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Join the ServerDr. Nam’s answer definitively confirmed it: Espers projected to rampage beyond the ‘save point’ were indeed ‘disposed of’.
‘If I had been even slightly delayed, Yoon Geon-woo truly would have been…’
Though it hadn’t come to pass, the mere thought of Yoon Geon-woo being designated for disposal sent a wave of goosebumps across my skin.
I had secretly harbored a sliver of hope that the man might have been lying, merely trying to frighten me. However, it appeared to be a clandestine, unspoken practice carried out within the Central Center.
‘Hold on, when I first performed guiding with Yoon Geon-woo…’
When I first guided Yoon Geon-woo, his contamination level had neared 89%. Back then, I’d simply been consumed by the fear of him rampaging, prompting me to attempt guiding without much forethought.
Yet, to learn that the save point stood at 95% contamination… As I absorbed these various explanations, a belated realization dawned upon me: Yoon Geon-woo had been in an incredibly perilous state at that time.
As I remained lost in a deep, contemplative silence, Dr. Nam, who had been exchanging messages with someone, finally spoke once more.
“They say the preparations for Esper Yoon Geon-woo are nearly complete,” he stated. “It seems they’re just conducting a final safety check.”
As if to reassure me, he offered a light pat to my shoulder.
“I cannot express how fortunate it is that Sogum is with us,” he said.
“…Me?”
“As you’re aware, Esper Yoon Geon-woo experiences severe guiding rejection, doesn’t he?” Dr. Nam continued. “That’s why, when I heard of his recent success with natural guiding, I felt an immense sense of relief…”
A question immediately surfaced in my mind: how did Dr. Nam know I had guided Yoon Geon-woo? Then, I recalled the man’s words from our initial encounter.
He had inquired if the guiding traces discovered on Esper Yoon Geon-woo’s body weren’t my handiwork. ‘Given its reputation as the Central Center,’ I mused, ‘it seems they’re capable of examining absolutely everything.’
“Dr. Nam, you seem to know Yoon Geon-woo quite well,” I observed.
“May I inquire why you believe so?” he asked.
“It’s not for any significant reason,” I replied, “but you keep saying things like, ‘it’s fortunate,’ and ‘what a relief.’ It made me wonder if you already knew each other.”
Dr. Nam, who had been meticulously organizing his charts, suddenly wore an expression as if he’d been struck in a sensitive spot. He appeared troubled, much like someone caught revealing a truth they wished to keep hidden.
While I had no intention of pressing him for an answer, it wasn’t as if I didn’t desire to hear one. Without another word, I idly began to bite into the lollipop I had been holding in my mouth.
The sticky lump of sugar, softened by the warmth of my saliva, yielded and crumbled under the pressure of my molars. As the faint crunching sound fractured the comfortable silence, Dr. Nam finally offered the awaited response.
“Esper Yoon Geon-woo manifested his abilities at a very young age,” Dr. Nam began. “At that time, his condition was exceptionally unstable, and a complication arose during the manifestation process, leading to his immediate transfer to the center.”
“A complication? What kind of…”
“It was a significant event for Esper Yoon Geon-woo and his family,” Dr. Nam explained. “However, anything beyond that is primarily a private family matter, so this is the extent of what I can disclose.”
Dr. Nam carefully avoided divulging too much of Yoon Geon-woo’s personal history, offering only the bare minimum explanation necessary for me, as his designated pair, to comprehend. His meticulous selection of words seemed to betray a cautious and thoughtful nature.
“So Yoon Geon-woo spent his early childhood within this very center?”
“He resided here until he entered the SAA,” Dr. Nam confirmed. “Since he enrolled after turning ten, it’s safe to say he spent roughly four to five years at the center.”
“Were there no other Espers here then?”
“Typically, Espers only stay for a few months at most,” he clarified. “This facility was originally established solely for examinations and treatment, after all.”
“It seems Yoon Geon-woo… had a great deal of treatment he needed.”
“One could certainly call it a unique case,” Dr. Nam agreed. “He was the youngest Esper to manifest in the entire country, and S-rank Espers were incredibly rare, so the expectations placed upon him by those in authority were immense.”
According to Dr. Nam, it appeared Yoon Geon-woo had spent his entire childhood, before the age of ten, confined within a facility such as this.
I, too, had spent my early years in a government-affiliated facility. However, my twin sibling, So-eun, had been by my side then, ensuring I never felt overly distressed or isolated.
Moreover, until ‘that incident’ erupted, I had lived communally among my peers, which was akin to attending a small, intimate school.
Yoon Geon-woo’s circumstances, however, were entirely different from my own. Given that he seemed to have lived almost entirely in isolation, devoid of peers, I could begin to understand why his personality had developed in such a manner.
“Has Yoon Geon-woo truly never received guiding until now?”
“There were indeed many attempts,” Dr. Nam confirmed. “They were all light contact guiding, typically just a hug, but there were a few instances of minor success.”
Successful cases existed? If that were true, then why hadn’t he continued receiving guiding, and how had his body deteriorated to such a critical state? Before I could voice my questions, Dr. Nam swiftly offered further explanation.
“However, Esper Yoon Geon-woo’s guiding rejection was so profound that it proved incredibly difficult,” he elaborated. “Eventually, around the time he enrolled in the SAA, all guiding attempts were discontinued for the safety of the Guides themselves.”
“Then from the age of ten onwards… how could he have endured…”
“There were simply no other options,” Dr. Nam admitted. “Subsequently, we managed his contamination levels with medication, but recently, it appears he’s developed a resistance, and they’re no longer effective.”
“You’re referring to Helper Killer, aren’t you?”
“Good heavens, Esper Yoon Geon-woo actually told you about that?” Dr. Nam exclaimed.
I had inadvertently brought up the ‘Helper Killer’ medication I’d seen in his room. At my words, Dr. Nam visibly flinched, reacting as if he’d been caught in a misdeed.
Judging by his startled reaction, it seemed the very existence of Helper Killer as a medication was meant to remain confidential. Realizing I might be fueling an unnecessary misunderstanding, I quickly moved to correct myself.
“Oh, no!” I quickly interjected. “We formed a temporary pair and were assigned as roommates, and I just saw piles of medicine packets stacked in his room. Ah, I was immediately kicked out after that, so we’re not sharing a room now… but anyway, Yoon Geon-woo didn’t tell me directly; I just happened to discover it.”
I wasn’t even sure what I was rambling about. Dr. Nam’s palpable embarrassment had caused my own words to become hopelessly tangled. Though I answered in a hurried, flustered manner, Dr. Nam merely nodded, as if he had grasped the general gist of my explanation.
“I see, so that’s what transpired,” Dr. Nam remarked. “Should you find yourselves roommates again, you might consider trying sleep guiding with Esper Yoon Geon-woo.”
“Sleep guiding, you say…”
“While Sogum and Esper Yoon Geon-woo possess an excellent matching rate, there is a slight disparity in your ranks, isn’t there?” Dr. Nam explained. “In such situations, it’s crucial to begin with light contact guiding and gradually acclimate yourselves. Typically, one would progressively increase the area of contact, perhaps by holding hands or embracing, but among these methods, sleep guiding proves to be the most effective.”
I already knew about contact guiding from class. However, I was still curious about how exactly the sleep guiding Dr. Nam was referring to worked.
“How exactly does one perform that?”
“It literally means to simply achieve deep sleep together,” he clarified. “It’s about developing the habit of sleeping in the same bed, allowing for natural contact, perhaps by using an arm as a pillow.”
“Guiding can work that way too?”
“Guiding performed unconsciously is only possible with a high matching rate. With Sogum and Esper Yoon Geon-woo at 94%, there shouldn’t be any issues. If he’s asleep, Esper Yoon Geon-woo will likely have less rejection, and since the guiding will occur slowly over a long period, the burden on Sogum will also be minimal.”
The sleep guiding method Dr. Nam described sounded quite convenient, just as he’d suggested. It seemed I wouldn’t have to force mucosal guiding or beg for guiding, would I?
‘If all I need to do is sleep together, that’s absolutely perfect.’
Provided Yoon Geon-woo wasn’t prone to severe sleep talking, I wanted to give it a try. Of course, the immediate priority was to bring him back into a safe zone, given that his contamination level was on the verge of exceeding the save point.
“Honestly speaking, the guiding Sogum will perform today won’t be easy.”
Just as I resolved to try sleep guiding upon our return, Dr. Nam cautiously addressed me.
“…Because his contamination level is so high?”
“If it surpasses 90%, it becomes difficult for the Esper to maintain their sanity,” he explained. “While the person in charge will do their utmost to prevent any unfortunate incidents, Esper Yoon Geon-woo might use his abilities to attack during guiding. Even if you’re lucky enough to succeed in guiding, there’s a risk of reverse guiding occurring midway through.”
Dr. Nam laid bare the various dangers that could arise during guiding.
“Even with this, can you… proceed with guiding?”
Whether I could or not, this was no longer a situation where I had a choice. I couldn’t allow Yoon Geon-woo to be disposed of by that man.
“Of course, I’ll…”
I was about to declare that I would, of course, proceed.
Bzzzzzt!
A loud warning alarm blared, and a dangerous message appeared on the opaque glass in front of Dr. Nam.
[DANGER!] [DANGER!] [DANGER!]
Upon seeing the message displayed on the glass, Dr. Nam urgently stood up. As he pressed several buttons on the console, the glass, which I had presumed opaque, transformed into a transparent panel.
I had wondered why such an unnecessary space existed in the middle of the room, but now I understood its purpose. This unsettling area, it seemed, could be manipulated to allow observation from outside, much like an interrogation room at a police station.
‘What… No way, was that the isolation room?’
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