Chapter 96: The Price of Truth

“Find even a single part of his body. Don’t even think about bringing me such papers before then. I have no intention of signing them.”

“But…”

Sa-yoon had been at the epicenter of the explosion in the conference hall, taking the direct impact of its full force. While everyone mourned his sacrifice, Han Do-hoon refused to abandon hope.

Sa-yoon was exceptionally strong. Although his S-rank status sufficiently explained his power, it wasn’t the only factor. At that time, he had even removed the ring that suppressed his abilities.

If it had been anyone else, perhaps not, but Jin Sa-yoon might have survived.

“Enough already. This isn’t like you, Deputy Commander.”

Levian picked up the papers that had fallen to the floor.

“You two, step outside for a moment.”

After dismissing the other squad members, Levian opened the page marked for approval and presented it to Han Do-hoon once more.

“Sign it.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“You’ll have to. Jin Sa-yoon’s belongings. I just found them.”

Levian pulled another sheet of paper from his chest pocket and placed it atop the documents. The paper displayed a photograph of a minuscule metal gear fragment, almost too small to discern with the naked eye.

This tiny gear was a trace barely recovered from the pulverized debris. It was a watch component, so small that it had just managed to retain its form.

“We received a report from the watch company Jin Sa-yoon always wore. This fragment was found a little distance from the explosion site, and it matches a part from one of their watches. They really did boast about making them from actual spaceship materials; it seems the watch withstood the impact. Damn, it’s tough. A watch fragment tougher than an S-ranker.”

Levian tapped the paragraph beneath the certification as he spoke, grumbling about having to go to such lengths just to confirm Jin Sa-yoon’s death. Han Do-hoon, without even glancing at the documents, replied,

“A watch won’t tell us anything. I will continue the search until we find even a part of Sa-yoon. So…”

“Hey. Get a grip, Hayden.”

Levian cut him off decisively. The easy smile that usually graced his face had vanished.

“Irregulars leave no bodies. Even if a part of his body had remained after the explosion, it would have long since decomposed and disappeared. You know this, it’s the same as with Rain.”

“……”

“How long are you going to be so pathetic? You haven’t eaten or slept lately. Are you planning to die with your beloved Irregular? Fine. If you’re going to die, then do it quickly instead of dragging this out. I can’t stand the sight of you.”

With those final words, Levian threw the documents down and stormed out of the room. Left alone, Han Do-hoon picked up the papers scattered on the floor. He opened the page that held the reality he so desperately wished to avoid.

Jin Sa-yoon. S-rank Esper (Deceased).

He rubbed the words, which remained stubbornly unchanged no matter how many times he looked. Jin Sa-yoon was dead. He had died alone, miserably, in this remote land, resenting Han Do-hoon.

Han Do-hoon swallowed the dark, consuming rage that scorched his insides. Whom should he blame?

He was the one who had deceived Sa-yoon from the very beginning. He was the one who had brought Sa-yoon to the battlefield. And he was the one who, despite being by his side until the end, had lost Sa-yoon.

Ultimately, Jin Sa-yoon’s death was all Han Do-hoon’s fault.

The Esper, who had lost his Guide, pondered. Why should he remain here? Was there any value in him living alone in this place? Wouldn’t following him be a happier ending? Levian was right. Han Do-hoon couldn’t endure without Jin Sa-yoon. If that were the case, perhaps he should peacefully join Sa-yoon…

‘Just one last favor, please.’

Sa-yoon’s final words echoed in his mind. It was his last will, one that Han Do-hoon couldn’t let go of, even in his dazed state. The tension drained from his shoulders. It was a truly pathetic sight.

In this state, he couldn’t even follow Sa-yoon.

“……”

Han Do-hoon picked up his phone. After a few rings, the other person’s voice came through.

“I’ll send you the individual’s profile; protect them on our side. Treat them with the utmost respect.”

Concluding the call concisely, Han Do-hoon pulled the fountain pen from his chest pocket. As if the time he had spent hesitating was a lie, he signed the approval line without a moment’s pause. The signature, written without emotion, was his farewell.

Han Do-hoon, who had yearned to possess Jin Sa-yoon completely, had now lost him forever.

The winter landscape was perfectly reflected outside the window.

Cold air swiftly flowed between the desolate old trees. The once lush leaves had long since changed color and fallen, and yesterday’s snow lay simply piled upon the pale branches.

Crackling. The sound of a campfire peacefully filled the room.

Squeak.

With the sound of an old door opening, the warm room grew chilly.

“Now I can live. It’s warm in here.”

A woman, hugging her arms and shivering, entered the house. She quickly closed the door and brushed the snow from her shoes.

The man, who had been adding logs to the fireplace, grinned as he watched the remnants of snow fall to the floor.

“You said you’d never come out in winter, so what brings you here? It must have been tough with all the snow on the ground.”

“Mom told me to deliver this to you, Uncle. She said she put in enough for guests too, so take it.”

“Oh, my. There was no need for all this.”

Inside the bundle the woman offered were still-warm pies. A sweet aroma wafted from the four freshly baked apple pies, filling the air.

“But the guest hasn’t woken up yet, right?”

“That’s right. No.”

“When will they wake up? Everyone’s curious, constantly lingering around here every day. Even preparing food for someone who can’t eat.”

“They’ll wake up when they want to.”

The man replied nonchalantly. The woman who had asked the question didn’t seem to expect an answer anyway, and she sat listlessly in the opposite chair.

The woman, her blonde hair tied high, took out an apple pie she had brought for herself and took a bite.

“Eat it over there with a tray, so the crumbs don’t fall.”

“Uncle, you look so messy, yet you pretend to be so neat. I wonder why someone so particular neglects his own wounds. It would be so clean if you treated them.”

Upon hearing this, the man, Kang Tae-han, ran a hand over his face. The now-scarred marks felt rough against his fingertips.

“I feel like I’d miss them if they weren’t there anymore. Besides, don’t scars make a man look more masculine?”

“Don’t you have a mirror in your house, Uncle?”

“My dear lady, your wit is truly exceptional every time I see you.”

Kang Tae-han, the action leader of Air Rain and a Class 1 wanted criminal, leisurely poked the logs, then took out a warm apple pie.

“Just eat two of those. The other two are for the guest.”

“The guest has to wake up to eat them. Apple pie tastes best when it’s warm.”

Kang Tae-han quickly ate one apple pie and then bit into another. The guest lying in the bedroom had been unconscious for several months.

The villagers eagerly awaited the guest’s awakening. They showed such dedication, even consistently preparing meals for someone who might never wake. The guest was their long-awaited hope.

The person lying in the bedroom was Jin Sa-yoon, the savior prophesied to bring liberation to the Irregulars and Rain.

From the moment Jin Sa-yoon arrived on the battlefield, Kang Tae-han had tried to make contact with him. It wasn’t easy. The strict security of the building was difficult to penetrate, and he had been endlessly waiting for an opportunity.

Then, one day, a situation arose where Sa-yoon came into the city alone. After visiting a restaurant with Han Do-hoon, Sa-yoon walked the night streets by himself. For Kang Tae-han, who had been seeking a moment to speak with him alone, it was an unmissable opportunity.

‘Let’s talk.’

Had he been crying? Jin Sa-yoon, looking somewhat dispirited with red-rimmed eyes, silently gazed at Kang Tae-han. He resembled a defeated soldier, exhausted and wounded.

The sharp demeanor he had displayed during the Great War was nowhere to be found. Jin Sa-yoon scrutinized Kang Tae-han intently, then asked weakly,

‘What exactly are you people?’

‘So, you’re finally willing to listen to me now. How does it feel? How does it feel to have the world you knew turned upside down?’

‘Absolutely disgusting.’

Jin Sa-yoon was intelligent. Even with the smallest clue Kang Tae-han had left him in the Great War, he had astutely grasped the truth of the world. He must have realized that the terrorist group known as Air Rain was a fictional entity created by the Esper Alliance to maintain their power.

Rain, often called monstrous creatures, were, in their infancy, consistent with human knowledge. They were incomplete life forms, lacking intelligence or purpose, possessing only violence. However, as they aged and molted, they developed intelligence superior to humans. With this newfound intelligence, the violence of their infancy completely disappeared, and they transformed into perfect beings.

Rain were newly emerged intelligent life forms, closer to a new humanity.

In the past, the Esper Alliance and national leaders, having discovered this truth, decided to distort the existence of Rain. They captured young Rain individuals and deliberately forced them to harm people. Through drugs and experiments, they either made them abnormally strong or caused them to rampage, attacking humans.

When Rain, made ferocious by drugs, were unleashed, Espers would deal with them. In this way, the concept of Espers as heroes and Rain as enemies of humanity was firmly established. The human lives lost in this process were considered unavoidable sacrifices.

This was because they believed it was the only way to make people despise Rain and protect the power of the ruling class.

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