IGWKE Episode 19

Episode 19

As they finished their rounds, Yoon-ui and Jung-woo didn’t engage in any small talk. The silence was thick with awkwardness.

Jung-woo didn’t show any signs of being upset or angry. However, after witnessing Yoon-ui’s outburst, where he lumped all Espers together and used a threatening guiding technique, it was clear enough that Jung-woo couldn’t have been feeling great. Yoon-ui, fully aware of this, refrained from forcing any conversation or offering an insincere apology on the spot.

‘I’ll apologize properly once we’re back, maybe over a cup of coffee.’

He thought vaguely as they returned to the office.

But as soon as they arrived, another unwelcome task was waiting for Yoon-ui. Woo-joo handed him a document with a security seal, his face filled with sympathy.

“Another one of those deputy manager assignments just came in. It’s a disciplinary case.”

“Ah…”

“You’ve been busy all day out in the field. You can go rest for a bit and come back later tonight if you want.”

Level 1 security cases usually required immediate attention. Yoon-ui shook his head and took the document.

“I’ll take care of it. You guys can head out first.”

Even though it wasn’t Woo-joo’s fault, he looked apologetic as he left the office. At that moment, Yoon-ui made eye contact with Jung-woo, who had been lingering awkwardly. After their earlier clash, leaving without resolving the tension seemed to weigh on Jung-woo. Even though it was Yoon-ui who had lost control of his emotions, Jung-woo was the first to bow his head slightly.

“I know you’re tired, but take care.”

‘Why are the people around me so much more mature than I am?’ Yoon-ui thought, silently berating himself for not being able to control his emotions.

“…I’m sorry about earlier.”

“It’s fine. That senior was being rude. Maybe getting choked by guiding is a good experience, just once in a while.”

“…I’m really sorry. I was too emotional. I’ve been a bit on edge lately.”

Yoon-ui’s apology, though awkward and forced, came from a genuine place. Jung-woo finally smiled his usual grin.

“Don’t just apologize. You should give me some guiding like you do for Heon-ju.”

“I’ll do it next time, I promise.”

“Next time, next time… by the time you get around to it, I’ll probably be retired.”

“When have I ever delayed it that much?”

“Always, every time.”

As they lightly bickered, the sense of self-reproach and gloom lifted a bit. After a brief exchange of laughter, Jung-woo’s expression turned more serious.

“You didn’t seem like you were in great shape today… Should I wait for you to finish up?”

Despite his usual cheekiness, Jung-woo had a kind and considerate side, especially when needed. Yoon-ui, suddenly feeling grateful that even with his limited social circle, he had surrounded himself with good people, shook his head with a soft smile.

“I’m fine. This might take a while anyway, and there’s nothing fun about waiting.”

“Alright….”

After a few more bows of apology, Jung-woo finally left the office. He was a good kid, one who wasn’t too obvious in his kindness but still reliable. The fact that Espers like Jung-woo, with teleportation abilities, were highly unlikely to go berserk brought Yoon-ui a bit of comfort.

“…Well, time to get started.”

Yoon-ui looked over the document assigned to him. As the office emptied and the day turned to night, it was time to begin yet another task.

By the time Yoon-ui returned to his dorm, it was well past 1 a.m. His body wasn’t physically exhausted, but his mind felt completely drained.

‘If only my body were tired, I’d collapse and sleep right away.’ But instead, his mind, weighed down by stress and fatigue, kept him wide awake, agitating every nerve and refusing to let him rest.

“Why did today feel so damn long?” he muttered to himself as he lay down on the cold floor. The cool surface cleared his head momentarily, but with clarity came the unwanted review of his day’s events, one after another.

The office chatter that tied him to Heon-ju from the morning.

The Espers who glared at him like he was a threat to Heon-ju, hiding none of their disdain.

The drunken Esper who had hurled insults at him despite his adherence to the rules.

His own inability to control his emotions in front of them.

And then, Jung-woo, who had avoided his gaze, clearly uncomfortable after what had happened.

The unexpected disciplinary task that had dropped on him out of nowhere.

It was enough to be completely drained. It had been an exhausting day in every possible sense, and now he needed to sleep. Forcing himself to get up, Yoon-ui headed to the kitchen.

On the shelf sat a large bottle of prescription sleep aids. Ignoring the recommended dosage, he poured a few extra pills into his palm and swallowed them down with water.

‘I just need the pills to kick in.’

He thought as he sat down at the table, waiting for the drowsiness to come. Slowly, his body started to feel heavier, his limbs growing slack. But despite the creeping lethargy, his mind stubbornly refused to quiet. It replayed unwanted scenes from the day, like an unwelcome slideshow of mistakes and regrets.

And it wasn’t just today’s events. Memories from countless other moments began flashing through his mind, dragging him through a whirlwind of past frustrations and failures.

The lingering smell of alcohol from the drunken Esper, Heon-ju’s startled face, judgmental stares, Jung-woo avoiding eye contact, Manager Park’s shouting, the droning of protest megaphones—someone yelling.

“Hey!”

The voice of someone screaming.

You bastard!”

Wait, is this my imagination?

Murderer!

No, this one isn’t an illusion. It’s real. The effects of the sleeping pills must have fully kicked in now. Yoon-ui stumbled as he got up from his seat.

By the time he threw himself onto his bed, a voice—whose owner he couldn’t place—was still shouting in his ears.

Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!

‘This is so damn loud.’

Covering his ears, Yoon-ui tried to sleep, forcing himself to ignore the rumbling sound of protestors and megaphones. As he pushed aside regret, reflection, and everything else, sleep finally began to creep in.

When he woke up, it was the afternoon of the next day. The bright light outside startled him for a moment, but remembering that he had dealt with the disciplinary task the night before, he quickly calmed down.

“Ah, right. Special leave.”

Yoon-ui lay back down in bed. The warmth from where he’d just been lying still lingered.

‘I wish I could just stay here and never wake up again.’

But there were things to be done: his uniform needed to be sent to the laundry, the apartment needed cleaning, laundry had to be done, garbage had to be taken out, and he needed to eat.

Despite the long list of things to do, his body refused to move. Whether it was the aftereffects of the sleeping pills or just a lack of willpower, it felt like all his motivation had been thrown out along with yesterday’s disciplinary task.

“Everything sucks, seriously.”

Of course, that “everything” included himself. He couldn’t pinpoint a specific reason, but it all felt unbearable.

For the next four hours, Yoon-ui lay there thinking how nice it would be if the world just ended. For another eight hours, he remained listless, not thinking about anything. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep again.

When he woke up the next morning, he felt somewhat better. Instead of his usual resentment toward Espers, he found himself despising how uselessly he had spent his day off. The thought of returning to work made the world seem bleak again.

‘Something’s wrong with this world.’

As soon as he arrived at work, Yoon-ui dragged Joo-min into the break room to start venting.

“What now?” she asked.

“Look, with gates ripping open the sky and monsters popping up, don’t you think the Earth is reaching its end? Why hasn’t it collapsed yet? Or maybe it already has, and we’re just artificially keeping it alive with meaningless efforts?”

“Why don’t you hold a funeral for it, then?”

Joo-min replied, sipping her coffee. She was used to seeing Yoon-ui rant like this, especially after coming back from special leave post-disciplinary tasks. So, she didn’t even bat an eye.

But Yoon-ui was dead serious.

“No, really, think about it. Scientists warned decades ago that the Earth would end by 2050. And what year is it now?”

He continued to ramble on for quite some time, eventually reaching the conclusion that the monsters from inside the gates might actually be messiahs sent to destroy human civilization and bring forth a new one. After hearing this ridiculous theory, Joo-min, clearly drained, handed him a small box.

“Here, eat this and snap out of it.”

“What is it?”

“Chocolate.”

He opened the box to find neatly arranged chocolates with a sweet aroma. They looked expensive, prompting Yoon-ui to give her a suspicious look. There was no way she’d be kind enough to buy chocolates for a stressed-out colleague.

“You spiked it, didn’t you?”

“Do you think I’m you?”

Joo-min retorted, rolling her eyes. She pulled out a small card from her pocket and handed it over.

“This came for you. Heon-ju left it yesterday.”

“Heon-ju?”

Yoon-ui’s head shot up at the mention of the unexpected name. After everything that happened at the café with the senior Espers, Heon-ju sent chocolates?

“When did he come by?”

“Yesterday. He’s off to Busan Center for a week of training starting today.”

“So? What does that have to do with sending chocolates?”

Yoon-ui’s confusion was genuine, but Joo-min glared at him.

“What do you mean, ‘so’? The kid went out of his way to show some kindness, and all you can say is ‘so’?”

“He bought them with money. It’s not like he made them himself.”

“That’s the point! The fact that he went out of his way on his day off to buy you chocolates from a fancy shop—that’s his way of showing appreciation.”

“Mint chocolate…”

Yoon-ui grumbled under his breath, feeling slightly offended by the implication that he liked it.

Grumbling aside, he grabbed a piece of the chocolate and popped it into his mouth. A refreshing mint flavor filled his senses, followed by a rich sweetness. It was definitely not the cheap kind of chocolate you’d find in a convenience store.

As Joo-min watched him reach for a second piece, she raised an eyebrow and asked casually.

“Aren’t you going to read the card?”