Approximal Guide Vol. 4 Chapter 4

“Hajung!”

My aching knee finally gave out. I thought I could ignore the pain and keep running, but my body had other plans, and I suddenly fell forward. For the first time, I resented Sergeant Kang’s body. I knew it was shameless to think this way, given I had taken over his body.

“Are you okay?”

Ha Seonghan had approached and used telekinesis to lift me, checking for injuries. It was infuriating.

“Get lost, you crazy bastard. Who’s worried about whom right now?”

Ha Seonghan sighed and tilted his head.

“…Kang Hajung. I told you I’d explain everything.”

“Like hell you will. If you explain, am I supposed to just listen and say, ‘Oh, okay. Go ahead’?”

At my shouting, Ha Seonghan frowned and grabbed my wrist.

“You could at least hear me out.”

He gripped my wrist so tightly it hurt, almost pleading. I laughed at him.

“And what changes if I listen? Does it erase the fact that you’re with Accent and pretended to be dead for years?”

As I yelled, Ha Seonghan pulled me closer by the neck. I pushed against his chest in shock. His sudden action was confusing. He didn’t seem to need guiding, so why…? My mind, already in a state of panic, went blank, and I focused on pushing him away.

Just as his lips were about to touch mine, I heard a voice.

“If you kiss him now, that’s an indirect kiss with me. I kissed those lips earlier.”

It was Kim Moohyuk. He stood there, holding the hair of an unconscious person, blood running down his cheek.

“Kim Moohyuk!”

I tried to run to him, but Ha Seonghan pulled me back, hugging my waist.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’m not done talking, Hajung.”

“Let go of me!”

I struggled to break free from Ha Seonghan. It was futile. Kim Moohyuk threw the esper he was holding to the ground. The esper hit the floor headfirst, showing no reaction, either unconscious or dead. I swallowed hard. The man on the ground had a Roman numeral III tattoo above his eyebrow. I had a feeling earlier. He must be Tsu’an, one of Accent’s leaders. As I stared in shock, Kim Moohyuk smirked at Ha Seonghan.

“Spacers are all weaklings. No fun to play with. Will you play with me, Sunbae?”

Ha Seonghan, still holding me, flew into the air. I realized he could use telekinesis for aerial movement like Moohyuk. But it wasn’t the same as Moohyuk’s flight. Moohyuk could fly by precisely calculating gravity and overlaying telekinesis on his body. Ha Seonghan’s ability didn’t reach that level.

Though he flew with me, Kim Moohyuk quickly caught up. Frowning, Moohyuk used his telekinesis on me, reversing the gravity between Ha Seonghan and me, creating a repulsive force. Ha Seonghan had no choice but to let go. My body floated, surrounded by Moohyuk’s ESP. Ha Seonghan sneered.

“Interesting trick, Hoobae-nim.”

“Yeah, I have a few.”

Without smiling, Kim Moohyuk, still in the air, swung his fist at Ha Seonghan. There was a loud smack as Ha Seonghan’s jaw was hit, causing him to stagger and almost fall before recovering. He lunged at Moohyuk, and the two espers clashed mid-air. They punched each other, choked each other with telekinesis, and fought relentlessly.

The battle seemed endless. I tried to send guiding to Kim Moohyuk from the air, but it was difficult. They kept grappling, making it hard to aim, and if my guiding waves disrupted the telekinesis surrounding me, I could fall.

I knew the best thing was not to distract Moohyuk, but my heart ached. The person fighting Moohyuk was once my pair esper and a long-time friend. Seeing Kim Moohyuk fight Ha Seonghan was painful.

At first, Kim Moohyuk was a burden. The one who hindered my discharge, the kid who suddenly appeared and sought my affection. I always worried about him. I wanted to prepare him for the future, shield him from the storms others wouldn’t face. I wished for his happiness, even without me. I hoped he would live well.

But…

“Kim Moohyuk…”

Among the espers fighting, whose name am I murmuring now? It’s not the name of my friend who stuck to me like skin until adulthood, but the name of Kim Moohyuk, who was my pair for only three years. …Why? I couldn’t erase the question. No matter how much Ha Seonghan betrayed me, it was strange that I didn’t think of him at all in this situation.

I was only worried about Kim Moohyuk, who seemed to be at a disadvantage. I always thought my concern and support for Kim Moohyuk stemmed from a sense of debt to Ha Seonghan. A trauma mixed with determination not to let my pair esper end up like that again. I believed that was the basis of my affection for Kim Moohyuk. So now that Ha Seonghan had returned, shouldn’t I be concerned about him instead of Kim Moohyuk? No matter how much he was with Accent, wasn’t my heart always inclined towards Ha Seonghan from the beginning?

But now… My chest tightened. Watching Kim Moohyuk, bleeding from a cut on his cheek, being choked by Ha Seonghan, I didn’t know what to do. My heart felt like it was being squeezed. It was as if someone was hammering something hard next to my ear.

And then, it felt like that something shattered with a clang. After much deliberation, I realized there was only one conclusion. Without hesitation, I shouted.

“Ha Seonghan, you crazy bastard! Stop! Just take me with you!”

I was giving Ha Seonghan permission to kidnap me. It was effective. The fighting espers stopped mid-air. Defying gravity, the two espers stood at a height ordinary people couldn’t reach, glaring at me with fierce eyes. I thought their gazes looked similar.

With a loud smack, Ha Seonghan’s head snapped to the side. Kim Moohyuk had swung his shoulder and struck Ha Seonghan’s jaw. Kim Moohyuk’s attacks continued. He followed the falling Ha Seonghan and kicked his abdomen. Reaching out, he grabbed Ha Seonghan’s neck, just as Ha Seonghan had done to him. The veins on his hand bulged as he squeezed, and the two espers, entangled, plummeted to the ground.

“Kim Moohyuk—!”

I couldn’t help but call his name. I didn’t want Kim Moohyuk to hit the ground. But my call was too late, and with a thud, they both hit the asphalt. The sudden impact left both espers disoriented.

No, Kim Moohyuk seemed to recover a bit faster. He got up and kicked Ha Seonghan’s head as he panted on the ground. Ha Seonghan’s head snapped to the side, and he collapsed. Kim Moohyuk spat blood-tinged saliva on the ground. Then he beckoned to me with his finger. The ESP surrounding me floated and began to descend slowly.

Kim Moohyuk watched me intently. His expression suggested he wouldn’t let me off easily once I landed, but I was more concerned about the blood on his lip from Ha Seonghan’s attack. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I saw something behind him and ran to hug Kim Moohyuk.

Bang. The sound followed. I couldn’t help but let out a groan.

“Ugh—!”

“…”

I fell backward. Kim Moohyuk, who had unexpectedly been pulled into my embrace, caught me as I fell. Panting, I clutched my shoulder. My right shoulder felt like it was on fire.

“You—!”

Kim Moohyuk shouted at me. His eyes were bloodshot. He wasn’t that badly hurt… There was no time to explain. He laid me on the ground and turned to face Tsu’an, who had shot at me. Tsu’an’s aim was off, likely due to his position on the ground. Thanks to that, I avoided a severe injury while trying to shield Kim Moohyuk. Tsu’an seemed to have exhausted himself with that one shot, panting on the ground. Kim Moohyuk walked towards him, clenching his fist in the air.

“Ugh—!”

Tsu’an choked as if something invisible was crushing him. It seemed like an unseen force was pressing on his cheeks, making him look like a squashed spider. Cracks began to form on the asphalt where Tsu’an lay.

“Ah, ah—!”

The cracking sound grew louder, spreading towards Kim Moohyuk. Then, another gunshot rang out.

“Let him go before I shoot you dead.”

It was Chief Hwang from the factory complex. She didn’t look as composed as before, but she stood tall, aiming her gun at me. Kim Moohyuk turned from Tsu’an to face her slowly. Tilting his head, he smirked.

“A familiar face.”

“…Let him go. Before I shoot.”

“Is this a gathering of idiots? Getting beaten up without doing anything, and now you want me to let go of the fish I’ve already caught.”

…Moohyuk, where did you learn to talk like that? I was so shocked by his harsh words that I forgot the situation and stared at him with my mouth open. Kim Moohyuk didn’t seem to notice my gaze and started approaching Chief Hwang. Just as I thought her gun was trembling slightly, there was a strange sound, and the barrel of her gun crumpled. I guessed it was Kim Moohyuk’s ability.

Chief Hwang seemed to realize it too. A look of dismay crossed her face. Kim Moohyuk, still smirking, was about to charge at her when I felt an unfamiliar telekinetic ESP. It was Ha Seonghan’s.

He lifted Chief Hwang, and himself into the air and then suddenly disappeared. Judging by the waves, Ha Seonghan had used his ability to lift them, and Tsu’an had used his spacer ability to escape. It wasn’t teleportation but a temporary spatial fold, so there was a chance to catch them if pursued. I was about to tell Moohyuk to go after them and not worry about me when I looked up.

“…You’re… angry, aren’t you?”

“…”

I found Kim Moohyuk looking down at me with a chilling gaze.

“C-Captain…”

I didn’t expect my voice to tremble so much. But Kim Moohyuk’s demeanor was quite intimidating. Standing at my feet as I sat on the ground, his face was filled with emotions I couldn’t decipher. It was the first time I had seen such an expression. I even forgot the pain in my shoulder. Though it was just a graze, it was still a gunshot wound, yet the pain seemed insignificant compared to the cold look in Kim Moohyuk’s eyes.

I wondered why he was looking at me like that. Just as I was about to ask if he was hurt, he suddenly lifted me by the waist. I let go of my shoulder and grabbed his shirt. Kim Moohyuk started flying using his telekinetic ESP. I was so taken aback by the lack of explanation that I stiffened.

“Ugh…”

The speed at which we ascended was incredible. The sound of cutting through the air made my ears ring. I couldn’t hold onto him with my injured arm, but his grip on my waist was firm. It was freezing up in the air. I couldn’t help but burrow deeper into his embrace.

What if civilians see us flying like this…? But I had no words to stop him. I could only hope his anger would subside. Because earlier, without thinking…

‘Ha Seonghan, stop! Just take me with you!’

I had called out Ha Seonghan’s name, who had Han Jaemin’s face. He might not have heard me in the heat of battle, but his expression was too fierce to rely on that possibility. I had to hide my trembling heart.

After a long flight, he finally set me down in front of the center. The soldiers guarding the checkpoint looked at us strangely, having arrived at Seogyeong Center without a vehicle. But when Kim Moohyuk silently showed his ID card, they quickly saluted. They seemed to recognize the name of the strongest esper in the center, Kim Moohyuk.

He dragged me into the center. It was late at night, and there were no carts, so I wondered how we would cover the distance from the checkpoint to the dormitory. Kim Moohyuk suddenly demanded to borrow the emergency communication equipment used by the soldiers.

“There’s an emergency patient.”

“What? Where…”

The soldier looked bewildered. Of course, he only saw me, who looked fine, and Kim Moohyuk, standing like a playboy. But Kim Moohyuk remained silent. The soldier, with three stripes on his helmet, quickly complied and handed over the communication equipment.

Kim Moohyuk seemed to have used it to contact the guide ward’s hotline. Shortly after he finished, an ambulance with sirens blaring approached us. …No, that can’t be for me. I tried to deny it, but when the ambulance stopped in front of me, Kim Moohyuk frowned and gestured for me to get in.

I had no choice but to get into the ambulance. The paramedic who approached glanced at me and asked,

“Is this the emergency patient…?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no.”

He seemed intimidated by Kim Moohyuk’s sharp response. The paramedic glanced at my slightly bleeding arm and said, “Please get in,” opening the back door of the ambulance. Embarrassed, I quickly tried to get in, but Kim Moohyuk lifted me effortlessly and placed me inside.

…Moohyuk, there are stairs, and I have two working legs… I couldn’t say that and just took a seat. Like the soldier at the checkpoint and the paramedic, I was also intimidated! Kim Moohyuk’s demeanor was that intimidating. He looked like he was ready to kill someone, so I thought it best to comply.

I did need to visit the ward. Though the bleeding had stopped quickly, I needed tetanus and anti-inflammatory shots to prevent infection. I sat quietly on the bench inside the ambulance. Kim Moohyuk followed and sat next to me, crossing his arms and legs. He said nothing.

The paramedic, noticing Kim Moohyuk’s demeanor, said, “Closing the door,” and shut the door. The vehicle jolted, and someone got into the driver’s seat. Kim Moohyuk still said nothing.

After several attempts, I finally spoke.

“…It’s just a scratch.”

“Shut up.”

…So harsh. Normally, I would have grumbled internally about the young brat talking to his instructor like that, but now I was just scared. Kim Moohyuk’s ESP waves were menacing. Since waking up in Sergeant Kang’s body, his ESP had never been this aggressive. Today, it was like sharp ice picks. Though the ends blunted when they touched me, indicating no intent to harm, it was shocking that Kim Moohyuk’s waves showed such hostility towards me.

In the end, I had to silently endure the ride to the guide ward in the ambulance, counting sheep in my head. Had he heard me call Ha Seonghan’s name? If he had, what excuse could I come up with? I didn’t even have time to think about it. When the ambulance finally stopped, he got up first, easily opened the back door, and stared at me as he got out.

Why is he looking at me like that? As I got closer, he extended his hand, signaling me to take it and get down. After seeing his intimidating demeanor all this time, I found comfort in this small act of kindness and took his hand. Wait… Comfort? That was strange. It seemed like I was overly concerned about Kim Moohyuk’s reaction, as if I didn’t want to be disliked. Even though he was angry, I could try to avoid provoking him, but there was no reason to feel so anxious and relieved at every little thing.

“What are you waiting for? Get down.”

He urged me as I stood there blankly. I snapped out of it and took his hand to get out of the ambulance. The paramedic glanced at us and, as if asking if he could leave, gave me a slight bow. I awkwardly smiled and nodded back.

Kim Moohyuk had already been walking towards the emergency room of the guide ward for a while. I sighed and followed him. It felt like it was going to be a long night.