Chapter 141

 

Taking a gamble on giving Han Seo-jin access to my memories was a half-bet. I had no idea how powerful an S-rank psychic Esper’s abilities could be or how much they could uncover, but I had no other option. There was a chance he might fumble, just like before.

Whatever happens, I need to buy time until Seong San-ha arrives.

The hand cupping my cheek tightened its grip. Han Seo-jin, his eyes darkened as if trying to read my intentions, asked in a strained voice,

“Won’t you regret this? Even if you beg me to stop, I won’t. Whatever you’re hiding, I’ll never…”

“Regret? For f**k’s sake, there’s no time. If you’re not going to do it, get lost.”

“……”

Han Seo-jin stared at me, then pulled off the glove on his remaining hand and reached out to me. I flinched and closed my eyes as his careful touch grazed my face, and from where his skin met mine, I felt my energy start to drain away.

“You… don’t tell me…”

“I’m borrowing it.”

The moment I realized that the guiding energy was being forcibly transferred to Han Seo-jin, my vision went dark.

The last thing I saw was Han Seo-jin’s golden eyes glowing intensely.

In the pitch-black darkness, hazy shapes began to form. Flickering scenes—appearing briefly and then fading away—were fragments of my memories. I found myself curiously watching versions of me, large and small, playing and moving through a chaotic jumble of time.

Is this Han Seo-jin’s skill?

Memories from my time at the orphanage surfaced, along with scenes I had completely forgotten, so much so that I could barely recognize them. Then, at last, the moment came when I woke up at the Center.

I felt Han Seo-jin’s grip tighten on my hand. From my perspective, the hostile gazes aimed at Joo Ho-hyun—my body at the time—were still difficult to digest, even now.

Seeing this again, it’s honestly just infuriating.

Though I didn’t know the reason, I realized Han Seo-jin couldn’t access the memories I truly wanted to hide. The Constellations, the main quest, the experiments at the orphanage, and even my recent encounter with Seong San-ha—none of it surfaced. The things that held the most significance in my memory remained untouched.

How long does he plan on digging through this?

Just as my irritation started to build, the vision of me committing suicide in front of Tae Jae-heon was the final scene before Han Seo-jin suddenly let go of my hand. The energy he had been absorbing from me stopped flowing as well.

Even if it was just trivial memories, they should be enough to prove I wasn’t Joo Ho-hyun. If he still acted up after all this, then… well, I’d deal with that later.

As I opened my eyes with a sense of relief, my mind went blank at the sight of Han Seo-jin’s face, so close to mine.

“Hey, Han Seo-jin. Why are you crying?”

Han Seo-jin’s smooth face was completely drenched in tears. Feeling startled, I reached out a hand. When my hand touched his damp cheek, Han Seo-jin, who had been staring blankly while letting his tears fall, finally frowned and swatted my hand away.

“Why are you doing this to me? Why are you always… always like this…”

“What? What did I do…?”

“The last thing. What was that? I saw it all. You…”

“Jumping off?”

“…”

Han Seo-jin gave a small nod. The reproach in his tear-filled, blurry eyes felt unfamiliar. With nothing to say, I simply wet my dry lips. 

As he continued glaring at me, Han Seo-jin asked in a small voice:

“Did you try to die to escape from Nox?”

“Yeah.”

Han Seo-jin shut his eyes tightly. More tears fell in heavy drops.

Seeing him unable to speak, his breathing labored and uneven, I sighed and pulled him into a hug, gently stroking his back. His face pressed against my shoulder, Han Seo-jin sniffled and grumbled through his tears.

“Don’t do this.”

“You stop crying first, you crybaby.”

“I told you I like you, hyung.”

…I can’t take that back, can I?

Startled by his warning tone, I quickly pushed Han Seo-jin away, putting some distance between us. He ran a hand roughly over his face, letting out a deep sigh. Though he tried to compose himself and stop crying, his efforts were futile. The moment his eyes met mine again, fresh tears spilled over.

Embarrassed by his own persistent tears, Han Seo-jin tried to change the subject.

“…How did you end up at the Center? And where is Joo Ho-hyun?”

Where Joo Ho-hyun went? 

The unexpected question left me speechless. Sure, I had managed to prove I was Kang Eui-jin, but now a whole new problem had surfaced. Sweating, I wracked my brain for a way to deflect the question, inching backward little by little.

“Is that really important right now? I just told you I’m Kang Eui-jin, an S-rank Potion Master!”

“It is important.”

Even as tears streamed down his face, Han Seo-jin retorted stubbornly, his tone irritatingly firm. Trying to make my escape, I discreetly reached for the storeroom door handle.

“I have a meeting! I’m already late because of you!”

“Wait, hyung—”

Without waiting to hear the rest, I yanked open the door and bolted.

“I even let you read my memories, so if you try to dodge this later, you’re dead. I’ll explain everything later, so wipe those tears and come out.”

Leaving Han Seo-jin behind in the storeroom, I stepped out first. Standing guard to keep other Espers from approaching, Lee Cho and Cheong spotted me and hurried over.

“Eui-jin nim, what happened?”

“Let’s go.”

The sight of me emerging alone clearly shocked the other Espers as well. They exchanged confused glances until Park Moo-il approached, casting a wary look toward the storeroom before hesitantly asking,

“H-hyung nim. You and Seo-jin, did something—”

“Hyung nim, my ass… I’m leaving, so step aside.”

I waved them off dismissively, but the Espers, unwilling to budge, stood their ground. I shot them a sharp glare, but before I could say anything more, their gazes shifted to something—or rather, someone—behind me.

Han Seo-jin, who had just stepped out of the storeroom, spoke in a cold voice.

“Let him through.”

“What? Hey, Han Seo-jin!”

“It’s over. Forget about the test.”

His calm yet commanding words sent a ripple of confusion through the crowd. While everyone else whispered among themselves, only Park Moo-il, who had a better grasp of the situation, turned pale as he approached me, whispering urgently.

“Han Seo-jin! What are you saying? I know full well that Hyung nim is a Guide, so why are you suddenly—”

“I read it myself. …He’s Kang Eui-jin.”

Park Moo-il, pale as a sheet, turned to look at me. I scoffed, turning my head away dismissively.

“Stop making this more annoying than it already is and clear the way.”

“H-Hyung nim—”

“Who said I’m your Hyung nim? Call me Eui-jin-nim.”

Though Park Moo-il looked like he had a lot to say, he pressed his lips together tightly under Han Seo-jin’s watchful glare. Lee Cho and Cheong moved to stand on either side of me, speaking briskly.

“Let’s get going.”

I met Han Seo-jin’s gaze one last time. His eyes were still red, and his lips trembled as if he wanted to speak but held himself back. Finally, he bit down hard on his lower lip, spitting out his words as though they hurt to say.

“Keep your promise.”

“Promise? What promise…? Ah.”

He was demanding answers to the questions I’d deferred for later.

‘I woke up in Joo Ho-hyun’s body.’

No matter how I framed it, it was bound to sound like nonsense.

Still, it was something I could sort out later. Pushing the complicated thoughts aside, I turned my back on him.

When I made it downstairs, a car was waiting. The moment I slid into the backseat alongside Cheong, a bright voice greeted me.

“Eui-jin-ssi. Long time no see.”

“Noona!”

The driver was Oh Na-yeon, who greeted me warmly. Before I could fully respond, Lee Cho climbed into the front passenger seat.

“Na-yeon! We’re late!”

“Seriously. We already have rats tailing us. What about the Guild Master?”

“San-ha-nim will meet us at the conference hall.”

“Sorry. I should’ve wrapped things up faster.” 

I muttered apologetically, causing both Oh Na-yeon and Lee Cho to glance back at me. Lee Cho shook his head, speaking in a reassuring tone.

“It’s fine. While participating in the meeting would’ve improved your image, today’s purpose is simply to reveal your presence and show your face. It’s not too late to achieve that.”

“That’s a relief. But it looked like some pests were already trailing us.”

“Haha, don’t worry about that. Just trust me.”

Oh Na-yeon pressed down on the accelerator, and hell broke loose in the form of a high-speed chase.

***

“Ugh, blegh!”

“Here, hold onto my arm.”

Lee Cho offered as I fought to keep from losing my lunch.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, my legs nearly gave way. Cheong quickly ran over to support me, holding my arm steady. My vision was still spinning like a top. Compared to Oh Na-yeon’s driving, the tailing pursuers were nothing to worry about.

The insane race cut across four lanes of traffic, swerving left, right, forward, and back. I wasn’t sure why a car ride made me feel like I was floating in mid-air at times, and I didn’t want to find out—ever. I had only seen stunts like this on TV, never imagining I’d experience it myself.

While S-class Cheong and the seemingly seasoned Lee Cho looked perfectly fine, I was the sole casualty.

“Was it too much? Sorry. It’s been ages since I drove something other than a bus, so I got a bit excited.”

“I’m fine, this is nothing—ugh!” 

I barely finished my sentence before sprinting to the restroom. At first, we had planned to use the main route to make a statement by having paparazzi snap photos of our entrance. But given my current state, we opted for a discreet, private entrance.

Flanked by Cheon Rang’s security detail, we made our way to the waiting room.

As I tried to fix my disheveled hair in front of a mirror, Seong San-ha burst into the room, visibly alarmed.

“Kang Eui-jin!”

His gaze fell on my messy hair, and his eyes darkened.

“Did someone resort to violence?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Your hair’s a mess. When I saw the photo earlier, it looked so cute.”

“Ah, this? I messed it up myself out of frustration. But what photo? Who sent you that?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Seong San-ha skillfully sidestepping my question as he dragged a chair in front of me and sat down.

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while now, but I’ve been too complacent, relying on unwritten rules. After this meeting, we’ll need to reassess our collaboration with the Center.”

“…That might not be necessary.”

“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

“Han Seo-jin won’t be spouting nonsense anymore.”

Of course, I’d still need to explain how I got into the Center and what had really happened to the real Joo Ho-hyun. But at the very least, Han Seo-jin was certain now that I was Kang Eui-jin.