how it ended between us?”

So Baek Sa chose to provoke her.

“You shattered your pride and begged me to save you, remember?”

He was the only one who had seen Ah-rang, with her proud and lofty nature, break down like that. Even if it was a moment only the two of them knew, Ah-rang couldn’t have forgotten such a humiliating memory.

Even as he stoked the embers of resentment, the faint smile on her lips didn’t fade. In fact, her lips curled up even more sweetly. Baek Sa’s neck flushed hot, and he reached up to adjust his already loosened collar.

“If you can’t even remember that…”

Then why did it feel like he was the one having his own shame dragged out? As hazy memories rose within him, his voice faltered for a moment.

Thud, thud!

Someone was pounding on the wall between rooms. A chill ran down his spine, and the pounding quickly subsided.

“……!”

But it wasn’t over.

Baek Sa suddenly turned his head. From Ah-rang’s room, it was impossible to see into Dr. Cha’s observation room. Only a one-way mirror showed a reflection of the room’s interior. But as an Esper, Baek Sa could sense what was happening beyond the glass.

A throat being squeezed. Choked groans.

It made no sense. The only person on the other side was Dr. Cha. Unless he was choking himself, those sounds shouldn’t have been possible.

‘Ghhk…! Grhh…!’

If he waited any longer, Dr. Cha might stop breathing. Baek Sa stood quickly and left Ah-rang behind, heading for the observation room.

“Grhh! Ggh…!”

Just as he’d sensed, someone—or rather something—was choking Dr. Cha. It wasn’t a person, but an invisible force. Dr. Cha had collapsed over the table, wheezing in agony.

Broken glasses, a flushed face, legs kicking the air.

“Shit…”

Baek Sa grabbed his arm and yanked him up, dragging him out of the room. Only once they reached the dark corridor near the elevator did Dr. Cha stop thrashing. The gurgling moans faded, and like someone emerging from a deep dive, he gasped desperately for air.

“Hah… hah… What… was that…!”

His eyes were completely bloodshot, but thankfully, he was still breathing.

Leaving Dr. Cha on the floor, Baek Sa returned to Ah-rang. At the entrance, one of the mercenaries was already down, lying in a pool of blood.

“……”

Unlike Dr. Cha, the mercenary was clearly dead. Baek Sa scowled and stepped past the body toward Ah-rang.

Once again, he knelt down. His eyes traced from her ever-smiling lips to her intensely focused eyes.

“……!”

And then he saw it—a flicker of red light dancing in her pupils.

It was undeniable proof that something had changed inside Ah-rang. No one else had reached the place she had entered. Baek Sa had always been prepared for whatever might emerge from that. But now, with Ha-gyeom set to follow her path, he couldn’t afford to overlook even the smallest sign.

“Ah-rang.”

She was staring at him, but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t truly seeing him. Her eyes weren’t sharp or aware—they were eerie, like something was overtaking her. Baek Sa reached for her wrist where it lay on her knees.

If it had consumed her, then surely…

“……”

This wasn’t Ah-rang. In that case—

“…Who are you?”

As if in response to his entranced question, her pupils refocused. The red glow vanished, and her eyes returned to their normal black.

Then a grotesque expression flashed across her pale face. Ah-rang suddenly slumped forward, resting her head on Baek Sa’s shoulder.

Her breath came in short gasps, as if all her energy had left her. But soon, she was completely still, like a sleeping child.

“……”

---

Fifth day.

There was still no word.

Despite it being dusk, the scenery beyond the floor-to-ceiling window was drenched in heavy gray from two days of continuous rain. It had been just the day before that a boat was sent out to the training site, driven by personal motives—but of all times, the weather had to turn foul.

Baek Sa tapped the table in his private room and glared at the sluggishly moving clock hands. It had already been two hours since he returned early to his quarters and had done nothing but stare at his laptop.

As the time passed six in the evening, he took off his glasses and pressed against his tired eyelids. A sharp thirst hit him, along with a sudden craving for a cigarette. His heartbeat hadn’t once found its rhythm all day, and his condition was plummeting from lack of sleep.

He was just about to close the laptop, leaving the sound of heavy rain pounding the windows behind, when he heard quick footsteps approaching from the hallway.

Baek Sa had been about to get up, but paused at the sound. Knock knock. Soon after, someone rapped on the door. When it opened, a mercenary, soaked from head to toe, stepped inside.

Baek Sa remained seated in his usual unhurried posture, but the mercenary spoke with the urgency of someone being chased.

“They haven’t come out since going in. The rest of the team waiting outside already looked completely worn out.”