Chapter 118: The Unbreakable Shard

How much longer would he have to suffer like this, constantly thinking of Han Do-hoon? A bitter scoff escaped Sa-yoon as no answer presented itself to his troubled heart.

“This is truly difficult.”

“What is?”

“It’s nothing, Hyung. Let’s try a bit longer with the media. I’m going to clear my head.”

Sa-yoon pushed himself up from his seat. Leaving Kang Ah-jun and Kang Tae-han behind, he stepped outside alone, heading towards a quiet forest where the older Rain members often sought solace.

This secluded place, rarely visited by others, was perfect for solitary walks.

Sa-yoon wandered aimlessly, the increasingly cold air filling his complex thoughts. Winter was now fully upon them; in just a few weeks, the village would be blanketed in white snow.

It would be just as it was when Sa-yoon, having lost his memories, first opened his eyes and began his new life in Seol-won.

He had believed so much had changed since then. Sa-yoon’s surroundings were entirely different, and his standing had shifted. He thought he was moving towards a better situation, yet the persistent, uncomfortable feeling of unease that arose whenever he thought of Han Do-hoon still tormented him.

In truth, nothing had changed. His heart still pounded with tension at the mere thought of Han Do-hoon. Sa-yoon seemed to remain trapped in that moment, curled up beneath a mound of dirt on the battlefield, desperately wishing for escape.

“……”

Han Do-hoon had deceived Sa-yoon. This was an undeniable fact. From the very beginning, he had approached Sa-yoon knowing his true identity, acting as if he loved him. He had manipulated and toyed with human emotions at will.

Sa-yoon’s feelings towards Han Do-hoon were complex. The most prominent emotions were betrayal and fear. Even knowing he wouldn’t be arrested immediately, the terror of the laboratory, which had once felt so close to his throat, seemed to revive whenever he thought of Han Do-hoon.

And yet, despite all of this, a small feeling occupied a deep corner of Sa-yoon’s heart. It was a tiny, shameful emotion he couldn’t speak of to others.

A shard of longing for Han Do-hoon was painfully lodged there, refusing to be dislodged.

“How foolish.”

He had been his first love. The first person Sa-yoon had completely trusted, entirely relied upon. Even now, thinking of Han Do-hoon didn’t bring to mind the ruthless Irregular Hunter, but rather the man who smiled as he offered ice cream, claiming he’d bought it just for Sa-yoon.

Just now, too, his heart had stirred when he heard Han Do-hoon was looking for him. Though he had vowed many times to bid him farewell and move on, it was always difficult in moments like these.

He would entertain foolish hopes: ‘What if Han Do-hoon isn’t looking for me to confirm I’m the Esper Jin Sa-yoon, but genuinely wants to see me?’

That couldn’t be. To Han Do-hoon, Sa-yoon was merely the ultimate prey he had let slip through his fingers. A heartbreaking trophy, lost after so much effort.

“Jade beds, water purifiers, picnic mats. I really need to be careful with all of them.”

Sa-yoon laughed self-reproachfully. If he hadn’t been an Esper but an ordinary person living a normal life, he might have fallen victim to some pyramid scheme and lost all his assets. He might have been charmed by some handsome swindler, giving away his liver and gall bladder.

A hollow laugh escaped his slightly parted lips, accompanied by a wisp of white breath.

Having calmed his mind by walking through the now completely dark forest path, Sa-yoon returned to the village. Kang Ah-jun and Kang Tae-han, who had been conversing since Sa-yoon left, were still engaged in a heated debate, their voices loud enough to be heard outside the door.

“So I’m saying, let’s just go in and attack them immediately!”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“This is truly frustrating. That’s why we’ve only ever been on the receiving end until now.”

“Hey, that’s a bit harsh!”

The raised voices hinted at a serious undertone. When Sa-yoon opened the door, the two men, mid-conversation, simultaneously looked his way.

“Team Leader!”

“Sa-yoon!”

Others were inside besides the two of them. All of them had grim expressions, their heads bowed.

“What’s going on?”

“A village was attacked a few days ago.”

Another person in the room answered Sa-yoon’s question. A group of people had entered the room while Sa-yoon was away.

Those reporting the situation, their faces dark, explained the circumstances with deep sighs. Recently, the Federation had been particularly aggressive. While they had always actively countered Air Rain, their focus had been on the battlefield.

Lately, however, clashes on the battlefield had decreased, and they were increasingly targeting hidden villages across the world. Their persistence in locating and attacking these villages, seemingly discovering their locations, was relentless.

The Federation, having realized that Air Rain’s stronghold was in these villages, had launched a full-scale extermination operation. Most villagers had escaped with the Espers, but unavoidable sacrifices had occurred.

While it was certainly somber news, the capture of a single village wasn’t enough to plunge the atmosphere into such gloom. The priority was to quickly organize a response and provide rescue aid, and they had successfully rescued many people in the past.

“Where do we need to go for rescue this time? Is anyone reachable?”

Sa-yoon and Kang Ah-jun were at the forefront of rescue missions. With their cheat-like spatial manipulation abilities, they had handled operations while evading the Federation’s watchful eyes.

“That’s the thing…”

“Hyung, what are you doing getting distracted? We need to go quickly to rescue the injured and survivors.”

“Well, the situation has become a bit complicated. This village is different from previous ones. There are no injured, and in a way, the suppression was peaceful, so the damage is minimal, but…”

Kang Tae-han hesitated.

“They’ve demanded a negotiation.”

The Federation, which had raided the village and taken its inhabitants hostage, had for the first time requested negotiations. This was a stark contrast to their previous indiscriminate capture of people.

The Esper Federation wished to negotiate with Air Rain.

Upon hearing this news, Air Rain initially suspected various possibilities. Was this a ploy to implicate other villages? What could they possibly want from Air Rain? Amidst this confusion, the Esper Federation’s specific conditions arrived.

“They want two negotiators from each side, and they’ve specified who they want to talk to.”

Kang Tae-han’s voice dropped.

“And the person they named is you.”

“What?”

“Specifically, they said if we put Seol-won—no, the Air Rain member acting as Jin Sa-yoon—at the negotiation table, they will release all the villagers without further conditions.”

Min Da-hyun, who had been quietly waiting beside them, sprang to his feet.

“We don’t need to be swayed by such talk. It’ll be the same if Sa-yoon Hyung goes and rescues everyone anyway. It’s clearly a trap, so let’s not agree to it.”

“I wish we could do that. But it seems they’ve made up their minds this time.”

Kang Tae-han frowned deeply.

“The person in charge of this village raid is Han Do-hoon. The same man who fought Air Rain Espers as if he wanted to kill them is now deliberately occupying an entire village.”

Sa-yoon’s breath hitched at the unexpected news, even before he had fully processed his feelings for Han Do-hoon.

After hearing the Federation’s proposed conditions, Sa-yoon fell silent amidst the clamoring people, lost in thought.

By all accounts, it wasn’t a bad condition. The Federation’s offer wasn’t about negotiating for hostages. It was simply that if they allowed Seol-won—no, Jin Sa-yoon—to meet them, they would release all the hostages without any other demands.

This was an unprecedented move, breaking the firm principle of ‘no negotiations with terrorists’ that had been maintained since the Commander-in-Chief took charge. That made it even more difficult.

If it had been a difficult condition, like ‘Sa-yoon surrender in place of the hostages’ or ‘come and surrender,’ he wouldn’t have even considered it and would have refused.

From the start, it was a setup designed to subtly make Air Rain hesitate.

Even knowing this generous offer was a Federation ploy, people were divided, fiercely debating. Those who argued it was a trap and should never be accepted clashed with those who thought they could agree to the negotiation and then escape.

“Couldn’t we just show up and then secretly escape? Or maybe use a stand-in…?”

“The Federation wouldn’t fail to anticipate something like that, would they?”

“You never know. They asked for Seol-won, not Jin Sa-yoon, so we could disguise someone and fool them.”

Even after a long discussion, no conclusion was reached. The meeting, which began in the evening, continued until midnight, with nothing decided.

“Let’s stop here.”

Sa-yoon, standing among the people, raised a hand, halting the prolonged meeting. At this rate, they would stay up all night going nowhere.

There was no other choice. No matter what anyone else said, this was a matter Sa-yoon had to decide.

“I’ll go. Let’s work on an escape route together.”

“Sa-yoon. You don’t have to. Village raids have always happened, and you don’t need to feel responsible.”

Kang Tae-han tried to reassure Sa-yoon with kind words, but the conclusion was already set. With hostages involved, Air Rain had few cards to play, while Sa-yoon had many ways to get out.

Abandoning the hostages here would not only sacrifice them but might also divide opinions within Air Rain itself. Knowing this, he had only watched the meeting in silence until midnight, unprepared to face Han Do-hoon.

“Hyung. You know this is the best option.”

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