─────────
Esper Park Jintae
- Hanseo, did you get home safely? If I did something wrong, I'm sorry...
- Hanseo, I'm sorry
- Please answer. I want to apologize in person
- Hanseo?
─────────
Hanseo tapped the screen.
- Hyung, you didn't do anything wrong. I just feel really sick ㅠㅠ I'll call you when I feel better.
─────────
Park Jintae Esper
- Okay... I understand. Please call me as soon as you feel better. I'll be waiting.
─────────
- Okay ㅠㅠ
That should be enough for now.
Hanseo sighed and slapped his own mouth.
This damn mouth! Why did it suddenly start acting up like this?
It wasn't like he was trying to defend Gu Jei. What kind of relationship did he even have with him? If Park Jintae hadn't acted like controlling mental Espers was perfectly normal, Hanseo would have gladly joined in on the gossip.
"That guy's a joke. He's never even been cursed out by Gu Jei, let alone nearly killed by him. I've experienced both."
So, the person who hated Gu Jei the most was none other than himself.
As Hanseo burned with pointless rivalry, the taxi driver struck up a conversation.
"Sir, it's getting hot. I'll turn on the air conditioning."
"Ah, yes, please do."
Soon, a cold breeze began to circulate through the taxi.
"Looks like summer's really starting to kick in. I'm already dreading how hot it'll get this year."
"...Yeah, me too."
The taxi stopped at a traffic light. Hanseo gazed out the window. The roadside trees have grown lush and dense. People in short sleeves were crossing the crosswalk.
"It's summer."
Hanseo was suddenly reminded that this current life was different from his previous one. Even though it was the same year and the same season, the scenery he was observing was completely different.
In my past life, I was captured by the Cult Leader around this time.
Back then, Hanseo had been kidnapped while walking to a convenience store. Blindfolded and dragged into a car, he had trembled uncontrollably, thinking the research lab finally found him. But when they arrived, a young man he'd never seen before was waiting.
The Cult Leader claimed he had been watching Hanseo all along and had decided to make him a special disciple. He then slashed his arm, collected the blood in a cup, and forced him to drink it.
Even though Hanseo had lived his entire life confined to the research lab and knew nothing of the outside world, experiencing such a situation made it impossible not to realize the Cult Leader was a madman.
So I ran.
He later realized the Cult Leader had deliberately let him go, but at the time, he didn't know. All Hanseo could think was that he couldn't be caught by that madman again. Driven by that single-minded determination, he fled to the ends of the earth—to a remote seaside village far from any city.
And it was there that he met Gu Jei.
The taxi, which had stopped, started moving again. The scenery blurred past at an unrecognizable speed. His stomach, which had been briefly calm, churned once more.
Thud. Hanseo pressed his forehead against the window and closed his eyes.
...It wasn't always like this between him and Gu Jei. They had even spent the summer together in that village.
Back then, neither of them hated the other.
On the contrary, it was likely closer to the opposite.
"......"
But that, too, never happened in this life.
Was it all a lie?
Just like the black eyes that had stared at him with a sense of betrayal.
"Sir, we've arrived."
Hanseo opened his eyes as if waking from a dream.
He got out of the taxi and bought digestive medicine at the pharmacy. On his way home, he noticed a man glaring at a black car parked on the narrow street, clearly annoyed.
"What's this? Who parked their car here?"
The villa complex where Hanseo lived had limited parking spaces, so inconsiderate drivers often parked their cars on the narrow streets, blocking traffic. Having witnessed parking disputes several times during his time living there, Hanseo thought nothing of it and went inside.
Click. The fluorescent light flickered on as he flipped the switch.
His 5-pyeong (approximately 180 square feet) studio apartment felt more desolate than cramped, containing only a small refrigerator and a pile of bedding left behind by the previous tenant.
It was an affordable villa secured with government assistance for Gate disaster victims. Thanks to the social worker's help, the real estate process went smoothly. He also received various forms of support for initial adjustment, but since Yeo Hanseo was the first case of a child who had gone missing at a young age and returned years later, there was no established protocol. Even the social worker seemed a bit perplexed.
빌라 (billa) - In Korea, a 'villa' is typically a low-rise, multi-unit building (usually under five stories) that is often older and more affordable but lacks modern amenities like elevators and extensive facilities
The government provided decent welfare for victims of the Gate Disaster, but even that had its limits. Initially, they paid close attention, hoping to uncover some insight into the Gates. But when no breakthroughs came, they gradually began to neglect the victims.
That's actually more convenient for me, Hanseo thought.
After washing off the cold sweat in the shower, he emerged to find the sky had darkened. He filled a glass with tap water, swallowed his digestive medicine, and gazed out the window.
"Hmm?"
Hanseo's eyes narrowed. He recognized the car parked outside—the same shameless vehicle he'd seen before entering his home.
In the end, they failed to get that car out.
Tsk-tsking, Hanseo suddenly felt a strange sensation.
Wait a minute... isn't there someone inside that car?
The car's tinted windows were too dark to be certain, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Such intuitions rarely turned out to be mere coincidences. He remembered hearing that high-ranking Espers possessed sharper instincts than ordinary people.
Huh? Just now...
Gasp.
Hanseo quickly pressed himself against the wall beside the window.
He had made eye contact with someone inside the car!
His breath quickened, and his heart pounded so hard he felt it might burst through his ribs.
Is it the research lab? Or could it be... the Cult Leader? But I didn't reveal my Esper abilities this time. There's no reason for them to be chasing me.
He tried to think rationally, but for some reason, it wasn't working. Irrational and distressing imaginations kept blooming in his mind.
But... the car that kidnapped me in my past life looked just like that.
He felt like he could recognize it if he saw it again. The problem was his body, which was as immobile as a stone. The shower had been pointless; he was already drenched in cold sweat again.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Hanseo managed to stand before the window.
"...Ah."
A soft groan escaped his lips.
The car was gone.
Thud. Hanseo collapsed onto the floor, blinking blankly.
It felt like he'd just woken from a nightmare.
❖ ❖ ❖
The morning after spotting the suspicious car, Hanseo immediately contacted his instructor.
"Yes, I'm not feeling well. Yes, yes. Thank you."
After hanging up, Hanseo sighed.
He was supposed to attend guide training today, but after throwing up everything he'd eaten as soon as he woke up, he lacked the energy to move and had to call his instructor.
The instructor expressed regret, reminding him that completing the full training period was required for official guide registration. But for Hanseo, the longer the delay, the better.
Though this wasn't part of the plan...
"Ugh..."
His body felt clammy and chilled, suggesting he had a severe case of indigestion. It couldn't be just from eating uncomfortable meals in succession.
Hanseo filled a cup with tap water, the cold liquid quenching his thirst. The refreshing sensation reminded him once again that he had truly returned to the past.
There would be no pain in this life that could not be relieved by anything. After all, Hanseo was now pure and did not swallowed the cult leader's blood.
Yes, that's how it should be... But why does he still feel the Cult Leader's shadow lingering over him?
"Foolish thoughts," he muttered, turning back to gaze out the window. The black car from yesterday was nowhere to be seen.
It must have been a hallucination. How could he possibly remember a car he'd only glimpsed briefly in his disoriented state? The only thing he could be certain of was its color: black. But black and white were the most common car colors anyway.
When the body is unwell, the mind weakens too. Hanseo's indigestion had left him vulnerable, and facing a situation eerily similar to his past must have triggered a mental misinterpretation. Once his body fully recovered, everything would surely return to normal.
With a sigh, Hanseo swallowed the remaining water along with a digestive aid and lay down on the bed. In times like these, sleep was the best medicine. Having taken the medication, a good night's rest would surely restore him to health. Fortunately, sleep came quickly, his eyelids growing heavy.
How much time has passed?
Knock-knock.
A knocking sound echoed from somewhere.
Is this a dream?
Knock-knock-knock.
Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock.
The knocking grew unnervingly rapid, until...
Bang! Bang!
Hanseo's eyes snapped open.
This isn't a dream.
Comments
Post a Comment