Chapter 108: Farewells

I heard from Jinseok that Rainer was in Korea.

The phone I was currently using was a new one, so I had no way to contact him, but thankfully, I was able to get in touch with him through Jinseok.

Rainer and Jinseok arrived in the afternoon.

The sole purpose of his trip to Korea was to see me, so a meeting was arranged quickly.

I could hear Rainer’s voice from outside the building.

I went to the window and looked down to see Rainer and Jinseok parking their car in the outdoor lot and entering the building.

As if sensing my gaze, Rainer looked up at me.

I gave a light wave back to him as he grinned and waved.

After looking at me, Rainer ran into the building.

His wavelength approached at high speed, and then the door burst open without a knock.

It seemed he was so excited to see me that he had forgotten to knock.

“Shinui! I missed you.”

Rainer ran straight to me and hugged me.

American greetings were still hard to get used to, but perhaps because it had been a while, a gentle smile formed on my face.

Soon after, Jinseok also came in, breathing heavily.

It looked like he had been sprinting to keep up with Rainer.

“Guide-nim, I’m here too.”

“Welcome. Thank you for bringing Rainer today. And for helping me with my resignation.”

I had heard from Sehyun that Jinseok’s testimony had made it easier for me to leave the Association.

I had already thanked him over the phone, but I expressed my gratitude again now.

Jinseok smiled slightly at my words.

Seeing that smile, I looked back at Rainer and asked.

“Rainer, have you been well?”

“No. I was very worried when I heard you were going through a tough time.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Shinui, you’re really okay, right?”

I nodded vigorously, as if to tell him not to worry.

The test results were normal, and no particular issues had appeared since I left the secret lab.

However, I had wanted to treat Rainer to a delicious meal and go sightseeing at famous tourist spots with him when he came to Korea, but I couldn’t go out at the moment, so I felt very sorry.

Rainer said it was fine and we talked for a while.

I had been feeling troubled because of what happened with Sehyun, but Rainer and Jinseok’s visit helped me forget my gloominess, even if just for a little.

Connections that didn’t exist in the past were now by my side in the present.

It was time to forget the past that I could no longer return to and fully embrace the present.

Jinseok usually refrained from contacting me after 6 PM unless it was something special, but a call came in around 8 PM.

Thinking it might be urgent, I quickly answered the phone.

As expected, Jinseok brought the news I had been waiting for.

It was the news that they had found Dr. Yoon.

There were many things I wanted to ask him, but I couldn’t meet him.

Because Dr. Yoon was no longer a living person, but had returned as a corpse.

His body was found abandoned in front of the Center by a security guard.

According to the guard, he looked like a deflated balloon, and since there were no wounds on his body, everyone speculated it was suicide by poison.

However, the examination revealed that the cause of death was the absence of his heart.

To be more precise about his condition, all the organs inside his body had been removed.

There was talk that it seemed to be the work of an Esper, given that the organs were missing without any external damage, but they were having trouble identifying a suspect because they couldn’t find any clues.

The Association proceeded with the investigation, suspecting the perpetrators to be the project’s victims or their families.

I thought it was foolish, and as I recalled the stupid and frustrating things the Association had done over the years, I even felt a sense of disgust.

The moment I heard that Dr. Yoon’s heart was missing, I knew that Sung Yohan was the culprit.

With Sung Yohan’s ability, he could easily remove a heart without leaving a single wound on the body.

Sung Yohan was one of the people who held a deep grudge against Dr. Yoon, so he had more than enough motive to kill him.

The Association must also know that only an S-Class or A-Class Esper could extract organs so cleanly.

They might even know it was Sung Yohan but are pretending not to.

Sung Yohan was a top-tier Esper not only in Korea but also internationally, and if they knew about his abilities, they wouldn’t dare to touch him carelessly.

I hadn’t seen Sung Yohan once since leaving the secret lab.

I heard he was absent without leave from the Center and had removed both the chip embedded in his body and his guiding watch.

Judging by his current actions, it seemed he was planning to leave the Association, just like me.

Come to think of it, it didn’t suit Sung Yohan to be tied down by anything.

I didn’t know where he was now, but I had a feeling he would come looking for me.

As I expected, not long after, Sung Yohan appeared before me.

The day of my departure to the Awakened protection zone was already tomorrow.

Before leaving, I met with the acquaintances and colleagues I had been close with to say goodbye.

Everyone was sad to see me go, but they knew how I had been treated at the Association, so they didn’t try to stop me.

It wasn’t like I was leaving Korea for good either.

Strangely, Hyun Taewoon didn’t show up.

Although I had told him not to come, I didn’t think he would listen so obediently, so I was actually puzzled when I didn’t feel his wavelength.

I even started to wonder if he didn’t know I was leaving.

I casually asked Jinseok about Hyun Taewoon’s whereabouts, but he just said he was on vacation.

To be honest, I wanted to meet him once before I left.

Because I didn’t know when the next opportunity to see him would be.

Hyun Taewoon didn’t show up until the last night before my departure, and instead, an unexpected guest arrived.

It was Sung Yohan.

He appeared in my room without a sound, as if he had used spatial movement.

As always, it was a visit without my consent, but I wasn’t as angry or surprised as before.

Perhaps it was because I thought this might be the last time I saw him too.

“Shinui, it’s been a while.”

“I thought you’d be far away from the Association by now, but you were still in Korea?”

“Yes. I’ve been doing whatever I wanted for the first time in a long time. Shinui, I heard you left the Association?”

One of the reasons I was able to leave the Association was because of their irresponsible behavior in not restraining Sung Yohan’s coercive and indiscriminate actions.

I couldn’t forgive what he had done to me, but I hoped that neither of us would be bound to the Association anymore and that we could live without getting involved with each other.

“I hope you can get out of the Association safely too, Sung Yohan.”

“When I resign, I’ll come see you first, Shinui. By the way, are you planning to leave the country tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Since he came to see me today, I thought he might know I was leaving, and it turned out he did.

“It feels lonely now that you’re leaving, Shinui. If you ever need my help, just let me know. I owe you one, so I’ll help you out once.”

“What do you owe me?”

I asked, feeling puzzled by his words.

He didn’t owe me anything.

I had gotten out of the lab safely.

“I didn’t help you until the end.”

Come to think of it, I remembered that he had only transported me to the ground floor and then disappeared.

It was Hyun Taewoon who had helped me get out.

“If you think you owe me a debt, then pay it back with interest later.”

“You’re really unique. There’s probably no one as interesting as you, Shinui.”

“You’re the more unique one, Sung Yohan.”

“If you were just a little weaker, you would have been by my side. I always find that a shame. I want to go back to the past right now and keep the foolish Shinui by my side.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Nonsense?”

At my words, Sung Yohan laughed with a unpleasant smile.

He looked as if he could go back to the past at any moment.

Feeling an ominous premonition, I quickly said.

“If we go back to the past, we’ll both be trapped by Dr. Yoon again.”

“That would be terrible.”

I was relieved only when I saw him frown.

I thought that in his current state, he wouldn’t go back to the past.

“I should get going now. Take care, Shinui.”

Just as I was about to tell him to leave quickly, I remembered Dr. Yoon’s death and asked him.

“Did you kill Dr. Yoon?”

At my question, Sung Yohan’s eyes crinkled as if he had heard an amusing story, and then he disappeared.

Judging by his reaction, it seemed my guess was right, and he had indeed killed Dr. Yoon.

Feeling Sung Yohan’s wavelength lingering thickly in the room, I opened the window.

The wind was mild, perhaps because summer was approaching.

I closed my eyes and felt the breeze, and Hyun Taewoon’s wavelength came to me, carried on the wind.

My eyes snapped open at the presence I had been waiting for since morning, and I saw him standing by a nearby tree.

We looked at each other without a word.

Honestly, I didn’t know if it was the right thing to leave without resolving the misunderstandings entangled with him.

But I had already made up my mind to leave, so I forced myself to ignore the lingering feelings and closed the window.