Chapter 70: Rampage

Now, who’s asking who if they’re okay?

Even for an Esper with a body on a different dimension from ordinary people, they weren’t impervious to pain.

Their recovery ability was abnormally fast, but they still felt pain just the same.

“Please step back, Esper Lee Tae Hwan.”

The barrier Esper said to Tae Hwan, who was standing nonchalantly despite an injury that almost exposed his bones, pouring all his attention only on the guide.

Tae Hwan’s dark eyes moved busily up and down, checking Bodam’s condition.

Aside from being very surprised, he didn’t seem to have any injuries.

“That son of a b*tch…”

Tae Hwan, unaware that Bodam was surprised because of him, thought Bodam’s pale face was due to Min Ji Oh.

He casually tried to head towards the end of the corridor where Min Ji Oh was embedded, despite having an injury that required surgery.

Before he could, Bodam suddenly yelled.

“Hey! Your blood!”

He called out urgently, appalled by the excessive bleeding.

The once pristine white corridor floor was quickly covered in Lee Tae Hwan’s blood.

If left alone, it seemed like a big problem would arise.

Espers were human too.

“I’ll clean it up later.”

Tae Hwan glanced at the floor, stained with dark red blood and mud from his combat boots, and immediately replied.

He intended to deal with that bastard Min Ji Oh first.

He had almost burst due to rising blood pressure while looking at Yoon Bodam’s text, which he thought he might never receive before dying.

Surprised by the sender’s name, he couldn’t press it at once and was blank for a moment before a monster bit his shoulder.

That kind of thing wasn’t important.

Tae Hwan only looked at his phone screen, even as his body was being torn at like meat.

He couldn’t even hear the voices calling him from around.

Yoon Bodam had texted him.

All his senses were focused on this, so he didn’t even realize he was hurt.

Even though his entire left arm would have been eaten if another Esper hadn’t thrown a spear and embedded it in the monster’s head at once.

Lee Tae Hwan was just, incredibly thrilled.

“Min Ji Oh, you son of a b*tch.”

That bastard ruined his excitement.

If he thought about it, Yoon Bodam had texted him because of that bastard, but the situation that made him contact him was awful.

How scared must the timid Yoon Bodam have been to even contact him?

“You bastard, I’m going to… what is it?”

Tae Hwan, who had clearly thought he was walking towards the wall where Min Ji Oh was embedded, furrowed his brows at the unclosing distance.

He had planned to tear that bastard’s train-guzzling throat and rip out his arms so he could never raise a hand again.

“Why,”

Cough!

Tae Hwan blinked, coughing up a tremendous amount of blood, as much as he was bleeding.

He now realized he was sitting on the floor.

Blood had pooled around where he had collapsed.

It looked like it would take quite a while to wipe it clean without a trace.

He had to clean it before Yoon Bodam kicked him out, and this was a big problem.

“Lee Tae Hwan!”

Bodam, who had been shouting Tae Hwan’s name towards his back for a long time, tried to push past the barrier Esper’s arm.

He had to check if Tae Hwan couldn’t hear him, or if he had lost the energy to even turn around.

“You cannot. It’s dangerous.”

The barrier Esper, blocking Bodam, calmly set up reinforced walls around the corridor.

Invisible walls were being erected around Tae Hwan, who sat alone in the center of the long corridor, pouring out blood.

“A-139. Requesting backup for rampage suppression team. S-class Esper—”

“No!!”

Bodam shouted at the barrier Esper, who was about to request backup through his in-ear device.

The Esper, who had tried to forcibly push Bodam back into the room and close the door, paused.

“He’s not in danger of rampaging yet!”

The barrier loosened due to the guide’s confident attitude, as he even strained his neck veins.

Bodam strongly stood up to the Espers, whom he could never overpower physically, with clear, loud words.

“He just collapsed from excessive bleeding! It’s a situation that requires immediate guiding! Just let me!”

Bodam, who pushed down one of the Esper’s arms with both hands, panting, sought cooperation with his eyes.

The corridor was already filled with an S-class Esper’s unstable wave.

It was enough to suspect an impending rampage.

“I am Lee Tae Hwan Esper’s dedicated guide.

No, I was.

I know him well.”

“Still…”

“Quickly!”

When Bodam, his pale face flushed red, shouted, the Esper finally retracted the reinforced wall.

S-class Espers couldn’t be guided once they entered a rampage state, so they didn’t even attempt it.

They only tried to extend the reinforced walls to minimize the range of the rampage.

“Hey, Lee Tae Hwan!!”

As soon as he broke free from the barrier Esper, Bodam swiftly moved his long legs, disproportionate to his height, and ran.

Seeing that he was still sitting and not completely collapsed, it seemed he was still conscious.

“Can’t you hear me?! Are you deaf?!”

Bodam knelt down, moving close enough to face Tae Hwan, and asked urgently.

The dark gaze that had been fixed on the floor met Bodam’s eyes at once.

His focus was alive.

“Can’t you hear me, Lee Tae Hwan! Can you see properly? Huh?”

He pulled up the sleeve of his patient gown and wiped Tae Hwan’s blood-stained mouth, checking his condition.

Though his wave felt stinging, it wasn’t at a dangerous level, and most importantly, his eyes, which hadn’t lost consciousness, seemed fine.

‘…Or not.’

“It’s okay.”

Bodam, wiping Tae Hwan’s mouth until his sleeve was drenched red, said.

He spoke with his mouth as wide as possible so Tae Hwan could understand him.

The monster that had bitten Lee Tae Hwan’s shoulder didn’t seem like an ordinary one.

He was confused by how strong the poison was to make an S-class Esper collapse for such a long time.

At this rate, it was a danger level beyond Red Code.

“It’s okay. Lee Tae Hwan.”

He cupped Tae Hwan’s feverish cheeks with both hands, meeting his gaze intently.

He constantly soothed him, repeating that it was okay, trying to calm his rapidly pounding heart.

He could feel Tae Hwan’s heartbeat loudly enough to be heard by Bodam, who was facing him.

It felt as if his heart had briefly come out of his body.

Judging by the amount of blood soaking the floor, it seemed entirely possible.

“It’s not a rampage, so don’t worry.”

He sent guiding energy through their joined cheeks, repeating calm words.

He did his best to calm Lee Tae Hwan’s visible trembling.

He infused gentle energy to prevent the tears welling in his fiercely torn eyes from falling.

‘It’s okay. Calm down. It’s okay.’

“…Does it hurt a lot?”

Bodam, worried by the ceaseless pounding and trembling despite pouring out guiding energy, asked.

It seemed to be getting even more intense.

Guiding at the level of touching his cheek didn’t seem to be enough.

“Lee Tae Hwan.”

He let out a short sigh, approached, and called his name.

He intended to bring his lips close to Tae Hwan’s, adding the unnecessary explanation, ‘I’ll guide you.’

Just then.

“……”

Tae Hwan, who had been pulling Bodam’s thin shoulders towards him without causing pain, embraced Bodam.

He gritted his teeth, struggling to control his strength, and held Bodam tightly in his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

And he apologized.

It was an apology he had already given, but he wanted to repeat it until he died.

“I’m sorry, Yoon Bodam.”

He repeatedly called the name of the angel-like person who had approached him without hesitation to save him, the Esper who had hurt his kind heart and caused it to fester.

His voice trembled like an idiot as he repeated his apology and Bodam’s name.

Yoon Bodam, who continued to pour out stronger guiding energy while being embraced, was so beautiful, sad, apologetic, adorable, and damn, he was so good.

“I understand.”

After being held in his wide embrace for a long time, Bodam extended his numb arm and replied.

He squeezed and released his cramped hand, then stretched it out and placed it on Tae Hwan’s back.

“I understand, so stop crying.”

Bodam’s weighted shoulder was damp.

It was where Tae Hwan had buried his head.

Bodam continued speaking in a slow but firm voice.

“Keep being sorry.”

The white hand stroking his heaving, broad back looked small but substantial.

Bodam continued to pat Tae Hwan’s back and waited until he calmed down.

Just as Tae Hwan had occasionally comforted him when he cried.

“……”

More eyes gathered to watch Tae Hwan and Bodam embracing on the pool of blood from afar.

The gazes of Tae Hwan’s doctor, who had rushed over after receiving the call, and Han Seung Ho, who had also arrived after being contacted, were added.

“Um… when will the treatment be…?”

The doctor, watching Tae Hwan’s bleeding with an anxious face, opened his mouth.

The barrier Espers deferred the decision to Seung Ho, who was team leader-level.

“It can be done after guiding.”

“The bleeding is severe, it looks dangerous.

Furthermore, if Esper Lee Tae Hwan cannot control his body—”

“It’s fine.”

Seung Ho cut off the doctor and replied firmly.

The barrier Espers, who had observed the situation for the longest time, also agreed.

Lee Tae Hwan Esper was fine now.

A large part was due to his wave finding stability through guiding, but in truth, he had been improving even before guiding.

He was an S-class Esper.

No matter what kind of monster he encountered, an S-class Esper would survive on their own.

At first, the unrecognized poison had spread through his body, causing muscle paralysis and temporary deafness.

However, his hearing returned the moment Yoon Bodam said he was Lee Tae Hwan’s guide.

After that, he instinctively suppressed the spread of the poison and narrowed the bleeding area to stop the blood.

He was even ready to use psychokinesis to prevent the doctor from approaching him.

Even if all his blood were drained, Lee Tae Hwan was an S-class Esper.

“I apologize for contacting you when you’re busy, Team Leader Han.”

The barrier Esper offered a polite apology to Seung Ho.

It was standard procedure to contact the team leader immediately if a team member showed signs of entering a rampage state.

Han Seung Ho should have told the barrier Esper, who had only done his job, that it was fine.

However, Han Seung Ho showed only a reaction typical of himself.

His gaze remained fixed on one place.