Chapter 15: Once Again, He Caught Him

Even though it was a scene he had already witnessed once before, Ye-seon found himself holding his breath for a moment.

If even experienced personnel reacted like this, there was no need to mention how overwhelming it must be for those seeing it for the first time, and Jin Su-ha was no exception.

It didn’t even compare to what he’d seen on video.

Back then as well, faced with such a mysterious sight for the first time, Su-ha had unknowingly settled into his seat and stared at the tablet for a long while.

But the surprise he’d felt then couldn’t hold a candle to the shock of standing here now, facing Chaewon in person.

“…Eunho, the recording’s coming through fine, right?”

“Yes. We’re checking all angles.”

The conversation between Ye-seon and his team member drifted in from the side.

To be honest, Su-ha had continued to doubt whether Chaewon truly had value as an esper. No matter how high the rank, if you couldn’t use your power in the field, it was meaningless.

But seeing Chaewon actually using telekinesis right in front of him, Su-ha finally understood why the higher-ups were paying so much attention to him, even assigning Su-ha as his guide.

To put it bluntly, if they leaked that footage under the guise of an “accidental” release, the public would respond exactly as desired.

There were already countless espers whose reputations were inflated far beyond their actual abilities, good looks, smooth speech in front of cameras, or deliberately appearing only in high-exposure incidents.

Adding one more person named Lee Chaewon to that list wouldn’t be a loss for the organization.

Reaching that thought, the awe Su-ha had felt while watching Chaewon cooled instantly.

The idea that someone who might amount to nothing more than a figurehead could have his name mentioned alongside Ihyeon was unpleasant.

Trying not to be fooled by a dazzling exterior, Su-ha hardened his expression further and glared at Chaewon beyond the glass.

“That’s incredible…”

Meanwhile, Ye-seon, carefully examining the real-time data being recorded, was openly marveling.

Whether it was thanks to the preliminary Guiding or something else, Chaewon was enduring without fainting, and beyond that, his power was far stronger than expected, which only heightened Ye-seon’s excitement.

In general, espers with severe side effects tended to perform worse than others of the same rank.

Yet Chaewon, despite suffering from such serious side effects, was displaying power comparable to other S-ranks.

Ye-seon was a veteran who rarely so much as blinked at impressive abilities anymore, but this time, every movement Chaewon made in response to his instructions sent a jolt like electricity up his spine.

It had been a very long time since he’d felt this way.

“Oh! Team Leader-!”

Eunho’s urgent call interrupted Ye-seon at that exact moment, as he stared at the rising numbers with eyes full of excitement.

Su-ha, too, instinctively stepped forward.

Ye-seon lifted his head reflexively, his eyes urgently searching for Chaewon, only to widen in shock.

“Chaewon, stop.”

Ye-seon immediately pressed the microphone button and spoke.

Blood was dripping steadily from Chaewon’s nose, falling onto the floor as blue energy poured from his fingertips.

****

At some point, Ye-seon’s voice, once clear, began to sound distant.

A loud ringing filled his ears.

It felt as though he were submerged deep underwater.

Several times, Chaewon felt his vision distort, but each time he bit down hard on his lip to force himself back to awareness.

He didn’t want to lose consciousness helplessly.

If he was going to collapse anyway, then he wanted to endure, even one more minute, one more second.

Whether his body was adapting, or whether the earlier Guiding was taking effect, Chaewon was holding out far longer than he’d expected.

And that fact made his heart race.

Moving his power according to Ye-seon’s instructions wasn’t difficult.

He didn’t know how much progress he was making, but the force extending outward moved freely, following his will as if it were his own limbs.

Standing before the tester, Chaewon thought of people.

People crushed beneath collapsed buildings.

People exposed helplessly before monsters.

People falling from high bridges, people frozen in terror before sharp claws.

If he could do well.

If he could truly, fully use this power.

Then maybe, just maybe, he could save them.

To do that, he had to endure.

He had to find a way to sustain this power without collapsing.

If the price was bleeding, or pain so severe it felt like his organs were tearing apart, that didn’t matter.

Chaewon was already far too accustomed to enduring pain.

Someone might say he was intoxicated by a flimsy sense of justice just because he’d gained power overnight.

That he was playing at being some kind of hero.

But Chaewon felt responsibility toward the power he’d gained by surviving.

He hadn’t awakened just to be cured of his illness.

An esper’s power was meant to save the world.

That was how it should be used, Chaewon believed that.

Chaewon’s first life had achieved nothing from beginning to end.

He’d struggled desperately, trying to live better, trying to do better, fighting until he could barely breathe, only to end without accomplishing anything.

This time couldn’t be the same.

“Chaewon! Stop now! You’re bleeding!”

After several ragged breaths, Ye-seon’s voice, once distant, reached him again, sharp with urgency.

Only then did Chaewon realize something warm was flowing from his nose.

When he glanced down slightly, he saw dark red blood soaking the floor.

Having experienced this before, it didn’t particularly shock him.

Instead, Chaewon increased his output slightly and spoke.

“I think I can endure a little longer…!”

He needed to know his limits.

He wanted to know how far he could go while bleeding.

This examination room, safe even if he collapsed, was the perfect place to test himself.

Chaewon shouted again.

“I’m fine. Just a little more… I’ll try a little more!”

The image before his eyes split into two, then merged again, over and over.

Still, Chaewon furrowed his brow and focused harder.

This time, he reshaped the energy that had completely enveloped the tester, forming it into cord-like strands that wrapped around it tightly, applying pressure.

It required more delicate control, but it wasn’t particularly difficult.

If he could use this ability freely in the field, he could at least restrain rampaging monsters or enemies for a short time.

“That’s enough, Chaewon. Stop now.”

Ye-seon’s voice echoed again, trying to halt him.

Chaewon shook his head.

This time, he didn’t even have the spare breath to raise his voice in reply.

He felt heat rising through his body.

His fingertips burned as if on fire, nausea surging up his throat.

But he hadn’t lost consciousness yet.

So he could keep going.

Then, a vivid voice, not coming through the microphone, rang out right beside him.

“Lee Chaewon! Stop immediately!”

It wasn’t Ye-seon.

Startled by the sharp, furious voice of a tall man, Chaewon reflexively turned his head.

There stood his guide, Jin Su-ha, looking livid.

“…”

Chaewon’s lips trembled slightly, but the words he wanted to say never made it out.

At the same time, the power tightly binding the tester began to withdraw.

The explosive blue light pouring from Chaewon’s body gradually subsided.

‘I can do more.’

‘I can endure more.’

He wanted to say that.

But S-ha, his face twisted in anger, didn’t wait for Chaewon to speak and shouted.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

‘So I failed again.’

That must be why Su-ha was this furious.

Just as that thought crossed Chaewon’s mind, his body, his front completely soaked in blood, gave out and collapsed.

Once again, it was Su-ha who caught him.

****

“He asked if he should just go back since he wasn’t needed anymore.”

As Eunho carefully tucked the blanket around Chaewon and adjusted the IV drip, Su-ha, who had been standing a step back, staring blankly at Chaewon’s face, turned his gaze at the sudden sound of Eunho’s voice.

Eunho was looking at him.

“What…?”

“Chaewon. The day he fainted during his first examination… he thought he’d failed, so he believed he didn’t deserve to stay here anymore.”

Su-ha didn’t understand why Eunho was bringing this up now, yet reflexively, he looked back at Chaewon, buried deep in the large hospital bed.

The wound on Chaewon’s lip, bitten hard, was visible even from a distance.

The image of Chaewon insisting he was fine, that he could endure more, even as he bled, flashed through Su-ha’s mind.

It felt like something he would never be able to forget.

Because he was far too weak to be called an S-rank.

Because he was insignificant, not even worth comparing to Min Ihyeon.

Because of that, Su-ha hated becoming his guide.

Was that how Chaewon had felt?

The thought lingered.