Episode 3.
"Boss!!"
Before he could even finish speaking, the door flew open and another organization member appeared, shouting.
"The audit team's here! You need to clean things up, fast!"
"What?! Ah, fuck."
Manager Kim spat out a rough curse and shot up from his seat. Inside this building alone, there were piles of things related to illegally distributed guiding drugs. Of course, the number of Guides locked up here was quite considerable as well.
He had to extract the people and move the data before the Special Team arrived; time was of the essence. He tried to leave the room but stopped, approaching Seoyul instead. Then, with a menacing air, he grabbed Seoyul by the collar, shoved him against the wall, and shouted.
"You go straight home right now and don't take a single step outside until I contact you! Got it?!"
His breath caught in his throat and his legs trembled uncontrollably. Even though this was the second time he was experiencing this, the man before him still looked terrifying and ferocious.
Standing on his tiptoes, Seoyul nodded with difficulty. But a second warning followed.
"If you run into those Special Team bastards, never let on that you're a Guide. And never mention anything about the organization. You know how vicious we are, right? No matter what you do, we'll track you down to the end and show you just how dirty life can get. Got it?!"
They were people who did what they said they would. If things went wrong, unspeakable horrors that ordinary people couldn't even imagine could happen in droves. Seoyul had seen countless people who had defied the members or tried to escape only to be caught.
That was why he was even more afraid. The fear of what would happen if he defied them made refusal impossible.
'But now…'
One way or another, wasn't he fated to die anyway? It was merely a matter of dying sooner or later. If that was the case…….
Seoyul nodded, trembling violently. With his breath trapped like this, he didn't need to manage his expression separately, which was a relief.
"Damn it."
As soon as Manager Kim heard Seoyul's answer, he let him go and hurriedly rushed out, climbing the stairs.
"Cough, cough……."
As he crouched, hacking out a suppressed cough, a ruckus sounded from upstairs.
His whole body shook uncontrollably, but he had no time to linger like this. Only by fleeing the building trembling in fear, just as he had done then, could he meet that man.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
His heart began to race like mad. The fact that the turning point capable of changing everything was not far off paralyzed his entire body.
'I-I have to get up.'
He had to get up and run. He had to collide and tumble to meet him. And upon seeing the Special Team uniform, instead of running away blindly, he had to ask for help.
'Get up!'
Seoyul squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them, rising to his feet. And he ran. Just like that day. He ran and ran down the same path until he was out of breath.
He didn't know why, but tears welled up. Anxious worry flooded him—what if he took the wrong path in his blurred vision and failed to run into him?
But the moment he rounded the corner and tried to dash forward, Seoyul collided with a man.
"Ugh!"
Due to inertia, he tumbled unsightly several times, his vision distorting. His head spun round and round, and he felt nauseous from the speed.
'Hold on.'
To show that he was different from before, Seoyul steadied his vision and raised his head.
"Ah…….”
Before him, without fail, was that man. The very one who had knocked down several organization members and was now casually throwing aside the last of them.
The burly organization members that Seoyul had feared so much were being handled like paper dolls before him. That momentum was more menacing and dark than anyone's, triggering an instinctive fear.
'This…… is an S-Class Esper…….’
Still, it was somewhat different from what he had felt back then. At that time, he had been simply afraid, but now, he could see clearly.
'That is…….’
It was the momentum of one worn threadbare from going so long without guiding…… a momentum sharply honed to a keen edge.
Thud.
Heavy footsteps sounded. Seoyul couldn't tear his eyes away, unable to move a muscle. It was just like the past. The S-Class Esper was beautiful and fearsome.
But perhaps because he now knew where that fear originated, it felt less overwhelming than before.
'He's okay. He's not a scary person. He's just someone who's hurting.'
As he repeated that inwardly, the man who had approached right up to his nose extended a hand. In the past, that hand had been too frightening to hold. But this time…….
'I have to grab it.'
His heart began to race like mad. If he took this hand, could his life really change?
Now that the moment of choice had arrived, doubt crept in.
'It can change. I'll make it change.'
Seoyul mustered his courage and reached out his hand. What a chance this was. What a moment he had regained.
The moment he had regretted and regretted until the very end was right before his eyes.
Grab.
The moment he clasped the large hand, he felt a scorching heat. It was a temperature no ordinary person could have, startling him, but more than that, he was pulled by a rough grip and ended up letting out a scream.
"Ugh!"
With a short scream, he opened his eyes and heard a voice that sounded somewhat bewildered.
"……Are you okay?"
His head spun from the sudden shift in perspective. Even so, what was distinctly evident was that the man's voice was less frightening than he had expected.
"This location is currently under the control of the Korean Ability Management Association Special Audit Team. Regardless of whether you're involved with the organization or not, you'll need to be investigated, so stay put quietly here."
As he spoke, he took out handcuffs. It seemed that since his team members hadn't arrived yet, he was planning to restrain Seoyul first before going to handle more urgent matters.
But that would be a problem. If he stayed here, he risked being discovered by the organization members, and that man would end up letting most of them escape.
"W-wait a moment!"
Seoyul urgently stopped him and gulped dryly. The cold handcuffs froze against his wrist.
Tension coursed through his body. His heart began to pound once more. He had to speak now. That taking him along would be useful. That please, catch these horrible people.
Please…… help him.
But perhaps because he was too nervous, what leaped out of his mouth was an absurd statement.
"Please…… pick me up!"
* * *
"……."
Doun was at a loss for words. He had no idea what this man was talking about.
Pick him…… up?
He was already irritated beyond measure because the organization was moving so quickly.
He was annoyed by the insignificant pests swarming in to stop him, and the headache of the endless nagging he'd face if he failed to rescue the Guides was already plaguing him.
In other words, he had absolutely no energy to spare to interpret this strange man's words.
"Huh? Ah…… th-that's not it. I mean, that is……."
But it seemed he was just as flustered; his face flushed bright red as he started babbling incoherently.
With his pupils darting about in his large, round eyes, he looked like a squirrel flustered after losing its acorn.
'I don't have time for this.'
Doun had been repeatedly warned to watch his words with those who might be ordinary civilians. So he could neither act this way nor that, and merely watched the situation with a furrowed brow.
Reee—!
Just then, a loud ringing suddenly filled his ears, accompanied by an excruciating headache.
"Ugh…… damn it…… of all times……."
He had taken a guiding drug beforehand, but that didn't mean his condition had completely improved. Still, he had thought he would be fine for a while since he had taken the medicine.
But the worst side effects paid no heed to time or situation, flooding in like a tidal wave. The tinnitus devoured the surrounding sounds, and a splitting headache paralyzed every sense in his body.
"Are you okay?!"
The flustered man quickly supported him with a surprised face. Given the considerable difference in their builds, it looked as though Doun was collapsing on top of him. But he was proving to be a considerable pillar of support.
"I'll guide you…… ah, no…… at least some medicine. Ah……."
The fact that he was muttering about guiding and medicine made it obvious that he was a Guide. Furthermore, seeing him loitering near the organization's headquarters, there was a high chance he was a Guide captured by them.
If that was the case, he had to keep him tied down here all the more. After all, he might get scared by the organization and run away.
Click.
"Hah……."
Doun let out a long breath and cuffed the man. At that, the flustered man let out an "Huh……?" and raised his head, then began to rapidly pour out words.
"Don't leave me behind! Take me with you! I know well. Even if you go now, they've all escaped…… I'll guide you!"
"……."
The words spat out in an urgent voice somehow sounded desperate.
'A trap?'
His gentle-looking face didn't seem like one that would lie. But…….
"Why should I believe you?"
Right. There was no reason to believe him. Even so, the man widened his round eyes and spoke.
"I-I want you, Esper-nim, to help me. If you can't catch them all anyway, I'll be dragged away again. I don't want to live like this anymore. So please…… take me with you!"
It was still a desperate, urgent voice. Usually, Guides captured by organizations tended not to divulge information out of fear. But he was different.
What could that mean?
'It's only when one learns a greater fear.'
He realized: there was something more frightening than defying the organization. What that was differed from person to person. What had this man experienced? Where did this desperation come from?
Doun fell into thought for a moment. But perhaps taking that attitude as a refusal, the man began to pour out words breathlessly.
"I-if you take me with you, I'll be useful. I'm a Guide…… Of course, since I'm C-Class, I might not be much help…… but my versatility is broad, so……."
Versatility?
At that word, Doun's eyes snapped wide open. Because the person he had to find was also a Guide with terrifyingly broad versatility. A Guide speculated to have a matching rate of over 60% with 70% of the Espers in the Republic of Korea.
Of course, being C-Class, the effects were low, but it was still an incredible ability. The Center had speculated that such a guide might also be effective on Doun.
'Could it be…….’
A tentative hypothesis surged into Doun's mind. But having experienced disappointment countless times, he steeled his heart, telling himself not to get his hopes up.
'Still, I should check.'
Doun said in a stiff voice to the Guide, who was now on the verge of tears and trembling.
"Then guide me."