SOG (English)

#23

As soon as he entered the already dark hallway, a terribly distorted wave was spreading. It was probably a countermeasures room fully equipped with a system for Esper containment, which would always be in place within this kind of base.

As if he had done his job, the Chief hurriedly released his wrist. Even though he couldn't feel the waves properly, he thoroughly knew how dangerous an unstable Esper could be.

— Thank you.

Sun Jae-chan flinched at the wavelength that made his skin tingle, but expressed his gratitude anyway. Chief Yoo, who mixed a grimace-like smile through his rough gasps, showed signs of contacting him later and left.

Taking a deep breath, Jae-Chan hurriedly took control of his uneasy stomach. He stared at the front of the room where Go Woo-Jin would be. Soldiers stood guard in front of the sturdy iron gate.

Their appearance was familiar. At this point, they were soldiers serving as guardians of Go Woo-Jin. Every Esper was accompanied by armed soldiers to guard them during their vulnerable moments. It was also their duty to take responsibility and deal with the aftermath in case of an Esper runaway.

— I'm the Guide Sun Jae-Chan.

As he approached, he took out his ID card and showed it. The Guardians confirmed it without a word and stared straight ahead again. A tense and brutal atmosphere prevailed, as if they were guarding explosives.

Sun Jae-Chan's fists were also tensed by the huge wave spreading from the inside. His grip became damp, but he let out a short breath, and, without further hesitation, grabbed the doorknob with force.

Even though the Esper's wavelength seemed to choke him, it was Woo-Jin on the other side of the door. Before being an Esper, he was Go Woo-Jin. In allusion, he twisted open the cold handle.

And straight through the open gap of the black door, he immediately met eyes that were forged blue.

As if he* (GWJ) had been waiting, his eyes flashed at the sight of him* (SJC). At that moment, his breath was caught and he almost stepped back, but he managed to put strength on his toes.

— …….

It was the first time that he saw such a messed up Go Woo-Jin.

For a moment, he cried at the top of his throat. Jae-Chan's round combat boots passed through the thick steel door frame and entered a dim, windowless room. With a click behind his heels, the closed iron door cut him off from the world.

Now, the only source of light was the bluish electric hue from the guiding machine. Due to the traits he manifested as an E-Class Esper, while blinking a couple of times, his eyesight, which was superior to that of ordinary people, quickly got used to the darkness.

Go Woo-Jin was leaning on his chin and tilting his head slightly. The guiding electrodes embedded in the exposed thick neckline wriggled like pitch-black mechanical blood vessels in contrast to the white skin.

Even in the dark, his eyes glowed with a subtle light. The gaze that had never left him* (SJC) ever since he entered the room. It was like another ticking time bomb with an exposed fuse. Right in front of his eyes, as if he would immediately scatter and rip off his skin.

Sun Jae-Chan's throat swallowed heavily again. A dreadful time was about to begin.

*

Being caught and eaten whole. Being swept away. Being beaten senseless.

How such an expression could possibly be replaced.

A pair of bodies pitted against each other without a gap in between. A gaze beguiling enough to be devoured. Like a rising tidal wave in a fierce storm, the ocean-like wavelength was undeterred and rushed suffocatingly. Like a small boat on turbulent waves, in a situation where he was likely to be shipwrecked in the middle of a storm, Sun Jae-Chan was struggling to hold on to the guiding key thoroughly.