When In-ho lifted his head, his face was reflected in the large mirror. A dreadfully lifeless expression stared back at him. In-ho consciously closed his eyes and tilted his head back.
"This is why I didn't want to meet."
"What?"
Ignoring the manager's question, he covered his eyes with the back of his hand.
The next guiding session was on Friday. Did that runaway esper even realise how much his schedule had to be adjusted and the losses incurred to maintain a regular interval for guidance?
Of course, there was no way he could know. Even if he did, Joo-hyun would probably just boldly suggest stopping the matching. Thinking of him made Cha In-ho chuckle.
There were only two days left until Friday. He couldn't distinguish if his feelings were of anger or anticipation. Not that it mattered.
Just like guides, espers were also classified by their abilities. The higher the grade, the rarer they were, while the lower grades were more common.
Joo-hyun's grade was 'Unknown.' All the espers in Block C were graded similarly because of the unique, unstable wavelengths of runaway espers. Their conditions fluctuated; sometimes they registered as S-grade, other times as B-grade, making it impossible to fix them to a single grade.
Joo-hyun had been unaware, but the unstable nature of runaway espers was apparently terrifying to others. It made them seem unable to control their powers to the extent that they couldn't even be graded. Bom-i had been the one to tell him this.
"When you get a really unpleasant mission, just say you're feeling unwell today. Well, they'll just call you back another day anyway."
Bom-i, who often had many missions due to the versatility of her powers, would sometimes hand Joo-hyun a small candy. Despite not being very young, perhaps seeing her for so long made her seem younger to him.
"I went on a really awful mission yesterday too. Why do they always give us such tasks?"
Even after the candy had melted, the sweetness lingered on his tongue, making it tingle.
"It's because we're criminals. They work us like dogs and use us to clean up all the dirty places."
Bom-i had said this while biting down on the small, remaining piece of candy. Her expression looked so sorrowful that he had considered what to say but ultimately kept silent.
As Bom-i had mentioned, the missions given to runaway espers, who were treated roughly and even fatally, were usually the most dangerous ones.
Joo-hyun sat in the car, divided from the front seat by bulletproof glass, staring blankly out the window. He thought about how often he was called into the public despite being labelled as a dangerous, untouchable time bomb.
Today's mission was to investigate a newly discovered gate with another esper. The task was the same as any other esper's: manage the gate spilling out monsters and protect civilians from harm.
Of course, since the gate was uncharted, the potential dangers were unknown, making it a perfect assignment for a runaway esper.
"..."
Joo-hyun swallowed a sigh.
Meeting espers from Block A was always unpleasant. While their attitudes were usually unpleasant, that wasn't the whole reason. He couldn't distinguish if his feelings were jealousy or inferiority. Not that it mattered. Who cared about his feelings anyway?
"In situations as dangerous as today, how far can I go"
Bang!
An esper's fist hit the window. The driver's shoulder twitched, but Joo-hyun didn't care. He didn't know why Cha In-ho's words suddenly came to mind. Not that he wanted to know.
Joo-hyun, wiping his face with a firm hand, looked up with glowing red eyes. It was time to focus on the mission.
* * *
"Who do we have here! Isn't it the runaway esper?"
Joo-hyun's expression twisted with annoyance at the loud voice. The guide beside the growling man flinched, but Joo-hyun was in no mood to laugh.
"Should something this dangerous be wandering the streets? Shouldn't it be reported?"
The smirking man was Yoon Ga-ram, an S class esper who was accompanying Joo-hyun on today's mission. Despite having worked together a few times, he consistently picked fights with Joo-hyun.
"Lost your tongue? Why so silent?"
"Shut up."
As Ga-ram moved, the wings on his back fluttered gracefully. With snow-white feathers and shoulder-length platinum blond hair, he looked like an angel descended from the heavens.
Most S class or SS class espers became famous to some extent, but Ga-ram was particularly renowned and popular. His skills, good looks, and especially the wings that constantly fluttered behind him made him appear holy.
However, Joo-hyun knew the truth. Yoon Ga-ram was more like a demon crawled out from underground than an angel descended from the heavens.
"Fake pigeon."
"Rotten maggot."
"Want me to roast you?"
"Want to get struck by lightning?"
As Joo-hyun rolled his eyes and waved his hand, Ga-ram's wings scattered and then reformed.
Ga-ram's ability wasn't actually wings. It was controlling electricity, using static to manipulate the feathers to look like wings. Joo-hyun thought it a waste of power, but he didn't need to worry about Ga-ram, an S class esper with three matching guides.
"Interfere, and you'll regret it. Are you listening, runaway esper."
Ga-ram, with a pretty face scrunched in irritation, surveyed Joo-hyun arrogantly. Joo-hyun briefly wondered why their relationship had soured.
"I'm Yoon Ga-ram, who will be working with you today. Nice to meet you."
When they first met, Ga-ram had seemed almost shy.
Even though he had heard rumours about runaway espers, Ga-ram's curiosity seemed to outweigh his fear. Perhaps his confidence came from being an S class esper, sure he wouldn't be harmed even if Joo-hyun rampaged.
"When did you runaway?"
"A while ago."
"Why?"
"It just happened."
"What did it feel like? Have you felt like that again? How about now? Do you feel like running out of control?"
At that time, Joo-hyun had been suffering from a headache due to a lack of guiding, and the rookie's chatter was particularly annoying. So he had said sharply,
"Hey. Don't you find those wings embarrassing?"
In hindsight, that was probably when it started.
Ga-ram, always trying to irritate Joo-hyun, was sometimes amusing but mostly a nuisance. Half a head shorter than Joo-hyun, Ga-ram would glare up at him dramatically. As Joo-hyun noticed the bright blue coloured contact lenses, he sighed, thinking about Ga-ram's intense commitment to his image.
"I'm the one who should be sighing."
"Then do it."
"Wow, listen to you. Can you just leave? You're already a nuisance."
From what he'd heard, Ga-ram was two years younger than Joo-hyun. Despite knowing this, he spoke informally, making it hard to see him as an angel.
"And it's scary not knowing when you might runaway."
The sneering face was full of fierce mockery.
Ga-ram always tried to insult Joo-hyun by mentioning his status as a runaway esper. However, having lived as a runaway esper since before he could remember, Joo-hyun's heart remained unscathed.
"I guess it is scary for a kid like you. Should I handle this alone? I'll speak to the higher-ups for you."
The nonchalant tone made Ga-ram frown. While Ga-ram enjoyed attention, he also had a strong sense of pride and responsibility for his tasks. Despite his dislike for Joo-hyun, he'd never let personal feelings interfere with their missions.
Clicking his tongue loudly, Ga-ram turned sharply and walked towards his car. Joo-hyun, letting out a silent sigh, also got into the car where the driver was waiting.
* * *
"The gate we'll be inspecting is called ES-23. It's newly discovered, so stay alert as we don't know what dangers it might hold."
Ga-ram's sharp voice made Joo-hyun nod indifferently. Despite the distrustful glance, Joo-hyun remained unaffected.
Gates were categorised from A to G based on regions, and further divided within those areas. They were scattered all over the country. ES-23 indicated it was the 23rd gate in the southern part of region E.
Situated deep in a remote mountain, ES-23 appeared no different from other gates.
"The mission is to investigate the gate and deal with any monsters that emerge. By the way, I'm the team leader for this mission, so don't act on your own."
"What are the boundaries of acting on my own? Do I need permission to breathe?"
"Just stop saying nonsense."
Ga-ram shook his head, his white wings fluttering.
The terrain was rough and the risks unknown, so Ga-ram decided to leave the guide in the car with safety features and enter ES-23 alone with Joo-hyun. Though being far from a guide in a critical combat situation could be dangerous, this mission wasn't particularly demanding, making this arrangement possible.