Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 37

#37. Kidnapping

Jay had told me not to provoke the espers from Yeouido. That meant protecting myself by appeasing them, even if it meant going against my will.

“W-what are you going to do with me? Where are you taking me?”

“Answers later. We need to get out of here first.”

In an instant, Yi Gyeom held Yeowon securely in his arms and immediately mounted the motorcycle. As if waiting for this, a rough engine sound began to roar.

Vroom!

The espers who had been silently watching also mounted their motorcycles.

“Let’s go.”

With those words, a sudden gust of wind hit, and Yeowon had to quickly close her eyes. The motorcycle had begun to speed away at an incredible pace.

Within her closed eyes, Jay’s last message briefly flashed and disappeared.

***

How long had they been riding?

She was still maintaining the broadcasted reverse guiding. It must have been physically taxing, yet the Yeouido Esper didn’t utter a single complaint. He was just enduring it by repeatedly taking guiding drugs.

Assessing the situation, Yeowon quietly reduced the range of the reverse guiding field. Aside from this man, none of the others dared approach her due to its effects and maintaining the broadcast for too long would eventually drain her stamina.

She didn’t want to exhaust herself too early and end up in trouble.

When the espers, having reached a dead end, abandoned their motorcycles and climbed upwards using a prepared ladder, a massive warehouse, like a base hangar, appeared.

Well-dried corn and barley, and even more soil than that, filled the warehouse.

“….Where is this?”

“It’s a stopover. We’re going to Yeouido.”

Yeowon remained silent at the answer she had inwardly guessed.

The Yeouido espers gloomily glanced at the Guide hugging the Hirgion in her arms. They couldn’t get close due to the reverse guiding field Yeowon had radiated, but they were just as curious about the Guide.

Yi Gyeom unconsciously shielded the Guide from their gazes.

“We’re leaving right away.”

Leaving the warehouse and immediately boarding the aircraft, the Yeouido espers flew at supersonic speed as soon as they reached orbit. This was because they didn’t know when the Director’s fleet would begin interception. Although they likely wouldn’t attack recklessly with the Guide on board, they couldn’t afford to be careless.

Yeowon, almost restrained in the control room at the center of the aircraft, stared intently at the rapidly shrinking Khabarov Center, now no more than a miniature beneath them.

Yi Gyeom didn’t miss that curious gaze.

“Is it fascinating because the altitude is high? You must have seen it a lot through satellites.”

“Rather than fascinating…”

Yeowon spoke without thinking, but when she noticed Yi Gyeom looking at her with expectant eyes, she quickly changed her words.

“It’s my first time being kidnapped.”

“Well, what an honor.”

An honor? What absolute bullshit.

Yeowon truly began to worry for her safety. She was sure Jay would come to rescue her, and that Dohyuk would come looking too, but still…

When they were underground, there had only been five Espers. Now that they were aboard the aircraft, the number had grown to fifteen. With that many Espers, they could accomplish a lot. Besides, Esper groups of this size weren’t common.

In short, it was the first time Yeowon had been thrown into the midst of so many Espers.

This is bad…

Just as she feared, curious stares began to gather around her. Everyone was keeping to their stations and duties, but their eyes were fixed on her.

“Whoa, is that the Guide? It’s kind of unpleasant though? It feels like we shouldn’t get close.”

“I know this. It’s probably a reverse guiding field.”

“Hmm. We went through so much trouble to secure the Guide, but if it’s like this, won’t we be able to get the guiding we actually need?”

“Leave her be. We’ve got plenty of ways to break her in. Snap a leg and she’ll probably start listening.”

“True. The boss has healing abilities, so she won’t die. Maybe we should give it a try now?”

“Hey, hey. She might go into shock if you do that. At least give her a painkiller first, you idiots.”

Yeowon thought to herself, Did I really make guiding drugs for people like this? I was told that helping Espers would save the shelters, but… is that true? Is this really right?

Jay had never told her in detail about the life Guide Baek Seoyeon had lived. Just that she’d suffered under Espers everywhere and eventually used them to end her own life. That was all she knew.

Were those words just threats? Or were they serious?
Is that why Jay avoided talking about it?
If so, then Yeowon could understand why Baek Seoyeon had made that choice.

If all you ever did was get used by Espers for guiding, especially if it was sexual guiding, that wouldn’t be a human life. It would be the life of an animal.

“Did you hear that? Release the reverse guiding. Everyone’s getting annoyed.”

At the continued threat, Yeowon tightly shut her lips. She could just release the reverse guiding and immediately block the guiding. It wouldn’t matter. No big problem would arise right away. But…

“Leave her be. Those who are struggling can endure it with guiding drugs.”

At Yi Gyeom’s words, the menacingly heated atmosphere quickly cooled down.

“Ah, Captain. Didn’t you always tell us to conserve guiding drugs?”

“Now that we have a Guide, there’s no need for that anymore. There’s a wavelength blocker in Yeouido, so we can just lock her up there.”

“Tch.”

Yeowon blinked for a moment at the sight of the grumbling espers taking out and drinking their guiding drugs. She had been sure she was about to have a bone broken. Had she avoided injury?

Yeowon glanced up at Yi Gyeom. And her eyes met his, as if he had been waiting for her to look.

“They might talk like that, but no one actually intends to hurt you. Half of it was just teasing, so try to let it go.”

“…”

“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Heo Yi Gyeom from Shelter Yeouido.”

He extended his hand for a handshake, but Yeowon only looked at it.

“…”

At this point, anyone else would’ve awkwardly withdrawn their hand. But the Esper from Yeouido just kept waiting, not pressuring her to accept the greeting.

She briefly wondered if this was some kind of power play… but the atmosphere didn’t quite feel that way either.

Ten minutes passed while she mulled it over.

Thinking he’d probably just keep standing there if she left him be, Yeowon finally reached out and lightly grasped his hand with the tips of her fingers and gave it a weak shake.

It looked more like she was reluctantly handling something she didn’t want to touch, but Yi Gyeom seemed satisfied enough. He had no intention of pressuring the guide who had finally come into his arms.

“What’s the status?”

“All clear.”

As expected, there was no bombing from the Director. The Yeouido side, too, which they had worried about due to the small number of espers left behind, remained quiet without incident.

There were no urgent reports of fleets or combat androids flooding the shelter, and both the front and rear were clear for the time being. Even the constantly operating radar and nearby detection using abilities didn’t pick up anything.

Only after confirming this multiple times did Yi Gyeom finally take his eyes off the screen.

“It looks like the Director’s letting us go without a fuss. Doesn’t seem like something he’d do… Could it be because of you?”

“What are you planning to do with me? What do you want from me?”

“Haha. There’s no hidden agenda. I just wanted you, that’s all.”

“…”

“I wanted you. That’s it.”

His voice was calm, his faint smile fleeting. Yet something about that neutral expression gave Yeowon the sense that something was hidden beneath it. Maybe she was just overthinking.

Swallowing dryly, Yeowon grumbled, “This isn’t why I distributed guiding drugs. How could you kidnap the very person who saved your life?”

He wanted to confess how much he had desired her, but instead of revealing his true feelings, Yi Gyeom calmly persuaded her.

“I know you’re uneasy, but it would be good if you calmed down a bit. It’s not something I should say while kidnapping you, but life in Yeouido won’t be bad. You can decide after going there yourself. Living with shelters and espers might be more to your liking than living underground with the Director, don’t you think? I guarantee everyone will welcome you.”

Welcome her? The ridiculous attempt at persuasion made Yeowon scoff quietly as she thought of Jay.

“They’re welcoming what I can offer, not me. My will and rights aren’t part of that. In fact, they’re probably seen as unnecessary. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Still, it’s true that I want you. So, don’t be too angry. It’ll make me sad.”

At Yi Gyeom’s words, the Yeouido espers flinched and exchanged glances.

Hadn’t almost everyone who made the captain say he was sad ended up dead? Surely he wouldn’t just kill the Guide for saying something straightforward, would he? Nah. Surely not.

But… knowing the boss’s personality, it wasn’t entirely impossible, was it? Would he really kill her?

Everyone nervously paid attention to Yi Gyeom and Yeowon’s argument.

However, Yi Gyeom’s next words were shocking.

“After you left the Ark, I snuck in and checked out the residential area. It was pitiful. When we get to Yeouido, I can line your room with gold if you want.”

“What kind of ridiculous nonsense—”

“I mean it. There’s still time before we arrive, so just say the word if you need anything. I’ll have it arranged immediately.”

“Uh. Umm…”

Yeowon hesitated, startled, and when her answer didn’t come right away, Yi Gyeom turned his head toward the Esper next to him.

“Seo Jihoon. Contact the shelter and tear down the wallpaper of the building with the wavelength blocker. Replace it with gold…”

“Wait! Wait, wait a second! What kind of nonsense is that?!”

Everyone silently agreed with the guide.

“Why? Don’t you like gold? Then tell me what you want.”

“That’s not the point right now… why is the conversation going in that direction…?”

“I just wanted you to know. I’ll be more useful to you than the Director. I’m taking you to Yeouido to prove that. Once you see for yourself, it won’t be so frightening anymore. Yeouido truly welcomes you,, because I want it to. And that includes the will and rights you think have been denied.”

“What… exactly…?”

“I didn’t use kidnapping because I don’t respect you. I just wanted you to experience it firsthand and make your own judgment, but I didn’t have any other way to appeal to you, so the method became a bit extreme.”

“….”

“I serious. I’m not asking you to believe me right away, just keep it in mind.”

“Why… go this far?”