AAGULT Ch 37

Chapter 37

“Hey, Song Jaeha. Why are you so late?”

“Sorry. I had to go somewhere.”

He was suddenly relieved that he wasn’t wearing a hospital gown. If he had been, it would’ve been obvious where he’d come from. He replied with an awkward smile, trying to look as calm as possible.

Though they were from the same orphanage, there was a six-year age difference between them… and they weren’t particularly close. When Jaeha left the orphanage at eighteen, Eunyul had only been twelve. That alone made it somewhat natural that they hadn’t bonded.

And Eunyul didn’t particularly like Jaeha, either. In fact, Jaeha had never expected to see him again after leaving that place. How had this fresh-faced twenty-year-old ended up in an organization like this…? Every time he saw him, Jaeha was haunted by a vague sense of guilt—a feeling he assumed any adult should bear. Apparently, Eunyul didn’t like that look on him at all.

His bright blue eyes crumpled with faint irritation.

“Hey. I told you not to look at me like that.”

“…Did it bother you?”

“Do you even have to ask? Damn it…”

“Haha…”

He approached menacingly. The fact that he called someone six years older than himself “hey” instead of “hyung” made it abundantly clear how little respect he had for Jaeha.

Right, Eunyul was that kid. The one who stuck close to the boss and teleported him around. It had only been about half a year since Eunyul began assisting the boss in earnest.

Jaeha subtly averted his eyes to avoid making direct eye contact with the boy who was glaring at him up close. Being someone who moved alongside the boss, it was forbidden to read anything about the boss without explicit permission.

Of course, now that he had just turned twenty and was caught up in the euphoria of being an “adult,” Eunyul seemed to interpret that differently. Having quickly noticed Jaeha avoiding his gaze, he smirked crookedly.

“What, are you scared?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Knowing that trying to shatter his delusions would only bring defiance and unnecessary violence, Jaeha simply went along with it. Even though he was twenty, Eunyul still hadn’t matured enough; he’d usually back down if you humored him just a bit. Truthfully, Jaeha wanted to avoid violence at any cost.

“…What’s going on? I should start opening the store soon.”

There were no reservations, but lately, for some odd reason, walk-in customers had been showing up in droves. That alone made him feel pressed for time. He made a weak appeal in a slightly hoarse voice, but Eunyul ignored it.

“There are no bookings today. The boss is calling for you, so come on.”

“…The boss?”

His heart sank again. He’d forgotten all about that man during the recent chaos. How long had it been? Not since Christmas Eve.

Strange. He was the kind of person who, once gone, was completely out of reach. So up until February, Jaeha had believed he wouldn’t even get a glimpse of him no matter how much he wanted to. But ever since he met Aiden, things had started to go awry. Was heaven testing and punishing him for overstepping, for daring to want to see him again…?

Why did it have to be today?

“Why the long face again?”

“…What long face?”

“You used to wag your tail like a dog whenever the boss called.”

“…”

He couldn’t even deny it. The old him would’ve done exactly that. Officially speaking, it had already been four and a half months since Jaeha had absorbed the residual guiding left by the boss.

“I’m still… more than happy. You know I’ve been exhausted lately…”

Even he was well aware of how much he’d changed over the past few months, so he figured that would be enough to make sense to Eunyul. In fact, Jaeha’s complexion had become drastically paler due to the side effects of the ampoules.

Eunyul was also an Esper, which meant he quickly realized that Jaeha was the only one in the organization who didn’t receive any guiding support. Unlike Jaeha himself, who still didn’t know the reason, Eunyul assumed that the boss had simply “taken a disliking” to him.

Watching Jaeha make excuses, Eunyul clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. Then he stepped forward and yanked Jaeha’s arm roughly. A faint light began to emit from the hand gripping him. Since Jaeha knew that he needed a kind of “warm-up” to teleport, he wasn’t particularly suspicious or guarded.

“What the hell did you do to the boss…”

“Beats me…”

“Try to suck up to him this time. You’re good at that kind of thing, aren’t you?”

“Was I?”

He let out an awkward, weary laugh.

Thankfully, even while grabbing Jaeha’s arm, Eunyul didn’t seem to sense anything. That meant even if Jaeha had received something guide-like from Aiden, the ampoules he’d taken afterwards must have obscured it. But why? Was it because his body was in tatters…? He didn’t know.

“Enough talk. Close your eyes.”

“Okay.”

“When you arrive, take the door to your right, then go right again. Don’t enter any other rooms.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, memorizing the instructions, when a thought struck him. Ah, I should’ve put up a sign saying the store’s closed today…

Then his body was suddenly yanked upward, then folded like a sheet of paper. A moment later, it unfolded again in a violently compressed burst that filled his head with unpleasant pressure. It was a sensation he could never get used to.

The pressure on his arm was gone too. Eunyul must have sent him alone.

“…….”

Jaeha counted to three in his head, then slowly opened his eyes.

A familiar white room. After going through a rebellious phase as an adult, this was the building he had come to after manifesting as an Esper. He was back again.

“The Association caught our scent. Probably the Black Dragon group leaked it. Withdraw A, C, and D for now. Just relocate B.”

“Yes, sir.”

The boss was pointing at a map. As he dragged his hand across it, it left behind damp, fishy streaks. The gloves he wore were black, so it was impossible to tell how soaked they were—but it was unmistakably sticky and moist, soaking up fluids like a sponge.

He had taken off his usual tailored coat, wearing only a clinging dress shirt and the harness strapped tightly over it. The sleeves of his shirt were casually rolled up halfway, which might’ve made him seem more relaxed—except he didn’t.

Because that shirt, originally white, was soaked in blood.

His slightly tousled hair and muscles still taut with adrenaline made Jaeha’s heart pound with anxiety every time he moved. Despite the battle wounds smeared all over his body, his face remained just as expressionless and composed as always—making the contrast even more terrifying.

Why was I called here?

“How many are in Black Dragon now?”

“About five of our men…”

“Remove two.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jaeha was just a low-level lackey—Gatekeeper A. He wasn’t supposed to be involved in conversations like this.

As instructed by Eunyul, he’d opened the door and walked in, only to find the meeting already in progress. He tried to leave but was waved in by the boss. That had been about thirty minutes ago. Since then, Jaeha had sat silently, not opening his mouth once. He kept his eyes lowered at an odd angle to avoid making eye contact and accidentally reading anyone’s thoughts or memories.

He had no idea what the boss was thinking. All the other executives acted as though Jaeha didn’t exist.

“Keep distributing ‘that.’ How many are on the Association’s side?”

“Currently, 13 Espers and 5 Guides. Including unaffiliated ones, 32 Espers and 12 Guides.”

“What about incoming contacts?”

“From the White Tiger side…”

“Handle it however you see fit.”

It sounded like they were running a more sophisticated criminal operation than any gang. Jaeha didn’t know whether to pretend he hadn’t heard or just ignore it entirely. The small seed of conscience that had taken root in his chest since becoming an adult remained sharp and painful. It tightened around his throat with guilt.

Moments like this made him want to run away—or even turn himself in. Not that it would help.

He vaguely imagined what would happen if he surrendered.

“So, where’s the base of your organization?”

“I don’t know. They always move using teleportation…”

“How many people are there, and what are their abilities?”

“I don’t know…”

“Aren’t you a psychic? Didn’t you read them?”

“Good question…”

His imagination had gotten that far before he gave up.

How pathetic could he be…? Even if he couldn’t repay kindness, he couldn’t be foolish enough to betray the boss like that.

“-Alright.”

Snapping out of his thoughts at the boss’s voice, Jaeha realized the meeting was wrapping up.

After a series of incomprehensible number reports, the boss leaned back in his chair. With a lazy wave of his hand, everyone promptly rose to their feet with military precision.

“Thank you for your work!”

“Th-thank you…”

Jaeha stood up, startled, and bowed slightly along with the others. The way they marched out in perfect order was more reminiscent of soldiers than criminals. He watched them leave, unsure whether he should follow. But just as the last executive stepped outside, a voice called out.

“Song Jaeha.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Come here.”

Had he been a dog in a past life? As soon as the boss said the words, Jaeha ran over as if his reflexes had been hardwired with the man’s commands. He reacted before even thinking.

Naturally, he knelt beside the man’s chair. Looking up, he saw the boss arranging something on the desk.

A hand reached toward him. Thick forearm muscles, normally more pronounced with veins, were obscured by blood. The scent of iron hit him hard and fast.