Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Rampaging Esper
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“Espers aren’t all like that. I’ve just been hearing mostly negative stories because of my job. There are good ones like Hyun-woo, too...”
Han Se-young awkwardly rolled her eyes. I shrugged lightly.
“You don’t have to list the perks. Like I said last time, Awakeners are more than enough for me with you and Yang Hyun-woo.”
“Still... I hope you meet a good Esper someday. You’re a Guide, after all.”
“Even Guides can live normal lives like regular people.”
“That’s only for low-rank ones. Hyun-woo said you’re definitely not low-rank.”
“So?”
I raised an eyebrow skeptically, and Han Se-young averted her gaze as she spoke.
“Actually... it’s not been reported, but there’ve been a lot of crimes targeting Guides lately. Seems connected to that whole Awakener trafficking scandal that blew up recently.”
“Why’s that a problem for me?”
“What do you mean? You’re a Guide. What if you get caught up in something because you haven’t registered? I wish you’d report to the Center now and get protection or subsidies or whatever.”
Money sounded nice. As long as there was no mandatory service or other annoyances. Was registering really the better choice?
I tilted my head after a moment’s thought.
“In the end, it doesn’t matter as long as no one finds out, right?”
“Huh?”
“Hyun-woo said even he couldn’t tell I was a Guide if I kept my Guiding suppressed to the limit. It’s tiring always being on guard, but I can just do it outside. Problem solved.”
“I still don’t get what you mean by suppressing Guiding to the limit. Is it because I’m a low-rank Guide? Is that even really possible?”
“It’s just Hyun-woo as a test case, but if an Esper that sensitive to Guiding says so, then yeah. And honestly, how often do you run into Espers in everyday life?”
I brushed it off with a light laugh, only to learn the next day at the cafe that you have to watch your words around people.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ It wasn’t anything dramatic. A customer had just dropped something, and I picked it up for them.
“Is this... yours, sir?”
A dark brownish card.
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I knew exactly what it was. Han Se-young carried one too—it was a Center access pass for E- to F-rank Awakeners.
Guides had one line in the right corner, Espers had two. This card had exactly two.
Thud, thud. A line crossed out the “no way” in my head, and a bell rang for confirmation.
...Crazy. He’s really an Esper?
The owner of the pass was a man—the one whose name I’d only recently learned, Ju Yeon-woo.
After that, I started avoiding Ju Yeon-woo. Nothing major—just tossing any tasks involving him to other staff or keeping a set distance.
Perfectly timed, the cafe was swamped with customers, and there were plenty of eager coworkers who’d jump at handling the popular guy’s orders or service instead of me.
Even while dodging him, my mind stayed tangled.
The memory of running into that man on the rainy day kept nagging at me uncomfortably.
That must’ve been it back then... But how? I wasn’t even trying to raise my Guiding level.
Part-time was ending soon anyway, and I wouldn’t see him after, so I’d shoved it aside. But now it bobbed right back to the surface.
I pressed a hand to my forehead, replaying his reaction and that fleeting sensation from back then. Then I let out a quiet sigh.
The silver lining—at least the dark brownish pass marked him as a low-rank Esper. E- or F-rank meant they rarely saw real action.
That level was usually just processing teams or registered civilians. And since he never came on weekdays, definitely not a public servant.
If I just played dumb and let it slide, everything would be fine, I figured.
Time flew by.
Busy shifts, checking on the cafe under construction, even a farewell gathering for the friend I’d been crashing with—and suddenly, it was a week before quitting.
“Mm, he didn’t come today.”
“Who?”
“The customer you’ve been avoiding lately, noona.”
“...Ju Yeon-woo?”
“Huh? You know his name too, noona? Wow, you’re the first person I’ve met who does!”
Realizing my slip, I hurriedly pointed to the coupon box.
“He made a coupon last time. It gets stamped every visit, right? His name’s gotta be in there.”
“What? He made a coupon?”
“Yeah?”
“Huh?”
I frowned, wondering what she meant, and the female part-timer mirrored my expression.
I pulled out Ju Yeon-woo’s coupon from the ones starting with ‘J’ and showed her.
“See, it’s right... Huh? Why’s there only one stamp?”
The coupon had just the single stamp from the day he got it.
He should’ve filled all ten by now, counting visits since.
Forgot about it?
It felt like a waste after going to the trouble.
“But you avoiding him?”
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t notice, did you? You switch spots whenever he shows up while working. It’s super obvious.”
“Really? Someone told me I was good at hiding it.”
“Who said that? Probably joking.”
That damn crown prince. Raymond often teased that I had acting talent and should try that path.
Thinking back, he always smirked when saying it.
“Just felt awkward avoiding him. Don’t like rumors about interest or whatever.”
“You’re so weird, noona. If it were me, I’d bow in thanks if a guy like that showed interest and then pounce.”
“That’s a crime.”
“Or straight to the marriage office.”
The female part-timer pouted grumpily.
Granted, he was handsome enough to ignore tastes.
His light brown hair looked soft enough to touch, his defined shoulders and knobby hands visible even through clothes, and that subtle aura when he lowered his eyes—all captivating.
So what? He’s an Esper. Off-limits.
“Oh, right. Stormy winds tonight, they said. Lock up tight just in case.”
“Yeah? It was drizzling earlier.”
I glanced at the clock. Closing time soon.
...Not coming today?
Once settled, you notice absences. A regular skipping days felt weirdly off.
The female part-timer chatting with me left first for a date with her boyfriend, and soon the last customer was gone.
I tidied up and locked the doors.
Motel life started today for a week. Picked one nearby for the job; didn’t care much since just sleeping.
Cheap for the area and walkable—perfect.
“Ugh, cold.”
I buried my face in my scarf and glanced around. Gaps between buildings made it eerie.
Walking the night street awhile, I spotted a staggering figure not far off.
Tall guy. Painful groans carried faintly.
...Drunk?
Year later, bad condition still drew my eye instinctively.
I tried ignoring and hurrying past, but when he slumped against the wall like collapsing, I stopped.
No helping it. At least call it in.
Passing by and him freezing in this cold would leave a bad taste.
No one else around to help, so I kept safe distance and lit my phone screen.
His hazy silhouette in the dark looked oddly familiar.
As I finished dialing and hit call, faint sparks rose from his body, lighting his face.
“...Ju Yeon-woo?”
Crack.
The ground glowed red and split.
Crunch. Cr-r-runch.
It happened in an instant.
Like puzzle pieces disassembling, thick concrete chunks broke free from the pavement.
I whipped around in horror as stones rose into the air, but behind was just as grim.
“Ack!”
Stepping between cracked piles, a jutting rock scraped my leg.
Escape impossible. Pants ripped on one side, blood trickled from the long gash.
No time for wounds. Red cracks spread across the ground.
Glowing like subterranean lava, the fissures expanded like a spiderweb snaring prey.
“Agh, damn it, what the hell is going on?!”
First time seeing it live, but I could guess. Esper rampage.
E- or F-rank rampaging does this much damage...?
I hurriedly checked Ju Yeon-woo. No burst veins, no blood from eyes.
Not unconscious yet—just precursors. He was holding it back.
Attack-type Esper? Destruction ability? Ground splitting—what power was it?
Rampage amps abilities? By how much?
Useless to ponder.
I didn’t know Espers well; all my Awakener knowledge came from Han Se-young or Yang Hyun-woo.
No clue. Never seen one before. Not even Yang Hyun-woo used powers in front of me—how could I analyze?
No wonder people called Awakeners monsters and their powers disasters.
Small mercy...
He’s still conscious.
That’s all that mattered now.
No time to hesitate. He was suppressing it, but who knew for how long? If the area grew more...
One thing certain: staying put meant I was screwed.