SOG Ch 78

In the end, Seon Jae-chan’s guardian came to the hospital.

“Esper Go Woo-jin. Right?”

A woman greeted Woo-jin with a nod and extended her hand for a handshake.

The delicate nose, smooth jawline, and the line extending to her ears made Woo-jin feel oddly familiar, and in that moment, he realized that the woman in front of him resembled Seon Jae-chan.

Could it be his mother? She seemed a bit younger, though…

“I’m Guide Seon Jae-chan’s Aunt.”

The woman introduced herself as Esper Gu Ji-eun, Seon Jae-chan’s aunt.

Gu Ji-eun excelled in data analysis, calculation, and deductive reasoning in non-combat areas, so she has been working at the research lab. Until recently, she hadn’t had much contact with Woo-jin due to having completed a two-year degree program in the United States.

The reason Gu Ji-eun came to Ross Hospital was as follows:

Seon Jae-chan’s family ignored the hospital’s call. To be more specific, Seon Min-yeol was still pondering how to respond to this incident externally.

During this time, contact was somehow made with Gu Ji-eun. Seon Jae-chan had put his aunt’s contact information on his guardian’s contact list during the Center’s re-registration period earlier this year. Even though it was only a formality, he had written down his aunt’s contact information, which he knew by heart, rather than his parents’ or Seon Eun-soo’s.

Throughout his working history, Jae-chan had never done anything that required him to contact his guardian, both before and after his return. e had put down his aunt’s contact information, thinking that he would never need to call her. Of course, the reality was that his aunt was visiting her niece who hadn’t wake up with a confused look on her face.

“I will collect a blood sample from Guide Seon Jae-chan.”

A needle was inserted into his pale forearm. The nurse drew blood, and Gu Ji-eun scrutinized it with her arms crossed. She even looked at the chart, whether out of curiosity as a researcher or for another reason.

Woo-jin’s gaze unintentionally scrutinized Gu Ji-eun. Since Seon Jae-chan had listed his aunt as his guardian, he thought their relationship might be special. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem that way.

Still, she was much more ordinary as a guardian than Seon Min-yeol. Woo-jin deliberately left the room to observe her closely, but he didn’t sense anything unusual.

Thanks to that, Woo-jin felt relieved and thought about going home for a while. He had been awake for over thirty hours and needed some rest.

About five hours later in the evening. Woo-jin changed out of his military uniform and returned with slightly bloodshot eyes, while Gu Ji-eun remained in the hospital.

Seon Jae-chan still had his eyes closed with a pale face. Gu Ji-eun, who had been reading an economic magazine with her neck stretched like a turtle, stood up.

“He’s still not awake?”

Go Woo-jin anxiously checked his watch, hoping Jae-shan had awoken and then fallen back asleep. It’s nearly nine o’clock at night. The gas was released into the culprits’ hideout around 3 a.m. yesterday, so he had been unconscious for nearly eighteen hours.

“Yes. The test results are out, and there’s nothing unusual. Oh, but the Guide wavelength test shows a high stress level. Has something happened to him lately? …No, is it just because of what happened yesterday?”

Gu Ji-eun’s voice gradually shifted from answers to questions as she responded to Woo-jin, and her usual muttering returned. Her eyes returned to her nephew, filled with concern.

“I heard that both the criminals and the kidnapped child have regained consciousness… Why is this guy the only one like this?”

Go Woo-jin’s face also darkened. His heart suddenly started pounding nervously, and then a fierce and hot energy surged from his toes. There was nothing he could do. He clenched his fists silently and walked straight out of the hospital room.

He took out his phone and called Chae Seong-hwan. As soon as the signal stopped, he spoke faster than usual.

“Do you recognize him? The Esper with teleportation abilities.”

Seon Jae-chan had obvious signs of violence all over his body when Go Woo-jin found him. Nearby was a short man unconscious from a gunshot wound. Because of his striking appearance, Go Woo-jin immediately recognized him as the Esper with teleportation abilities who had brutally beaten Seon Jae-chan’s face.

Go Woo-jin had planned to retaliate against him immediately at the time, but Seon Jae-chan’s breathing was too weak, preventing him from doing so. When Seon Jae-chan didn’t wake up, his intense feelings for the perpetrator resurfaced naturally.

Meanwhile, Chae Seong-hwan got anxious while listening to Go Woo-jin’s cold voice, as if he was about to slice his opponent into pieces of meat at any moment.

‘Even if you don’t step forward, that Esper seems to be in deep trouble.’

Won Seong-il, a person with the ability to teleport, served as an example of how bad a person could be without causing fatal injuries. He had injuries all over his body, with not a single healthy part, and whatever hit him shattered his cheekbones into pieces. According to the testimony of his colleague and witness, a large man named Kang San, it was all the work of guide Seon Jae-chan.

Even if Won Seong-il had been caught off guard, the Guide handled the Esper in such a meticulous and thorough manner.

‘It’s clear that he knows how to hit very well.’

It was to the point of suspicion whether Guide Seon Jae-chan had undergone secret elite squad training or formal Guardian training. Guardians responsible for Esper protection and similar situations usually underwent specialized training for large Esper conflicts.

‘You just have to be patient. Still, Guide Seon Jae-chan’s teeth are fine… aren’t they?’

Chae Seong-hwan thought about that and sighed. It wasn’t an atmosphere to express honest opinions, so he decided to answer the question asked.

– He’s in the 3rd General Hospital. He’ll be transferred to the highest-grade ability detention facility after receiving treatment.

Go Woo-jin noticed Chae Seong-hwan’s strangely sour tone. Just as he was about to ask a few more questions, a group of medical staff passed by and entered Seon Jae-chan’s hospital room. After finishing the call with “I’ll call you again,” he followed them.

The doctor who had brought the additional test results smiled as he turned over the medical chart. The results of the MRI confirmed that it appeared to be only a temporary concussion and a re-diagnosis was made.

“You can stop worrying now. He should wake up today at the latest.”

Woo-jin felt a warmth bursting in his chest when he heard those words as if a burden had been lifted.

Gu Ji-eun felt relieved as well. As the medical staff left the room, Gu Ji-eun, who had been compensating for her turtle-like posture by tapping her neck a few times, noticed that Esper Go Woo-jin had become noticeably relaxed.

His eyes were fixed on her nephew, and his fingertips twitched. She spoke up after carefully observing him.

“You can touch him.”

His expressionless eyes turned to her as if the words had appeared out of nowhere. Gu Ji-eun kept patting the back of her neck, admiring Esper Go Woo-jin’s shadow on the hospital room wall.

“Don’t you want to touch him? Go ahead and touch him when he’s asleep, I know his temper, and you can’t touch him when he’s awake, he’ll hate it.”

Hmm, maybe not. Would he enjoy it if he petted him? Listening to Gu Ji-eun’s muttering, Woo-jin’s eyes widened in surprise.

To think he wanted to touch him. He just felt fortunate to hear that Seon Jae-chan was safe. He briefly wondered if the tousled hair on his forehead might tickle, but he had no intention of touching him.

Woo-jin was about to make excuses when Gu Ji-eun suddenly stood up, tapped her waist, and shook her hands playfully before leaving the hospital room.

“Ugh, I should grab some sushi or something.”

Before Woo-jin could react, Gu Ji-eun exited the room.

…I can touch him?

Remaining dumbfounded, Woo-jin turned his gaze back to Seon Jae-chan. The sudden humming sound of the humidifier became more distinct. Even his mind seemed to be filled with the humid and moist atmosphere as he observed Seon Jae-chan.

“…”

The face that had been covered in dust and dirt looked completely different now that he had been cleaned up. Although the swollen bruises on both cheeks were still vivid, the overall appearance was noticeably better than yesterday or this morning.

Woo-jin looked towards the tightly closed door of the hospital room. Confirming the silence without any signs of ants, he cautiously approached the bed.

Initially, he had the intention to remove the hair near the eyebrows. At some point, however, he found himself gently brushing away the thin strands of hair. The soft black hair was thick and felt somewhat fluffy.

For a moment, Go Woo-jin was mesmerized by the soft and smooth texture. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality. This wasn’t the time to be touching someone’s hair.

It’s all because Esper Gu Ji-eun left behind a strange comment.

Woo-jin, who was frowning, let out a low sigh and pulled out an auxiliary chair. Despite the low height compared to his stature and the cramped space for his legs, he paid it no mind. He brought the chair closer to the bed. He lifted the blanket covering Seon Jae-chan slightly. It was the hand on the side opposite to where he received the injection.

It was an unexpectedly neat-looking hand.

It was also the hand that saved a child from a hostage situation.