Chapter 96: An Alliance of Convenience

My guiding with Siyun was suspended after my escape attempt.
It was due to Dr. Yoon’s opinion that my actions were unpredictable and I might harm Siyun.

I felt very sorry for Siyun.
I didn’t think the escape would be easy, but I had no idea I would be caught so futilely outside.

Although Siyun and I hadn’t exchanged words out loud, Dr. Yoon would probably have considered the possibility that we had been communicating.
I just hoped no harm would come to Siyun.

What was fortunate, however, was that the ID card I had taken was Jinseok’s.
I had also thought about the possibility of being caught again, so I had hidden the other ID card in my room.
If the ID card hadn’t been Jinseok’s, Siyun would have been suspected immediately.

Other schedules, except for Siyun’s guiding, namely wavelength condensation and the Multi project, proceeded as planned.

After finishing dinner, Dr. Yoon’s assistant came at 7 o’clock.
Even though he knew I had been caught again, he acted the same as usual.
Come to think of it, Dr. Yoon also hadn’t shown any particular reaction, so he might have had my escape in mind from the beginning.

“Guide Lee Shinui, let’s move to the Multi project room.”

I didn’t answer and followed the assistant to the fifth basement level.
Sung Yohan had already arrived at the Multi project room and was injecting his wavelength.

Since it was my first time in the Multi project, the assistant explained it to me.

“You can inject your wavelength into the person lying down in the same way as wavelength condensation.”

“Is it okay to condense a wavelength into a person?”

“Yes. Now, please enter the project room.”

At the assistant’s words, I eventually entered the project room, but there was no way it was okay to put a wavelength into a person.
If another person’s wavelength entered, it would surely put a strain on the body.

Sung Yohan was concentrating on the injection, ignoring me even though I had entered the project room.
Since he didn’t acknowledge me, I felt a little bit of disappointment and resentment.

‘He acted like I was the only one in the world outside.’

I also ignored him and looked at the man lying on the medical bed.
And I sat on the chair provided near his left hand.

• [Guide Lee Shinui, please begin the wavelength injection.]

As soon as I sat down, I heard a prompt to start the wavelength injection.
I looked the man over and just pretended to inject my wavelength.
I had no intention of helping with such a strange project.

As I was looking at the man for a while, I noticed a few strange things.

The man’s fingernails were long, as if they hadn’t been cut for a few weeks, and his hair was also uneven, as if it had been cut forcibly.
For a moment, the S-Class guide that Dr. Yoon had shown me came to mind.
Perhaps this person was also in the same situation as him.

“Is this person under sleep anesthesia?”

• [Yes.]

“Are you sure?”

• [That is not a matter for you to interfere in. Please concentrate on the wavelength injection.]

From the way he avoided the question, my thoughts might be right.

The man might not have wanted this situation.
But I couldn’t just assume so.
After all, he could have been as desperate for a promotion as I was before the regression.

After examining the man’s body for a while, I turned my gaze to Sung Yohan.
I couldn’t understand the reason why he was participating in the Multi project either.

He didn’t seem like the type to meekly grant Dr. Yoon’s request.
He, like me, might have been blackmailed by Dr. Yoon, or he might have had some unavoidable circumstances.

First, I thought I should talk to him.
I needed to get to the bottom of why he was helping with Dr. Yoon’s project and whether Hyun Taewoon had returned to the past with his ability.

After injecting my wavelength for nearly an hour, the project’s wavelength injection was over.

• [It’s over. You may leave the project room.]

At the assistant’s words, Sung Yohan was the first to walk towards the door.
I hurriedly approached him and said in a small voice.

“Sung Yohan-ssi, I’d like to talk for a moment.”

“You must have missed me a lot. To even ask to talk.”

I was about to answer his words, but I couldn’t continue the conversation as Dr. Yoon’s assistant came in.
Still, since I had expressed my intention to talk, he would come to find me.

After returning to the third basement level, I sat on my bed listlessly.
After being caught again, this space felt even more suffocating.
And I couldn’t sleep.

‘How can I get out of here again?’

As I was lost in thought, the door burst open, and he appeared.
I was surprised that he had appeared without a sound, but since I had expected him to come and find me, my surprise quickly subsided.

“Sung Yohan-ssi.”

I was even a little glad to see him.
It seemed to be because I had met a familiar face after being trapped among strangers.

“Shinui-ssi, you were here. I was worried you had gone missing.”

“Missing?”

I was dumbfounded at the unexpected word that came out of his mouth.
He had said he would process it as an overseas assignment.

There was not a single truth in anything.
It was a complete mess where I had been played by him.

“Yes. The Center is in an uproar, trying to find you. Though they don’t seem to be looking very hard.”

“I wasn’t missing; I was trapped.”

“I know.”

“What did you say?”

I asked back without realizing it at his shameless words that he knew I was trapped.

“They always lock them up here and say they’re missing.”

I had a feeling, but it seemed he was planning to lock me up here for life and say I was missing.
Just like the S-Class guide on the eighth basement level.

“Didn’t you think of helping me when you saw me?”

“Yes, I like it when you’re here. I can see you whenever I want, can’t I?”

I was so dumbfounded at his words that I couldn’t speak.
Even as he saw my contorted expression, he was smiling.

“Now I can have you all to myself.”

“Don’t say such ridiculous things.”

“But I want to set up a new home with you here.”

He said and laughed.
If it were him, he really could, so it didn’t sound like a joke.

“But why did you want to talk? You usually didn’t want to. Are you perhaps trying to get out?”

Before I could even get to the main point, he spoke as if he had already read my mind.

“That’s right. I want you to help me.”

Since I had already failed to escape once, this time I had no choice but to bow to him.
At my words, he looked at me with a satisfied face, as if he had finally heard the words he wanted to hear.

“I can let you out of here if you grant my request.”

“What is your request?”

As expected, he wouldn’t help me escape with just words.

“There’s one thing you can do for me. You’ve been guiding that mental-type Esper these days, right?”

I was a little puzzled at the unexpected words that came out of his mouth.
He must have been talking about Siyun, but I hadn’t thought that he and Siyun would have any connection.
I hadn’t seen him for a while, but to hear more of his proposal, it seemed I had to pretend that I was still guiding him.

“Yes. I’m guiding him in the afternoon.”

“I’ve been subjected to that Esper’s ability.”

“What did you get subjected to?”

For a moment, his mental-type ability came to mind.
Seeing that he had entered this place, he must have also received his ability.

“I can’t tell you because a silence ability has been activated. The fact that my actions are restricted like this is more disgusting than I thought. I want you to release it.”

“I’ll ask him first. But you have to let both him and me out.”

“Okay.”

If it were him, he would easily release his ability.
However, I was worried that my guiding was currently suspended.
But thinking of his side effects, I predicted that the guiding would be resumed soon.

As one of my worries about escaping was resolved, a question I had wanted to ask him for a long time came to mind.

“I heard about your ability from Dr. Yoon.”

“I knew he had a loose mouth, but it doesn’t feel good that he blabbed about my ability to you.”

He said with a displeased face.
I was taken aback at that, but I had to solve the mystery.

“You’re the one who sent him to the past, right? You came back too.”

At my words, he shrugged his shoulders once and said.

“Do you want to know?”

“Yes.”

“I think I’ll have to get something from you for this. It’s a rather expensive story.”

Just from his reaction now, I could tell that he had come to the past with him.

“Why did you send him to the past? You wouldn’t have helped him without a price.”

“That’s right. He is diligently repaying me with his body.”

“His body?”

I couldn’t imagine him repaying him with his body.

“It’s not what you’re imagining. I mean he’s running errands for me. But there’s been no progress for over two months.”

With this, it was certain that he had sent him to the past.
The important thing was the devil’s gate.

“You came to the past too, right? What happened to the devil’s gate?”

“I won’t say any more.”

“Why!”

“I might tell you if you imprint with me. It’s a story worth that much, isn’t it?”

“Do you want to imprint with someone who dislikes you?”

“Isn’t it enough that I like it?”

“I said I don’t want to! You can’t tell me without a price?”

“There’s no benefit for me. Why would I do something that doesn’t benefit me?”

The only two people who knew about the devil’s gate were him and him.
And the only person who could get me out of here right now was also him.

Right now, I was the one who had to bend, but I absolutely did not want to be imprinted.

“I’ll give you time to think. But there’s one thing you have to know. The only person who can get you out of here is me.”

With those words, he left the room.
The situation hadn’t been resolved as I had wished, but I was glad I could meet him.
If I could just negotiate well with him, I could get out of here.

It seemed Sung Yohan was in a state where he couldn’t approach Siyun.
Even without imprinting, if I used Siyun to threaten him, I might be able to find out why he had returned to the past and how the devil’s gate had closed.