Chapter 28: A Desperate Escape

“You lost your phone, right?”

Hyun Taewoon took my phone out of his pocket and handed it to me.
At that sight, I reflexively took a step back.
I had run to the deserted back gate to avoid him, so I felt a sense of dismay at meeting him like this.

“Take it.”

He, seeing me standing far away, came closer.
Fortunately, I didn’t have shortness of breath or tremble like last time.
However, my muscles froze stiff with tension.

“…How did you know to come here?”

He, an S-Class Esper, wouldn’t have spent his time looking for me just to return a mere phone.

“I wanted to find your phone, so I did a little investigation.”

As expected, I knew that even if my phone had a password, it was useless.

“I was a little disappointed that you disappeared without a word that day, but I’m glad to see you again.”

“Give me the phone. You don’t have any more business with me, right?”

I cut him off and snatched the phone.
I didn’t want to face him anymore.

“Actually, the phone was just an excuse. I came because I think you’ve awakened as a Guide. When was the last time you took an Awakening Test?”

“I think you’re mistaken. I haven’t awakened as a Guide.”

To make it clear that I didn’t want to talk anymore, I answered coldly and firmly.
Perhaps because my body was stiff, my voice also came out stiff, which I thought was a relief for now.

He shook his head and was convinced of my guide awakening.
At that, I thought I had no choice but to be even stronger.

“I really haven’t awakened. And since you don’t seem to have any more business with me, could you please leave?”

With a cold face, I gestured towards the factory’s front gate, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“I don’t think that will be possible. I think I have to take you to the Association today and get an Awakening Test.”

“I don’t want to. Please leave.”

“The fact that you’re trying to avoid it makes you even more suspicious.”

As expected, he didn’t back down easily.
I glanced at the office building door I had come out of.

“It’s a simple test. It won’t take long.”

“I clearly said I don’t want to.”

At my words, he gave a troubled smile.
To think he could make such a smile.
A sneer formed on my lips without me realizing it.

“So you’re saying you won’t go of your own free will?”

“Yes.”

“I understand.”

He, who had said he understood, spoke into the earpiece he was wearing.

“Come to the back gate.”

The words ‘come to the back gate’ sounded like a command to come and catch me.
It probably was.
I didn’t want to be caught like this and dragged to the Center.

I took the opportunity while he was talking and went back inside the office building.
He had the ability to teleport, so confronting him outside was dangerous.
But inside the factory, I had the advantage.
He didn’t know the layout of the factory, and since I had worked here for several years, I could easily find a place to hide.

Fortunately, he didn’t chase me.
It felt like he was telling me that he could catch me anytime, even if I ran.

I planned to move to the factory building across from the office building’s middle door and escape.
As soon as I confirmed that there was no one near the middle door, I quickly hid in the factory building’s entrance.

Since there were only roads and fields around the factory, there was a risk of being caught if I ran away half-heartedly.
It seemed best to hide in the factory’s basement, confirm that he and the Association people had left, and then escape at night.

I had never imagined that he would come looking for me.
But if the current him was the same as the one before the regression, who had been confident that I was an S-Class from our first meeting, he would go to great lengths to find me and make me take a guide grade test.

After all, he was crazy about S-Classes.

The basement stairs were a deserted area, so I could easily go down to the basement.

In the basement were the electrical room, the machine room, and a warehouse where inventory was stored.
I planned to hide in the warehouse until he was gone.

Relying on the light of my phone, I hid in the warehouse.
I squeezed between the large boxes piled up in the corner and made a space to hide.
If I stayed still like this, there would probably be no risk of being caught.

I turned off my phone screen and waited, hoping that he would give up and leave.
But after about 30 minutes, contrary to my wish, the warehouse light suddenly turned on.

I had anticipated that they would come to the basement, so I wasn’t surprised, but still, my heart pounded because I could be caught.

Before long, I heard footsteps and voices.
I could also faintly feel his wavelength.
It seemed he had also come down to the basement.

“We just have to check the basement now.”

It wasn’t his voice.
It seemed the Association people were looking for me under his command.

“He’s not here.”

“He’s not here either.”

The closer the voices got, the faster my heart beat with tension, and I became sensitive to the sound.
I clasped my hands together and prayed that I wouldn’t be caught.

“The CCTV clearly showed him moving to the basement, but he’s not here.”

“Blockade the factory. He’ll crawl out when he gets hungry.”

The last words were his.
His cold words made me realize once again that he had only been acting kind in front of me.

“Or should we just take everything out of the basement? I’ll call a physical-type Esper.”

“No. We’ll find him soon.”

If the factory was blockaded like this, I would eventually be caught.
The feeling in my legs, which I had been kneeling on, was slowly disappearing, and it was obvious that I would get tired from hunger and anxiety as time passed.

I thought it might be better to be caught now, but the desire not to be caught was stronger, so I had no choice but to endure.

It was difficult to escape on my own like this.
I needed someone to help me, but right now, there was no one on my side.
The factory people would surely all cooperate with the Association.

I wondered if I should report it to the police.
After all, the Esper·Guide Association was trying to kidnap a civilian.

I felt the lights go out again and the footsteps recede.
When I could no longer feel his wavelength or the presence of people, I called 112.

• [Emergency call, 112.]

“I’m in the basement of the Hangang Steel Factory building. Some strangers are trying to kidnap me.”

• [Caller, are you in a very dangerous situation?]

“Yes. I’m hiding right now, and I don’t know when I’ll be caught.”

• [We will dispatch immediately.]

I was relieved at the police’s words that they would dispatch.
I leaned against the wall and waited for the police to arrive.
I waited for a long time.
I heard voices looking for me.

“This is the police. Where are you.”

Fortunately, there were only two sets of footsteps.
I double-checked that I couldn’t feel his wavelength and carefully stood up.
There were two people in police uniforms in the warehouse.

“I’m over here!”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. Were there no people outside?”

“There was no one. Let’s go outside first and talk about the situation.”

I was finally relieved at the police’s words.
As I had hoped, it seemed that he and the Association people had gone back, but I still couldn’t be completely at ease.

The moment I took a step to walk towards the police, my legs stiffened and cramped, and I fell on the spot.
The police hurriedly ran to my side and helped me up by the arms.
And so, with their support, I came outside.

They had said there was no one outside, but large cars from the Esper·Guide Association were surrounding the factory.

“You said there was no one…?”

At my words, the police officer who was supporting me looked at me with an apologetic expression.
I struggled to get away from him, but I couldn’t overcome the strength of two adult men.

While I was confronting the police, a man with glasses got out of an Association car and approached us.
The police showed me to the man and asked.

“Is this the person?”

“Yes. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Not at all.”

Unable to understand the situation, I looked at the man with glasses with a confused face.
He then cleared up my doubts.

“The Association also has deep ties with the police.”

“Oh, no. No. Help me.”

At the man with glasses’ words, I shook my head at the police and pleaded, but they ignored my desperate cries.
I swung my captured arm hard and resisted, but suddenly my body wouldn’t move.
Only then did I realize that the clothes the man with glasses was wearing were an A-Class Esper uniform.

Caught by the Esper’s ability, I couldn’t even resist and was put in the back seat of the car.
The car was so full of his wavelength that it was suffocating.

“Shinui-ssi, I was waiting for you.”

“Why are you doing this to me! I said I didn’t want to!”

“I’m not trying to do anything bad. Let’s just do an Awakening Test.”

“I said no!”

“You must be an S-Class. I guarantee it.”

Hearing the same words as before the regression made my whole body tremble and have a seizure.
He was indeed the same as he was three years ago.

Knowing that he wanted an S-Class, I thought it would be fine to see him disappointed when I was judged as a C-Class.
Even if I went back to the Association, I would never become his exclusive Guide.

If they told me to be his exclusive, I was even prepared to pretend to die by biting my tongue.
I had already died once, so I was not afraid of anything.

“I don’t want to take you by force, Shinui-ssi. I don’t want to hurt you either. Will you say you’ll go on your own? Then I’ll release the ability.”

Knowing that I would be dragged to the Center without even being able to resist once like this, I set a condition.

“I’ll go. But I have a condition.”

“What is it?”

“Promise me that if I come out as a C-Class, you won’t bother me anymore.”

“Of course. I promise.”

Despite my words, he still seemed to think I was an S-Class, but unfortunately for him, I was a C-Class.

At his command to start, the car began to move.
As if the high matching rate was still the same even after returning to the past, his wavelength clung to mine.
The sensation was so unpleasant and dreadful that it felt like my stomach was twisting.
I wanted to get a C-Class judgment quickly and never see him again.

Seeing the current him, I knew for sure.
My feelings for him were gone.

It was really strange.
I had liked him so much and craved his love, but now, only betrayal and hatred remained.

A dry laugh escaped my tightly sealed lips.
I could feel his gaze on me.
Even under his gaze, I laughed without caring.

The laughter only subsided after we arrived at the Center.
Now it was time to see his contorted face.