IMPRINT 6

I handed the chocolate to him, half-resigned, and Kang Juha, after a moment of deliberation, peeled the plastic off perfectly and popped the chocolate into his mouth.

And that day, before leaving the Special Treatment Room, I lightly brushed against Kang Juha’s subconscious. I don’t know the exact details, but he will likely have a dream today that might help his consciousness return.

༘⋆

—Team Leader, what on earth did you do! Code Red just went off! You need to get to the Special Treatment Room right now!

Or maybe not.

Around three in the morning, I was jolled awake by the call from my secretary, Juyoung. I hurried through the Center, wearing only an outer coat thrown over my pajamas.

It wasn’t until I arrived in front of the Special Treatment Room that I realized I was wearing mismatched shoes.

Heave, pant… “What, what’s going on?”

“It’s a seizure. Seeing as his eyes won’t open, he seems to be in an unconscious state… looking at the symptoms alone, it’s no different from a rampage, but there’s no energy being discharged.”

“Whoa, you startled me. Director Shin, you’re here too?”

Director Shin was standing behind me, also dressed in pajamas as if he’d just jumped out of bed. It was a bit awkward facing each other in such a disheveled state for the first time.

“We’ll have to investigate further to see if he’s showing a reflex response to stimuli because he’s had too many rampages recently, or if a problem has developed in his brain.”

“It’s likely a brain issue.”

“…I suppose Team Leader Seong has a hunch about something?”

“I gave him a bit of stimulation on purpose.”

Though it might look like I’d meddled recklessly, it was a judgment made after steadily observing Kang Juha’s physical and mental state, providing various stimuli to the brain, and watching the resulting reactions. I had calculated and touched only as much as he could withstand, so while Kang Juha would be in quite a bit of pain right now, the effect was certain to follow.

“I adjusted it so his mental state wouldn’t collapse, but I didn’t predict he would react this strongly; perhaps Esper Kang Juha’s original willpower was quite substantial.”

“So you touched the subconscious…”

I stared blankly at Kang Juha on the monitor, who was struggling with all his might. This reaction was definitely different from other Espers.

“Existing Espers show patterns of shrinking back or trembling in fear, but look here. Doesn’t it look like he’s resisting?”

At my words, Park Juyoung and Director Shin both hovered over the monitor.

“He’s going beyond being pained by the subconscious; he’s rejecting it. My ability, that is.”

“…That’s possible in that state? You’re saying that in that condition, he still has the will to resist the ability of an S-class mental-type Esper…”

“Shouldn’t he be at least that much to hold the title of South Korea’s top Esper?”

This case was certainly exceeding expectations.

“…Team Leader, I think your eyes have gone crazy. It’s scary.”

Juyoung whispered to Director Shin in fear, and Director Shin spoke while grabbing the hem of my clothes.

“…We definitely promised not to kill him, right?”

“Oh, why would I kill him? He’s too precious for that.”

When Kang Juha’s body, which had been writhing in pain for a long time, finally went limp, I immediately called the medical wing. Before long, doctors arrived along with armed guards. I kept Kang Juha knocked out just in case an unexpected situation occurred.

The doctors checked Kang Juha’s physical condition thoroughly and concluded that there were no issues other than dehydration and a lack of guiding.

It seemed that external treatment was no longer necessary. Over the past few days, the unique healing ability of an Esper, which had fully recovered, had dramatically repaired his body. Well, it would be a bit ridiculous for an S-class Esper to be in and out of the hospital for injuries anyway.

The doctors ran out of work, but conversely, my workload doubled.

Since I had already failed to get him out of the Special Treatment Room due to the Center Director’s insistence, I started by changing the environment of the treatment room. After having Kang Juha’s body cleaned and changed into new clothes, I removed the steel bed and the bars. Instead, I brought in a soft mattress bed and laid a rug on the floor.

Of course, for safety, I had to put restraints on his body. Still, I unfastened the chains that had bound his limbs. Director Shin objected, saying at least a minimum safety device was necessary, but we reached a compromise by connecting Kang Juha’s left wrist to the corner post of the bed.

My safety was a concern, but in fact, they seemed more wary that Kang Juha might injure himself by failing to control his own power.

“You told me to avoid damaging his brain as much as possible.”

“That is true, but…”

“If the cleanup is done, everyone please leave. If he wakes up and sees people surrounding him, he might attack.”

I spoke confidently and kicked everyone else out, but truth be told, I wasn’t 100% certain of anything. I just judged that it would be easier to handle a sudden situation if I were alone.

Does the vibe change this much just because one set of bars is gone?

“Now that he’s sleeping quietly, he looks quite human.”

Ah, he was human to begin with.

Only now did it feel real that the person I was facing was Kang Juha. I had thought his features were quite distinct before, but now that his pale face was revealed without a single bloodstain or speck of dust, he was a statue-like handsome man.

Searching through my hazy memories, I had encountered him once at a Center executive event a few years ago. It was only for a split second.

༘⋆

Kang Juha was wearing his Esper dress uniform. He stood out exceptionally, standing tall and noble like a model among the bulky Espers.

“That person looks like a celebrity.”

“He actually is practically a celebrity within the Center. That’s Esper Kang Juha.”

“Ah, is that person the Kang Juha?”

“Yes. The Kang Juha.”

I was sharing trivial conversation with my secretary, Juyoung.

Since it was an event for formal greetings, tables were assigned by department or team, and the distance between his seat and mine was considerable. To begin with, since the National Security Agency was practically an outcast within the Center, our table was lonely and tucked away in a corner. On the other hand, the team Kang Juha belonged to… was clearly the main focus of the Center, so they were at the very front and center.

“But why is the Center Director squeezed in there so shamelessly?”

As I asked while sipping water from a needlessly luxurious glass, Juyoung shrugged.

“The Center Director really likes Esper Kang Juha, you know.”

“Hmm…”

Sitting right next to Kang Juha, the Center Director smiled brightly while greeting other Espers at the same table. Kang Juha, looking like someone with absolutely no interest in the conversation, stared at the white tablecloth before lifting his head.

And then, our eyes met immediately. He must have been sensing my gaze the whole time. Seeing as he glared right at me without a moment’s hesitation. His slightly furrowed brow revealed his discomfort without filter.

However, since it would be awkward to look away now that our eyes had already met, I made my gaze vacant and asked Juyoung while moving only my lips.

“Do you think Esper Kang Juha knows about our team?”

“…Is it even possible not to know? He’s a person of the Center.”

“I guess so? Then, could the reason he’s scowling at me be because I kept staring and it made him feel bad?”

“What…? No, he looks so offended, so why do you keep staring! Turn your head quickly!”

“Then I’ll look like I got caught doing something suspicious. I was just looking.”

“Isn’t that what ‘doing something suspicious’ is…?”

Is it? Hmm, this is a problem.

My image in the Center wasn’t great to begin with, and it was obvious who would lose out if I got on the bad side of the Center’s celebrity, Kang Juha.

“Would it make things better if I showed him that I’m currently wearing ability-restraint cuffs on my wrists? And what if I sent a telepathic signal to his brain that our work regulations strictly forbid looking into the minds of S-class combat-type Espers?”

“Wow, that’s even more suspicious. It’s so suspicious that he could call the guards right now.”

“Right? Then I guess I should just do nothing.”

I flashed a smile with the most harmless expression I could muster, and seeing that, Kang Juha’s expression soured even more before he abruptly turned his head away.

No manners at all…

As my gaze, which had been directed toward Kang Juha, lost its way, it strayed off path and met the eyes of the Center Director sitting next to him. The Center Director’s brow twitched minutely. Soon, he began walking toward my table with a broad, genial smile.

“Ah, I made eye contact with the Center Director.”

“You should have desperately pretended not to see him!”

I didn’t reply to Juyoung’s resentful remark and kept my mouth shut. The Center Director, who arrived in an instant, smiled and greeted me.

“Team Leader Seong, I see you again.”

“Yes. How have you been?”

“I’m always well. Where is Director Shin?”

“He’s a bit late because of some business. He said he’d be here before the meal…”

“Ah, I see. Is everything all right with you lately, Team Leader Seong?”

“Yes. If something were wrong, I wouldn’t be here.”

The Center Director nonchalantly sat in the seat next to me. At the same time, Juyoung stood up from his seat and left, muttering a ridiculous excuse to himself like, ‘I wonder where the restroom is…’