“Lies.”

“……”

The choice had been his. He had noticed early on that Ju-eon was struggling. But thinking there was no way a guide could get weathering syndrome, he just thought he was having a hard time. Just thinking he was overwhelmed, he reduced the number of times he received guiding. Taking medication and receiving Ji-woo’s guiding instead.

He hadn’t said anything, worried that telling Ju-eon he looked like he was struggling would hurt his pride. He should have said it. That he noticed he was struggling, that he shouldn’t let his pride be hurt since it was between them. That it wasn’t because he wanted to receive guiding from someone else. That everything was for his sake.

He felt like such an idiot for having held back, trying to show consideration he never showed to anyone else for Ju-eon’s sake. The possibility that he might have known about Ju-eon’s condition if he had just said something kept occurring to him endlessly. Not knowing he was suffering alone.

“Then why aren’t you accepting guiding? If you’re like this…”

Seeming to realize Myung-hwon wasn’t lying, the color drained from Ho-yun’s face. Though Ho-yun swallowed the rest of his words, he knew what would have followed.

For S-class, medication didn’t just calm their energy – it only had the effect of slightly delaying their rampage. When a rampage occurs, the first to die is the one who caused it. Writhing in agony as they’re consumed by their own ability.

But what did it matter? He didn’t care if he died. He didn’t care if it hurt.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“…What?”

“I said it doesn’t matter.”

Myung-hwon leaned against the wall. Rather, he wanted to suffer. As much as Ju-eon had hurt. Myung-hwon couldn’t forgive himself. His anger toward himself couldn’t be controlled.

If it really was weathering syndrome. Though he wanted to believe it wasn’t, after hearing about the weathering syndrome, Ju-eon’s actions before disappearing started making sense like pieces of a puzzle fitting together.

“I absolutely can’t let you die.”

Ho-yun stood as close to Myung-hwon as possible. Though radiation guiding was fast, forcing physical contact when he was refusing like this would obviously result in lower absorption rates.

Ho-yun knew too. Though his guiding efficiency was better than anyone else’s for others, with Yeo Myung-hwon the efficiency dropped dramatically.

The fact that his guiding skills were no less than Woo Ju-eon’s but Yeo Myung-hwon responded better to Woo Ju-eon’s guiding meant the problem lay with Myung-hwon, not Ho-yun. Yeo Myung-hwon was instinctively rejecting guiding from anyone other than Ju-eon.

‘Though it seems I’m the only one who’s noticed.’

It was something he hadn’t said because it hurt his pride. The only way to break that pattern was to make him clearly understand that he had no choice but to accept guiding from others.

“Hey. Yeo Myung-hwon. Though Woo Ju-eon probably didn’t know you chose him over your mother…”

Ho-yun smiled slyly. And to make Myung-hwon realize that fact, he needed to make him firmly accept Ju-eon’s death.

The moment he recognized the death, Yeo Myung-hwon’s high walls would crumble, and that would be Ho-yun’s perfect chance to enter. But Myung-hwon moved in a completely different direction than Ho-yun expected. It happened in the blink of an eye. When he opened his eyes after closing them, Myung-hwon was suddenly standing in front of Ho-yun.

“You.”

Myung-hwon’s voice sank deeply. The arm that had seemed too heavy to move and was dripping blood suddenly grabbed Ho-yun’s neck.

“…What are you suddenly… Ack!”

Ho-yun struggled as his breath was suddenly cut off. Though he kicked his feet, they just dangled in the air without touching the ground as his body was lifted.

“How do you know that.”

In Myung-hwon’s gaze, Ho-yun sensed death.

Death. As the two syllables hit him strongly, Ho-yun’s limbs began trembling. Though his constricted throat wouldn’t let him speak properly, Ho-yun squeezed out his voice.

“…Did you think… your father couldn’t… Urk…! read that much?”

Myung-hwon had cut ties with the Yeo family. Though he cut ties with the family, as long as he remained in this country, he knew their gaze would continue to reach him.

And the fact that they would use his mother to persuade him. If he held onto his mother half-heartedly, they might have the illusion that ties with the Yeo family continued, so Myung-hwon had to choose.

‘Did you think you could escape me while holding everything you want in both hands?’

‘Don’t touch those around me.’

‘That threat…’

The vile voice was still vivid in his ears.

‘You need cards that work against your opponent to make threats.’

It was frustrating, but his words were right. His mother had been cast out to make him submit and control him. The moment he got involved, his father would forever keep Myung-hwon in his grasp and manipulate him at will. So young Yeo Myung-hwon had to choose. He wanted to protect at least one person.

Since losing everyone who made Yeo Myung-hwon human was also what his father wanted.

He couldn’t protect both halfway. Though he hadn’t known his mother would leave the house without being able to take anything, in the end, Myung-hwon had chosen Ju-eon.

It was his choice to thoroughly ignore his mother to make it seem she wasn’t his person, and keep only Ju-eon by his side to protect.

“I knew you were the surveillance agent he placed, but I didn’t expect you to speak so openly about it.”

“Urk…”

“So what is it you want to say?”

“First let go of this…”

“Answer.”

“If you let go…!”

“How far was his involvement?”

Ju-eon becoming connected to his mother without his knowledge, Ho-yun entering at this particular timing, his mother’s death.

He had thought it was all coincidence. But what if none of it was coincidence? What if all of this going so wrong wasn’t because he had made wrong choices one after another, but because someone else’s will had been involved?

“Seems you still haven’t given up on trying to use me somehow.”

Myung-hwon threw Ho-yun to the ground. Though his palms were scraped from hitting the ground face down, breathing was the first priority. When his constricted throat was suddenly released, coughs came endlessly.

Cough. Cough. Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, Ho-yun sneered at Myung-hwon.

“But does that matter? In the end, by your choice, you couldn’t protect either of them.”

“That’s actually good.”

“What…?”

Ho-yun had been somewhat confident. No matter how much medication he took, guiding was essential. Among guides other than Ju-eon, he had the highest absorption rate even if it was low. So he held Myung-hwon’s lifeline.

So he had been arrogant, thinking he couldn’t be killed. As proof, though he had just grabbed his neck like he would twist it off, he had let go in the end, hadn’t he? Though his neck hurt like it was bruised, Ho-yun wasn’t afraid. He had expected this much.

“That means you won’t eliminate everything precious to me. If you want to use me, you would have left at least one card.”

The only card left to him is Woo Ju-eon.

Myung-hwon muttered. His voice was faintly tinged with heat.

“As I thought… he’s neither dead nor disappeared from before me.”

“What are you saying… Woo Ju-eon is…”

Ho-yun sensed something was wrong from Myung-hwon’s voice. Ho-yun spoke with a trembling voice.

“Where is Ju-eon? Who took him?”

Yeo Myung-hwon’s strangely twisted gaze shone brilliantly.

**

Yeo Ji-woong. Who was he?

The ruling party representative and core of the special abilities agency who, contrary to most countries that allowed espers to be affiliated with private companies, passed legislation allowing espers only in government agencies.

Though there was much controversy about oppressing espers’ freedom, by allowing esper abilities to be used only with state approval, he had drastically lowered esper-related crime rates and received fierce support from some.

A person mentioned as the next presidential candidate, evaluated behind the scenes as having absolute power.

Yeo Myung-hwon’s father.

‘If you enjoy much, you must also know how to give up.’

It was what Yeo Ji-woong, who had always taken everything, would say to Myung-hwon like brainwashing. To protect the things he was forced to enjoy, Myung-hwon had to give up everything he had.

Personality.

Preferences.

Opinions.

People.

None of these were allowed to Yeo Myung-hwon. The word “give up” might not be accurate. Since he had never had any of them to begin with.

Parents not being like parents was a greater misfortune than one might think. Though he enjoyed it a lot, none of it belonged to Myung-hwon. Everything was under control, and when even slight mistakes occurred, all blame belonged to Myung-hwon.

In the basement of the house was a cage meant for large beasts, and it was one of the places Yeo Myung-hwon frequented most. For not manifesting his abilities as an esper. For responding to a person beneath his level. For getting mud on his pant cuffs from stepping in a puddle formed by rain the previous day.

A life forced to exclude personality. Kim Eun-sun willingly ignored the abuse toward Yeo Myung-hwon for the reason that she loved Yeo Ji-woong. Abuse dulled people. Those who abuse, those who are abused, and those who ignore it.

Han-ol thought Myung-hwon disliked him, but it was the opposite. Myung-hwon, who hadn’t awakened until graduating middle school, was judged useless and allowed to leave home as a somewhat lenient measure. And Han-ol was decided to be formally adopted into the Yeo family.

Thus Myung-hwon became free. When a fierce beast raised in a cage suddenly escapes, it naturally deteriorates unable to adapt. Myung-hwon was the same. Ju-eon wouldn’t know. The fact that Woo Ju-eon had become the center of the world and made Yeo Myung-hwon live.