Chapter 146:
Not only that, but the other unconscious Espers around them also reacted, groaning and coughing.
“Ugh…”
The Esper Seo Jae-yi was holding, his face pale from the direct impact of Korea’s strongest S-rank Esper’s energy, could only nod weakly.
It seemed Baek Joo-won was right; Park Jung-soo had used her Awakening Factor to escape.
That damn bastard. Just how much of it did he have?
“Where’s Park Jung-soo’s room?”
The Esper, trembling, gestured towards a room in the corner. His gloomy taste hadn’t changed.
Seo Jae-yi strode towards the room, kicked the door open, and entered. A desk, a chair, a bed. It was a sparsely furnished room.
Except for another door leading to another room.
Seo Jae-yi opened it.
“He must have been conducting experiments here too.”
It wasn’t a proper lab like the one in his house, but there were some simple tools. The Esper bodyguards outside must have brought them in at Jang Woo-seok or Park Jung-soo’s request.
“He didn’t even have time to clean up this time.”
Baek Joo-won, who had followed her inside, looked around.
Unlike Park Jung-soo’s house, where all the data had been wiped clean, this place was a mess. There were clear signs of a hasty escape.
“But he must have taken everything important with him.”
There was nothing useful among the scattered papers.
She wanted to know where he had gone, not about his creepy obsession with experiments.
“What is it? Did you find something useful?”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been casually flipping through the papers, asked, seeing Baek Joo-won staring intently at a single sheet.
He shook his head.
“No. It’s just about the Guide Factor experiment Kwon Yi-soo mentioned before. Nothing special.”
She nodded and continued searching elsewhere, taking his word for it.
After she looked away, Baek Joo-won looked at the paper again.
A single sentence was written on it.
[If I transplant the Guide Factor of the Guide with a 93% Matching Rate with Seo Jae-yi, would my Matching Rate with her also increase?]
‘…So this is why he wanted to become an S-rank Guide.’
Baek Joo-won’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of possessiveness in them.
Park Jung-soo, who had been obsessed with Seo Jae-yi’s experiments.
This was why he had approached Gong Ju-hyun, who wanted to be paired with Seo Jae-yi, and why he had lingered around her even after being expelled from the Central Center.
‘A Guide obsessed with Seo Jae-yi, just like Kwon Yi-soo…’
But unlike Kwon Yi-soo, who had accepted the reality that he couldn’t save Seo Jae-yi, this bastard hadn’t given up.
He was even trying to steal Baek Joo-won’s power.
A powerless Guide, daring to covet Seo Jae-yi…
He was enraged, both as the one who possessed her and as a monster whose possessiveness was far stronger than any human’s.
He crumpled the paper in his hand.
He didn’t know if Park Jung-soo had left it there intentionally or if he had simply forgotten it in his haste.
But either way, Baek Joo-won wouldn’t tell Seo Jae-yi about this disgusting truth. He would keep this filth to himself.
That bastard would never lay a finger on Seo Jae-yi.
“Seo Jae-yi, burn this. It’s disgusting.”
Baek Joo-won handed her the crumpled paper, making sure she couldn’t read its contents. Seo Jae-yi, without questioning him, incinerated it.
Baek Joo-won’s expression relaxed.
“There’s nothing useful here. It seems the others have arrived, so let’s have them take everything to the Center.”
They went outside, and as Seo Jae-yi had said, several people were waking up the unconscious Espers.
They were from the Guiding Center, led by Yoon Ji-hyun, the S-rank Esper who was the head of the Center’s security team.
“It’s been a while.”
Seo Jae-yi approached her and greeted her. Yoon Ji-hyun bowed her head and then turned towards Baek Joo-won.
“I apologize for what happened before.”
Baek Joo-won’s Guiding experiment at the Center, after his ability was revealed.
She had participated in the experiment and then attacked Seo Jae-yi, having lost control under the influence of his Guiding.
They hadn’t seen each other since then, until now, months later.
“Is your injury healed?”
Yoon Ji-hyun asked about her arm, which had been torn by her attack.
“It’s completely healed. Not a single scar left, thanks to my Pair.”
Seo Jae-yi rolled up her sleeve, showing her unblemished arm. Yoon Ji-hyun, after examining it closely, nodded.
“That’s a relief. I heard Park Jung-soo already escaped.”
“Yes, that’s right. But there are some experiment-related materials inside, so please take them to the Center. I’m not sure what you’ll find, but please investigate.”
“Yes, I’ll let you know if we find anything.”
There was nothing more for Seo Jae-yi to do here, now that Park Jung-soo was gone and Yoon Ji-hyun had arrived.
She left with Baek Joo-won.
“Breaking news. Just a day after the revelations about the human experiments conducted at the Guiding Center, another shocking truth has emerged. One of the victims is S-rank Esper Seo Jae-yi, who awakened at the age of thirteen. It has also been revealed that the current Prime Minister, Jang Woo-seok, is involved, and that the ruling party, including the President, orchestrated the experiments.”
“The opposition party is intensifying its criticism of the ruling party, demanding a thorough investigation of the Guiding Center and the Esper Association. The ruling party leader and the presidential office have yet to release a statement.”
“The news of human experiments on Awakened individuals is spreading globally. Many are expressing outrage, especially at the fact that minors, including an S-rank Esper, were subjected to these experiments. The issue of human rights for Awakened individuals is also being raised.”
“Breaking news. Esper Seo Jae-yi of Haeil Guild has filed a lawsuit against the government for damages related to the human experiments. People are anticipating the upcoming trial.”
The shocking revelations, one after another, sent the media and the internet into a frenzy.
The fact that Seo Jae-yi was one of the victims was especially shocking.
Seo Jae-yi, the hero who had saved countless lives since her teenage years, subjugating numerous dungeons.
And she had become a national icon at the young age of twenty, challenging the notorious Taesan Guild and their misdeeds.
And yet, she had been subjected to human experiments, abused, instead of being protected at the Center during her teenage years!
People, outraged by the unbelievable truth, protested in front of the Center and the Association.
Center Head Kwon Yi-soo and Association Head Kang Sung-yeon finally released a joint official statement.
[The human experiments and discrimination against Awakened individuals conducted at the Guiding Center and the Esper Association in the past are true. We acknowledge that these were horrific acts that violated human rights.
However, these were all acts committed by the previous Center Head. All experiments were terminated after the current Center Head assumed office, and we assure you that no such inhumane acts are currently taking place at the Center.
The Center and the Association sincerely apologize to all victims, including Esper Seo Jae-yi, and the current Center Head pledges to take full responsibility and provide all possible compensation.
Once again, we apologize to the victims.]
Kwon Yi-soo and Kang Sung-yeon bowed their heads before the cameras.
People’s anger subsided slightly, thanks to their prompt apology and acknowledgment. And there was no one to blame, as it had been the previous Center Head who was responsible, and the current Center Head had stopped the experiments.
Now, only the government, which had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes, remained.
With the victims speaking up and the Center and Association apologizing, public outrage was directed at the silent government.
They had trusted the government, believing they were effectively controlling Awakened individuals, but it turned out they had been controlling them through human experiments!
The sense of betrayal was immense, and public opinion turned against them, the President’s approval rating plummeting.
The opposition party even brought up the possibility of impeaching the President, questioning how they could trust a leader who had orchestrated human experiments.
The entire country was in an uproar. Like wildfire spreading from Seo Jae-yi’s flames, the public outrage couldn’t be ignored.
The trial for Seo Jae-yi’s lawsuit was scheduled with unprecedented speed.
The day of the trial.
Seo Jae-yi, dressed in a suit, arrived at the courthouse with Kim Yoo-sung, the Haeil Guild Leader, and a lawyer from Haeil.
Jang Woo-seok, the main perpetrator, arrived shortly after. He looked much thinner, as if he had been under a lot of stress.
Seo Jae-yi scoffed, seeing his haggard face and the manic glint in his eyes.
“You seem to be having a hard time. Too bad. This is just the beginning.”
“Seo Jae-yi… You…!”
“Ah, can you relay a message to the presidential office? Tell them to stop calling me. Why are they trying to negotiate when it won’t work?”
They had been trying to contact her since the truth started to emerge.
But Seo Jae-yi had ignored them all. There was no reason to answer.
“Ah, you probably won’t be able to deliver the message, since you’ll all be finished soon. That’s a shame.”
Seo Jae-yi, after mocking him one last time, entered the courtroom, leaving behind Jang Woo-seok, his face red with anger.
The trial began.
“We submit the following evidence.”
The Haeil Guild lawyer submitted the evidence as soon as the trial began. It was a USB drive containing the raw, unedited footage of the human experiments.
The horrific truth, hidden for years, was revealed to everyone in the courtroom.
The sterile white lab, the researchers drawing blood from Seo Jae-yi and other Awakened individuals, the abuse and torture disguised as ability development training, the teenagers confined to sparsely furnished rooms, the transparent walls offering no privacy, the children forced into dungeons…
Some gasped, covering their mouths in horror, while others wept, unable to watch.
“This is all CCTV footage from the basement of the Guiding Center. It was secured by the victim, Seo Jae-yi, over several years.”
Even the judges clicked their tongues and shook their heads, seemingly shocked by the extent of the atrocities.
“These events all occurred during the tenure of the previous Guiding Center Head, Oh Yoon-seok. We also submit evidence of his collusion with Jang Woo-seok, the current Prime Minister, who was a member of the National Assembly at the time.”
The lawyer submitted another USB drive.
Footage of Oh Yoon-seok and someone who was clearly Jang Woo-seok conversing in the Center Head’s office appeared on the large screen.
There was no audio, as it was CCTV footage, but their amicable atmosphere was enough to paint a clear picture.
There was even a scene of Oh Yoon-seok handing Jang Woo-seok a bag full of money.
“This CCTV footage has no audio, but we also have audio recordings. Prime Minister Jang Woo-seok frequently visited the Center and often observed the experiments. This is one of the audio files recorded during his conversations with the researchers.”
The lawyer played the recording.
“The government will spare no expense in supporting the Center if you can turn these Espers into obedient weapons. So do whatever it takes to crush Seo Jae-yi’s will. This is my will, and the government’s will.”
A stunned silence filled the courtroom as Jang Woo-seok’s chilling voice echoed through the room.