DB Vol 1 Part 2
Won-woo clenched his teeth, trying to calm himself as he wiped the dust-covered sign with trembling hands. In this terrible place where Espers existed, there was a name—unchanging, just like in his own world. This sign. It was identical. The person Won-woo had lost in his original world might exist here, in the same place, under the same name. And perhaps, in this world, they were still alive.
Suddenly, a wave of fear crashed over him—the fear that all of this might be an illusion—and he nearly collapsed on the spot. But even so, it was fine. Even if this was the final desperate struggle of the only survivor, it didn’t matter. Please, let them be alive. Whether it was an illusion or a parallel world, please let them be alive here. The longing was so intense it felt like it was choking him. That was why it took a great deal of courage for Won-woo to grasp the handle and turn it. He barely managed to reach out with a shaking hand.
Creeak.
The old iron door opened with a small shriek. The first thing he saw was a shelf filled with all sorts of machinery and parts. Aside from a narrow aisle, the space was packed from floor to ceiling with miscellaneous junk on both sides. Won-woo walked slowly through the clutter. Soon, a man in his late forties, repairing a disassembled electronic device on a table, came into view. He was shouting excitedly, seemingly on the phone with someone, but swallowed his words as he noticed Won-woo.
“Thanks to the fact that I’m still holding out, you’re able to hear this bullshit… Ah, a customer is here.”
He started to stand up to greet the customer, but stopped dead as he confirmed Won-woo’s appearance. A man standing blankly, wearing patient clothes and slippers, with hair disheveled from running.
“How… did you get here?”
Won-woo couldn’t find the words to answer the bewildered man’s question. A heat so intense it made his throat ache was surging up within him.
Sang-cheon glared at the table with eyes full of dissatisfaction. The device that needed fixing had already been disassembled and separated according to his own rules, so there was no problem there. What was fueling his anger was the voice ringing in his ear.
[Stop spouting bullshit.]
Sang-cheon’s grip tightened. The monotone voice almost sounded bored. Of course it was boring. Since the speaker was essentially trapped in a prison, how bored and desperate must they be to listen to Sang-cheon’s daily life like a radio program?
Sang-cheon regretted not refusing when the offer first came. He had already regretted it hundreds of times, but he still did. He truly hadn’t expected to become a human live-stream in this manner. When the offer first arrived, he had been thrilled, thinking that even if the sky fell, there was always a way out.
‘We will provide additional loans. In exchange, we want you to talk with someone every day.’
At the time, Sang-cheon’s situation was bleak. Several loan deadlines were imminent, and he was on the verge of being kicked out of this place—which served as both his home and office—and ending up on the street. And did he think homelessness would be easy? If he were caught by loan sharks who claimed to be tertiary lenders but were actually more like tenth-tier lenders, his belly would be sliced open for organ trafficking.
Back then, desperate to extend his day-to-day survival, he had shouted an unconditional “okay.” A bit of chatting seemed like nothing. However, he hadn’t realized he would have to be on standby 24 hours a day to chat. Except for when he went to the bathroom, he had to wear the damn communicator in his ear and expose his entire life to the other person.
Furthermore, the other person’s hearing was so sharp that they noticed every single action Sang-cheon took. He only found out the reason later and beat his chest in regret, but he had already signed the contract. Who were these people? Weren’t they a brutal clan that slit the throats of those who couldn’t pay back their money and took the insurance instead? The chatting partner was the very person in that clan who did the slitting. Because of his role as a swordsman, he was followed by the nickname “the brute.”
If he had known who the partner was, he would have simply chosen to sell his organs. How on earth did he get entangled with such a brute and end up suffering like this? No, he had just told him about some news that had been a hot topic for the past few days because the other person said they were bored, and the response was to stop spouting bullshit. Then, the other person lightly muttered to themselves.
[Maybe I should cut off one of your ears so you can actually understand what I’m saying.]
The indifferent voice heard through the communicator sent shivers down his spine. Because the connection was poor, it sounded muffled, unlike a real voice, but Sang-cheon swallowed hard in fear. He soon realized that since the other person couldn’t come outside right now, it would be difficult for them to actually cut his ear. Even so, the goosebumps on his body didn’t easily disappear. Anyone who knew the identity of the other person would tremble just like him. Sang-cheon grumbled, making excuses for himself.
“I mean, the monster Farm accident is news everyone is interested in, so I told you in case you were curious. Since you’re [stolen content]wm: stolen content -->trapped there, you probably [stolen content]can’t hear the news. What exactly is the problem?”
[Nothing.]
“No, you say there’s nothing, but why are you swearing at me….”
[Is it swearing to tell someone who spouts bullshit that they’re spouting bullshit?]
For a moment, Sang-cheon forgot the other person’s identity and snapped back.
“You spout bullshit all the time too! I’m starting to doubt if you’re even human and not an actual dog!”
[That’s great. Shall we put our dog faces together?]
“Yeah, let’s put our faces—huh? You’re… coming out? Can you come out now?”
[No.]
Just as Sang-cheon was about to throw the communicator away in disbelief, the brute slowly added.
[But it’s not impossible.]
Right, of course it isn’t, Mr. Puppy. Sang-cheon clicked his tongue inwardly and let out a bit of the anger he had been suppressing for days.
“Why do you keep listening if you think everything I say is bullshit?”
[Because you’re the only person who says everything they want to say, even while being terrified after learning my identity, Mister.]
…He wasn’t even saying 2% of what he actually wanted to say. But it wasn’t that he didn’t understand the brute’s point. Sang-cheon himself had been absolutely horrified when he first learned the man’s identity. However, because the brute was so incredibly rude, anger overcame fear.
I mean, do I really have to be called a puppy by that young brat? On top of that, that monotone way of speaking was subtly irritating. Despite being young, he was already cynical about everything in the world. Well, knowing his family situation, it was understandable. The problem was that the cynicism was directed at him.
[You’re about to be fucked soon, so I have to endure the bullshit to watch the show.]
“What do you mean I’m about to be fucked?”
[You’ve borrowed money from more than just one or two places, Mister.]
Sang-cheon paused and muttered as if making an excuse.
“It’s because I got scammed thinking it was an investment in research. I’ll… I’ll pay it all back. I have BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsno intention of stealing other people’s money.”
[What’s the point? You won’t be able to hold out much longer. Among the people you borrowed money from, there are some bastards who do interesting things with human bodies. You’ll be dragged away with no way out. Ah, since this is also research, maybe you’ll even like being fucked.]
Because the voice was merely dry without any sarcasm, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he got goosebumps. Sang-cheon thought of the other person’s age again. He frowned, wondering why a young man was so twisted.
“What benefit do you get from seeing me fail? Is that fun for you?”
[Hardly. The only pleasure is confirming that the world is a piece of shit. No matter how peculiar you are, Mister.]
“I’m peculiar?”
[You’re sitting on a mountain of debt, yet you don’t run away and you don’t stop your research.]
Well, that’s because…
“It’s because this is the only thing I know how to do.”
[So, are you happy?]
Sang-cheon stopped his hand just as he was about to pull out a circuit to repair with tweezers. Suddenly, the state of this ill-tempered creditor came to mind. How long had this guy been trapped there? Over a year? style="position:relative;display:inline;">[visit our site]eft:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]Moreover, he had to stay trapped for who knows how many more years.
As far as Sang-cheon knew, the man was in his early twenties at most. No matter how shitty the other person’s personality was, knowing he was stuck in a place like a prison sparked a sense of pity. It wasn’t just Sang-cheon. Those who knew about the creditor’s family might be appalled by their vicious money-lending, but they all admitted one thing.
How pitiful. What on earth happened to make him like that?
The misfortune of that family garnered sympathy in that way. So, upon hearing the word ‘happiness,’ Sang-cheon’s heart grew heavy. He wondered why the brute would ask someone struggling under a mountain of debt about happiness.
“I’m not unhappy. Well, I think I’d be happy if I could just pay off some of the debt.”
[What a load of bullshit. You don’t even have customers, so how are you going to pay it back? Your skills must be absolute rock bottom.]
“My skills are the best! What’s with you!”
Fortunately, the tiny bit of pity he had felt vanished instantly. He could tolerate many things, but he could not stand insults to his professional skill.
“Thanks to the fact that I’m still holding out, you’re able to hear this bullshit… Ah, a customer is here.”
Having belatedly noticed the customer, Sang-cheon stood up. This was a precious customer, the first visitor of the day. He was ready to welcome them even if they brought a crescent-shaped stone knife over 3,000 years old, but his welcoming spirit quickly faded. The customer looked strange. A man in his mid-twenties, wearing hospital patient clothes, stood there with disheveled hair. To anyone, he looked like someone who had escaped from a hospital.
“How… did you get here?”
As Sang-cheon asked warily, the new type of crazy person simply stood frozen like a stone statue. Just as Sang-cheon was about to ask who he was again, he also froze in a half-standing position. The eyes of the person he faced were shimmering, filled with an emotion. The emotion was so intense that Sang-cheon flinched.
“Who….”
“Uncle.”
“Huh? Me?”
At the unexpected title, Sang-cheon pointed to himself. However, incomprehensible words continued to flow from the other’s mouth.
“You were… alive.”
Sang-cheon was baffled by the sudden remark. For a moment, he suspected that the loan shark had used some ingenious method to verify his survival. But that hypothesis soon vanished. He was captivated by the eyes and heart of the stranger who was revealing his emotions so overwhelmingly. His trembling voice sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
“Thank you. For being alive. Thank you so much.”
“Do you know me? No, who on earth are you to call me….”
The other person suddenly lunged forward, cutting off his words again. What?! While Sang-cheon was startled, the man suddenly hugged him tightly.
“H-hey! What are you doing?”
“I’m… I’m Won-woo. Haah, it doesn’t matter even if this is just my delusion. Thank you. Thank you for being alive, Uncle. I… I’m okay with seeing blood now. Just as you said, I’ve drawn a line with the government and I’m not being a pushover anymore. Just as you told me, I forced myself, I forced myself to stay alive….”
“No, what on earth are you talking about…. Wait, get off me…!”
Horrified, Sang-cheon tried to push away the person who was hugging him with all their might. However, despite being of similar height, the other person’s strength was so great that he couldn’t shake them off. He wasn’t called a crazy person for nothing. But it wasn’t because of the strength that he stopped pushing; it was because of the action the other person took next.
He began to cry while clinging to Sang-cheon. He wailed sorrowfully, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe. And it was on this day that Sang-cheon first learned that a person could cry until they fainted.
Why on earth did he cry like that? Sang-cheon laid the fainted Won-woo on the sofa and asked seriously.
“You think he’s someone you know?”
[Ji Won-woo.]
A single name came through the communicator.
“Ji Won-woo is wh—? Huh? Ji Won-woo? Wait a minute.”
Sang-cheon recalled the article he had shared earlier, for which he had been cursed.
“I think the Guide who survived the monster Farm accident was named Ji Won-woo. He’s only a D-rank, but he miraculously survived, so there was even an article about it. But how do you know?”
[I’ve seen his photo. That bastard.]
Sang-cheon was puzzled because emotion was rarely present in his voice.
“What do you mean, ‘that bastard’?”
[Ji Geun-oh’s son.]
“If it’s Ji Geun-oh… the President of the Guide Center?!”
Sang-cheon looked up into the air in surprise, as if looking at the other person. Then, a flat voice sounded in his ear.
[Yeah. Ji Geun-oh. That piece of shit who caused my parents’ death.]
“Wow, fuck, what the hell.”
Geon-young let out a shocked curse after checking the report he had just received about Ji Won-woo. Fortunately, the high-end Esper-only bar he was in was louder than usual due to a small party taking place. The only person who heard his curse was the friend drinking opposite him.
“Why?”
A distinct, deep voice that sounded like it was echoing in a cave pierced his ears. Geon-young looked up with a frown. His friend was leaning back comfortably on the sofa, looking around with a bored expression. He thought once again that the guy was too perfect. Not only did he have a voice anyone would fall for, but he had the looks and ability to match. It was only natural that his name, ‘Hong Seung-wook,’ always ranked high among the most popular Espers.
In a world where Espers were celebrities and the most talked-about figures, Geon-young, who also had great abilities, had a fairly large fandom, but it was nothing compared to Seung-wook. Since this guy excelled in everything, Geon-young didn’t even feel jealous. His infinitely kind personality toward his own people also played a part.
So, Geon-young hesitated for a moment on whether to bring up the topic. It was a well-known fact that Ji Won-woo had stalked Seung-wook. Of course, because Geon-young was friends with Seung-wook, he knew the detailed circumstances. That was why he was hesitating.
“Ji Won-woo has gone crazy.”
Seung-wook, who was about to lift his glass, paused.
“Because of the Farm accident?”
“Probably? I don’t know how he survived, but according to the team member who met him….”
Geon-young circled his finger near his head. Seung-wook frowned at the expression ‘gone crazy.’
“How bad is his condition?”
“They say he doesn’t know a lot of things, like a fool. Some say it’s like he lost his memory…. Ah, this might actually be good news for you.”
Geon-young offered his congratulations, but Seung-wook’s expression remained stiff. Ah, his heart is too soft, Geon-young clicked his tongue inwardly. On the surface, it was known that Ji Won-woo had unilaterally stalked Seung-wook, but in reality, the two had briefly met.
But so what? He’s a Guide. If an Esper wants it, a Guide has the responsibility to accept them at any time and stabilize them. Of course, since it’s a meeting between people, emotions naturally get mixed in, and desires can be prioritized. Therefore, there was no reason to be criticized for a casual encounter with a Guide.
However, this overly kind friend seemed to feel a sort of responsibility toward Ji Won-woo. Since mixing bodies with a D-rank Guide was clearly not a meeting for the sake of guiding, he must be walking on eggshells. Fortunately, no one knows that the two met briefly. Ji Won-woo’s abilities were trash, but he seemed to have a tight lip and didn’t go around bragging about it. Though, even if he did, no one would believe him.
“If there’s a problem with his health, it can’t be good news.”
“For me, who had to forcibly keep a useless Guide around, it’s plenty of good news. I can use this as an excuse to finally kick him out. Fuck, if his family didn’t monopolize the Guides, I wouldn’t even have to listen to them. Hey, stop hiding it and just be happy.”
“He’s not even on my team, so what. I don’t really think much of it.”
But contrary to his words, he turned his gaze away and downed his drink in one gulp. Geon-young didn’t entirely fail to understand his friend. No matter how much Ji Won-woo was mocked as a trash D-rank Guide, he had looks that made one want to touch him. Geon-young himself had thought about playing around with Ji Won-woo for a bit when he first joined the team. But his condition was poor. For some reason, he always seemed half-out of it.
“Yeah, it’s better not to think about Ji Won-woo. [stolen content]Read on Read BL Novelsstolen content -->You’ve met a proper Guide now, right? You’re a truly lucky guy. To have gotten your hands on Idan-i.”
“Ah, Dan-i.”
A natural smile spread across Seung-wook’s lips.
“Hey, are you so happy just hearing the name that you’re dying?”
Geon-young teased his friend and decided not to mention the other news about Ji Won-woo. Ha, to think he escaped from the hospital. What on earth is he thinking? He’s an existence that not a single person would miss even if he disappeared forever.
The one thing Won-woo could never get used to, no matter how long he smelled it, was the scent of blood. That was why he always wore a gas mask that covered his entire face when fighting, and because of that appearance, he actually became famous among his enemies. However, in a long war, it was difficult to keep receiving a supply of gas masks, which weren’t even weapons. Later, he had to fight with his bare face, but the smell of blood was always nauseating.
“Blegh.”
As soon as he finished vomiting and straightened his back, a snickering laugh was heard through the communicator.
[I heard you ate rice balls during the day. What a waste to throw them up. Hurry up and pick them up and eat them again.]
At those words, Won-woo gagged again and covered his mouth.
“Ah, Uncle. You know I have a weak stomach.”
As Won-woo expressed his annoyance, the other person laughed even more happily. How old is he to be acting like a child, seriously. Feeling absurd, Won-woo took the communicator unit out of his pocket and unfolded it. He tried to touch the palm-sized screen, but after noticing the blood on his hand, he shook it off vigorously.
“Tell the lab to fix the whisper errors. AI is all well and good, but when fighting an enemy, it should only give proper information.”
[I told you to turn off the whisper function when going into an operation. AI only finds the answer with the highest probability. If you want accuracy, use the search assistant.]
“I was asked to test if it’s usable in actual combat.”
[Hey, fuck, don’t agree to things like that.]
“Ah, why are you swearing?”
[Since you can’t swear, I have to do it for you!]
“It’s not that I can’t, I just don’t.”
[Same shit, different day. Anyway, the government is pouring an enormous amount of money into deep learning, so they should handle it themselves. That’s why those people see you as a pushover.]
“I get it. Stop nagging.”
Won-woo grumbled, tapping the screen with fingers that had lost their bloodstains. Soon, the face of the man he called uncle appeared on the screen. Looking at the background, it seemed to be one of several hideouts. A repair shop named ‘Hwang Sang-cheon Research Institute.’ As soon as Won-woo confirmed the location, he frowned.
“Why did you go there? I told you to be careful for a while because it’s a location exposed to the enemy.”
[A regular customer said their repairs were urgent.]
“You’ll make so much money fixing that. No, who told you to take out loans so recklessly?”
As Won-woo sneered, Sang-cheon shot back.
[All research requires money. Do you think I’m only doing one or two projects? Still, since customers never stop coming, I naturally make a lot of money. Once I become rich, I’m going to eat tons of seonji—which you can’t stand—to my heart’s content. You’ve lived covered in blood for years, so why can’t you fix your weak stomach?]
“How can I fix being born refined? And anyway, it’ll all be over soon.”
[Yeah, the end. There’s not much time left.]
Since the topic had come up, Sang-cheon shifted his gaze to another monitor, perhaps to check on the remaining Esper remnants. Won-woo watched him on the screen in silence before speaking.
“Will we be happy once it’s all over?”
Sang-cheon’s arm, which had been moving as he used the mouse, stopped. He remained looking at the other monitor for a long time before finally speaking.
[The end of a war isn’t happiness. But it doesn’t matter, right? It’s not like we jumped into this work to be happy.]
True. He hadn’t started this fight hoping for happiness. Some just happened to follow someone they knew, and others said it was simply because they were fed well and didn’t starve. Most of the people around Won-woo were like that. Though they were the ones fighting enemies directly in the field, they didn’t particularly hold grand convictions for equality or freedom. Such things were luxuries enjoyed by those who gave orders from safe places.
“Then do we have to keep being unhappy even after the war ends?”
Sang-cheon was silent for a moment. He too seemed unable to deny the fact that they were unhappy. To say otherwise would be impossible, as the piled-up corpses of their comrades blocked their path. Everyone had died, and now only the two of them remained. Before they knew it, the corpses of their comrades had grown as high as a mountain.
[Those who survive a war must carry the dead on their backs. It can’t be helped. Just accept it.]
“The winner is the one who dies first and gets out.”
As Won-woo muttered discontentedly, Sang-cheon curved his lips.
[Yeah, the ones who left first are probably having a blast at the finish line right now—]
Splat!
Suddenly, with a sound like a watermelon bursting, the screen was stained red. It didn’t take long to realize that what had burst was Sang-cheon’s head. There was no smell coming from the red blood streaming down the screen, but that day, Won-woo could not stop vomiting.
Life is finite, and no one can avoid the end of their existence. Moreover, the visit of death is always abrupt, and it is unknown how cruel it can be. Left alone, Won-woo accepted this truth desperately, but in exchange, his soul wore down and flew away like dust.
He believed his soul had shriveled until only a shell remained. However, the unbelievable happened, and the empty shell suddenly swelled as emotions accumulated. Waking up after fainting in an unfamiliar world, Won-woo’s throat tightened again upon seeing Sang-cheon before him. Seeing Won-woo’s wavering eyes, Sang-cheon asked cautiously.
“Um, sorry, but I have absolutely no memory of you. Have we met before?”
There was worry in his voice, which made Won-woo even more emotional. Ah, he’s still the same. This person is still so kind. That was why he couldn’t tell the truth. No matter how good a person was, they would surely be wary if a stranger claimed to have come from another world. They might even think he was crazy and call a hospital. So, instead of nodding, Won-woo wiped his tears and grinned.
“I’m not sure.”
Sang-cheon stared blankly at Won-woo’s smiling face, then snapped back to his senses as soon as he heard the answer.
“If you’re not sure, why did you hug and welcome me so… ahem, like you knew me so well?”
“…You look like someone I know.”
No way. Your reaction was too much for that. There must be a reason why you cried enough to faint.
Sang-cheon swallowed the words he wanted to use to refute him. Although Won-woo seemed quite calm since waking up, Sang-cheon still doubted his mental state.
Because he now knew that Won-woo was a Guide who had escaped from a monster Farm. If he had survived such a terrifying place, it would be strange if he were sane.
[This bastard is good at talking bullshit too.]
Crazy talk in front of him, and murderous nonsense in his ear. Sang-cheon ignored the brute’s voice and swallowed a sigh. Now that Won-woo was awake, he wanted to send him away quickly. It would be one thing if the other person were just crazy, but to be from the Ji family.
He had heard rumors that the Ji family was arrogant and overbearing, as they wielded power by holding Guides in their grip. Dealing with a debtor was already a headache; he didn’t want to increase his troubles. The problem lay elsewhere.
“Anyway, you mistook me for someone else, right? Then I’m sorry, but I’d like you to leave now…”
[No.]
“What?”
Sang-cheon unconsciously replied to the brute and then glanced at Won-woo.
“Sorry. I wasn’t talking to you…”
[Hold onto him. You can’t just let a Ji family bastard go.]
No, what am I supposed to do if I don’t let him go?
[Since he made me listen to bullshit, you should at least rip his mouth open.]
“It’s alright.”
Hearing Won-woo’s answer, Sang-cheon strained his face to avoid frowning. This brute, despite being trapped, wants to rip the mouth of someone far away? Who is going to rip that mouth? There was a very high possibility he would tell Sang-cheon to do it. Sang-cheon shuddered at the mere thought. The reason to get Ji Won-woo out quickly had grown. At this rate, he, caught in the middle, was the only one who would get crushed. Unaware of his urgency, Won-woo bowed his head and apologized politely.
“You must have been very surprised because I suddenly said strange things. Thank you for taking care of me instead of kicking me out.”
“No, it’s not something you need to thank me for so formally.”
[A Ji family member actually talking sense. Fuck, how disgusting.]
Is that something to swear about? Sang-cheon forced a smile and looked at Won-woo.
“Do I really look that much like someone you know?”
Won-woo looked around for a moment. It was a place like an old warehouse filled with parts from all sorts of devices, but Won-woo looked at it as if he were at a comfortable resort.
“That person was also very good at repairing machines. He had many talents. He did AI research too, although his main profession was different.”
AI research? Sang-cheon tilted his head in curiosity. Because he liked all sorts of miscellaneous technology, he also had a foot in AI. Of course, the number of people researching AI could be counted on one hand, so there wasn’t much room to step into.
All technology researched by humans is prioritized for support based on survival-related laws set by Espers. This means that technology for the convenience of ordinary people is difficult to develop. Naturally, AI, which is not critically important for survival, is excluded from support. Many people found the term AI unfamiliar.
[AI?]
See, even this guy doesn’t know. That’s why the word AI coming from Won-woo’s mouth bothered Sang-cheon.
“Who is this person you know? As far as I know, there aren’t many people researching AI. Since data is important and researchers share it, I know almost everyone who does this research.”
“You wouldn’t know because you’ve never met him. He passed away a year ago.”
At the last word, Won-woo’s voice grew thick again. Sang-cheon nodded with an ‘ah,’ but he still suspected the other person was lying. Then, Won-woo added.
“I heard that the early AI model he researched was named after one of the researchers’ pet dogs. He said it was his wish for the AI to love humans just like [stolen [Read on Read BL Novels]content]that dog. I believe the name was Mandu.”
Uh… Mandu? Sang-cheon froze, unable to respond, and swallowed hard. One of the researchers Sang-cheon interacted with had suggested naming the AI model that. Sang-cheon had complained, asking why he would use a food name so carelessly, but he had immediately become solemn after the explanation. Since it was the name of a dead pet, he couldn’t make fun of it.
But in the end, Mandu was never used. To begin with, the development staff was small, and they couldn’t even create a proper algorithm. Since it was research done in their spare time, there was no way a proper result would come out. So these days, it was more of a social gathering than a research meeting.
What gave Sang-cheon the creeps was that the name Mandu had been mentioned jokingly just a few days ago. Was it simply a coincidence? Or had he been wiretapped? No, that wasn’t it. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his security could never be breached.
“What was that person’s main profession?”
“Security.”
Huh? He’s really similar to me? Dazed, Sang-cheon soon began to take the commonalities seriously. Won-woo added more descriptions of the person he knew.
“Even though he hated fighting, he even researched weapons. Weapons that would allow ordinary people to fight monsters and protect themselves.”
“…No matter how good a weapon an ordinary person holds, they cannot beat a monster. They cannot withstand a monster’s power and speed.”
“Then we just have to make a better weapon.”
“….”
[That’s the same bullshit the old man was talking.]
True. That’s what I was talking about. If a better weapon were made, wouldn’t ordinary people gain the power to face monsters like Espers? It had been Sang-cheon’s long-held wish. Even if he were ignored and unacknowledged in a society ruled by Espers, he couldn’t abandon this wish. But why would a crazy person who appeared out of nowhere speak his thoughts?
“But it would be difficult in a society ruled by Espers.”
“Is there a society that isn’t ruled by Espers?”
He replied bluntly to hide his wavering emotions, but Won-woo smiled silently again. Sang-cheon couldn’t take his eyes off that face again. My, the way he smiles is really…
[Why?]
Sang-cheon flinched at the brute’s question and looked away. He could never explain that he was mesmerized by Ji Won-woo’s smiling face. Ahem, Sang-cheon cleared his throat and muttered barely audibly.
“It’s nothing.”
[But why does your breathing sound like a pervert’s?]
“Who’s a pervert?!”
Ah, damn it. Sang-cheon waved his hand toward Won-woo, denying it.
“I wasn’t talking to you. And that doesn’t mean I’m a pervert either.”
“It’s alright. You’re not as strange as I am.”
At least he knows he’s strange. But looking at him like this, he seemed normal, which was confusing.
“By the way, it looks like you came from a hospital; shouldn’t you go back?”
“It’ll be fine. If I were an important person, they would have already found me, even by mobilizing Espers.”
Sang-cheon frowned at the words that evaluated himself as if he were a third party.
“Then why did you come wearing patient clothes? You should have at least changed, or better yet, been discharged before coming. Besides, the person looking for you isn’t me… Hey, you’re not crying, are you?”
“I am not.”
He answered so, but moisture gathered [stolen content]in Won-woo’s eyes. He managed not to let a tear fall and looked straight at Sang-cheon.
“Mr. Hwang, I’ve had some problems with my memory. Everything feels unfamiliar, as if I’ve dropped into a strange place. Everything around me, and this whole world.”
It felt ominous. It felt like the prelude to asking for help. Sang-cheon naturally intended to refuse before the words even came out. However, there was an interferer.
[Help him.]
Ah, this bastard. Sang-cheon cursed inwardly and frowned again. Sure enough, while he hesitated, Won-woo made a direct request. But it came with a condition.
“I need your help, CEO. If you help me, I will help you too.”
“I don’t have the ability to help. Of course, I don’t need your help either. You said you have no memory, so how do you intend to help me?”
“I’ll help you with weapon research. I can test them in actual combat.”
He paused. He was tempted for a moment, but Sang-cheon forced himself to shake his head.
“Why would I entrust such dangerous work to a stranger? You too. Monsters are so fast and powerful. That’s practically saying you want to die.”
“I’m confident I can survive.”
“Forget it. I have no intention of giving a weapon to you…”
“Even if it’s a weapon, you made it for defense anyway, right? To buy time to escape. That’s why you probably modified a shotgun by putting a seed in as an explosive medium. Since the range will be long, there’s no danger in me testing it.”
“How… how do you know that?!”
Sang-cheon jumped up from his seat, so surprised he even stopped breathing. This was truly impossible. He had thought of a shotgun using seeds, but he had discarded it at the design stage. Naturally. To use one of those precious seeds for every single shot.
Even then, it wasn’t effective enough to deal a fatal blow to a monster. Setting aside the lack of efficiency, the Seed Administration Bureau would never provide seeds for such a purpose. So he had told no one. Then how on earth did this person know? Unlike Sang-cheon, whose eyes were shaking in shock, Won-woo faced him with calm eyes.
“The person I knew had a similar plan.”
“Then who the hell was that person?! Who was it that did the same research as me…!”
“Someone who wanted ordinary people to have even a little bit of power to defend themselves.”
“….”
“I can help you with that research.”
“…No.”
Sang-cheon barely managed to utter a refusal and shook his head strongly.
“I gave up on that invention long ago. I have no intention of doing it again, and even if I did, I have no intention of throwing a Guide in front of a monster under the guise of testing. Even if you told me you’d steal and bring me Alpha seeds, which are more expensive and precious than diamonds, I’d still refuse.”
In an instant, Won-woo’s expression became strange.
“Are there Alpha seeds here too?”
[…Here?]
Sang-cheon also felt something strange about that word, but he ignored it and quickly said what he needed to say.
“Of course. You don’t know Alpha seeds? They’re super seeds with dozens of times the energy of a regular seed.”
“Thirty-seven times.”
“Right, thirty-seven… Huh? Is the multiplier that? Well, anyway, Alpha seeds are the raw material [stolen contentunauthorized copyize:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]for Esper enhancers because of that power.”
“Yes. That’s why Espers go crazy for them.”
“Right, they go cra… ahem.”
“How are Alpha seeds made?”
“That’s a strange question. Made? Seeds come from monster Farms, don’t they? Do you not even remember that? Alpha seeds appear with a 1 in a million probability among those seeds, so you can’t get them even if you have money.”
Won-woo looked down as if lost in thought after hearing the explanation.
[He’s really acting like someone who dropped from a strange world.]
The voice that tossed the words was laced with sarcasm. Sang-cheon wanted to argue that it wasn’t acting but a memory problem, but the following voice stopped him.
[Old man, hand the communicator over to that bastard.]
What are you talking about? Even without asking aloud, the other party explained the reason.
[Seeing as he’s drifting in and out of sanity, he’d be useful to employ.]
Employ? If it’s the Ji family, for what purpose would they employ Ji Won-woo? Not as a spy… wait, as a spy. Sang-cheon could only express his frustration with a twitching eyebrow. The hatred the brute held for the Ji family was understandable. Still, Ji Won-woo seemed like a sick person; using him was a bit…
[Because of the Ji family’s interference, my house still hasn’t received proper guiding.]
Knowing how important guiding is to an Esper, Sang-cheon kept his mouth shut. In particular, the animosity between the Ji family and the brute’s family was deep enough for anyone to know. No one remembers now that the heads of the two houses used to be close and friendly. To that extent, the two families had become enemies. Because of that discord, the brute’s family had been unable to receive proper Guides for a long time.
[If it’s Ji Won-woo, he’ll be able to access the Guide information the Ji family possesses. Tell him you’ll help and hand over the communicator.]
No, what excuse am I supposed to make up out of nowhere to hand over the communicator?
[You’re good at talking your way out of things, old man.]
Of course I am, but still…
[Tell me if you can’t do it. I’ll cut out your useless tongue with a razor and chew it up.]
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