SOFTIE 8

Shin Yoosung glanced at Ma Seongtae and then stared back at the TV. Seo Yeonwoo was a hero who had overcome trials and tribulations to reach the pinnacle of power. To the public that adored him, Shin Yoosung didn’t even register in their eyes.

It was absurd. They were both S-class. He had heard that Yeonwoo’s abilities were strong, but due to his high contamination levels, he couldn’t even display them properly. Why did they call such a fool a hero?

He knew Yeonwoo’s past prestige was great, but that was in the past. Wasn’t he now just an Esper on the verge of a rampage?

Despite that, because of the hero treatment Seo Yeonwoo received, Shin Yoosung—a fellow S-class—was always beneath him. Even his own father had been making a fuss for him to surpass Yeonwoo until his ears bled, and in the midst of it all, he was pushed into serving under him.

And he had been utterly crushed.

Shin Yoosung’s ability was shadows; since he could utilize the surrounding shadows, he had a much greater advantage. However, even when he used Yeonwoo’s own shadow to attempt a surprise attack, he couldn’t pierce through that solid defensive shield.

Meanwhile, electric currents flew at him incessantly, and he was barely able to block them. Seo Yeonwoo was perfect in both offense and defense. Like a man who was destined to exist that way.

Of all things, that combat training session had been broadcast live. It was his father’s doing. A battle between his son, who had awakened as an S-class Esper, and Seo Yeonwoo, the so-called hero.

When things didn’t go as he intended, his father had roared in anger, and people around them whispered that there was a clear gap in their skills.

In the end, his younger self had shouted at Yeonwoo.

‘Must be nice for you. Getting all the public’s expectations, with everyone recognizing you. How does it feel to be worshipped?’

‘Well… how do you think it feels?’

It was the childish jealousy of a time when he knew nothing. He realized too late that glory, attention, and expectations weren’t as sweet as he thought.

If anything, he realized they were just shitty.

If the life of an Esper who carries the nation’s expectations is like that, and the end is like this, what’s so good about being an S-class? Never able to rest, called to Gates every time, forced to turn the impossible into the possible. He grew sick of it every time he saw it up close.

In the first place, the reason he had struggled so hard to become an Esper was for his father’s recognition. It was utterly useless. His father wasn’t a human being worthy of respect. He let out a hollow laugh at the fact that the end of the goal he had desired was merely this.

The childish pride he felt when he became an S-class Esper had long since vanished.

“…Shin Yoosung, if worst comes to worst, you’re the team leader. Can you do it?”

“Has the decision been made from above?”

“Quite a while ago.”

“…”

Despite decades of effort for people’s safety, there were too many enemies of Seo Yeonwoo within the organization. One of the main pillars of that opposition was Shin Yoosung’s father.

Will I be used and die like that too? Still… he looked unburdened at the end. That’s why I couldn’t stop him.

Shin Yoosung didn’t take his eyes off the TV for a single second. At that moment, his eyes slowly widened. Because he had been staring at the TV continuously, he was able to notice the anomaly faster than anyone.

“The Gate is… opening.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Kang Ha-na, who had been facing away because she didn’t want to watch, turned her head.

There are two reasons a Gate opens: when a monster from inside jumps out, or when an Esper who went inside comes out. That’s why it was baffling. There was no way he, who had entered a state of rampage, would come out of the Gate.

“Sniff…, what…? That can’t be… The Captain struggled so much to clear it even while rampaging…! If the Gate opens…, the fact that it’s opening…! It means the Captain’s death was in vain!”

“Fuck, that’s not what’s important! It means there’s a monster he couldn’t kill even in a rampage state! We have to leave immediately…!”

“Right, you all get ready to leave immediately!”

At Shin Yoosung’s words, everyone fell into chaos. Ma Seongtae, as the Association Chairman, became busy trying to resolve this situation. Just then, the cigarette Choi Min-jae was holding fell to the floor. Soon, he began to laugh.

“Hahaha.”

“Mister, are you crazy? You can laugh in this situation?”

Kang Ha-na treated him like a madman for bursting into laughter at a time like this, but Choi Min-jae wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and spoke.

“Tell those words to Yeonwoo, not me. That crazy kid has returned alive from hell… Yeah, it would be… unfair if you died in a place like this.”

Everyone who had been scurrying about froze and stared at the TV. Standing there, as he always did with a scowl on his face looking down at the people, was Yeonwoo.

˖°𓇼🌊⋆🐚🫧

Yeonwoo squinted his eyes at the camera flashes exploding from all directions.

I know they’re surprised, but isn’t this a bit much? How many days has it been?

He felt drained by the microphones being shoved at him from every side and the voices of people wailing and cheering. Yeonwoo let out a small sigh and clicked his tongue.

“Is—is it really Esper Seo Yeonwoo?”

“Yeah! There’s no way he would die!”

“Even an S-class Gate is nothing to him!”

It’s not exactly “nothing,” though. I came back after crossing the threshold of death. Well, I understand. Their sturdy fence collapsed in an instant, so they must have been anxious and scared.

“But didn’t they say he rampaged? Is it… okay for him to be here right now?”

At least there seems to be someone with their head screwed on straight. Right, it’s best not to go near a rampaging Esper. The media must have made a huge fuss the moment I rampaged.

People who heard the news of the rampage tilted their heads with puzzled expressions because Yeonwoo appeared so composed.

They wanted Yeonwoo to return, but according to general knowledge, the chances of a rampaging Esper coming back alive are slim. Furthermore, there was no Guide by Yeonwoo’s side, and he had a body that couldn’t receive guiding. Because of this, the media was suspicious, and some mistakenly thought Yeonwoo had overcome the rampage on his own.

“There’s no way Esper Seo Yeonwoo rampaged! He must have endured with mental strength!”

“That’s right! They had it wrong!”

It’s not like they don’t know I was at my limit, though.

Yeonwoo’s condition was reported in the media every time. Measurement devices were mandatory, and it was a known fact that he had no Guide and that he found receiving guiding difficult.

But the title of “Hero” allowed for many things.

So it’s fine. He can endure without guiding. Even if his contamination is high, he hasn’t collapsed yet. In order to relieve the public’s anxiety, Yeonwoo had simply been acting all this time, feigning composure and pretending to be fine.

But it’s different now. There’s no need to act. Because I finally found a Guide.

The slime was clinging tightly to Yeonwoo’s neck. He utilized the slime’s characteristic of being able to expand or shrink its size at will.

When Yeonwoo told it to get as small as possible, the slime had turned into the size of a glutinous rice cake that could fit in his palm; he had tucked it behind the collar of his clothes and told it to stay hidden and not come out.

“Even if it’s uncomfortable, bear with it for a bit.”

To Yeonwoo, it was a lovely Guide, but in the eyes of others, it would be different.

A slime is a monster. That is an undeniable truth.

Bringing a monster out from inside a Gate is strictly illegal.

Even if he called it a Guide, just as Yeonwoo himself hadn’t believed it at first, people wouldn’t believe it simply because it was a monster. So, to protect it, he had to hide it.

He didn’t want his Guide to receive looks of contempt from people or be attacked by Espers.

No, aside from all that, he just didn’t want to show it to anyone.

Yeonwoo hid the slime to ensure no photos were taken of it. Reporters were busy asking Yeonwoo about the circumstances of his return from the S-class Gate.

“Esper Seo Yeonwoo! We all heard the news that you rampaged! Was it not true?”

“No. I did rampage.”

“…Excuse me? But right now you’re…”

“I’m just fine right now. It is an undeniable fact that I rampaged. Are you going to claim you didn’t know I was at my limit?”

A solemn silence fell over the surroundings. They had only turned a blind eye because they were afraid of monsters jumping out of the Gate, destroying their homes, and being killed.

Losing the S-class Esper who had protected Korea for years was a terrifying prospect for people. Neither the state nor the citizens wanted his death. That’s why they were constantly interested in his life.

“B—but you’re fine now, aren’t you? That’s why you cleared the S-class Gate and appeared before our eyes!”

Yeonwoo looked down at the reporter. Normally, he would have brushed off the interview, left it to another team member, and run away. He hated those damn microphones and he hated the way people looked at him.