Chapter 13: A Hero’s Double-Edged Fame

Among them, finding an Esper who would genuinely protect a Guide was an arduous task. Even if one was fortunate enough to find a partner, they often met an ignoble end due to the jealousy of other Espers if their partner was inadequate. Worse, many claimed to offer protection only to exploit their Guides.

The few Guides remaining in such a city, like Sa-yoon, were in dire circumstances, making escape nearly impossible.

“Ah, don’t bother with such talk. I’ll protect you, Sa-yoon.”

Myeong-ah placed a hand on his hip, a wide smile gracing his lips. Sa-yoon let out a hollow laugh at the brazen, confident grin.

It was so perfectly Myeong-ah.

“Sa-yoon, you trust me, don’t you? Have I ever lied to you?”

“No, you haven’t.”

“See? You have nothing to worry about.”

Myeong-ah smiled brightly at Sa-yoon, standing proudly like a hero with the sun at his back. That image remained Sa-yoon’s last memory of Myeong-ah.

“……”

“You’re awake? You must have been incredibly tired, falling asleep during your examination.”

Sa-yoon forced open his stiff, heavy eyelids, a bright fluorescent glow flooding his vision.

“Hyun-woo hyung?”

“It’s certainly been a long time since I heard that address.”

“Oh, my. A slip of the tongue. My apologies, Doctor Jung Hyun-woo.”

Officially, Jin Sa-yoon was the son of Jin Jung-woo, the capable Minister of Finance. He was a quintessential city dweller, entirely unconnected to some rustic genius from an isolated village.

They were certainly not close enough for such a familiar address.

However, the long-unheard ‘hyung’ seemed to please Jung Hyun-woo, who usually chided Sa-yoon whenever they met. A faint smile touched his lips.

“Doctor, are the examinations complete?”

“Yes. Fortunately, there are no major issues.”

Jung Hyun-woo slipped a newly fitted ring onto Sa-yoon’s finger. A week had already passed since their last mission.

Sa-yoon and Han Do-hoon, both unconscious, had been transported to the infirmary and headquarters, respectively.

Sa-yoon’s exhaustion after guiding Han Do-hoon was deemed a critical state, bordering on rampage. As a result, Sa-yoon had been forcibly confined for several days, undergoing treatment with a Guide he didn’t even need.

“Are you sleeping well at night? You were even talking in your sleep earlier.”

“I had an old dream after a long time…”

“The old days, huh? They were good, weren’t they?”

Jung Hyun-woo mumbled nonchalantly as he organized the medical equipment. ‘Good past,’ he said.

Indeed, there were cherished memories, but also moments Sa-yoon wished never to revisit. Sa-yoon didn’t bother to contradict Hyun-woo’s words, for his time with the two brothers had always been filled with happiness.

Perhaps it was the dream, but Sa-yoon found himself recalling an event from the distant past.

It was the week after Myeong-ah had bravely declared he would protect Sa-yoon. Yet, it wasn’t Jung Myeong-ah who had manifested with a high fever, excruciating enough to steal one’s breath—it was Sa-yoon.

A second manifestation. It was something that absolutely should not have happened.

For over a week, Sa-yoon’s temperature had soared past 40 degrees Celsius, his body wracked with chills. His mother, witnessing his state, knew this was no ordinary illness.

Irregulars were beings unknown to the general public. Fortunately, however, his mother had once heard about the existence of Irregulars from Sa-yoon’s biological father.

All Irregulars were dragged to laboratories and met a gruesome end. Fearing Sa-yoon’s immediate arrest if he were seen by anyone, his mother contacted Sa-yoon’s biological father—a man she had vowed to avoid her entire life—instead of calling a doctor.

She believed that even if she, who had secretly fled to bear her child, were to die, her biological father would not kill Sa-yoon, who shared his blood. For her son, the mother plunged back into the abyss she had once escaped barefoot.

The wicked biological father bestowed the new surname ‘Jin’ upon Lee Sa-yoon, who had manifested as an S-class Esper, and shackled him.

Holding his mother’s life hostage, Sa-yoon’s biological father sought to manipulate him at will. Sa-yoon, following his father’s command to raise his profile, completed Esper training, becoming nothing more than his puppet.

As Sa-yoon withered away in that bleak, uncertain future, he met Jung Hyun-woo. He met Jung Hyun-woo, who was dressed in mourning clothes for both his parents and Myeong-ah.

“Now that your condition seems stable, perhaps I can ask you something?”

“Yes?”

Jung Hyun-woo, who had abruptly started the conversation, scratched his chin and frowned.

“So, what were you thinking, saving Han Do-hoon? You have no idea how shocked I was to see your state.”

At Jung Hyun-woo’s question, Sa-yoon averted his gaze unnecessarily. He had wondered why Jung Hyun-woo hadn’t scolded him until now, but it seemed he had merely been waiting for Sa-yoon’s condition to improve.

“You… you knew, after all?”

“How could I not?”

It was Jung Hyun-woo who had brought the unconscious Jin Sa-yoon from the surface to the infirmary and treated him.

Because Sa-yoon was usually so particular, refusing to be treated by other medical personnel, Jung Hyun-woo had been able to handle his treatment alone.

It was also Jung Hyun-woo who discovered the traces left on Sa-yoon’s body after the guiding session and cleaned them up. He couldn’t possibly have been unaware of what Sa-yoon had done underground.

Feeling embarrassed despite knowing it was merely a medical procedure, Sa-yoon’s voice involuntarily softened.

“It just… happened that way.”

“No matter how bad the situation was, you should have just left him. What were you thinking, guiding him? What if you’d been caught?”

‘Indeed,’ Sa-yoon thought silently, scratching his head at his uncharacteristic choice. ‘He was acting like a hero, which reminded me of Myeong-ah.’ Sa-yoon couldn’t say such a thing aloud.

Even now, thinking of Jung Myeong-ah felt like a piece of his heart had been torn out, and it would undoubtedly be an even greater wound for Jung Hyun-woo.

“It was just a whim.”

“You need to be careful. Don’t put yourself in danger trying to save others.”

“I will, from now on. You know me, I live life on my own terms. Sometimes I make mistakes.”

“The child who used to be so cautious—what made him change so much?”

Sa-yoon’s once dark and negative personality, evident since childhood, had completely transformed after reuniting with Jung Hyun-woo.

In a way, it might have been imitation, much like how he hero-worshipped Jung Myeong-ah.

It had been so long that Sa-yoon no longer knew if this personality belonged to Jung Myeong-ah or if it was his true nature. Sa-yoon stretched his stiff body, arching and twisting like a cat to loosen his rigid joints before rising from his seat.

“Ugh, my aching body.”

“You have no filter, talking like that in front of an elder.”

“Our doctor still looks young, so it’s fine. You’re still in your prime! The standard for youth has risen these days, you know.”

“…I really am still in my prime.”

‘Indeed, it would be wrong to say a bachelor who hasn’t even married yet is past his prime,’ Sa-yoon thought, a dangerous thought that would cause serious trouble if overheard.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Thanks to the tedious rest in the guiding room.”

After Sa-yoon returned carrying Han Do-hoon, the world above ground had been turned upside down.

The fact that two S-class Espers had collapsed from exhaustion was significant enough, but the revelation that they had single-handedly prevented a massive explosion and flood destined to devastate the city caused an even greater stir.

Furthermore, Han Do-hoon’s eruption had created a colossal island of volcanic ash in the center of the Han River. It was precisely the kind of material that would ignite fervent praise from sensation-mongers.

A documentary, hastily produced within days, hailed the two Espers who saved Seoul as heroes, and its viewership ratings soared past 30%. Every community was abuzz with their story.

Meanwhile, Sa-yoon lived a life of pampered luxury, receiving treatment that rivaled a five-star hotel’s service.

Unaware that Sa-yoon had merely collapsed from exhaustion after guiding, people assigned him 24-hour Guides, providing him with all sorts of restorative tonics, massages, and healing programs.

Sa-yoon feigned that his recovery was due to the Guides, when in reality, his stamina had simply returned with time. He also heard that Han Do-hoon, who truly needed proper guiding, was still living with a Guide.

‘If Han Do-hoon hasn’t said anything by now, it’s clear he doesn’t remember what happened between us.’

“So, how much longer are you taking off?”

“I plan to rest for another month. I risked my life, so I deserve this much. *Sigh*. Did you see the news this morning? It seems like my biography might be coming out. They say I’m the number one Esper kids admire.”

“So I heard.”

“Ah, but biographies usually come out after someone dies, don’t they? I should write an autobiography first.”

“Don’t even think about it. Don’t shatter people’s illusions.”

Jung Hyun-woo dissuaded Sa-yoon, aiming to preserve the innocence of the people who lauded him as a hero. Sa-yoon, who hadn’t been serious about it anyway, merely shrugged.

“Well, there’s no benefit in revealing too much of my story, so why would I write an autobiography? It was just a passing thought. Besides that, I have a mountain of things to do.”

While Sa-yoon and Han Do-hoon’s achievements were indeed remarkable, the nation had another reason for amplifying their fame.

It was to divert public attention elsewhere.

The explosion had occurred earlier than the information received from the agent disguised as Kang Geun-mu suggested. Subsequent tracking revealed that the disguised agent’s vital signs had also ceased.

The disguised agent’s identity had already been exposed to Air Rain, and deliberately fabricated information had been transmitted to headquarters through them. Suspicions were now swirling about a potential inside enemy who might have assisted in that process.

Even Sa-yoon’s teammates, who had been assigned to the Kang Geun-mu arrest mission alongside team leaders and executives, were currently under investigation.

Sa-yoon and Han Do-hoon, thanks to their life-risking sacrifice, had been exempted from suspicion and were recuperating, but it was time for them to start moving.

“Team Leader, are you inside?”

A voice called out for Jin Sa-yoon from outside the door. It was Kang Ah-jun, one of Sa-yoon’s teammates.

Hadn’t he mentioned that the team’s investigations were concluding today? Before Sa-yoon could even respond, the door burst open. Kang Ah-jun’s large frame, as he approached Sa-yoon, seemed to have shrunk slightly.