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Join the ServerWhen Yu Hilo realized that there wasn’t much time left, impatience gripped his heart. The single-minded urge to fix everything—no matter what it took—completely dominated his thoughts.
So much so that he even forgot the fact that he was inside the X-Gate, immersing himself entirely in the situation unfolding before him.
“It’s okay. We don’t have to leave… it’s okay.”
That day, the incident happened because he and Yoo Jieun had tried to run away. Having reached that conclusion, Yu Hilo shook his head and refused Yoo Jieun’s suggestion.
Once, he had thought he would pay any price if it meant escaping this place. But not anymore.
Now, it seemed better to repeat the same worn-out experiments hundreds of times. They were suffocating and painful, but at least they were something he knew how to endure.
“Hilo…”
At his words, Yoo Jieun’s face fell into sadness. Her voice sank low and hoarse as she finally answered.
“…All right.”
He thought that would be the end of it. It wasn’t a fundamental solution, but at least he believed he had bought some time.
Since he had volunteered to endure the pain himself, he assumed Yoo Jieun would abandon the idea of running away.
But there was something he had overlooked.
Yoo Jieun cared for him more deeply than he cared for himself.
Things that meant nothing to Yu Hilo weighed heavily on her as unbearable guilt.
Watching him no longer ask what the experiments were for, no longer complain about pain, Yoo Jieun spent more and more days holding her breath in silence.
Yu Hilo only wanted to show her that he was fine—that it didn’t bother him anymore—but instead, it backfired.
The number of drug administrations even increased compared to what he remembered.
“Hilo, does it hurt?”
“No.”
“Really…? You used to hate this.”
“But now I’m okay with it.”
From middle school to adulthood, his tolerance for pain had risen dramatically. Now, even if an arm or leg were torn off, he wouldn’t so much as blink.
“…You don’t have to endure it like that. If you keep enduring, no one will ever notice.”
Yu Hilo couldn’t understand her words. He didn’t think anyone would care even if he didn’t endure it—and more than that, he didn’t believe anything would change even if they did.
Still, because it was Yoo Jieun speaking, he nodded.
And that day, the schedule for a full week of experiments was announced.
Yu Hilo was sitting in Yoo Jieun’s office, drinking warm tea like on the days he missed most.
He hesitated.
How could he possibly tell her that he had seen the future—that she had died there—and that this time, she must not die?
No matter how he thought about it, the chances of a mere middle schooler being believed were slim. If she didn’t assume he’d finally gone insane from the experiments, that alone would be a blessing.
“Teacher.”
“Hm? What is it, Hilo?”
“What if… I can use my ability?”
He decided to test the waters first. Yoo Jieun glanced needlessly at the tightly shut office door, then leaned closer across the table, staring straight into his eyes.
“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Her face was full of worry.
“If I can use my ability, does that mean the experiments will end?”
“……”
Her expression grew distant.
The primary goal of these experiments was, of course, the manifestation of Yu Hilo’s ability.
But even if that goal were achieved, the experiments wouldn’t simply end. The lab would claw back its investment in him no matter what.
They wouldn’t care what happened to him in the process. If he became a ‘successful’ test subject, they would have no qualms parading him before the public like a performing clown.
Failure would invite global condemnation for unethical experimentation—but success would earn worldwide praise as a scientific breakthrough.
Yoo Jieun hated herself for being unable to tell him that everything would be okay.
As long as Yu Hilo lived, as long as he stayed here, things would never truly be okay.
And yet… if by some chance he really could use his ability already, but was deliberately holding back…
“…Maybe… maybe it would be better if you didn’t use it.”
It wasn’t something a researcher should say. But as a human being—out of compassion for him—Yoo Jieun told him not to use his ability.
“…So you don’t want me to use it?”
Yu Hilo couldn’t understand.
He had firmly believed that she would be happy if she learned he could use his ability. After all, she was his assigned researcher for that very reason.
To him, he was her only blemish—proof of failure.
Because of him, her standing in the lab had been steadily shrinking. He knew well how ruthlessly performance-driven this place was.
Yet for some reason, she didn’t want his experiment to succeed.
But neither did she want it to fail. She continued refining and revising the plans, pressing on regardless.
It was impossible for him to make sense of.
“I know it sounds contradictory, even to you. But I really…”
Yoo Jieun let out a deep sigh. She knew she was being indecisive—too cowardly to make any choice at all.
“I just want you to live a normal life. What you’re carrying right now… it’s far too heavy for you. So maybe… ah, I’m sorry.”
Tears finally fell from her eyes. She hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand and forced a smile.
“I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”
“……”
“I wish you could be hurt only as much as you can bear. Do you remember what I said before? About leaving together? That offer still stands. Anytime you want. You don’t have to be scared. I’ll stay with you.”
“……”
“I worried that I spoke too suddenly back then—that you might think you’d been abandoned.”
“No. I didn’t think that.”
“Then that’s a relief. Anyway, I really am fine even if you don’t use your ability. Honestly, I’m relieved that you don’t. Look—your teacher has an ability too, but I don’t use it either.”
For a split second, Yu Hilo caught a flicker of disgust in her eyes.
She hated abilities.
Yu Hilo lowered his gaze to his shadow, stretched long across the sunlit floor.
The long-anticipated experiment day finally arrived.
From this day on, he would fall into a coma for about a week.
Yu Hilo stared blankly at the fluorescent light on the ceiling.
“This kid’s really something else.”
A familiar face appeared—the researcher who had roughly dragged him out of the inferno that day.
“Even a bear would’ve collapsed by now, you know?”
Clicking his tongue, the man looked at Yu Hilo with open disgust, as though staring at some inhuman creature.
Yu Hilo felt nothing.
It wasn’t worth thinking about—he didn’t even feel the urge to kill him. Perhaps because he already had, once.
It hadn’t taken much effort.
Faced with the fragility of human life, Yu Hilo felt only a deep sense of emptiness.
“Teacher.”
He called out to Yoo Jieun, who was watching him anxiously from afar. She handed the experiment chart to her assistant and hurried over.
“What is it? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
She busied herself checking his condition, loosening and reattaching the Velcro restraints, straightening his gown.
As she stepped back, Yu Hilo urgently called out again.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Like I said before… I’m fine like this.”
“…Huh?”
“Really. Everything’s fine. I don’t have to go anywhere. Just… stay with me. Until this experiment ends—no. Until I wake up. Please stay by my side.”
“Hilo…”
“Not the lab. Here. With me…”
Another researcher stepped in front of him, fitting a sedation mask over his nose and mouth. His consciousness began to drift.
Just as Yu Hilo had wished, the situation changed.
When he opened his eyes again, he was inside a car.
The rattling motion jolted him awake.
“….”
A middle schooler’s body was still weak. He bit the inside of his cheek to clear his head. The anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off—he felt almost nothing, only the thick taste of blood.
He wiped it away with his tongue and turned toward the driver’s seat.
“….”
“You’re awake? Still tired. You can sleep more—we’ve got a bit to go.”
His gaze landed on the navigation screen.
Destination: Incheon International Airport.
“I don’t know what happened exactly, but there was a fire at the lab. We had to leave in a hurry…”
“….”
At least the flames had been avoided.
Yu Hilo slowly blinked, fixing his eyes on Yoo Jieun—alive.
That alone was enough.
Everything felt like it would be okay now.
“I stayed by your side all night to keep my promise. That’s why we weren’t hurt… thank you.”
Unaware of anything, Yoo Jieun smiled gently and thanked him. Yu Hilo smiled back.
“When we get on the plane, there’ll be people who can help us. You asked before if using your ability would end the experiments, right? If we meet them, you won’t need to use your ability at all. You won’t have to be hurt anymore. First, we’ll focus on recovery, then rehabilitation… and then you can go to school there, make friends, and…”
She spoke excitedly, listing ordinary days.
So that’s what someone dreaming of the future looks like.
Yu Hilo’s eyes, watching her, gleamed with something unfamiliar.
“And this is something I wanted to tell you as a surprise…”
“……”
“When you asked me before if you had a family… it stayed with me.”
“……”
“So I decided. From now on, I’ll be your family.”
“……”
“I’ll be your mom. Ah—if that’s uncomfortable, you can keep calling me ‘teacher.’ I just mean it in a guardian sense. You’re still young, you know what I mean, right?”
“……”
Yu Hilo listened silently.
He remembered the moment—long after she was gone—when he learned the truth of her feelings from a single sheet of paper.
“…They said it would be easier for administrative processing if you had a legal parent.”
She checked his expression through the rearview mirror, worried. The paperwork had been necessary for living overseas, but she knew she should have told him sooner.
She was afraid he wouldn’t accept her as his mother.
“…Mom.”
It was the first time he had ever spoken the word.
Startled by himself, Yu Hilo covered his mouth.
It felt strange.
He heard Yoo Jieun draw in a sharp breath.
“Yes, we—”
She opened her mouth to answer.
And at that very moment—
Screeeech—KRAAASH!
The car carrying the two of them flipped violently.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore How to Avoid Regression. Start reading now!
Read : How to Avoid Regression
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