Chapter 68: The First Prophet

A pitch-black vehicle sped along a forest path. The forest was so dense that not a single ray of light pierced through the canopy.

Sa-yoon gazed at the trees rushing past beyond the tinted window, which blocked out the sunlight.

The Director, who had promised to introduce him to an important person, had abruptly picked up Sa-yoon and started driving towards a remote area in Gyeonggi Province.

Without a care for the gleaming, polished car getting scratched, he drove along a dirt road, heading towards an uninhabited locale.

‘Am I being kidnapped right now?’ Sa-yoon wondered, his mouth sealed shut, his hand gripping the car door handle tightly.

Only when the alarming thought that his identity as an Irregular might have been exposed crossed his mind did the car finally begin to slow down.

Amidst the dense trees, a grand, well-maintained mansion came into view. The Director, having stopped the car in front of it, let out a tense sigh.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Where are we? And who exactly is so important that the Director himself has to come all this way to meet them?”

“Once inside, watch your words. I pulled a lot of strings for this, knowing what you’ve been through.”

The Director adjusted his tie in the rearview mirror, then led a bewildered Sa-yoon into the mansion. The immaculate interior, not a speck of dust in sight, was utterly devoid of people.

For a place of this size, there should have been quite a few caretakers, yet it was as silent as an empty house.

“You did contact the owner in advance, right? Why is it so deserted?”

“They’ll know, even if I didn’t. Let’s go up to the second floor.”

The Director moved upstairs without hesitation. As they passed through the empty hall and ascended the staircase, there was no sign of human presence anywhere.

Sa-yoon followed, wondering if it was truly alright to enter like this, when the Director suddenly stopped in front of a door. Before Sa-yoon could speak, a voice from within greeted them.

“Come in.”

It was a woman’s voice, rich with the wisdom of age. When the Director opened the door, an elderly woman in a wheelchair sat inside.

Despite her hair being entirely white and her face etched with deep wrinkles, her eyes, as she looked at them, were remarkably clear.

“Finally, I get to see your face. I’ve waited a long time.”

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Kim Sang-hoo, the Director of the Korean branch. And this is…”

“Jin Sa-yoon.”

When Sa-yoon answered curtly, the Director nudged his side. Sa-yoon protested, asking what else he was supposed to say besides his name, and Kim Sang-hoo sighed.

“He’s the leader of Esper Team 3…”

“I know, I know. There’s no need for introductions, so please, make yourselves comfortable.”

Only then did Sa-yoon realize where the elderly woman’s unusually clear gaze was directed. She didn’t spare a single glance for Director Kim Sang-hoo, who was bowing respectfully, but instead stared intently at Sa-yoon.

“Do you know who this old woman is?”

“I do not.”

“Hey, Sa-yoon.”

The Director, his face pale with alarm, tugged at Sa-yoon’s arm. Sa-yoon didn’t understand. Why was the Director being so cautious?

From the moment he first saw the elder, a red warning light had been flashing in Sa-yoon’s mind. This person was strange.

She was a frail, seemingly powerless old woman, yet she exuded an unsettling aura of unyielding strength.

“My name is Go Ok-kyung. A long, long time ago, I, too, was an S-class Esper, just like you.”

The elder smiled kindly as she introduced herself.

There were only three S-class Espers currently known in this country. Jin Sa-yoon and Han Do-hoon, whom everyone knew.

And then, there was the first S-class Esper who appeared in Korea forty years ago. Unlike the two whose information was publicly disclosed, the identity of this initial Esper remained a tightly guarded secret.

Their age, their abilities, even their gender were all classified. And now, such a person was sitting before Sa-yoon, chuckling amiably as they greeted him.

“You seem quite surprised.”

“It would be a lie to say I wasn’t.”

One should always be polite and respectful to an elderly woman. Sa-yoon, born into a Confucian society and taught to revere elders, knew this fact well.

However, the rules changed when facing a powerful figure whose intentions were unknown.

“Sa-yoon, please show some respect…”

“You may step out for a moment. This old woman wishes to speak with this young man alone.”

Go Ok-kyung quietly dismissed Director Kim Sang-hoo. The Director, after scanning the two with an uneasy gaze, eventually bowed his head and left the room.

“……”

The room held a peculiar standoff between the elder, who regarded Sa-yoon with inexplicable favor, and Sa-yoon, who regarded her with suspicion.

“You’re even more handsome in person. Tall and striking, indeed.”

“…Where did you see me? Or rather, I suppose you saw me on television.”

“Of course not. I saw you in a dream.”

Go Ok-kyung, who had been flexing her fingers, placed one in the air and mumbled, drawing something unseen.

“White flower petals fell from the sky. The darkness that covered the world receded. This old woman witnessed the most radiant moment. Sometimes it was day, sometimes it was night. The location changed every time. But always, at its center, was you.”

Closing her eyes, Go Ok-kyung murmured ecstatically, as if the scene were unfolding before her.

“I saw you slowly approaching, surrounded by the cheers of countless people. You wouldn’t know how much I yearned to see you.”

“……”

Sa-yoon’s face stiffened. It wasn’t because he realized the veiled S-class Esper’s ability was precognition. It was because her words were identical to what Myeong-ah always told him.

At that time, Sa-yoon had been a Guide. He had assumed that since he was there, an Esper would naturally be by his side. Myeong-ah had always insisted that since it was her dream, the Esper by his side would naturally be her.

Myeong-ah had already manifested as an Esper then, so it must have been Myeong-ah’s future she saw.

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“I am very surprised. More than words can express.”

Go Ok-kyung chuckled softly and wheeled her chair closer to Sa-yoon.

“Our team is entirely composed of prophets. And every single team member has seen you. Not one exception. That’s why there was such a stir when you first joined the military.”

“I guess I was a celebrity in an unexpected place.”

“Do you know what we call you?”

Her aged eyes shone. She gazed at Sa-yoon as if beholding something magnificent, and whispered rapturously.

“Hero. Our savior who will bring an end to this chaotic world, and the hero who will shine brightest at the highest peak.”

“……”

What a grandiose title. Words like ‘hero’ and ‘savior’ were the kind Sa-yoon disliked most. It was ridiculous.

His current situation meant he never knew what might happen if his true identity were exposed tomorrow. So why were they attaching such grand labels and evaluating him as they pleased?

“I heard the probability of a prophecy being correct is only 70%.”

“That’s true. But if countless people have seen you in that way, it can be considered one of the few confirmed futures.”

“So I’m apparently healthy enough to live until then.”

Sa-yoon hid his grim expression, shrugging his shoulders with forced nonchalance. He mixed self-reproach into a complaint that others might take as a joke.

“That, we do not know.”

“Pardon?”

“The visions we see are like that. The future I see is like a black and white screen. It flickers and shakes, and some scenes are blurred with objects, tinged with aurora light. We’ve dreamed many times, but each time, all we saw was your face and that scene of you being cheered.”

Go Ok-kyung’s gaze deepened.

“We cannot know if a proper body is attached beneath that face, if you are standing on two feet, or if that is merely a face in a memorial photograph.”

“Why do you speak so frighteningly?”

“It’s a warning. Don’t act overconfidently, assuming you’ll be alive in the future. The future is very delicate and difficult. It means we don’t know what form it will take.”

Sa-yoon tightened his lips, filled with a sense of injustice. He had never lived overconfidently, trusting in the future. He had always been anxious and cautious, so hearing this reproach made him want to argue immediately.

“I believe this old woman’s story is sufficient for now. So, what business did you have with us prophets?”

Seeing the elder relax, Sa-yoon finally remembered why he had come to find her. Go Ok-kyung felt less like an Esper with precognitive abilities and more like a shaman.

It was as if he had fallen into some unknown cult. ‘Deep insight. Excellent perception.’ This was not the level of opponent he was dealing with.

Sa-yoon, who had intended to subtly probe about Myeong-ah, changed his mind. He felt that if he approached clumsily, he would have all his secrets revealed.

“I just came to ask about this system, whether it’s prophecy or prediction. I was worried this country might be swayed by some cult.”

“Hahaha.”

An incredulous laugh burst from Go Ok-kyung. Her facial wrinkles deepened further, and her eyes curved in amusement.

“You are an interesting young man. Well, I suppose it’s understandable.”

After a moment of thought, Go Ok-kyung smiled kindly and said, “There’s nothing to worry about. That system was created based on my biometric data.”

“What?”

Human experimentation, using people as raw material, was prohibited. While it was secretly conducted on Irregulars, who weren’t considered human, using a perfectly healthy person like Go Ok-kyung as a test subject was a violation of international law.

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