DP Episode 8
by BrieDeep Pivot Episode 8
Strangely, Yeon-woo couldn’t recall what Seo-joon’s expression was like. He had forgotten that he kept his eyes closed throughout the kiss and struggled to remember what Seo-joon’s face looked like at that moment.
What was it like… Why can’t I remember? We were so close that our noses almost touched. He must have been really handsome…
Next time, I must remember and engrave his face in my mind so I won’t forget.
“…”
Slowly lifting his head from between his arms, which were wrapped around his knees, Yeon-woo thought about how he could kiss like that again.
To become his personal guide meant he could continue to be by his side… his body shifted slightly and collapsed back onto the blanket. Gripping the pillow tightly as if to burst it, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.
Although he had charged it in the morning, the old device quickly ran out of battery. Yeon-woo connected his phone to the charger and touched the cracked screen.
He could use the weak Wi-Fi signal thanks to the landlady sharing the password. Otherwise, Yeon-woo would hardly ever touch his phone.
In fact, if the landlady hadn’t given him her old smartphone, Yeon-woo might still be using a flip phone taped together.
When he opened the video app, a few cat videos recommended by the algorithm and thumbnails of recently watched videos appeared. Yeon-woo scrolled down familiarly and touched one video.
The old news video wasn’t of great quality.
[The awakening ability of Awakeners manifests regardless of age or gender. After undergoing precise examination at the research institute and receiving suitability approval, they are immediately deployed to the field. Among them, there are even very young students.]
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye When did you two friends awaken?
The camera captured two students sitting on the school playground stairs along with the journalist’s question. It was Seo-joon, who looked younger than he does now.
[Seo-joon (18)]: Um… I awakened last year, and he hasn’t been awakened for a few months.
Their answers seemed awkward, as if they were not used to interviews.
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: Were you two always friends? In the same class?
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: Different answers?
[Seo-joon (18)]: We weren’t really close friends.
Min Sun-wook (18): What are you saying… You only have me as a friend.
Min Sun-wook lightly pulls Seo-joon’s arm, who responds with a playful laugh.
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: But you seem quite close?
There was laughter in the journalist’s voice too. Yeon-woo stared at Seo-joon’s smiling face in the video. He had watched the video hundreds, if not thousands, of times, but recently, after meeting him in person, Seo-joon in the video seemed particularly young and innocent.
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: Aren’t you upset about not being able to go to school?
[Seo-joon (18)]: Actually, I prefer it.
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: What do you do when you have free time?
[Seo-joon (18)]: Play… | Min Sun-wook (18): Train together.
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: Ah, training.
The screen switched to Min Sun-wook and Seo-joon laughing and joking around. Unlike during the interview, the journalist’s voice sounded more formal.
[After diligently studying in school, these teenagers, who should be focusing on academics, awakened as espers and became exemplary soldiers. Espers and guides are paired through one-on-one matching, and fortunately, Seo-joon and Sun-wook can rely on each other, making their situation somewhat better.]
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: Sun-wook, you’re a guide, right? Can you tell us how guiding works?
Min Sun-wook stole a brief glance at Seo-joon, causing their eyes to meet and become locked in an instant. A shy smile simultaneously appeared on both of their faces, creating an air of intrigue. Seo-joon, overcome by a sudden warmth, blushed and shyly looked away, a hint of pink coloring his earlobe.
Min Sun-wook (18): Through contact.
Min Sun-wook (18): Yes. Holding hands, hugging…
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye: Holding hands and hugging? Is that how guiding works? Exactly how…
The journalist’s words were interrupted, and the screen switched again. It was a scene from a disaster management center expansion site. The journalist reported on how the country manages awakened individuals through a certain system, as the frequency of gates and awakened individuals has been increasing, necessitating more systematic management.
The 10-minute video ended like that. It was the only remaining video of Seo-joon on the internet.
Though it’s currently impossible due to security laws, during the early days of gate occurrences, various media outlets often aired interviews with awakened individuals. It was possible back then when related laws and systems were not properly established. Of course, those videos have all been deleted, but it seems that this interview video, uploaded separately by an individual, was not found.
For Yeon-woo, it was very lucky. He scrolled down with a feeling like checking if anyone had been in a secret warehouse that only he could open.
@user_lw95qs 11 years ago
It’s clear that espers are chosen based on appearance.
⤷@lunatic123 11 years ago
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㄱㅋㄴ (LOL)
⤷@user_mo61yu 11 years ago
This is the top empathy!
⤷@star99bee 11 years ago
Face heaven
⤷@sangjin87 11 years ago (modified)
It’s not about choosing, awakening abilities are random. Regardless of age, gender, or status, you never know when or how you’ll awaken. Appearance doesn’t matter at all.
⤷@user_user777 11 years ago
Sangjin, you don’t have any friends, do you?
View 127 more comments ▽
@honey0904 11 years ago
It’s heartbreaking to see such young students being deployed to disaster sites to protect citizens.
⤷@chulmin3 11 years ago
It seems urgent to revise related legislation. Even if they are awakened, they are still teenagers.
⤷@angelpark1004 4 years ago
It’s intense. At that time, even minors who were awakened were called up to become soldiers for the country. Now, fortunately, laws have been amended to separately manage young awakened individuals and only deploy trained adults. It’s really fortunate. If that happens in today’s world, it would be a big problem.
@gyaah17 11 years ago
5:09 Cute smile and chaos
⤷@ebola6085 11 years ago
3:48 3:48 3:48
⤷@user_qe38jm 11 years ago
7:20 Paradise
⤷@user_qe38jm 11 years ago
They’re wearing uniforms here lol so cute
View 64 more comments ▽
@user_xg34qw 9 years ago (modified)
Is anyone still watching this now?
⤷@user_qe0jm 9 years ago
Me, lol, for eye cleansing
⤷@user_bz35rc 8 years ago
Amazing algorithm ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
@user_wr46vz12et 4 years ago
I wonder if those students are still alive now.
The view count remains the same, and the most recent comment is from at most 4 years ago. That means there’s no one watching. This is now except for me. If it weren’t for this video, Yeon-woo would have had to depend on his memory to recall Seo-joon’s face, which he only saw once when he was thirteen.
As Yeon-woo rewound the playback and captured Seo-joon’s appearance multiple times, he finally realized the miracle that had come to him.
Until recently, he had been grateful and happy just to have manifested as a guide. It didn’t matter who his matched esper would be. He would earn much more money than working several part-time jobs, and perhaps one day, he might even have some connection with Seo-joon.
But then, an unimaginable stroke of luck came to me. Yeon-woo pressed his hand firmly against his pounding chest. If it hadn’t been Seo-joon seven years ago, my body wouldn’t have been this lively.
Now, I can protect him and heal him with this body.
… What are the chances of encountering such a miracle in one’s lifetime?
✽✽✽
“It’s miraculous.”
Hee-min tapped the monitor with the tip of his pen.
“Just a slight turning, and the inflammation has decreased this much. But if we enter the over-turning phase? Look, did you feel it too? Look at the pain metrics decreasing.”
Seo-joon, who was sucking in the fluid provided by the lab through a straw, carefully examined the screen.
However, his gaze wasn’t on the numerical graph pointed out by Hee-min but on Cha Yeon-woo in the video. Cha Yeon-woo, with his eyes squeezed shut and his trembling hand running down my back, Cha’s expression was like someone on a roller coaster ride..
In contrast to his precarious appearance, the real-time physiological monitoring metrics fluctuating up and down beside him were indeed miraculous, as Hee-min had said.
“Isn’t it significantly different from when we used other team guides for treatment?”
Hee-min brought up the monitor next to him. It was a video of Seo-joon surrounded by about ten people receiving guidance.
“You would know better which side to choose, Seo-joon.”
With the discomfort of seeing the video and Cha Yeon-woo’s video side by side, the difference was even more vivid. Seo-joon, who had been watching a scene where a man was about to push an object into his unconscious mouth before being stopped by Kang Hee-min, turned his gaze toward Cha Yeon-woo.
“…”
His hand, which had only touched his lips, was now frozen like a rock, the clenched fist hanging ambiguously in the air. Seo-joon, who had just begun to lean sharply in one direction as his heart raced, spoke softly.
“…It’s too difficult. He has no combat experience. He’s just a novice worse than a trainee.”
“Guides aren’t judged based on combat experience. They consider the match rate with the esper.”
“If he’s deployed to the field without any training and end up dying—”
“Do you think Jin Chung-oh would let that happen? If you’re his personal guide, he’ll probably wrap you up and carry you around like a baby…”
Seo-joon fell silent for a moment. It felt stubborn to insist on a problem with an obvious answer all by himself. Yes, let’s admit it, Cha Yeon-woo’s guidance matched remarkably well.
But that didn’t mean he should be put into a partner seat just like that.
“…It’s like He has known me from the beginning.”
“Hmm?”
“Cha Yeon-woo.? He didn’t say anything on the first test day?”
“Not first test day, not today? Hmm, not really.”
“He seemed pretty happy to see you though.”
“Oh… This guy’s got the celebrity disease again. You’ve been acting all sensitive for a while now, you know, like people recognize you from a few interviews you did a while back.”
Ha… Why are you bringing that up again? It’s been over ten years. Seo-joon let out a long sigh, seeming incredulous at Hee-min’s response.
To clarify, it wasn’t just Seo-joon being sensitive alone; there were actually many people who recognized him. This was because various edited interview videos and gif files of him laughing were circulating everywhere.
Not only did it become a topic among students at the same school, but occasionally people from other places would mention it, so he had to wear a mask for a while.
However, as Hee-min mentioned, despite a few brief interviews, you couldn’t find any related videos anywhere now. They were all controlled by the government.
“…Still, let’s hold off.”
Anyway, forcing a personal guide on an esper who rejects pairing is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It’s necessary, but it’s also a headache. That was a truth Seo-joon had learned from numerous experiences.
“I’ll get annoyed if I get a partner.”
Seo-joon crumpled up the empty fluid pack and threw it into the trash can. Just because the guiding went well doesn’t mean he’ll become a pushover. In fact, the more successful it is, the more arrogant and overbearing people become.
Cha Yeon-woo may act like a docile puppy now, but you never know.
“Yeah, let’s see how long you can hold out.”
Hee-min chuckled as he glanced at the empty packs in the trash can. It was liquid food developed by the lab for espers who have difficulty eating because of their abilities. Seo-joon could hardly swallow half of those fluid packs.
But today, he emptied three packs while sitting down. Right after receiving guidance from Cha Yeon-woo.