Chapter 17 : Rampage (4)

The place reported as the terrorist group’s hideout was in a deserted area. Around it were only a few factories and small buildings. ‘It’s definitely a place to avoid people’s eyes,’ Jisung thought, looking around from inside the car. He squeezed the hand he was holding with Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo squeezed back with a little force, as if to say it was okay, and smiled.

Jisung took a short, deep breath. It wasn’t his first mission, but it was his first large-scale operation like this. He was also worried about Hyunwoo and Yuaan, who were about to raid the terrorist group’s hideout.

‘Hyunwoo was worried about me… but all I do on missions is wait for Hyunwoo to come back…’

He thought he wasn’t in a position to be worried about. The terrorist group was dealt with by the Espers, and citizen evacuation was handled by the Center’s office staff or Espers with low ranks who couldn’t participate in the fight. A Guide’s job during a mission was to guide Espers in critical condition. To do so, they needed to conserve their energy, so Guides had to wait in one place. Thanks to that, they were relatively less exposed to danger compared to others.

Of course, it was still a dangerous job. Sometimes, enemies would raid the place where the Guides were… He had never experienced it before, and he never wanted to.

The car that had arrived at the scene slowly stopped. Espers got out of each car. Hyunwoo also opened the car door and got out. He raised his hand to stop Jisung, who was following him.

“Why?”

Hyunwoo’s brow furrowed as he looked at the place suspected to be the terrorist group’s hideout. He glanced at Yuaan, exchanging a look, and then turned his head.

“Is there a problem?”

“I can’t feel any human presence inside.”

“Huh?”

Jisung peeked his head out and looked at the building in front of him. It was indeed quiet.

“Then was it a false report after all?”

A sense of anticlimax and relief came at the same time. Hyunwoo opened his mouth as he watched Jisung let out a small breath.

“It’s too quiet.”

“Huh?”

“Unsettlingly so.”

Jisung’s eyes widened at Hyunwoo’s murmur. ‘Unsettlingly quiet?’ Jisung looked at the building again. To him, it looked no different from any other building. But not only Hyunwoo, but Yuaan also had a bad expression.

Jisung reached out and grabbed Hyunwoo’s collar.

“Does it seem dangerous?”

At the worried voice, Hyunwoo relaxed his stiff expression and smiled. Jisung squeezed the hand he was holding as he watched him smile gently to reassure him.

“It’s okay, I just feel a slight sense of unease.”

“Unease?”

“Yes.”

Hyunwoo nodded slightly.

“…As if someone deliberately set it up.”

“It feels rushed.”

Yuaan supported Hyunwoo’s words.

“Rushed?”

“There’s nothing. Around that building, there are no insects, no animal sounds, nothing. As if they felt something threatening and fled in a hurry.”

“Something threatening, you mean…”

“An Esper.”

Jisung looked at Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo frowned and said.

“For not just animals but even insects to feel threatened, it would have to be an S-Rank Esper. Or someone of a similar rank…”

“Weren’t there only two S-Rank Espers in our country?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Then, are you saying there’s a dangerous Esper in there right now?”

“No, there’s no human presence. There isn’t, but…”

“We don’t know what kind of abilities an Esper might have.”

At Sunwoo’s words, Jisung looked at Yuaan. Espers’ abilities were diverse. From well-known abilities like Hyunwoo’s to unexpected ones like Yuaan’s. There could be an Esper among the enemies with an unexpected ability like Yuaan’s.

“So you’re saying we’ve been lured by the enemy.”

“We can’t be sure yet, but it’s a possibility.”

Yuaan nodded and replied to Jisung’s words. But it seemed that only Hyunwoo and Yuaan, the S-Rank Espers, felt the unease, as the others were preparing to enter the building.

“Shouldn’t we halt the operation for now? How do we know what kind of traps the enemy has set up in there?”

“There are no terrorists inside, and we can’t call off the operation just based on a feeling of unease.”

“Should I threaten the Center Director?”

“If we arbitrarily halt the operation, others might become suspicious, and the complaints could be directed at us.”

Jisung groaned at Sunwoo’s words. ‘Isn’t there a better way?’ As Jisung bit his lip and searched for a solution, Minseong approached them.

“Is there a problem? We’re all ready, and everyone’s just waiting for S-Team… If we delay any further, the operation could be disrupted.”

“There’s no one inside.”

“Inside?”

Minseong glanced at the building and then looked away.

“Was it a false report? Still, we have to go in and check for safety. That’s how people will be reassured.”

“It feels like the enemy has set a trap.”

“The enemy…? Then we have to check even more thoroughly. That’s why we’re here.”

Jisung clenched his fists at Minseong’s bright smile. What Minseong said was reasonable. Today’s mission was to raid a terrorist group’s hideout. But that was a story for when there were enemies inside. To rush into a place where the enemies were absent and only suspicious traces that even insects had fled from remained, was too dangerous.

‘Still, I should talk to the Center Director…’

“It’s okay. I’ll be back, Hyung.”

“What’s okay about it?”

“Whatever they’ve prepared, it won’t work on me.”

‘So, don’t worry.’ Hyunwoo’s smile as he said that was truly cool. As Jisung covered his mouth with his hand and made a shy expression, Minseong cleared his throat.

“Ahem! Then I’ll take Hyunseong-ssi and Yuaan-ssi.”

“Okay, go and come back.”

Hyunwoo and Yuaan smiled and nodded at Jisung’s words. He watched the two of them walk away and then clasped his hands together.

‘It’ll be fine. It’s okay, it’s okay.’

He tried to push away the negative thoughts as much as possible. Nevertheless, his heart pounded anxiously. Jisung couldn’t even imagine the feeling of going to a place knowing it was dangerous. If it were him, he wouldn’t just not go, he would run straight to a safe place.

“Honestly, it’s a miracle I’m even here.”

“I know, right?”

“Ah, you scared me!”

Jisung, startled, looked at Sunwoo who had moved from the back seat to the seat next to him. Sunwoo, despite being a Guide, didn’t make much of a presence, like an Esper.

“…Are you really not an Esper?”

“I’m not.”

“Please make some noise when you move. It’s bad for my heart, Hyung.”

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

He smiled faintly at Sunwoo’s apologetic nod.

“When we visited your house, Hyung, I honestly thought it would be difficult to persuade you.”

“You did?”

“Yes. Your attitude was firm, and above all, your obsession with a safe life was incredible.”

“No, I think I’m pretty normal.”

“Most people would get blinded by the good conditions offered to a Guide and sign the contract right away. If not that, many people admire the hero image created by the media and want to become like that themselves. But you were neither, Hyung.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Jisung nodded in agreement.

“If you can’t be tempted by money or fame, then there’s already no possibility.”

“But you still came to see me persistently.”

“Apart from the possibility, Hyunwoo-hyung really needed you, Jisung-hyung. I wanted to persuade you somehow. I was just being selfish.”

“That’s understandable.”

“I didn’t know you would go along with it, Hyung.”

Sunwoo’s gaze turned to Jisung. Jisung’s reflection was in his blue eyes.

“Do you regret it?”

“If I was going to regret it, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

Jisung tilted his head back. He stared at the dark gray ceiling for a moment, then smiled and looked at Sunwoo.

“I’ve grown to like you guys, so I can’t help it.”

‘So I can’t turn a blind eye to it anymore.’

Sunwoo’s eyes widened. As if it was an unexpected answer, he stammered. Jisung placed his hand on Sunwoo’s head and stroked it gently.

“I’m obsessed with a safe life, but I’m not so heartless as to ignore the people I like.”

‘Maybe?’ As Jisung said with a tilted head, Hyunwoo smiled faintly.

“You’re a kind person, Hyung.”

“No, I’m not particularly kind…”

Jisung scratched the back of his head with a bashful expression. He felt embarrassed when he received such direct compliments. As he awkwardly cleared his throat and turned his head, he saw Hyunwoo running towards them.

‘What’s going on? Was there a problem after all?’ As he was about to get out of the car in a fluster, Hyunwoo shouted.

“Don’t get out!”

“Huh?”

Hyunwoo, who had instantly appeared in front of him, wrapped Jisung in his arms. And then the sound of an explosion engulfed them.