DP Episode 131

Episode 131

Cha Yeon-woo’s life rarely had good days.

“Cha Yeon-woo, right?”

A man in a white coat approached with a genial smile. His attire alone didn’t clarify if he was a researcher or a doctor.

“Wow, your profile surprised me, but you’re even more stunning in person.”

Yeon-woo assumed he was being teased. The photo submitted to the center for his guide evaluation was far from flattering—taken after days of fasting, endless medical tests, and under the haze of anesthesia.

Unfazed by Yeon-woo’s lack of response, the man cheerfully continued,

“Looks like your manifestation signs appeared in a way that really suits you. Idol-like, even.”

He gestured to his own head, referring to Yeon-woo’s disheveled hair.

Yeon-woo sheepishly ran a hand through his unruly locks and averted his gaze.

“You must’ve been surprised by the sudden call. You already had your training schedule laid out, right?”

“Yes, a bit…”

Yeon-woo replied softly.

“I’m Kang Hee-min, head researcher here. Everyone calls me Dr. Kang,” he said, extending his hand.

Yeon-woo shook it politely, his eyes darting to the unfamiliar hallway.

“You know why you’re here today, right?”

He was scheduled for a compatibility test with an Esper. The identity of the partner hadn’t been disclosed.

“I was told it’s for a matching test.”

“That’s right, but…”

Hee-min trailed off, scratching his eyebrow with a hint of unease.

“The Esper’s current state is… complicated.”

He pressed his ID card against a scanner, and the door clicked open. He guided Yeon-woo into the room.

“Hello.”

A woman with blue hair, tied up neatly, greeted him. Sitting on the edge of a bed, she smiled warmly and extended her hand.

“Hello,” Yeon-woo replied cautiously.

“Kang Mi-yeon.”

“I’m Cha Yeon-woo.”

He took her hand in his, though every fiber of his being screamed otherwise.

‘No.’

Yeon-woo lowered his eyes to his body, now covered only by a medical gown and connected to a multitude of monitoring devices.

“This is my private lab.”

Hee-min explained, motioning around.

“The devices are for real-time monitoring of your state.”

Yeon-woo’s blue eyes flitted over the bed, the equipment, Mi-yeon, and finally Hee-min.

“Let’s begin the test.”

Hee-min said, clapping his hands to regain Yeon-woo’s focus.

Mi-yeon climbed onto the bed, gesturing sharply.

“What’re you waiting for? Come on.”

Moving hesitantly, Yeon-woo perched at the edge of the bed. Mi-yeon’s hand reached toward him, aiming to adjust his gown collar.

But before she could touch him, Yeon-woo flinched violently, swatting her hand away and springing to his feet.

“No, this isn’t it.”

Mi-yeon frowned deeply.

“What?”

“This isn’t right,”

He repeated, his voice trembling.

Hee-min, busy adjusting equipment, turned his head at the commotion. The light atmosphere of the room thickened, pressing down on them like an ominous weight.

“Where is my lieutenant?”

Yeon-woo demanded, retreating until his back met the wall. His question struck like a sudden blow, silencing them both.

Thud. Creak. Crack.

The walls began to ooze and crumble like wet clay, replaced by a flood of thick, crimson liquid. The air turned suffocating, the tang of blood heavy in his lungs.

“Yeon-woo.”

A voice whispered, honeyed and intoxicating, brushing his ears.

The sound of his name alone was enough to send him reeling. He surrendered to the voice, his world collapsing into raw ecstasy.

It wasn’t Mi-yeon anymore.

It wasn’t a sterile lab.

It was the intoxicating heat of Ji Seo-joon’s arms—the love of his life, his divine, irreplaceable existence.

“I love you, Lieutenant. I’m so happy, so happy.”

Yeon-woo whispered reverently, his trembling hands cradling Seo-joon as though he might shatter. They were two pieces of a puzzle, painfully broken yet perfectly interlocking.

But as their breaths tangled, as their bodies entwined in their desperate reunion, Yeon-woo’s mind fragmented further.

“Yeon-woo.”

Seo-joon’s voice was tender yet firm. It pierced through Yeon-woo’s delirium like a lifeline.

“Let’s live together.”

The plea was simple, aching with sincerity. Yeon-woo’s lips parted to reply, but his voice faltered. His hands, trembling yet resolute, clung tighter to Seo-joon’s frame.

His answer wasn’t spoken but etched in the fervor of his touch.

He was never letting go.

✽✽✽

The deafening explosion swept through the construction site like a tidal wave. Dr. Kang Hee-min clutched his helmet tightly, ensuring it didn’t fly off, while Song-hee stumbled and struggled to keep up with the retreating soldiers.

―High heat detected inside the main tower!
―Imminent explosion!
―All teams evacuate the main tower area immediately!
―Temperature monitoring systems have failed!
―Get out now! Move, move!

Urgent voices interwove in the cacophony of the situation, echoing from Colonel Jin’s comms. The ground quaked violently, buildings’ metal frames crumbling in a cascading collapse. Song-hee fell hard amidst the chaos, letting out a shriek.

Hee-min, along with the soldiers, scrambled to pull her back up. Kang Chae-won appeared suddenly, hoisting Song-hee effortlessly onto her shoulder.

BOOM! BOOM-BOOM! The sound was apocalyptic, as if hundreds of bolts of lightning had struck simultaneously. Floodlights shattered into sparks, plunging the scene into intermittent flashes of light and darkness.

Compressed pressure radiated from the epicenter of the main tower, its force throwing Hee-min off his feet and several meters away.

Ears ringing with silence, he struggled to open his eyes. Everything was shrouded in a suffocating cloud of dust, rendering his vision almost useless.

“Dr. Kang! Are you okay?”

A hand shook him roughly. He dimly registered the frantic voices of others through the static of broken comms.

[Unidentified movement. Possible entity detected.
Weapons ready. Standby for orders.
Awaiting visual confirmation.]

Gunfire erupted anew, the staccato of rapid rounds breaking through the haze. Ahead, Chae-won approached Song-hee, now wrapped in an emergency thermal blanket. Hee-min steadied himself and helped Song-hee to her feet.

Then, it came—faint at first, a sound distant yet piercing.

“Help… someone, please help…”

It wasn’t a normal call. It was raw, primal, like the scream of someone who’d clawed their way out of hell only to realize they were still trapped in its jaws. Hee-min strained to locate the source.

And then he heard it again, this time unmistakable.

“Help me! Please! Somebody, save me!”

Kang Chae-won’s flashlight flickered to life, cutting through the murk as she moved toward the sound. Hee-min followed instinctively, only to be yanked backward by Colonel Jin’s firm grip.

“Cease fire! CEASE FIRE, YOU BASTARDS!”

Jin’s roar shook the air as he bellowed into the comms. Hee-min allowed himself to be led closer to the epicenter of the blast.

Through the thinning dust, something began to take shape—a figure writhing weakly amid the wreckage. Hee-min wiped his glasses hurriedly, squinting to make sense of what he was seeing.

“Please, help… help me!”

It wasn’t a creature.

It was Cha Yeon-woo.

His steps faltered, and he froze.

There he was, covered head to toe in blood, gore, and the viscous residue of the gate’s aftermath. Cha Yeon-woo, crawling weakly across the rubble, was clutching something desperately against his chest.

Not a weapon. Not debris. It was the mangled remains of a body—no longer human in any recognizable sense, just torn flesh and fragmented form.

Before Hee-min could move, Chae-won was already on him, throwing a thermal blanket over Yeon-woo’s trembling frame. She cradled him protectively, her voice breaking as she screamed to the others.

“Get a stretcher! NOW!”

Soldiers and medics darted about, their shouts and footsteps blending into the pandemonium. Hee-min, shoved aside in the frenzy, could only stand motionless, a paralyzed observer to the miracle unraveling before him.

For the first time in his life, he was witnessing a true, inexplicable ‘miracle’.

T/LN: OHMYGODDD!!! Im gonna cryyy!!