Hanseo tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep later than usual.
Fortunately, his dreams continued regardless of when he fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, Hanseo knew he was still dreaming.
His "mother" was looking at him with concern.
"Jinyeong-ah, are you alright?"
Hanseo stared blankly at the middle-aged woman. Seeing her face now brought emotions he hadn't felt in his previous dream, where he was completely immersed. Regret, guilt, and something akin to longing washed over him.
Perhaps Hanseo's dazed, unresponsive gaze made her uneasy. Anxiety flickered across the woman's face.
"Jinyeong-ah, why aren't you answering? We need to go to the hospital right now!"
Wiping the blood from his nose with his sleeve, Hanseo forced his mouth open and managed to say, "No, I'm fine. I was just startled."
"Oh, Mom nearly had a heart attack!"
The woman sighed in relief, glancing at the firmly shut gate. In her hand, she held a limp green onion, its leaves drooping lifelessly.
"Who was that guy? Do you know him? Why was he after you like that?"
"I don't know."
Of course, Hanseo knew at that moment that the man came to capture him.
At that time, he believed that man was one of the Cult Leader's subordinates, but he would soon learn otherwise.
Still shaken by fear, Hanseo's body trembled slightly at the mere thought of that man. Seeing this, the woman tossed the green onion aside and reached out to Hanseo.
"Jinyeong-ah, it's okay. Mom's here."
Her embrace was warm and comforting.
Only then did Hanseo remember: this woman was the first person to ever hold him in her arms.
As the woman gently patted his back, his trembling gradually subsided. After a moment of hesitation, Hanseo reached out and returned her embrace.
The embrace of this ordinary woman—neither Esper nor Guide—felt strangely safe. He didn't want to pull away from the warmth that enveloped him.
Even though he knew this warmth wasn't truly meant for him.
Hanseo buried his face in the woman's shoulder.
Mental-type Espers often experience lucid dreams. This is said to be because their strong mental energy allows them to influence even their own dreams. As the dreamer, Hanseo could shape this dream as he wished. If he wanted, he could remain in this embrace until he woke up.
But he shouldn't interfere. This dream was meant to evoke memories from his past life, so he had to remain an observer. Suppressing his desire, Hanseo stepped back and began watching Baekgu, his dream-self.
The woman who had been patting Baekgu's back muttered, "This won't do. How can you live in fear of the world? Instead of just standing here, we need to report this to the police right away..."
"No!" Baekgu snapped his head up and shouted like a thunderclap. Only when he saw the woman's startled expression did he regain control of himself.
"Th-that is, there's no need to call the police. Mom already chased him away."
"But he might come back for you! Jinyeong-ah, you're too young to understand how cruel people can be. That man... I've never seen him around here before. He's definitely not from this town. He must have committed some crime elsewhere and fled to this remote place. Wait, where's my phone?"
The only one truly clueless here was the woman. The man she held in her arms was the outsider and criminal she spoke of, the first person the police would arrest when they arrived.
Baekgu watched as the woman let go of him and began searching for her phone.
"Mom, look at me for a second."
"Hmm?"
The moment the woman turned, Baekgu's eyes flashed crimson.
"Mom has never met that man before."
Only after Baekgu's eyes returned to their normal color did the woman slowly blink.
"Oh dear, what was I talking about?"
Baekgu kicked the green onion that had fallen to the floor under the sofa and quickly replied, "You said you'd make kimchi stew. When will it be ready? I'm hungry."
"Did I? Mom's been so forgetful lately. I'll make it right away, Jinyeong-ah. Just wait a little longer."
"Mmm."
Baekgu watched the woman tilt her head and walk toward the kitchen, his expression slowly fading. His gloomy gaze drifted to a small framed photo beside the TV stand. He stared intently at the picture of the woman and a young man who resembled her, both smiling brightly, before flipping the frame over to hide the photo.
Night fell. Baekgu, who had been pretending to sleep in his room, crept out quietly around the time the woman had fallen asleep. Every muscle tense, he cautiously opened the front door a crack and peered outside.
No one was there. The man must have left.
"Phew."
Baekgu exhaled a sigh mixed with anxiety and relief.
When he was captured by the Cult Leader, Baekgu saw many Espers. But only two instantly filled him with terror: the Cult Leader and the man from today.
Seeing them made him feel as cold as if a liter of blood had been drained from his body, from head to toe. They were undoubtedly Espers of a higher rank than him, which explained why his abilities had no effect.
As Baekgu closed the front door, he muttered, "Don't ever come back. If you do, I won't let you off easy..."
The moment he uttered those empty threats, the front door burst open with tremendous force. Something invisible dragged him outside and began to strangle him.
"Gah, ugh!"
Baekgu struggled to fight back, but he couldn't attack an opponent he couldn't see or touch. Helplessly writhing, he soon lost consciousness.
He regained consciousness in a dingy, run-down motel room. Baekgu lay on the hard floor, surrounded by piles of junk.
"You're awake."
A cold, low voice sounded from above. It was a voice hard to forget, so he recognized its owner without even looking up.
"Use your ability and I'll kill you."
The man threatened him without a weapon. Then again, someone like him could probably snap Baekgu's neck with his bare hands.
"...Cough, it wouldn't even work on you anyway."
Baekgu spat out the words in frustration, then immediately regretted it. But it was bound to come out eventually, so it probably didn't matter. Besides, there was a reason Baekgu could afford to be so defiant.
"You're not going to kill me, are you? The Cult Leader needs me alive to use me."
It was a realization that had eluded Baekgu in the morning, when he was paralyzed by fear. If the Cult Leader had sent this man, he wouldn't kill him so carelessly. He needed Baekgu's abilities.
"You've been saying things I don't understand since earlier. Who's this Cult Leader?"
The man's response was more chilling than any threat of death.
"...You weren't sent by the Cult Leader?"
"I don't believe in religion."
Baekgu slowly sat up, his spine tingling with dread. He couldn't bear to lie still.
A follower of the Cult Leader would never deny religion. This man was truly unrelated to the cult—a completely different breed of madman.
If the Cult Leader hadn't sent him, there was no reason for this man to keep Baekgu alive.
Is this the end of my life? I thought all the lunatics were confined to the research lab, but there are so many of them out here too.
Baekgu slowly scooted backward until his back pressed against the wall.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"If I kill you, will your ability disappear?"
"No! It won't!"
In truth, Baekgu wasn't entirely sure. He had only recently become an Esper and didn't fully understand the nature of his power.
"So don't kill me. I'll do whatever you say."
But one thing was certain: Baekgu still wanted to live. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to escape the research lab.
Baekgu felt the man's gaze. He kept avoiding it until he had no choice but to turn and meet his eyes. Behind the glasses, the eyes were cold and detached. Baekgu could sense the man's contempt for him.
"The woman you called 'Mom.'"
Baekgu's shoulders twitched.
"Release the brainwashing you placed on her. If you've done it to others, release them all."
"......"
Why couldn't Baekgu bring himself to agree?
Releasing the power was simple enough. He just had to meet their eyes, just as he had when he cast it, and declare it all a lie.
Yet he didn't want to do this simple thing, even knowing the man would harm him if he refused.
Because...
The man spoke slowly to the silent Baekgu.
"She thinks of you as her son. Do you find it amusing to toy with parents who lost their child?"
"No!"
"......"
"I... it's not like that..."
Baekgu clamped his mouth shut before blurting out, "Anyway, I didn't mean to do anything malicious. I just needed a place to stay."
"You could have gotten one through legitimate ways."
"I don't have any money..."
The man, as if hearing an excuse, replied coldly, "I don't care what your intentions were. Failing to report your Esper awakening to the Center is illegal."
"I didn't know I had to report it."
"Not malicious, I didn't know... Those are the same excuses guys like you always use. Did you spend your whole life living in a mountain or something?"
It wasn't a mountain, but an island. The research facility was located on an uninhabited island where no one lived.
If you had lived there too, you would be just as clueless as I am.
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