AAGULT Ch 29

Chapter 29

 

“I… never thought you’d go this far.”

In all his sixty years of life, the chairman of the Esper Association had never seen someone so utterly unpredictable. Sitting beside the luxurious one-day hospital bed, he struggled to suppress his complicated and bizarre feelings as he opened his mouth.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t…”

Even to a stranger, the room gave off the impression that it belonged to someone important. Spacious and neat, it felt more like a room in a grand, upscale house than a hospital. The crisp white interior was pleasant to the eye. One wall had a large window, and a translucent curtain fluttered gently in the cold breeze.

The only thing that made it clear this place was a hospital was the man sitting up on the large bed. Wearing a patient gown, the man looked delicate and frail. A bandage wrapped around his head, one arm in a cast as if it had been completely broken, and his brows drooped. With handsome features and a pitiful expression, it was only natural to feel sympathetic toward him.

“How did you get hurt?”

“I put in some effort.”

“……”

The middle-aged man was at a loss for words at the cheeky reply and pressed his throbbing temple. He knew exactly what that meant. Guide Ye wasn’t inexperienced enough to get this badly injured even in an A-rank gate. All the espers sent with him were A-rank, and they’d barely managed to add one S-rank to the team—there was no real reason for him to be hurt.

Most likely, Guide Ye had deceived everyone involved in the operation—espers, guides, and officials alike—and staged a noble sacrifice, or at least made it look like an unavoidable accident. Then, he would have feigned strength, pretending to be fine, pretending to be mature, all while relishing the reactions of guilt and concern from those around him.

Mature? More like a little devil. A sly serpent. No, perhaps a dragon that couldn’t ascend to heaven because of his twisted personality.

“Did you really have to go this far?”

“You were the one who brought me in on the Baek Beomwoo case, Chairman.”

“I didn’t think you’d accept it… and even if you did, I didn’t think you’d go this far.”

“Haha.”

Leaning comfortably against the soft bed, Aiden smiled sweetly. He had purposely worn a patient gown one size too large to appear more fragile, so the loose clothing revealed the bandages and his deeply sunken collarbone.

“Song Jaeha is not the target. Of course, it’d be nice to eventually bring him into the association, but it’s only if ‘possible.’ You are the one that’s more important to us.”

“So?”

“…Like I said, I didn’t think you’d go this far. If you’re going to do this, then forget Song Jaeha.”

“Hmmm…”

He tilted his head slightly. Unseasonably clear weather meant that while it was cold, the sunlight streamed through the curtain, lighting up Aiden’s face. Shadows fell along his lashes, and his eyes sparkled under the light.

“It would’ve been nice if it snowed.”

“…What?”

“They say people’s faces look four times more beautiful when it’s snowing.”

“……”

Even though they were having a serious conversation, this man brought up the most random things. By now, the chairman should’ve been used to it, but he just couldn’t. All he could do was raise one eyebrow and reply with a dull tone. He was a professional, a normal adult, after all—responding in just the right amount.

“Is that so…”

“Haha.”

Aiden laughed lightly, as if something truly amused him, then turned to look outside. With his mind in disarray from the crimes related to Baek Beomwoo, the chairman suddenly felt like he was talking to a wall and lost his energy.

“Now, I think the time is right.”

“Time for what, again…”

Having given up on predicting Aiden’s actions long ago, the chairman replied with irritation. Whether he reacted or not, Aiden smiled brightly and made his request.

“Say what you said earlier again.”

“What?”

“That thing you said about Song Jaeha.”

The chairman, already half thinking about his next appointment, replied flatly.

“…If you’re going to do this, then forget Song Jaeha?”

“Louder.”

Aiden had the chairman of Korea’s Esper Association jumping through hoops. It was disturbingly natural.

“If you’re going to do this, then forget Song Jaeha.”

The chairman knew very well how crazy Aiden was, and he was also well aware of the enormous power Aiden’s family held. Especially after seeing the full-on pressure from the Ye family using Aiden’s injury as leverage, he was once again reminded just where those wicked genes came from. And Aiden knew this too. He always made good use of it. So the chairman, though confused, complied without resistance.

With a voice deep and resonant by nature, the chairman’s words, now spoken with slight force, sounded quite convincing. Aiden’s expression, seemingly satisfied, suddenly changed as if he were a genius actor.

“Haa…”

His eyebrows drooped. His face, slightly twisted yet still far from ugly, carried a sorrowful air. Tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks in mournful drops. His eyelashes glistened with moisture, and the area around his eyes reddened instantly. Clutching the thick comforter, he lowered himself and forced his hoarse voice to speak. Though it sounded slightly cracked, it flowed smoothly and was rather pleasant to hear. No—so sorrowful, it made even the listener feel like crying.

“How…”

“…?”

“How could you say something like that…”

“Huh…?”

The chairman was momentarily dumbfounded.

“You know I love him…”

“W-what…?”

As the situation peaked, Aiden’s voice began to quiver with sobs. He cried out so pitifully and desperately that, for a moment, the chairman nearly questioned whether he had actually opposed Aiden’s love. Whose love?

Then, in that very moment—

Thud.

“…!”

“……”

A loud noise came from the door as if someone had stumbled into it. More precisely, it was the sound of someone opening the door halfway and losing their balance.

The chairman turned. Aiden also turned, feigning surprise with perfect timing, just as a teardrop fell dramatically from the corner of his eye. The face barely visible through the cracked door was one both Aiden and the chairman recognized well.

“……”

A man with a pale face. Dark circles hung under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept properly. He seemed to be panting slightly, wearing no proper outerwear despite the cold, which left his skin flushed red. Thinner than in the profile photo, the man now looked sharper.

It was Song Jaeha.

Only then did the chairman realize he’d been used. And he closed his eyes tightly and thought,

‘Ah, this damn snake…’

—We have breaking news.

—The A-15 gate that opened in Seoul’s XX district has just been cleared. There are three confirmed casualties, including Guide Ye Aiden—

The moment Jaeha heard the news, a new kind of hell began for him. The coverage was intense. There was no mention of the other casualties. All the media focused on was how badly Ye Aiden was hurt. Every time, Jaeha’s heart would drop and then come back.

They said his life was in danger, then they said it wasn’t. They said it was a minor injury, then that he was unconscious. Then they said he woke up… Each time, he couldn’t sleep. No, he didn’t even want to try. Consumed by guilt, Jaeha barely ate, growing thinner and thinner.

Luckily, the bar had temporarily closed; otherwise, had anyone seen his face, they would’ve known something was wrong right away. He’d long since shoved aside Manager Kang’s messages about reopening now that the gate was cleared.

“Please… please, just contact me… please…”

He was the one who had cut contact first—just because Aiden’s boss had once nearly driven him to death.

Funny, though. Now he was the one clinging to hope, checking his phone all day. He’d already thrown it in frustration three times after finding spam messages instead of the one he wanted, only to pick it back up in tears.

His eyes were swollen. He’d cried a few times. As usual, Jaeha curled up in bed, berating himself.

And then—

Ding.

The sound of a notification made him spring up. He hadn’t eaten properly, and with the shock and exhaustion, nausea rose in his throat, but he didn’t care. He opened the phone immediately, praying it wasn’t spam again.

Jaeha-ssi. If you have time… could you come to XX Hospital in XX? I’m sorry to bother you.

Even as Aiden worried he might be busy, Jaeha choked up at his kindness and leapt up. He didn’t even properly lock up the bar—just grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys, and rushed out like a man facing disaster.

He realized he was wearing mismatched shoes only after getting into the taxi. He’d never taken one before and trembled in fear the driver might get annoyed.

After emptying his wallet to pay the fare, he arrived at what was clearly a large hospital. Thanks to Aiden’s consideration again, he was immediately guided inside.

“Ah, are you an acquaintance of patient Ye?”