SOG Ch 172

Following the Technician’s instructions, Seon Eun-soo stood up, holding a jack knife to his younger brother’s throat. As the Technician rose with them, he hesitated for a moment. The hostage’s expression was unnervingly calm.

However, with the enemies closing in, there was no time to dwell on it. Ignoring the strange uneasiness, the Technician raised his voice towards the front.

“Don’t move! If you take one more step closer, the hostage won’t be safe.”

The Technician shouted, his uniquely resonant voice echoing throughout the space.

“There’s plenty I can cut. One finger at a time, or maybe an eye or an ear. It might be nice to add some scars to that face. Or should we gouge out an eye?”

He had been considering actually cutting off a finger since they seemed to be ignoring him. The advancing enemies finally halted. Concealing the cold sweat running down his back, the Technician shouted in a strong voice.

“Put down your guns.”

“…”

“Now!”

Finally, Go Woo-jin, who was at the front, lowered his gun. The E-SOF unit members retreated.

Seon Jae-chan couldn’t bring himself to look at Woo-jin. Even though he had anticipated and prepared for this situation, the nightmare of the windless zone just before the regression kept coming back to him. The moment Woo-jin had to protect dozens of his comrades alone under the weight of their shackles.

And this time, Jae-chan alone was Woo-jin’s shackle.

Of course, he had no intention of remaining helpless. Rather, he was determined to do what he could without hindering Woo-jin.

“Just disarming isn’t enough. We’ve suffered too much damage,” the Technician said, gesturing the places where his subordinates’ blood was flowing.

“We’ll have to take one eye.”

Jae-chan almost blurted out a useless curse. This crazy bastard. Both before and after his regression, why was this guy so obsessed with Woo-jin’s eyes? He felt there must be a reason for this too.

Jae-chan swallowed his curses and anxiously clenched and unclenched his fists. When Go Woo-jin didn’t budge, the Technician signaled to Seon Eun-soo. Seon Eun-soo hesitated for a moment, then pressed the knife a little harder against Jae-chan’s neck. As the thin skin immediately broke, Seon Eun-soo cursed in frustration, “Ah, shit.”

Go Woo-jin slowly pulled out a jack knife from his clothes. His attitude was excessively emotionless and resolute.

Across the distance, Jae-chan and Woo-jin’s eyes met. Under the dim lighting, Woo-jin’s gaze was clearer and more composed than ever. Jae-chan realized that Woo-jin might actually harm himself.

Why on earth?

Of course, Jae-chan would gladly give an eye for Woo-jin. Not just that. He now felt he would willingly give his life for him without regret.

But… that was just his own feeling after experiencing all sorts of things over an incredibly long time and finally obtaining this person’s love, which was like sweet dew to him.

To Woo-jin, he must seem like any ordinary lover. Yet Woo-jin’s devotion was unwavering as if he were giving everything. His kindness was so overwhelming it made Jae-chan’s heart ache unbearably.

“Did you hear it from Yoon Seo-mi? That I’m that guy’s weakness?”

Jae-chan finally spoke up.

When they infiltrated the Technician’s lab, as soon as Chae Seong-hwan mentioned J Pharmaceuticals’ puppets, only one person came to mind. Director Yoon Seo-mi. She had tried to harm Woo-jin a year ago and had also probed the relationship between the two, she’d even hinted at their relationship as merely a “s3x partner” around the time Jae-chan had started relying on Woo-jin as his sponsor. The Technician had been mentioning her by name for a while now.

“This bastard doesn’t know when to butt in and when to… Argh!”

Seon Eun-soo screamed. He had tried to cover Jae-chan’s mouth with his hand and got bitten hard. This deepened the wound on his neck, but Jae-chan spat out saliva, ignoring it, and stared directly at the Technician.

“Yeah, I’m that guy’s weakness. So take my eye instead. As a self-proclaimed psychology expert, you should know well. Between hurting him and hurting me, which do you think would wound him more?”

Jae-chan’s lips twisted into a sneer. His attitude was clearly intended to provoke the other party. “…Seon Jae-chan.” Go Woo-jin called out in a low voice. The stern, warning tone that Jae-chan had never heard since the regression sent chills down his spine, but he didn’t look back. He kept his gaze fixed on the Technician, who still appeared composed.

“Are you jealous? Did you think that if you killed Go Woo-jin, Chairman Go Young-chang would be devastated?”

Jae-chan’s comment seemed out of place, confusing everyone except the Technician.

“You killed so many people just because of an inferiority complex? Because you couldn’t accept that you’re inferior to Go Young-chang?”

Go Young-chang? The others exchanged puzzled looks, wondering if Jae-chan was referring to Go Woo-jin’s father, J Corporation. The terrorists’ gazes turned confusedly to their boss. Under the eyebrows that had been deliberately dyed white to conceal his age, his eyes, too sharp for an old man, were wavering. His facial muscles were also twitching. Jae-chan’s voice poured out relentlessly to his face.

“Isn’t that right? Mr. Go Young-woon, turning 59 this year.”

As far as Jae-chan knew, the Technician’s real name was Gil Young-woon.

However, in experimental records discarded 45 years ago, he had found the exact same name with a different surname. And the special ability of Go Young-woon, who was said to have been disposed of. It had aspects that aligned with the Technician’s ability that had shocked the intelligence agency people.

Judging by the technician’s reaction, it seemed his hunch was correct.

The technician, Gil Young-woon—no, Go Young-woon—had been one of the Espers rejected and disposed of under the guidance of the founder of Daesung Corporation, J’s predecessor, 45 years ago. He’d somehow survived.

The reason he was able to survive… was probably due to his unique ability. Jae-chan’s eyes darkened.

“…”

Meanwhile, the Technician felt like he had been thrown into a pit. Just like when he was raised like an animal in the mansion of Rust County as a child, or when he was dumped into a hole with his siblings as a disposal target, humiliation covered his face like hot mud.

Seon Jae-chan’s voice continued.

“Didn’t you call me an abandoned child? I’ll throw those words right back at you.”

“…”

“You’re the abandoned child.”

Twisting his lips, Jae-chan realized he had succeeded in capturing the Technician’s attention. Everyone has a weak point. And Seon Jae-chan had kicked Go Young-woon’s vulnerability hard.

“You were so jealous of Go Woo-jin, no, Chairman Go Young-chang, who wasn’t abandoned- Ugh…!”

“Shut up!”

The Technician suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Jae-chan’s collar. His face was so fierce that even Seon Eun-soo, who was holding Jae-chan, flinched. Decades of unresolved, festering resentment simmered darkly in the Technician’s eyes.

Yet Jae-chan showed no fear. Instead, he unexpectedly ducked his head, his hair scattering as strands were sliced off. If Seon Eun-soo hadn’t quickly withdrawn the knife, there would have been a large wound across his forehead.

And before Seon Eun-soo could be startled, Jae-chan threw his head back with all his might.

Crack—a loud impact echoed as Seon Eun-soo’s nose was hit by the back of Jae-chan’s head. The jack knife clattered to the ground, and Seon Eun-soo screamed and rolled on the floor, but most people didn’t have time to pay attention to him. This was because the enraged Technician had grabbed Seon Jae-chan, who had broken free from Seon Eun-soo as if ready to kill him.

Thick fingers wrapped around Jae-chan’s neck. Bang! A gunshot rang out across the square. One of the terrorists had spotted Go Woo-jin approaching and fired.

Of course, Go Woo-jin easily dodged the bullet, but he had to stop abruptly in place. This was because a chunk of Jae-chan’s hair had been cut off. Blood was dripping from the tip of his ear. If Jae-chan hadn’t moved his head to avoid it at the last moment, his ear would have been cut off.

“…”

Seon Jae-chan was now grabbed by the Technician instead of Seon Eun-soo. With one side of his hair messily cut, a twisted smile formed on his lips. The Technician, watching Woo-jin carefully, hissed a warning near Jae-chan’s ear.

“If you come any closer, I’ll slit his throat.”

The technician warned aggressively, dropping honorifics. The terrorists still aimed at Go Woo-jin, not knowing what to do. The situation turned chaotic with Seon Eun-soo’s curses and sobs of pain added to the mix.

“And you….”

“…”

“If you want so badly to sacrifice yourself instead of your lover, I’ll grant your wish.”

Still wrapped in deep resentment, the Technician raised his knife at an angle. Seizing the opportunity, Seon Jae-chan kicked back hard. The Technician collapsed as his knee was violently struck, and the two lost balance and became entangled in a mess. However, the resentful knife didn’t miss its target. As his back hit the ground first, taking a strong impact, Jae-chan suddenly felt a burning pain in his right eye. Blood splattered.

*

Why is he smiling?

The Technician, who had attacked Seon Jae-chan and fallen on top of him, momentarily forgot the situation and was dazed. It was because the Guide, whom he wanted to tear apart, was smiling. Both his intact left eye and his bloodied right eye.

Why is he smiling? The question struck his mind once again. And in his lowered gaze, he discovered what the guide’s right hand was gripping.

It was the remote control device for the windless zone.