“Oh, um, sure—what is it?”
“As you may know, all information regarding Hunter Kyeon Su-ho is classified. This includes his rampage stats.”
Globally, information about S-rank or higher awakened individuals was confidential. Among them, SS-rank Kyeon Su-ho’s details were said to be guarded at a security level comparable to that of a head of state.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I won’t tell anyone what happened today. I don’t even want to.”
“I’d like to believe that too, but regulations are regulations.”
“…Should I sign something? Like a non-disclosure agreement?”
“There’s no need for anything so troublesome.”
As Shin Ji-yul stepped back, Go-san stepped forward with a sheepish look, scratching his brow.
“We’ll just delete the memories—from the moment you encountered Kyeon Su-ho until now.”
“…Ah.”
Morae wasn’t particularly surprised. She had expected this from the moment Go-san entered the room.
She gave a bitter nod.
“All right.”
“I’ll just touch your head for a moment. Stay relaxed, don’t tense up.”
“Okay…”
Go-san gently placed his hand on the crown of her head.
Whoa…
Morae, sitting quietly, let out a small gasp.
She could see the blue wavelength forming in Go-san’s hand, originating from his heart. Though she had seen awakened powers before, she had never seen anything like this—she had never actually seen someone’s energy pattern.
Maybe… something really did change after what happened with Kyeon Su-ho.
As she was thinking, warmth spread across her scalp. Her memories would soon be erased. She couldn’t help but feel resistance.
I don’t want this.
She was fine forgetting everything else—but she didn’t want to forget that Kyeon Su-ho had been suffering.
Still, she lowered her gaze, hiding her emotion.
“…What the—what’s going on?”
She looked up at Go-san’s confused voice. His expression had turned strange.
“Are you talking to me?”
“Do you have some kind of mental defense skill or a mind-shield item?”
“No?”
“There has to be something. Think carefully.”
“I don’t even know what that is…”
“Then why isn’t my ability working?”
Shin Ji-yul narrowed his eyes, watching Go-san with suspicion.
An E-rank resisting an S-rank psychic? That made no sense.
“Go-san, are you messing around again?”
“Come on, you think I’m always joking? I’m serious this time!”
“You drank last night, didn’t you.”
“Uh… yeah… just a little…”
Go-san averted his eyes with a guilty look.
Psychic powers weakened under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Shin Ji-yul’s glare turned icier.
“Huh, I didn’t drink that much. Weird. Okay, let me try again.”
Go-san, clearly awkward now, placed both hands on Morae’s head again.
But the blue wavelength only lingered above her crown. As Morae sat patiently, her eyes rolled up slightly.
Is it not working because I don’t want it to?
No way… that couldn’t be it, right?
As ridiculous as it sounded, she cleared her mind of negative thoughts—she really wanted to check on Songi.
Strangely enough, it was only then that the blue waves began to seep into her head.
A hazy, floating sensation engulfed her whole body—she felt light, as if she’d turned into a bubble drifting through the air.
It felt like a dream. Morae didn’t even realize she was speaking aloud.
“…Team Leader Shin Ji-yul…”
“Yes?”
“…Hunter Kyeon Su-ho… he’s going to be okay, right?”
“He should be.”
Thank goodness.
A small smile bloomed on Morae’s lips.
“Morae. Morae.”
Morae rubbed her cheek against her pillow and giggled.
“Thank goodness…”
“You fainted—what do you mean ‘thank goodness’? Open your eyes already.”
“…Huh?”
“Get up!”
Her foggy mind cleared in an instant. Morae’s eyes snapped open.
Where am I?
“Songi…”
“Yeah.”
“…Did you hit me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Then why am I in a hospital?”
“We got into a car accident. Don’t you remember?”
“Accident…? Oh, right!”
Blinking vacantly, Morae suddenly shot upright. She finally remembered they’d crashed into something.
“What happened?”
“Apparently we both fainted right after the crash. The driver of the other car called an ambulance. When I woke up, we were already at the hospital.”
“The other driver?”
“The person who hit us.”
“Wait… Really?”
Was it even a car they crashed into?
It didn’t feel like it at the time. Morae frowned, confused, as Songi leaned in and whispered:
“He took full responsibility for the accident. Said we didn’t even need to file insurance. Covered all the medical bills, hospital costs, even compensation.”
“…Seriously?”
“He even offered to buy us a new car. Said we could pick whatever we want.”
“…He’s not a scammer, is he?”
“Doubt it. The driver was Go-san.”
“…Go-san? As in, S-rank psychic Hunter Go-san?”
“Yep. Crazy, right?”
If it really was Go-san, he’d want to keep it under wraps. Someone like him wouldn’t want this kind of thing in the news. And he was practically rich as a chaebol anyway.
Morae’s face lit up. She’d been so stressed thinking about Songi’s old beat-up Jeep—this was such a relief.
“Morae, are you seriously that happy?”
“Yep, totally!”
Morae suddenly pulled Songi into a tight hug, making her laugh.
“Should we stay a few more days? Go-san said we could stay as long as we wanted.”
“What for? We’re not even hurt. Let’s just get discharged.”
Morae was the kind of person who didn’t go to the hospital unless she was really sick. Knowing this, Songi nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah, hospitals are boring anyway. Make me kimchi stew when we get home.”
“We’ll eat it as a midnight snack, right?”
It must’ve been a long time since they fainted—outside was already pitch black. It was well past 9 PM.
The two quickly got changed and asked a nurse to begin the discharge process.
A few minutes later, the door opened—but it wasn’t a nurse. It was Go-san.
He stood tall, over 180 cm, lean frame, with sweet features. The dull hospital room instantly brightened as he stepped inside.
“Gasp!”
Morae and Songi both froze in place.
To a mere C-rank shield user like Songi and an E-rank Tamer like Morae, an S-rank was practically a god.
And it was Go-san himself.
The cotton-candy man they’d only ever seen on screens was standing right in front of them. It was hard to tell if they were awake or dreaming.
Go-san smiled warmly and asked,
“Songi, you’re getting discharged already? You could’ve stayed a little longer.”
He called her Songi.
Morae bit her lip to stop herself from squealing. Songi answered smoothly.
“Actually, I put up a barrier just before the crash. I just fainted from the shock. The tests came back clean.”
“That’s a relief.”
Then Go-san turned his attention to Morae.
“And you, Morae? Are you feeling okay?”
“Y-Yes. Y-Yes, I’m fine. Really.”
Blushing furiously, Morae stammered. Go-san smiled gently at her.
“The accident was entirely my fault. I’m truly sorry. I’ll make sure you’re fully compensated.”
He bowed deeply. Morae panicked and quickly bowed in return.
“No! It’s fine, really!”
“If anything feels off later on, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Anytime.”
He handed her a business card and winked. Something about the gesture felt oddly familiar—Morae was a beat late in replying.
“…Thank you…”
With a final smile, Go-san left the hospital room.
Morae and Songi stood frozen until the sound of his footsteps completely faded—then they both burst into a flurry of motion.
“OH MY GOD! He’s so handsome! Even smells amazing!”
“Songi… my heart’s gonna explode…”
“I was shaking the whole time! How was I? Did I talk okay?”
“You were perfect. I was the one who totally freaked out.”
“It suits you. You’re cute when you’re nervous.”
“…What kind of logic is that?”
Overwhelmed by the giddy high of meeting a real celebrity, the two ended up delaying their discharge just a little longer
