SOG Ch 34

Was a soldier stationed in front of the door? It was fortunate that it came in the form of in-house confinement rather than jail. Jae-chan was immersed in doubt and speculation without being shaken.

Go Woo-jin turned away from the figure lost in thought and noticed something familiar. It was his military uniform top and tie he had given over during guiding the other day.  It was neatly hung on the back of the chair.

Looking at his clean clothes, he felt embarrassed for some reason. He took it once while wearing gloves. It was time to leave the room.

“Woo Jin-ah.”

A voice stopped his steps.

He grabbed the doorknob and turned his back to the oblique line. Seon Jae-chan was looking straight ahead. Compared to his emotionless temper, his eyes were ridiculously bright.

…No.

He wondered if it was right to say he was emotionless.

Woo-jin was silent. Images of the guy he’s been dealing with for the past month flash through his mind. Seeking Kim Geun-won and a Team 5 guide, even protecting an unknown landscape architect in the bunker today.

Was it a temporary whim, or has he really changed?

“Can’t I just make one phone call?”

Then the boy’s voice cut through his thoughts.

I knew it.

Go Woo-jin’s eyes grew cold. A short sneer tugged at the corners of his mouth as he sighed. Seon Jae-chan, who was looking at him, explained with a calm face but a slightly faster heartbeat.

“No. I’m not trying to contact Director Yoon.”

“Then?”

Jae-chan must be trying to trick him. It was boringly obvious. He stared into the seemingly innocent-looking face in front of him, as if reading a code word.

“I want to contact guide Kim Geun-won. If you’re really suspicious, you can contact him yourself.”

Seon Jae-chan protested in a strong tone. At the completely unexpected words, Woo-jin lost his guard for an instant.

Come to think of it. He hadn’t had time to check, but Kim Geun-won seemed to have texted him about Jae-chan just moments before. Jae-chan’s spirit dropped in front of Go Woo-jin, who was puzzled.

His shoulders trembled as if he was uncomfortable, and he sat down and spoke frankly.

“I need guiding.”

*

Ten days later. Seon Jae-chan, whose Esper grade and energy efficiency were poorer than an apprentice, sat alone in the waiting room at the northern port of Mentosa Island, preserving his mind and body.

His wavelength has stabilized, and he was peacefully released from detention. He hadn’t seen Go Woo-jin since. He had been back to District 1 in a long time, and so had Department Head Yoo Jeong-jin. Seon Jae-chan had no reason to stay on the island any longer, so he booked a boarding pass as soon as he was free. He packed his belongings and arrived at the port as soon as the sun came up.

[Massive bomb burial discovered. Remnants of rebels from 30 years ago!]

His face became shaken as he watched the news on the large LED hanging on the wall, mixed in with the bustle of passengers coming and going.

What buried. What rebels!

The bombs were neatly packed in a supply box sent by director Yoon Seo-mi. It was clear why the media’s narrative, which began with ‘Massive bombs found on Mentosa Island, shock and horror… Military search underway,’ slowed as if it had hit a steep incline. It must have been the handiwork of J Corporation.

Seon Jae-chan pushed the carrier’s wheels with the edge of his sneakers, certain that the events he had guessed were correct.

Director Yoon Seo-mi… tried to kill Go Woo-jin.

Of course, he didn’t know if it can truly harm an S-class Esper, which was no different from a human nuclear warhead. Director Yoon was a more cruel person than he thought. It was clear that she had no regard for the other people who would be harmed in the aftermath of the explosion, the landscaping workers, the islanders, and the innocent soldiers.

It was probably her intention to get rid of Woo-jin and pass all the responsibility on to him. Just thinking about it made Seon Jae-chan clench his teeth. To the point where he wanted to beat his past self for cooperating with Director Yoon.

However, there was something else that surprised him

‘I had no idea that Go Woo-jin would take advantage of Director Yoon’s nature.’

In fact, in the past, Director Yoon’s position has declined significantly since this fall. The matching rate test between Go Woo-jin and Nam Hae-sol, as well as Nam Hae-sol’s official inclusion in Woo-jin’s guide list, all occurred within a year of Director Yoon’s influence waning. As a result, until Director Yoon Seo-mi gained power, Jae-chan was preoccupied with retaining other connections, such as Han Tae-hoon.

To think that the whole situation was intertwined with the bombing incident. It was only now that Jae-chan felt like he could understand at least some of the fragments of the past.

– We will definitely root out the terrorists who threaten national security!

Before he knew it, the screen had shifted and showed President Gyeong Jeon-seok. The president, who shouted in a rather forceful tone of voice, was putting on a show while knowing who the perpetrator was. Chairman Go Young-chang seems to have poured his heart out to cover this situation.

In any case, Go Woo-jin’s plan to suppress Director Yoon appeared to be successful. It’s very typical of him not to detonate the bomb. Morality aside,  if the bomb had exploded and injured military personnel, the investigation would have taken much longer. Then there’s a chance that the connection between Go Woo-jin and the bomb will be revealed in some way. In many ways, Jae-chan believes the current intensity control is just right.

In the end, this case has not changed from the past.

Both the past and the regressed present were Go Woo-jin’s victories.

‘No. There’s only one thing that has changed.’

His toe stopped pushing the carrier’s wheel. Jae-chan looked up, having just realized what had changed. When he opened the door to the waiting room, he noticed a small figure.

It was Nam Hae-sol. She found him and approached with delight as if he were what she was looking for. A large carrier the size of hers rolled behind her with a terrifying rattle.

“Hello, guide Seon Jae-chan!”

It took some time for her to come face to face and greet him.

Suddenly, Seon Jae-chan’s complexion changed. Beyond the brightly smiling Nam Hae-sol. It was because he had just entered the passenger terminal when he spotted someone who stood out from the crowd.

Nam Hae-sol, which is close by.

And… Go Woo-jin, which is far away.

Seon Jae-chan stared silently at the two people who appeared in front of him. With his good eyesight, Go Woo-jin over there quickly found him through the glass door.

Jae-chan’s heart beat short with nervousness.

Just a guess, but maybe.

Nam Hae-sol and Go Woo-jin’s first meeting may have changed because of him. Then wouldn’t it be right to let them meet now?

“Woo-jin is here.”

He opened his mouth without realizing it. Jae-chan turned his gaze away from the guy pushing his way through the crowd in the distance and fixed it on Nam Hae-sol in front of him. Her face, which had been smiling innocently, hardened at the unexpected words that came out of Jae-chan’s mouth.

“What?”

“Esper Go Woo-jin. Didn’t you say you liked him? Say hello to him. He’s on his way here.”

It was a very strategic statement.

Seon Jae-chan thought he was cowardly for giving the ball of choice to Nam Hae-sol. He made Nam Hae-sol, who liked Go Woo-jin but was shy to stand in front of him, choose whether to show courage or not.

The choice was made quickly. In an instant, Guide Nam Hae-sol, who he thought resembled the youngest member of Team 5, gasped and blushed. Then, without looking back, she hurried towards the boarding gate.

Jae-chan silently looked at the large, shabby case that disappeared behind her as she walked. Nam Hae-Sol was younger than he remembered and tended to remind him of the apprentice he’d wanted to take care of.

Perhaps that was the case.

Guilt flashed through him as he watched Goo Jin calmly approach without knowing anything.

So what. It’s fine. I’ll eat one less spoonful of rice for now.

While rationalizing it as a punishment inflicted upon himself out of conscience, Go Woo-jin, who had pushed through the glass door, walked straight this way. Jae-chan felt a strange silence in the room where there was a lot of noise.

“…”

Go Woo-jin, who had approached regardless of people’s glances, put his hand in his pocket. He took out a cell phone and held it out. It was Seon Jae-chan’s smartphone that he took exactly 11 days ago.

Jae-chan accepted the item without a word. Go Woo-jin didn’t know that Jae-chan was suffering from a strange feeling of guilt, so he thought it was surprising that Jae-chan only took the phone without complaint.

For a brief moment, only the terminal’s noise filled the space between the two. The faint sound of conversation, the sound of the news, and the sound of moving footsteps.

Seon Jae-chan tried not to look at Nam Hae-sol, who had disappeared. He fiddled nervously with his phone, which was still slightly warm.

It was Woo-jin who broke the silence first.

“It’s charged.”

The tip of his chiseled chin pointed to the smartphone, the phone he’d just gotten back from the other man after a few days, and the other man hadn’t bothered to turn it on.

Seon Jae-chan looked a bit surprised before turning on the power button. The screen lights up to indicate that the battery is really full. He set his eyes on the bright boot screen he hadn’t seen in a long time, then dropped his hand holding the phone on his lap.