By Zephyria 
It was a speed he could have easily avoided and a force he could have easily deflected, but for some reason, he couldn’t move an inch. In that moment, the man’s arm, which had been groping its way up Jae-il’s broad shoulders, slowly bent and pulled him into a tight embrace around the neck.
“…….”
“…….”
Jae-il blinked slowly a couple of times. He caught the man’s scent. It felt as if a heart was thumping violently right next to his ear. He felt a dull pressure, as if the man were pressing their bodies even closer. Above all, the raging energy began to flow into the man, as if it had discovered a new host.
As the sensation of pain evaporated, Jae-il shot a look at the man. Half of the meaning in his eyes was displeasure, and the other half was inevitable worry. He didn’t know what kind of strain would be placed on a Guide if the transfer happened this quickly and without restriction.
However, making Jae-il’s worries pointless, a languid sigh escaped the man instead.
“That’s it….”
A comfortable voice, saturated with sleep, tickled his ear. This was followed by a hand stroking the back of his head as if giving praise. Jae-il pulled his neck back slightly, his surprised eyes taking in the man’s profile. It was as if he were looking at a mysterious creature he had never seen before.
As if hating even a slight separation of their bodies, the man hugged Jae-il tightly. The man’s cheek rubbed against the nape of Jae-il’s neck. The sound of skin brushing against skin stimulated his senses. It felt as if the man’s subconscious was seeping through the skin. It’s okay. You did well. Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Regardless of Jae-il’s permission, the man was cradling him with a gentle oppression unlike anything seen anywhere else in the world.
Shoulders that had been tense from the unfamiliar contact relaxed at some point. It felt as if snow were melting.
When the wind blew, bone ash scattered. He had sent it away on the wind, wishing for it to go far, far away, but his heart couldn’t help but ache. His eyes were as hollow as the dry powder. Because they held too much, they conversely held nothing. Seung-hyun stubbornly looked at the sky and pressed his lips together. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say, ‘Goodbye.’
“…….”
He had a dream. As Seung-hyun regained consciousness, a slow, long breath escaped his nose. He didn’t welcome the lethargy that hit him the moment he woke up. It pressed down on his body so heavily that even breathing felt like a chore. Naturally, his wet eyelids felt as heavy as stones.
Nightmares weren’t anything special. What dream could be more cruel than repeating the most painful and agonizing moments? Irresponsible memories, masquerading as dreams, constantly stimulated and clawed at the sore spots.
As his mind gradually cleared, questions began to surface one by one: where was he, what time was it, and what had happened before he fell asleep.
The things touching his skin were soft and fluffy. He was likely on the bedding. Just as Seung-hyun wiggled his fingertips, feeling that he shouldn’t just lie here, a vibration sounded from somewhere, and as soon as the second vibration rang, there was the sound of a blanket rustling. The person making the sound was not himself.
“Sigh….”
The sigh, thick with boredom, was not his own. Seung-hyun strained his eyes to open. It was because he had just remembered everything. He hadn’t fallen asleep; he had lost consciousness, and it was because of the energy of the man beside him.
The man’s energy felt similar to how it had during the day, but the intensity was far lower. That was a relief. As long as those things didn’t run wild, he felt he could pretend to be okay. Seung-hyun breathed evenly, looking for all the world like someone fast asleep.
The bed shifted slightly. The sound of someone rolling their feet on the floor, as if putting on shoes, echoed. Then came the sound of footsteps, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing. Even without looking, he could tell the person was moving cautiously. Silence soon followed.
After counting to ten in his head, Seung-hyun slowly opened his eyes. The light of the sunset was leaking through the translucent curtains.
Click.
“…!”
But at the sound of the door opening again, he startled and quickly pretended to be asleep once more.
* * *
Jung-yeol, an A-Class Poker, was one of the Psychic Espers who had received the emergency mobilization order. He frowned while checking his phone. His long, narrow eyes grew even fiercer. Even as he shoved the phone back into his pocket, the sound of incoming messages continued to ring.
What’s so great about a guy who has nothing going for him but his face that people keep demanding his number? Does he not remember that he was a total nobody before his re-awakening? Seriously, people just lose their minds over a pretty face. Fuck. When that bastard was a Triple, he used to crawl at my feet. Ha Jae-il, the disgrace of the famous Ha family who could only discharge Backsplash, had been fun to tease and trample for a long time. Now, however, he had become an existence that couldn’t be countered with strength.
As the euphoria of the past and the disparity of the present surfaced simultaneously, Jung-yeol found no way to steady his hollow heart. He hadn’t known that brat would re-awaken, and he certainly hadn’t expected him to awaken as a high rank like Backsplash. He shifted all his bitterness onto his younger sister, who was drowning in her obsession with Jae-il. Get a grip, you brat. Not only do I not know Ha Jae-il’s personal number, I don’t want to know it, and there’s no way that bastard would give it to you.
On his way to the elevator, he spotted Jae-il coming out of the Guide room. Jung-yeol curled one corner of his mouth into a crooked smirk.
“Still alive, I see?”
Jae-il’s eyes flickered slightly to the side. Though his expression was frozen cold, his greeting was polite.
“Hello.”
While Jae-il was higher in Esper rank, Jung-yeol was senior in both age and position. Jung-yeol took a step forward, hands in his pockets.
“You’re acting like you want to die, but your life is surprisingly tenacious, isn’t it?”
Accustomed to Jung-yeol’s way of speaking, Jae-il’s expression didn’t change a bit despite the overtly sarcastic tone. Passing by the silent Jae-il, Jung-yeol opened the door to the Guide room. The furrow in Jae-il’s brow, caused by Jung-yeol’s rude attitude, quickly returned to normal. He even swallowed back a sigh that had almost escaped.
Glancing at Seung-hyun lying on the bed, Jung-yeol let out a nasty laugh.
“So, how does it taste this time?”
The gaze and question directed at Jae-il were utterly vulgar. Jae-il’s previously expressionless eyes sharpened. He was displeased by the joke, which presumed a lustful relationship between himself and the Guide in the room.
When Jae-il didn’t answer, Jung-yeol grinned, showing his teeth. He had poked him just to see Jae-il’s reaction in the first place.
“Hey. Don’t look at me like that. I’m joking.”
“….”
Standing at attention, Jae-il silently cast his gaze out the window in response to Jung-yeol’s provocation. Bullshit wasn’t worth responding to. He intended to let it flow in one ear and out the other until Jung-yeol gave up on his own.
“You got the notification too, right? Let’s go.”
Jung-yeol beckoned with his index finger. As Jae-il followed silently, Jung-yeol glanced back and continued.
“That high school girl who was with you when you caught the Oni.”
“….”
Jae-il, who had been walking while staring out the window with a bored face, met Jung-yeol’s eyes at those words. Jae-il realized Jung-yeol was referring to an incident that had recently appeared in the news. It was an event where he had been treated as a hero for a while after eliminating a Grade 3 Oni on his own in front of a high school girl who was late for school. However, the party involved had little interest in the incident.
“She doesn’t even know she was used as bait.”
“….”
According to Jung-yeol’s sister, Ha Jae-il had saved the high school girl and even given her various kind explanations. Jung-yeol had burst into a scoff upon hearing that. It was bullshit. Having dealt with him for several years, Ha Jae-il was not the type of person to face a Grade 3 Oni alone just to save one high school girl. That was simply Ha Jae-il’s suicide show, which occurred at regular intervals.
Ha Jae-il often drove himself to the brink of death. He would refuse guiding or, like this time, intentionally trigger a Rampage by facing an Oni that was too much for him to handle alone. Every single instance was heavily driven by sadistic and self-destructive purposes.
That high school girl would likely never think that she was merely a noisy piece of bait to draw in the Oni and a pretext for him to fight alone.
“Huh? Am I wrong?”
“…Well. You are correct.”
Jae-il didn’t deny it, sealing the matter with a clean answer. Jung-yeol chuckled, saying, “As expected.” Just as Jung-yeol was about to add another word to grate on his nerves, he suddenly paused. It was because Jae-il was staring at him blankly with his head tilted slightly.
“….”
“….”
Despite having his inner thoughts read, the man with the sharp features didn’t show a hint of agitation. It was as if he didn’t care if he was known, and didn’t care whether the truth dealt a blow to his opponent or not. He was simply conveying his emotions to Jung-yeol with an arrogant gaze.
‘So what about it?’
The aura emanating from him wasn’t immature bluffing. If it weren’t for the rank, Jung-yeol felt he was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to use curses or violence, so he shrugged. It felt like if he pushed a little more, such a situation would actually occur. Damn it, he had no confidence in beating Ha Jae-il with strength. Remembering the time his ribs had been broken, Jung-yeol unconsciously took a step back.
Ha Jae-il’s insubordination was still talked about among Espers even a year later. Just as he did when facing Oni, he didn’t change his expression when crushing his superiors. The low voice speaking while pressing a knee into a chest was still vivid before his eyes.
‘Does it hurt?’
At that moment, the sound of bones crushing had resonated through his internal organs.
“Creepy bastard.”
Muttering a word and quickly putting distance between them, Jung-yeol was watched indifferently by Jae-il, who then lowered his gaze to his wrist. As he touched the black screen of the gear, the numbers indicating the Amplification Hazard Level flickered.
“….”
It was 25%.