Chapter 16: The Unspoken Anticipation

The creature had only just poked its head out, yet its body already reached Jungwon’s waist. It was on an entirely different scale from the Jindo dog monster they had encountered a few days prior.

Normally, handling a monster of this magnitude would require at least ten B-rank Espers, and even then, it would only be possible if a few A-rank Espers were also present.

However, Seokjoo, turning to face it, wore a strangely composed expression. As an S-rank Esper of an entirely different caliber, perhaps he felt no intimidation even when confronting such a beast.

‘Did he truly consider this no difficult feat at all?’ Seeing Seokjoo’s composure did calm Jungwon’s nerves somewhat, yet the ominous aura emanating from the dragon-headed monster prevented any true sense of reassurance.

Jungwon cautiously lowered their voice to ask, “Are you alright?”

“About what?” Seokjoo asked, his expression genuinely puzzled.

He then instructed Jungwon to stay put and approached the fissuring ground. Jungwon stood frozen, watching his retreating back.

‘His extreme method of evacuating everyone, coupled with his current tranquility, surely meant he had anticipated this event,’ Jungwon mused. ‘But how?’

‘Unless he possessed precognitive abilities, it was impossible for an Esper to detect such phenomena in advance. At least, not that Jungwon knew of.’

Jungwon was aware Seokjoo possessed various powers, but could he truly have precognition as well?

For now, the more pressing concern was how Seokjoo would contend with the monster. Jungwon had anticipated a rather intense battle.

However, Jungwon’s expectations were instantly shattered.

It was almost anticlimactic. As if channeling power with each stride, the fissured earth closed its gaping maw with every step Seokjoo took.

The surrounding air grew eerie. As Jungwon acutely registered that sensation, a shiver involuntarily ran down their spine.

Despite feeling a distinct aversion to the Esper’s aura, which was far more overt than usual, Jungwon continued to watch Seokjoo. The monster that had thrust its head out seemed to be shrinking.

It wasn’t merely a trick of the mind; it was truly happening.

Seokjoo finally stomped on the monster, which had shrunk to the size of a seahorse, not even a dragon, utterly obliterating it. He then surveyed the ground, located an engraved symbol, and knelt before it, crouching down.

“Jungwon. Come over here.”

Although Jungwon felt an array of discomforts at the prospect of meekly obeying, they did not refuse him this time either. As if on cue, the symbol Seokjoo was pointing to seemed oddly familiar.

“It looks similar to what we saw back there, doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

When a phenomenon was caused by the same Esper, the residual patterns left behind were often similar. Merely seeing this was enough to deduce that the incident had been deliberately orchestrated by the same group.

Considering this, it appeared that TEFT had truly turned a blind eye, merely going through the motions to cover up the event.

“For now, it seems like an Esper we haven’t encountered at a site before.”

“A new terrorist, then. Does the similar pattern mean it was just one person?”

‘It seemed unlikely a single individual could orchestrate an incident of this magnitude.’ Seokjoo, mirroring Jungwon’s thoughts, shook his head.

“It’s clear that multiple individuals are working together. More than one or two were involved here.”

“The scale of the phenomenon was too great for a single person.”

“The one who split the earth here is likely an earth-aligned Esper, probably A-rank.”

“Should we search for any registered A-rank Espers with earth-related abilities?”

“Yes. Though the chances of them being registered are slim, it’s still worth a try.”

Indeed, terrorists rarely registered with the government, making it difficult to track them down by such methods. Still, it was better than doing nothing at all.

Jungwon had answered, yet their questions remained unresolved. They decided to ask directly.

“You knew in advance that a phenomenon would occur here, didn’t you?”

“Well… I anticipated it.”

“How did you know?”

“Hmm, if you ask how, it’s a bit hard to explain.”

Seokjoo merely offered a faint smile, his words trailing off. ‘Just what, and to what extent, was this man capable of?’

Jungwon yearned to press for more specific details, but unfortunately, this was not the time for such curiosities.

Jungwon first observed Seokjoo’s face. Despite having just exerted his abilities, Seokjoo’s expression was no different from his usual demeanor, and he didn’t request guiding first.

‘Yet, it was impossible that he hadn’t expended any energy.’ After a moment of deliberation, Jungwon finally spoke.

“Are you alright?”

“Don’t I look alright?” he countered.

His response made Jungwon awkward about continuing. However, Jungwon reminded themselves of their duty as a guide, enduring the embarrassment.

‘Wasn’t that why they had been dispatched together?’

“I meant that you might need guiding.”

“Ah.”

With a calm reply, Seokjoo rolled up his sleeve and abruptly extended his hand.

“Then, will you do it?”

Guiding through the wrist was the simplest method, allowing for minimal physical contact. However, having just witnessed Seokjoo handle the situation single-handedly, Jungwon wasn’t sure if this would suffice.

‘If his ability expenditure had been significant, a more in-depth guiding would be necessary.’

Even now, as Seokjoo requested guiding, there was no trace of fatigue or strain on him. Jungwon, as they usually did, grasped his wrist and initiated the guiding process.

For a moment, it felt as though their very soul was being siphoned away. The instant guiding began, a sensation of their energy being completely drained washed over them.

Compared to other Espers Jungwon had guided before, Seokjoo felt like a veritable black hole.

However, Jungwon soon felt his energy stabilize. This implied that he had expended very little power in resolving the situation.

While Espers possessed abilities beyond human comprehension, resolving phenomena required power far exceeding common understanding. For instance, a strong Esper could effortlessly trigger an earthquake, but preventing one caused by a phenomenon demanded significant energy expenditure.

The same held true when battling other Espers. This was precisely why multiple Espers often had to combine their efforts against even a small monster that, at first glance, might seem insignificant.

Kang Seokjoo was the first person Jungwon had ever encountered who used their powers as naturally as breathing, possessed multiple types of abilities, and seemed to face no difficulty in resolving such phenomena.

Considering this, Jungwon couldn’t fault his apparent ease.

Yet, despite understanding, Jungwon couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. Kang Seokjoo had attempted to resolve everything without a single word of warning to them.

As a result, Jungwon had been dragged around to a strange souvenir shop, completely oblivious, only to stumble upon the incident.

‘However, Seokjoo likely remained silent because he believed he could handle the situation effortlessly on his own,’ Jungwon reasoned.

In truth, Jungwon’s role at the scene was merely to assist the Esper, so if Kang Seokjoo wished to proceed in that manner, Jungwon had no choice but to follow his lead.

Therefore, instead of expressing their anger, Jungwon perfectly composed their expression, which had been tinged with a slight annoyance.

Yet, it was Seokjoo who first broached the subject.

“Why are you angry?”

“I’m not. Are you feeling alright? Are there any discomforts?”

“You are angry, though. You’re making that face.”

“What kind of face am I making?”

“Why are you angry?”

Seokjoo repeated the same question like a parrot. Jungwon felt both exasperated and dumbfounded.

Under his persistent, unspoken interrogation, they finally responded.

“Are you asking because you genuinely don’t know?”

“I am asking because I don’t know. If there’s a reason you’re angry, I’d appreciate it if I told me.”

He didn’t seem to be teasing. To drag someone around so arbitrarily, then ask about their anger with such a serious expression—it was baffling.

“I genuinely don’t understand why you dislike me so much, Jungwon.”

“I don’t dislike you.”

Jungwon’s reply to Seokjoo’s added comment was immediate. There was absolutely no benefit in letting him believe they disliked him.

Moreover, at this very moment, Jungwon didn’t actually dislike Kang Seokjoo.

“Regardless, you’re angry right now,” Seokjoo stated firmly.

Jungwon fell into contemplation. Normally, at this point, they would have said, ‘I was sensitive, I apologize,’ to avoid conflict.

However, after much thought, Jungwon ultimately chose to respond honestly.

“…As I mentioned before. You should at least tell me what’s happening, shouldn’t you? Aren’t we a team? No matter if you’re the one resolving everything, Kang Seokjoo, I need to be aware of the situation to prepare accordingly.

It’s difficult when you suddenly evacuate all civilians without warning and then abruptly use your abilities. Of course, I don’t think I have the right to be angry, and I understand if you feel you don’t need my help, but…”

“That’s not it.”

Seokjoo, who had been listening silently to Jungwon’s rapid succession of words, cut in for a moment.

“I understand what you mean. I was thoughtless. I hope you don’t think you don’t have the right to be angry, or that I don’t need your help.”

“…”

“I’m a bit clumsy with things like this. It’s also my first time teaming up one-on-one. With others, explaining tactics beforehand was usually pointless because they wouldn’t understand. I’m not good at briefings either. And in your case, Jungwon… I just felt you would follow even without being told, and that showing you directly would be faster than explaining.”

Seeing Seokjoo’s careful response, Jungwon couldn’t discern if he was truly sincere or how much of this was his genuine self. Was he really trying to be considerate of Jungwon? Yet, Jungwon still often superimposed Seokjoo onto the S-rank Esper they hated most in the world, and even normally, they felt a faint aversion when seeing him.

Perhaps because of this, Jungwon felt a strange sense of bewilderment upon hearing his words. They did not reply, simply lowering their head.

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