Chapter 61

The cleanup crew arrived to clear the debris, and medical staff also came to treat any possible injuries. First, the cleanup crew dealt with the smoke caused by the explosion. Thanks to an esper who could control the wind, they managed to change the airflow and quickly cleared the smoke from the building, restoring clear visibility.

Haon pushed through the debris and approached the spot where Cha Yugeon had fallen. Fortunately, it seemed that his instinctive sense of direction hadn’t been wrong, as he wasn’t far from where Cha Yugeon had been.

“…Cha Yugeon.”

But Cha Yugeon wasn’t there. Fearing that he might be buried under a chunk of asphalt, Haon struggled to clear the asphalt debris on his own. Clearing the asphalt with the strength of Haon, who was just a guide and not an esper, was extremely difficult. However, he gritted his teeth and slowly moved the debris to the side.

Despite Haon’s desperate efforts, Cha Yugeon was nowhere to be found. Haon bit his lower lip in despair but didn’t give up.

Maybe he was mistaken. Perhaps Cha Yugeon had fallen not here, but over there. Given the situation with all the debris collapsed, it was easy to get confused about the exact location.

Believing this, Haon meticulously searched the vicinity. He wore gloves that were part of his uniform, otherwise, his hands would have been torn apart as he relentlessly sifted through the debris.

“Mr. Park Haon.”

Director Han approached Haon. Haon looked at him in response to his call. Director Han glanced around Haon and his surroundings briefly before speaking.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“I’m… busy right now.”

“That’s why I want to talk.”

Despite Haon’s troubled response, Director Han didn’t back down. Although Haon felt something was odd, he instinctively realized the need to talk with Director Han.

Haon silently watched him. Without knowing where he was heading or what he intended to say, he decided to follow his intuition and follow him.

Director Han grabbed Haon’s shoulder. At that moment, Haon felt as if he was being sucked into somewhere and was instantly transported to another place. They arrived at a conference room. Just as Haon began to worry about being too far from the accident site, Director Han spoke.

“It’s relatively safe here.”

“Relatively?”

“There are fewer ears listening. In a situation where we don’t know who is involved in this incident, we can’t say there are none.”

“…Does that mean I can interpret it as even you might be involved in this incident, Director Han?”

Haon asked in a rather sharp tone. From Haon’s perspective, he couldn’t trust anyone but himself at this point. He was glad to hear Director Han’s voice, but that was before he knew that Cha Yugeon had gone missing.

Now, even Cha Yugeon had disappeared. In a situation where he couldn’t tell who was an enemy or an ally, he couldn’t trust Director Han.

Moreover, if this incident was caused by an external enemy, there must have been someone colluding with them. And if Director Han had any ulterior motives, his position would have been extremely attractive to the enemies.

When Haon stared at Director Han in silence, he met his gaze directly.

“Mr. Park Haon.”

“…Yes.”

“Where is Mr. Cha Yugeon?”

Director Han got straight to the point without beating around the bush. Haon was startled but tried to act nonchalant.

“I don’t know. By the way, Director Han, when you contacted me earlier via radio, you said you weren’t sure if it was an esper’s rampage or an external invasion. Have you confirmed it now?”

Haon didn’t lie in response to Director Han’s question. He really didn’t know where Cha Yugeon was. In fact, the very idea of having a leisurely conversation with Director Han in this situation was driving him crazy. But he couldn’t show his agitation or impatience. If he did, Director Han would sense something was off.

“It’s not yet confirmed, but I am leaning more towards an external invasion. Mr. Park Haon, it was confirmed that Mr. Cha Yugeon was with you last. Are you saying you don’t know?”

“Yes, I don’t know. Can you tell me the basis for leaning towards an external invasion?”

Director Han pressed Haon, but Haon didn’t back down and tried to get information from Director Han.

“As you know, we have detection sensors that alert us immediately if there’s an unstable esper. However, we didn’t receive any such alerts this time. Mr. Park Haon, let me ask you again. Where is Mr. Cha Yugeon?”

“I told you, I don’t know. If it’s an external invasion, should we only be wary of external enemies, or should we be cautious of those who might be colluding with them internally as well?”

“…I don’t know. But let me tell you one thing: I’m not.”

For the first time since they started talking, Director Han responded in a somewhat softer voice. Haon carefully observed Director Han. It didn’t seem like he was lying, but that didn’t mean he could trust him right away.

“Thank you for telling me. If we don’t know, then we shouldn’t trust anyone hastily.”

“You’re right, Mr. Park Haon. That’s why I was cautious of you as well. But after seeing you urgently clearing debris at the accident site, I thought I could trust you. Your hands were a mess from clearing the debris, which means you were desperate. Besides, Mr. Park Haon, you’re in pain, but you still did that, so there must be a reason.”

“…”

Haon glanced at his hands at Director Han’s words. Indeed, his uniform gloves were torn, and through the tears, he could see wounds seeping with blood. He didn’t even realize he had hurt himself while clearing the debris.

Moreover, he had forgotten the pain in his side. It was only after Director Han mentioned it that he realized he was injured, and the pain came rushing back. Haon bit his lower lip to endure the overwhelming pain.

“I know there’s no reason for you to trust me. But you can’t find Mr. Cha Yugeon alone.”

“So I’d like us to be on the same boat for a while. You don’t have to trust me. Let’s focus on giving what we can and getting what we need.”

“…Why are you going this far, Director Han?”

Director Han’s words were persuasive. But before anything else, there was something Haon needed to confirm. He had to understand why Director Han was doing this. Whatever the reason, if there was something sincere, it would indicate that he was being genuine.

“This place is a home for the awakened ones. The awakened trust the Center and have entered here. So, it is the Center’s responsibility to protect them. And I am the one who should be doing that.”

“…”

Haon pondered for a moment. There was certainly no lie in Director Han’s words. His sincere tone made him sound trustworthy. However, that alone wasn’t enough to make Haon fully trust Director Han.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t trust me. But finding Cha Yugeon isn’t something that can be achieved just by your desperate efforts alone.”

He was right. No matter how desperately Haon searched for Cha Yugeon alone, it wouldn’t yield much result. Haon couldn’t find Cha Yugeon with his strength alone. So, like it or not, he had to borrow someone’s help.

“…Alright.”

Eventually, after a brief moment of contemplation, Haon replied. Although he still felt uneasy and uncomfortable about having to trust Director Han, he had to give and take as Director Han suggested. Haon looked straight at Director Han.

“I understand that Director Han can’t act independently. If others need to move along with us, are they trustworthy?”

Haon had to solve the final problem. Even if he cooperated with Director Han, he ultimately had to borrow the strength of others in the center. Therefore, those people also had to be reliable collaborators like Director Han.

“That’s why we must move with a minimum number of people. The support we have received from the Center so far cannot be compared. But I can guarantee that it will be much safer.”

Director Han’s confident words made Haon think. He was still suspicious, but he couldn’t avoid help in this situation. Then, a thought struck Haon like a flash, and he looked at Director Han and spoke.

“Fine. But I’d like to add a few people to the group that needs to move.”