Boy Monster Chapter 37

Hyeon Jaewoong’s words were, in effect, a rejection of Eunho’s request. Because Eunho had no intention of going on a date with Hyeon Jaewoong. Noticing Eunho’s troubled expression, Hyeon Jaewoong added an explanation.

“I’m not asking you to be my Yeonri. Just hang out with me for a day. Eat malatang with me, take four-cut photos, and go to a restaurant. Just give me one day.”

He understood why Hyeon Jaewoong would have affection for Jae Eunho, who had filled the void left by his parents when he was young. However, in Jae Eunho’s eyes, Hyeon Jaewoong was just a praiseworthy kid who had grown up well under the care of monks Chogwang and Jiguk, without his parents. It was unfortunate, but that was all.

“Alright. If it’s just hanging out, that’s possible.”

“You promised, you can’t cancel, okay?”

“But you have to be perfect with the disguise. Your shadow still seems unstable. If you’re not confident, stay in a dark place where the shadow won’t be seen. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Jaewoong. You’ll meet a good Yeonri.”

“……Yes.”

Jae Eunho put on a jumper under Hyeon Jaewoong’s hoodie to match his build. After pulling the hood down low, he left the room. The soldiers, having confirmed that Hyeon Jaewoong, disguised as Jae Eunho, was in the room, had no suspicions. Thanks to this, Jae Eunho was able to stroll out of the National Intelligence Service with Choi Jungkyung, still in the guise of Lim Geonhwi, and the Ji Hwelju 1st rank.

They put on their radios and put their heads together just before splitting up to go to their respective positions.

“We’ll split into two teams for the northbound KTX and the southbound KTX. Jungkyung, you lead half the Hwelju to the northbound train. I won’t be on the front lines. The terrorism is a means to draw me out and pressure our government. Please assess the situation on-site and report back clearly via radio.”

“Roger that!”

The Ji Hwelju 1st rank, with his sleeves rolled up, answered cheerfully. Eunho glanced at Choi Jungkyung’s shadow cast by the streetlight and asked.

“Were you nervous?”

“Why?”

“Your shadow.”

Choi Jungkyung, who had perfectly disguised Lim Geonhwi’s appearance and voice, thought, oops. As if he had been nervous, the harp shape, the symbol of the Poong Hwelju, was sticking out from the shadow of Choi Jungkyung, who boasted exceptional disguise skills even among the Hwelju.

Jae Eunho and Choi Jungkyung looked at each other, smirked, and then split off in opposite directions. Choi Jungkyung and the Ji Hwelju to a helicopter, and Jae Eunho into a passenger car driven by Deputy Chief Oh Jigeun.

The passengers on the train trembled in fear. The KTX on the night railway rattled along, hurtling towards a collision and death. In the silent panic, sobbing sounds flowed from here and there.

The train car, lit only by emergency lights, was dark. A masked assailant brandished a gun in all directions. All passengers lay prone in their seats, hands on their heads. They couldn’t use their phones or hold their families.

A terrible scream came from the next car. It was a child’s cry and a woman’s scream. The unintelligible shout of an assailant threatening a wailing newborn, and the sound of the child’s parents, crazed with fear, crying out, echoed loudly. The chaos inside the train intensified, and fear and sensitivity reached their peak.

Bang! Bang! It was the sound of gunshots fired into the ceiling and empty seats as a warning. The child cried even louder. People prayed. Please, don’t let them shoot that family. Don’t let a bullet tear through the baby’s body….

The baby, unable to overcome the pain and fear even in its mother’s searching hands, continued to wail. It was then that the baby’s gaze wandered to the dark window.

Thump…. A figure with huge wings landed on a utility pole under the hazy moon.

In the humid atmosphere, two masses of dark, dense flames blazed. The baby, staring blankly at the horns on the giant figure, stopped crying.

The sound of something heavy landing on the train rang out with a crash. The assailants, their senses on edge from the weight that shook the train, were on high alert. One assailant opened the door to the train corridor and checked above. There was nothing on top of the speeding train. They concluded it must have been a wild animal that had jumped onto the tracks and been hit.

The citizens were lying prone, unable to see out the windows, but the assailants witnessed the helicopters of the Republic of Korea slowly gathering in the sky. A machine gun was aimed at a passenger’s head.

:･⚜️⊹.️

Jae Eunho, along with Deputy Chief Oh Jigeun, drove towards an IC on the outskirts of Seoul. He intended to give orders while circling far from the scene. Deputy Chief Oh Jigeun took the wheel.

It would have been more convenient to command from the NIS situation room, watching videos coming in from various places, but it couldn’t be helped. Since he had snuck out. He settled for opening his laptop and putting on a headset.

“I don’t know. Now I’m going to be falsely accused of failing to keep you in custody and lose my job. I don’t know. Even if that happens, I’ll survive just fine, so please stop the train. Catch the terrorists too. Please.”

Deputy Chief Oh Jigeun’s monologue clearly showed he was in a half-panic state.

Jae Eunho had a complicated mind. Thinking the terrorist attack happened because of him, he wanted to catch and kill whoever leaked the confidential information about S.E.T.U. to them. In addition to the responsibility and stress of having to plan an operation to prevent innocent people and his agents from getting hurt, a part of his heart was deeply anxious.

It was the anxious fear that he might lose Hwonwoo, the boy. But there was no other choice. The lives of countless citizens were hanging in the balance before his eyes.

“Choi Jungkyung’s team, who can fly, has been dispatched to the northbound KTX, and the rest will handle the southbound Gyeongbu line train. A Su Hwelju 2nd rank and a Poong Hwelju 2nd rank will enter the train to kill and capture the terrorists. Since they have hostages, the Su Hwelju 2nd rank, who can turn their body invisible, will handle the direct shooting of the terrorists, and the Poong Hwelju 2nd rank will provide support from hiding for protection during the gunfire. The top priority is to stop the train. You are cleared to kill the target, so enter the engine room first and stop the train!”

—Got it.

“The Ji Hwelju will not enter the train directly, but at the appropriate time, will manipulate the spatial dimension around the target to cause confusion and neutralize them. The remaining Poong Hwelju will gather in the helicopters immediately and combine their psychic powers to stop the train!”

Choi Jungkyung relayed Jae Eunho’s instructions, and what Choi Jungkyung said was relayed again to the helicopters and special forces.

The trains now had less than 10 minutes until collision. If the Poong Hwelju combined their powers, could they stop the train before the crash? It was an unprecedented event with no history of being attempted. It was uncertain if they could stop a 1,000-ton train running at 300 kilometers per hour.

The train, marked as a red dot on the GPS system, slowly began to decelerate. The speed dropped to 230 km/h, but there was no further progress. No matter how much the Poong Hwelju exerted their psychic powers to the fullest, even if they communed with their Yeonri and pushed their remaining power to the brink of overload, it was useless if the train’s power wasn’t cut.

Jae Eunho cupped his chin and fell into deep thought. Should I change the tracks? Is there a track in between to switch to? As he was concentrating on his decision, Choi Jungkyung shouted in horror over the radio.

—Captain, over there…. Over there… did you see it? Now, look! Can you see it? I told you, those bastards have espers too!!

The real-time footage Jae Eunho could see was only a distant view from a helicopter or a shaky video from a special forces member. Jae Eunho shouted in a strained voice.

“Why!”

—Now….

Choi Jungkyung’s reply was cut off. Jae Eunho frantically searched through the videos. Among the videos of the entry into the northbound KTX, no team had entered the engine room, so he searched the helicopter footage.

Finally, in the live feed from the aerial team, he found a video showing the train car near the engine room. To see the distant and severely shaking screen, he pressed his nose to the monitor and looked closely. In the unlit train, a scene was captured where a Ji Hwelju and a Poong Hwelju were attacked and fell onto the chairs. Jae Eunho enlarged the recent video and replayed it.

What had attacked the Hwelju was darkness. An empty space was throwing punches and knives at them.

“…Fuck, for God’s sake. Deputy Chief, it’s true. They have espers too. They’ve hidden their bodies, made them invisible.”

“Dammit! It’s a global shitshow, completely!”

—Looking at it… I don’t think they’re trying to kill us….

The fallen Choi Jungkyung said, catching his breath.

—I think they’re looking for you.

Meanwhile, the two trains were getting closer and closer.

Jae Eunho heard the evil voices of the bastards ringing in his head like an auditory hallucination. They are sacrifices to be made for you. How long will you sacrifice innocent citizens and your comrades?

In that moment, a thunderstorm passed over Eunho’s pale face. An icy white streak shot through to his pupils.

His black pupils gradually froze over into a hazy white.

The power to absorb and swallow all surrounding consciousness and thoughts was about to pierce through Jae Eunho’s mind and self again, causing a vast explosion.

Just then, something blocked the wave. A consciousness, connected from somewhere, sent a gentle voice.

「Teacher, it’s okay. Don’t struggle so much.」

「I’m here now, aren’t I? There’s no need to be anxious anymore.」

「You’ve been taking responsibility for all of this alone, haven’t you?」

「You endured without even knowing you were in pain, shouldering the responsibility alone, right?」

「It was hard.」

「Now, step away from the mission. I’ll do everything. I’m here, don’t worry.」

The warmth from various memories embraced Eunho. The shoulder his forehead had touched while dancing in a Gyeongseong classroom, the hand he had secretly held inside the Changgyeonggung Palace conservatory… and the pedals of the air boat cutting through the water. The dark waves of the Han River and the city he had seen from under the Jamsu Bridge. A sky lantern jingled above the gently flowing water.

The breath that had come close enough to touch the bridge of his nose in a sealed-off café room, and the intense heat that had warmed both his ankles.

Sensations that had been floating in his subconscious enveloped his mind. The warm feelings that had layered on his lips and neck, the scent of the large embrace that he couldn’t push away…. Eunho’s consciousness gradually gathered into one amidst the comfort.

「I will take responsibility for everything, so Teacher, just hold my hand.」

The power that had been spreading faster than light instantly subsided. Eunho’s eyes returned to their original color.

“…Hah, cough…! Cough.”