Chapter 31: You Went Too Far

“Was it really necessary to go that far?”

There was unmistakable displeasure in Su-ha’s voice as he questioned him. Ye-seon, who had been approaching as well to wrap things up, stopped short in surprise when he heard Su-ha’s tone.

The sight of Jin Su-ha, of all people, showing this kind of hostility toward Min I-hyeon, of all people, was hard to believe.

Even Ye-seon thought I-hyeon’s final attack had been somewhat excessive. Of course, I-hyeon must have been confident that he wouldn’t make a mistake, but there had clearly been no need to pour that much power into Chaewon when he was already on the verge of collapse.

Still, the one calling him out over it was Jin Su-ha. Even for Ye-seon, who rarely lost his composure, this was completely unexpected.

Ignoring Ye-seon’s reaction, Su-ha kept his sharp gaze fixed on I-hyeon. I-hyeon, for his part, showed no sign of agitation and simply shrugged as he replied.

“As you saw yourself, Su-ha, Chaewon has tremendous potential as an esper.”

“And he’s also suffering from tremendous side effects.”

“Which is exactly why he has to overcome them, doesn’t he? If he doesn’t keep breaking past his limits and moving forward, he’ll stay trapped right where he is. I just wanted to crack that open for him.”

“…”

“You can’t become strong by only taking the safe path. You know that too, Su-ha.”

I-hyeon’s voice was gentle, as if soothing Su-ha, but beneath it lay a resolve that would not yield.

Su-ha knew I-hyeon meant every word. I-hyeon had always sought out more dangerous, more difficult paths in order to grow stronger. It wasn’t a simple lust for power. Min I-hyeon’s strength was something far more noble than that.

The stronger I-hyeon became, the more people survived. The faster the world stabilized. I-hyeon had always shattered his own limits in the most extreme ways possible, and lived through it.

And Jin Su-ha himself was one of the lives saved by that ever-expanding world I-hyeon had carved out. Until now, Su-ha had admired that attitude more than anyone.

So why. Why, at this very moment, did Su-ha want to refute Min I-hyeon’s words?

A fragile breath broke near his ear. He could still feel Chaewon’s energy, sharp as a blade, tearing through him from the points where they touched. Slowly lifting Chaewon in his arms, Su-ha spoke.

“…Chaewon could have been seriously hurt.”

But I-hyeon tilted his head as if he’d heard something utterly strange, then smiled faintly.

“That’s why you’re here, Su-ha. As Lee Chaewon’s guide.”

Lee Chaewon’s guide.

The words, spoken by Min I-hyeon, were strangely unsettling. Spoken so cruelly in front of someone who had wished all his life to become his guide, yet instead of pain, they made Su-ha’s heart waver in an inexplicable way.

In the end, Su-ha said nothing more. Holding Chaewon, he turned away. For now, guiding Chaewon came first.

****

“Haah…”

Ye-seon let out a weary sigh and rubbed his brow as he stared at the same screen on his tablet for what felt like the hundredth time. The video playing was footage of Chaewon’s training session with I-hyeon, the very thing giving him such a headache now.

As soon as the training ended, Ye-seon had submitted a report along with this footage. He’d been under orders to report anything related to Esper Lee Chaewon immediately.

After watching the video, the head of the Awakened Management Department suggested publicly releasing it and making an official announcement about Lee Chaewon.

The government had not yet officially acknowledged the emergence of a new S-rank esper. Rumors were circulating quietly, there was no way to perfectly seal people’s mouths, but without an official announcement, most people didn’t believe them.

And understandably so. If a new S-rank esper had truly appeared, there would be no reason to stay this quiet when they could be making a grand announcement.

But from the government’s perspective, this was an issue fraught with complications. On paper, Chaewon was Korea’s first telekinetic S-rank esper, but in reality, he was only half of one.

With side effects so severe that he would often collapse just lifting a single object, what use was an S-rank classification? From a utilitarian standpoint, he was hardly more valuable than a C-rank esper.

In that situation, parading him out for publicity and popping champagne was a heavy burden. But quietly sweeping an S-rank awakening under the rug like a neighborhood flyer campaign felt equally wrong.

In the end, the government had opted to keep Chaewon’s existence under wraps, waiting to see if he could develop into something resembling a proper esper.

From the beginning, the higher-ups’ goal had been clear. On one hand, they planned to use Chaewon to reshape the public image of espers in a positive light. On the other, they had to prepare for the possibility that he would become an unusable card altogether.

Seen in that light, today’s training session was an event full of promise.

On the screen, Ye-seon watched Chaewon, bleeding, yet stubbornly pushing himself back to his feet, insisting he could do it, that he could endure.

He still hadn’t fully overcome his side effects, but what he had shown against Min I-hyeon was more than enough to shake and move the hearts of the public.

Until now, within the organization, Chaewon’s position had been that of a lacking esper whose usefulness was uncertain due to his side effects.

But if this footage were released and paired with carefully chosen words, he could become something else entirely, an esper with an enormous handicap, yet one who fought relentlessly to break his own limits. Someone the public couldn’t help but root for.

That was the effect the higher-ups were aiming for.

“…”

Yet strangely, Ye-seon’s expression wasn’t bright at all. Objectively, the situation was moving in a very positive direction, but something continued to snag uncomfortably at the back of his mind.

Having observed countless espers up close, Ye-seon was certain Chaewon had what it took to become a great one. He would grow faster than he already had, and become far stronger than expected.

That prediction wasn’t based solely on his latent power. More important was what Chaewon was striving for, and how much pain he was willing to endure for it.

Chaewon was someone who could bear his own suffering without hesitation for the sake of others, for the public good. To Ye-seon, the path Chaewon would walk was painfully clear.

In the long run, he was far too valuable to be used lightly as a tool to deceive the public and refresh an image. At least, that was how Ye-seon saw it.

That was why the proposal to publicly release this footage and make an official announcement about Lee Chaewon sat so poorly with him. It felt no different from suggesting that Chaewon’s suffering be consumed like pornography.

There would certainly be a clear effect, but there was no respect anywhere for Chaewon, who would suddenly be thrown before the public and consumed like gossip.

Ye-seon wasn’t wrestling with this simply out of personal fondness for Lee Chaewon. As a member of a massive organization, he was someone who usually acted based on efficiency. Even setting aside personal feelings, he needed to seriously consider whether this choice was truly the most “efficient” one in the long term.

After staring at Chaewon on the screen with a sharp, contemplative gaze, Ye-seon finally seemed to come to a decision. With a firm expression, he picked up his phone. He believed there had to be a better way, for both Chaewon and the organization.

****

Su-ha sat beside Chaewon’s bed, quietly looking down at his pale, sweat-dampened face. Chaewon lay not in the dormitory, but in a hospital room at the center.

The guiding had already been completed, and his energy fluctuations had stabilized to some extent. Several additional tests had been run just in case, but thankfully nothing serious had been found. Even so, Chaewon still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Su-ha was holding Chaewon’s hand. The necessary guiding was already over, but since Chaewon hadn’t woken up, Su-ha continued anyway, just in case.

As recently as yesterday, he’d been the one insisting there was no need to go that far, but now he couldn’t bring himself to let go and simply wait.

It was foolish and frustrating. Chaewon hadn’t needed to make that final attempt. But no one who had witnessed it could call his choice meaningless. Even Su-ha, who had been harsh toward him, couldn’t say that.

Some people who knew the circumstances said that Chaewon’s past as a terminal patient had crippled his potential as an S-rank esper.

Why did someone like that have to awaken as S-rank? If only he had been ordinary, he could have used his abilities more properly and contributed far more to society. Why did such a sickly person have to gain that kind of power, only for it to go to waste?

Those kinds of words.