Chapter 43: Incomplete Villain

When I made up my mind to raise Jaeyul properly, when I learned that Jaeyul was an “X.”

At that time, I made a resolution in my own way.

I decided that until this child could live the life he wanted, I would spare no support at all.

I wanted to be his pillar, financially and emotionally.

Even if he wanted to destroy the world, I didn’t care.

Even if this shitty world were to collapse, I would have no regrets whatsoever.

Five years passed like that.

There were many things to sacrifice, and many things that required compromise.

There weren’t that many things I could do exactly as I wished.

Still, I tried my best to make choices for Jaeyul’s sake.

So that my inadequate support wouldn’t cause the misfortune of Jaeyul being unable to do what he wanted.

However… this time was a situation I absolutely could not concede.

Why wouldn’t I know?

If, as the Agency proposed, he entered the academy, killed time there, then transferred to the Center and became an agent, barring anything extraordinary, he would live a financially comfortable life.

There would no longer be any economic hardship.

But he would have to worry every day about whether he’d die today or tomorrow.

He would have to throw his life on the line, engaging in reckless battles to save people he’d never even seen.

He could be toyed with by trashy people obsessed with protecting their own interests and positions.

Moreover, the anger piled up in my heart was far too great to make that choice.

No matter how much I told myself it was for Jaeyul’s sake, I didn’t want to belong to that organization again and work for them.

Just picturing the faces I never wanted to recall made bile rise in my throat.

In the end, what drove me to my death wasn’t “X,” but them.

Of course, unlike the foolish me who was nothing but righteous, if I watched my step and protected myself appropriately, the same thing might not happen again.

But the anger accumulated in my chest was far too great to jump in believing in such a possibility.

Five years have passed, and I’m still an inadequate guardian.

Look at how my petty feelings take precedence over Jaeyul.

“Just lie low until things calm down a bit.

Anyway, after today, things like school won’t really matter anymore.

But absolutely not!

We’re not running away forever, okay?”

“Got it, got it.

I feel like I’ve heard that a hundred times, so you can stop now, hyung.

Did you pack everything?”

They’re just excuses.

Nothing more than rationalizations to convince myself that Jaeyul isn’t suffering because of me.

Whether he knew that or not, Jaeyul replied lightly.

A large backpack was slung over his shoulders.

“…Yeah.

Stay right next to me today and don’t stray.

It could really be dangerous.”

“Packing bags and heading out with you like this makes it feel like we’re going on a trip.

We’ve never really gone on a proper trip before, so let’s take this chance to rest properly.”

Such a positive kid.

Maybe he was just saying it to put my mind at ease.

Even though all preparations to run away were complete, my feet wouldn’t move.

I still couldn’t be sure whether the choice I’d made was the right one.

From time to time, a baseless fear crept in that this might become an irreversible mistake.

But… I can’t choose to hand Jaeyul over to the Agency.

Until Jaeyul can properly use his power, won’t be easily manipulated by anyone, and can find the path he wants on his own, I want to stay by his side.

“Alright… let’s go.”

I took one last look around the house.

The space where memories of Jaeyul and me had piled up layer upon layer was now empty.

In the house where we laughed and joked, only darkness and silence remained.

We might lose everything and have to start over somewhere else, but at least we could stay together with the most important person — Jaeyul.

That alone was a relief.

Holding Poppi in one arm, Jaeyul grabbed my other hand, and we left the house.

I clenched his small hand tightly, nervous for no reason.

I just hoped my anxiety wouldn’t spread to him…

“…The air smells strange, hyung.”

“Smells…?”

“Yeah.

It’s different from usual.

I can’t really explain it, but somehow… it’s an unpleasant smell.”

Could it be that Jaeyul could smell monsters…?

A gate break hadn’t even occurred yet, but once outside, Jaeyul spoke in a voice that didn’t sound like a joke.

“I told you.

The ones coming out today are on a completely different level from what you’ve seen before.

And your senses probably sharpened when you awakened.”

“Today, you really feel like a different person, hyung.

It’s like you’re heading out to fight.”

It was because I was overly tense.

Honestly, the current situation was unsettling and frightening.

I didn’t know whether I, a guide who wasn’t even an esper, could protect Jaeyul safely.

Even if Jaeyul had awakened the power of “X,” he was still terribly inexperienced.

Didn’t he once burn down an entire house just to kill a few bedbugs?

And now, someone like me, with no powers at all, had to protect him.

I had no choice but to dig up every bit of combat technique from my past and fight.

“It’ll be fine.

Just don’t leave my side….”

“Wait.”

As I squeezed out a calm voice, Jaeyul stopped and pulled on the hand he was holding.

“…Why?”

I still couldn’t feel anything, but Jaeyul stared quietly at the end of the straight alley ahead.

Yellow streetlights illuminated parts of the darkened alley.

Whoosh.

Just like Jaeyul said earlier, an ominous wind swept past us.

Only then did we begin to see it.

“They’re already here.”

A large man, and a woman slightly smaller than him.

Even from their vague silhouettes, I could tell who they were.

Agency agents assigned to us.

They walked toward us at a leisurely pace.

“Oh my!

What a coincidence running into you here.

Did you come out for a nighttime stroll like us?”

Yoon Sera’s nauseating acting was hard to stomach.

Who goes out for a stroll wearing a suit with a jacket on?

There was no way this was a coincidence.

“Then go on your way.”

I had no intention of playing along with that ridiculous joke.

And their appearance itself wasn’t surprising either.

We met sooner than expected, but I knew the Agency would come sooner or later.

Just as we passed by them—

“Anyone would think you’re running away in the middle of the night.”

There was certainty in Yoon Sera’s voice as it came from behind us.

I turned my body and faced them.

“You’ve been monitoring the area around the house 24/7, so why ask when you already know?”

“Sometimes, there’s a virtue in pretending not to know.

Honestly, I really didn’t want to believe it.

I never imagined you’d choose to ruin both your life and your brother’s future….”

“I have no intention of entering the academy.”

Jaeyul stepped forward.

It seemed he wanted to emphasize that this was his own choice, not something forced on him.

“Jaeyul, too… haa.

You can’t make such a selfish decision.

You should think about the brother who raised you…!

If you can stop your brother from becoming a criminal and let him live a safe and comfortable life, shouldn’t you do whatever it takes…?”

“……”

It was Satan’s whisper.

Sweet words that concealed a filthy truth beneath them.

But perhaps because, on the surface, they weren’t entirely wrong, Jaeyul fell silent.

“Honestly, I really don’t understand.

Not just Jaeyul, but Jin Sehyun, too.

All you have to do is keep guiding and get paid for it, so why do you hate it so much?

Why even choose the path of becoming a criminal?”

I understood.

My anger toward the Agency and the Center was about things that hadn’t even happened yet, from their perspective.

“So you’re saying you’ll stop us no matter what, because this is the wrong path?”

“Of course.

If you think about it, Jin Sehyun, you’re only twenty-two.

As an adult, it’s our job to help you walk the right path.

Even if we have to give you a harsh scolding.”

Fwoosh!

Ah, Yoon Sera was a fire-type esper.

A highly offensive attribute compared to others, no wonder she seemed so strong.

I didn’t expect her to use her ability in the middle of a residential area, but it seemed she was prepared to resort to force.

A fireball the size of a volleyball bloomed in her palm.

“It seems the Special Ability Center has gotten pretty idle.

This isn’t what you should be dealing with right now.”

“For us, securing Jin Sehyun and Sun Jaeyul is our number one priority.”

Well… will that really remain the case?

“…Hyung, should we attack too?”

“No.

They won’t be able to attack anyway.

And you need to hide your power as much as possible.”

Jaeyul whispered into my ear, looking ready to launch a light bomb at any moment.

But there was no need for him to step in now.

It was about to begin.

“What are you whispering about so secretly?

Why don’t you let us in on—”

KWA—KWAANG!

Ah, it finally started.

In an instant, it was as if lightning struck the city, briefly lighting up the heavens and the earth.

At the same time, a deafening roar slammed into our eardrums, followed by tremors like an earthquake.

“W-What have you done!

How dare you attack Agency agents—!”

“We didn’t do anything.

You should focus on running the Special Ability Center properly instead of wasting your strength on pointless things.

Don’t you see that?”

I pointed upward with my index finger.

It looked like a tiny dot stamped in the sky, but as espers, they would see it.

From a gate that had turned crimson, monsters were pouring out.

“…Why did that suddenly….”

Boom, kwaang!

Vibrations rang out one after another, as if the area were being bombed.

It meant that gates all over Seoul were breaking simultaneously.

This was the signal.

That our preparations to run away were finally complete.

I squeezed Jaeyul’s hand tightly, as if giving the signal.

“Run!”

Leaving them behind in their confusion, we sprinted straight into the heart of where the gate break had occurred.