“I’ve heard a lot about you. So, our Yeoni broke the laptop? I bought that for the 2nd anniversary… Haha!”
Miyeon let out a small sigh and rubbed her head.

The pairs in the training area were now busy watching the interesting situation unfold, no longer even pretending to sneak peeks. After all, how often does a guide dare to joke with ‘that Ji Gwanyeong’ with a smile? It was an entertaining sight.

However, Ji Gwanyeong did not let his expression falter in response to Park Seungwon’s words. He merely gave a gentle smile. No matter what the Esper’s nature was, his appearance was flawless.

“To think you secretly filmed with such an important laptop. You must have been quite careless.”
“Thanks to that, Yeoni has another laptop…”
“Seungwon.”

Park Seungwon, about to say more, quickly shut his mouth. He was vulnerable to Ji Gwanyeong calling him by his name, especially when he was acting like his usual stoic, stone-like self.

“For the time being, training will take place in that individual room over there. Both of you will likely be more comfortable there.”
“…Of course.”

Since entering the training area, it was the first time Taehun had spoken properly, albeit in a barely audible voice. The individual training room they entered was spacious enough to never be called small. Taehun finally relaxed his shoulders, which had been tense, and rubbed his stiff neck.

The Esper, who had been silently watching the guide, spoke softly.

“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… well. I guess I’ll get used to it eventually. Both me and everyone outside.”

Ji Gwanyeong, who seemed like he was about to say something, only let out a small, quiet acknowledgment instead. “I see.” This was a cautious attitude, unlike the arrogance Taehun was used to seeing in the Esper.

If he had been treated a bit more mischievously and shamelessly as usual, it might have made him feel more at ease. But since the guide had fainted, the Esper had always been this careful. Taehun frowned slightly, as if the name of the man etched on his back was stinging.

[Are you both ready?]
It was Miyeon’s voice coming from the control room outside the individual training area. Taehun responded with a voice full of uncertainty.

“What do you mean by ready? I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Taehun could have easily said he had been to nearly every corner of the center since he was five years old. He had even once stormed into the center director’s office, refusing the matching test. But this place, the pair training area, was different—it was his first time here.

And there was a good reason for that. Taehun had never been matched with any Esper… except for Ji Gwanyeong, who was standing next to him now.

[Hmm, well. Taehun, just prepare yourself mentally.]
“Mental preparation?”

Taehun asked with a puzzled expression at Miyeon’s voice coming through the ceiling speakers.
[The rest will be handled by Gwanyeong.]
“What?”

Neither Ji Gwanyeong nor Choi Taehun had ever undergone pair training before, so the Esper tilted his head, as if displeased by the vague answer.

However, neither the Esper, Ji Gwanyeong, nor the guide, Choi Taehun, could engage in casual conversation with the people from the center sitting in the control room any longer.

“Miyeon!”
“Oh, you actually know my name. That person.”

Miyeon spoke calmly while listening to Ji Gwanyeong’s voice ringing loudly through the special glass door. Until now, that man had never once addressed her properly by name. It was always just a smug gesture, a slight raise of his eyebrows, and sarcastic politeness.

Oh Yeon let out a small sigh as he watched Miyeon with a rather pleased expression. He then fixed his gaze on the training area visible outside the control room.

Ji Gwanyeong is strong.
His overwhelming abilities are so complete that there’s no room to question them. But if you were to ask whether he is fully adept at using that immense power, the answer would lean more towards “no.” Since awakening as an Esper, Ji Gwanyeong had always suppressed his powers, and it was likely a struggle just to keep himself from losing control.

The wreckage from the terror scene in Gangnam, when he first unleashed his power, was a testament to this. Everything was bent and shattered in a chaotic mess, proving the destructive force he possessed. The cruelty of his nature could also be seen in the way the buildings were violently torn apart and the terrorists, twisted grotesquely in every direction, showed no signs of hesitation before dying.

“You’re better at this than I expected.”

“The basic ability stats are different from other Espers.”

“Oh? So, it really is the third one that can’t be measured?”

Now fully in the role of a spectator, Park Seungwon smiled while spinning around, pulling his Esper behind him. Oh Yeon, who was held by the guide, raised the arm wrapped around him and pushed it away as he replied.

“Get off. I need to check the data.”

Oh Yeon ignored Seungwon’s grumbling complaints about being cold or okay with it and continued to scan the program that surrounded the spacious training room.

What Ji Gwanyeong was dealing with now was an Esper-specific training program. This program, developed by Oh Yeon, was one that most physical-type Espers would avoid with a shake of their heads. Though it’s called a program, it’s infamous among Espers and is almost as dangerous as a virus. Miyeon, who had eagerly volunteered to participate in the beta test, grabbed Oh Yeon’s collar the moment she left the training room. There was no need to say more.

Oh Yeon furrowed his brows and looked down at the Esper, who was watching the program’s movement carefully. Ji Gwanyeong’s rough use of his power wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There was no way to stop him, and it’s impossible to form a judgment of whether it’s good or bad.

However, there was a ‘possibly’ fatal weakness. Ji Gwanyeong knew his power too well…

“…Damn it!”

He didn’t know how to use it for anyone other than himself.

A small curse slipped from the Esper’s mouth. He glared at Miyeon, who was sitting in the control room, grinding his teeth. The magic mirror that blocked his vision didn’t inconvenience him at all. Because of this, he was able to clearly see the gazes of the guide and Oh Yeon as they watched him, making him frustrated.

The sound of power clashing was as sharp as nails on a metal plate.

Cha Taehun involuntarily squinted his eyes and shrank his body. The guide was completely unaware of what was happening inside the training room where he stood. He couldn’t see or feel it with his own vision and senses. All he knew was that, as soon as Miyeon finished speaking, his Esper’s expression turned terrifying, followed by a deafening, earth-shaking noise.

Taehun opened his eyes groggily, half-dazed. What caught the guide’s eye was the face of the Esper, who had been keeping a distance of several steps away from him for the past few days. His eyelids were tightly shut, so the man in front of him appeared slightly blurry.

Black hair. Black eyes looking at him. …And an incredibly warm presence. Only then did the guide realize that the Esper’s arm had wrapped around him.

“Cha Taehun. Is this how training is usually done?”

Ji Gwanyeong asked sharply, swinging his arm once.

Then, the rebar that had been circling the outside of the training room suddenly twisted and collided with something noisily. It wasn’t visible to Taehun, but it was clear to Gwanyeong.

The Esper was now quite annoyed. A training where he had to block attacks without any explanation, just like that. As expected, people from the center never sit right with him for even a second. Gwanyeong twisted one of the white masses attacking him in a somewhat irritated manner.

However, ‘it’ grew in number like a bacteria, multiplying faster the more it was cut, split, or crushed. This meant that the Esper’s response was wrong.

The strength in the arm of Ji Gwanyeong, who was holding the guide, intensified. At first, it seemed like a simple hologram with no physical damage. The Esper thought the fast-moving light mass that could barely be seen in his sight was trivial. The guide, still standing with a confused expression, seemed peaceful. Gwanyeong was the same.

That was until ‘it’ rushed toward the guide, not me.

The target of this training wasn’t me, but Cha Taehun.

The Esper realized this. And from that moment—he became very unpleasant. Unbearably so.

Boom, crash. Screech.

The guide stiffened at the deafening noise ringing in his ears.

He should’ve stood firm. The flashing red lights in his head screamed that, but strangely, his legs wouldn’t move. The only thing Taehun could do was lower his head onto the shoulder of the man holding him as if to hide from me. His hand, tightly gripping Gwanyeong’s collar, trembled faintly. His head, floating in a dazed state, felt like the remaining pieces of his sanity were drifting away.

Why is this happening? I should answer. I’m new to this training, so I don’t really know.

With his eyes tightly shut, only the black darkness remained in his vision, and a quiet question floated toward Taehun.

“…Cha Taehun?”

The low voice of the man fell softly in his ear. Only then did the guide barely realize the name of what had been gnawing at his mind.

The memory of that day was blurry.

It seemed that just thinking about what to do with a long-lost friend had been quite enjoyable. It was the first proper outing after finally wrapping up the job search, which had made him drop out several times. He had a nice, expensive meal and drank some lively drinks. Taehun, not even thinking about pressing his slowly rising smile, was leisurely looking at his phone screen near the big language school building where they always met.

But then, he heard a surprised voice.

Uh?!

It was chilly that day.

‘Why isn’t he here?’ Taehun thought leisurely and lifted his head slightly. He expected there would be something to watch while waiting for his friend. Unfortunately, Taehun’s thoughts were completely off the mark.

The horrific and utterly abnormal scene that unfolded in the midst of an ordinary day came without any sense of surprise. The sight of a building, several stories tall, splitting at an angle right before his eyes felt like something out of a movie.

Creak, screech, crack.

For a moment, Taehun didn’t fully process what was happening, standing there in a daze. It was only when he saw it slowly falling toward him that he let out a terrified scream, unable to move, and mixed into the crowd, running away. But, just moments ago, when the air had been clear, the street was now filling with a gray fog, making it hard for him to even move.

Boom. Screech. The sound of cars suddenly braking and crashing into each other pierced his ears. Just a few minutes ago, people were laughing and chatting, but now they were all screaming. Something had brushed past his head, but Taehun didn’t have the time to feel pain.

His teeth clashed together. Through the screams, a faint laugh echoed through the fog.

Am I going to die?

The thought popped into his head, and every hair on his body stood on end. It was a fear of death that he had never felt before in his life. But there was no one to turn to for help. All he could see were people lying on the ground, bleeding, surrounded by fog.

…Then.

It was then. Through the deafening noise, a strong arm and a warm presence approached. Taehun unknowingly clung to the body of someone holding him. He heard a man’s voice, soft as a whisper. In response to a question about who he was, the man smiled faintly and told him not to be afraid. With his vision obscured, Taehun couldn’t see the owner of the voice. But now, things were different.

Taehun opened his eyes. This time, he clearly saw the beautiful face of the man who was looking at him. The face that had always been relaxed was now tinged with a bit of confusion. The arm that was firmly holding him up and the warmth he felt were not unfamiliar. The quiet voice speaking in a low tone began to slowly overlap with the memory of that hellish day.

Only then did the guide fully realize the name of the Esper.

While the monster’s attention had momentarily shifted to Taehun, the light mass quickly brushed against the Esper’s clean cheek. A few drops of blood formed, but the Esper, as if indifferent to such things, did not take his eyes off the guide and stood there.

It was the researchers in the control room who were actually startled.

“Isn’t Ji Gwanyeong hurt? Why is he suddenly acting like this? Oh Yeon!”

“Although the scan isn’t accurate, there are no major injuries.”