He'd known I didn't want him since the moment we met, so why would he think that suddenly changing my mind now would change anything? Maybe he thought I would start liking him because I couldn't say no. Or perhaps he thought it was only natural that someone as beautiful and powerful as him should attract Esper's attention. After all, I had been staring at him since the moment we met. And when he touched me... well, I guess he got a taste of how much I despised him at first, but the uncertainty was still there; Dr. Yoona could see through it easily enough. So why did he keep trying? Why did he insist that I'd want him? Did he truly believe I liked being around him or did he simply enjoy torturing himself?I glanced over to him, meeting his gaze. Our eyes locked for a moment, and then he turned his head away, breaking eye contact.I sighed quietly. He knew full well that he was at a loss for words for the first time, but before he could speak, we heard a crash.Boom!A deafening explo
Then I moved. I didn't have time to explain why. I just needed to act fast.As soon as the monsters reached the threshold of the building, I used my telekinesis to block them from escaping.One.Two..Three...I counted the monsters as they tried to break through the windows. I couldn't help but laugh. It reminded me of my days as a kid.I'd always love watching monster movies with my dad. We'd watch them over and over again until we knew every line by heart.Monsters are scary. I know. They're supposed to be scary.But I loved monsters. I was fascinated by them. I wanted to meet them, even if I knew they'd kill me in a heartbeat.Here they were in the worst possible place they could find themselves and with me."Hahahaha! You think you'll get away after killing innocent people?" I mocked.They wouldn't dare. And yet, here they were. Right in front of me.What did I expect them to do?How many times had I wanted to kill them? To rip them apart limb from limb? How many times had I wish
The monster looked up at me with frightened eyes, its mouth open wide.And I wasn't surprised by how much it resembled the monsters who attacked me during my first year of training. They had a similar look to them."I need answers."I stepped forward, slowly approaching the monster."Why did you attack us? Why was this place a target? Why did you set your sights on us?"I looked above, realizing that the drone had been destroyed by the monster.This was even better than I had hoped. I had never seen a monster so afraid of a human being before."You will be the main course today," I told it in a low voice. "I'm sure you've never spoken to a human like this before, haven't you? You probably don't know what to do or say now that we're talking."The monster shook its head."First of all, you should apologize for attacking me. This is the least you can do."The monster whimpered quietly, looking down at the ground."Next, you need to start thinking about why you are attacking humans. Why d
"Haah, haaah..." My exhausted body trembled from the pain.Heaviness filled my head like a lead ball, and I shook my head as hard as I could to dispel it.It's over..."Now who said that your examination is over?" Miss Hae-won glared at me. "Do you know how much work you've caused us?""Sorry!"I quickly knelt, trying to placate her. She held up her hand, shaking her head."No, you should thank me. You would be lying here dead if I hadn't come to check on you," she said gently before standing up.Her beautiful face looked pained, probably because of the headache she got from using her tablet computer too much.She adjusted the rim of her glasses, her brown eyes focused on my every move."Miss Hae-won, I said I was fine! I don't need all these checkups!"The last few days had been really rough.Since the attack on Headquarters, everyone has been on high alert. We were forced to stay at the dorms around the clock, which meant no training and little exercising. The only exception was dur
My eyes shifted upward slightly to find a petite form with long dyed blue hair. Her expression was gentle, but it was hard to tell because her lips were curved in a wicked grin. She wore a black dress that barely covered her thighs, and her skin was pale enough to look white despite the darkness of the night."Who are you?" I asked."Mmm...you really don't remember me, do you? My name is Luna. We met several years ago when you just joined.""No, I mean, who the hell are you?!"Her gaze narrowed slightly. "Oh, did I scare you? Well, it looks like I've caught you at a terrible time. Why don't we get to know each other better?"She pulled me closer by the arm and was about to kiss me.I slid right out of bed. The abrupt movement made me lose balance and fall to the floor."Ow!""Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was hurting your feelings by kissing you," said Luna as she brushed off the dust on her dress."You're the last person I want to see right now," I replied, sitting up.Luna blink
"I'm not in the mood for games.""You're not playing. We both know that. However, you need to understand that you will never receive the answers you seek unless you give yourself up to the process.""I don't care. Go away!""You're not being honest with me. I know you've been through some rough times because of him, but you still haven't accepted the fact about your sexuality. But the moment you start accepting it, you will become aware of how wonderful this feeling is.""Who cares about that?!""Everything is connected to everything else. Everything you feel today is influenced by the past events that shaped your feelings. Therefore, we should try to resolve these things first before moving on to the other matters.""I don't need your help! Kindly leave my dormitory if you value your life!""If I leave, you won't move forward. Only when you overcome this hurdle will you be able to progress to the next step.""Are you out of your mind?! I am NOT going to do this shit!" I shouted, glar
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he sighed and looked at the floor. This was the first time I'd seen him doing that. Usually, he was the type to never show weakness and to always be mischievous. I guess he couldn't hide it from me."Well, it's been bothering me for a while now..." he finally said."And what's that?" I asked.Minseok walked over to the window and gazed outside."So you know... I am not like most people," he started. "I'm not a full-blooded Korean—""Pfft, tell me about it." I cut him off. "Your looks are a walking stereotype of 'I'm not just a Korean', not to mention your accent.""Yes, well... that's because I'm half Russian." He looked back at me. "My mother is Russian, and my father is Korean. They met while my father was working in Russia, fell in love, and decided to get married.""Ohh..." I nodded. "That makes sense.""I had lived in Russia for the majority of my childhood until I became a Guide," Minseok went on. "Then suddenly, everything changed. One day,
"Alright everyone, it's a brand new day." Commander Moon, the man who led our squadron, stood on top of a small hill overlooking the camp. Everyone else gave him their undivided attention while packing up the tents or preparing breakfast. It wasn't until he made eye contact with me that I realized he'd called me up there too."Seojin, I wanted to talk to you about something that happened last night."Damnit!Did that Luna chick say anything bad about me?I mean, she did call me names when she got mad at me, but I could still remember some of her words. I couldn't believe she might actually paint me as a pervert..."I was told that Mr. Lee might pose a danger to you."Hmmm?I turned my eyes up to the commander and waited for him to continue."A lady said you two shared a special moment yesterday, and she said that you two were close friends since you joined the Guild. She also mentioned how she didn't want to see you go through any unnecessary pain."I knew it! A twist to the story. We
The air was thick with tension, each breath I took feeling heavy as the creature staggered, its form flickering like a dying flame. My mind buzzed, trying to piece together what we had just faced—what we were up against. The Veil was not a simple opponent, not some fleeting threat we could easily brush aside. It was relentless, and it seemed to find new ways to push us to our limits. The creature’s howls echoed in the stillness, but as I looked at it, I realized something even more unnerving. Its body wasn’t just crumbling. It was unraveling. There was something inside it, something far more dangerous than any physical form."Minseok," I whispered, my voice trembling despite myself. "It’s not just a monster, is it? It’s... something more."Minseok’s eyes never left the creature. He was steady, even in the face of the chaos around us. I could see his mind working, always thinking ahead. He was calculating, strategizing, even now, as the creature’s remnants crumbled into the dust of th
The figure before us—this shadowy creature—loomed like a specter in the midst of the darkened forest. My heart hammered in my chest, every beat a reminder that this wasn’t just some mind game. The air crackled with a palpable tension as if the very atmosphere had turned against us.I could feel the heat of Minseok's presence at my side, his hand gripping mine like an anchor in the storm. But it wasn't enough. The pressure was suffocating, and this time, I couldn’t wait for him to act.I could feel it—the surge of energy that always came when I was backed into a corner. The sensation was familiar now, this hum that resonated deep within me. My mind raced, calculating the best course of action, even as fear clawed at the back of my throat. Minseok’s voice broke through the rush of thoughts. "Seojin, stay calm. We’re not alone in this. Whatever happens, don’t lose focus."I swallowed hard, nodding without taking my eyes off the creature in front of us. The figure’s dark, featureless fac
The man’s departure left an odd silence in the air, one that hummed with the tension of uncertainty. We stood at the edge of the safe house, the stone walls half-covered in ivy, the structure itself appearing to blend in with the forest as though it had been abandoned for years. The faint hum of the wind rustling through the trees seemed louder now, as though the world itself was holding its breath.Minseok’s hand tightened around mine again, his grip steady, but there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes that I couldn’t ignore. "We need to go inside," he said, his voice low, but his usual calm demeanor was tinged with unease. "If he’s right about the Veil knowing we’re here, we might not have much time."I nodded, though the feeling in my chest didn’t subside. Every instinct screamed that something wasn’t right, that the man who’d led us here was hiding something. But I didn’t have time to question it, not now.Together, we stepped toward the small wooden door of the safe house. I
A high-stakes confrontation awaited us. Minseok’s words echoed in my mind as we made our way toward the mountains, the early morning mist swirling around us like an omen. Despite the calm exterior we presented, both of us knew the gravity of what we were about to face. The Veil was more than a looming threat—it was a relentless force that would stop at nothing to devour everything we held dear.The forest ahead was dense, its towering trees casting long shadows across the path. The air was thick with moisture, the earthy smell of wet leaves filling my lungs with each breath. I could hear the distant call of a bird, the only sign of life in the otherwise silent wilderness. It felt like the calm before a storm, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for what was coming.Minseok’s hand was still in mine, his grip steady and strong, a silent reminder that I wasn’t alone in this. His presence was a comforting anchor, grounding me in the chaos of our mission. But as we walked, I couldn’t shake t
It was an odd sensation, walking alongside Minseok in the dim light of the underground space, his presence both a comfort and a reminder of the growing distance between us. The air felt colder, as if the basement’s chill wasn’t enough to explain the icy tension that hung between us. Every step I took felt heavy with the unspoken words we hadn’t shared. We had come here for answers, but instead, all I felt was a growing sense of dread. The path we were on, no matter how necessary, was unraveling everything we thought we knew."Seojin," Minseok murmured, breaking the silence that had settled around us. His voice was quieter than usual, almost thoughtful. "Are you sure you’re ready for this?"I paused, glancing up at him, surprised by the concern in his eyes. "I don't know," I admitted, my throat tight. "But what else can we do? We’ve already crossed the line." He didn’t respond immediately, as if weighing my words. His eyes were distant, like he was searching for something in the flick
The morning stretched out before me like a long road I wasn’t sure I was ready to walk. Minseok’s presence beside me felt distant, as if a rift had silently formed overnight, pulling us apart. I had no idea how to bridge the silence, especially when I was unsure of how I felt myself. The tension was thick enough to choke on. I had spent so many nights trying to convince myself this wasn’t real—that what Minji had said, what we were facing, couldn’t be the truth. But reality had a way of catching up, no matter how fast you ran.As we walked through the familiar streets, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t the same anymore. The world, the city, even the air felt different. It was as if everything was holding its breath, waiting for something inevitable to happen. And I couldn’t decide if I was prepared for it or terrified. The silence between Minseok and me felt suffocating, but I didn’t know how to break it. What was I supposed to say? That I was worried? That I didn’t kn
The next morning, the city felt unnaturally quiet, as if it had held its breath overnight, waiting for something to shift. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows on the streets, and I could almost hear the echo of our footsteps from the night before. But today, I wasn’t sure if we were walking toward an answer or deeper into the darkness.Minseok and I had barely exchanged a word since Eunji’s visit. He was quiet, too quiet. His usual confidence was overshadowed by the weight of the previous night's events. As we moved through the bustling streets, the usual vibrancy of the city seemed muted, like the sound had been turned down. People hurried on, heads down, trying to avoid the tension that hung in the air.We reached the outskirts of the district, where the more rundown buildings stood, their walls cracked and weathered. The contrast between the gleaming upper levels of the city and the poverty-stricken lower districts was always jarring, but today it felt like a stark re
The air in the council chambers felt thick, like the weight of unseen expectations pressing against my lungs. Golden light filtered through the high-arched windows, casting long shadows across the polished marble floors. The room, usually a place of cold, calculating decisions, now carried an edge of something else. **Uncertainty.** I sat beside Minseok, my posture deceptively relaxed, though my fingers remained curled against my lap. Across the table, Grand Esper Hwang’s sharp gaze raked over me before settling on Minseok. His disapproval was practically tangible. “The situation is escalating,” he said, his voice measured. “We’ve received word that a faction of Guides is rallying under an unknown leader. They demand reformation—an equal footing with Espers.” I scoffed, leaning back. “Reformation? More like a coup.” Minseok’s fingers tapped lightly against the table, his face unreadable. “How credible is this threat?” Hwang’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Credible enough t
I could barely hear myself breathe over the chaos. The clash of weapons, the crackle of energy, the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground—it all blurred together in a cacophony of battle. Every strike I blocked sent vibrations up my arms. Every counter I made was met with resistance. Minseok was right. If we tried to run now, we’d be slaughtered. But if we stayed— I dodged a spear aimed for my gut, twisting to the side before driving my own blade into the enemy’s exposed flank. They barely reacted, as if pain was irrelevant to them. As if they were something beyond human. Which meant they were exactly what I feared. Corrupted. Not just the mindless ones, either. These were the intelligent kind, the ones who still held onto fragments of their former selves. The ones who could strategize. Who could anticipate. Who could corner us if we weren’t careful. I gritted my teeth. We needed to break through. “Soo Min!” I shouted over the chaos. “Do you have enough energy l