Chapter 130: The Unsettling Truth

He flung his clothes off in a fit of pique; they struck the corridor wall before falling to the floor. Swiftly, he moved, unbuttoning the shirt that felt as though it were strangling him.

His churning stomach refused to settle. A blazing inferno, without direction, tore through his organs, from his heart to his very lungs.

‘From the very beginning, Han Do-hoon never saw me as a person. I was merely a guide, usable without an inhibitor. And a defective one at that, too shameful to be shown to the outside world.’

Sa-yoon’s voice, still echoing in his ears like a desperate cry, reverberated through him. Han Do-hoon’s stride shortened, his pace gradually slowing.

Faced with such fierce condemnation, Han Do-hoon had been utterly incapable of a proper rebuttal. The shock, as if his head had been slammed, merely caused his grip on Sa-yoon’s arm to loosen foolishly.

Where had everything gone wrong? He had truly believed he had done his utmost for Jin Sa-yoon. He thought that while disappointment was inevitable, revealing the truth would lead to understanding.

However, that assumption was profoundly mistaken. Every action Han Do-hoon had taken had become a dagger, turning back to pierce him.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Han Do-hoon gazed down at his palms. His large hands were perfectly steady, devoid of even the slightest tremor. He, who had always suffered from a lack of guiding, had managed to exert enough power to incinerate an entire island, only briefly losing consciousness, yet suffering no lingering after-effects.

His guide. His sole lifeline, the person who was everything to an Esper—that was Jin Sa-yoon. The shock of being rejected by such an individual was enough to render Han Do-hoon powerless.

It felt as though an ice pillar had pierced his deepest core, leaving him utterly defenseless.

Had he truly considered Jin Sa-yoon merely a convenient guide? The thought made the blood drain from his fingertips. Absolutely not. Jin Sa-yoon was not such an insignificant being to Han Do-hoon.

If he had only intended to use him as a guide, he would have immediately arrested him the moment he confirmed him an Irregular, bound his hands and feet, and kept him close.

He would have used him freely, indifferent to his tears, screams, or resistance. Yet, the mere thought of such actions now made the world turn black before his eyes.

He yearned to tell Jin Sa-yoon that he had never regarded him so lightly, that all his actions for him had been sincere, but his lips had been sealed as if rigid.

Would his sincerity truly reach Jin Sa-yoon now, after all this time? What good would any explanation do at this point?

‘You should have wondered what I was thinking when I made that choice, what the real truth I wanted to convey was!’

Jin Sa-yoon’s anguished cry echoed in his ears once more. The word ‘truth’ in his lamentation, filled with resentment, utterly baffled him.

Truth. What truth could possibly lead Jin Sa-yoon to condemn him so fiercely?

Han Do-hoon had already seen the content of the flyers scattered by the intruders who had broken into various national branches. The claims were preposterous.

An adult Rain transforming into an intelligent life form? Even more unbelievable was the assertion that all the terrorist attacks until now were not the work of Air Rain, but acts perpetrated by the state itself.

After all, Han Do-hoon himself was the most prominent individual rescued from an Air Rain terrorist attack.

So why did Jin Sa-yoon believe those words? Hadn’t he, too, fought alongside Han Do-hoon to stop the terror and eliminate the Rain?

Having witnessed that tragedy and sacrifice, why, just why…?

For the first time, Han Do-hoon found himself enveloped by an uncontrollable heat, suffering from an unquenchable thirst. He resumed his halted steps, moving toward the only place where he might resolve this enigma.

“D-Deputy Commander. What brings you here?”

“Everyone stationed in this building is to evacuate immediately.”

As he rarely expressed strong emotions, Han Do-hoon’s sudden actions drew a series of astonished glances. Ignoring the reactions around him, Han Do-hoon walked down the corridor.

He dismissed all the guards stationed here and there, continuing until he stopped at the office located in the deepest part of the building.

“I’m coming in.”

Without waiting for permission from within, Han Do-hoon unhesitatingly pushed open the door. He entered the office with a stern, unyielding expression, facing the room’s occupant.

“It’s been a while. To visit so abruptly—that’s not like you. Has something happened?”

“There is something I need to confirm.”

Han Do-hoon had come to the office of his adoptive father, the Commander-in-Chief of the Esper Alliance. The Commander-in-Chief, who had been observing Han Do-hoon intently, now looked at him with a troubled expression.

“No matter how urgent the matter, this seems a bit out of line.”

“It is urgent enough that I cannot afford to be mindful of protocol.”

Han Do-hoon approached the Commander-in-Chief’s desk. A rare flicker of emotion in his voice made a peculiar light gleam in the Commander-in-Chief’s eyes.

“You’ve seemed busy with new operations recently. Tsk, well, let’s hear what it is. Sit down.”

Han Do-hoon had recently been attempting a new approach against Air Rain. He had been leading the forces, spending his time more busily than anyone else. Conversely, the Commander-in-Chief had entrusted all authority to Han Do-hoon and had withdrawn from the front lines, using the excuse of nursing his guide.

This had been going on for several years. While the Commander-in-Chief’s long absence had initially seemed a little odd, it gradually came to be regarded as nothing significant.

Such matters held no interest for Han Do-hoon; he had focused solely on the fact that he had been granted full authority to deal with Air Rain, immersing himself in his duties like a madman.

Thus, he had dismissed the rumors circulating about Air Rain as unfounded nonsense. He believed that if the higher-ups were truly framing Air Rain and attempting to preserve their power, they would not have so easily given Han Do-hoon full authority.

However, Jin Sa-yoon’s reaction during their recent encounter…

“……”

The memory of those eyes, filled with resentment as they looked at him, made his heart ache once more. It felt like a handful of tiny thorns were being scattered over him. This guilt, assailing his otherwise sound mind, tormented Han Do-hoon with every breath.

The memory gnawed at his sanity, bit by bit, to the extent that he even thought it had been better when he suffered from the lack of guiding.

“How much do you know about these absurd rumors that Air Rain is spreading?”

“Hmm, I’ve heard them.”

The Commander-in-Chief clicked his tongue, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair.

“There’s no need to pay attention to such talk. It seems there are a few naive subordinates who are easily swayed by baseless words, but it will soon die down. Conspiracy theories always exist, after all.”

His aged face was filled with an expression of disdain. He shook his head, as if he couldn’t even bear to look at such bothersome matters.

When he had first rescued Han Do-hoon, the Commander-in-Chief had not been this kind of person. He had been full of a sense of justice, a man who bravely led the charge into dangerous situations.

But as he ascended to higher positions, he changed. He transformed into someone lazy, complacent, and solely pursuing comfort.

Initially, Han Do-hoon had been somewhat disappointed, but it didn’t truly matter. Despite being overworked with arduous tasks, Han Do-hoon remained under the Commander-in-Chief.

This was partly due to the gratitude for being saved in his childhood, but also because of Han Do-hoon’s own nature: he found physical hardship more comforting than being tormented by trauma.

Therefore, when he first heard Air Rain’s claims, he dismissed them as utter nonsense. The Commander-in-Chief had no great ambition for domination or power.

He never acted with passion to monopolize power, as Air Rain claimed. In Han Do-hoon’s eyes, he simply seemed to aim for a comfortable and leisurely life.

“This is why weaklings are a problem. Not only are they physically weak, but their mental fortitude is also frail. Moreover, they are easily swayed. It’s bothersome, but what can be done? Don’t be too harsh on subordinates who spread strange stories; just regulate them appropriately.”

Normally, Han Do-hoon would have dismissed the Commander-in-Chief’s words without much thought. But this time, the situation was different.

Han Do-hoon ignored the invitation to sit on the sofa and remained standing as he questioned him.

“Are those rumors true?”

“What?”

“I asked if the claims made by Air Rain are true.”

“Why are even you getting swept up in such talk?”

The Commander-in-Chief’s face twisted in disgust. His mouth, which had just been criticizing his subordinates for their foolishness, snapped shut, and he furrowed his brow, clicking his tongue.

“You even let that Irregular impersonating Jin Sa-yoon escape recently. Why are you doing things you don’t usually do? If you’re going to waste your energy on useless things, I’ll just give you a vacation. You’ve worked hard for a long time.”

The Commander-in-Chief pulled a calendar closer, comparing Han Do-hoon’s schedule—which hadn’t seen a day off in years—with the dates. He even scanned a map, as if intending to send him to a warm, secluded resort immediately.

“I don’t need a vacation. Just tell me the truth.”

“Good heavens. It seems you’re genuinely asking. I don’t know how to react.”

The Commander-in-Chief let out a bewildered chuckle, shrugging his shoulders at the absurd situation. He looked around with a troubled expression, then, seeing that there was no place to sit in the office, he gestured with his chin.

“Since I doubt you’ll believe me if I speak casually, let’s go to the reception room first.”

Leisurely, the Commander-in-Chief rose from his desk and moved to the reception room with Han Do-hoon. They sat opposite each other on a massive sofa that could easily seat ten people. Having dismissed everyone from the building on their way here, a profound silence, unbroken by even the sound of an ant, settled between them.

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