Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 20

#20. Esper Luring Technique

Jay is someone full of secrets. To be precise, it’s hard to even define her as human.

Yeowon had a vague sense that Jay was involved in many things behind her back. Jay hides a lot, and rather than being kind, she is more of a wicked person.

Jay turned a blind eye to the truth to survive. She framed her comrades and killed them. Driven mad by hunger, she consumed others, and even then, she willingly became a transhuman just to keep living.

Jay despises herself for what she has become. She has even criticized her own nature as being utterly base and vile.

However, she never shows the slightest negligence when it comes to taking care of me.

That’s why Yeowon felt a pang of sadness whenever Jay judged herself so harshly. It was clear that Jay wasn’t inherently malicious from birth; rather, her circumstances and environment had shaped her into the twisted person she had become.

It’s only natural for a gap in perspective to exist between someone who has spent their entire life in the midst of war and someone who has never experienced it. Every era has its own norms.

Jay treats human lives like chess pieces because this era tolerates and even necessitates such actions.

Moreover, Jay possesses a relentless intellect that constantly questions and dissects her own humanity. She once came to me, asking for help, saying she wanted to become a villain who could benefit the world.

Every time she opens her mouth, it’s a lie, and she never gives a straight answer about anything. Yet, I know it’s all a means to protect me.

It stings, but I have no choice but to accept it. Honestly, there’s nothing else I can do.

This current sadness and disappointment probably won’t last long. After all, I’ve had countless battles of wits with Jay, rebelliously lashing out like crazy—but the loser has always been me.

Jay knows exactly what I fear the most. I never want to be bound and treated like livestock again.

As Yeowon recalled the green injection that paralyzed her limbs and the relentless surveillance of the androids, her body trembled uncontrollably. Silently, she clung tightly to the blanket.

“It’s in the past. It’s all in the past…”

So let’s not waver. Right now, it feels sad and miserable, but soon it will be forgotten.

Her emotions were unusually turbulent because she had breathed in the air outside the Ark. It was fleeting, but it had been a taste of sweet freedom.

Wanting to chase after that lingering trace, Yeowon gathered herself and slowly got up.

As she stepped out of the room, a domestic android that Jay had prepared approached her and asked:

“Would you like some cake?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Then how about some grilled meat?”

“No.”

“Sweet things will make you feel better. Would you like to eat and then go exercise?”

Yeowon stared blankly at the android. It was a look of rejection, but unlike the cybernetic human Jay, this android didn’t understand such signals.

True to its mechanical nature, it simply repeated its programmed response.

As the silence stretched on, the android made another suggestion.

“There’s a pet we brought in from the shelter. Would you like to see it?”

A pet, huh. This is probably just another one of Jay’s programmed suggestions. Cake, meat, exercise. It offers things I like, one after another. And if there’s no response for a certain amount of time, it suggests another alternative.

The pet the android is mentioning now is likely just another backup option arranged by Jay.

The method, like a well-structured algorithm, felt so familiar that a bitter laugh escaped her. The feeling of being conditioned was unpleasant, but she knew it was effective. She had experienced it firsthand.

“Please guide me to Kang Dohyeok’s Esper room.”

“You mean the living quarters for the Sept-tier Espers within the base? I’ve confirmed it’s in Sector A. Please follow me.”

(T/N : “Sept-tier” could be meant as the 7th tier, but if you’re unsure about that specific term, it would be safer to translate it as simply “Sept-level” or “Sept-tier Esper” to indicate the rank.)

“Sept-tier,” what could that mean? A fleeting curiosity arose, but Yeowon purposely didn’t ask. After all, this wasn’t an android that would answer every question.

The android before her was just a degraded model with limited information.

Without saying a word, Yeowon followed the android and soon arrived in front of Dohyeok’s room.

She had heard that Espers were sensitive to any presence, so he must have known she was coming.

Yeowon recalled the words she had prepared in advance and knocked on Dohyeok’s door.

Knock, knock.

After waiting for a long time, Yeowon knocked again, this time with a sense of confusion.

It wasn’t until she had repeated the action about three times that she realized Dohyeok wasn’t in his room.

Come to think of it, she had asked the android where Kang Dohyeok’s Esper room was, but she hadn’t asked where he actually was. It was a mistake in her command.

“Where is Kang Dohyeok Esper?”

“He is currently in the training room in Sector C.”

“Please guide me there.”

“Please follow me.”

Yeowon followed the android, but when they arrived at the training room, Dohyeok was nowhere to be found.

“Didn’t you say he was here?”

“We confirmed that he left before we arrived at the training room. He is now in the Guiding Drug Storage.”

Yeowon silently activated the hologram. This time, the person who should have known she was coming was suddenly in the Guiding Drug Storage.

Why would he be there? If it’s the Guiding Drugs, they would have been given to him on request right away. Could he be trying to steal the drugs?

With suspicion, Yeowon checked the base’s CCTV and quickly spotted Dohyeok in the footage.

She watched, wondering what he was up to, but he wasn’t doing anything—just standing motionless against the wall, like a still life.

“…”

Yeowon had seen this side of Kang Dohyeok before. Every time she checked the surveillance cameras in Shelter Noah, he always looked exactly like this.

The only difference now was his face, which was even more expressionless than the android’s. His eyes, devoid of focus, were a clear and undeniable change.

Having a point of comparison made it easier to notice. Looking back, the gaze of Kang Dohyeok, the Esper, as he checked the surveillance cameras back then was strikingly different from now.

At that time, his eyes held a faint glimmer of expectation whenever he looked at the cameras. Very rarely, he would glance at them as if gazing at a candy that would melt and disappear with just a look.

“Ah.”

With the sudden realization, Yeowon remembered the last words she had thrown at Dohyeok. She had been angry at Jay and, in her frustration, had harshly criticized Dohyeok for cooperating with Jay, as if he had completely sided with her.

“I never thought you would join hands with Jay and deceive me. I’m so disappointed.”

Yeowon couldn’t help but distrust the sight of Kang Dohyeok’s face as he said, “I can’t tell you where this is. I’m sorry.”

Even though she could see that his face was a mess, she didn’t believe it. After all, that kind of attitude could easily be faked. He wasn’t truly sorry, not in her eyes.

But now, for some reason, it felt real. Why was it so hard to shake the feeling that it was genuine?

Yeowon carefully examined the hologram of Kang Dohyeok, formulating hypotheses to find the answer.

First: Jay is someone who knows Kang Dohyeok from his childhood.

Second: Kang Dohyeok did not refuse Jay’s orders.

Third: Jay can control Kang Dohyeok’s will, and this is true.

Fourth: I am a guide, and I have a special influence on Espers.

At this point, it’s clear that, no matter what Kang Dohyeok’s true intentions are, he is in a position where he cannot refuse Jay’s commands. This part is easy to conclude.

So, does that mean Kang Dohyeok Esper, is nothing more than a tool in Jay’s hands, acting against his own will? If he had to perform the role of a tool, stripped of all choice…

Yeah, if it’s Jay, that wouldn’t be surprising at all.

After reaching her conclusion, the next thought that came to her was, ‘Have I gone too far?’

If he’s avoiding me because of that, it’s not entirely impossible to understand. After all, I was the one who harshly lashed out.

Turning off the hologram, Yeowon let out a heavy sigh.

Yeah. Whether I like it or not, I’ve been overly sensitive with someone I have to face every day. And that person… likes me… No, wait. I shouldn’t think about that. I should just reflect.

Yeowon quickly shook her head, trying to brush off her thoughts, and reflected deeply on her past words. She glanced around the silent training room.

Exercise equipment lined up neatly, not a speck of dust in sight, yet there was no warmth or smell of sweat in the air. The dumbbells neatly arranged in one corner and the kettlebells on the floor were all perfectly aligned in rows. They had never been used.

As she stared at them, an impulsive thought crossed her mind.

‘…Should I?”

Should I just do it? I’ve been wanting to protest to Jay anyway.

With her decision made, Yeowon opened the hologram once more and slowly started walking.

This way, her line of sight would be blocked.

She remembered Jay had once warned her not to walk with the hologram on, as it could block her view and cause her to trip.

And yet, this wasn’t the hallway.

Pretending to walk out of the training room, Yeowon’s foot caught on a kettlebell, causing her to trip.

There was an android right next to her, but while a combat model might have reacted quickly, the domestic android’s reflexes were rather poor.

“Ugh!”

As she braced herself with her wrist, the sudden strain caused a reflexive gasp of pain.

She knew it was a foolish thing to do. Even she couldn’t help but sigh at her own stupidity.

However, what stung the most was the helplessness, the fact that this was all she could do.

Lying on the floor of the training room, Yeowon squeezed out a tear.

‘My wrist… Did I break it?’

Soon, the android would come to help her up. If she screamed, the combat and medical androids would rush over, and the system was set up to perform an X-ray immediately.

“Guide-nim!”

With that shout, her body was suddenly lifted.

Yeowon had expected Kang Dohyeok Esper, to rush over after hearing her scream.

Not because he was an Esper, but because Jay would have given him a heads-up.

She didn’t know the exact level of his ability, but it was reasonable to assume he had received some sort of hint.

However, she hadn’t anticipated him arriving faster than a combat android.

Wasn’t he supposed to be at the Guiding Drug Storage?

How did he get here so quickly?

Could he be hiding the fact that he has teleportation abilities?

Held in Dohyeok’s arms, Yeowon quickly incorporated several possibilities into her thoughts. Amidst it all, she didn’t forget what needed to be done.

Suddenly deactivating the guiding blocker, she felt her body tighten as the grip on her changed in an instant.

“Huh, ugh!”

She hastily swallowed a breath, her throat trembling. Confusion filled her eyes as she looked at him.

“Guide-nim… The blocker… it’s malfunctioning… now, the guiding…”