Chapter 64

They arrived in a room that looked like a regular meeting room, but Haon felt an oppressive weight on his chest and a sensation of being crushed.

“Damn it…! What have you done to me?!”

The man’s eyes briefly glowed purple before returning to their normal color. Frustrated that his abilities weren’t working, he raised his voice angrily. However, Director Han remained calm.

“It’s nothing special. It’s a type of barrier that suppresses abilities.”

“What? Why did you drag me to this place? What did I do?!”

Haon now understood why he felt so oppressed; they were in a barrier that suppressed espers abilities. The man was furious and looked ready to fight Director Han. Though Haon was wary, Director Han seemed unfazed.

“Let me out!”

“Stay still.”

“What? Stay still? Get lost!”

“I’m warning you. Stay still.”

“What are you gonna do if I don’t?”

Ignoring the warning, the man headed for the door. Director Han grabbed his collar and swiftly threw him to the ground. The speed of the action surprised both Haon and the man. The man gasped in pain, and while he caught his breath, Director Han pulled out handcuffs and secured the man’s hands to a bar in the center of the table.

“Let me go! Let me go, damn it!”

The man struggled and cursed, but the handcuffs held him firmly. He tried to use his telekinesis again, but his eyes only briefly glowed purple before returning to their normal color.

During this time, Director Han checked the man’s information on a tablet. Haon also looked at the screen.

“Mr. Im Kyung-ho. You joined the center early last year.”

 “So what? Why did you bring me here?”

Unable to escape, Im Kyung-ho shouted angrily. Director Han, however, remained calm, as if he was used to dealing with such people.

“Mr. Im Kyung-ho, you will be charged with attempted murder of Mrs. Lee Jung-hye and also held responsible for the kidnapping of Mr. Cha Yugeon.”

“Why? Do you have any proof that I tried to kill her? And kidnapping? Where’s the proof for that?”

Haon clenched his teeth in frustration at Im Kyung-ho’s shamelessness. While the kidnapping of Cha Yugeon lacked concrete evidence, the attempt to kill Lee Jung-hye was undeniable. Im Kyung-ho was the only one using telekinesis in the hospital, and when Director Han subdued him, the force holding Lee Jung-hye was released. Knowing this made Im Kyung-ho’s denials infuriating.

“Mr. Im Kyung-ho, this place is the Mist Room. What happens here is as if it happens in the mist; it won’t be known outside, and even if it were, nothing that happens here will be subject to punishment.”

“What…?”

At the mention of the Mist Room, Im Kyung-ho turned pale. Haon was also shocked to learn that the Mist Room actually existed. He had only heard rumors and never met anyone who had been there.

The Mist Room was known as a place created by the center to deal with abilities users who couldn’t be easily punished through normal means. Supposedly, various unspeakable things happened there, but since its existence wasn’t confirmed, it hadn’t caused much controversy. But now it was clear that it existed.

Im Kyung-ho must have heard about the Mist Room. That’s why he was finally showing signs of fear. But he quickly returned to his defiant attitude.

“So what? What if this is the Mist Room? Are you going to torture me? As if… Argh!”

Bang!

Director Han smashed Im Kyung-ho’s hand, which was cuffed to the table, with his fist. The impact was loud and brutal.

“Damn it! Crazy… crazy bastard! Do you think you’ll get away with this? If people find out about this place, do you think they’ll just let it slide?”

“Don’t worry. When you leave this place, Mr. Im Kyung-ho, you won’t remember anything.”

“What…? What do you mean…?”

“It means your memory will be erased.”

Im Kyung-ho looked utterly shocked, realizing the gravity of the situation.

“It’s impossible… This can’t be happening!”

Im Kyung-ho screamed in shock. Haon was also greatly surprised but tried not to show it.

“Of course, we will treat your body as well. So you won’t remember anything that happened here, and you won’t be able to reveal anything to the outside.”

“That’s… that’s not possible…”

“It is. Did you think the center managed people with abilities without any safety measures?”

Director Han’s cold words made Haon swallow hard. He hadn’t realized how terrifying Director Han could be, nor had he known the center was this formidable.

Everything was a series of shocks, but Haon decided to focus on finding Cha Yugeon for now.

“Dammit… this can’t be happening, it can’t!”

“Mr. Im Kyung-ho, what did you do to Mr. Cha Yugeon?”

“How should I kno—”

Bang!

This time, Director Han slammed his hands on the table with both hands. The threatening gesture made Im Kyung-ho tense up. He had already been attacked by Director Han once and knew he could be attacked again at any moment. Unlike before, Im Kyung-ho now looked very uneasy.

“I’ll ask again. What did you do to Mr. Cha Yugeon? And who are your accomplices? We already know you didn’t act alone.”

“I don’t know! I don’t know anything, damn it!”

“Then we’ll keep repeating this until you do.”

Director Han took off his suit jacket and removed his watch, making a threatening display. Im Kyung-ho trembled, swallowing hard.

“I won’t use any abilities like you, Mr. Im Kyung-ho. But I am confident I can get the answers I want without using them.”

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Im Kyung-ho cursed and shouted, his frustration clear. The situation had turned in Director Han’s favor. Im Kyung-ho was clearly troubled and agitated.

“Mr. Im Kyung-ho, I’ll ask again. Who kidnapped Mr. Cha Yugeon?”

“It was an esper who can cause explosions. I don’t know his name! Really. He was the one who took Cha Yugeon, and I was just watching the woman. We didn’t even know exactly what was happening. We were just middlemen.”

Finally, Im Kyung-ho spoke. Though it was uncertain how much of his story was true, getting him to talk was an achievement.

Director Han immediately opened the tablet and searched for espers with explosion abilities. Three names appeared.

“Which one of these is it?”

 “…”

“Mr. Im Kyung-ho, who is it among these?”

“…Damn it. It’s this guy.”

Im Kyung-ho pointed to the man in the middle picture. He was A-rank explosion esper Park Min-ho. Director Han gave Haon a signal to leave. As they were about to exit the room, Im Kyung-ho shouted again.

“Now you have to let me go! Let me out!”

“You seem to forget, Mr. Im Kyung-ho, that you attempted to kill Lee Jung-hye and were involved in Cha Yugeon’s kidnapping. You will be punished accordingly.”

“What… No, this can’t be happening! This can’t!”

Ignoring Im Kyung-ho’s frantic screams, Haon and Director Han left the Mist Room. Director Han teleported them back to Haon’s quarters. As soon as they arrived, he contacted Won Jaehyuk, Siyun, and Kim Jeongwon, asking them to come over. The three arrived shortly after.

“Park Min-ho is the main perpetrator of Cha Yugeon’s kidnapping. They must have taken measures to prevent Cha Yugeon from using his abilities. Therefore, we will track Park Min-ho’s esper abilities to find him.”

Haon swallowed hard. Knowing who kidnapped Cha Yugeon brought some relief, but it wasn’t enough.

“In fact, it would be most accurate if Cha Yugeon used his abilities. As you know, there are sensors throughout South Korea that detect esper abilities. If Cha Yugeon is in Korea, using his abilities would significantly narrow our search area. Moreover, someone of Cha Yugeon’s caliber should be able to use his abilities even if they are suppressed.”

“I see.”

Haon felt somewhat reassured by Director Han’s explanation.

“But as you mentioned, Cha Yugeon might be unconscious, so we can’t just wait for him to use his abilities. Therefore, we will track Park Min-ho first. However, this will not be an official operation by the center. We don’t know who else inside the center might be involved. So we need your help.”

“Yes, understood.”

Haon and the others responded resolutely.