Chapter 65: To Catch a Tiger

To catch a tiger, you must first enter the tiger’s den.

A warrant for compulsory physical enforcement.

It was a procedure in which the Special Ability Support Agency used state authority to forcibly conduct an aptitude examination.

It was a test applied to unregistered special ability users or ability users who repeatedly committed criminal acts.

Of course, it wasn’t limited to only those cases.

Sometimes, forced examinations were also conducted on agents whose skills were suspiciously poor.

That was because cases of receiving high ranks through fraudulent means happened quite often.

“…It’s real….”

My name was clearly written on the document.

“Jin Sehyun, you expected something like this when you did what you did, didn’t you?”

He was right.

In reality, I had never taken an awakening examination at all.

On top of that, I wasn’t even an employee of the Center, yet I had stopped Jaeyul’s rampage.

It would’ve been stranger if this had all passed without any consequences.

Of course, I hadn’t acted while calmly considering all of this beforehand.

At the time, I hadn’t expected anything that would happen next.

All I could think about was saving Jaeyul.

“It’s gotten complicated.”

“If we mess this up, even the investigation Jaeyul covered up before might be exposed as false….”

My chest felt uncomfortable as I stared at the warrant.

Because I stepped in, things had become tangled.

When I had been arrested recently for illegal guiding, Jaeyul had wrapped up the investigation by claiming I had taken an awakening test four years ago but that my registration had been omitted.

If someone were to dig into that incident now, the lie would inevitably be exposed.

“Complicated?”

“Can’t you just do what I did and control your power during the test?”

“Make it come out as around F-rank?”

Jaeyul suggested that I avoid the situation by adjusting my strength just like he had.

But that was impossible.

“It’s not that simple, chick team leader.”

“You really don’t know.”

“Guides can’t do that.”

“The moment you put your hand on the testing device, it automatically drains mana.”

“It’s hard to deceive.”

There was a reason Oh Sunggyu had stayed a team leader for so long.

He understood the difference between guides and espers perfectly.

Espers’ ranks could fluctuate depending on their condition that day or how much power they used.

Guides, on the other hand, couldn’t do that.

Even if tested ten times, the result would be the same ten times.

Perhaps because of that, only a very small number of guides ever received high ranks.

“Give it to me.”

“I’ll handle it somehow, so don’t worry about anything, hyung.”

Jaeyul snatched the warrant from my hand, shoved it into his pocket, and stood up.

“…Don’t do anything unnecessary and just rest quietly.”

He had his back to me, so I couldn’t see his expression.

Still, I could guess what he was thinking.

He was probably worried that I might feel pressured by the investigation and try to run away again.

“Jaeyul….”

“I said I’ll take care of it, hyung.”

“I’m capable of that much.”

“No, that’s not….”

I was worried he might overdo things again.

“Fine, then just order me one chicken.”

“I’m hungry.”

So I blurted out something stupid.

It was my way of saying that I was fine with the situation and that he shouldn’t push himself.

“Why was Jaeyul left in that state anyway?”

Only after Jaeyul left did I finally ask Oh Sunggyu what I had been curious about.

He must have had something he wanted to say to me as well, since he stayed behind without Jaeyul.

“Well… I’m not sure ‘left’ is the right word.”

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to cover for the Center just because you belong to it, team leader.”

“That’s not it.”

“It’s just that this situation isn’t entirely the Center’s fault.”

“If we’re being exact, Sun Jaeyul himself is the biggest reason.”

“What do you mean….”

You can never fully trust someone, but Oh Sunggyu had no reason to lie.

Still, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

There was no way Jaeyul had caused his own rampage.

“Haah… that kid has no sense of moderation.”

“He works like someone is constantly chasing him from behind.”

“Whether it’s dirty work or exhausting work, he never refuses.”

“So the Center ends up dumping all the troublesome tasks onto Sun Jaeyul.”

“But guides….”

“Right.”

“There isn’t a single guide at the Center whose compatibility matches his.”

“Even when we tell him to transfer elsewhere, he won’t listen.”

“He says it would be the same wherever he goes.”

“And that’s why, Jin Sehyun.”

This was probably why Oh Sunggyu had stayed behind.

His expression stiffened as he continued speaking in a serious tone.

“If possible, make that bastard Sun Jaeyul quit the Center.”

“I’m not really in a position to say this, but if he keeps working like that, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough.”

“It’s a miracle he’s survived this long.”

“I used to think he was doing all that just to look for you, Jin Sehyun.”

“But these days, he works even more desperately.”

Why, and for what reason.

Even hearing the story secondhand, I couldn’t understand.

“…I understand.”

I should find an opportunity to talk to him seriously.

More than anything else, Jaeyul was precious to me.

I didn’t want to watch him suffer because of others.

Perhaps noticing how troubled I looked, Oh Sunggyu turned away.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

His voice came again just before he left the hospital room.

“Take good care of yourself.”

“That kid Jaeyul was really… feeling guilty about your injuries.”

He didn’t seem to expect a reply and left the room.

Naturally, my gaze moved to my arm, wrapped in bandages beneath the hospital gown.

“Ah… it’s really nothing….”

Only then did I realize my arms, legs, and torso were wrapped in bandages.

Considering how my body had been torn by countless Light Bombs, it was only natural.

Compared to the injuries I used to get when I worked as an esper, this was nothing.

And since Jaeyul had regained consciousness so perfectly, it didn’t bother me at all.

Physical wounds would heal with time.

Still… I should diligently apply recovery ointment so Jaeyul wouldn’t feel bad.

Tap, tap.

While I was deep in thought about how to talk to Jaeyul, a strange sound came from the window.

From behind the glass covered by blinds.

Thud.

Thump.

I thought I might have misheard, but then a louder sound slammed into the window.

As if possessed, I got out of bed and lifted the blinds.

And then I saw it.

A creature that absolutely should not have been here.

“Poppy!”

Startled, I flung the window open and grabbed the scruff of the silver-gray furball, pulling it inside.

“Ang!”

“Why did you open it so late!”

“And more importantly… how did you even get here?”

Looking outside, this was easily over the tenth floor.

On top of that, this was a heavily guarded Special Ability Center.

For a monster to walk in on its own was unbelievable.

“Pwoo, ang!”

“Yeah… you walked here, sure.”

“One more sigh and I’m throwing you out the window.”

Ignoring my stupid question, the creature enthusiastically licked my face and neck like it had missed me dearly.

Despite my half-hearted threat.

“Ang, ang!”

“No, I’m not badly hurt.”

“Did you come all this way because you were worried?”

“Seriously… I’ve lived long enough to get a monster hospital visit….”

I lay back on the bed with Poppy in my arms.

When I was alone, my thoughts tended to spiral.

But with Poppy acting up beside me, it helped clear my mind.

The way it sniffed the bed and scratched the sheets with its front paws made it look exactly like a puppy.

“But Poppy.”

A sudden question came to mind.

I placed Poppy on my chest and looked into its golden eyes as I asked.

“How did you get out of the house?”

“Doesn’t that door only open with vein authentication?”

“…Grrn….”

Strange.

Poppy suddenly avoided my gaze and tried to act innocent.

It felt like there was a secret I didn’t know.

Then again, if it managed to climb a building over ten floors high, there had to be some way it got out of the house too.

“You don’t, like, have a human arm in your stomach or anything, right?”

“…….”

“Hey, d-don’t joke around… Poppy….”

“…….”

Let’s stop asking.

I was curious, but part of me felt it was better not to know.

Poppy always did bizarre things anyway.

It honestly wouldn’t be shocking if it really carried around a human arm in its stomach.

Imagining a severed arm coming out of that cute mouth made my stomach churn.

Ugh.

“Ang.”

“Shh… be quiet.”

“This isn’t a place you can wander around freely.”

I snuck out of the hospital room with Poppy.

Since this was a Center hospital ward, wandering around was forbidden.

But I had no choice.

…I was starving.

Those shameless bastards hadn’t brought me any food, as if they’d completely forgotten I was hospitalized.

After exhausting myself to the point of mana depletion, it would’ve been stranger if I wasn’t hungry.

So I was secretly heading toward the 24-hour cafeteria inside the Center.

It was my first time here, but it was obviously on the second floor.

Every Center in the country placed its cafeteria on the second floor.

“Jaeyul’s not even answering his phone….”

Asking him to buy chicken had been a joke, but I didn’t think he’d actually not do it.

That bastard.

“Ang.”

“…Huh?”

“Up ahead…?”

Poppy said it smelled like Jaeyul.

Fortunately, it was late in the evening, so there were barely any staff in the hallway.

I followed Poppy toward the office it pointed out.

Peeking through the slightly open door, it looked like they had just returned from another battle.

Among agents covered in monster blood and wearing combat suits, I spotted Jaeyul.

But the atmosphere felt strange.

“I can’t do this anymore!”

“How many people have to die before it’s enough!”

“We’re not meat shields!”

“How long are we supposed to keep taking only dangerous missions?”

I looked more closely.

Several people’s anger was directed at Jaeyul.

“f*ck, this is why I never should’ve joined a shitty team like this.”

“I’m quitting, so you can keep all that precious performance record to yourself, team leader.”

One of the agents threw his defensive helmet to the ground and stormed out.

He flung the door open, glanced at me once, and disappeared down the hallway.

Then another followed.

And another.

All the furious team members left the office.

“Haah….”

Only Sun Jaeyul remained inside.

Sitting in his chair, his shoulders slumped heavily with a deep sigh.

The weight of life pressing down on those shoulders seemed unbearably heavy.

So heavy that he couldn’t even sit up straight.