OL Ch 26

Chapter 26

On his way to the apartment complex, Hayun spotted a familiar figure from behind. He stealthily approached with the intention of surprising them but paused as he recognized another face.

‘Aunt.’

Hayun swallowed a gasp and stepped back. He considered killing time elsewhere so they wouldn’t cross paths, but then changed his mind on a whim. Instead, he retreated and hid himself behind a wall. It seemed like his aunt had parked above ground because the underground lot was for residents only.

‘It seems like Mom came to see her off. Or maybe they met on the way.’

When Hayun first saw them, they were engaged in a quiet conversation, but it now sounded more heated. Naturally, it was his aunt raising her voice.

“No, you’re being stubborn, sister-in-law. There’s no potential for rehabilitation with his ability. We need to find and prepare for a regular school before it’s too late. What good is wasting time clinging onto something futile?”

“But that’s not—”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s not’? I understand he misses his previous lifestyle, but this is when parents must step in. You have three children now, sister-in-law. Raising just one child properly in Seoul requires pulling out all the stops, let alone three. Face reality. It might sound harsh, and you may think I’m unsympathetic for not offering financial help while scolding you, but please consider my words carefully.”

“…..”

“What would happen to your twins if you continue wasting time like this? Just thinking about enrolling them both makes me tired. Don’t uproot everything for some questionable rehabilitation. Persuade Hayun to stop being stubborn and prepare him for a regular high school instead. This isn’t the time for him to waste on other matters. He needs to start preparing now so he can adapt alongside next year’s freshmen. Isn’t that right? Moreover, even just covering his portion of the rehab costs amounts to 3 million won.”

The aunt spoke incessantly before letting out a sigh. Her voice softened slightly as she continued.

“To put it bluntly, has there been any progress at all?”

“It’s said to be difficult to recover abilities after exposure to psychic-type monsters.”

“Has there been no improvement? How much longer does he need to attend? And with such uncertainty?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t apologize to me. Face reality, sister-in-law. Hayun is not your only child here. Aren’t Kijun and Jiha your child, too? If you want to raise all three of them properly, you must make sacrifices.”

Her words were blunt but true. Leaning against the wall, Hayun cautiously exhaled and repeated his aunt’s last statement in his mind:

‘…You must make sacrifices.’

Yes, sacrifices had to be made.

***

“I think I should stop attending rehabilitation now.”

The rehabilitation center’s counselor was taken aback by Hayun’s words.

“What do you mean? It hasn’t been that long since you started rehab. Don’t give up so easily.”

“It’s just… I feel like this is such a crucial time for me.”

“A crucial time?”

“I’m at an age where I can start anew on a different path even if it isn’t this one.”

A few days after overhearing his aunt and mother’s conversation, Hayun announced he would stop attending rehabilitation sessions. Both his parents tried to dissuade him, but they eventually relented when faced with his firm resolve. In hindsight, perhaps they had hoped he’d make this decision.

When Hayun presented the signed document renouncing rehabilitation from both his parents, the counselor sighed and held back any further comments.

All that remained was to visit the research institute. Hayun felt slightly awkward about informing them of his decision because they were conducting studies on him.

‘Can I just abruptly tell them I’m quitting?’

However, he didn’t have any better ideas. With a heavy heart and dragging feet, he arrived at the facility only to be told by the receptionist that there was an issue in one of the labs, so he should wait until further notice.

Hayun made his way to the break room and stood in front of the vending machine. As he inserted money and selected a drink, he heard an irritable sigh behind him. He gasped as he caught sight of his reflection in the vending machine’s glass door.

“…..”

He had trouble conjuring him even in his dreams for fear it might dismantle the facade he’d meticulously constructed over time.

Hayun debated what to say but decided to retrieve his drink first. He turned around with the can, noticing Mookyeong leaning against the opposite wall as reflected by the vending machine’s screen. Hayun briefly glanced at his face before averting his gaze, fearing he might provoke him like before. Even that fleeting look made his head ache and vision blur. Fidgeting with the soda can, he offered a weak excuse:

“I-I didn’t come here for you.”

“…I know.”

“You do?”

“Because I’m the one who found you.”

His heart sank. Was he regaining his memories? A faint hope began to stir within him. However, the atmosphere felt prickly, which dampened his expectations. Previously unaware, Hayun now recognized the source of this tension: it was Mookyeong’s power spreading throughout the area.

Mookyeong’s power was spreading throughout the room.

Hayun swallowed nervously. Despite being inside a well-air-conditioned building, he broke out in cold sweat. Instinctively, his senses heightened as he warily observed Mookyeong. One wrong move could mean instant death for him.

It had been some time since Hayun last saw Mookyeong, and he appeared much thinner now. He always tended to be lean but usually with muscles filling him out. However, his frame looked gaunt, revealing prominent bones. Dark circles underlined his eyes, and his whites were bloodshot.

Despite this, the gaze directed at him remained piercingly bright, even if it seemed intent on killing him.

“What brings you here?”

“I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you do that?”

“….?”

What did I do? Hayun couldn’t understand Mookyeong’s words. As he blinked, puzzled, Mookyeong closed his eyes in irritation. Wrinkles appeared on his forehead, and the air touching his skin became more prickling than before.

“You did.”

“What do you mean?”

“You took the place he should have had.”

“Him?”

“Now you can’t use any power due to overusing your ability that day.”

It was so absurd that it made him laugh. This moment was precisely like that. Hayun stifled a giggle by biting his lip. He finally understood what Mookyeong was saying. He was asserting that Hayun had taken someone else’s role. While ‘he’ disappeared, Hayun had taken his position, whether by manipulating people’s minds or doing something else. And it’s because he used too much power back then that he has lost his ability now.

“That’s a new perspective. The people who know me thought I ran away to survive on my own and then made a mistake by coming back out of remorse.”

So, they suspected that you rejected Kim Hayun because of the shock.

Hayun swallowed the words that rose to his throat. Although he pretended not to care, he was aware of what others whispered behind his back.

People couldn’t understand why Hayun, being a teleporter, lost his ability. It wasn’t as if he had rescued someone or moved heavy objects. They wondered how exactly he overused his power to the point of losing it altogether.

[Escape.]

On ‘that day,’ out of sheer terror, Kim Hayun repeatedly used his teleportation ability in an attempt to flee but was hindered by the labyrinth’s influence, preventing him from getting far. Ultimately, with death imminent, he sought refuge with Baek Mookyeong, his family.

This was what people who knew Hayun or those who encountered him at the rehabilitation center believed happened. It might be true, it might be not, but most considered this as highly plausible.

“I’m a teleporter. I’ve never been able to manipulate minds.”

“Don’t lie.”

“Don’t insist. Wishing won’t make it so.”

Hayun had worried he would become overly agitated, but his response remained calm. That was fortunate. Otherwise, he might have clutched Mookyeong’s pants and tearfully asked how he could do this to him.

As evening approached, the sunset’s glow illuminated the landscape visible through the large window, casting yellow light inside. Hayun leaned against a chair placed next to the vending machine, choosing a shaded spot away from the sunlight streaming through the window.

He opened the can he had been holding and took a sip to quench his thirst. As he sipped, he pondered why Mookyeong approached him. It couldn’t be just for questioning; if that were the case, Mookyeong would have awaited him in a more secluded location conducive to interrogation. Mookyeong’s perception was keen, making it easy for him to detect others’ presence.

‘Has even that changed?’

Mookyeong always excelled at sensing others, but previously, he couldn’t distinguish individuals solely by their aura. Only Hayun could do that. While one might expect unique characteristics within each piece, Hayun now questioned whether this remained true.

‘Have we truly ceased being pieces of each other?’

There was no way to determine if Mookyeong’s temporary memory impairment allowed him to perceive Hayun as someone else, temporarily using his power, or if the incident had irreversibly severed their connection, rendering Kim Hayun’s piece inaccessible to Mookyeong.

If he still possessed his ability, he would have tested it on Baek Mookyeong to verify their connection.

‘If only I had my ability.’

Hayun clenched and then opened his fist. It was empty, but perhaps that was for the best. If he had opened the door and allowed Mookyeong through, he might have…

‘Would Baek Mookyeong be able to willingly give him up?’

Could Baek Mookyeong truly abandon the man he loved?

‘If so, he wouldn’t have gone looking for me that day.’

No. That couldn’t be. At that time, Hayun never suspected that Mookyeong would abandon him. Even though Hayun pushed Baek Jinha to be brutally killed and inadvertently drove Seo Iju to her death by failing to locate her quickly enough, Hayun never believed Mookyeong would abandon him.

Hayun believed it was a lifelong penance he had to endure. Even if Mookyeong lost his memories beforehand, he would have still gone to rescue Hayun. No matter how much Mookyeong pushed his feelings away, unwilling to be tied to Hayun, they both knew that they were each other’s sole existence.

‘Sole existence.’

Just as Hayun felt towards Mookyeong, he likely felt the same for him. Hence, despite his tangled memories, wouldn’t he be searching for him? In reality, unable to recognize Hayun even when standing before him, Mookyeong might perceive someone else occupying his place and suspect that everything around him was deceiving him.

“Ah…” Suddenly, Hayun thought he understood why Mookyeong came looking for him.

The reason why Mookyeong had approached him without doing anything drastic, simply asking a seemingly absurd question:

“I came here because they said you are ‘him.’ Just in case…”

However, even after seeing Hayun, Mookyeong must have sensed it wasn’t true.

“But after looking again, you still think it’s not me?”

Mookyeong didn’t respond. Hayun bowed his head, suppressing the tears threatening to spill over. This moment was more painful than when the lawyer warned him to stay away from Mookyeong, the whispers of people behind his back, or the pitying gazes of his family. Perhaps being hit or insulted would have been less agonizing.

“I truly haven’t done anything.”

“….”

“I didn’t do anything, Mookyeong-ah. I truly didn’t do anything.”

This wasn’t really a lie. It genuinely wasn’t a lie. Despite having lied to you countless times before, this time, it’s not a lie.

Hayun desperately spoke while hiding his body within the shadow of the vending machine, hands clasped together. However, Mookyeong still did not respond. He turned around, intending to leave. Witnessing him walking away amidst the fading twilight, Hayun abruptly sprang up and chased after him.