Chapter 35: Wrongfully Restrained

Tae-woo looked back at So-won, then quietly nodded.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

“Yes.

I’ll wait here.”

I guess it really is urgent.

There’s nothing to be done.

As So-won let go of him, the armed Espers took something out of their bags and began fastening it onto Tae-woo’s body.

Strange-looking restraints were attached one by one over Tae-woo’s black-clad form.

Wait— restraints?

Realizing the situation a beat too late, So-won sprang to his feet.

“T-Tae-woo?”

He rushed toward him in shock, but was quickly stopped by another Esper.

Seeing how panicked So-won looked, Tae-woo—who had been calmly watching the restraints being placed on him—spoke evenly.

“It’s all right.

Because of what just happened, I’m being taken in for an examination.”

“B-But… you’re okay now, aren’t you…?”

So-won’s eyes wavered anxiously.

He thought stopping Tae-woo’s rampage meant everything was over, but apparently not.

“You were guided… and the waves settled… so why the restraints…?”

“There’s still a risk of another rampage, so this is simply to limit my movements for safety.

I’m fine, Lee So-won.”

Tae-woo looked accustomed to this.

It didn’t feel like something he’d experienced only once or twice.

But watching him like this made So-won’s chest throb as if it had been stabbed deep with a knife.

He’s been treated like this all along—and I didn’t know anything.

“I-I want to come with you too.”

“No.

Please stay here, Lee So-won.”

“But—!”

“Thanks to how quickly you handled things, the examination shouldn’t take long.

I’ll be back soon.

Please wait here for just a moment.”

Faced with his firm tone, So-won opened his mouth, then finally closed it.

Thinking about it, Tae-woo probably didn’t want him to see him undergoing an examination in that state.

And there was nothing So-won could do for him right now anyway.

The Espers continued securing the restraints.

They twisted his arms behind his back, binding his body so he couldn’t move, then locked shackles connected by chains around both ankles.

After fitting him with a muzzle-like mask that covered half his face, it was no longer even possible to speak with him.

He had been on the verge of rampaging, but that didn’t seem reason enough for such harsh treatment.

Yet Tae-woo simply watched in silence, as though this were routine.

So-won had so much he wanted to say, but the moment he opened his mouth, it felt like his voice would break—so he pressed his lips tightly together.

“Thank you for your cooperation.

We’ll call for the Guide if necessary.”

One of the combat-uniformed Espers said this, then led Tae-woo away.

So-won was left standing there alone.

“Mm…”

So-won, having come to attend guide training, rolled his eyes uncomfortably.

It felt like sitting on a bed of nails.

He’d only entered the same lecture room where guide training was usually held, yet he kept feeling eyes on him.

Every time he turned his head, he met the gaze of someone who had been sneaking looks his way.

It was the same even now.

He could guess the reason well enough.

It had to be because of what happened in front of the Association yesterday.

Two S-ranks clashing—it had been a loud, dramatic incident.

It must’ve made the news at least three or four times.

He’d been too scared to check people’s reactions, deliberately avoiding looking anything up, but it seemed the story had spread anyway.

Now that he thought about it, there had been quite a few people holding up smartphones when he’d looked around yesterday.

They’d been taking photos from every angle.

By now, those pictures were probably circulating online—or worse, appearing on the news with mosaics slapped over them.

Anyone who knew So-won could’ve figured out that the Guide in those photos was him just from his appearance.

For example, the people attending guide training with him yesterday.

“Haah…”

Being revealed as Tae-woo’s Guide didn’t really matter.

What kept bothering him was how things had gotten tangled up with Si-hyeok too.

I hope no weird rumors start spreading…

Once again, his eyes met those of a stranger.

Convinced now that people had figured out he was Tae-woo’s Guide, So-won quietly packed up his things and left the lecture room.

“What should I even do now…”

He’d boldly stepped outside, but had nothing to do.

He considered going to find Tae-woo and trying to guide him again, but he was scared of running into Si-hyeok like yesterday.

And after what had happened in the private room, seeing Tae-woo again felt awkward too—so in the end, he turned away from the Association.

Still, having gone out, he didn’t want to head straight home either.

Standing under the blazing sun and debating his destination, So-won eventually decided to visit his parents.

He used to run home at the slightest thing, but after returning to eight years ago and starting to live with Tae-woo, he hadn’t gone back even once.

With such a big incident having happened yesterday, and remembering how worried his parents had looked when they heard he’d been matched with Kang Tae-woo, So-won headed for his childhood home for the first time in a while.

[Mom, are you home?]

He sent the text while riding the subway, but there was no reply by the time he arrived.

Feeling a bit awkward, So-won looked down at his screen, then keyed in the door code and went inside.

“Mom?”

As soon as he entered, the loud sound of the TV filled the house.

A moment later, his mother peeked out from inside, wearing a puzzled expression.

“So-won!”

The instant she realized it was him, her face lit up.

Watching her, So-won belatedly regretted not contacting her more often.

Until recently, he’d been a thirty-year-old burden who shut himself in his room and barely talked to his parents.

Now, he was a reckless twenty-two-year-old son.

Thinking about how worried they must have been—given how he’d suddenly changed without even keeping in touch—he felt a faint pang of guilt.

“I was just watching the news and worrying about you.

Are you okay?

You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“So it really was on the news…”

So-won muttered with a hollow laugh.

It had been too big an incident not to be reported—but still, hearing that it made the news left him feeling bleak.

He’d ended up contributing quite a bit to making Tae-woo’s reputation even worse.

Leaving So-won standing in the entryway, his mother let out a deep sigh and suddenly flipped up the sleeve of his short-sleeved shirt.

“Hey—!”

So-won yelped in shock and hurriedly pulled his shirt back down.

“W-What are you doing all of a sudden!

I’m fine, really!”

“Fine, my foot!

Your back is covered in bruises!

How did this happen?

Should we go to the hospital?

Huh?”

Faced with his mother’s worried expression, So-won blinked and asked back,

“Bruises?”

“You didn’t know?

How could you not realize you were hurt this badly?”

Dazed, So-won rushed to the bathroom and checked his back in the mirror.

Just as his mother said, bluish bruises marred his pale skin.

The pattern looked like two thick snakes coiled around him—no matter how he looked at it, it was Tae-woo’s arms.

“No wonder it hurt…”

Thinking back, it was a relief that it had ended with just bruises.

He’d jumped straight at someone on the verge of rampaging—if he’d been seriously injured, he wouldn’t have had the right to complain.

Still, it was fortunate that Tae-woo hadn’t seen him like this.

If Tae-woo found out he’d been hurt and blamed himself for it…

How was I supposed to face him, when I’m the one who already killed him once?

“I’ll have to be careful when changing clothes for a while…”

The injuries themselves weren’t a big deal, but feeling like he really might break something next time, So-won resolved to take better care of himself and headed back to the living room.

“So?

Do you want to go to the hospital?”

“No, it’s fine.

It’ll fade if I leave it alone.”

Shrugging, So-won recalled what his mother had said earlier and continued,

“Mom, you said you saw the news.

What did it say?”

“That Kang Tae-woo attacked Choi Si-hyeok.

And that Kang Tae-woo suddenly tried to rampage, but a Guide stopped him…

Were you hurt then?”

“Not really…”

When he dodged the question, his mother scolded him for doing something so dangerous and asked what he’d do if he’d been seriously hurt.

So-won responded with an awkward smile, avoiding a straight answer.

Since it was mainstream news, it seemed things had been properly censored.

What hadn’t come out were Si-hyeok forcing guiding on him—or how Tae-woo had looked when he was on the verge of rampaging.

That eased his worries a bit, but the eyewitness accounts spreading online still bothered him.

With so many witnesses right in front of the Association, rumors were bound to spread quickly.

“There wasn’t anything else?

About Kang Tae-woo Esper and—no, never mind.”

He stopped himself from asking whether there’d been talk about how Tae-woo’s rampage had been stopped.

Kissing him wasn’t something to ask his parents about—and if he asked now, they might even look it up later.

Better not to.

“But So-won, are you really okay?

They said Kang Tae-woo Esper suddenly attacked Choi Si-hyeok.

He’s not actually a dangerous person, is he?”

So this is how people misunderstand it.

So-won let out a deep sigh.