SOG Ch 147

“…”

Jae-chan hid his bewilderment. As she passed by, he carefully observed and even noticed an ID card that read ‘Guide Seo Hye-in’.

Why is she here? And even more baffling—

‘She’s a guide?’

Jae-chan’s eyebrows twitched. Come to think of it, last summer, on the first day of anti-terrorism training, she had been wearing a guide uniform next to Woo-jin.

“Oh? It’s Seo Hye-in,” Yu-ram said cheerfully, looking in the same direction. It seemed she really did introduce herself as ‘Seo’ Hye-in, not ‘Gyeong’ Hye-in. Hiding his surprise, Jae-chan pretended to ask casually:

“You know her?”

“Yes. She’s a new Guide who joined as a researcher.”

Yu-ram explained that while she initially felt a kinship with Hye-in as a fellow outsider, she found her difficult to befriend.

Jae-chan was confused. Given the alias, there was a good chance she was using a false identity, but going as far as posing as a guide seemed incredibly risky.

Could she really be a Guide?

Jae-chan decided to observe Gyeong Hye-in closely. He was particularly sensitive because Black Swan’s ‘Angel’ was also a guide.

A Guide with unprecedented abilities, apable of performing miracles akin to divine powers.

A senior at the Intelligence Bureau who liked games had even called her a max-level area healer.

It might be paranoia or exaggerated caution, but if Gyeong Hye-in was a Guide, there was a chance she could be the Angel.

Was Gyeong Hye-in really connected to Black Swan? Hiding his complex thoughts, Jae-chan greeted the Espers returning from the accident scene. Meanwhile, the cursed fog still refused to dissipate.

“Severely injured Espers have been transported to the hospital. The relatively unscathed ones are staying behind to help manage the scene.” 

A apprentice reported news from the scene.

Jae-chan felt as if he were teetering on the edge. It was like holding a precariously balanced scale, one slight shift away from tipping over. The fog, mother, Seon Eun-soo, Gyeong Hye-in. And Black Swan. As his thoughts suddenly multiplied, overloading his mind, Jae-chan quietly went to the infirmary and took a painkiller.

Yet his worries didn’t disappear. What if his mother had been caught in the accident? Should he go to the hospital now? Jae-chan struggled with these thoughts, occasionally glancing towards the guiding room where Chae Seong-hwan was sleeping. He couldn’t move without Chae Seong-hwan, given Seon Eun-soo’s unknown whereabouts. It was a promise he had made with Woo-jin.

At times like this, the person he thought of most was Woo-jin.

“…”

He fiddled with his phone, suppressing the urge to hear Woo-jin’s voice immediately.

Woo-jin was on a VIP protection detail in Zone Z. Even yesterday afternoon, his voice had sounded much lower than usual as he said he probably wouldn’t be able to contact Jae-chan until the operation was over.

As far as Jae-chan knew, a protection operation in Zone Z meant constantly moving with team members in an armored vehicle. Naturally, it would be difficult to make contact.

When the mission ends, Woo-jin will call first. Then he can seek comfort to his heart’s content. Just as Jae-chan was firmly gripping his phone:

“The vehicles are arriving!”

An operations bureau vehicle that had left carrying Espers arrived in front of the emergency center.

Among those disembarking with tired faces was, unbelievably, his mother.

Judging by the soot and disheveled hair, it seemed she wasn’t unscathed by the explosion. However, thankfully, his mother appeared to be fine. Jae-chan resisted the urge to run over and check on her. Instead, he quietly listened to the situation while guiding another Esper nearby to avoid drawing attention.

Fortunately, she seemed to have no serious injuries other than minor bruises. However, due to her long absence from active duty, she seemed to have been sent to the back because of awkward power usage.

At that moment, Gu Ji-young, who had noticed her son observing her from nearby, suddenly spoke in her characteristic thin voice.

“Don’t worry about me; you should be more concerned about your aunt. You wouldn’t know since you haven’t been home lately, right?”

Gu Ji-young snorted. Although her sister Ji-eun had told her not to say anything, she intended to tell her son.

“The health check results came out.”

When something bad happens, it’s only natural to spread the word to trustworthy people to seek help. Although Gu Ji-young couldn’t do it for herself, she made a somewhat objective judgment when it came to her sister’s situation.

“Your aunt needs to get a re-examination.”

*

Jae-chan immediately woke up Esper Chae Seong-hwan, who was sleeping sprawled out in an empty guiding room. After briefly excusing himself to his colleagues, he rushed to the Esper Department to meet his aunt.

They almost missed each other. The center was in chaos, and his aunt, Gu Ji-eun, who was not feeling well, was about to leave early.

“Let’s go to the hospital together later,” Jae-chan said.

“It’s okay, I’ve made an appointment for next week,” Gu Ji-eun waved her hand. The dog-shaped keychain in her hand dangled.

“The doctor said not to worry too much. And I’m leaving early now, see?”

Shrugging it off as no big deal, Gu Ji-eun walked ahead to the parking lot. In her own mind, she took good care of herself. Rather, she was worried about her nephew. His face seemed to become half its size every time she saw him.

Meanwhile, Jae-chan was letting the nagging go in one ear and out the other. Following the habit formed by his aunt’s nagging before the regression, he was already diligently taking supplements and eating three meals a day despite his busy schedule, so he didn’t need to pay much attention.

“While you’re at it, why don’t you take all your vacation days? And make sure to come with me on the check-up day.”

“You’re busy… Alright, you rascal. I’ll think about it.”

Seeing her nephew’s face looking like he’d lost his mother, Gu Ji-eun changed her tone. I’m not even his mother, she thought. Despite not knowing each other for long, her nephew had a peculiar side.

Still, she didn’t dislike it. Having someone genuinely worry about you in difficult times was something to be grateful for.

‘I find myself worrying about this kid. To an odd degree.’

Gu Ji-eun smiled slightly. It was quite strange. Until a year ago, they had lived like strangers, but somehow she had grown fond of him.

‘Should I really take some time off?’

If so, she shouldn’t leave early today. Thinking she should return to the research building to finish up work after an early dinner, Gu Ji-eun nodded.

“Is your mom okay? I heard there was a big accident.”

“Yes, she just got a few scratches.”

As they talked, they arrived at the parking lot behind the research building. This time listening carefully to the nagging to take care of himself, Jae-chan saw his aunt off. After meticulously recording next Tuesday’s health check-up schedule on his phone, he returned to the emergency guiding center.

While guiding the Espers who had filled the center in the meantime, Jae-chan suppressed his burning anxiety. Over the image of Espers groaning with lowered wavelength stability, he seemed to see an overlap with his aunt lying weakly in a hospital bed, terribly thin, from before the regression.

‘It’s okay. It will be okay.’

There was nothing he could do until next Tuesday anyway, no matter how much he worried in advance.

He decided to focus on doing his best at what he could do. Fortunately, there was plenty to do around him.

Returning to the guiding center with Chae Seong-hwan, he found Gyeong Hye-in, whom he had momentarily forgotten about, measuring the wavelength stability of an unconscious Esper.

“I’m going back to the guiding room,” said Chae Seong-hwan, who felt like he was only getting in the way of the center’s situation anyway.

After sending him off, Jae-chan pretended to be familiar and stuck close to Gyeong Hye-in. He wanted to see if she was really a guide and how skilled she was at guiding.

“Why are you hovering? You must be doing well, huh?”

And he immediately received what sounded like a scolding.

Her tone seemed to question why he was fine. Jae-chan’s eyebrows rose at her sharp words, but since Gyeong Hye-in was the person who had given him a reason to be in District 5, albeit in a tough position, he let it slide.

“Why are you here?”

“You got in, so getting me in was no big deal.”

So why did she insist on placing herself in District 5? The vague thoughts he had blurred while giving Gyeong Hye-in relationship advice in the past became concrete again. Keywords like drug factory and distribution manager popped up like roly-poly toys. He was curious about what Gyeong Hye-in’s intentions were.

“Has Go Woo-jin said anything?”

Just then, Gyeong Hye-in suddenly brought up Woo-jin.

“He’s on a mission.”

“Hmm, sounds like him. I guess he’s waiting to resolve things after the mission ends. Or maybe he’s just going to bury it all by himself?”

“How boring.” Gyeong Hye-in grumbled. Then she glanced at the clock on the wall and raised the corners of her mouth in a smirk.

“By now, the meeting should be over. He should have returned to Zone Z. It’s time for our elder to dip butter cookies in mixed coffee while watching the sunset.”

“…”

“When Woo-jin contacts you, make sure you handle it well.”

Gyeong Hye-in left with a bright smile.

There was nothing more to wait for. A few minutes later, Woo-jin really called.

It was already approaching evening. Jae-chan, feeling extremely nervous, hurried to the empty guiding room to answer the call.

“Hey, Woo-jin. Did the mission go well?”

In the darkened guiding room, as they exchanged pleasantries like usual, Seon Jae-chan’s pupils anxiously dilated and contracted repeatedly. After circling around the main topic for a while, he cautiously spoke up, “Woo-jin.”

“Is there something wrong?”

He couldn’t help but ask, given how serious Gyeong Hye-in had acted.

For a moment, there was the usual calm silence. But perhaps because of what he had heard, Jae-chan felt only anxiety.

-Nothing’s wrong.

Woo-jin’s calm voice returned.

Jae-chan was faced with another choice. Should he let it go as if nothing happened, or should he choose the latter?

“Gyeong Hye-in is here, and she was saying strange things.”

In the end, Jae-chan chose the latter. As silence fell again, Jae-chan swallowed nervously.

-Jae-chan.

“…Yeah.”

-Is there someone else you like besides me?