If you died beyond the gate, there was a high probability that the monster would burrow into the familiar sand. Eventually, an esper would have to be dispatched to capture it, but for now, it wouldn't target a guide again or further tear up the mountain.
In that case, Joo-hyun's death would be somewhat meaningful. For a runaway esper, it would be a glorious end.
However, one thing was bothersome: only a fortnight ago, Cha In-ho had gone to great lengths to save Joo-hyun, and now this had happened.
Just as he thought it was somewhat embarrassing, Joo-hyun's life, as usual, seemed unwilling to flow in the desired direction.
Excessive use of his abilities caused his heart to race. A metallic taste rose in his throat, and his vision swam. It would be better to stop using his abilities and rest immediately, but the moment he let his guard down, the monster would surely devour him.
However, Joo-hyun collapsed to the ground before reaching the gate. His poor condition today was partly to blame. Forcing himself to stab the monster in the eye, Joo-hyun coughed up blood.
It had been a long time since he used his abilities so much. Perhaps he had saved them too much, causing them to become stiff. Was it poetic justice? He chuckled as he looked up at the approaching monster.
"Close your eyes."
Yoon Ga-ram's voice came through the communicator, and without hesitation, Joo-hyun closed his eyes before the monster aiming for his life.
Then, a thunderous crash! Lightning struck from the clear sky. Even with his eyelids closed, the light was so bright that his vision flickered white for a moment.
"You managed to survive."
In front of Joo-hyun, who slowly opened his eyes, stood a smirking angel with wings. Beyond him, the charred monster lay motionless, emitting smoke.
"…Why were you so late?"
"There were two that crossed the gate. A couple, maybe? They looked slightly different."
Joo-hyun, staggering to his feet and brushing off his trousers, let out a deep sigh. The release of tension drained the little remaining strength, but the mission wasn't over yet.
"Are you sure there were two?"
"I checked the whole mountain while tearing it up. I accidentally knocked out three moles. You have no idea how many tunnels I had to dig up."
Joo-hyun moved to carefully observe the dead monster. No matter how much he looked, the ability was absurd. Despite coughing up blood, Joo-hyun barely managed to flee, while Ga-ram solved most problems with a single lightning strike.
"You look like a mess."
Ga-ram's blue eyes narrowed in mockery. Covered in blood and wounds, Joo-hyun's appearance was an understatement even to call it a mess.
It was so true that he didn't even feel like retorting. Slowly removing his scarf to wipe his face, Joo-hyun waited for the pounding headache to subside.
"How do you feel? Think you might run out of control?"
"A bit."
"Don't worry. If you do, I'll subdue you immediately. I'll fry you until your hair's gone."
The mischievous voice was full of delight. In the distance, the sound of reinforcements called by Ga-ram could be heard.
Joo-hyun made an effort to fold the scarf and wrap it around his neck. As Ga-ram said, the scarf covered the blood-stained, nasty-looking choker.
"No need. My head will be blown off before you even touch me."
As the bushes parted, an esper wearing a cloak appeared. He smiled at Ga-ram but immediately stiffened upon seeing Joo-hyun, or rather the red stains on his clothes.
He didn't hide his displeasure, and Joo-hyun didn't react either. That was the usual attitude toward runaway espers. Simply stepping back to avoid interfering with them, Joo-hyun carefully massaged his aching arm.
* * *
The reinforcements consisted of two espers and three guides. With one S-grade and one A-grade, they would be more than capable of handling any more monsters that appeared.
While they dealt with the charred corpse, Joo-hyun sat alone at a considerable distance, resting. Bowing his head and catching his breath, he was relieved to find the bleeding had stopped. He didn't need any guiding drugs, after all.
He sat on a tree felled by the monster, sensing someone approach and sit beside him. He didn't need to look to know who it was. Only one person here would come to Joo-hyun so readily.
"…They're not a couple, they're offspring. Their sizes are completely different."
"Really? They looked like a couple to me."
Joo-hyun fell silent at the brazen voice. The monster Ga-ram dealt with was half the size of the one Joo-hyun fought. But because it was smaller, Ga-ram might have had a harder time finding it.
"They say it's Red-grade, not Black. It suddenly ambushed from the desert, easily hunting creatures stronger than itself."
Though the mission was shared, it didn't bother Joo-hyun that Ga-ram was the only one given information.
His heartbeat, still faster than usual, thudded in his ears. As he swept his sweat-drenched hair back, the mountain breeze brushed his forehead.
With trembling hands, Joo-hyun took out a cigarette, hesitated briefly, and then lit it with a lighter. The smell of oil surged, and he felt the acrid smoke fill his lungs.
"Quit smoking. At least do it when I'm not around."
"Then leave."
Ga-ram clicked his tongue, his wings fluttering discontentedly. Though Joo-hyun knew they were held by static electricity, they looked convincingly like real wings.
"You don't use matches anymore?"
"…I got it from my matching guide."
Why did he answer that question?
Ga-ram had three matching guides by contract. As an esper who was obsessed with guides, he cherished and adored all three. That was why he didn't ask Joo-hyun for help when he knew the monster was targeting his guide.
Turning his head, he saw Ga-ram's blue eyes widen. It was surprising, indeed.
"Why. Is it strange for me to have a guide?"
Ga-ram's blonde hair, tied back, swayed in the wind. With an expression as if he had swallowed a large rock, he exclaimed.
"Of course it's strange. Isn't it?"
Grabbing his erratically flapping wings, Ga-ram held a handful of feathers. When he let go, they stuck back to the wings like magnets.
"What crazy person would pair with a runaway esper… Ah, is it Cha In-ho?"
Ga-ram's eyes widened as he grabbed Joo-hyun's shoulder. The blue eyes stared intensely at Joo-hyun, who felt a strange pressure and nodded.
"Do you know him?"
"Of course. There was so much noise everywhere about him being the first to manifest so late."
Ga-ram's bleached blonde hair was lightly pulled by his fingers. Propping his elbows on his knees, Ga-ram groaned for a while before straightening up. Contrary to his earlier hesitation, his expression was unexpectedly indifferent and calm.
"Well… it doesn't really matter to me what happens to you."
"You really know how to sweet-talk."
"It's a favour for saving my guide."
The pristine white wings spread wide, enveloping the two of them. In the darkness, an artificial blue light glimmered.
"Be careful of him."
"Of him?"
"Cha In-ho."
Ga-ram whispered, pulling his wings back. Suddenly, the surrounding noise filled in as if the previous silence had been a lie. The sound of wind, birds, and insects. Listening to the peaceful sounds, Joo-hyun gritted his teeth. The emotions reflected in his blood-red eyes were anger.
"If you're trying to sow discord just because I got a matching guide—"
"It's not like that. Can't a person give a friendly warning without causing a fuss?"
Ga-ram muttered, kicking a pebble in front of him. Even with a light kick, the pebble flew out of sight in an instant, befitting an S-grade esper.
"I met him at the broadcasting station once."
"You're not a celebrity, so what were you doing at a broadcasting station?"
"I thought I showed my face on screen quite a bit. Don't you have a TV at home?"
There wasn't really a place he could call his home, but Joo-hyun wasn't about to reveal his lack. Motioning for him to continue, Joo-hyun saw Ga-ram frown but continue the story.
"Anyway, we weren't on the same show. We just crossed paths in the hallway. I've never seen anyone control their energy waves so well. If I weren't S-grade, I wouldn't have noticed."
It seemed like self-praise, but the content was heavier than expected.
"I asked him if he was a guide, having never heard of him being one."
"So, what did he say?"
Ga-ram lowered his voice, speaking as if sharing a secret.
"He just laughed it off. And then, four days later, there was an article about him being a guide."
Joo-hyun, taken aback, bit his lower lip. If it were a coincidence, there was nothing to say, but it was too suspicious to ignore.
"Doesn't it seem strange to you?"
Joo-hyun didn't know how to respond to Ga-ram's question. Even nodding felt like too much.