Cha In-ho, who had been smiling just moments before, composed his expression. A different smile, cleaner and more practiced, emerged on his face.
"No matter how much people talk, it doesn't mean they really know me, so it's fine."
It was as if a line had been drawn in an instant. The invisible wall pushed you back, as if to say you too should keep your distance.
Perhaps that was why Joo-hyun noticed the leaves outside the window, swaying in the wind behind Cha In-ho's shoulder. The radiation guiding spread more slowly than usual, brushing against his fingertips. With a hint of softness in his voice, Joo-hyun said, "You're lying about manifesting recently, aren't you?"
The unexpected question made Cha In-ho blink. A hint of wariness flickered in his clear eyes before quickly being concealed.
"Do you have a reason to think so?"
Manifesting after the age of twenty was exceedingly rare, making it far more likely he had been hiding it all along. Yet, the world had a way of delighting in surprising people. Assuming someone's situation based solely on probabilities was foolish.
Joo-hyun, who bore the ignominious title of the youngest runaway esper, knew this better than anyone. He smirked, crinkling his nose.
"You're too good to have been a guide for only a month."
Cha In-ho's voice was a slow whisper, and a small smile began to curl at the corners of his lips. The icicle melted in an instant, giving way to spring. Such swift changes in expression might have made someone think he was mad, but beauty had its way of making everything seem acceptable.
What was odd, though, was how pleased Cha In-ho looked despite being confronted.
Joo-hyun's smile faded, disliking the strangeness of the situation, while Cha In-ho's smile grew even more pronounced, almost seeming genuine.
"But did you like my guiding?"
"...Why are we talking about this?"
"You said I'm good at it."
If he had to say whether he liked it or not, of course, he liked it. There wasn't an esper anywhere who would dislike guiding that was warm and gentle, rather than painful or humiliating.
However, Joo-hyun didn't want to acknowledge it, especially when Cha In-ho looked so pleased. So, Joo-hyun glanced away and spoke in a nonchalant manner.
"It's not bad... better than the last guide who came, though."
Of course, it was a lie. Among all the guides who had come here, Cha In-ho was easily one of the top three. The issue was that Cha In-ho didn't do anything particularly special. It was just ordinary guiding, but if Joo-hyun admitted to liking it, it would only highlight the fact that he was a runaway esper, so he lied.
"Didn't you learn that it's rude to talk about other guides in front of your matching guide?"
A matching guide. Espers in Block C could only dream of having a matching guide, and now one was standing in front of Joo-hyun, frowning and staring at him.
After a moment of consideration, Joo-hyun simply shrugged. Seeming to give up on the conversation, Cha In-ho shook his head lightly and went back to focusing on his script.
When an esper and a guide were imprinted on each other, hormonal changes occurred, preventing the esper from receiving guidance from anyone else, and the guide from guiding any other esper. But that only happened when they were imprinted, not just contractually matched.
However, some researchers suggested that even matching could cause minor hormonal changes. They speculated that this might happen because of the process of regularly meeting and influencing each other's waves.
Symptoms of hormonal changes varied, but the most notable one was an obsession with the other person. This symptom was more prevalent in espers than in guides.
Of course, Joo-hyun and Cha In-ho hadn't spent enough time together for any hormonal changes to occur. Nonetheless, the reason Joo-hyun feared that Cha In-ho might never guide him again was that he was a damned runaway esper.
Even if he was fine now, Joo-hyun knew that starting tomorrow, he might suffer in agony without any guiding for the next ten days as a runaway esper.
Joo-hyun was well aware that, despite being unwanted by everyone, having Cha In-ho as his matching guide was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck. Of course, if Cha In-ho decided to break the contract and terminate the match, Joo-hyun would calmly nod in agreement. He would never cling to him.
However, if the match continued without any guiding, it would inevitably lead to Joo-hyun's runaway state. He feared this scenario—not for himself, but because of the potential danger it posed to those around him. He hadn't cared about his own body for a long time.
The esper, as usual, took out a match and a cigarette from his pocket. The flame from the match transferred to the cigarette.
Joo-hyun, biting the filter, glanced at Cha In-ho. He was still busy reading his script with his head down.
When the white stick had burned halfway, Joo-hyun, after a brief hesitation, pressed it against his forearm. A sharp pain, like a sting, shot through him. He held the butt there a bit longer than usual before slowly lifting it away.
When he shifted his gaze to hide his hesitation, he saw that Cha In-ho had already put down his script and was looking at him and his arm.
Cha In-ho, with a slightly stiffened face, remained still for a moment before sighing deeply and reaching out. The guide's palm was warm, and that gentle warmth quickly eased the circular burn. Even after the wound had disappeared, Cha In-ho didn't stop guiding.
"If you have any complaints, just say so."
"I have no complaints."
The script lay abandoned. As Cha In-ho, now very close, grumbled softly while continuing the guiding, Joo-hyun secretly exhaled a gentle breath.
He would never admit it, but it felt similar to relief.
* * *
With a light gesture, the floating corpse slipped its head through the noose of the tightly bound rope. As the esper released his hold, the body dropped, and the rope went taut.
Joo-hyun slowly surveyed his surroundings, clenching and unclenching his fist.
What had been a peaceful and happy family home just a few hours ago was now utterly wrecked. Items lay strewn across the floor, furniture was shattered, and above all, there was scarlet blood splattered everywhere, making it look like a scene from a thriller film.
However, this was reality. This was the home of a researcher who had leaked information from the Association, and this was where the researcher's family had met their end.
When he rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand due to a strange itch, he found it smeared with still-wet blood. Since he wasn't injured, it must have been the blood of the man or woman that had splattered on him.
Anyone unaware that an esper had been here would think that a violent fight had ended with one spouse killing the other and then hanging themselves. This was exactly what Joo-hyun intended as he slowly walked towards the front door, carrying the researcher's laptop.
No, saying he walked wouldn't be accurate since his feet didn't touch the ground. Hovering in mid-air, Joo-hyun stopped abruptly. On top of a cabinet, fitting for a harmonious family, were several framed family photos.
Among them were pictures of the now lifeless couple, and in the middle, a child smiling brightly and making a peace sign. After staring at the photos for a moment, Joo-hyun turned and flew out of the house.
Minutes later, ambulances and police cars surrounded the building, responding to a neighbour's call. The child from the photo rushed to the hospital from his school after receiving an urgent call. In front of his parents' bodies, now covered by white sheets, the boy wept loudly in a relative's arms.
* * *
Smack! The sharp sound of flesh striking flesh echoed through the room. Joo-hyun, whose head had been turned to the side, looked back at the person in front of him.
Ryu Tae-seok, the deputy director of Block C and the man who essentially ran it, raised his hand again with a cold expression.
"There were three targets. Why did you leave one alive?"
"…I judged that missing the target was better than revealing my presence. The noise had already led to a call, so I couldn't stay long."
"That's the excuse you've come up with?"
Despite not being on a mission, Tae-seok, who always wore combat boots like in his younger days, kicked Joo-hyun in the abdomen. Without a groan, Joo-hyun fell to the floor, and although he got up with a calm expression, the boot came flying at him again.
After another kick, Joo-hyun remained on the floor, quietly accepting the blows.