Chapter 90: The Secret Laboratory

I waited in my exclusive room for Dr. Yoon’s call.
I sat on a chair, unaware that my legs were trembling, and clasped my hands together so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

When I realized I was more nervous than ever, I heard a knock on the door, and his assistant came in.
Since I had already packed my necessary belongings in a bag, I was able to move to his lab right away.
However, my legs felt heavy, as if weights were attached to them, as if I shouldn’t go.

I didn’t contact anyone today.
I didn’t want to do anything that would make him suspicious.
But since I didn’t know how the situation would change at the lab, I slightly regretted it.
It also bothered me that I had come here without telling Wonjae.
I had asked Jinseok to take care of him, but he would probably be very disappointed.

When I arrived at his lab, he welcomed me more warmly than ever.

“Guide Shinui, you’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

Only he and his assistant were in the lab.
He once again told me about what I had to do before moving to the secret research lab.

“There are three things you’ll need to do at the lab. Wavelength condensation, participation in the project, and guiding one of the Espers at the lab.”

“This is the first I’m hearing about having to guide.”

I was flustered because it was the first time I had heard that I had to guide an Esper.

“You just have to do remote guiding.”

“Who is that Esper? Is it someone I know?”

“No. I will introduce you when you get to the lab.”

His words that he would introduce me when I got to the lab made me worried.
I didn’t want to guide an Esper whose identity I didn’t know.
I already felt a sense of unease and rejection.
But for now, I couldn’t back out, so I had no choice but to nod.

“As for your absence, I’ve put it down as an overseas assignment, so don’t worry. When the experiment is over, you’ll be able to leave the Association as you wish.”

His smiling face as he said that felt like a devil’s today.
A strong sense of displeasure welled up, but I endured it, thinking of Jihwon.

“Then shall we get going?”

“Yes.”

At the end of the path I followed with him and his assistant was a door in the center of the third basement level hallway of the research wing.

When the door opened, a long hallway appeared.
Since the interior was different from the previous hallway, it seemed that a physical-type Esper had connected a different space, just like the anti-Awakened group’s base.

There were dozens of doors in the hallway, and he opened one of them and went in.
And then we went through several more doors.
When we opened the last door, we were able to get outside.
The outside was a barren field, and a single-story building stood tall.

He walked towards the single-story building and said.

“That’s the secret research lab. The way here was very complicated, wasn’t it? The doors change every time, so I sometimes get lost too.”

Listening to his words, I looked around the lab.
It was like a desert, with only sand.
I even wondered if there was a place like this in Korea.
As Jinseok had said, it seemed they were thoroughly securing the location so that it would not be revealed.
After all, there were so many doors we had passed through to get here that I couldn’t even remember them properly.

Before long, as he opened the entrance, a clean interior, as if newly built, appeared, unlike the shabby exterior.

“You won’t have any memory of this place when you leave later.”

“I know.”

I was prepared to have my memory erased.
It would probably be erased through a mental-type Esper.
That’s why I absolutely could not be caught by him when I left this place.
Because I had to preserve my memories.

“It will be over within a fortnight, right?”

“Yes.”

His delayed response bothered me, but since he had said that phone use was possible, I could just contact Jinseok immediately if anything happened.

Currently, Jinseok would be identifying the location of the secret research lab through the location tracking function of my Guiding Watch.
He had said he would contact me as soon as he was done identifying it.
Now all I had to do was wait for his call.

“First, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

After changing elevators twice and going down to the third basement level, there was a row of doors in the hallway.
Among them, my room was 3-3.

“Is there anyone else besides me?”

“No. You’ll be the only guide, so you can live comfortably.”

It was creepy to be in this wide floor alone, but since I had to communicate with Jinseok, I also thought it was for the better.

When I entered the room, a clean space with well-equipped furniture appeared.
It felt stuffy because there were no windows, but perhaps because the air circulator was running, the air was not stuffy.

I put my bag on the desk and was looking around the room when I approached him again at his words.

“You can look around the room later. We’re going to go to the Esper you’ll be guiding for a fortnight, and who will be using his mental ability for confidentiality.”

At his words, I became nervous without realizing it.
I had been curious about what kind of Esper it was since before I came here.
I was also worried, ‘What if he puts a strange suggestion on me and I can’t get out of the secret research lab?’

I followed him and took the elevator again.
He took me to a reception room and went out to get the mental-type Esper.

I sat in the center of the sofa and waited for him.
After about 5 minutes, he and a boy in a white lab coat came in.
He looked to be about middle school age.

‘Could that child be the mental-type Esper?’

“Is that child the mental-type Esper?”

“Yes. This is S-Class mental-type Esper Gong Siyun-gun.”

“Isn’t he too young?”

The child’s height seemed to be a little over 160cm, and his eyes were lifeless, like a dead person’s.
He had a face that gave off a strange sense of unease.

“He’s young, but he’s an S-Class Esper. And this is a new watch. Please change it.”

When I checked the Guiding Watch he handed me, Siyun’s information popped up.
His guiding level was 48%.
Since Espers had to maintain an average guiding level of 70%, I could somewhat guess what kind of life he was living here.

“Does the child have any side effects? His level is too low.”

“As you know, it’s common for S-Class Espers to have side effects.”

As he said, S-Class Espers mostly suffered from side effects due to their abilities.
Since the energy they released was vaster than that of an average Esper, there were many cases where their bodies couldn’t handle it.

Originally, young Awakened had to stay at an Awakened school and receive training until they became adults.
But from the looks of him, it didn’t seem like he was attending school at all.

“Is he attending school?”

“Siyun-gun is an exception.”

“Why is he an exception? And, he looks young, is it okay for him to use his ability like this?”

“That is not a matter for you to interfere in.”

As my questions continued, he finally said with a serious face.
At that, I was taken aback, but I was worried because he was younger than I thought and was clearly being used by him.

“I asked because he looks so young and I’m worried.”

“I know. But it’s an unnecessary worry.”

At his face, which seemed to tell me not to ask any more about him, I finally closed my mouth.
Only then did he continue with a satisfied face.

“With Siyun-gun’s ability, we will erase your memory of the research lab and make you keep silent about my work.”

I knew that he had silenced Jihwon and Wonjae in the same way.
I also remembered him using a mental-type Esper’s ability on me while I was under sleep anesthesia before the regression.

“I understand. The words about letting me leave the Association are true, right?”

“Yes. I have also prepared a contract for that.”

He handed me a contract.
It was a contract that said he would let me leave the Association after I had helped with the research at the lab for a fortnight.

Since we had already agreed on this before I came here, I pretended to read it again to see if there were any changes and then signed the contract.

Now that the preparations were over, all that was left was for him to use his ability on me.
I had also considered and was prepared for this situation, so I looked at him.
He hadn’t said a single word until now.
As if controlling him, he said.

“Siyun-gun, you can use your ability on the guide in front of you. Just like you always do.”

Only then did our eyes meet.
His black eyes were still lifeless.
So much so that I couldn’t help but think that a dead person’s eyes would look like that.

He slowly moved his hand and took mine.
I immediately felt a wavelength.
The wavelength, which had been quiet for a while, began to sway and fluctuate.
His hand was also trembling incessantly.
I thought it was an action to use his ability, but his eyes widened.
As if to tell me that my thought was wrong, he hurriedly caught him.

Soon, his mouth opened wide, and he began to scream.
It was so loud that I reflexively pulled my hand away from his and covered my ears.

He also seemed surprised by his action and hurriedly called for his assistant, holding his body tightly.

“Siyun-gun, what’s wrong? Calm down!”

Even at his words, he continued to scream.
At that, I could tell that something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?”

“First, please go back to your room, Guide-nim.”

In the end, I was guided by his assistant and came out of the reception room.
The rooms must have been soundproofed, as I could no longer hear his scream, but I was worried about his unusual appearance.

Perhaps the use of his ability was accompanied by pain due to side effects.
I should have at least told him to use his ability after I had raised his guiding level.

Even if I regretted it, it had already happened.
I returned to my room and continued to think of him from a little while ago, hoping that he had calmed down.
That day, his scream weighed on my mind all day, and I couldn’t sleep well.