DB Vol 1 Part 20

Not just received. Won-woo was the person the Esper forces wanted to kill the most. Everyone related to Espers resented and cursed Won-woo. Surprise attacks and sniping were everyday occurrences on the battlefield, and even food given at the camp, thought to be safe, was found to be poisoned once.

There was a spy inside. Fortunately, the poison detection kit that Sang-cheon had provided was effective, so he didn’t fall victim. But the spies never stopped. Unable to eliminate Won-woo on the battlefield, they persistently infiltrated the Free Government Army from within.

There was even an incident where Won-woo’s house suddenly exploded in the middle of the night. But even the internal spy probably didn’t know. The government had prepared another house nearby for Won-woo to stay in, just in case.

Luckily, that day he had stayed at the other house. But surviving by luck wasn’t always a good thing. Later, there were times when he found himself disgusting for stubbornly surviving. Alone. What was the point of living on alone like that?

“It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

[Do you want to live that long?]

“Hahaha.”

Won-woo couldn’t hold back his laughter and bent over laughing for a while.

“Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I was thinking of something else and laughed.”

It was 100% because of Nani’s words that he laughed, but unable to explain the reason for laughing, he made an excuse.

“I don’t intend to live long. But I’ll live as long as I can.”

This absurd stroke of luck he suddenly got was making Won-woo excited for once, but he didn’t let his guard down. This luck might end today.

Won-woo had witnessed too many lives ending suddenly with unexpected deaths. So there was no time to be leisurely about things he wanted to do.

[Go ahead and try living to 200 years old being so careful.]

“You even make jokes. At this rate, you might start speaking informally to me.”

[Sure, why not.]

“But in your settings, you can’t speak informally, right?”

[…Me?]

“Yeah.”

[…I don’t think so?]

“If not, I’ll ask Director Hwang to adjust your settings.”

Silence fell again. Meanwhile, Won-woo put the leftover trash in the bag and was about to get up when he stopped.

Creak.

The sound of the rooftop’s iron door rang out nearby. Then a surprised male voice was heard.

“Huh? Why is it open? They said only I and the manager had the key here.”

Soon, a man tilting his head entered Won-woo’s view. He walked out onto the wide rooftop, then suddenly turned around and smiled. He was a man, but he had a pretty cute face.

“Maybe an Esper opened it? Was there an Esper with the ability to open locks?”

“Where would there be such an Esper? Idan, you say odd things sometimes.”

The responding voice was that of a low and deep-voiced man. Won-woo immediately realized that the owner of the voice was an Esper.

Thud.

The Esper made footsteps as he followed the person called Idan and appeared on the rooftop. Compared to Idan, who seemed about 170cm tall, he was a head taller. He was well-built too, completely blocking Idan when he stood in front of him. Won-woo didn’t want to be caught as he planned to use the rooftop often in the future.

He thought he could just quietly hide and leave since they were irrelevant people anyway. They wouldn’t see him if he hid. So he leaned back more comfortably against the metal structure, but the tall Esper walking towards the opposite side suddenly turned his body sharply.

He must have good instincts as he instantly found Won-woo visible between the metal structures. And their eyes met.

“…Ji Won-woo?”

“Seung-wook hyung, what’s wrong?”

He heard the voice of someone named Idan. When the Esper first discovered him, Won-woo thought he just had good abilities. But he was shocked first by his name and second by his face.

The man was frowning, holding his gaze and not letting go. That man’s name is Seung-wook? That’s the name of the Esper Ji Won-woo was chasing after. That’s why he was even more puzzled. Won-woo knew that face. He was the guy who used to stalk Won-woo in his original world.

* * *

-Back to the past-

[Won-woo! Hey, did you hear that news?]

Hearing Sang-cheon’s excited voice, Won-woo figured it was probably some useless news again. He had just returned to his quarters after completing a mission that lasted several days and had just finished showering. This recent battle with the Esper had been quite tough, and he still felt a sweet taste in his mouth.

He thought he could finally lie down now that he was back in the safe quarters, but the other person was revving up for a long chat. So, even though it was annoying, he asked to end the conversation quickly. Otherwise, it would drag on endlessly.

“What is it?”

[Wow, I knew you wouldn’t know. How can you not know news about yourself? The entire unit has been in an uproar all day because of it.]

“Why, did someone come as a spy to try to kill me again?”

[It’s the exact opposite.]

The exact opposite? Won-woo threw the towel he had been using to dry his hair onto a chair and turned off all the lights in the room. Finally, as a precaution, he carefully peeked through the curtain gap to check outside. The dormitory area in the middle of the night was deserted except for occasional patrolling guards. Still, he didn’t let his guard down and focused his senses to detect any Esper energy.

[They say someone fell in love with you and abandoned everything to come here.]

“…”

[Hey, did you hear me?]

“It’s a spy.”

Won-woo thought there was no need to listen further. Who did they think he was to fall in love with him? Although there were days when he didn’t wear a gas mask due to supply issues, Won-woo still tried to cover his face with a handkerchief to block even a little of the blood smell. Moreover, Won-woo’s information was top secret, so few people inside knew his true identity. So how could someone fall in love?

[No, it’s real. You think they wouldn’t have thoroughly investigated internally? They say the person brought too much critical information about the other side to be a spy. I heard that even the operation you went on this time was all thanks to what that person revealed. And that’s not all. Apparently, all the Espers from the East Center that got wiped out this week were thanks to that person.]

Only then did Won-woo frown with suspicion.

“You’re saying it’s really not a spy?”

[Yeah. Crucially, they say the person doesn’t know your true identity.]

“And it’s not an act?”

[Yeah, I heard the intelligence department even tortured them. They say the person really came over because they fell in love with you.]

“Where did they see me?”

There was silence for a moment. Just as Won-woo was about to lie down on the bed after thoroughly closing the curtains to block the window, he finally heard an answer.

[Um, in OO City two years ago. Did you used to live there? I heard you lived in the North before.]

He had lived there. For quite a long time. Actually, due to circumstances, he didn’t live in OO City for very long as he kept moving around, but perhaps because he spent his last moments there with those he considered family, it remained particularly memorable. However, whenever he closed his eyes and recalled the past, he was always greeted first by the desolate wind and air so cold it felt like his lungs would freeze.

Of course, there were more warm days, but it seemed that the winters were colder there than in other regions. So when people he became close to asked about his hometown, he would mention “the North.” But he had never specified the city, so maybe it was true that the fake spy had seen him.

[It seems like you have some kind of story in the North.]

The reason for Sang-cheon’s hesitation became clear. Won-woo flopped down on the bed and replied half-heartedly.

“Is there anyone here without a story?”

[I don’t have one.]

“Right. You just have debt.”

[Technology investment.]

Sang-cheon corrected him and went on to explain at length about his recent interests. Won-woo responded perfunctorily to his chatter and closed his eyes. The North was the first region to be liberated from the Espers. As Purifiers gathered there to escape the Espers, it naturally became a symbol of liberation. The reason for this was the tragic accident of the powerful Esper family that ruled the North.

Since it was a place that struggled without matching Guides for their unique wavelengths, the ruler of the North was the first to accept the Purifiers when they appeared. This caused conflicts with other Espers, and before the full-scale war broke out, the entire family died in a rampage after falling for the cowardly tactics of the Esper forces.

Based on this tragedy, the North became the core of the anti-Esper faction and is now the most developed city. Won-woo moved to the North after the rulers of the North disappeared. Because of this, he didn’t know much about that family, but he was grateful to them. Thanks to them, he was able to escape from the terrible Ji family and live in a free place.

In fact, compared to the wealthy Ji family, it was a materially humble life. However, even though it wasn’t affluent, even though they shivered in the cold trying to save on heating and wrapped themselves in layers of blankets. Life in the North was happy. It’s the only period he can think of when he hears the word happiness. And there were those he considered family.

Due to economic sanctions imposed by the Esper forces, there were problems with seed supply when Won-woo first went to the North. Moreover, the anti-Esper forces also aimed for zero monsters. The idea that freedom meant breaking away from seeds spread, so everyone tried to survive without seeds.

So for the first few years Won-woo lived in the North, he was always shivering in the cold. At night, he would sleep in front of an old wood stove with a blanket over his head. There was always a large kettle on top of the stove, bubbling with boiling water. In the morning, the ajumma would put nurungji (scorched rice) she had stored in the warehouse into a handled soup cup and pour hot water over it.

The warmth spreading in his hands was the first pleasant start to the day. When the fragrant steam mixed with a savory aroma touched his face, it made his mouth water. Even though he ate it without any side dishes, it was so delicious and savory. Although it was food eaten because there was no money, he never disliked it even once.

[Anyway, it seems that Esper saw you a few times when they went to OO City as part of a negotiation team. At first, you caught their eye because you were with some man who had severe facial scars and was very physically impaired. After that, even when you were alone, they say they couldn’t see anyone but you.]

“…”

[Was your family sick?]

For a moment, Won-woo couldn’t speak as he swallowed the hot lump rising in his throat. But when his voice finally came out, it was low and cracked.

“So, assuming that was me. You’re saying they fell in love just from seeing me a few times?”

[They say they followed you around for several days. After that, they looked for you for two years. Isn’t that amazing? Betraying their own side and coming over because of love.]

“Love is probably just an excuse. The East has already mostly fallen to us anyway. Maybe they just got out early because they realized they were about to die too.”

Won-woo believed in love, but he didn’t trust an Esper’s love. Espers are obsessed with Guides. This proposition was now accepted as truth, and Won-woo believed it too. After all, he knew how Espers who couldn’t be Guided looked at Guides.

Espers don’t have love. It’s just an obsession to escape pain. So he didn’t care about the traitor who allegedly crossed over to their side chasing after him.

The government wouldn’t let him meet Won-woo anyway, and Won-woo had no intention of meeting him either. But it seems he desperately wanted to see Won-woo after coming over. Afterwards, Won-woo felt persistent stares a few times in the camp, and each time he turned his head, he encountered the same face.

He had brushed it off lightly, thinking he just gained a stalker, but later learned that this person had betrayed their allies because of him. It was Sang-cheon who told him this story too.

[The government told him not to approach you. Apparently, they said they’d only trust him after at least half a year passed. But that’s obviously just an excuse. Since he knows a lot of information and is useful, they’re using you as bait to exploit him for longer. So I felt a bit sorry for him.]

When Sang-cheon relayed this news, Won-woo was about to have his first proper warm meal in days. It was just ramen, but after eating only dry combat rations, having warm soup in front of him felt like heaven. However, Sang-cheon’s next words made him pause the chopsticks he was about to raise.

[He probably didn’t know he’d die in less than a month. It’s really unfortunate.]

Even Sang-cheon, who didn’t know him at all, felt pity for him, but Won-woo felt not an ounce of sympathy. To him, it was no different from news of one more Esper he killed daily disappearing.

But he couldn’t pick up the chopsticks he had put down. That night, lying in bed without eating anything, he recalled the face that had been staring at him. He still felt nothing, and he was sad at how chilling his own lack of emotion was.