DM Chapter 6

“What… what are you talking about?” Yoon Min gasped, struggling to break free from the man’s grip, but it was futile. No ordinary person could escape the clutches of an Esper. Her vision began to blur as her face turned red, her breath hitching painfully.

Finally, the man released her, dropping her to the ground like discarded trash. She collapsed, clutching her throat as she coughed harshly, struggling to draw air back into her lungs. She reached for her fallen dagger, but the man’s heavy combat boot crushed her hand beneath it.

“Aaagh!”

A sickening crack sounded as her bones broke, and a blinding pain washed over her, turning her vision white.

“Shh, shh. It’s fine. They’ll fix you up at the Center,” the man cooed, patting her head as if comforting a child, though he wore a grimace as he sniffed the lingering odor on his hand.

“Damn… it had to be a boy. I’m not into boys,” he muttered with evident disappointment.

Those were the last words Yoon Min heard before everything went dark.

* * *

Her consciousness returned slowly. The murmur of voices was the first thing she registered, followed by a dull, throbbing pain in her arm.

“Mr. Na Tae-young, regardless of circumstances, you should follow procedure…”

“Ah, damn it! Procedure, procedure. Don’t lecture me. This is my Guide, the one I brought in, right? I should get first priority to run the match test!”

“Currently, most Espers are out in Sectors 3 and 4 for combat, and all S-grades have the right to request the match test.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? I’m saying I want to go first, before the others. Are you dense? If the match rate is even above forty percent, I could get at least a support guiding right away.”

“Technically, if there’s a higher match available, lower matches are relegated to secondary priority…”

“Are you even listening? Since I’m the only one here now, I’ll take the test first, and we’ll go ahead with support guiding if necessary. It’s not like it changes anything!”

The voices droned on, a cacophony that made Yoon Min’s head throb. She opened her eyes slowly, instinctively reaching for her injured arm, which was still sore. A small groan escaped her lips.

“…You’re awake?”

A woman in a white coat was standing by her bed, speaking gently. Yoon Min nodded, looking around, her gaze wary. The woman continued, as if trying to reassure her.

“You’re at the Central Division of the Esper Center. We’ve treated your two fractured fingers. There may be some residual pain, but it should fully subside within an hour. The healing technology here is quite remarkable.”

It was only then that the memory returned to Yoon Min’s mind with full clarity. A crazed Esper had broken her hand.

‘The Central Division of the Esper Center.’

She repeated the woman’s words in her mind, struggling to understand why she would be brought to the infamous Center. Her thoughts were hazy. No, this couldn’t really be the Center. It was hard to believe.

White curtains surrounded her, concealing the rest of the room, and she lay on a clean bed, feeling oddly out of place.

Raising herself slightly, she looked down at her bandaged hand and then back at the woman. The doctor, wearing silver-framed glasses and a neatly tied bun, smiled at her, a hint of curiosity and unmasked eagerness shining in her eyes.

Just as Yoon Min was about to ask, “Why am I here?” the curtain beside the bed was yanked open harshly.

“So, you’re awake?”

It was him—the crazed Esper.

Yoon Min glared at him, her eyes filled with wariness, but her gaze quickly shifted as she took in the sight behind him.

They were in an enormous laboratory. Gleaming equipment cast a bright white light, and dozens of people dressed in white lay in transparent capsules, all neatly arranged in rows. Nearby, other researchers in lab coats were conversing in low voices, occasionally jotting things down on their charts. The space buzzed with a steady stream of beeps and mechanical sounds, filling the air with a constant hum.

Yoon Min was momentarily at a loss for words, her mind struggling to process this new world she’d suddenly found herself in.

As the curtain around her bed was drawn back completely, about half a dozen researchers stood revealed. They looked at her with interest but didn’t dare approach too closely.

“You’re awake. Is there any discomfort?” asked a sharp-eyed man who stepped closer. He wore a white lab coat similar to the one worn by the woman standing beside Yoon Min. His name tag, pinned diagonally across his chest, read “Chu Jin-ho.”

“My hand,” Yoon Min replied quietly, casting a sharp look at the Esper. The Esper scratched his head, his apology casual.

“Oh, right, my bad.”

The half-hearted apology drew a disapproving glare from Researcher Chu Jin-ho, but the Esper seemed unfazed.

“Now that the Guide is awake, let’s get on with the processing, testing, and assigning accommodations,” the Esper demanded, unfazed by the researcher’s disdainful look.

“Mr. Na Tae-young,” Researcher Chu Jin-ho said, clearly exasperated, “as I mentioned earlier, we have to wait for the S-grades to return before we proceed with any testing.”

“Oh, right?”

The loud argument Yoon Min had heard earlier now made sense—it had been these two bickering. Learning that the Esper’s name was Na Tae-young, Yoon Min was still trying to make sense of the situation, her mind racing with questions.

‘Is this really the Esper Center? And if so, why am I here?’

“Since the great Researcher Chu Jin-ho says so, I guess I’ll have to wait,” Na Tae-young mocked, his voice turning icy. Yoon Min could feel the tension in the air, and she wasn’t the only one—the researchers seemed visibly on edge.

“Please, Mr. Na, let’s try to keep things calm…”

“Calm? Don’t talk crap. I didn’t want to get yelled at by the Center director, so I followed protocol and dragged this Guide all the way here. And now you little pests are trying to play games with this ‘procedure,’ just so you can assign this Guide to Lee Hyun, huh?”

“W-what? No, of course not, that’s a serious misunderstanding….”

Researcher Chu Jin-ho stammered, looking genuinely distressed by the absurd accusation.

Amid the confusing conversation, Yoon Min picked up on a familiar name: Lee Hyun. Could he somehow be involved in all this? She found herself wishing he would appear and explain the chaotic situation.

“Is Lee Hyun here?” Yoon Min whispered to the female researcher beside her.

“What? You’ve already guided with Lee Hyun?” Na Tae-young interrupted, his voice tinged with suspicion.

The answer came in an unexpected form. With a crazed glint in his eye, Na Tae-young grabbed Yoon Min by the hair, lifting her roughly. Screams erupted from the researchers around them.

“Mr. Na Tae-young! Stop it!”

“Let go of her!”

Yoon Min gritted her teeth, suppressing a groan of pain, and glared defiantly at him.

‘Guiding.’

She struggled to grasp the hidden meaning behind that word. Why was this man talking about her and Lee Hyun in terms of guiding?

‘I’m not even a Guide.’

Everyone knew what “guiding” entailed. Although its main purpose was healing, it required physical contact and often an exchange of bodily fluids, making it the subject of crude jokes. Children might play as Espers, but they rarely wanted to play as Guides for that very reason.

Guides were invaluable for Espers’ healing, yet they occupied a strange, ambiguous space in society—both important and subtly stigmatized. The rights of Guides had always been a thorny issue, though after the collapse of the government, notions like “human rights” were considered luxuries of the past.

“Let go, you lunatic,” she spat out.

“Did you hear her? The real lunatic here is Lee Hyun, hiding you away like some personal stash,” Na Tae-young sneered, his grip tightening.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Look at him, playing innocent. They say Lee Hyun’s been on a roll lately—no wonder, with you tucked away for himself.”

Yoon Min’s aunt hadn’t been wrong. Espers truly were violent and often incomprehensible. Lee Hyun had just been an exception. Yoon Min fixed Na Tae-young with a furious glare as he yanked her hair, refusing to give her any explanation. She struggled to pry his hand off, but his grip was unbreakable.

“Mr. Na Tae-young,” Chu Jin-ho interjected calmly, attempting to de-escalate, “please, let go of her. The Guide here doesn’t seem to fully understand the situation.”

Despite Chu Jin-ho’s calm plea, Na Tae-young, seeming half-unhinged, ignored him entirely.

Yoon Min’s scalp felt like it was being torn away, and she began to tremble from the pain. Just then, the atmosphere around them shifted, a frigid chill settling over the room.

Her hair was finally released, and she realized someone was gripping Na Tae-young’s wrist with a firm, unyielding grasp.

She lifted her gaze slightly, taking in the scene. A man in a black combat suit was standing between her and Na Tae-young, his profile sharp and cold.

Blue veins stood out on Na Tae-young’s forehead, and he pulled his mouth into a twisted smile, a low growl escaping through clenched teeth.

“Lee Hyun.”

Lee Hyun didn’t smile. His usually gentle features were set in a harsh, icy expression. The air around him seemed to drop several degrees, an aura of cold resolve radiating from him.

“Did you come running here as soon as the battle ended?” Na Tae-young snarled, yanking his arm free from Lee Hyun’s grasp.

“No. The battle isn’t over yet.”

Lee Hyun’s low response sent a shiver down Yoon Min’s spine. It was then that she noticed his black combat suit was soaked in dark, drying blood. The blood had trailed down his arm, pooling around his boots.

“Are you hurt?” Yoon Min whispered, a hint of alarm in her voice. Lee Hyun looked at her briefly, his expression complicated—a flicker of pain and uncertainty passing across his face before he turned his attention back to Na Tae-young.

The moment passed before she could make sense of it.

“Have you been following me?”