Chapter 10: The Price of Survival

“Jaeyoon!”

“Choi Siram, good work. Now all that’s left is to head back to the dorm and rest.”

With Choi Siram supporting me as he waited below the building, I lightly lowered myself onto a large chunk of cement nearby and sat down.

Perhaps it was the aftereffect of kicking the soldier’s shin earlier, but my ankle had swollen badly, making it impossible to walk more than a few steps.

“…This really won’t do. Jaeyoon, once we get out of here, let’s talk.”

“What do you want to talk about…”

“What do you mean what! No matter how important the results are, there’s no need to push yourself until your whole body is wrecked. At the very least, you could’ve asked me for help! Why do you keep trying to carry everything on your own. Do you not trust me that much?”

“It’s not that…”

Of course, Choi Siram wouldn’t understand.

Why I clung so desperately to this training.

Those who achieved good results in the annual guiding training not only had a much easier time getting promoted, but also received a corresponding monthly bonus.

For the past three years, I had sent every bit of that money to the shelter.

They used it to repair the old building and provide better food for the children.

So what choice did I have.

Even if my body broke down.

Even if I felt like I might die.

All I could do was endure.

“…I’m sorry. I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again. I’m really sorry.”

“…Just sit and rest for now. I think I got too worked up. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

An awkward silence settled between us.

This time, it was clearly my fault.

If things had gone wrong, even Choi Siram could’ve gotten hurt.

From a partner’s perspective, his anger was justified.

Crack—

…?

As I relaxed after finishing the test, a chilling sensation suddenly swept through the air.

A thin crack began forming on the pillar of the building behind us.

At first, I thought it was just part of the system shutting down the simulated space.

But as time passed, it became clear that wasn’t the case.

Part of the building, barely holding together, suddenly collapsed and fell straight toward Choi Siram.

“…Choi Siram!”

“!!”

Even if this was a simulated space, getting crushed by something that large would affect the real body.

Without hesitation, I ran toward him and pulled him into my arms.

A massive amount of debris poured down.

A long metal beam tore straight through my right forearm.

My white shirt was instantly soaked in blood as torn flesh was exposed.

“Ah—!”

The overwhelming pain shook my entire consciousness.

My vision flickered black as the world seemed to tilt violently.

Screams rang in my ears, dissolving into smoke.

For a moment, I even let out a hollow laugh.

So this is what real pain feels like.

My fingernails scraped the ground so hard that dust gathered beneath them.

“Jaeyoon! Jaeyoon!”

Choi Siram clutched my injured arm, crying as if he might faint.

I searched around desperately for anything to stop the bleeding.

At this rate, I would go into shock before help arrived.

“Hey! Is anyone there? Someone’s hurt! Someone’s hurt!”

Choi Siram pressed the emergency buzzer on his knee and shouted at the top of his lungs.

But there was no response.

Something had clearly gone wrong outside.

For the first time in a long while, I cried uncontrollably.

Not just because of the pain.

But because I wondered why I had to sacrifice myself like this just to appease others.

If it had been Choi Siram instead of me, the team would’ve probably tried to kill me.

No… maybe they really would have.

“What do we do… what do we do… Jaeyoon…”

Hot tears streamed down his face.

I wanted to ask for help.

But all that came out were faint, broken groans.

Choi Siram adjusted his posture so I could lean on him, continuing to speak to me.

But I couldn’t understand a single word.

A sharp ringing filled my ears as darkness pulled me under.

I had lost too much blood.

“It’s okay, Jaeyoon. Once they come, everything will be fine. Your injuries will heal. You’ll be okay again…”

And just like that, I lost consciousness.

“Jaeyoon, Jaeyoon! Can you hear me?”

I slowly opened my eyes.

The dust and debris were gone.

Only Choi Siram, looking worried, remained in my view.

My lips were dry, and the metallic taste of blood lingered on my tongue.

“What… happened…”

“Don’t talk. They said you have internal injuries. They’ve only done emergency treatment for now. Once things are sorted, you’ll be transferred to the hospital.”

As I shifted slightly on the medical bed, IV needles hanging from my arm, intense pain spread through my body.

The blanket on my shoulder slipped off.

Startled, Choi Siram quickly stopped me.

“They said there was an issue with the test system. The person in charge of the simulation suddenly left, and a new Esper took over. But they weren’t skilled enough… so an accident happened.”

“…I see. So it was just bad luck.”

“Bad luck? What nonsense.”

Pushing Choi Siram aside, who had been holding my hand tightly, Park Suchang appeared with a scowl.

The rest of the team stood behind him, their expressions equally grim.

“This kind of accident happens because of this stupid test in the first place. If there’s no penalty for quitting, you should’ve just left quietly. Why drag Choi Siram in with you and cause all this trouble?”

“He’s right. Jaeyoon hyung, we understand your situation, but was it really necessary to take this risk just for the bonus? You know Siram hyung isn’t in good health.”

My head spun.

Park Suchang and Park Suchan stood up as if they were about to hit me, interrogating me relentlessly.

“At the very least, you shouldn’t have been on the same team as him. With your bad luck, you dragged him into this mess too. Am I wrong?”

“…I…”

“If someone had to get hurt, it should’ve just been you.”

I bit my lip and forced back the tears.

I couldn’t deny their accusations.

So I lowered my head in silence.

“How long are we supposed to tolerate you? Why are you always dragging our team down? Is it that hard to just stay quiet? Look at this. Your refugee mentality made you chase after the bonus and caused damage to the entire team. At this rate, you might have to return your entire contract fee this year. Do you even realize that?”

Refugee mentality.

Again, he dug into my deepest wound.

I glared at him with tear-filled eyes.

Why did they always bring up my background?

What had I even done wrong?

Or was it simply that they hated my existence?

Unlike Choi Siram, who stood there perfectly fine, I was still bleeding heavily even after emergency treatment.

This should’ve been nothing more than minor injuries.

But because an inexperienced Esper had taken over the system, things escalated into a major accident.

Especially with psychic-type abilities, which consumed immense mental and physical energy, even a slight loss of control could lead to disaster.

I could’ve died.

If that was the case…

Shouldn’t they be worrying about me first instead of blaming me?