Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: An Unforeseen Explosion
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[Haon. The flow of mana is growing rough.]
“……!”
Snapped back to her senses by Blue’s voice, Haon tried to think rationally.
She took a long, slow breath, clutched the phone in her pocket, and gave an order.
“Blue. Scan for any traces of mana inside the counseling room.”
[Understood!]
Blue spread its wings wide, flapped them a few times, then settled down.
[Scan complete. No traces of mana detected.]
“……”
Haon rubbed the back of her neck where goosebumps had risen. It was a chilling sensation, as if an old, long-cured body ache was returning.
‘It’s just a coincidence of having the same name, like with Juyeol or me. That terrorist was apprehended by soldiers after the war ended.’
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Haon knocked on the door.
A voice called for her to enter, but Haon hesitated for a long moment before opening the door.
And there he was—the counselor, sitting with the face of the terrorist.
Seeing that face again made the hair on her head stand on end.
“Welcome. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? And you’ve brought a bird with you today?”
“……Ah.”
Only when the counselor greeted her did Haon realize she had been staring at him too intently.
She cautiously approached and sat across from him, his incredibly friendly smile filling her vision.
His entire demeanor and expression were different from those of the ‘terrorist Bae Anjae.’
“I, I haven’t been here in a very long time… have I?”
“That’s right. Are you in the mood to speak formally today?”
“Ah, well.”
The counselor’s calm voice gradually eased her tension.
“I’m not sure if you know, but I’ve lost my memory.”
The counselor didn’t seem surprised, as if he was already aware. Instead, he began to confirm the symptoms ‘Eun Haon’ had likely experienced.
“When did you first realize you had lost your memory?”
“About three months ago.”
“So that’s why you missed your last appointment. Are you still having trouble sleeping?”
Haon hesitated. It seemed ‘Eun Haon’ had also been a poor sleeper. How should she answer?
She slept soundly at Juyeol’s safe house, but she was still plagued by nightmares when alone.
“……I think so.”
“What about the headaches?”
“They were severe a few days ago, but I’m fine now.”
“And when the headaches were severe, did any of your lost memories resurface?”
“No.”
“Have you been to a hospital?”
“Um, no.”
“Are you not interested in regaining your memories?”
“……No. I like the way things are now. Although there are some things I’m curious about.”
As she answered the counselor’s questions, Haon found it strange that ‘Eun Haon’ had been receiving proper counseling.
From what everyone said, she had been the epitome of arrogance. Had counseling actually helped her?
“Was I the type to talk a lot about things when I came here?”
“Hmm. It was rare for you to start a conversation, but you always answered well when I asked you something.”
“In that case, did I ever talk about any important secrets?”
“Everything discussed in a session with a client is an important secret.”
“That’s not what I mean… like stories about the people around me, or something like that.”
He gave a strange smile, then briefly glanced over his previous session notes.
“Are you asking about Nova?”
“No, about Halo, to be exact.”
His hand paused.
“……Halo?”
“Yes. Is there anything?”
“Hmm. You did once mention you were looking forward to receiving something from Halo. Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything else.”
Receiving something? Haon tilted her head. There was no record of that anywhere in the lab.
Was this another secret she kept to herself, or was it information stored only on ‘Eun Haon’s’ phone, which was still missing?
‘The phone trace is still active, but with no news, I should probably assume it’s lost for good, right?’
The more she thought, the more she couldn't figure out her relationship with Halo.
She had been worried about ‘Eun Haon’s’ counseling session, but it turned out to be surprisingly normal. As a result, her goal of uncovering ‘her’ secret information had fizzled out.
“This concludes our sessions for today. You are still in an unstable state due to your memory loss, but you seem to be overcoming it well. Please feel free to visit anytime you need my help.”
The counselor remained kind to the mad scientist ‘Eun Haon’ to the very end, but Haon had no desire to see him again.
Just looking at his face caused a chilling sensation and a simmering anger to rise from deep within her.
Since it wasn't his fault, she wanted to at least offer a polite farewell.
“Mr. Bae, thank you for everything…?”
Haon, who had been bowing her head slightly, looked up with a pale face.
She could feel the seething energy of mana, as if it was about to explode somewhere nearby.
[Haon! Be careful of a mana explosion!]
It felt like every hair on her body had turned into a needle, yet the counselor before her remained perfectly calm. The power wasn't coming from him.
Then, with a tremendous roar, the ground shook violently.
“……!”
As the startled counselor grabbed the table, red warning lights flashed and a siren blared.
[P-Please evacuate to the shelter immediately! The explosion was caused by a failed forced Awakening! I repeat! Evacuate to the shelter immediately!]
Before the announcement even finished, Haon kicked open the door to the counseling room and bolted.
She barely managed to escape the counseling center, getting tangled with the crowd of people screaming and rushing out.
Once outside, she ran in the opposite direction of the crowd.
‘No way. It can’t be.’
Haon was heading for the rehabilitation center’s detention facility—beyond the small yellow door where she was supposed to meet Gowon.
The aftershock of the mana explosion was coming from that direction.
Injured guards stumbled out of the small door.
“I-It was Gowon, right?”
Gowon? Haon quickly hid behind a wall, her ears perking up at the familiar name.
“Yes. He was brought up for a visitor meeting, but he suddenly attempted a forced Awakening and exploded. Looks like a crushed Awakening Sphere came in with his mail.”
“What? There’s no way they would have given it to him without checking. Who delivered it?”
“That rookie who was specially hired. He was a bit out of it, just stood there while Gowon swallowed it, and got caught in the explosion. Died on the spot.”
“I had no idea an explosion like that could happen.”
What was all this?
‘Gowon didn't cause an explosion… he *exploded*?’
Haon stared blankly at the guards helping each other as they moved away, then she entered through the small door.
The café-like space was half-obliterated, and the other half was a chaotic mess of scattered objects.
As she drew closer, everything she saw was unbelievable.
Where a blue light flickered, only a scorched patch of bare ground remained.
There was no trace of a human form.
‘Gowon… is dead?’
The arsonist who had burned down not only Juyeol’s house but also the homes of many others had taken a guard with him even in death.
She was completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
As Haon looked around in a daze, her eyes suddenly fell on a sign that read ‘Inmate Property Storage Room.’
* * *
Haon rushed into her lab, her eyes fixed on her phone.
‘Quickly… if I can just unlock this, I’ll know—’
*Thwack!*
“Ugh……!”
Moving in a hurry, Haon slammed her forehead into something that felt like a wall and staggered.
A firm hand gripped her arm, steadying her before she could fall.
“What are you doing? Watch where you’re going.”
“……?”
Rubbing her forehead, Haon looked up, her eyes widening.
“Juyeol? What are you doing here?”
“What about you……!”
Juyeol suppressed the urge to raise his voice and held up his phone, which displayed a news article.
「Explosion at Gwonyoung Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Eun Haon Confirmed to Have Been Visiting.」
“What kind of trouble did you get into?”
“Ah.”
Haon bit her lip in dismay.
An explosion at the Gwonyoung Rehabilitation Center, a landmark of the new city district, would have drawn reporters in swarms.
They must have already interviewed the center’s staff and found out she was in a counseling session when the explosion occurred.
And yet, they still ran a headline that made it seem like she was the one who caused it.
‘In the past, they wouldn’t have dared to publish an article like that, afraid of retaliation.’
The widespread rumor that ‘Eun Haon’ had lost her memory and become a different person was something she had wanted.
But this kind of side effect was not welcome.
“……I didn’t cause any trouble. I was at the rehabilitation center for counseling because of my disciplinary action. I didn’t cause the explosion.”
“Then what blew up?”
Haon was a little touched by his reaction.
To think that Juyeol would believe her over an article from a reputable news source.
But this was no time to get emotional. He needed to know this, too.
“Juyeol. You’ll probably find out soon enough, but don’t be shocked.”
Haon steeled herself and spoke.
“Gowon is dead.”
“What?”
“He attempted a forced Awakening and failed… he exploded as a side effect.”
“……”
Juyeol stared into the empty air, his expression one of disbelief.
Superimposed over his confused face was the image of him cuffing Gowon’s wrists.
His eyes, lost in the darkness, and his hollow expression. The memory of his precarious state, as if he could vanish at any moment, was vivid.
A sudden fear gripped Haon, and she lightly tugged on his sleeve. Juyeol flinched but allowed himself to be pulled closer by the gentle force.
“That bastard is dead, so why do you look like you’re about to cry? Did you kill him?”
“……”
Juyeol’s attempt at a nonchalant tone made a corner of Haon’s heart ache.
She carefully studied his face, now closer, and asked gently.
“Juyeol. There’s something I need to check right now. Want to see it with me?”
“What is it?”
“I copied Gowon’s phone.”
“……What?”