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Perhaps because Jungwon themself wasn’t an unawakened person, they remained unaffected. Even if they had been, such blatant and childish remarks likely wouldn’t have provoked their anger. However, this was merely Jungwon’s personal disposition; it was entirely natural for the Yellow Mask and the Black Mask standing beside them to be incensed.
[What did you just say? You were talking about us, weren’t you?]
Ding!
Fortuitously, the elevator chimed to a halt, allowing Jungwon to disembark without needing to hear a reply. Yet, the two unawakened individuals, seething from the offensive remarks, continued their vehement protests even as they stepped out.
[Just because we’re not Awakened, you think we’re some kind of vermin?]
[Honestly, I’d heard there were Espers like that, but I never imagined I’d encounter one here.]
[Did I say something wrong? Frankly, people like you would be dead if I just twitched my finger. What makes you think I’d work in the same place as people like that?]
Setting aside everything else, it was rather amusing how the man spoke as if he were already an employee of this company. However, it felt awkward for Jungwon to point that out, and more importantly, they had no desire whatsoever to get entangled. Jungwon subtly slipped away from the contentious group.
[Teacher, shouldn’t you say something— oh?]
The Yellow Mask, who had been addressing Jungwon, looked abashed upon seeing the vacant space, but Jungwon paid them no mind. Instead, Jungwon turned to Seokjoo, who had neither participated in nor been drawn into the argument, as if he had deliberately erased his presence.
“What if I had gone alone?”
“I thought you’d made new friends, but I guess not?”
It was an absurd joke. Had he truly intended to leave them behind? Jungwon let out a deep sigh.
“If you see me in trouble, you should help.”
“Jungwon-ssi, are you actually asking for help?”
Had he expected Jungwon to stubbornly insist on handling such a situation alone? There was no point in suddenly avoiding his help now.
“Because we’re a team.”
“……”
For once, Seokjoo remained silent, offering no retort. Jungwon, in turn, smoothly redirected the conversation.
“Bringing people together without distinction certainly creates situations like this.”
Teft had likely anticipated such a situation. Donning masks to feign anonymity was probably their attempt to prevent it from escalating.
Pamphlets were neatly arranged before the auditorium, which bore a banner proclaiming “Briefing Hall.” Jungwon took one, while Seokjoo merely strode past, as if it were the most natural thing to do. Did he even harbor any intention of pretending to be a job seeker?
Upon entering, Jungwon noticed number tags affixed to each seat. It appeared the seating had been assigned according to the numbers on the invitations. Seokjoo and Jungwon’s seats were located quite far forward, side by side.
The sight of masked individuals streaming into the grand auditorium felt like witnessing a scene from a movie or comic book unfold before their very eyes—both comical and unsettling. What was even stranger was that even the Teft-affiliated Esper, who had come out to deliver the lecture, wore an elaborate mask.
Jungwon leaned slightly towards Seokjoo and whispered.
“It looks like that mask was bought from the same shopping mall Kang Seokjoo-ssi was browsing.”
“The one I was going to buy was clearly better, no matter how you look at it.”
‘That must have been a joke, right? Surely, he couldn’t genuinely have liked that ridiculous mask.’
Jungwon lightly ignored the remark and brought up the main point.
“Do you have any idea who that Esper is?”
Ignoring Seokjoo’s previous comment, Jungwon pointed towards the lecturer. This individual was undoubtedly a Teft-affiliated Esper, and their role as a speaker suggested they had frequently appeared in the media.
In the event of any unforeseen incident within the auditorium, Jungwon wanted to be prepared, to know precisely who this Esper was and what abilities they possessed. Seokjoo, for his part, stroked his chin, appearing lost in thought for a moment.
“They seem like someone I haven’t seen before.”
Hearing that, a sudden question struck Jungwon. Seokjoo had claimed he could discern the abilities of any Esper he had seen, but did this power only extend to those he had encountered in person?
“You can’t distinguish them if you’ve seen them on YouTube or something?”
“I can, but I don’t really watch YouTube.”
While the ability to discern powers from video footage was astonishing, it seemed unlikely to be of much immediate help. Perhaps, upon their return, Jungwon should make him watch videos of every Teft-affiliated Esper for whom footage existed.
For now, the best course of action was simply to hope nothing untoward occurred. As if his inner thoughts had been laid bare, Jungwon felt Seokjoo’s intense gaze fixed upon them. This time, it was Seokjoo who leaned in, whispering to Jungwon.
“Are you curious about who they are, or what their ability is?”
“Between the two, it’s definitely the ability.”
“They’re a sound-related Esper. I’d guess something like sound amplification.”
Jungwon turned back, a mix of doubt and belief clouding their expression, as Seokjoo truly offered a conjecture about the Esper’s ability. Quickly, Jungwon sifted through their memories. Among the Teft-affiliated Espers, someone with a sound-related power…
“It might be Park Kyuhyuk.”
“Is there such a person?”
To Jungwon’s serious conjecture, Seokjoo replied with a nonchalant shrug. Park Kyuhyuk was known for his ability to freely amplify or diminish sound. While this might not sound particularly impressive at first glance, he had reportedly amassed significant achievements by ingeniously deploying this seemingly simple power.
In truth, his popularity largely stemmed from his witty public persona and polished appearance in the media, making it difficult to discern the specifics of how he executed his missions.
As Jungwon pondered, the lecture commenced. The speaker began the briefing without even holding a microphone, yet their voice resonated powerfully throughout the hall. It seemed to be Park Kyuhyuk, as expected, or at the very least, an Esper possessing a similar ability.
‘Even though they were wearing a mask, if they were this prominent, perhaps they only wore it out of courtesy, with no real intention of hiding their identity.’
[I extend my sincerest welcome to all of you who have joined us here today!]
Jungwon had harbored a secret hope for something extraordinary from ‘the’ Teft’s briefing, yet the lecture content proved utterly unremarkable. It was a lengthy boast, detailing Teft’s extensive history, the multitude of Espers and Guides they had cultivated, and the countless terror incidents from which they had rescued citizens.
[Above all, what we at Teft pride ourselves on is our CEO’s management philosophy: ‘Benefiting Everyone’! It is precisely to embody this philosophy that we have gathered all of you here today.]
And naturally, no boast about the company would be complete without this particular narrative: the CEO’s story. Publicly, he championed the creation of a society where everyone—Espers, Guides, or ordinary non-ability users—could coexist harmoniously, without discrimination.
The CEO of Teft. He was the very individual responsible for elevating the standing of Espers and Guides, who had initially faced widespread mistreatment. Little was known about him; even his name remained undisclosed, leading people to refer to him by various titles.
All that was publicly known was his male gender, his astonishing power as an Esper, and the fact that he had single-handedly propelled Teft into a position as one of the nation’s foremost corporations.
Even concerning his fabled, formidable abilities, remarkably little was known. Consequently, only rumors swirled around him. Most were utterly baseless: claims that he possessed a staggering twenty abilities, unlike the majority of Espers born with just one; that he could move mountains overnight, like a figure from an ancient myth; or even that he could kill someone with a mere glance.
While many rumors surrounding him were sinister, an equal number of heartwarming tales also circulated. Though most of these positive stories were disseminated by Teft, who revered their CEO as a great deity, his prestige remained remarkably high, despite having not appeared in public for over a decade.
To Jungwon, everything about that man was nothing more than detestable hypocrisy.
The mere thought of it seemed to send a chill down Jungwon’s spine. Recalling the slowly blinking yellow eyes that had once been before them, Jungwon bowed their head deeply.
[We at Teft are a company that strives for a society where everyone lives together in harmony. Therefore, in this open recruitment, we aim to provide opportunities even for unawakened individuals who possess no special abilities. For you unawakened individuals, we will be conducting a new type of employment examination, one never before attempted.]
A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall. Jungwon subtly turned their head, scanning the surroundings. They wished to ascertain how many unawakened individuals were present, but the sheer size of the crowd made it impossible to discern, forcing them to abandon the effort for now.
[In any case, all of you present here today are the first-round successful candidates, selected by Teft through a rigorous process. I would like to offer you a round of applause for your congratulations and gratitude.]
When Park Kyuhyuk clapped his hands, the resounding applause reverberated throughout the entire auditorium. Witnessing it firsthand, Jungwon realized it was an unexpectedly imposing ability, one that truly commanded the atmosphere. Jungwon, who had been clapping along judiciously, observing the reactions of those nearby, suddenly found their gaze meeting Seokjoo’s.
‘How long had he been watching?’
Seokjoo lowered his posture towards Jungwon’s face.
“Your expression has been quite something for a while now, Jungwon-ssi.”
“…Was it?”
Jungwon hadn’t even been aware of it. The realization that they had been so easily read was disconcerting. How, with a mask obscuring their face, had he managed to discern their expression?
“Ever since the CEO was mentioned.”
“……”
Jungwon fell silent. They had been so certain they hadn’t betrayed any emotion. Letting the emcee’s still-chattering voice wash over them, Jungwon finally offered a belated reply.
“Yes. It’s a name I dislike hearing.”
As if he hadn’t expected such honesty, Seokjoo’s eyes, barely visible beyond his mask, held a strange expression.
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Read : Not Me, The Fans
