Chapter 108: Echoes of the Past, Plans for Escape

“I’ll be right there.”

The two men followed Min Da-hyun toward the dining hall. Even from a distance, the savory aroma of grilling meat wafted through the air.

After a satisfyingly greasy meal, they emerged to see a figure in a white gown in the distance. They were moving diligently amidst the bustling crowd.

Upon seeing Jung Hyun-woo, something clicked for Sa-yoon. He briefly returned to his room before stepping back outside, a small device clutched in his hand. As he approached Jung Hyun-woo, the doctor spotted him and greeted him warmly.

“Oh? Sa— no, Seol-won. What brings you here?”

Despite having met only twice, Jung Hyun-woo spoke with an intimacy that suggested they had known each other for years. Sa-yoon bowed his head and then produced the compact oxygen mask he was carrying.

“I came to return this to you.”

“Ah, I see.”

This was one of the medical supplies others had packed with Sa-yoon’s belongings when they left the incinerator area at dawn. Sa-yoon had intended to give it back to Jung Hyun-woo when he saw him, and the timing now proved perfect. Perhaps due to the hurried packing of those fleeing, the device bore some scratches and signs of having been jostled.

“It might be broken, though.”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you used it well, that’s enough. How have you been lately? Is your breathing okay? You don’t need it anymore? Are you alright otherwise?”

Sa-yoon nodded in response to the barrage of questions. Since the incinerator’s collapse, he hadn’t experienced the strange tinnitus or nightmares. Though he didn’t understand the principle behind it, it was a fortunate development for him.

“Just in case, let’s get you another check-up when we move to a village with medical facilities. And if you get hurt again, come find me right away.”

Contrary to his initial impression, Jung Hyun-woo was a kind man. His demeanor had completely shifted after he saw Sa-yoon’s face without the mask. It must have been because of the person he resembled. Although Jung Hyun-woo had later corrected himself, saying they weren’t alike, his current attitude left no other explanation.

“Do you happen to like snacks?”

“I do, but… I just finished eating.”

“Right. Then I’ll give you something light. How about chocolate?”

Rummaging through a drawer, Jung Hyun-woo filled Sa-yoon’s hands with cookies.

“Try them. I think you’ll like them.”

The chocolate cookie Sa-yoon bit into was crispy and sweetly delicious, perfectly to his taste. In truth, he had received plenty of candies and gifts from people outside, but none had suited his palate quite so well. The food Jung Hyun-woo offered felt tailor-made, just the right amount of sweetness and richness on his tongue.

“Good, right? Not too sweet.”

“Yes…”

Sa-yoon nodded, then looked at Jung Hyun-woo with a puzzled expression. The burden of unprovoked kindness was the same as with other people, but the feeling he had toward Jung Hyun-woo was slightly different. Every time he saw him, a subtle, ticklish sensation arose, and Sa-yoon himself didn’t know the reason for his emotions.

“Well then, thank you for your hard work, Teacher.”

“Don’t call me Teacher; call me Doctor. I may not look it, but I hold a medical doctorate. Or ‘Hyung’ is fine too.”

Everyone else called Jung Hyun-woo ‘Doctor’ or ‘Teacher.’ Sa-yoon gazed intently at Jung Hyun-woo, who was asking for a different title. Indeed, Jung Hyun-woo was seeing someone else reflected in him.

When they first met, Jung Hyun-woo had looked at him and asked if he was Jin Sa-yoon. He had also said he cherished the Esper Jin Sa-yoon. At this point, it was hard to pretend not to know.

“Um, Doctor. Was the person you said I resembled before, the Esper Jin Sa-yoon?”

“Oh…? You heard all that?”

“Yes.”

Sa-yoon set his cookies aside and asked Jung Hyun-woo. The doctor awkwardly averted his gaze, smiling a little uncomfortably. He was a terrible liar.

“But isn’t Jin Sa-yoon the one who created that incinerator?”

By all accounts, Jin Sa-yoon was a bad person. Had Jung Hyun-woo spoken of him with such longing? Could even a villain have someone who cherished them?

At Sa-yoon’s question, Jung Hyun-woo’s expression darkened.

“That child wasn’t a bad person. It was the Alliance that deceived and used them. They probably just did as they were told, unaware it would be used for such a purpose.”

“Have you ever asked them?”

“No. I never had the chance.”

Jung Hyun-woo spoke as if he knew Jin Sa-yoon intimately. However, even if he had left the unit, it seemed strange that he couldn’t ask a single question about the incinerator.

“Are you no longer in contact with that person? What are they doing now?”

“They died.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s gaze, now cold, fell upon Sa-yoon.

“They were used by the Alliance, lived their entire life bound by anxiety, and then were betrayed by Han Do-hoon and died. That was already years ago.”

It was the first time in a long while he had heard Han Do-hoon’s name. The image of his dry, watchful face on the sun-drenched wasteland flashed in Sa-yoon’s mind.

So that’s it. Jin Sa-yoon was killed by Han Do-hoon. People mentioned Jin Sa-yoon so often that he hadn’t realized the person was already dead. To still be spoken of years after their death—it seemed they must have been an extraordinary individual.

“Those two were both part of the Alliance, weren’t they? But there was a betrayal?”

“The same affiliation? Impossible.”

Jung Hyun-woo let out a scoff, his face twisting into a frown.

“You should be careful if you ever meet Han Do-hoon. No, you absolutely must not encounter him.”

Jung Hyun-woo looked directly at Sa-yoon, urging him. His eyes held a moisture that hadn’t yet fallen. As Sa-yoon nodded, Jung Hyun-woo smiled sadly, then ruffled Sa-yoon’s hair.

“Good. That’s enough.”

A voice called out to Sa-yoon from afar.

“Seol-won! Come over here!”

Kang Tae-han, who had supposedly gone for a strategy meeting after lunch, shouted with an urgent tone.

“Hurry up!”

“Alright.”

Sa-yoon quickly bid Jung Hyun-woo farewell and ran toward Kang Tae-han. Jung Hyun-woo stood still for a long time, watching him.

Pulled by Kang Tae-han’s hand, Sa-yoon entered the meeting room, where everyone’s faces were grim. The person who had brought information from outside, in particular, was pale with fright, their head bowed low.

“Why did those bastards suddenly come to Korea?”

“They apparently entered the country urgently on a private jet. We need to move quickly as well.”

For Sa-yoon, who had just joined, the conversation was difficult to understand. He looked at Kang Tae-han, who sighed and explained the situation.

“An Esper Alliance private jet landed at the airport. It seems they plan to strengthen their defenses because of what happened in Busan.”

“Ah…”

Only then did the gloomy reactions of the people make sense. Sa-yoon nodded and quietly listened to their plans.

“We need to expedite our escape schedule.”

The fact that the formidable incinerator had been destroyed gave many people hope, but it also made it difficult to remain in Korea. Kang Tae-han proposed that they head to the battlefield. Even those who hesitated at the thought of leaving their homeland, where they were born and raised, eventually nodded.

“It’s better than being dragged to Daejeon like this.”

With Busan fallen, the next execution site was Daejeon. There, instead of a facility for immediate disposal like in Busan, there was a detention center built for the imprisonment of criminals.

The detention center in Daejeon was said to be built on the site of a terror attack that had occurred several years ago. When recounting this, Kang Tae-han clicked his tongue in irritation.

That terror attack, too, had been a self-orchestrated plot, blamed by the government on Air Rain. He explained that the government, needing land close to the capital, had instigated a terror attack to create a suitable pretext and seize the vast Daejeon plains.

Sa-yoon had wondered if they would truly stage a terror attack merely for land, but Kang Tae-han spoke with a firm voice.

‘Ultimately, the only victims of that terror attack were Rain and the citizens whose land was stolen. The government suffered no losses. It was an excellent play, with not a single Esper dying. Of course, the Espers who participated probably didn’t know what they were truly doing.’

That was the specialty of those at the top, he had grumbled. They were despicable individuals who made the ‘fingers’ below them move without even knowing what they were doing, unless they were the ‘head.’ Kang Tae-han had gnashed his teeth.

“I know it’s shameless to ask, but we would appreciate some help from those who have come from the battlefield. This is our first time going overseas.”

“Of course we will. That’s why we came.”

Kang Tae-han’s trustworthy reply made people look at him with moved eyes. Their gazes extended to Kang Tae-han, the other battlefield veterans, and even Sa-yoon.

Sa-yoon, who had inadvertently garnered attention by perfectly destroying the impregnable incinerator from the outside, was now the focus of many eyes. An unknown Korean Esper, whose rank and face were both a mystery, his mere presence commanded attention.

“Then let’s devise a plan for escape. Since flying again is out of the question, we’ll have to use a ship. We should seek cooperation from other villages in Asia.”

Kang Tae-han spread out a map and led the discussion.

Sa-yoon, who had returned to his room midway, waited for the meeting to conclude. The meeting, which had begun at noon, finally wrapped up only as the sun began to dip behind the hills. It was not a good sign.

It meant that no suitable solutions had emerged, no matter how much they debated.

Sure enough, Kang Tae-han’s expression was grim when he returned from the meeting.

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