Chapter 35: The Weight of a Salaried Esper

Chapter 35

In the restricted area, high-ranking officials adorned with numerous medals on their ability user uniforms stood alongside individuals who appeared to be medical staff. They, too, uniformly saluted the man.

The people inside, coupled with the unusual atmosphere of the place, prompted me to pause and survey my surroundings. Noticing my hesitation, the man, who had been walking ahead, subtly nodded his head, signaling me to follow.

“Stay sharp and follow me closely. You wouldn’t want to get lost in here; it won’t end well for you.”

‘That subtle nod just now… Where had I seen it before? It was exactly the same gesture Yoon Geon-woo had made to me during the Death Game. I had been racking my brain, trying to recall where I’d encountered such a striking figure as this man, but now I realized I must have felt a sense of familiarity because of his resemblance to Yoon Geon-woo.’

“Mister, you work here too, don’t you?”

“As you can see. Just a salaried Esper.”

Though he hardly seemed like a mere salaried employee, I refrained from probing further. Instead, I inquired about something else that had been bothering me.

“Mister… why did you take on the role of Yoon Geon-woo’s handler?”

“A salaried worker, by nature, can only follow orders from above.”

He acted as if he had no other choice in the matter. While I couldn’t ascertain the full truth of his words, a surge of anger still coursed through me as I listened.

“The Center actually ordered such a thing?”

“Well, one could say that.”

“That’s outrageous! To make a father handle his own son. No, to force such a horrific task upon a family member…”

My fury ignited at the damned directive the man had received.

‘What would I have done if a command had been issued for me to dispose of So-eun with my own hands? Without a doubt, I would have disregarded any orders, immediately grabbed So-eun’s hand, and fled. We would have sought a way to live together, and if, after exhausting all possibilities, no solution presented itself, we would simply have met our end together.’

‘Perhaps that was why the man had sought me out? With Yoon Geon-woo’s condition teetering precariously at the save point, he must have come to ask for my help.’

“You won’t dispose of him, will you? Mister, you came to me to save Yoon Geon-woo, didn’t you?”

As I pressed him with a desperate plea, the man seemed to ponder for a moment.

“If that were the case, would you help him?”

“Help him? I have a responsibility to him. He’s my pair, after all.”

‘Though it was merely a temporary arrangement, independent of Yoon Geon-woo’s will, we were already officially paired on paper. Having come this far, it was only right for me, with the highest matching rate with him, to step forward and at least attempt guiding.’

‘Moreover, strictly speaking, hadn’t his condition deteriorated during this very Death Game? He had fought alone against magical beasts in an unstable state, yet still kept his promise to ensure I wouldn’t die. Thus, it was my turn to repay Yoon Geon-woo.’

‘It was undeniably clear that if Yoon Geon-woo hadn’t heated Ophedian’s magic stone and given it to Park Hyeon-seo and me, we would have been doomed.’

“Responsible because he’s your pair, you say…”

My response, which implied it was simply the obvious course of action, seemed to bring a realization to the man. He then abruptly placed a hand on my head.

“Ugh, why… are you doing… this…”

“It seems your heart is even more beautiful than your face.”

Startled by the unexpected compliment, I froze like a statue, while the man ruffled my hair indiscriminately, as if stroking a pet dog. Since we were the only ones making any significant noise in a place that was practically a sterile room, I could sense the surprised murmurs from those around us.

‘Damn it, why does my scalp feel so incredibly refreshed?’

I had no idea what ability the man possessed, but the chill emanating from his fingertips made it feel like I was receiving a high-end scalp treatment. Despite the annoying sensation, I had to admit, it felt good.

[Matching Rate: 27%]

[Contamination Level: 14%]

Since the man was an Esper, I instinctively checked his matching rate, and was astonished by how low the percentage was. It seemed to be the worst compatibility I had ever encountered.

Just as I was thinking there would never be any need for guiding with such a low rate, the man finally stopped, but only after my naturally wavy hair had been thoroughly disheveled, scattering like dandelion seeds.

“You’re absolutely right. I came to ask for your guiding of Esper Yoon Geon-woo.”

‘Why was everyone so insistent on messing with my hair?’ I stared at him, dumbfounded, but the man merely dusted his hands off as if nothing had happened. I wanted to voice a complaint, but his next, more significant words left me utterly frozen.

“However, merely being alive isn’t enough. As you know, he’s an Esper with high utility value.”

‘Can one truly use the term ‘utility value’ for their own child?’ A lingering, unpleasant question arose, but having never lived with my parents, I had no frame of reference, so I could only keep silent.

“You can help, can’t you?”

“That’s…”

‘I’ll try, but I doubt my efforts alone will be enough…’

‘The temporary pair agreement we had formed was only valid while attending the SAA. Originally, I had only planned to look after him until the graduation ceremony, when the rampage incident was supposed to occur, aligning with the temporary pair period. A pang of guilt pricked at my conscience.’

“Then, please do your best so that this poor salaried father doesn’t have to step in.”

Amidst my complicated thoughts, the man had already stopped before a thick iron door.

*Rumble—*

After several manipulations, the door to the special isolation room, made of thick iron, slowly opened.

“You can go inside now.”

Following his guidance, I stepped into the room, where an unsettling aura seemed to permeate the air. Inside, there was an opaque glass enclosure, in front of which several medical staff members were bustling about, busy with their tasks.

‘Is this the intensive isolation unit?’

The palpable tension made me swallow dryly, again and again. As I stayed close to the man, my eyes darting about, one of the medical staff noticed our entrance and spoke up, seemingly surprised.

“Wh-what brings you… all the way here…!”

The man waved his hand dismissively, indicating that formal greetings were unnecessary. Perhaps because of this, the remaining staff members refrained from speaking to us directly.

Nevertheless, since this was a restricted area for authorized personnel only, the curious gazes of the medical staff felt particularly sharp. I followed the man to the center of the isolation room and stood before the opaque glass.

Just as I was wondering why such an enclosure stood at the center of the room, the man posed a question to one of the medical professionals.

“Dr. Nam, what’s the isolation subject’s condition like?”

“Ah, you’ve arrived? And next to you is…”

“Allow me to introduce you. This is the isolation subject’s pair guide.”

Once the man’s brief introduction concluded, the medical staff member, wearing thick glasses, scrutinized me with an intrigued expression.

“H-hello. I’m Sogum.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Sogum. I’m Nam Yeong-woo, from the Central Ability User Center.”

It wasn’t the right atmosphere to properly introduce myself as ‘my surname is So, and my given name is Gum,’ as I usually would. As I awkwardly shook Dr. Nam’s outstretched hand, I could feel the man beside me chuckling softly.

‘If he understood my name correctly, he should have conveyed it to his colleague. But it seemed he had no intention of doing so.’

“Let’s see, Ms. Sogum’s rank and pair matching rate are B-class and 94%. Are these figures correct?”

“Yes, both are correct.”

“Your matching rate is quite excellent. The rank difference is a bit regrettable, but we should be able to put out the immediate fire.”

Dr. Nam, scanning the data containing my personal information, busily jotted down notes.

“Now that I look again, it’s not Ms. Sogum, but Ms. Gum, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

When I affirmed instantly, Dr. Nam apologized for mispronouncing my name. It was such a minor thing, yet that small gesture left a favorable impression.

‘What? Where did the man go in the meantime?’

While I was having a brief exchange with Dr. Nam, the man had vanished. I wasn’t sure if he’d gone to attend to other matters, but with his disappearance, Dr. Nam, with whom I had just exchanged names, was the only one left to ask about the unfolding situation.

“Excuse me, where is Yoon Geon-woo? Is his condition… very bad?”

I cautiously questioned Dr. Nam, who seemed overwhelmed.

“Ah, actually, preparations are almost complete. Could you wait just a moment?”

Dr. Nam pulled a lollipop from a drawer and handed it to me, telling me to eat it.

‘Why do they keep giving me snacks…’

The school nurse did it, the hospital nurses did it, and now even Dr. Nam, whom I’d just met today. It seemed they kept giving me sweets, making me wonder if I simply had a face that looked like it enjoyed them. I unwrapped the candy without a word and put it in my mouth.

‘Sweet.’

The artificial strawberry flavor, along with the tantalizing tartness and the sweetness of sugar crystals, filled my mouth. It was just a lump of sugar with red coloring, but eating it after a long time, it actually tasted quite good.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Just as I was concentrating on dissolving the candy by rolling it around my tongue, Dr. Nam finally approached me.

“I don’t know how much you’ve heard, but Esper Yoon Geon-woo’s current condition is not good at all.”

“‘Not good at all’… How… severe is the contamination?”

“It hovered around 80% for the past few days, but this morning, it suddenly exceeded 90%.”

“…90%?”

“It’s well past the general danger threshold. Furthermore, the save point, which can be covered by guiding, is measured at 95%… The problem is what happens after that.”

‘After that,’ he said. An ominous premonition sent a shiver down my spine. I swallowed hard, gripped by fear.

“Are you talking about… disposal?”

“Ah, you’re aware of that. Yes… unfortunately… that’s correct. Exceeding the save point means there will be no other way to find a solution.”

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