Chapter 67: The Weight of a Secret

Sa-yoon clamped his lips shut, caught off guard by the blunt question. He had always believed their doctor, Jung Hyun-woo, was a considerate man who would show patience to his patients, but it seemed even that luxury was now beyond him.

“Why are you asking such a leading question?”

“I warned you, didn’t I? To be careful not to give your heart away. I just had a feeling it would come to this.”

Sa-yoon subtly turned his head, avoiding Jung Hyun-woo’s furious gaze. Indeed. Perhaps Sa-yoon was the only one who hadn’t seen this coming. After a brief pause, he tapped his fingers, then nodded.

“He turned out to be a better person than I expected.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

Jung Hyun-woo let out a sigh that seemed to drain the very air from the room, then clutched his head with both hands. He beat his chest, stomped his foot in frustration, and finally slumped into a chair, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

“Alright. What can I even say to you? It’s not your fault that you’re in a situation where you can’t even properly fall for someone.”

Jung Hyun-woo felt both exasperated and deeply sorry for Sa-yoon. Sa-yoon was well into his mid-twenties. The feelings others enjoyed—liking someone, loving a partner, relying on a friend—he had been forced to suppress, living without any of it.

Now, when he was finally allowing himself to harbor feelings for someone, Jung Hyun-woo couldn’t bring himself to rebuke him. The reality thrust upon Sa-yoon was simply too cruel.

“Still, it seems Han Do-hoon will keep your secret. It’s a relief your judgment isn’t completely terrible.”

“I do have some discernment, actually….”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sa-yoon instantly pressed his lips into a straight line. He merely blinked, waiting respectfully for Jung Hyun-woo’s next words, and the doctor’s stern expression softened.

“Seeing you get cheeky again, it seems you’re feeling better. You suffered from a fever a few times. I was worried, as you haven’t been sick since you enlisted.”

“……”

Jung Hyun-woo was unaware that Sa-yoon had fallen ill after experiencing a nightmare. Sa-yoon had deliberately refrained from contacting him, enduring it alone. This likely contributed to Jung Hyun-woo’s surprise at the current situation.

“I apologize.”

“It’s fine. You saved a life; there’s no reason to apologize. I’m just worried about the future, but what you did, Sa-yoon, was the right thing.”

If Sa-yoon hadn’t revealed his identity, Han Do-hoon would have died. In the worst-case scenario, if Han Do-hoon had failed to properly contain the berserker, more than half of Daejeon would have been annihilated.

Even though Jung Hyun-woo knew intellectually that Sa-yoon’s actions were correct, he couldn’t bring himself to praise him. He was simply saddened by a reality where ideals alone could not prevail.

“So, are you going to keep seeing Han Do-hoon?”

“Unless he says he doesn’t want to, I suppose so?”

While Sa-yoon had saved Han Do-hoon, their relationship hadn’t changed. It remained a contractual arrangement, one that could be terminated at any time if either party expressed a desire to do so, as stipulated in the contract.

Jung Hyun-woo’s eyebrows shot up dramatically.

“What? That ungrateful wretch dares to reject you? I’ll go right now and slice him up with a scalpel….”

“No, he hasn’t rejected me yet. I just meant, *if* he did.”

Sa-yoon quickly intervened, stopping Jung Hyun-woo, who looked ready to bolt out the door. Unable to get up due to the IV, Sa-yoon frantically waved his arms, prompting Jung Hyun-woo to click his tongue in annoyance.

“Alright, he’s an irritating individual, but still… Ugh. If you insist on continuing to see Han Do-hoon, there’s something crucial you need to know.”

Jung Hyun-woo handed Sa-yoon another set of documents. Unlike the easy-to-understand report he’d seen before, this was a chart filled with complex medical terminology and graphs.

“There’s an abnormality in your brainwaves. The fevers you’ve been having and your deteriorating stamina, despite your health up until now, are because of this. This anomaly might be a side effect of the ring. However, there’s a high probability…”

Jung Hyun-woo paused, his face hardening with a solemn expression before he opened his lips again.

“Due to prolonged contact with an Esper, the guide aspect of your body is likely reacting.”

“Ah….”

“The ring can only deceive machines and the perceptions of other Espers. It can’t regulate your hormones.”

No matter how many chips were embedded in the small ring or how many tests were run, all it could do was externally block signals. It couldn’t erase the fact that deep within his body, etched into his genes, he was a guide.

“If you continue to meet Han Do-hoon, your condition might worsen. Do you still want to see him?”

Jung Hyun-woo issued another warning, his expression serious.

“This is the first time, but you might get sick more often in the future.”

“I’ll think about it for a bit. I’m not in pain right now, after all.”

Sa-yoon evaded a direct answer, merely nodding. He had thought revealing his irregular status would bring some peace of mind, but a new problem had emerged. Was he truly fated never to be with anyone? He had initially thought he’d given up and wouldn’t have any lingering regrets, but today, it was surprisingly difficult to answer.

“Then get some more rest. Glucose has been steadily administered, but you’ll still be weak, so I’ll bring you some gruel and therapeutic food.”

Once Jung Hyun-woo left, Sa-yoon, now alone, gazed at his somewhat thin arm. He had wondered why he felt so unwell from just a nightmare, but it seemed there was a deeper reason.

‘Since a part of Sa-yoon’s body possesses the properties of a C-rank Guide, continuous interaction with an S-rank Esper probably isn’t good.’

‘Hmm….’

His body hadn’t weakened to a noticeable degree yet. So, perhaps he could ponder it a little longer. Sa-yoon was relieved that Jung Hyun-woo didn’t know he had already been sick once before.

The news of Sa-yoon regaining consciousness quickly spread. Led by Kim Chae-jun and Kang Ah-jun, the team members flocked to his room, turning it into a tearful scene. They cried loudly about how they’d be good from now on, their wails filling the hospital room before they finally left.

After them, the Director visited, his eyes red-rimmed.

The Director, carrying both hands full of fruit and vitamin drinks, solemnly declared, “I will grant your wish.” What wish could that be? Puzzled, Sa-yoon belatedly recalled his request to meet a prophet Esper.

The Director was known for making many empty promises, so he wasn’t entirely trustworthy, but the fact that he was personally stepping up wasn’t a bad outcome. Given the emotional look in his eyes, he likely wouldn’t introduce someone of a lower rank just to save face.

Having suffered a significant illness, the attitudes of those around him had softened. Thanks to this, Sa-yoon should have been enjoying life, eating, playing, and lounging around with a perfectly relaxed mind.

‘No contact.’

Yet, Sa-yoon, the person in question, was glaring at his phone, expressing his discomfort. There had been no call, not a single message, from Han Do-hoon, whom he had expected to visit first.

Sa-yoon received news of Han Do-hoon a week after he woke up. Han Do-hoon wasn’t in the country. He was representing their organization at the International Esper Alliance headquarters to report on the Daejeon terrorist incident.

‘So that’s why his visit is delayed,’ Sa-yoon thought, understanding the situation, yet a sense of injustice surged within him. He must have heard Sa-yoon was awake, so why no call? ‘In this day and age, he should have roaming enabled!’ With such thoughts, Sa-yoon furrowed his brow, crossed his arms, and stared out the window.

“No, the more I think about it, the more resentful I get.”

“……”

Jung Hyun-woo, working nearby, looked at Sa-yoon with a disdainful gaze. Sa-yoon was still in the hospital room because of Jung Hyun-woo’s suggestion for a thorough examination.

“Then *you* call him first.”

“I have my pride. I saved his life, didn’t I? Shouldn’t he be the one to come here first, kneel, express his gratitude, and shed a bucket of tears?”

He hadn’t expected a dramatic reunion straight out of a romance movie, but this was *too* realistic. Saving the world, only to be too busy with reports and post-incident procedures to even meet.

“Maybe I should have just left him to it.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. While I would have been more than happy if you had, you wouldn’t have done that, would you?”

Sa-yoon merely pouted his lips at Jung Hyun-woo’s rebuke. It was true. Even in this situation of being neglected, he didn’t regret saving Han Do-hoon. He didn’t regret revealing a secret he thought he’d take to his grave, nor handing his lifeline over to someone else.

He knew he would have regretted it even more if he had made a different choice and watched Han Do-hoon die. Still, being resentful was being resentful.

“Let’s stop the examinations for today.”

For several days, Jung Hyun-woo had been attaching all sorts of machines to Sa-yoon, drawing blood, and diligently extracting samples. It was an early dismissal, as it wasn’t even noon yet.

“Didn’t you have a meeting with the Director today?”

“Oh. Is it already today?”

Having spent days lounging around, his sense of time had long since vanished. Sa-yoon checked the date marked on the calendar and stretched, swinging his arms.

The Director, who had visited with a solemn expression, had immediately contacted Sa-yoon to schedule a date. He had confidently stated that Sa-yoon should look forward to meeting the person, implying that today’s meeting would not be with an easy opponent.

“Be careful today. I know you’re eager, but don’t ask any overly risky questions.”

“Understood.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s expression was grim, having already heard about today’s meeting from Sa-yoon. Just as Sa-yoon was tense, Jung Hyun-woo must have been as well.

Myeong-ah had been declared deceased a few months after enlistment. This meant he had served as a formal team member for a short period. As with Sa-yoon’s team, Espers with similar aptitudes were often grouped together, so there was a high probability that the person they were meeting today belonged to the same unit as Myeong-ah.

After years of enlistment, this was finally an opportunity to gain information related to Myeong-ah. Jung Hyun-woo had advised him not to overexert himself, but Sa-yoon was determined to obtain relevant information this time.

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