Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 23

#23. Let’s Pass the Test

“You’re right. It’s serious. If we recreate a shelter with a hologram and take them to a restaurant, look at this. Here are some case studies. Do you see her getting hit with a combo of pickpocketing and human trafficking?”

“…That’s seriously…abnormal.”

“Exactly. Our guide, you see, has no sense of caution. It’s thanks to me creating a few episodes and having her learn that she’ve even learned how to be wary of people.”

“I understand.”

Yeo-won was quite hurt by Do-hyeok’s appearance of looking back at himself as he said that.

What do you understand? I’m the normal one!

But it’s also true that I didn’t pass the test Jay gave me. Even though I have a mouth, I have nothing to say.

Yeowon tried to make an excuse.

“In my time, the Earth wasn’t on the verge of destruction like it is now. It was an environment where you could drop valuables on the street and get them back without any problems.”

Dohyeok looked shocked at Yeowon’s claim and asked,

“How was that possible?”

Dohyeok looked shocked at Yeowon’s claim and asked,

“How was that possible?”

“Well, the police would find them for you. In fact, you didn’t even have to go to the police station. You could just go back to where you dropped your wallet, and that would be the end of it. No one would take it. Why would anyone pick up something that fell on the ground? Even if they did, most people would return it to the owner. Of course, not everyone did.”

“Hmm, that sounds peaceful. More than anything, I’m most surprised that you’ve never experienced a war in your lifetime.”

“Humph. If a war broke out, I’d be the first one left behind. I’d die because there’d be no nurse to give me my nutritional supplements. Still, I’ve watched a lot of war movies. That’s all I could do while lying down. I’d project them onto the ceiling and watch dramas every day. I’ve seen plenty of thrillers too.”

“Really? Then why did someone like you readily follow a person who offered to buy you food?”

“Ahem. That’s…it’s because you made the human trafficker look too kind, Jay.”

“…To admit with your own mouth that you fell for a face and got your organs harvested. How pathetic.”

“It wasn’t real, it was a test! A simulation!”

Yeowon retorted sharply, but her rebuttal carried no weight.

“See that, Dohyuk? Even a child wouldn’t do something as foolish as following a stranger just because they offered candy, but our guide fearlessly went along. She has no fundamental distrust of people.”

“Jay!”

“For example, Dohyuk, how long did it take for you to become as close to Yeowon as you are now?”

“No, isn’t it normal to become close after about three months? We haven’t just seen each other for a day or two, of course we’d become close!”

Ignoring Yeowon’s retort, Jay winked at Dohyuk.

“See?”

“…This is a serious problem.”

Dohyuk’s answer shocked Yeowon, and she could only move her lips, unable to hide her dismay. She was already upset that he wasn’t taking her side, but his words, spoken with apparent sincerity, hurt her even more.

The words that followed, hesitant and faltering, were even more astonishing.

“I thought it would take at least five years for me to become close to you, Yeowon.”

“Hmm. Is that all? Tell me both the worst and the best possible endings.”

“I thought there was a chance I might be deported. I’m still keeping it in mind. The best ending…I think we’ve already achieved it.”

At Dohyuk’s response, Jay scratched his head and asked,

“Did you two kiss? I check the security cameras all the time, when on earth did you do it?”

“Jay!”

“Sexual guiding should be done with permission. The guide’s pregnancy is an important factor.”

“Please shut up!”

“Alright, I’ll stop. Your bl00d pressure’s getting too high, should we start with some deep breaths? Uh, Dohyuk, grab Yeowon. Why is her bl00d pressure rising even more? Make her take deep breaths, deep breaths!”

And so it was. Yeowon actually collapsed, clutching the back of her neck. So this is what it means for one’s consciousness to decline from extreme excitement. Yeowon personally realized that shame could actually make a person faint.

Even amidst this, Jay’s shouting echoed, further fueling her anger.

“Breathe, breathe!”

“Yeowon!”

“Dohyuk! Get an oxygen tank!”

And so, a farce unfolded.

And it was really just a one-second faint. My vision just went dark for a moment, nothing else was wrong, so why was everyone making such a fuss? Why were they so serious about teasing me?

Yeowon, with a face full of irritation, pushed away the oxygen mask touching her cheek.

Jay is a villain, and Dohyuk, despite being an esper, doesn’t take my side, so I hate them. I hate them to death.

“Get lost! I don’t want to see either of your faces!”

She yelled angrily, and Jay, as always, apologized with a slick and lighthearted attitude. She knew from experience that her irritation wouldn’t last long.

However, Dohyuk was different.

How could he do this? Weren’t we close? Was it just me who thought so?

She had prepared to say those words, but the moment Yeowon saw Dohyuk, she couldn’t utter a single one.

Even her resentment at him siding with Jay instead of her completely disappeared. This was because Dohyuk had quickly left the restaurant with a face that looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“Wow. He actually left when you told him to. What did I tell you, Yeowon? He’s a good listener, isn’t he?”

“No, no. That’s…that’s not it. Wait, just a moment, Dohyuk!”

Seeing Yeowon hurrying after Dohyuk, Jay clicked her tongue in disapproval.

Such an innocent time.

It was to a degree that she couldn’t just leave it as it was.

***

Late at night, Dohyuk opened his door to a knock. The visitor was an android under Jay’s command.

“Esper Kang Dohyuk, Sept rank. You are summoned to Sector S-13.”

“…Is it the Director?”

“That’s correct. Please follow me. The Director is waiting for you.”

Dohyuk silently followed the android. It was the Director who had never called for him separately before. He had always anticipated that this day would come.

Jay stood in Sector S-13, where they arrived, with a monster egg in front of her.

“You called for me.”

“You’ve come. I’m sorry for calling you out so late.”

“It’s no problem.”

“You’ve seen this before, haven’t you? It’s a Hirgion egg, worth a fortune. It won’t be long before it hatches. I think we can make it recognize Yeowon as its owner in about a month or two.”

“Yes.”

“Actually, my plan was to first assign a guardian monster to Yeowon. It’s easier to handle a guide if their object of affection is a pet. But that object of affection suddenly changed, which is a bit of a predicament for me.”

“….”

“I’m saying this because you seem to have gotten closer to Yeowon than necessary.”

“What should I do?”

“If I told you to distance yourself, could you do that?”

It was an instruction that took his breath away. Could he do such a thing? It was a harsh demand, one he could neither refuse nor accept.

Jay waited for an answer, watching the bloodshot appear in Dohyuk’s trembling eyes.

The wait wasn’t long. Soon, a heart-wrenching cry burst forth.

“Anything else… I’ll do anything else.”

“I see.”

Jay smiled brightly at the Esper’s desperately submissive attitude.

“I haven’t found a task for you yet. But there might be one soon.”

“…”

“I know it’s unreasonable to ask you to distance yourself from the guide. Even though I’m in this state now, I was the director of the Esper Research Institute, after all. I’m not expecting much realistically. I just wanted to say this.”

“Yes, yes. Director.”

“Dohyeok, I want to trust you. So let’s do well, shall we?”

The monotone voice and brief communication carried a real sense of pressure.

“It was me who allowed you to stay at the Sakhalin base. I granted you ‘Sept’ rank, which means you can access a guide without any restrictions. Your father, Esper Kang Dowoon, couldn’t even be with a guide for more than an hour a day. Do you remember?”

Dohyeok was so stunned by the matter-of-fact tone that he was speechless. With great difficulty, he replied:

“I remember.”

“That makes it easier to talk. Lately, the Espers from Shelter Yeouido have been helping me a lot.”

Dohyeok jerked his head up. What did he just hear? What did I just hear? Shelter Yeouido?

He didn’t take his eyes off Jay’s face, trying to understand what was going on, but there was no expression on the android’s face or in its eyes. There was no change in the tone of its voice.

A cold sweat trickled down Dohyeok’s back as he faced the emotionless new model android.

Jay met Dohyeok’s gaze as if he knew exactly what Dohyeok was thinking.

“I hope you don’t make any mistakes. If you’re exiled, Yeowon will be heartbroken. For her sake, I’ll have to find a suitable Esper to bring to this base.”

“…”

“Yeowon needs someone else to rely on besides me.”

“I… I’ll do well.”

“Good. I believe in you.”

The threat was effective. Without even checking his biorhythms, it was clear from the amount of cold sweat on Dohyeok’s chin that he had been intimidated.

Jay scrutinized Dohyuk, who stood there petrified.

It was something she had to do, but after threatening him, she felt somewhat apologetic. She was also grateful for his compliant attitude without resistance.

However, a villain had to act like one.

“You think I’m being too harsh, don’t you?”

“No.”

“Don’t say that. I know. I’ve never actually given you anything like a candy. Keep this a secret from Yeowon. I’m sure you’ll handle it discreetly, but I’m saying it just in case.”

Seeing Jay return, even if only slightly, to her usual smooth-talking demeanor, Dohyuk parted his lips for a moment.

“…Though I didn’t receive any candy…”

“Hmm?”

“You were the one who pulled me out of that frozen state in front of the guiding room.”

My mother’s scream. Makes me frozen in helplessness.

Recalling the brief past, Dohyeok continued.

“That meant more to me than the candy the Noah Committee members gave me.”

An unexpected, weighty blow. The confession, which suddenly filled his chest with a dull ache, messed up Jay’s algorithm.

That’s not something you should say to the person who threatened you. That’s what he should have said, but memories of the past came back faster.

I remember grabbing the young esper’s hand and pulling him away, telling him not to stand there foolishly. I remember shouting at the child who stubbornly held his ground, guarding the door.

‘If you keep this up, it’ll only make Guide Baek Seo-yeon’s situation worse! Why don’t you understand that!’

The child who bit his lip and burst into tears at those words now stands before me as a young man. It’s an awkward situation to offer praise about how well he’s grown.

Being the villain is truly difficult. It’s an incredibly difficult thing.