Chapter 76: The Gift and a Forgotten Conversation

“What is this?”

Sa-yoon gestured toward the mysterious paper bag sitting in the office. Chae-jun flashed a bright smile.

“It’s a gift for you, Team Leader.”

Even the packaging seemed extraordinary. The brightly colored paper bag bore the prominent logo of a brand Sa-yoon recognized.

When Sa-yoon opened the bag, a small box emerged. Inside, a wrist-watch shimmered with an ethereal glow. Sa-yoon’s brows furrowed at an item that clearly cost at least in the thousands.

While Espers commanded high salaries, this was an item that would be well beyond Chae-jun’s earnings for several months.

“This is expensive.”

“I didn’t buy it myself. Everyone else pooled their money for it this time.”

Chae-jun took out the watch and fastened it around Sa-yoon’s wrist. The silver timepiece glittered under the lights, even over his gloves.

“The other Espers really wanted to show their gratitude to Team Leader Sa-yoon, so they asked me to handle it. I even took a vacation day to go buy it, that’s how much effort I put in.”

“The other Espers? Why the sudden change?”

He couldn’t fathom the reason. While Sa-yoon occasionally received gifts, they were usually snacks from fans. Nothing of such high value had ever come his way.

“The Espers from Daejeon and the surrounding areas really want to thank Team Leader Sa-yoon.”

Chae-jun checked the watch several times, his chest puffed out with pride.

“Your achievements this time were incredible, Team Leader. Everyone felt they couldn’t just let it pass.”

“We all suffered together, there’s no need.”

Sa-yoon’s words were not empty flattery. It wasn’t just Sa-yoon. His teammates who had gone ahead to scout, and everyone else who had arrived as reinforcements as soon as the terror attack was confirmed, had all toiled that night for the same objective.

“This feels like too much of a burden.”

Even if Sa-yoon and Han Do-hoon had made significant contributions, it wasn’t a merit to be celebrated by him alone. Perhaps it would be better to decline. As Sa-yoon pondered, Chae-jun offered a gentle smile.

“Just accept it. For you, Team Leader Sa-yoon, it might just be another task completed, but for the Espers from that region, it’s different. It’s their hometown, after all.”

‘Home….’

Sa-yoon gazed at the watch with an inexplicable feeling. Having never felt much affection for his own birthplace, this emotion was difficult for him to grasp. For Sa-yoon, home was where his mother resided, and the space where Myeong-ah’s family had been.

And now, that place was gone. Sa-yoon had no place he considered home. He found it difficult to understand the sentiments of people who held affection for a place simply because they were born there.

Before Sa-yoon could refuse again, Chae-jun hastily gathered the shopping bag and wrapping paper. He rewrapped it exactly as it had been, tucking it into a corner of a locker. He emphasized the importance of the warranty, placing it deep inside the shopping bag.

Seeing Sa-yoon’s still-perplexed expression, Chae-jun spoke.

“Team Leader. I’ve never told you why I respect you, have I?”

“No, you haven’t.”

Sa-yoon snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Chae-jun. Though Chae-jun always treated Sa-yoon with the utmost reverence, like a parent, he had never explained why.

“Wasn’t it because of my high rank?”

“Of course not. You’re not the only S-rank Esper in the world, Team Leader.”

Despite Sa-yoon’s indifferent reaction, Chae-jun laughed lightheartedly.

“I was too embarrassed to talk about it until now. Also, your attitude was quite cold at first.”

When he first met Chae-jun, Sa-yoon was at his most wary of people. He had simply regarded Chae-jun as a naive, immature kid who admired powerful Espers. He had dismissed him as somewhat eccentric for persistently sticking by his side, even when he received no reaction.

Now, of course, no one was as comfortable or as grateful to him as Chae-jun, but back then, it was different.

“Even though I’m an A-rank Esper, my ability was always a bit ambiguous, wasn’t it?”

Kim Chae-jun’s A-rank ability was atmospheric manipulation. It was as rare an ability as Sa-yoon’s. He could alter the properties of air in the atmosphere and control it at will. If Chae-jun put his mind to it, he could instantly reduce the oxygen saturation in the office to zero.

It was a valuable and rare ability, but it had one drawback: air had a circulating nature. In indoor or sealed environments, it was an ability that even Sa-yoon would find difficult to counter, but the problem was how challenging it was to create such situations.

“Everyone used to tease me, calling me ‘half-baked.’ They’d say, ‘What’s the point of being A-rank?’ Because outdoors, all I could do was make an opponent’s breathing a little labored or assist other wind-type Espers. Of course, I beat up all the guys who teased me.”

Now that he thought about it, Chae-jun used to be quite belligerent. He often had cuts on his face or got into fights with others. Sa-yoon had simply dismissed it, thinking that for such a small guy, he certainly had a temper.

“Still, there are times when you can’t help but feel depressed, you know? If I was going to awaken as an A-rank Esper, I wished I’d gotten a cooler ability. I even thought it might have been better to be a combat-type B-rank Esper.”

“Nonsense. The difference of even one rank is huge.”

“I hated my ability that much back then.”

Chae-jun frowned, recalling the past. He quickly returned to his usual self and looked at Sa-yoon.

“It was one of those days when I’d fought with other guys, just like any other day. I beat up the jerks who were taunting me, calling me an S-rank air purifier, but no matter how much I thought about it, I just felt so miserable.”

If the words of those who criticized him had been lies, he wouldn’t have been so sad. Chae-jun’s ability was exactly as his detractors described. At that time, his main job was simply to purify the air in Sa-yoon’s office while waiting for missions. He was, quite literally, the precious S-rank Esper Team Leader’s air purifier.

“I was lamenting that this darn ability was useless when I saw Team Leader Sa-yoon in a mock battle. He was fighting so spectacularly.”

Jin Sa-yoon was someone who wasn’t a combat-type ability user like himself, yet was stronger than other combat types. Even if it took twice as many computational processes as a combat Esper to achieve the same destructive power, he did it effortlessly.

Kim Chae-jun envied such a Sa-yoon. ‘Is there no way to utilize my own ability like that?’ No matter how much he agonized, there was no solution. He couldn’t control the atmosphere floating in the air. No matter how perfectly Kim Chae-jun controlled the air, it would eventually disperse.

‘I am different from Jin Sa-yoon. Even if we are both special types, I cannot overcome my limitations.’ Thinking that, Chae-jun had blamed himself.

Watching Sa-yoon’s battle, Chae-jun felt the pent-up resentment inside him explode. He impulsively followed Sa-yoon, who had just finished a mock battle.

Unable to control his actions, he impulsively called out to Sa-yoon and shouted that he would unconditionally resign from the unit.

“I can never forget Team Leader Sa-yoon’s reaction then. When I told him I was leaving because I was incompetent, he looked at me with an expression of utter incomprehension and spoke.”

“Ah. What did I… say?”

At that point, Sa-yoon also recalled old memories. Kim Chae-jun had only once acted emotionally towards Sa-yoon. He had stopped Sa-yoon, who was about to rest after a fierce battle, and shouted that he was quitting.

However, Sa-yoon couldn’t remember what he had said to Chae-jun then. He knew he was quite ill-tempered back then, but surely he hadn’t cursed at the struggling young man, had he?

As Sa-yoon bit his lip with an anxious expression, Chae-jun let out a laugh.

Indeed, his Team Leader didn’t remember what he had said back then. He had no idea how much comfort those words had brought Chae-jun, nor how they had changed Chae-jun’s life.

Chae-jun recalled that moment, which remained vivid even after several years.

‘My ability is completely useless here. It’s an ability that would be over with a few gusts of wind. I’ll buy an air purifier for the team before I go, so please accept my resignation.’

At that time, Sa-yoon had replied with an annoyed voice.

‘Why do you think you became my team member? I don’t keep useless people by my side. If you’re bothered by the wind outside, I’ll just put up a wall to block it. Does that fix it? Any other complaints?’

‘Uh… that…’

‘How precious is an ability that can deal with targets without a trace or impact, yet you’re whining about it? Don’t bother me unnecessarily.’

When Chae-jun froze at the unexpected answer, Sa-yoon turned his back, grumbling.

‘If you’re so idle that you have time for silly thoughts, use that time to handle my paperwork instead.’

Chae-jun stood there, staring at Sa-yoon’s back for a long time after he disappeared with just a few words.

Frozen like a statue, as if his feet were glued to the ground, Chae-jun decided from that day forward to follow Sa-yoon. And he tore up the resignation letter he had always carried in his heart.

Before Chae-jun, who had emerged from his old memories, stood Sa-yoon, still nervously tapping his foot. Sa-yoon, who had changed Chae-jun’s life, didn’t even remember it. This, too, was so typical of his Team Leader.

“Chae-jun. Did I… not curse at you then? Did I tell you not to say useless things…?”

“You did tell me not to bother you.”

“Hmm-hmm….”

So he had told a struggling person not to bother him. Sa-yoon awkwardly smiled, reflecting on his own unpleasant personality from back then. He inwardly resolved to take better care of Chae-jun in the future.

“I like Team Leader Sa-yoon. You might not know it, Team Leader, but you are someone who can change other people’s lives.”

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