Chapter 28: An Unprecedented Morning

Ryu Yishin’s eyes snapped open within the artificial darkness created by the blackout curtains. He picked up the phone from the bedside table, checking the time: 7:43 AM.

It was unprecedented for him to wake past seven. Regardless of when he had tried to sleep, Ryu Yishin had never once experienced true deep slumber, usually stirring awake with a sigh around four or five in the morning. This unexpected turn of events left him somewhat bewildered.

He stared at the phone’s screen for a moment, then exhaled slowly, placing it back on the table.

Predictably, sleep refused to return. Ryu Yishin tossed back the covers without a moment’s hesitation and rose. He wasn’t sure how he had managed to oversleep, but since no one would scold him for a late arrival, it wasn’t a pressing concern.

Deciding to simply take a half-day off and rest a little longer, Ryu Yishin ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He then headed directly into the en-suite bathroom, quickly splashed water on his face, and emerged into the living room.

Every window in the house was fitted with blackout curtains, plunging the living room into a perpetual gloom, devoid of proper light. He had originally installed them because his poor sleep made him intolerant of even the faintest glimmer.

Though he quickly discovered that light had little bearing on his ability to achieve deep sleep, Ryu Yishin simply left the curtains as they were, citing bothersome inconvenience as his excuse.

For an ordinary person, the natural first step in such darkness would have been to switch on the lights. Ryu Yishin, however, had no such need. As an Esper, he possessed perfect night vision, allowing him to navigate effortlessly through the gloom.

“……”

Ryu Yishin walked straight into the kitchen, drew a glass of water from the dispenser, and settled at the dining table. After taking a few sips in the profound silence, he tilted his head from side to side, stretching until his neck bones popped. With that, the last vestiges of sleep, which had clung to him unpleasantly, finally dissipated.

While his work hours weren’t strictly defined, Ryu Yishin typically arrived at the office between seven and seven-thirty in the morning, a habit born from his consistent dawn awakenings. With no further sleep to be had and lacking any casual hobbies, he simply had nothing else to occupy his time.

The closest thing Ryu Yishin had developed a genuine attachment to over the years was his work: scouring the land for monstrous creatures as part of the National Security Agency.

He harbored no grand cause, nor was he driven by a fervent sense of duty or altruism. Yet, there was an undeniable catharsis that washed over him each time he dispatched a horde of those creatures.

Unless one was a C-rank Esper or below—the threshold between an Esper and an ordinary person—it was an established destiny for all Espers to undergo rigorous training from childhood and subsequently join the National Security Agency. Even if the path hadn’t aligned with his aptitude, it would have been unavoidable. Perhaps it was fortunate, then, that it didn’t fall into the category of tasks he actively disliked.

Seven years had passed since he first joined, and with his team consistently holding the top performance spot, no one dared to challenge him now. However, in his early days, he had carried the stigma of being a ‘parachute’ hire, bolstered by his family’s influential background.

His father, an A-rank Esper, had tirelessly served the nation for three decades and now held the esteemed position of Director of the National Security Agency. His mother, too, had been a Guide who worked alongside his father for many years, making significant contributions to the NSA.

Yet, Ryu Yishin’s rise was solely a testament to his own formidable abilities, not his family’s influence. Consequently, the baseless rumors quickly lost their power, aided in no small part by Ryu Yishin’s swift and decisive handling of anyone who dared to spout such nonsense.

Taking another sip of water, Ryu Yishin pushed himself up from the table, retrieving his phone from the bedroom. This time, he strode past the kitchen and into the living room, settling deeply into the sofa, his back resting against the cushions.

Alone in the silent living room, which lacked even a television, Ryu Yishin quickly located a contact and pressed the call button. The recipient answered almost instantly, before the first ring could even fully complete, a swift response that brought a subtle satisfaction to Ryu Yishin.

“Senior.”

–Yes, Team Leader.

“I’m taking a half-day off this morning.”

–Understood.

“I might even take the entire day off.”

–Then I will handle the work on my end.

“Right. Keep up the good work.”

The recipient of Ryu Yishin’s call was Deputy Team Leader Kang Seungmin. During their training at the Esper Development Center, Kang Seungmin had been a senior, a batch ahead of Ryu Yishin. However, their positions had completely inverted after joining the agency.

Though Kang Seungmin had never voiced any explicit complaints, his steadfast presence suggested to Ryu Yishin that he was, in his own way, content with his professional life.

Of course, he might harbor different thoughts internally, but as long as he didn’t reveal them in Ryu Yishin’s presence, that was all that mattered. Ryu Yishin held little interest in the profound inner workings of others, nor did he possess any particular desire to understand them.

After concluding the brief call, Ryu Yishin completely relaxed his body, sprawling out on the sofa. Waking in the morning and beginning his day at such an hour, a first in his life, felt surprisingly pleasant.

Before falling asleep, he had anticipated repercussions from overusing his abilities, but it seemed his worries had been entirely unfounded. He was even perplexed to find himself feeling a slight sense of refreshment upon waking—a sensation he had never experienced before.

‘Could it be because of Jung Hanseol?’

Ryu Yishin recalled that yesterday had been the longest he had spent in Jung Hanseol’s company since bringing him onto his team. It was also the first time he had allowed Hanseol to remain in his room, and the first time he had kept him so closely by his side for such an extended period. Moreover, they had shared lunch, gone to the field together, and he had even received guiding.

Lying stretched out on the sofa, making what he considered a rational deduction, Ryu Yishin recalled Jung Hanseol appearing at the most opportune moment yesterday, embracing him from behind. The scene they arrived at, which had initially annoyed him for interrupting his leisure, proved to be far more dire than anticipated.

While the number of adult creatures directly attacking humans wasn’t overwhelming, there was an alarming proliferation of juveniles that would quickly mature into adults if left unchecked. Dealing with them had been quite a struggle.

Just as they finally finished dealing with the juveniles, a hidden adult creature emerged, lunging to attack him. Every monstrous entity that targeted the first human in its sight fell before Ryu Yishin’s gun, yet he had been forced to continuously employ his abilities without a moment’s respite. He was beginning to feel his limits.

It was amidst that struggle that Jung Hanseol had unexpectedly appeared, providing guiding through physical contact. Ryu Yishin had never brought a Guide to the field unless it was for a large-scale battle, nor had he ever imagined Hanseol would take it upon himself to guide him.

Thus, he was understandably startled by the sudden warmth and tranquil energy that permeated his entire body.

Due to his abilities, Ryu Yishin’s body temperature was naturally lower than others, making him highly resistant to cold but acutely sensitive to warmth and heat. Ordinarily, he would have instinctively scowled at any sudden, unannounced warmth. Yet, the contact with Jung Hanseol felt distinctly different. The languid sensation of tranquil energy swiftly enveloping his entire body was not unpleasant.

“……”

Of course, it would have been even better if they had shared a deep kiss like before, but the circumstances had not allowed for it, which was a genuine shame. Had the monster not targeted Jung Hanseol and lunged at him, Ryu Yishin would have immediately pressed his lips to the Guide he held in his arms. Even now, with time passed, he still regretted it, clicking his tongue in lingering disappointment.

‘I’m sorry, Team Leader… I really just meant to wait in the car…. But you weren’t coming… and then I heard the monster’s screams, so I got worried……’

‘Who was worrying about whom?’ Ryu Yishin recalled Jung Hanseol, trembling before him yet steadfastly continuing to speak, and let out a soft, almost deflated chuckle. Hanseol seemed somewhat naive yet proved surprisingly quick-witted, appearing timid but displaying remarkable resolve in crucial moments. Perhaps it was this intriguing dichotomy that had him so often lost in thought about the Guide these days.

“……”

‘Come to think of it, I didn’t immediately faint or fall asleep after the guiding yesterday,’ Ryu Yishin mused, idly stroking his jaw as his thoughts returned to Jung Hanseol. He had indeed dozed off briefly in the car, perhaps from the sudden release of tension, but it was hardly severe enough to be labeled a side effect.

‘Was it a side effect that only manifested under specific circumstances? Or did its intensity vary depending on the guiding itself? And, for that matter, were such side effects even common among Guides?’

As Ryu Yishin delved deeper into his thoughts, he eventually shook his head, a frown creasing his brow. A sudden headache, swiftly plummeting his previously fine condition, prevented him from pursuing the matter further. A few light, deep breaths somewhat alleviated the throbbing, though a faint, residual sensation lingered stubbornly near his temples.

Having already given Kang Seungmin a heads-up, Ryu Yishin considered that taking the entire day off might be the best course of action. Lying on the sofa, he picked up his phone, intending to handle his duties from home. Team leaders and those of higher rank could freely access the company intranet from external locations, bypassing any cumbersome procedures. He decided to review his team members’ work logs, which he hadn’t checked yesterday, and grasp the current operational status.

[T1-G3 / Investigation Team 1 Guide Jung Hanseol]

[March 11. Approximately 2:00 PM, Guiding completed.]

Ryu Yishin, who typically reviewed Deputy Team Leader Kang Seungmin’s work log first, found himself clicking on Jung Hanseol’s entry first for the very first time. The log was remarkably concise, offering no room for commentary, and was no different from any of Hanseol’s previous records. Given that his primary duty was solely to provide Ryu Yishin with guiding, such a minimalist entry was entirely expected.

Instead of proceeding to check the other team members’ work logs, Ryu Yishin reached out, casually placing his phone on the table not far from the sofa. He then gazed up at the ceiling, this time feeling no desire to interrupt the thoughts that had inexplicably continued their flow.

“……”

‘It’s strange,’ he mused. Jung Hanseol looked like someone who would meticulously chronicle his day’s experiences in an emotional, diary-like fashion. Yet, what he actually left behind was nothing more than a stiff, concise work log, a discrepancy that struck Ryu Yishin as oddly incongruous.