AAGULT Ch 110

 

Chapter 110

 

“Soon, a gate is going to open.”

Jaeha couldn’t understand why he was included in this meeting. He recalled a time in the past when he had to sit through an uncomfortable meeting beside the President—it felt just like this. Around thirty people sat individually around the long U-shaped conference table.

While listening to the Chairman’s words, Jaeha shifted his gaze to observe the others in the room.

Among them were some faces he already knew. Esper Jung Iseok, who had once offered advice to help him retrieve his memories, sat at the far end. There were also some well-known Espers whose faces had frequently appeared in the media—Jaeha even recognized them.

…Just by looking at the attendees, it was clear this was a fairly important meeting. Was it really okay for him to be here? Why was he summoned? Was it because he was Aiden’s potential Pair? The uncertainty only fed the tension knotting in his chest.

Whether or not Jaeha was caught in confusion, the meeting proceeded. After sweeping the room with a troubled look, the Chairman seemed to ponder something before finally opening his mouth slowly.

“The gate hasn’t opened yet, so we haven’t been able to assess its grade… but the precursor signs have appeared at this location: 92-17, Sinwol Industrial Road, XX District, Seoul Special City.”

“…What?”

“Wait.”

“What is it? Why?”

The moment the Chairman, seated at the head of the U-shaped table, finished speaking, the room broke into chaos.

“Quiet, quiet. I understand the confusion. Some of you may recognize the location, and some may not. I’ll explain everything slowly, so let’s focus first.”

Some people tensed visibly, while others blinked around in confusion, whispering to those nearby. Like some of the other attendees, Jaeha couldn’t quite grasp what the Chairman’s words meant, but he instinctively looked at Aiden, seated next to him. Perhaps he would know something.

“……”

He wasn’t clearly aligned with either reaction. But his face bore the expression of someone who fully understood the significance of the Chairman’s announcement.

“For now, everyone, please look at this.”

Those who had been murmuring questions fell silent. When the Chairman briefly looked toward his secretary standing at the back, the secretary operated a tablet, and a large screen was projected onto the white wall.

After a short delay, what appeared on the screen was footage from an interrogation room with a sleek interior, something straight out of an American TV drama. The person sitting at one end of the table was someone Jaeha recognized all too well—his breath caught in surprise.

“……!”

The man in the high-grade restraining suit for high-risk Espers looked completely unfazed. He leaned back casually in his chair, listlessly gazing at the Esper questioning him.

It was the President.

“You’ve all been briefed on who Baek Beomwoo is… Let’s play the footage.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary tapped the tablet. They clearly didn’t intend to show the full interrogation, as the footage jumped ahead and began playing smoothly.

—I told you already.

The moment the President’s voice rang out, Jaeha’s body slowly stiffened. That calm, blunt voice—familiar to the point of unease.

—About a week from now, a gate will ‘reopen’ at 92-17, Sinwol Industrial Road, XX District, Seoul Special City.

—……

The footage had likely been edited to go straight to the heart of the matter. The people in the meeting room began to listen with focused silence.

The Esper sitting across from him furrowed his brow before finally speaking.

—That gate was already cleared. And a cleared gate doesn’t ‘reopen.’ That’s basic knowledge.

The President tilted his head slightly. Though his face remained expressionless, there was something in his demeanor that almost felt like mockery.

—Strange. You don’t even seem surprised by what I said.

—……

—Stop pretending you don’t know. You all know. “Dual Gates” are something else entirely. And you know that one’s going to reopen too.

A chill swept through the room.

Only then did everyone begin to realize what this meeting was really about.

Even those, like Jaeha, who hadn’t understood what it meant for the gate at 92-17 to reopen, now did.

—How do you know this?

—I get that you’re curious how I know what only you were supposed to, but that’s not what matters right now. What matters is the gate that’s about to reopen.

A dual gate.

So it’s that gate from twenty years ago.

The one that triggered the resignation of the former Chairman… the one from which nearly half of those who entered never returned… the one that regular citizens may have forgotten, but every member of the Association knew about in whispers.

According to the footage, the Association had, for some reason, anticipated this gate would reopen. The interrogator couldn’t hide their shock at how the President had found out. Despite technically being the one in custody, it almost felt like their roles had been reversed.

Jaeha looked again at Aiden. Since he was seated closer to the screen, Jaeha couldn’t see his face. Hesitating, Jaeha turned his gaze back to the footage.

The CCTV resolution was poor, making it difficult to clearly see the President’s face. If he could have at least read his expression, he might have been able to guess his intentions—after all, they’d spent so much time together.

—Think about it. How could you be so sure that gate was a dual gate in the first place?

—That’s classified. And there’s no reason we’d share it with you.

A faint laugh from the President trickled out, as if amused by the answer.

—Then let me answer for you. It’s because some of the returning survivors from that gate said so.

—……

—About half of them came back half-mad, so you couldn’t get any more information. And the rest didn’t remember anything about what happened inside. Must’ve been tough.

His dry voice relayed those chilling details with dispassionate ease. The sound of people sharply inhaling didn’t come from the screen—it came from inside the meeting room, from those who had any familiarity with that gate.

—How do you know that?

—If you knew what my role in the Association was, you wouldn’t ask such a stupid question.

Jaeha knew this too. The majority of the President’s work involved covert assassinations of individuals the Association wanted to silence. Judging by the lack of surprised reactions, it seemed that the “Baek Beomwoo briefing” the Chairman had mentioned earlier had at least partially explained his role.

…Had he killed some of those gate survivors under Association orders, and rifled through their minds?

—On the former Chairman’s orders… did you kill Park Gwangsik?

—And also Kim Yeonwoo, Baek Mihyun, Song Juhyuk, Kim Daeun.

“…The former Chairman had Esper Baek Mihyun killed?”

“That’s insane…”

One person shifted in their seat. Another covered their mouth in horror.

—He was always interested in dual gates. As I eliminated them, I took a look through their minds.

Jaeha subtly rolled his eyes toward the Chairman to check his reaction. The former Chairman had already been forced to resign, but this still felt dangerously close to airing the Association’s dirty laundry.

Still, the Chairman’s face was etched with silent fury. From that, Jaeha guessed that someone on that list had been close to him.

—I know what’s inside that gate. I have a reason to be certain it’s going to reopen in a week.

—How…?

—Digging around in the minds of people who’ve gone mad isn’t even hard. Unlike you lot…

—……

The President was indeed a formidable S-rank Esper in the field of mental abilities. He had extensive experience dissecting people’s minds.

—Now, let me state my terms.

—…Go ahead.

—It’s not a demand, really. More like a generous proposal. If that gate really does reopen, I want myself and a few people I specify included in the team that goes in.

—……

The interrogating Esper seemed at a loss for words. In contrast, the man who had been leaning back casually now leaned forward. His hair slipped down, casting shadows over his eyes, and he raised the corners of his mouth into a lazy smile.

—You won’t be able to clear it without me anyway. If you’d rather deal with a rampaging me and a dual gate breaking out, be my guest.

It was practically a threat.

The room filled with another low murmur.

Baek Beomwoo. An Esper who had never once entered a gate, and perhaps the most dangerous man here. Trusting him as a teammate inside a gate was far too risky. No one was going to like this.

But the confidence in his voice was so absolute that even this room full of experts found itself shaken.

A dual gate. Even among hardened battle-type Espers and veteran Guides, nearly half had perished and many had lost their minds in that place. If, as he said, the gate couldn’t be cleared and a break occurred—releasing the monsters inside into the world—what would happen?

—Weren’t the monsters in that gate originally suspected to be mental-type? Isn’t that why you’ve been scrambling to recruit mental-type Espers lately? You’ve been busy, huh?

—……

Even while restrained in a suit that suppressed his Esper abilities, he showed no fear of the Association that had detained him. He was sarcastic and mocking at every turn.

Suddenly, an old memory surfaced in Jaeha’s mind, and a chill crawled down his spine as he looked at the Chairman.

‘Why… are you supporting me so much?’

‘Do you know how rare mental-type Espers are?’

Though the Chairman wasn’t looking at him now, Jaeha felt it deep down—things were starting to come together.

Right. Mental-types were often viewed as timid, slippery, hiding behind battle-types in a gate—generally not well-regarded. When Jaeha had once questioned why the Chairman supported him so earnestly, the response had been a question about the rarity of mental-types. It had seemed odd but understandable at the time.

…Now that he thought about it, instead of answering why he supported Jaeha, the Chairman had launched into a description of how valuable mental-type Espers were. There hadn’t even been time to feel how strange that was.

—I’m the person you’re looking for. I’m mental-type, and I know what’s inside that gate.

—Why do you think we’d accept your demand? Conditional surrender? That’s laughable. Baek Beomwoo, you’re already in custody.

At that, the President burst out laughing. Jaeha, having seen it before, knew exactly how he laughed—how his dimples deepened, how his teeth flashed. The moments when he’d laughed were always during Jaeha’s most extreme and painful experiences, so the image had burned itself into his mind.

—Do you really think I’ve been caught?

—……

—Think carefully. I let myself be caught.

Despite being confined in a space with the tightest security within the Association, wearing a suit that suppressed all abilities and being closely monitored, the ease and calm in his tone betrayed no hint of constraint. It was as if he weren’t detained at all—just temporarily staying by choice.

The interrogating Esper moved his lips as if to argue, but eventually fell silent. Even through the screen, the atmosphere felt stifling and heavy.

Everyone watching, even the Esper in the footage, had the same realization. If he wanted to, he could probably break through every safeguard and walk out of there. After a brief pause, the interrogator finally spoke.

—Just say it. Who do you want to take?

The President responded as if he had been waiting for that.

Not many names—but they were all extremely familiar to Jaeha.

—Me. Guide Kwon Ido. Esper Seo Taegun.

Those were the same people who had surrendered quietly with him. …Seo Taegun would surely still be under the influence of the nullifier. Was he being treated?

—That’s all?

The interrogator asked, thinking the list had ended due to the pause. But the President spoke again.

And the name that followed was something Jaeha hadn’t imagined even in his worst dreams.

—Lastly, Esper Song Jaeha. Just us four—anyone else doesn’t matter.

In that moment, every gaze in the room turned to a single point. Naturally, it was Jaeha.

Even Aiden, who sat beside him, was no exception. Jaeha felt like he might collapse under the sheer weight of those stares. At the same time, he thought Aiden’s face looked strangely unfamiliar.

That face was so frightening… it made him feel like he might hiccup.