CH 17

Maybe So-Won should at least get permission to go.

Should he had asked Tae-Woo before going ing?

So-Won’s head got complicated and he was thinking about this and that, while he was near the Esper Association.

The taxi had been running on the road for quite some time, but it was a fleeting moment to feel.

So-Won could not come to a conclusion on what he should have done. Now, he  stood in front of the Association.

So-Won looked up at the large Esper Association.

Most of the lights were off, but there were some people who worked overtime.

So-Won slowly counted the number of floors.

1st floor, 2nd floor… 10th floor.

By coincidence, all the lights on the 10th floor were turned off and it was painted black.

So-Won once again counted the number of floors.

This time, the 10th floor, where Tae-Woo’s private room was located, was all black as the night sky.

‘Shall I go back again?’ So-Won was dissapointed.

When So-Won saw that the lights were off, he didn’t know that Tae-Woo might not be there, or maybe he was just sleeping after returning from the gate with his exhausted body.

However, contrary to what So-Won had thought, his legs naturally dragged him into the inside of the Esper Ward of the Esper Association.

So-Won was forced to walk inside by a walking bridge.

The inside of the Association was quiet.

There were only a few people waiting at the information desk. Everyone left and it was quiet.

Still, it wasn’t as quiet as Tae-Woo’s house.

At least there were people and there were sounds.

So-Won walked through the empty interior and headed for Tae-Woo’s private room.

So-Won was glad that he remembered the location.

He arrived at the front of Tae-Woo’s private room before stopping.

When he arrived, So-Won’s mind was blank.

If So-Won saw Tae-Woo right away, he couldn’t think of what to say.

In case Tae-Woo was inside, So-Won wanted to prepare a line.

‘First of all, I will come to you and apologize. And I think you need to guide… No, I don’t think like others.’

So-Won decided to knock on the door without any countermeasures.

So-Won believed that Tae-Woo might not come out, and if he did, the desperate brain would somehow squeeze out a good excuse.

So-Won took a deep breath and raised his slender arm.

The arm which stopped in the air for a moment, knocked carefully on the door.

The hallway was quiet, so it was a sound that Tae-Woo would hear right away.

So-Won listened.

The sound of the wind was heard outside.

It began to rain, and the sound of heavy rain began to be heard. There was no sound coming from the door.

So-Won smiled despondent.

He came late at night and made a fool of himself.

In addition, it was raining outside, so he had to go home in the rain.

So-Won was already trembling at the thought of staying alone on a gloomy and humid night when he heard the sound of rain.

‘Should I go out to my parents’ house today? It was fortunate that there was a place to go back besides Tae-Woo’s house.’ So-Won thought.

So-Won turned his back.

The moment So-Won stepped weakly, he felt like he heard a small sound.

He stopped walking to listen, but could only hear the sound of rain from outside.

So-Won tilted his head.

Is it inside? he may have misheard it.

But So-Won decided to knock on the door one more time.

The sound of rain tapping on the window overlapped with the sound of So-Won’s knock, but again, there was no sound from inside.

That’s right. So-Won smiled bitterly and blamed himself for having useless expectations.

Then So-Won turned the doorknob.

It was really an act of unconsciousness, but the doorknob  turns, opening the door.

So-Won, who really didn’t know the door would open, was embarrassed as he looked at the door quietly opening.

The inside, which could be seen through the gap in the door, was also black pitch.

So-Won felt sorry for no reason because he felt like a thief who sneaked into a house without an owner.

He felt sorry for opening the door without permission, so he apologized to Tae-Woo in his heart.

He tried to close the door right away.

However, the sound that So-Won thought to be an illusion came back to his ear.

The sound of breathing or groaning in pain clearly came from the gap in the slightly open door.

As So-Won approached the door gap, a faint smell of alcohol flowed out.

‘You can’t open it.’ The instinct of So-Won warned him.

However, it was a little late for the order to be delivered to So-Won.

In the end, the door was pushed slowly due to the finger that touched the door, revealing the inside completely.

“This is…” So-Won mumbled.

It was a scene that So-Won couldn’t think of as Tae-Woo’s private room that he had just visited.

The broken sofa rolled at So-Won’s feet.

It was the sofa where So-Won fell asleep leaning on Tae-Woo’s arm.

In one corner of the room, tables and shelves were lying tangled with each other, and unknown debris was scattered on the floor.

The hard concrete walls were also dented as if they had been hit by a heavy blunt instrument.

It was hard to find a clear spot in a messy room.

So-Won’s eyes turned to the bed by the window.

There was something big black lying on the bed.

A sound that sounded like a beast or a monster’s moan was leaking from there.

“Tae-Woo?” So-Won called out.

So-Won’s voice trembled.

So-Won forced his immobilized leg into the room.

The broken pieces of glass scattered on the floor made a sharp sound as they were stepped on.

A little inside, the strong smell of alcohol pierced So-Won’s nose.

He covered his mouth and nose with his hands.

So-Won was distracted by the strong smell of alcohol, so he didn’t notice that the wind that came from somewhere closed the door gently.

The door closed silently.

When the light flowing through the open door disappeared, it became as dark as if it had been blocked.

So-Won looked back at the way he had come, with his shaking body. When darkness suddenly came, he couldn’t see anything.

So-Won suddenly became frightened.

The slightest sound of raindrops knocking on the window scared him.

So-Won shrank more and more and trembled in place for a long time.

However, the tightly closed door did not open again by itself.

As time passed, his eyes got used to the darkness little by little.

Even for So-Won, who was still shaking pitifully, things around him gradually began to look blurry.

So-Won, who was looking around as if anxious because he couldn’t see well, found a switch next to the door and reached out.

However, So-Won hesitated because he was not confident not to run away when he saw what is inside. He eventually abandoned the thought of switching the lights on.

So-Won took a breath and stepped forward.

As the farther So-Won got from the door, the bed got closer, the guiding machine surrounding the bed, and the person lying on it were seen properly.

The black figure that So-Won thought was something big, was Tae-Woo, who wrapped a guiding machine all over his body.

Tae-Woo was almost naked, but it never occurred to So-Won that he was naked because the guiding machine was covering his body tightly.

As So-Won got a little closer to Tae-Woo, he smelled a new smell that he didn’t notice because he was covered by the strong smell of alcohol.

It smelled like blood, it smelled like stink.

There was a strange sound again.

The sound that had been heard since earlier was from Tae-Woo’s neck.

His breath, which seemed to be painful, was rough.

There was a constant beastly moan that came out intermittently.

The great pain contained in it was felt by So-Won.

So-Won was scared by the sound but worried about Tae-Woo.

Did he get hurt…?

So-Won’s heart dropped because he remembered Tae-Woo constantly spilling blood.

So-Won hurriedly examined the condition of Tae-Woo.

The wound could not be identified well because of the guiding machine attached to the whole body.

So-Won found something strange while looking at his body in the dark restlessly.

Tae-Woo’s skin is darker than usual.

It was unclear whether the dark, is his dead skin. It looks like it had been coated with charcoal, or maybe it was due to the dark surroundings or the black machines surrounding Tae-Woo’s body.

So-Won soon found out its true identity.

The thunderstorm intensified the rain.

So-Won’s heart thumped and his body stiffened.

The sound of the rain was frightening.

When the rain knocked on the window, So-Won became more anxious and closed his mouth.

The sharp wind chirped and wept.

Something moved in the dark.

Tae-Woo didn’t move.

He was lying on the bed doing nothing but making painful noises.

Strangely, however, Tae-Woo’s body wriggled alone.

So-Won knew what it was.

It was Tae-Woo’s veins.

So-Won was shocked and questioned at the same time at the terrible scene that filled his eyes.

Even if Tae-Woo had been in this condition for the past eight years and had no time to look around, So-Won would have had no choice but to notice it right away.

Tae-Woo’s eyes flinched and trembled.

“Lee So-Won…” Tae-Woo couldn’t overcome the pain and let go of his mind, but at some point realized that he couldn’t feel the pain and woke up from the blurred mind.

The pain that had swallowed Tae-Woo had subsided.

Rather, it felt warm. It was a familiar feeling.

It seemed that So-Won was nearby. Though it would not have been possible.

When Tae-Woo opened his eyes with difficulty, he saw So-Won crying.

It was a very sad face.

It was the first time he had seen So-Won’s face, but his guide was definitely right in front with a sullen face.

Tae-Woo thought it was a fantasy.

A warning and illusion from Tae-Woo’s body that he needed a guide, but it was too realistic.