DP Episode 93

Deep Pivot, Episode 93

Rumble, thud…

The high structure struggled to support the weight of the Shoggoth. Seo-joon, warning nearby teammates to evacuate in case the structure collapsed, looked up.

The swirling gate above emitted an eerie noise as it pulled in the top of the drop tower. The steel frame, with “Everworld” letters and logo, was torn like paper and disappeared into the dark void beyond.

Squeak. Squeak.

The sharp noise, like glass being rubbed clean, occasionally pierced the eardrums. It was the same sound heard in last night’s nightmare. Perhaps due to that dream, the screeching sounded like it was calling out, “Ji Seo-joon.”

“I’ll drop you right below ‘P.’ I can’t go higher because it’s too scary,” said Blinker Lieutenant Jang Su-ho. The structure’s pillars, covered in Shoggoth slime, faintly displayed the letters. He meant to take Seo-joon between the ‘P’ and ‘T’ of the vertically written “DROP TOWER.”

“No, just up to ‘R’ is fine. See that lift platform over there?”

Seo-joon pointed to the half-broken, precariously dangling lift platform. Thin tentacles wrapped around it, making it look like tangled hair.

“Oh, that’s even better for me.”

Around the drop tower, Shoggoth adults swarmed, repeatedly splitting and fusing to grow larger. Removing the core wouldn’t make them disappear immediately, but it would halt their proliferation, simplifying subsequent cleanup efforts.

―After you’re done there, head home early. We’ll handle the cleanup.

Seo-joon, looking up at the massive Shoggoth enveloping the drop tower, responded to Cheong-oh’s radio message.

“Yeah, I think that’s best.”

Cheong-oh, who had seen Seo-joon precariously walking a tightrope without a dedicated guide, spoke excitedly.

―I’ll send Baby with you.

“Of course.”

―How great is it to have your own guide? Not just a guide, but you’re also no longer single. You can have your fluffy Baby…

Seo-joon, cutting off Cheong-oh’s rambling, nodded toward Lieutenant Jang Su-ho. The lieutenant approached and grasped Seo-joon’s wrist firmly.

“Be careful, Lieutenant!”

With a cheerful goodbye, Seo-joon’s vision flipped, and a dizziness like blood pooling in his head set in. In a blink, he dangled from the broken lift platform but quickly steadied himself and climbed on top.

After hopping up the slippery Shoggoth’s body, Jang Su-ho swiftly grew distant and looked up from far below. Seo-joon signaled ‘OK.’

Tentacles with eyes began thrashing violently, sensing a sudden human presence. Kieeek! The slime split open, revealing gills filled with hundreds of sharp teeth.

Squeak. Squeak.

“…”

Seo-joon gazed up at the gate above him. It wasn’t long before his body was completely engulfed in Shoggoth slime.

✽✽✽

Cheong-oh, who had just refueled his flamethrower, glanced up at the drop tower that creaked ominously as it leaned over. The Shoggoth’s eerie cries, resembling the collective wails of thousands of people of different ages and genders, seemed maddening when listened to closely.

Soon, tentacles like black thorny vines burst through the Shoggoth’s slime. Crack! The drop tower’s central column, unable to withstand the violently thrashing Shoggoth, slowly began to fracture and split in two.

Cheong-oh squinted and wiped the dust-covered mask with his hand. From afar, it was difficult to distinguish whether the organic mass thrashing up there was Ji Seo-joon or the Shoggoth itself. At a glance, it seemed like the Shoggoth was splitting on its own.

Cheong-oh approached Yeon-woo and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Baby, what are you doing?”

“I’m getting thermal blankets to cover the lieutenant.”

Yeon-woo’s hands trembled as he grabbed several thermal blankets near the rotating swing ride. Cheong-oh stopped him by holding his hands.

“Why are you grabbing so many?”

“I noticed that he gets very cold after a transformation. And with that much, his combat uniform will probably rip apart…”

“Just take one. One is enough.”

Cheong-oh wrapped his arm around Yeon-woo’s tense shoulders and led him toward the drop tower.

“Are you talking about the Pasa outbreak? Back then, Seo-joon’s transformation was triggered by a grenade rather than by will, so his combat suit got wrecked. Now, he can control it, so you don’t have to worry about your boyfriend being exposed.”

Of course, Yeon-woo wasn’t concerned about Seo-joon’s nudity but rather his injuries, but Cheong-oh purposely made a lighthearted joke.

“I don’t know much, but as Seo-joon puts it, it’s like putting something back on that you took out of your stomach.”

Boom! A loud crash rang in their ears as the drop tower finally snapped in two and fell, causing an explosive sound. Tentacles writhed around the tower column, tightening with a crushing grip. Thick Shoggoth slime oozed through the cracks.

Seo-joon’s amorphous body had now expanded to cover the entire Shoggoth. Despite seeing this for over a decade, Cheong-oh still found the sight chilling. Not long ago, Seo-joon had been a regular human like him, so it remained a mystery how such a formidable entity could emerge from his body.

Cheong-oh, unconsciously clenching his teeth as he watched the two monsters clash fiercely, gradually relaxed his tense body. Though not shaking like Yeon-woo, his concern for his comrade was just as strong.

“…Oh.”

He deliberately spoke in a bright, joking tone.

“When Lieutenant Ji finishes, he should receive a nice guiding.”

Cheong-oh, unaware of the specifics of their relationship contract, didn’t know that Yeon-woo and Seo-joon had never paired before. (sex)

“I’ve already arranged cooperation with Everhotel, so after you’re done, you and Lieutenant Ji can rest there to your heart’s content, okay?”

No matter what Cheong-oh said, Yeon-woo’s expression didn’t brighten at all. He silently gazed up at the gate looming over the drop tower.

“…That gate,” he finally spoke up, “is sucking people in.”

He remained fixated on the darkness beyond, where the broken steel frame had disappeared.

“Is it possible that it makes people jump in willingly?”

“Hmm?”

Cheong-oh looked up casually at the gate, confused by the unexpected question.

“I don’t think so. It only physically pulls things in, not controls people.”

“…What if someone were to jump in willingly?”

“…”

“What could be the reason?”

Cheong-oh noticed Yeon-woo’s eyes trembling subtly behind his clear mask. But not fully understanding the intention behind the question, he simply shrugged.

“Who knows. Someone who’s lost their mind and wants to die?”

Only someone desperate to die would willingly jump into a gate. It was the best answer Cheong-oh could give. Yeon-woo turned his head back to the drop tower.

“…I feel uneasy when the lieutenant is near that gate.”

Why? Do you think Ji would jump into the gate? Cheong-oh was about to ask when—

Bang! Crash! A heavy boom was followed by a radio transmission.

—Shoggoth core destroyed.

Seo-joon’s voice was as calm as usual, with only a slight tremble at the end. Before Cheong-oh could respond, Yeon-woo began running toward the tower.

“Oh, Baby! Let’s go together! Espers, provide concentrated support, and guides, be on standby for disinfection in the rear!”

Tsk, that impatient Baby. Clicking his tongue, Cheong-oh quickly radioed his instructions to the team while following after Yeon-woo.

✽✽✽

“Great job, Lieutenant Ji.”

Second Lieutenant Kang Chae-won grabbed Seo-joon’s arm and pulled him out of the sticky slime. Wearing a combat uniform torn in places and covered in slime and ruptured eyeballs, Seo-joon trembled uncontrollably, like someone who had broken through a frozen river and emerged in the freezing cold.

Before Seo-joon, his lips turning blue, could call for Yeon-woo on the radio, his body was suddenly spun around and enveloped in a warm embrace. Seo-joon, wrapped in a silver thermal blanket and held tightly by Yeon-woo, tried to push him away and stammered out.

“Ah, Yeon-woo, I, wait… it’s dirty…”

His lips were covered in warmth. Yeon-woo, cupping Seo-joon’s cheeks as he tried to turn away reflexively, deepened the kiss and whispered.

“This isn’t a kiss, it’s guiding.”

His trembling lips continued to quiver. Yeon-woo’s tongue slipped through his chattering teeth, gently grazing the roof of his mouth. Seo-joon closed his eyes as his frozen skin tingled and slowly began to thaw.

Second Lieutenant Kang, who had belatedly gathered a towel and extra thermal blanket to bring to Seo-joon, silently shook her head. Not because of the kiss she was witnessing, but because she was astonished by the boldness of the rookie Baby guide, who started guiding right there without caring about the Shoggoth slime.

A guiding session is just that, guiding. Although workplace romances could be teased to no end, no one would joke about a kiss meant to stabilize an Esper.

Among the passing teammates, Seo-joon alone felt a bit embarrassed and eventually broke away. He had regained some feeling in his numb skin, but his lips remained pale and blue.

“…Let’s go to the hotel.”

Let’s continue there, not here. Seo-joon, pulling the silver thermal blanket tighter around himself, whispered softly, trying to suppress his shivering.