Chapter 22: Rain and Revelations

It was a voice laced with worry. Sa-yoon’s mother had always been like this. Despite knowing her son was an S-rank Esper, she constantly fretted that he might get hurt by someone.

“That’s impossible, Mother. Do you even know who I am? Who in the world would dare provoke an S-rank Esper?” Sa-yoon’s voice rose, adopting a playful bravado.

“Mother, do you know what happened on my last mission? A terrorist group targeted Seoul, and I was dispatched there. Next week, a documentary featuring me will even be released…”

As he recounted his exploits like a child boasting, his gaze drifted to his mother’s hat. Spotting the hairpin adorning the sleek fabric, Sa-yoon swallowed hard, his throat tightening.

The hairpin, a small, slender piece of metal adorned with delicate craftsmanship, was a familiar sight. It was the only accessory his mother had worn consistently since his childhood.

His mother, who had once dreamed of becoming an actress, adored beautiful things. She loved various ornaments and splendid clothes, investing lavishly in her appearance for the sake of success.

Yet, every single one of those precious trinkets had been sold off for a pittance in the countryside, all to provide for Sa-yoon. The only exception was that hairpin, which was too rusted to even be sold.

‘It’s fine, I’m pretty enough even without jewels,’ his mother used to say. She would confidently brush out her abundant, light brown hair, claiming it was more splendid than any accessory, and that this small hairpin was more than enough.

Now, however, even that hair was gone.

The butler’s final words were likely not mere excuses. Sa-yoon knew his mother’s health had been steadily declining. It seemed the situation truly necessitated shaving her head for examinations.

‘If only she hadn’t had me, she wouldn’t be in such pain. Or if she had just erased me from her life and stayed in the capital, none of this would have happened.’

His mother had sacrificed her future and all her possessions for Sa-yoon. Now, even the last treasure she had proudly clung to was gone.

“Sa-yoon?”

“…Ah.”

Sa-yoon, who had fallen silent, smiled again.

“I’ve been boasting so much my throat is dry. Let’s go inside and have some tea, Mother.”

Sa-yoon escorted his mother into the annex. Pretending everything was normal, the two of them reminisced about old times, enjoying each other’s company. During their previous visit, his mother had been too tired, so he had only seen her sleeping face.

This time, however, he spent a joyful time with his mother, who was awake and seemingly healthy, and their laughter filled the air.

As Sa-yoon left the annex, gazing at the darkened sky, he saw his mother off, closing the door behind her. He waved goodbye with a smile until the very last moment, but as the door clicked shut, his face hardened into a cold, unyielding mask.

“……”

Jin Jung-woo was the primary culprit. Even if he recounted it a hundred times, it would still be Jin Jung-woo’s fault. Yet, Sa-yoon knew a part of him was responsible for his mother’s unhappy life.

Raindrops began to fall on Sa-yoon’s head as he stood blankly in the garden. It was a sudden downpour, unpredicted by the forecast.

The drops, initially light, grew heavier, transforming into streams that hammered against the ground. In an instant, the intensifying rain soaked his dark navy coat, turning it almost black.

Perhaps due to the rain lashing against the windows, curtains had been drawn across the annex’s panes in the interim. Seeing the obscured light from within, Sa-yoon turned to leave.

By the time he crossed the garden and reached the gate, a black car was waiting. The driver, spotting Sa-yoon, immediately opened an umbrella over him.

“Please, get in. I’ll take you.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Sa-yoon pushed past the driver and walked forward. The driver, having received orders from above, hovered awkwardly around him. Everything felt tedious.

Sa-yoon knew the driver wasn’t at fault, but he found himself overwhelmed by everything that seemed to bind him.

“I’ll get there on my own.”

“But I was strictly instructed to escort you, Young Master…”

“It’s fine. Even if you don’t watch me, I have nowhere else to go. Don’t worry about it; just go home for the night.”

Sa-yoon waved his arm dismissively and continued walking. His steps were slow and heavy. With such a troubled heart, the only place he could return to was the base.

It was a place where he could be useful to Jin Jung-woo, where he could be used as his stepping stone. There were no other options for him.

Sa-yoon moved between buildings, avoiding the gazes of others. He walked along a path strewn with trash, where the streetlights cast only a faint glow.

Standing between two narrow buildings, Sa-yoon suddenly lifted his head. A sliver of sky filled his vision, framed by the towering structures. In that vast, boundless sky, the hope Sa-yoon could grasp was precisely that small, narrow gap.

In truth, if he truly reflected, his biological father’s words had held no falsehoods. He had simply forgotten reality for a while, uplifted by the title of S-rank. He was born a low-tier Guide and became an Irregular.

Sa-yoon’s life was a hellscape, like rusted nails standing rigidly upright, piercing the sky.

The pretense of being an S-rank Esper was merely a thin pane of glass placed over the rusted nails Sa-yoon was meant to walk on. Ignorant of this, he had foolishly run and tumbled as if playing on marble.

“Ah, my life is truly arduous.”

‘What would Myeong-ah have done?’ Sa-yoon watched the raindrops fall to the ground, recalling a friend he had lost long ago. What choice would Jung Myeong-ah, who had been more vibrant and confident than anyone in Sa-yoon’s eyes during their childhood, have made?

After Sa-yoon fled the area following his second manifestation, Myeong-ah reportedly searched for him for a long time. To console a deeply depressed Myeong-ah, Jung Hyun-woo brought him to Seoul. He believed that seeing a new world would make Myeong-ah feel better.

However, it was a grave error. Upon entering Gimhae Airport, Myeong-ah was immediately apprehended by security at the checkpoint. The system had identified him as an unregistered Esper.

Sa-yoon’s only friend, Jung Myeong-ah, was a prophetic Esper who had manifested without a proper awakening, and an Irregular just like Sa-yoon.

Jung Myeong-ah, forcibly conscripted under the guise of national protection, was listed as deceased just a few months later. Not a trace of his body remained.

Sa-yoon stretched, letting the rain wash over him. He shook his head, wishing for his deeply sunken spirits to be completely purged. ‘Just one more day. Just one more day to wallow like this.’

From tomorrow, he had to live with a new resolve.

No matter how sordid reality became, he had to endure. Sa-yoon had to care for his mother. Furthermore, he needed to uncover the truth behind Myeong-ah, who had been arrested as an Irregular and then declared deceased.

He had to find out if Myeong-ah was still alive, or if he was truly dead, to at least identify the person who had apprehended him. So many burdens weighed upon him.

He would not be swayed by Jin Jung-woo forever, nor would he remain his stepping stone. Fortunately, Sa-yoon was young and capable; time was on his side. He truly believed this was merely a temporary suffering.

“Mr. Jin Sa-yoon?”

Sa-yoon’s head snapped up at the voice that seemed to pound against his consciousness. An unexpected figure stood before him. As he stared up blankly, a thick shadow fell over his head.

“You’re completely drenched.”

A black umbrella obscured his view. It was useless to use one now that he was already soaked, yet Han Do-hoon held his umbrella over Sa-yoon. Gradually, Han Do-hoon’s own hair, which had been dry moments ago, began to get wet.

“You’re getting wet too.”

“I’m fine. This amount of rain won’t affect my stamina.”

“The same goes for me.”

“Ah, right.”

Sa-yoon let out a small chuckle at Han Do-hoon’s somewhat dazed remark. He wrung out the rainwater that had thoroughly soaked his clothes. It was a futile effort, as more rain fell than he could possibly squeeze out.

“What brings you here?”

“That’s precisely what I wanted to ask you. Are you aware that you’ve unlawfully left your duty station?”

“Ah.”

Indeed, Sa-yoon had left the base for personal reasons. Upon his return, he would undoubtedly receive a lengthy lecture from the director and might even face a month’s salary deduction.

However, at this moment, none of that mattered to Sa-yoon.

Sa-yoon moved out from under the umbrella, watching Han Do-hoon slowly get soaked. Even though they were both S-rank Espers, he was different from Sa-yoon. Han Do-hoon was a perfect S-rank, not an Irregular.

He was also the person his biological father considered the biggest thorn in his side.

Jin Jung-woo had once mentioned in passing that Han Do-hoon’s return to the country had put the ‘old man’ Jin Jung-woo in a difficult position. If Jin Jung-woo was troubled, there could only be one reason.

It meant that Jin Jung-woo’s opposing faction currently held sway over Han Do-hoon.

High-ranking Espers could never truly be free from politics. Han Do-hoon, like Sa-yoon, was likely serving as someone’s backing.

“You must be going through a lot too.”

“Pardon?”

Sa-yoon pushed away the umbrella shielding his head. His body wasn’t so frail as to be harmed by rain, and Han Do-hoon’s kindness felt unwelcome. Sa-yoon brushed past Han Do-hoon and walked on.

He knew he should simply return to the base, write a letter of explanation, and resume his daily life as if nothing had happened.

Despite knowing this, his feet felt rooted to the spot. He couldn’t move, as if a cliff lay directly before him. All he knew for certain was that he didn’t want to return to the base like this.

“Mr. Han Do-hoon.”

“Yes?”

“Care for a drink?”

At the sudden invitation, Han Do-hoon scrutinized Sa-yoon. Indeed, it was quite perplexing. Just a few days prior, Sa-yoon had snapped at him to avoid getting involved, and now he was suggesting a drink.

He found himself laughing at the absurdity, a feeling he couldn’t even comprehend himself.

“I’m going to be punished anyway, so it feels like a waste to go back early. Do you know any good places? Oh, wait, asking someone who just returned from living abroad might be a bit much.”

Sa-yoon scratched his head. He realized that for all his talk of rebellion, he didn’t actually know any bars. Han Do-hoon furrowed his brows, then let out a soft sigh.

“Follow me.”

Fortunately, it seemed Han Do-hoon knew a place. Sa-yoon wrung out his soaked clothes as he followed behind him.