Chapter 22

“Park Haon!”

Cha Yugeon’s voice calling Haon’s name echoed through the air. Cha Yugeon flew swiftly to the area where Haon disappeared.

“Park Haon! Can you hear me? Damn it, please answer me, Park Haon!”

His urgent voice went unanswered, filling the air with desperation.

Frustrated by the lack of response, Cha Yugeon swept his hand through the air in agitation.

“Director Han! Do you get a reading of Haon’s guide power? do you sense anything?”

― Just a moment…

“What the hell, are you kidding me? Just a moment?!”

Before Director Han could finish his sentence, Cha Yugeon erupted in a tirade of curses.

As he was about to jump in…

The fierce currents suddenly calmed down, revealing a large bubble.

There was no water inside the bubble.

And inside it was Haon.

“Park Haon, are you…?”

Cha Yugeon’s words trailed off. It was because of the scene unfolding inside the bubble.

* * *

‘I almost died.’

In the moment when he was being swept away by the strong currents, Haon barely managed to grab onto the man.

At the same time, he focused his mind and guided him.

All he could think about was that if he failed, they would both die. Perhaps due to his desperation, Haon’s guiding was successful.

Instinctively, Haon could sense that he had succeeded. He vividly felt his guide power flowing into the man.

The man’s hearts, which had been racing terrifyingly, gradually calmed down.

Not only that, but the man’s eyes, which had been clouded, soon regained their clarity. Haon’s figure was reflected in his eyes.

The man looked at Haon with surprise for a moment, then he seemed to realize something.

Soon, the fierce currents calmed down, and a circular space formed around them.

“Phew…”

Haon exhaled, relieved.

The space inside the bubble felt like a submarine.

Just being able to breathe made him feel like he would survive.

“Hey, are you okay now?”

“…Yes, I’m fine.”

The man seemed confused, but he responded calmly.

Finally, Haon felt the tension in his body easing.

“Park Haon, are you…?”

At the familiar voice, Haon looked up.

It was Cha Yugeon.

However, his expression was unlike his usual self.

Haon couldn’t believe his eyes as Cha Yugeon looked like he might burst into tears at any moment.

It didn’t feel real to see Cha Yugeon with such a worried expression, and calling out his name.

He stared blankly in surprise, but soon Cha Yugeon’s expression suddenly hardened. The sad look from earlier was nowhere to be found.

This change only added to Haon’s confusion. He couldn’t understand why Cha Yugeon was acting this way.

For a brief moment, their eyes met. Cha Yugeon glanced at Haon for a moment, then quickly turned away.

Haon’s eyebrows suddenly narrowed in dissatisfaction at the unpredictable emotional change.

― Mr. Park Haon, are you okay?

“Yes, well… I think so.”

If it weren’t for the Director Han’s question, Haon would have confronted Cha Yugeon about his behavior. Fortunately, thanks to the Director Han, he was able to regain his composure.

― I’m glad. Both of you can return to the Center, and we’ll take care of the esper separately.

“Okay, understood.”

He has some grievances about the Center, but at least the radio equipment was perfect. Despite being soaked, it still functioning without trouble.

Haon briefly responded to the Director Han’s radio message and then looked at the man. Suddenly realizing that he was still holding onto him, Haon quickly let go, startled.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“More details will be explained by the team coming from the Center, but… you seem to have manifested as an esper. Do you know about the Center? They manage people with abilities… Anyway, they will pick you up here. Well then, I’ll go first.”

“W-wait!”

The man called out to Haon urgently. Haon looked at him with curiosity. The man hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.

“Um, can I… at least know your name?”

“My name is Park Haon.”

“Ah…”

“Well, then, what do I do about this?”

Haon tapped the bubble as if knocking on a door. The man seemed flustered for a moment, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, the top part of the bubble disappeared.

“Thank you…”

“Come out quickly.”

Due to Cha Yugeon’s urgency, Haon couldn’t even say a brief farewell.

Haon glanced at Cha Yugeon with an unsettled expression as he was lifted up by telekinesis. Cha Yugeon then grabbed Haon’s wrist and ushered him into the waiting helicopter.

“Are you hurt?”

Haon couldn’t help but utter a word as they reached the helicopter.

Cha Yugeon, with a stern expression, simply pulled Haon inside the helicopter through the open door, chuckling under his breath.

“There’s a lot to be grateful for.”

“Why are you making a fuss again?”

“What do you have to be grateful to that guy for? You almost died because of him. Don’t you get it?”

In reality, all of this mess was due to the man’s rampage, and Cha Yugeon found it absurd to express gratitude given the life-threatening situation. So, arguing with Cha Yugeon’s words seemed pointless.

However, accepting Cha Yugeon’s words as they were would hurt his pride, so Haon remained silent and took his seat.

Despite feeling Cha Yugeon’s piercing gaze from behind, he kept his eyes forward.

Soon enough, he heard footsteps approaching, and Cha Yugeon also took his seat.

A chilly atmosphere lingered between them. Throughout the journey to the Center, they maintained silence, and upon arrival, they parted ways without a word.

* * *

Cha Yugeon was irritated. No, his emotions weren’t simply summed up as mere irritation.

His stomach twisted with boiling anger, vivid memories etched into his mind.

The sight of Haon coughing up blood, the expression Haon gave him with surprised eyes as he mouth fed him medicine, the scene of Haon disappearing beneath the water, and even the image of Haon guiding another esper flashed through his mind.

“…It’s all Park Haon.”

Muttering to himself with a voice tinged with irritation, Cha Yugeon splashed water on his face.

Leaning back on the couch, he stared at the ceiling. Though he was clearly looking at the white, immaculate ceiling, it felt like he was staring at Haon’s face.

“Damn it…”

Was this what it meant for one’s nerves to fray? Gritting his teeth in frustration, Yugeon muttered.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“What, when did you get here?”

Jaehyuk’s unexpected appearance puzzled Yugeon, Jaehyuk just shrugged and placed a can of beer on the table.

“Just now. I rang the doorbell, but there was no answer, so I just came in.”

“Get out.”

“Heh, telling the person who brought beer to leave. You’re too much.”

Jaehyuk shrugged off the retort and casually cracked open a beer can.

Yugeon’s annoyance intensified.

As if he didn’t already feel uncomfortable enough, now even Won Jaehyuk was being a nuisance.

“Who told you to come in? That’s enough, just go.”

“Why is our Cha Yugeon in such a bad mood? I’m curious about what’s bothering you so much that you’re throwing a tantrum like this.”

Even in the face of Yugeon’s cold words, Jaehyuk didn’t bat an eye.

Instead, he seemed even more curious. Having seen Yugeon in various moods before, Jaehyuk knew that Yugeon rarely lost his temper on his own.

It was because usually he had already vented his anger outside that there was no bitterness left inside.

It was natural for Jaehyuk to be curious about why Yugeon, who rarely stayed holed up alone in his room like this, was acting this way.

“What’s the problem?”

“Nothing, just the usual.”

“But why?”

“Why what?”

“You’re acting like you’re ready to explode at anyone who look at you wrong.”

“…”

Jaehyuk’s words hit home, and Yugeon couldn’t deny them.

They were true. In fact, it was because of that damn esper that almost killed Haon.

Yet, he couldn’t understand why he was so angry. Haon was the one who was hurt, so why was he feeling so upset?

Not knowing the reason also meant he had no reason to kill that esper.

“I don’t know, either.”

“Hey, what do you mean by that?”

“I really don’t know.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re so irritated?”

Jaehyuk, having roughly grasped his psyche from their short conversation, nodded knowingly. Either way, Yugeon was still grinding his molars so hard that they made a clicking sound.

“I’ll take a quick guess.”

“Of what?”

“The reason why you’re so upset.”

Despite Yugeon’s continued silence and teeth grinding, Jaehyuk remained calm, tearing open a bag of potato chips.

Yugeon was so bewildered by Jaehyuk’s claim to guess the reason that he himself didn’t know, to the point where couldn’t even come up with a reply.

“Park Haon.”

“What?”

“It’s because Park Haon, right?”

Yugeon looked at Jaehyuk in astonishment at his words.

 Jaehyuk confidently smiled, as if to say, “There you go.”