Chapter 89:
“Why is Branch Head Chu here? Since when did South Chungcheong extend its reach to Gangwon?”
Chu Sung-won gulped nervously at his sharp words.
“W-well, I was in the area on personal business and stopped by after hearing that Esper Seo Jae-yi was dispatched to the Mount Taebaek wildfire.”
“How did the South Chungcheong branch head know about this, when even I, the Center Head, just heard about it?”
“Uh, that’s…”
“I didn’t know South Chungcheong had the resources to be concerned with other branches’ affairs. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chu Sung-won tried to explain himself, but Kwon Yi-soo had already lost interest in him.
He turned his gaze towards Gong Ju-hyun.
“Why is Guide Gong Ju-hyun here?”
“Because Jae-yi Noona is here.”
Unlike Chu Sung-won, Gong Ju-hyun answered with his head held high. Kwon Yi-soo’s face contorted in displeasure.
“What does Guide Gong Ju-hyun have to do with Seo Jae-yi?”
“We might become involved in the future.”
“Guide Gong Ju-hyun, with Seo Jae-yi?”
You, of all people?
“Yes, that’s what will happen.”
His confident response was so different from before that it was unsettling.
Chu Sung-won quickly interjected, seeing Kwon Yi-soo staring at Gong Ju-hyun silently.
“Actually, Gong Ju-hyun and Seo Jae-yi’s Matching Rate increased slightly in the past few days. We brought him here because we thought he might be able to Guide her now.”
Kwon Yi-soo scoffed. It had been a while since he had heard such utter nonsense.
“An A-rank Guide whose Matching Rate with an S-rank Esper is constantly increasing? If this is true, it would be a groundbreaking discovery.”
It was common for Awakened individuals of different ranks to be paired.
But S-ranks were S-ranks for a reason. They were literally outliers.
Even for an A-rank, a rapid increase in Matching Rate with an S-rank was rare, even if they were paired. It would be more plausible if they were Imprinted.
And yet, his Matching Rate with Seo Jae-yi, of all people, was increasing without even being paired? It was absurd.
“Well, I suppose even if the probability is infinitesimally close to zero, it’s not completely zero. Let’s say a miracle happened. But if that’s true, why is Guide Gong Ju-hyun here?”
“…What?”
“The Esper you might become paired with is risking her life alone in the mountains, extinguishing a wildfire, and you’re here watching?”
Gong Ju-hyun’s eyes wavered at Kwon Yi-soo’s words.
“And Seo Jae-yi isn’t even in a stable condition; we don’t even know if she can extinguish this fire safely. You must be aware of that.”
“…I, I…”
“You seem to be all talk.”
Kwon Yi-soo clicked his tongue and beckoned his secretary, Han Sung-woo. He immediately brought thick clothing. A fire-resistant suit and a gas mask for firefighting.
Chu Sung-won exclaimed in surprise.
“Are you going yourself, Center Head? It seems like it’ll be over soon…”
“How do you know if it’ll be over soon, Branch Head Chu?”
“W-what?”
“The fact that the wildfire is being extinguished so quickly means she’s pushing herself, and her overload level must be rising rapidly. Surely you, a Guide, are aware of that.”
“Ah…”
“Or did I appoint an incompetent fool as a Branch Head?”
Kwon Yi-soo, wearing the fire-resistant suit and the gas mask, glared at Chu Sung-won, who flinched.
“We’ll talk later. We have to get to Seo Jae-yi before she overloads.”
Kwon Yi-soo nodded, and Han Sung-woo carefully supported him as they started climbing the mountain. Their speed was incredible, befitting an A-rank Esper.
“I-I have to go too.”
Gong Ju-hyun, who had been watching the scene with gritted teeth, spoke, and Chu Sung-won jumped.
“Why are you going to that dangerous place?! You have to Guide Seo Jae-yi! What if you get hurt?! And we don’t even have fire-resistant suits!”
“I have one. I brought it, of course, as someone who might become Noona’s Guide.”
Gong Ju-hyun took out a fire-resistant suit from Chu Sung-won’s car and quickly put it on. He bit his lip.
The plain, standard fire-resistant suit paled in comparison to the combat uniform Baek Joo-won had.
‘This will be the first and last time I wear this.’
If he became Seo Jae-yi’s paired Guide, Seo Won-yeong would make him a stylish combat uniform. A combat uniform much more advanced than this, a combat uniform that would make him look like Seo Jae-yi’s Pair.
So he just had to endure today. He would never have to wear this again, never have to listen to the absurd insults from the Center Head, whose Matching Rate with Seo Jae-yi was far lower than his, never have to see Seo Jae-yi and Baek Joo-won together.
“Gong Ju-hyun!”
Gong Ju-hyun turned his back on Chu Sung-won, who was helplessly pacing, and started climbing the mountain. He had to hurry, as he didn’t have an Esper to carry him.
‘The Center Head was right. I should have followed Jae-yi Noona immediately since I had a fire-resistant suit.’
She would have been even more impressed if he had. It was a mistake.
Gong Ju-hyun gritted his teeth and hurried towards Seo Jae-yi.
How long had she been suppressing the heat of the wildfire? Even an S-rank’s senses couldn’t accurately track the passage of time, especially when she was recklessly using her ability.
“Ugh.”
A hot lump rose in her throat as she successfully extinguished another section of the fire. She spat it out, and a crimson mass, redder than the flames, splattered onto the ashes.
“Ah, this isn’t a good sign.”
Coughing up blood, not just a nosebleed. As expected, her wrist receiver beeped, the sound longer than usual.
【Overload Progress — 65%】
【Warning! Warning!】
【Overload level has exceeded 60%. Cease using your ability immediately.】
Her level, which had dropped to the 20% range thanks to Baek Joo-won’s frequent Guiding, had tripled in such a short time.
“This is bad. We’re still far from extinguishing the fire.”
She had contacted Kim Yoo-sung, so he would be bringing Baek Joo-won, or perhaps the Guild’s Water Manipulation Espers would be on their way.
But it would take them a while to get here from Seoul.
She had to hold out until then, but could she?
‘But I can’t hold back.’
If she hesitated, even though she hadn’t experienced any pre-overload symptoms, the fire she had barely contained could spread again.
So Seo Jae-yi couldn’t stop using her ability.
She waved her hand, and the suffocating heat subsided further. The flames died down silently, without any smoke, as she was extinguishing the fire itself.
It was a quiet, peaceful scene, considering it was costing a human life.
“Whew.”
But the price was heavy.
Sweat dripped from her entire body after hours of using her ability.
Her legs, which had been effortlessly leaping across the high, rugged peaks of Mount Taebaek, felt heavy. She felt like she was sinking into the ashes with every step. Her vision blurred, and her breath was ragged.
She felt the heat of the embers on her cheek.
‘The fire is hot.’
How long had it been since she had felt this sensation? Eleven years since she awakened as an Esper. It wasn’t even half of her life, but she couldn’t remember anything from her life before awakening. She had been too young.
This heat felt unfamiliar, and therefore terrifying. It meant she was dying.
No, I have to live. I promised Maggie, Won-yeong, my aunt, and Baek Joo-won that I would live. I can’t die here.
But she couldn’t run away.
“Oh, dear.”
She extinguished another burst of flames and saw a small rabbit that had been trapped in the fire and burned to death.
She gently stroked its back, and black soot stained her hand.
This sight was familiar to Seo Jae-yi, who had lived a life of slaying monsters as an Esper. But she had never regretted it. She had to burn things so others could live.
But her perspective had changed since she started running a flower shop, nurturing life instead of taking it, helping people.
She realized,
Ah, I was brainwashed to think that way. Brainwashed to not feel guilt or regret.
She had thought the experiment had failed, but it hadn’t. She had thought she had resisted their attempts to turn her into an obedient weapon, but she hadn’t.
They had succeeded in at least one thing. She was a well-made weapon.
“The government would be pleased to hear that.”
So she would tell them. Their efforts weren’t in vain.
She would make them experience it firsthand.
Seo Jae-yi buried the dead rabbit and stood up. A small ember flickered in her eyes, as if the unextinguished flames had ignited her gaze.
“This is all your fault.”
Her anger towards those who had destroyed her childhood innocence and turned her into a battle maniac also fueled the fire.
“But I have to extinguish the fire first…”
Seo Jae-yi muttered to herself and waved her hand. The heat subsided even further.
But as if the extinguished heat had transferred to her, her black eyes started to turn reddish.