Chapter 8: The Shifting Current of Fate

Chapter 8

Don’t you sometimes feel it? That sensation of being watched by something formless, something without a physical presence.

‘Someone was definitely watching.’

I scanned my surroundings, searching for the source of the gaze that had been fixed upon me, but found no one conspicuous. Feeling uneasy, I was about to turn away when Han Seon-ho, seated beside me, asked another question.

“The pair you formed. Is it… because of Eun-i?”

It was a name I hadn’t heard in a very long time. His unexpected remark caused my eyes to widen in surprise, and I couldn’t help but question him further.

“Why are you suddenly bringing up Eun-i now?”

“You said it wasn’t coercion or blackmail. I just wondered if you were concerned because he resembles Eun-i.”

“Who? Surely not Yoon Geon-woo?”

“Well, the situation seems similar… Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to have formed a pair with him. You’ve never even exchanged a word with Yoon Geon-woo before now.”

“Similar? In what way?”

‘What resemblance could that brusque guy possibly share with my adorable Eun-i?’ Unable to comprehend his reasoning, my voice came out rather stiffly. Eun-i’s story was practically a taboo subject for me. Though I didn’t want to act sensitive, when it came to a story that was already years in the past, I found myself involuntarily on edge.

“If Eun-i resembled anyone, it would be me. After all, they’re my twin.”

After that, I remained silent, and Han Seon-ho gently brushed back my bangs, which had fallen forward. The tips of his fingers, touching my forehead, were remarkably gentle.

‘Cool.’

Perhaps because he had been holding a cold glass of water, the temperature of his hand felt refreshingly cool against my skin. Thanks to this, I felt a refreshing sensation, as if my throbbing headache was dissipating. It made me wonder if this was how an Esper felt when receiving guiding.

“I’m sorry. If it’s not that, then it’s fine.”

“It’s fine. There’s no need to apologize.”

With my vision now clear, I met his hazel eyes, which were filled with an unmistakable apology. ‘That kind soul is probably regretting having brought up the topic,’ I thought. I knew well that these actions were Han Seon-ho’s way of apologizing. Given this, how could I possibly say anything more? When I finally gave a playful wrinkle of my nose, as if to signal that I was fine, Han Seon-ho finally let out a sigh of relief.

“By the way, what were you looking at earlier?”

Faced with such a direct question, I couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment. He was already a worrier, and if I told him I’d felt a suspicious gaze, he would undoubtedly make a huge fuss. I lightly shook my head.

“I left all my rice, so I felt a bit empty. I was just looking to see if there was anything else to eat.”

“Want to go to the snack bar then?”

As I finished my conversation with Han Seon-ho, the subtle gaze I’d felt earlier had vanished. There was no time to ponder what it might have been. Immediately afterward, the bell signaling that morning classes would begin in thirty minutes rang.

“Let’s go after first period. It’s almost time for class.”

We quickly tidied our desks and prepared for class.

SAA, or the Special Ability Academy, had breaks that lasted thirty minutes. We attended three classes a day, each lasting between an hour and a half to two hours. Given the school’s considerable size, we had to hurry to arrive on time for classes. Dallying meant an unavoidable tardiness for the first class.

“What’s our first period?”

“Shooting, I think.”

In truth, even before hearing his answer, the moment I asked the question, it immediately came to mind. What the first class of the new semester was. And what had transpired during that class. The thought of that incident made me sigh involuntarily.

‘This was the day… the accident happened.’

During the upcoming shooting class, a guide from our class would be caught in a gun accident. Severely injured in the face, he would have to spend a considerable amount of time hospitalized. Though he would eventually return to school in the second semester, he would fail to adapt and soon after initiate voluntary withdrawal procedures.

“Shooting practice right from the first period of the new semester? Who on earth designs this class schedule?”

Despite my complaints, I knew in my mind that after graduation, both Espers and Guides, regardless of their rank, would be deployed to gates matching their abilities, making practical training a mandatory requirement. Of course, even those with abilities excelling in support roles like hacking or system management, as long as they attended SAA, everyone had to become proficient in handling various weaponry and close-quarters combat. After all, even if one didn’t take on field duties, there was a significant difference between knowing the fundamentals and not.

‘What can I do? Today, I’ll have to step up and warn them myself.’

Just as I was about to nod in understanding, Han Seon-ho’s next words made me doubt my ears.

“Wait, today’s first period has been changed to a cross-class?”

“What? With the Esper class?”

“Yeah, it seems we’re doing it with Class 1 today.”

Once students entered their graduating year, it was common for Guide classes and Esper classes to have joint lessons. This likelihood increased particularly for practical training classes like this one. However, in my memory, the day the accident occurred had definitively been a solo class for the Guide students.

‘It wasn’t a cross-class before… What’s going on?’

I couldn’t discern why things had changed, but a premonition suggested that since the situation wasn’t exactly as it had been before, preparing for it would be more challenging. As my lips grew dry with unnecessary anxiety, Han Seon-ho was busy operating the wrist-mounted device connected to his tablet.

“The shooting range is at the South Gate. Should we call a Butler?”

“We still have time, so I think we can just run.”

The North Gate, where we currently were, housed dormitories and living quarters equipped with various amenities, while the West Gate featured integrated facilities for elementary and middle school students. For high school students, including those in their graduating year, practical training constituted a significant portion of their curriculum, often necessitating dedicated spaces for each class. The South Gate, where we needed to go, was precisely where all these various practical training zones were clustered.

“No, let’s just call one. I’ll do it.”

“Because you’re full?”

“Yeah… I ate too much, and I think running would make my stomach hurt.”

I had expected as much ever since he ate two bowls of rice for breakfast. When I nodded in agreement, Han Seon-ho, his expression noticeably brighter, booked a Butler.

After that, everything happened in a flash.

Beep—beep-beep—

Even as I brushed my teeth with lightning speed, the Butler Han Seon-ho had summoned arrived, heralded by an alarm signaling its presence.

“It arrived quickly.”

The Butler was an autonomous electric vehicle designed to transport students to distant locations. While there were reportedly several versions, the SAA students only had access to the white, four-person Butler with a rounded front. Perhaps for safety, its speed wasn’t particularly fast, but it proved consistently useful, arriving within five minutes or so after being summoned and a destination specified.

“Here, your hand.”

“It’s fine. I’m not a child.”

As the Butler was a system that hovered slightly above the ground rather than having wheels, one had to step up onto a high platform to board it. Tall Han Seon-ho could easily leap in, but for someone of average build like me, it was difficult to get in without gripping the handrail on the Butler’s side. Each time, Han Seon-ho would playfully lift me up or, as he did now, offer his hand.

“Sogum, my right hand says it’s feeling awkward.”

“…Honestly, you’re something else.”

When I refused, saying it was fine, Han Seon-ho began making a fuss, repeatedly opening and closing his hand. He resembled an impatient puppy, so I had no choice but to take his hand as usual and step up. He just laughed contentedly.

“Wait! Class Rep, Sogum—! Let us ride too!”

Just as the Butler was about to depart, an urgent voice called out. Turning my head toward the sound, I saw a brightly colored head of hair, transitioning from red to black, as if someone had indulged in a particularly bizarre dye job during vacation. That guy, who constantly abused his perfectly fine hair, was Kang Yun, a B-rank Guide who had often been in the same class as us. Kang Yun boarded the Butler, and his roommate, who had followed behind him, also completed boarding. A typical bookworm with a frail build and thick-rimmed glasses: Park Hyeon-seo, a C-rank Guide.

“Thanks, thanks! I almost died trying to catch a Butler. Nearly had to run.”

“Haa… Thank you, Class Rep, Sogum.”

Once they had all boarded, filling the Butler to its capacity, it immediately set off for the training grounds. Although a new semester had begun, the short vacation and the lack of changes in personnel meant that only familiar faces were visible, giving no sense of a fresh start. Compared to the Esper classes, which comprised six sections in the graduating year, the Guide classes had fewer students, resulting in only four sections. Since the number of students had been limited since elementary school, annual class reassignments made little difference unless new students joined. In a way, having shared several years together, these familiar faces were like family. Of course, thanks to this, I often found myself in the same class as Han Seon-ho.

“Sogum, what’s wrong with your face? Did you trip and fall on the way here?”

I had expected him to ask, but Kang Yun was curious about the waterproof bandage on my mouth. However, explaining everything felt tedious, so I changed the subject.

“It’s nothing much. More importantly, Kang Yun, you overslept again, didn’t you?”

“Why even ask? My clumsy roommate here always makes our Hyeon-seo suffer.”

“If you know that, why do you always do things you’ll be sorry for?”

“Hmph, Sogum, that tone scares me.”

At my rebuke, Kang Yun made a half-hearted whimper and clung to his roommate’s arm. Because of this, Park Hyeon-seo, who was only half of Kang Yun’s size, swayed helplessly in the direction he was pushed.

“It’s… it’s okay, Yun-i always waits for me when I’m late, too…”

“See? Did you hear that, Sogum?”

As Park Hyeon-seo defended him, Kang Yun turned to me with a triumphant expression. Well, I didn’t care about Kang Yun’s attitude. What I was intently observing was not the high-decibel Kang Yun, but Park Hyeon-seo, who was practically flattened beside him. Because he was…

‘That Guide. It was Park Hyeon-seo.’

The Guide who would be harmed in the gun accident scheduled for today.

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