TGIC Ch 23

Chapter 23

As if reflecting his mood, the surrounding temperature rapidly dropped, and the interior of the vehicle turned into a frozen warehouse in an instant.

The Esper in the driver’s seat must have realized that this bizarre coldness was Vasily’s doing, as he didn’t turn on the heater. It was a wise choice. The moment he dared to say, “Isn’t it a bit cold?” and turned it on, he would die.

Whether it was from the cold or the fear, I couldn’t stop my body from trembling. I kept my head down, my eyes fixed on the floor. I could feel a sharp gaze from across me, but I didn’t dare to lift my head.

Once I got to the Association, I had to get help… No, who could possibly help me?

Most people didn’t know Vasily’s true nature, but the higher-ups in the Association were well aware of his personality. Yet, even if I begged for help, instead of lending a hand, they would probably start preparing to dispose of a corpse.

Worse still, they might even go so far as to quietly set up a location for me to be killed. Other S-rank Espers could possibly stop him, but would they even bother listening to a C-rank guide’s plea for help?

Despair and helplessness crushed me all at once. At the very least, if they knew I was actually an S-rank guide, the Association or some Espers might attempt to stop Vasily. No—what if I removed the suppressant chip now and revealed the truth, begging for my life? I might end up imprisoned somewhere for the rest of my life or be dragged back into a gate, but at least I might survive.

I hesitated, fiddling with the back of my neck. Was this really the only way? I’d finally escaped his grasp through death, and now I had to walk back into that hell?

My whole body ached. I thought it was from the murderous aura radiating from Vasily, but I belatedly realized that the pain was coming from the arm bitten by the monster.

“Did the poison seep through the wound?”

I clenched my teeth. It had been dealt with relatively easily, but it was still a monster from an A-rank gate. If I didn’t receive treatment quickly, my left arm could become paralyzed—or worse, the poison might spread and kill me.

I needed to get to a hospital fast…

But I couldn’t tell Vasily. He already found out I had disobeyed his orders and left the safe zone. If he also learned I got injured, it would be like throwing gasoline onto a fire.

Time crawled painfully slow in the suffocating silence. What had taken only moments by helicopter now felt endlessly long by car. Even after a long while, there was no sign we’d arrived at the Association.

“Esper Vasily, we have arrived at the Association.”

Finally.

A welcome announcement broke the hellish silence. But it wasn’t exactly good news—I still hadn’t calmed Vasily’s anger.

I cautiously raised my head to gauge the mood. The moment our eyes met, I immediately dropped my gaze to the floor again.

“Get out.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I said get out, Guide Kwon Gidam.”

Vasily commanded. He said it while still sitting there, not moving a single inch.

I hesitated but eventually got out of the car. Vasily remained inside, and the door soon shut behind me.

Vroom. The vehicle left me standing outside and drove away. I blinked blankly, watching it disappear.

“Huh? Gidam!”

A familiar voice called out. When I turned my head, I saw Jo Wooyeon emerging from the Association building. Other teammates seemed to be leaving work alongside him.

Come to think of it, it must’ve been quitting time—people in suits were pouring out of the Association. Between the buildings, a crimson sunset was visible.

Ah, I’m alive.

A strange wave of relief swept over me, and my body collapsed, powerless.

“Gi—Gidam!”

“Someone just collapsed! Call 119!”

I heard the rising commotion around me as I lost consciousness.

I seem to be passing out a lot lately.

That was my first thought when I woke up in the hospital. As soon as I came to, I checked myself out. I was running away, worried Vasily might show up.

Should I just submit my resignation and hide in some rural corner? I briefly considered it, but Vasily would definitely track me down. And then he’d probably add “contempt for fleeing” to his list of reasons to kill me.

Still, I clutched the resignation letter I had written earlier—just changed the date to today—and headed to work.

Dragging my heavy body, I entered the office.

“Gidam, are you feeling better?”

“Why did you come back already? You should’ve rested more…”

“Haha… I’m alright now.”

The coworkers who had seen me collapse looked worried as they approached and asked after my health.

Thankfully, no one asked why I had collapsed. It seemed the Association had covered up what happened in the gate. No news articles had surfaced, but judging by the fact that I’d still been wearing an Esper combat suit when I fainted, they probably had a good guess about what had gone down.

“I’m just going to the restroom for a bit…”

I gave an awkward smile and slipped away. My stomach churned as the memories of that day resurfaced. I headed to the restroom to catch my breath.

But there was a notice taped to the door about frozen water pipes.

“Frozen water pipes…?”

I murmured to myself while reading the notice on the door. Just then, another employee from the same floor passed by, and I grabbed them to ask.

“Uh, excuse me… How long has it been like this?”

“Since two days ago. They said to use the Esper Association restroom in the next building.”

“…”

Two days ago… Damn it, that’s the day I came back from the gate.

“And it’s almost summer now. What kind of random pipe-freezing nonsense is this…”

The employee grumbled as they walked off. And just as they said—it was odd. It wasn’t winter.

I kept my mouth shut. I instantly knew this was Vasily’s doing.

Frozen water pipes, huh. No matter how bad his mood was, the Association’s pipes had never frozen before. I couldn’t even guess how furious he must’ve been. My desire to run away only grew stronger.

Should I write a will or something? That way, if I die, the world will know it was Vasily. But even that would probably be buried by the Association. My family wouldn’t even know why I died, and they’d just grieve in the dark.

Back at my desk, I clutched my head, then finally got up and went to the team leader.

“Um… I’m not feeling well, so I’d like to use my paid leave.”

“Don’t push yourself. Go home and get some rest. I heard you collapsed a few days ago.”

“Thank you.”

Fortunately, the team leader didn’t ask for specifics and approved the leave.

I bowed and went back to my desk to pack up. Then I quietly opened a drawer and took out a small slip of paper.

—Sorry.

It was a card that had come with the bouquet Vasily had sent. On the back of the elegant handwriting was… Vasily’s personal phone number.

I had kept it just in case. I never thought I’d end up using it like this.

I told Jo Wooyeon I’d taken paid leave due to feeling unwell, then left the office. My complexion must have looked poor, as other teammates showed concern, but I just gave a sheepish smile and said my goodbyes before heading out.

I quietly entered the restroom. Thanks to the burst pipe, it was completely empty—perfect for making a call without interruption.

I took out my smartphone and dialed Vasily’s personal number written on the card.

Brrrrr… The ringtone went on for a long time. Maybe he wouldn’t answer since it was an unknown number. Sure, Vasily could easily find out my number, but would he really bother doing that for a mere C-rank guide?

Click.

The ringtone stopped.

The receiver was silent, but the call hadn’t disconnected. I instinctively knew that Vasily was on the other end of that silence. Tense, I held my breath. I was the one who finally broke the silence.

“Hello, Esper Vasily. This is Guide Kwon Gidam.”

• …….

“I’d like to speak with you for a moment… Do you have time?”

—I’ll send you an address.

“Yes, understood.”

As soon as I replied, the call ended.

“Damn it…”

The moment the call ended, I cursed under my breath, staring at the bathroom ceiling. I thought he’d summon me to his office—but no. The reply he sent contained his home address.

If Vasily kills me, no one would know. It feels like I’ve dug my own grave. A crushing wave of regret overwhelmed me.

I grabbed a taxi as soon as I stepped outside.

I gave the address to the driver and leaned back in the seat. I tried to gather my thoughts, but today of all days, traffic was clear and the taxi sped along. I arrived at the destination before I could mentally prepare.

As soon as I got out of the taxi, I saw Espers stationed around the building. Vasily lived in the penthouse of this tall building, yet the entire place was under lockdown from the first floor.

“Damn it… This can’t be good…”

As I approached, the Espers blocked my way.

“Apologies. This area is restricted. Civilians are not permitted entry.”

“I’m here at the request of Esper Vasily.”

When I replied, the Espers exchanged glances. They looked doubtful but clearly didn’t dare to contact Vasily themselves.

I understood how they felt. I dug into my pocket and showed them the call history. After confirming Vasily’s number, the Espers conferred and then stepped aside.

“The elevator is out of service. Please use the stairs.”

“…Excuse me?”

Startled, I doubted my ears. But the Esper nodded, confirming what I’d heard.

Damn it… That’s my second curse today.