99

It was impossible to know the reason. Even as a fellow guide, Ha-gyeom had never heard of sharing emotions with others.

Despite the confusion, Ha-gyeom decided not to tell anyone about this— not even Baek Sa.

“Ah-rang.”

Assemblyman Tak, unable to hide the delight in his eyes, called Ah-rang’s name. His glistening gaze was enough to disgust Ha-gyeom, and before long, Yeo Jin-joo, who had been standing close to the glass like Assemblyman Tak, began to gag. Moments later, she collapsed to the floor, vomiting a yellowish liquid and struggling to catch her breath.

Assemblyman Tak stepped back in horror, clearly afraid the vomit might touch his feet.

“What is this?!”

But no one paid attention to his annoyed outburst. Yeo Jin-joo, pale as a sheet, raised her head from where she had crumpled on the floor. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.

Unable to stand by any longer, Ha-gyeom moved toward her, reaching out to help her up.

It was clear that she had sensed Ah-rang’s strange energy. Yeo Jin-joo, like himself, was also an S-rank guide.

“Are you okay?” she asked weakly as he approached, their proximity allowing her to speak quietly.

Although Ha-gyeom was experiencing something unusual, he wasn’t showing symptoms like hers.

“I’m fine. But Ah-rang’s energy…”

Lowering his voice, he began to whisper, but Yeo Jin-joo shook her head, signaling him not to say any more. Realizing she was wary of Assemblyman Tak overhearing, Ha-gyeom closed his mouth.

“Help me up,” she said, still struggling to recover.

Her words reminded Ha-gyeom of a moment they had shared at Gwanghwamun Square. Specifically, of what she had said while pointing to a monster’s rift.

“Damn, those parasites might be drooling over it, but as a guide, just looking at that thing makes me feel sick… like my head’s spinning and I’m about to throw up.”

He didn’t know why that memory surfaced now, but it filled him with an ominous feeling. As he helped the trembling Yeo Jin-joo to her feet, he noticed her pupils swirling unnaturally. Turning toward Baek Sa, he sought his assistance.

“Help me,” he urged.

Baek Sa quickly moved toward them, positioning himself to block Assemblyman Tak’s view of both Yeo Jin-joo and Ha-gyeom. Beyond Baek Sa, Assemblyman Tak’s expression remained disturbingly jubilant, as if Ha-gyeom’s composure was a personal victory for him.

Sensing Ha-gyeom’s discomfort, Baek Sa subtly shielded them with his body. His gaze flicked toward Ha-gyeom, sharp and commanding, silently warning him.

Don’t say anything.

Don’t reveal anything.

It was a clear warning, and Ha-gyeom quickly nodded in acknowledgment. Whatever Baek Sa knew or had seen, it was evident that defying the warning while under Assemblyman Tak’s authority would be unwise.

At that moment, Ah-rang’s energy began to shift violently. Though invisible to the naked eye, both Ha-gyeom and Yeo Jin-joo sensed the abrupt change. Ah-rang let out a faint groan, tilting her head back as her energy contracted, sucking in the surrounding air.

The alien, hostile red hue and sharp, aggressive shape of her energy vanished in an instant.

It was as if her energy had been reborn, emanating from her core in a soft, condensed form with the gentle blue light typical of a guide’s energy.

Even though the transformation was silent, Ha-gyeom’s ears rang with the abrupt stillness that followed. As Ah-rang’s energy stabilized, his own sense of confusion subsided, and he regained his composure.

Yeo Jin-joo also appeared to recover. Despite her exhaustion, she smiled faintly at Ah-rang, her joy at seeing her again overshadowing any lingering questions. The depth of her longing was evident even on her drained face.

It was eerily quiet, as if something had swept through the room and left. Even Assemblyman Tak, who had been staring at Ah-rang intently, seemed subdued.

“Sniff…”

Finally, like a monkey in a zoo under scrutiny, Ah-rang broke down, large tears rolling down her cheeks.

Baek Sa left Ha-gyeom’s side and entered the lab. Ha-gyeom watched as Baek Sa gently placed his fingers on the nape of Ah-rang’s pale neck, checking her pulse.

Ah-rang’s wide eyes slowly turned to Baek Sa’s face. The moment their eyes met, Ha-gyeom felt his heart drop.

Regardless of what emotions filled that moment, the depth of their gaze and the subtle touch between them hinted at a connection far more intimate than Ha-gyeom had anticipated.

Ha-gyeom tore his gaze away, placing a hand on his pounding chest. His rapidly beating heart tightened painfully, as if bound by invisible chains.

12. The Cursed Ones

Dr. Kim’s lab, where Ah-rang had stayed for some time, was shut down. Although further investigation revealed that the remaining radiation in the lab came solely from Dr. Kim’s corpse, the decision seemed to have been made as a precaution against any potential mishap.

The disappearance of the intense radiation was unsettling enough, but Ha-gyeom couldn’t stop thinking about the nature of the red energy Ah-rang had possessed. It weighed on his mind so much that he suffered from a constant headache.

The sensation of feeling her emotions, as though their bodies were somehow connected, had disappeared the moment the red energy vanished. Ha-gyeom hadn’t told anyone about it, but the experience had been so vivid that even in his dreams, he could recall the chilling feeling, enough to make him shudder.

Now, sitting through an uncomfortable meal at Assemblyman Tak’s home, Ha-gyeom found himself unable to push thoughts of Ah-rang to the back of his mind. Perhaps it was because he could imagine Baek Sa having been close to her. Watching Baek Sa, seated across from him and eating neatly, felt more agonizing than ever.

At that moment, Assemblyman Tak, seated at the head of the table, addressed Baek Sa.

“How’s Ah-rang?”

“She’s still weak, likely from being bedridden for so long. Given what she’s been through, we’ll need to keep monitoring her,” Baek Sa replied calmly.

“That’s true. Her body was as damaged as if it had been exposed to radiation, but she somehow came back as clean as someone who rose from the grave. And that radiation we all saw that day—how does it just disappear in the blink of an eye? Even in a world full of inexplicable phenomena, this defies all logic.”

Assemblyman Tak grinned widely, his curiosity tinged with a disturbing glee.

“Well, we’ll figure it out bit by bit. After all, Ah-rang is the only guide to return from the expedition mission. Surely we’ll find some kind of clue.”

Expedition mission.

Ha-gyeom recalled a document he’d seen on Baek Sa’s laptop, much of it redacted. He remembered the word “expedition” in its header. Though he hadn’t had a chance to dig deeper, as Baek Sa had been preoccupied with Ah-rang for days, he could infer that the mission was one of those overseen by Assemblyman Tak.

If Ha-gyeom, as a guide, had never heard of the mission, it was undoubtedly classified. It puzzled him that they made no effort to hide it from him now.

“Find out exactly what Ah-rang saw there. Every other guide we’ve sent ended up dead, so it’s a miracle we finally have one survivor. This is a rare opportunity,” Assemblyman Tak said, chewing his meat with unsettling relish.

Baek Sa, taking a calm sip of water, responded, “She’s still sleeping most of the time, but her condition is stable. You’ll know soon enough.”

“Every guide we’ve sent has ended up dead.”

Ha-gyeom’s thoughts turned again to the guides from the detention center. Could their missions have been similar to Ah-rang’s? While he didn’t yet know why Ah-rang’s survival had been concealed, the word “expedition” brought a vague but troubling image to his mind.

Expeditions inherently involved exploring the unknown. On the current Earth, invaded by monsters, the only truly unexplored territories were the paths connecting the monsters’ lairs to this world—perhaps even beyond.

The high radiation levels made it nearly impossible to approach the rifts monsters used to travel. The Gravity Hole in the Indian Ocean, the site of the first invasion, was a literal black hole. Just looking at it was enough to imagine the tragedies that befell anyone who tried to approach it.

In a world where survival itself was a challenge, few dared to think about exploring the Gravity Holes. While someone might attempt it eventually, it seemed unimaginable for anyone in the cramped, struggling territory of South Korea to take the initiative.

And yet.

Watching Assemblyman Tak pick apart his meat with careless ease, Ha-gyeom thought of the abundance in District 0—plentiful food, numerous Espers, and the capability to build a functioning system. Perhaps for the leaders and elites of such a place, survival alone wasn’t the end goal. Perhaps they had the luxury to consider what came next.

“Come to think of it,” Assemblyman Tak said, his sharp gaze suddenly turning to Ha-gyeom. “Today’s the day, isn’t it?”

Ha-gyeom blinked in confusion, caught off guard by the sudden remark.

“You two, your fusion day,” Tak added with a knowing smirk.

Ha-gyeom almost choked on his food. Across the table, Baek Sa, concealing even the faintest trace of displeasure, turned his gaze toward Ha-gyeom.

“If you want, you’re welcome to stay at my house tonight,” Tak said, his tone dripping with insinuation.