Chapter 28 : The Following Gaze (4)

Rain was drizzling down from the overcast sky. People, each holding an umbrella, bustled along the street. A young man, walking among them, entered a deserted alleyway. He wasn’t holding an umbrella despite the pouring rain. Instead, he had pulled his hood down low, below his eyes.

The young man, who didn’t seem to care about his clothes getting wet, checked the watch on his wrist and then turned his head as he heard a presence. There, a man in his mid-twenties, holding a black umbrella, was standing. He waved his hand at the young man and greeted him.

“Long time no see. Oh, or maybe not? We met last time, didn’t we? It was a shame we just passed by each other then.”

“…Are you being followed?”

“I don’t have a hobby of putting something like that on people.”

The young man frowned at the sweetly smiling man.

“So, what made you want to see me first?”

“You need to clean up the mess you made.”

“The mess I made?”

The man, who had been frowning for a moment, then widened his eyes as if he had remembered.

“Ah, saving Lee Jisung?”

“Lower your voice.”

“Who would come into a back alley like this except for suspicious people?”

The man shrugged and smiled at the young man’s concern.

“Honestly, who has a secret meeting in a spooky place like this these days? It’s not like we’re advertising that we’re suspicious people. You’ve watched too many dramas.”

“…”

“What are you going to do if you catch a cold from getting wet in the rain?”

“Stop with the unfunny jokes.”

“It was a serious statement.”

As the man let out a small laugh, the young man frowned and glared at him fiercely. At that, the man waved his hand as if he understood.

“You’re always so self-willed. This time too…!”

“So, are you saying I should have just let Lee Jisung die?”

“…”

The young man closed his mouth for a moment. His eyes, hidden by the hood, darkened.

“Lee Jisung is a hindrance to our plans. Not only did he save the soon-to-be self-destructing Park Hyunwoo, but he also made him more annoying.”

The old Hyunwoo was no different from a machine that just followed orders. He had no will of his own. His empty eyes always wished for the end. So it was easier to deal with him. A person with no will to fight or live has no strength in their attacks.

But everything went wrong since Jisung appeared. Because of Jisung, Hyunwoo was no longer a machine. He wanted to live, and he fought to protect his Guide with his own will. A person with something to protect is annoyingly strong.

Grit.

The young man gritted his teeth. The man who was watching him sighed softly.

“You’re too blind. You should know how to be loyal in moderation.”

“Stop talking nonsense and just clean up the mess.”

“So, what? Should I kill Lee Jisung or something?”

“Kill him if you have the chance.”

“…Do you think this is what ‘he’ would want?”

“…”

The man frowned at the young man’s silence. He shook his head and then said.

“It’s good to be loyal, but know your limits. There’s nothing more annoying than misguided loyalty.”

“What do you know…!”

“I know as much as you do. You and I, we’ve known each other for about the same amount of time, haven’t we?”

“…”

The man looked at his two fists, clenched so tightly they had turned white. At the pitifully trembling sight, he let out a long sigh.

“Alright, I’ll clean up the mess, at least.”

“…”

“I said I would. So you don’t go ahead of yourself either.”

The man turned and then bumped into something in front of him.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t know you were standing there.”

As the man apologized to the empty space, a hand suddenly appeared out of thin air. The hand, waving from side to side, seemed to be saying that it was okay and not to worry.

“I’ll let you know the plan by phone later. And next time, let’s meet in a brighter place.”

The young man, frowning, watched the man who was turning back with a wave of his hand, just like when he had arrived, and pulled his hood down even deeper.

The rain was getting heavier.

“A mission?”

Jisung asked back with a frown. At that, Minseong awkwardly scratched his cheek. Behind him, a Center employee stood, looking uneasy.

“Weren’t we supposed to be out of missions until Jisung-hyung is fully recovered?”

Sunwoo asked on behalf of Jisung, who was glaring fiercely. At that, Minseong slightly turned his head and looked at the Center employee. At that, the employee cleared his tense throat and opened his mouth.

“Ahem! W-well… an emergency has been declared at the Center.”

“An emergency?”

At Jisung’s question, the employee nodded and took out a piece of paper from his bag and handed it to him. It was a rectangular, stiff material. The corners were decorated with a luxurious pattern. And in the middle, a message was written: ‘July 21st. We will raid the Center. –Terrorist^^-’.

“…”

Jisung, who was staring at the paper, momentarily thought he had misread it and read it again from the beginning. And he frowned deeply.

“What is this? A calling card? Does he think he’s some kind of phantom thief?”

The ^^ drawn next to ‘Terrorist’ made him even more furious.

As Jisung mercilessly crumpled the calling card in his hand, the employee, flustered, reached out his hand. But he cautiously lowered it after seeing his fierce expression.

“Isn’t this a prank? What kind of terrorist sends a threat like this?”

“Unfortunately, there’s already a precedent.”

“…Who, would do such a thing.”

“You’ve met him too, Hyung.”

“No way…”

Jisung frowned at Hyunwoo’s reply. Funnily enough, one person came to his mind at that moment. Even though he didn’t say who it was, everyone nodded in an atmosphere of agreement.

“Bae Yejun. He’s one of the few high-ranking members among the terrorists whose face is known.”

“He was a high-ranking member? That, that person?”

“Yes.”

‘He was certainly strong. But he didn’t look like a high-ranking member.’

His attitude of subtly acting friendly, and the conversation itself made the other person feel comfortable, to the point that he would have had a favorable impression of him if he hadn’t known he was a terrorist.

“For such a person to be a high-ranking terrorist… it’s ironic.”

Minseong frowned and smiled at Jisung’s murmur.

“Certainly, for a terrorist, he’s free-spirited and self-willed.”

Sunwoo was lost in thought for a moment with his eyes lowered, then he looked up. His blue eyes met Jisung’s.

“Why?”

“Is Jisung-hyung also going on the mission?”

Sunwoo turned his head and looked at the employee. At that, the employee, startled, shook his head.

“N-no! Guide Lee Jisung is still waiting at the hospital as his injury has not fully healed.”

“Then are the three of us the only ones dispatching?”

“Yes, yes!”

The excessively nervous Center employee quickly nodded. At that, Jisung opened his mouth as Sunwoo was lost in thought again.

“If this calling card is real, shouldn’t I go?”

“No.”

Hyunwoo said firmly.

“No, I don’t want to go on a mission in this state either, I really don’t. But what about you if I don’t go?”

“I’m fine. Sunwoo is here too.”

“…You rampaged.”

Hyunwoo’s shoulders flinched at Jisung’s murmur. He glanced back at Jisung with his cheeks flushed like a peach.

“What?”

“That’s… because you got hurt, Hyung!”

“Are you saying it’s my fault?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

As the two were bickering, Sunwoo cleared his throat and drew their attention to himself.

“Jisung-hyung is on absolute rest. Don’t even think about coming out on the mission.”

“…Okay.”

“And please bring an Esper to protect Jisung-hyung while we’re gone.”

“Yes, that matter has already been taken care of. Right here…”

The employee pointed at Minseong who was standing next to him.

“Esper Shim Minseong and two other A-Team Espers will be guarding the front of the hospital room, so you can rest assured.”

Sunwoo’s gaze turned to Minseong. At that, Minseong smiled with a friendly face.

“Three? Just?”

But Hyunwoo, who didn’t seem to like it, tilted his head and frowned. At that, the employee’s body flinched. His pupils darted from side to side.

‘His face is unfamiliar, is he a new employee?’

They must have deliberately assigned the task of delivering the mission to a new employee who had just joined the Center. Now he understood the employee’s excessively stiff attitude. Not only did he have to face an S-Rank Esper before even starting his job properly, but he also had to deliver bad news. How nervous must he be?

“We don’t have the right to refuse, do we?”

Jisung, who was about to stop Hyunwoo, stopped at Sunwoo’s voice. The employee nodded, wiping his sweat-drenched forehead.

“No you don’t, I’m sorry.”

Sunwoo’s expression slightly frowned. His gaze turned to Jisung. For a moment, as their eyes met, Sunwoo moved his lips and then closed them.