SOG Ch 110

Seon Jae-chan knew that Seon Eun-soo was following him. The rat-colored sedan was an expensive vehicle that Seon Eun-soo had picked out around this time even before his return. It was his favorite car.

It was a long time ago that Jae-chan noticed a sedan hovering near the neighborhood quite frequently. Jae-chan deliberately walked to avoid where the car was parked. He was thinking about how he would screw up Seon Eun-soo without him knowing anything.

As he planned and waited for the opportunity, he saw the car that seemed to be following him again, just after he finished talking with Chang-hyun on the second floor.

The moment the suspicious drug appeared on the table, Jae-chan sensed an opportunity. He had been subtly observing the attention inside the store, the CCTV cameras installed in various places like any famous franchise, and even glanced at Chang-hyun and Hye-in, both subtly focused due to Chang-hyun’s actions.

A chance encounter had arisen.

It was difficult to lure out Seon Eun-soo, who cared about attracting people’s attention, within the Center, but it seemed like he would rush in now.

Jae-chan swallowed the drug at an angle where Seon Eun-soo could easily see it from the parked car. He got into an argument with Gyeong Hye-in and left Chang-hyun to worry. He pretends to endure the dizziness inside the store. It wasn’t long before Seon Eun-soo took the bait.

It was a shame that Gyeong Hye-in left and the number of witnesses decreased, but as expected, the guy seemed to have used a mental ability on Gyeong Chang-hyun. Jae-chan hoped that signs of mental manipulation would be clearly captured on CCTV.

It was also partly the reason why he obeyed Seon Eun-soo’s abilities. The surrounding customers and the store manager who had been watching this table closely must have felt a distinct sense of difference. He might get witness statements.

‘I feel a bit sorry for Gyeong Chang-hyun.’

Jae-chan felt a sense of guilt as he held onto the fragile thread of his conscience. But he would take responsibility for that guy’s future. Besides, he had kept him under surveillance and had even entrusted him with security duties, thanks to Woo-jin’s advice, so there wouldn’t be much danger. Seon Eun-soo would naturally lose his mental control in a few hours when he moved away.

Of course, it would be absurd to restrict Seon Eun-soo based on just one video obtained in this way.

However, the video of him flagrantly using his mental abilities, disregarding procedures, combined with the testimonies and evidence secretly collected by the Union Freedom Alliance would serve as an excellent catalyst.

What to do now?

Although he had been blinded by the potential benefit of possibly catching both Hye-in and Seon Eun-soo when the drug appeared, he now felt a little worried. He had taken the drug late, and now the drugs would swallow him up.

Jae-chan was worried that he might say something harsh to Seon Eun-soo while under the influence of drugs. He hoped to minimize any harsh words.

Yet, there was still a corner of trust. Since Woo-jin was still following him, he thought Woo-jin might come. Jae-chan didn’t answer the phone for fear of putting Seon Eun-soo on guard, but Woo-jin just called him a little while ago.

Due to the nature of TZ, it was also comforting to know that he would not be able to remember anything for the next few hours. There would be no aftereffects from unpleasant memories.

Jae-chan felt much more at ease. Perhaps that’s why. The drug that he had been holding on to for a while suddenly swept over his mind.

For a moment, Jae-chan felt like the world was shaking back and forth.

After struggling for a while, he momentarily regained consciousness, as if he had put his head down to sleep. It was still the same hotdog stand, and he could smell a strange scent tickling his nostrils.

“What. Are you conscious?”

When he lifted his head at the sudden voice, an unfamiliar face came into view. Meeting his eyes, Jae-chan realized that he was indeed properly under the influence of the drug. Otherwise, Esper Cha Seong-hwan wouldn’t be standing before him.

*

An hour ago. Woo-jin, who was changing into a custom suit for a dinner party with relatives at Chairman Go Young-chang’s home, was contacted by a follower attached to Seon Jae-chan.

– Guide Seon Jae-chan is moving downtown. He rented a motorcycle in a hurry.

A frown appeared between Woo-jin’s eyes as he fastened the buttons with the hand that was not holding the phone.

“Where is Seon Eun-soo?”

As soon as he heard that Seon Eun-soo had returned to Korea a few days ago, Woo-jin had also been following him.

– He’s chasing after Guide Seon Jae-chan.

Woo-jin’s expression turned cold. He loosened the tie around his neck a little. These days, he was already stressed because of Seon Eun-soo. He was relieved that Jae-chan never left the Center except when meeting him, but of all times, Jae-chan’s movements had to deviate when Woo-jin was back at his hometown.

At that time, a knocking sound cut through Woo-jin’s troubled thoughts.

“Hyung…”

A boy who was much smaller than his ages walked awkwardly as if he was uncomfortable. It was Go Se-jin, the son of director Yoon Seo-mi.

Go Se-jin looked up at Woo-jin, who looked clearly busy. His brother took the cell phone away from his ear and was only asking, ‘Why?’ with just the shape of his mouth as if conscious of the person on the other end of the call. There was no sign of ending the call.

A small bitter smile crossed Se-jin’s lips as he was conflicted for a moment. He came to a conclusion and spoke of a completely different matter.

“Dinner’s ready.”

At the same time, his mother’s screams of ‘No!’ seemed to be ringing in his head, but Se-jin pretended not to hear them.

Originally, Sejin had come to visit his older brother at the request of his mother, Yoon Seo-mi.

His mother, who couldn’t even attend today’s dinner, tried to contact his older brother through Sejin. However, Sejin felt that the relationship between his mother and older brother was not very good. Moreover, it was clear that his older brother was avoiding contact with his mother. He didn’t want to ask his older brother to do something he didn’t like.

In response to the bland reply, Woo-jin stroked his younger brother’s curly hair a couple of times to show that he understood, then patted his brother’s back and sent him out.

“Please take care.”

As the door closed, Woo-jin tried to calm his restless mind which had been boiling anxiously for a short while. I asked the follower who was waiting.

“Also, inform the security team.”

After several cautionary remarks, he ended the call. He then checked the photos sent by the follower he had assigned to Seon Eun-soo. There was a picture of Jae-chan on a motorcycle, followed by the back of a gray car in pursuit. Seon Eun-soo, who had been wandering around, seemed to have started to act as if he had been waiting.

Last winter, he vividly remembered the man strangling Jae-chan in the alley behind the hotel. And Jae-chan, who had fallen limp under that cruel grip.

He wanted to intervene immediately, but he couldn’t. Much of the strength protecting Jae-chan now came from Chairman Go Young-chang. He had obediently followed the arrogant dictator without ever defying him. That was why he had gained complete trust.

If he were to defy Chairman Go Young-chang, it would have to be after he had personally handed a considerable portion of the power he possessed to him.

Woo-jin, who was wondering whether he should advance the major turning points of his life plan little by little, suddenly recognized something strange. He found himself being impatient and trying to adjust the timing of the plan that had been flowing smoothly until recently. For that one reason, Seon Eun-soo might harm Seon Jae-chan.

‘… For now, let’s focus on the current situation.’

His emotions could be reviewed later. What mattered now was the problem that had suddenly arisen.

One hour. If he could just hold out for that time at the dinner table, Chairman Go Young-chang would not interfere even if he left the mansion. After that time, he could go to Jae-chan himself.

Including travel time, he needed someone to watch over Seon Jae-chan for about two hours. Even if he added more security personnel, Seon Eun-soo was an A-class Esper.

After completing a short calculation, Woo-jin immediately contacted Chae Seong-hwan.

“Sunbae-nim, do you have some time?”

So, when Go Woo-jin arrived at the alley near the hot dog chain at around 8:30, Chae Seong-hwan had roughly sorted out the situation.

Chae Seong-hwan, who was waiting between the commercial building and the wall, leaning on the car of Go Woo-jin’s hired follower, noticed a presence and raised his head. Go Woo-jin’s imposing figure clothed in a black suit from head to toe, squeezed into the narrow gap, making the alley feel narrower. Luckily, they had chosen a secluded spot, otherwise all eyes would have been on them even though it was still a hot dog chain.

“Seon Eun-soo was detained with a special ability control device. The dyed-haired guy he was with was out of his mind, perhaps because of Seon Eun-soo’s psychic abilities, so I sent someone to keep an eye on him.”

Chae Seong-hwan opened the backseat door and explained. Chae Seong-hwan assisted the relatively tall guide who had been sitting there in getting up. When Woo-jin approached, he quickly reached out to grab him, and his arms felt lighter.

“Thank you, Sunbae.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m doing this for free. Wasn’t the drug strange? Someone might have mistaken him for just being drunk.”

With both hands deeply tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket, Chae Seong-hwan explained about Seon Jae-chan.

Meanwhile, Woo-jin, who received the warm body temperature, only then realized that his chest was hurting as if he had been sprinting all along. As he embraced Seon Jae-chan, the physical pain that had been causing his heart to ache slowly subsided. He could feel his blood pumping vigorously.

“Oh, what’s the deal with that Seon Eun-soo?”

Chae Seong-hwan, who had been closely monitoring Seon Eun-soo for some time, asked unexpectedly on a weekday evening.