...Huh? Hee-heon suddenly raised his head. His face, held in Cha Mu-gyeol's hand, froze in surprise. He suddenly recalled a past event that had faded into the recesses of his memory. That scorching summer day. Clearly, at that time, Cha Mu-gyeol had postponed his answer. <...> There was a moment that had just passed like that. Hee-heon didn't try to dig deeper either. It had been quietly sleeping beneath the surface, only to resurface now. "The new government is wary of the excessive central concentration system in the current special residential districts," Cha Mu-gyeol said. He pulled Hee-heon's face close, preventing him from escaping, and locked eyes with him. There wasn't a trace of hesitation in his cold, piercing gaze. He was sharply angry. At the fact that Hee-heon had dared, even for a moment, to think of leaving his grasp. "It's because the number of high-rank awakened has increased, and the military power under the Central Military Commander has become excessively strong." "..." "As a result, they've decided to establish a Second Branch Center in the general residential district." "...Wait, they're setting up another branch?" "Yes. A base to disperse the awakened." Decentralization of the Center. "I'm the face representing that." The reason why absolute civilian support was needed. The reason why Cha Mu-gyeol continued his work with the Musan Group. The reason why Brigadier General Kang Jung-mo acted subserviently like his limb. Cha Mu-gyeol was an indispensable figure for the promotion of the Second Branch establishment. "I've secured the real power of the Second Branch by providing land and buildings owned by the Musan Group and creating public opinion. Filling positions with people to my liking is as simple as yawning." "..." "From now on, I'll never have to go to the front lines again. I probably won't need to kill creatures either. Since I won't be using abilities, the imbalance won't accumulate to a significant degree either." "..." "Then, theoretically, there's no problem even if an A-rank is my dedicated guide." If abilities aren't used, the imbalance doesn't accumulate rapidly. If the imbalance doesn't accumulate beyond a certain level, high-rank guiding isn't necessary to resolve it. Certainly, if that's true, Baek Hee-heon might be able to continue performing Cha Mu-gyeol's guiding. But, still... "You're saying you won't use your abilities...?" With that much power. Born as an S-rank. After training every day, and even saving the Third District in an instant... "Never again... from now on... for the rest of your life...?" "That's right." "Why... why go that far?" Hee-heon's expression twisted in confusion. He couldn't understand how Cha Mu-gyeol could speak so resolutely, or grasp the extent of his determination and will. All awakened are affiliated with the Center, go to the battlefield, and fight creatures. They protect and save people. They live with a sense of mission, pride, and destiny for that purpose. Hee-heon had only just developed such an intention. To sincerely face and lead this life. Thanks to none other than Cha Mu-gyeol. "Don't tell me it's because of me...?" It's a power that the vast majority of people can't obtain even if they desperately want it. Being an S-rank esper meant having an absolute and powerful force that could save or destroy a country. Under his will, humanity could prosper or fall. The Third Residential District was an example of that. In that bright white night, Cha Mu-gyeol had saved countless lives, becoming a true hero, yet he was overlooking what had been given to him as the chosen special one. Far from being exceptional, even that seemed to be just a useful tool and means to an end for him. "From the beginning, that was the only thing." Cha Mu-gyeol let out a snicker. Despite his pleasant voice, it was utterly chilling. He was calm and resolute, as if he had intended this from the start. "Awakening was the only way to reunite beyond the barrier, and by chance, the timing aligned and I manifested as an esper. It was incredibly smooth..." "..." "The progress is faster than planned, but this is good enough. I no longer need abilities or anything like that." "..." "It's useless." At those words, it felt like something was crumbling. The sky above Hee-heon, which had been floating lightly, suddenly collapsed like a hailstorm. His chest ached. Unlike the pain from his strained core, this was purely the recoil of Hee-heon's sense of loss. "...That's impossible." "Why?" "But, you can't..." "Why are you making that face?" Cha Mu-gyeol slowly pressed and traced Hee-heon's lower lip with his thumb. His pale lips were trembling. Hee-heon was at a loss for how to explain this feeling to Cha Mu-gyeol, what to say. He wasn't sure if Mu-gyeol would understand even if he explained, and there was no proper solution. He just felt empty. At the end of the whirlpool of confused thoughts, Hee-heon mumbled with an uncertain expression. Even he found it difficult to clearly articulate the logic behind his sense of loss and regret. All of this was sudden and contradictory. "I... didn't want this." "I did." He wanted Cha Mu-gyeol. Enough to dedicate his entire life to him. He had cried tears of sadness and joy at finally being able to be open and stay with him. But. "...This way, there's no meaning to us living as awakened." "We were originally non-awakened." "But now..." "What's the problem? You said you liked it. Said you didn't regret it." "..." "Baek Hee-heon is my guide. Even if you don't guide once." *** "This is the reconstruction site of the Third Residential District. The area in front of the transmission tower, which has become a landmark, is crowded daily with people dedicating themselves to Esper Cha Mu-gyeol and Guide Baek Hee-heon. Despite considerable damage, the residents' expressions are bright." Sitting on the hospital bed, Hee-heon stared blankly at the TV screen. Familiar terrain appeared as the background in the live news broadcast. Around the towering transmission tower, people gathered in black masses, forming long lines to place flowers, letters, and other items, and pray. Civilians who can't enter the special residential district can only express their respect for the awakened in this way. Those praising and praying were reverent, solemn, and above all, sublime. Despite the barrier blocking them, their sincere gratitude was overflowing to the point of eliciting sighs. The on-site reporter asked for interviews from the lined-up people, and a young girl with bandages on her head and arm appeared on screen, smiling. The girl's eyes shone brilliantly, almost painfully so, as she spoke excitedly into the microphone with her young voice. "I'm Oh Yul-bin from 2nd grade, class 2 of Sesangcho Elementary. I really cried so much watching the video of Guide Hee-heon's guiding. He's so cool and amazing, so I wanted to write him a letter and stayed up all night writing this. I wanted to join Hee-heon's fan club too, but they said the server crashed and I have to wait a week." "Yes, Yul-bin. You seem a bit injured, are you okay?" "I'm fine. The hospital said I'll heal completely except for a small scar. I asked if the scar could be in the shape of lightning, and they nicely stitched it that way." "Lightning shape, that's amazing. What do you think, mother?" "Oh, no. The doctor must have been joking with Yul-bin... She kept insisting she likes blue lightning." ...Sigh. Hee-heon let out a long sigh and turned off the TV with the remote. The screen went black and the white noise stopped. The silence was heavy. His head was dizzy, his breath was choked, and he felt nauseous. Hee-heon curled up into a ball and buried his face in the pillow. His thin, light patient gown crinkled as it wrinkled. Cha Mu-gyeol had briefly left to give work-related instructions to Secretary Jo, and Hee-heon was alone in this spacious single room. It seemed there had been a disruption in work due to the rush to the hospital ward. He said he would leave the Center and go home, so it would take quite some time before he returned to the ward. 'Maybe it's for the best.' Hee-heon covered himself with the blanket, his eyes complex. He was glad Cha Mu-gyeol wasn't by his side. Although his desire to be together remained, at least for now, it was awkward to face him. <...This way, there's no meaning to us living as awakened.> Baek Hee-heon's will being thwarted by Cha Mu-gyeol was a familiar repetition. Until now, all sorts of conditions, situations, and relationships had crushed Hee-heon flat and made him wander in circles. Just when he thought he had finally secured a place by Cha Mu-gyeol's side, even that wasn't completely stable. Rather, it was the opposite.

Chapters