Chapter 145:
Han Sung-woo and Baek Joo-won blocked the entrance, a wall of bodies separating them from Jang Woo-seok’s men. They all looked flustered, but they hesitated and stepped back as Kwon Yi-soo stepped forward. Most of them were Esper bodyguards.
Jang Woo-seok’s ugly true face, revealed to the media.
Some recognized him, but many didn’t.
“Move.”
They quickly stepped aside at Kwon Yi-soo’s cold command. Some hurriedly entered Jang Woo-seok’s office.
No one dared to stop them.
The reporters gathered outside the building were momentarily stunned by Kwon Yi-soo’s unexpected appearance, but they quickly started snapping pictures.
“News about the Esper experiments has just been released! Is this related to that?!”
“Is it true that the Center conducted human experiments on Awakened individuals?!”
“Center Head, what are your thoughts on this?!”
The reporters, held back by Han Sung-woo, the telekinesis Esper, shouted questions from afar.
Kwon Yi-soo ignored them and got into the car, and then Han Sung-woo answered in his stead.
“The experiments are true. The Center will release an official statement soon, so please wait.”
“Wait! If it’s true, then is Center Head Kwon Yi-soo also involved?!”
“Just one more question!”
The reporters, flustered, shouted more questions, but Han Sung-woo got into the car without another word.
The reporters’ frustrated cries followed them, but they quickly turned their attention back to the Prime Minister’s office.
None of the reporters noticed Seo Jae-yi among them.
「Human Experiments of the 21st Century Conducted in the Basement of the Guiding Center」
「Awakened Individuals Experimented on as Teenagers: Where is the Minor Protection Act?」
「Center Head Kwon Yi-soo Confirms the Experiments」
「Prime Minister Jang Woo-seok Accused of Supporting the Human Experiments」
Before going to meet Jang Woo-seok with Kwon Yi-soo, Seo Jae-yi had told Kim Yoo-sung to release the information she had gathered about the human experiments to the media.
But she hadn’t released everything.
She had held back some information – that she was one of the victims, that the entire ruling party, including Jang Woo-seok, was involved, that Park Jung-soo was the mastermind and was still conducting research on Awakened individuals – as leverage for negotiations.
People, unaware of the hidden truths, were in an uproar over the shocking revelations.
【Title: Human experiments? Seriously?】
【The Center conducted human experiments on Awakened individuals? And even minors were involved? Is this for real…? This is insane…
Many Guilds hate the Center and the Association; I wonder if this was the reason? There must be many among them who were experimented on…
Wow… this is all so shocking… But then how does the Center control all the Awakened individuals? If it’s such a terrible place, no one would listen to them… And it’s strange that this hasn’t been revealed until now…
It doesn’t seem like a lie… What’s going on?】
【Comments】
“There are a lot of perceptive people.”
Inside the car heading towards Jeongseon.
Baek Joo-won, scrolling through the real-time reactions online, told Seo Jae-yi, who was driving, that her name was starting to be mentioned.
“Are you satisfied?”
“Yes, completely. This is exactly the reaction I wanted.”
Seo Jae-yi grinned.
She could have revealed from the start that she was one of the victims. But she had intentionally hidden it because of the weight her name carried.
If she mentioned “Seo Jae-yi,” people would focus on her suffering, not on the “human experiments” conducted by the Guiding Center.
That wasn’t what she wanted.
She wanted people to be enraged by the experiments, she wanted other victims like her to speak up, and she wanted everyone to heal from their past traumas.
That was why she had endured all this time.
[Arriving at your destination shortly.]
The car’s navigation system announced.
“That must be it.”
A luxurious villa stood on a mountainside in Jeongseon, surrounded by beautiful scenery.
This was where Jang Woo-seok was hiding Park Jung-soo.
But something was strange.
“Why aren’t there any guards, even though the villa is right in front of us?”
Jang Woo-seok would have deployed guards to prevent unauthorized access and to prevent Park Jung-soo from escaping, but there was no presence, no sign of anyone. It was suspiciously quiet.
No one came out even after they got out of the car. There wasn’t even a single sound. Something was definitely wrong.
“I don’t think Jang Woo-seok lied.”
“He didn’t.”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been looking around, turned to Baek Joo-won, his face slightly grim.
“I can smell Park Jung-soo. It’s a recent scent, so he was definitely here.”
“You’re saying you can’t smell him now?”
Had Park Jung-soo escaped, evading the Espers?
Was this how he had contacted Taesan without Jang Woo-seok noticing? Did he have an ability that allowed him to do that?
“There’s a bigger problem. I can smell you here too.”
Seo Jae-yi’s eyes widened at Baek Joo-won’s irritated words.
“The same scent as in Park Jung-soo’s house.”
Ah. Park Jung-soo’s home lab, a replica of the Center’s underground lab where she had been confined.
He had conducted experiments there, exposing Gong Ju-hyun to the Awakening Factor he had extracted from her.
So the fact that she could smell the same scent here meant that he had done something with her Factor again.
“That bastard.”
She was already furious that he still had her father’s Guide Factor, and now he was messing with her Factor too?
Seo Jae-yi cursed and strode towards the villa. She kicked the door open and saw what she hadn’t been able to sense with her detection ability.
Several people, presumably Esper bodyguards hired by Jang Woo-seok, were collapsed all over the villa. They were unconscious, so she hadn’t been able to sense their presence.
“There are more.”
She activated her heat detection ability and scanned the surroundings. She detected a few more, both inside the villa and hidden in the bushes outside.
“He must have used your Factor to knock them out.”
Baek Joo-won, who had followed her inside, said.
“Is that even possible?”
“He must have found a way. And that’s not the point. The point is that we lost him again.”
Baek Joo-won was right. Where were they supposed to find him now?
“He’s like a rat; he’s good at hiding.”
Seo Jae-yi took out her phone and called Kwon Yi-soo. She told him that Park Jung-soo had escaped and ordered him to issue an arrest warrant immediately.
Then she called Jang Woo-seok.
“Hello, Prime Minister. Unfortunately, our deal is off.”
Jang Woo-seok, flustered, yelled,
—What?! What are you talking about?! I didn’t lie!
“I know. I did find traces of Park Jung-soo in Jeongseon. But he’s not here.”
—He was here a few days ago. I saw him myself!
“I know he was here. But he’s not here now. So our deal is off.”
Seo Jae-yi clicked her tongue at Jang Woo-seok’s desperate plea.
“Prime Minister, I specifically said, ‘If you catch Park Jung-soo.’ You didn’t catch him, so the deal is off.”
—Stop playing word games! Keep your promise, Seo Jae-yi!
“I’m not playing word games. When have I ever broken a promise? I always keep my promises. And this is no exception.”
—Seo Jae-yi!
“Then everything will be revealed as planned. It’s a shame, Prime Minister. This will be the last time you’re called that. See you in court.”
Goodbye.
Seo Jae-yi hung up, ignoring his protests. She then texted Kim Yoo-sung, telling him to release the remaining information, as they hadn’t caught Park Jung-soo.
“Korea will be in chaos this time.”
“Indeed. Especially when they find out that not just Jang Woo-seok, but the entire ruling party, including the president, is involved.”
She hadn’t intended to make a deal with Jang Woo-seok from the beginning.
Why would she do him any favors? She had only lied to catch Park Jung-soo.
They had shown her no mercy when she was young, so why should she show them any?
There was no reason.
“Hey, wake up.”
Seo Jae-yi grabbed one of the unconscious Espers by the collar and slapped his cheek.
The Esper’s eyes fluttered open after a couple of slaps, his face red.
“Wh-what?!”
“Tell me what happened here.”
“S-Seo Jae-yi…!”
“Yes, it’s Firestarter. I’ll burn you alive if you don’t talk.”
Heat emanated from her body. The Esper, startled, nodded quickly.
“Park Jung-soo, who rarely leaves his room, sprayed something in the villa. All the Espers lost consciousness because of a terrifying, oppressive scent.”
A terrifying, oppressive scent…
“Is this it?”
Seo Jae-yi released a wave of energy, a deep red aura, so powerful that the Esper’s face turned pale.