Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 8

#8. The Guide’s Son

That scream-like voice became the trigger. Ye-won began to turn the wavelength with all her might. She was already aware of how dangerous espers were.

They were more like monsters than humans, something that had completely transcended the limits of biology or species.

So she didn’t hesitate any longer. Pushing them to the brink of rampage was actually safer.

“Aghh!”

As the reverse guiding began, the sound of metal twisting stopped with a scream. The trembling palm convulsed beyond the hatch.

What followed was an unexpected plea.

“M-Mother. I-I’m sorry. I was wrong…”

Mother?

Who?

Me?

For a moment, the unexpected address that cut off the incident left her dumbfounded, but soon after, Jay’s frantic voice followed.

“Wait! Stop the reverse guiding. I think I know that person.”

Ye-won, taken aback by those words, hesitated and then reversed the wave again. The sobs heard beyond the panic room were unexpected, but more surprising than that was Jay’s words.

“You know him?”

“I can’t believe he’s still alive.”

Jay mumbled, forgetting to answer, her gaze fixed on the face of the esper lying beneath the panic room hatch.

“Ha. He’s grown so much, I didn’t recognize him. If the face footage had been captured properly, I would’ve known it was Jin.”

“Jay, what is it?”

“That person… no, that esper. It’s Kang Do-hyuk. He’s Guide Baek Seo-yeon’s son.”

Baek Seo-yeon was the last guide who had been at Shelter Noah.

“So what?”

“I didn’t think he was alive. Back when the shelter was half-destroyed, he was just a kid. How did he survive until now? Did Guide Baek Seo-yeon leave him with a ton of guiding drugs or something?”

“Jay.”

“Yes, I know. I need to explain… but I don’t even know where to start…”

Seeing Jay so flustered, Ye-won asked the most important question first.

“Jay, I’m still conducting radiation guiding. So if it’s hard to explain, just answer one thing. Why did you tell me to stop the reverse guiding? That esper is the culprit who disrupted our mission, right? Shouldn’t we deal with him?”

At Yeowon’s words, the esper’s shoulders flinched on the screen. Noticing the immediate reaction, Yeowon deliberately added something she didn’t really need to say.

“Shouldn’t we just push him into a rampage now?”

“…I’m not sure. I don’t think he’ll be a threat. Fifteen years is a long time. There’s no data to tell us what kind of person that kid has grown into.”

As Jay regained his composure and settled her confusion, Yewon also relaxed and asked calmly.

“So, what’s your relationship with that esper?”

“It’s not much. I just played with him occasionally.”

“That’s it? You told me to stop the reverse guiding the moment you recognized him, yet you’re saying there’s no real connection? Fine, just answer this—Is that esper a threat or not?”

“…Yeowon.”

“Why can’t you answer? Quick calculation is your specialty, isn’t it? You once said you couldn’t tell the difference between a simple AI android and yourself, but today you’re acting human. Is it because he’s someone you knew when he was alive?”

“…”

“What about the fusion core? Did you secure it?”

“It’s secured.”

“Alright. We’re done here. Let’s go back now. I’ll hear the details later.”

With those words, Ye-won cut off the guiding she had been maintaining. Feeling relieved, she wanted to return to the Ark as quickly as possible.

The sight of the supposedly secure panic room being mercilessly crushed had been enough to stir up the anxiety she had been suppressing.

But the response came from somewhere else.

“D-Don’t go. Please, don’t leave…”

A faint voice, as if it might vanish at any moment.

It was hard to believe such a fragile voice belonged to the monster that had crushed the panic room. Instinctively, Ye-won’s ears tuned in to the desperate plea, and without realizing it, she responded bluntly.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry, I misunderstood… I thought you were my mother…”

The voice grew fainter and eventually fell silent, prompting Ye-won to turn her head completely.

“I’ll leave plenty of guiding drugs here. This should be enough, right?”

“W-Wait.”

Yeowon didn’t listen any further and instructed the android to close the hatch. Then, instead of the still-pondering Jay, she activated the tank.

All it took was a few curt verbal commands—nothing too complicated. The androids took care of everything once she spoke.

The engine hummed, and soon, everything was ready to move.

The important thing is that they had successfully secured the fusion core they had aimed for. Now, there was no need to worry about the Ark’s power supply anymore. Although Jay’s troubled state weighed on her mind, it was time to return to the Ark.

However, even if she was leaving, she had to separate that esper first.

The problem, though, was that this wasn’t the right approach either. Leaving a witness behind could potentially expose the Ark’s location, which was the most dangerous thing that could happen.

A discussion was necessary.

“Jay. If we go back like this, that esper will figure out the Ark’s location. He’s a witness, after all. Are we just going to leave him like this? If he spreads word about seeing a guide here, it could turn into a serious problem.”

Jay seemed to be listening, but his gaze was still fixed on the hologram. After a while, a response finally came.

“If it’s controllable, we might be able to turn him into an ally.”

Ye-won’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

“What? Are you serious? Every esper I’ve seen through the satellites has had their humanity shattered.”

“I know. But that’s because they couldn’t receive proper guiding for so long, which made their minds unstable. It’s not like that with all of them.”

“No matter what you say, what makes you think we can turn him into an ally? He’s not just an ordinary adult male; he’s an esper. We never know when or how his violence will show. Do you really think we can control him before that happens?”

“Look at this.”

Jay projected the hologram he had been staring at onto the space in front of Yeowon. The image of the man standing quietly in front of the hatch caught her eye.

“He’s being calm. Even though he could’ve easily destroyed the panic room in a fit of rage, he hasn’t acted out of the ordinary.”

“You trust that? It could be an act to lure us into lowering our guard.”

“No. That kid is an esper with Baek Seo-yeon as a parent. It feels strange to say this, but… he’s an esper that was well-trained early on. Look at him now. He’s waiting patiently, instinctively. Most espers don’t act like that. They’d break things, threaten, and act however they want.”

“I get what you’re saying, but a cooperative nature and the current situation are two entirely different things. In the worst case, he might have colluded with outside espers.”

“If that were the case, I would’ve known. As you know, we’ve used quite a few androids in the process. If we can just find a way to compromise and gain his cooperation, it could be a huge asset…”

Yeowon cut off Jay’s words, unable to listen any further.

“Right. It might be a huge asset. But think carefully. Right now, you’re trying to bring an esper you don’t even really know into the Ark without any real verification. Why? Because he’s someone you knew in the past?”

“…”

“Do you think this is the right thing to do? Is it really okay to suddenly talk about cooperation and assistance without any solid evidence?”

“…I’ll admit it. I was wrong to think that way.”

“It’s good that you’re quick to admit it. I don’t know what kind of connection you had in the past, but let’s leave it at that. Just leave enough guiding drugs behind, and that’s the end of it. Espers all around the world are doing the same thing—protecting in shelters, whether they like it or not, just to get their hands on that one thing.”

“That’s true. But what espers really want isn’t just the drug—it’s the guide…”

What does that mean? Yeowon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“So? Tell me, Jay. Do you expect me to do hand guiding for that esper? Or is it something more? Has my cooperation in producing the guiding drugs not been enough for you so far?”

At Yeowon’s cold question, Jay quietly shut his mouth.

Given that she had deeply studied how guides had been treated over the past 500 years, it was only natural for Yeowon to react with resistance. Her overly sensitive response was understandable.

After all, being held back by past memories was a mistake in itself. What truly mattered now was the guide in front of her.

Jay knew that forcing a guide to help an esper was inhumane, and she wasn’t unaware of that fact. If a guide didn’t want to cooperate, what more could be said? No matter what argument she made or how she tried to persuade, all she would get in return was resistance.

In this case, Jay understood from experience that the guide’s will had to be prioritized above all else.

“Alright. Let’s collapse the tunnel and head back to the Ark. That way, he won’t be able to follow us. As you pointed out, it would be problematic if rumors about a guide being seen here spread, so I’ll handle that part.”

“Good. Now you’re acting like yourself. But what are you going to say? Do you think persuasion will work?”

“Whether it works or not, I’ll at least try. It’d be great if I could silence him easily with the guiding drugs, but if that doesn’t work, we’ll have to bring in another esper to deal with it.”

At those words, Ye-won froze for a moment, as if the sharpness in her response had vanished. Bringing in another esper to deal with it? That meant silencing him by killing him if necessary.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the image of the esper’s face she had seen beyond the hatch came to her. He looked to be in his early twenties.

He looked just like someone her age. Was that really the right thing to do? Was this really the right call? This didn’t feel right at all.

But wasn’t this moral dilemma something to think about after making sure I survive first?

Lost in her thoughts, unable to fully accept or deny anything, Yeowon was interrupted when Jay activated the external speakers and spoke up.

[It’s been a while, Do-hyeok. Do you remember Seo-Jay, the head of the Esper Research Institute?]