TTOA Chapter 80

#80

“I’ll use coordinate movement to get ahead. I’ll arrive before the others and wait.”

-Tsk. I told you not to waste your ability unnecessarily.

“It’s not a problem. This mission is just a simple creature cleanup, isn’t it?”

-Understood. Then I’ll waive the disciplinary action. Arrive first and cooperate with the search unit.

“I’ll follow your orders, Lieutenant Colonel Jang.”

Wait, cooperate with the search unit…

Seo Eui-woo checked the place name on the map again.

Northwest of the Special Residential District. It was a familiar place.

It was the very canyon where he almost lost Kwon Jae-jin. Seo Eui-woo’s eyes changed. The insides he had barely calmed down churned violently again.

He wondered why the difficulty of today’s mission was so unreasonably low, but it turned out this unpleasant twist was hidden.

-Major Ma Tae-o will be in overall command at the site. Captain Seo knows him, right? They say they’re searching for an S-rank Late-Blooming Guide.

It was fortunate that this was the Sterile Transfer Room. If he had been in front of Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san, he would have shown a fleetingly frozen expression. Seo Eui-woo slowly raised his lips, arranging his face.

“…Ah. Yes.”

-Right. Everyone’s talking about it, so there’s no way you wouldn’t know.

“…….”

-Captain Seo. Is there a problem?

“No, Lieutenant Colonel. The communication was a bit unstable.”

Fortunately, Seo Eui-woo was skilled at lying.

He had lived a life where concealing the truth and fabricating lies was natural.

From his days as a trainee, he pretended to eat and sleep like others, and he acted as if his ability use was unaffected even without proper Guiding. He had perfectly concealed his inherent power suppressed in the abyss. At that time, he was only lying because there was no other way to survive, but looking back now, it seems like his life from the beginning was for this very moment.

Seo Eui-woo had to appear as if he was hiding nothing, even while concealing Kwon Jae-jin in his arms. So, he fabricated a calm voice and answered thoroughly.

“Then I will arrive first and cooperate with Major Ma Tae-o’s search unit. I will teleport immediately.”

-No, wait. There are additional instructions.

“Yes. Please speak, Lieutenant Colonel Jang.”

-I want Captain Seo to find him.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

-Captain Seo, didn’t you want a promotion? If you make a contribution by finding the S-rank Late-Blooming Guide, you will become a Major.

Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san, the veteran commander leading the elite 1st Special Task Force, gave the order in a weighty voice. Seo Eui-woo replied without wavering, but inwardly felt the urge to tear the transceiver apart.

“You’re not being like yourself, Lieutenant Colonel. I understand that searching for Mutants is under the jurisdiction of the search unit.”

Even Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san was paying attention to this matter. This man was at the core of the military. He is a valiant warrior who has had many opportunities to be promoted to general but has remained in the field at his own request.

-The search unit’s top priority is capturing the Mutant alive. They say they’ll hand him over to the Research and Development Department for experimentation. However, permission for lethal force has also been granted as a secondary option.

“…….”

-Capture is impossible if you can’t outpace a Tracking-type ability, but there’s no one who can match Captain Seo’s skills when it comes to killing. Even if only the corpse is confirmed, it will be enough. No one will find it strange if Captain Seo returns with the Mutant’s corpse.

“…….”

-You must not miss this opportunity. Do you understand what I mean?

Lieutenant Colonel Jang repeatedly gave the same order.

-It’s time to move up. Captain Seo Eui-woo. Bring back the corpse of the S-rank Late-Blooming Guide, Kwon Jae-jin.

“…I will follow your orders, Lieutenant Colonel.”

Beep.

The communication was cut off mercilessly.

Seo Eui-woo coldly stared down at the disc that displayed the coordinate movement compatibility completion. The metal where his foot was placed was deeply dented. The ability he had suppressed deep within the abyss rampaged violently, trying to burst out on its own.

Seo Eui-woo violently controlled and suppressed his ability, scratching his chest with his hand. His lungs felt stuffy. It felt like several iron stakes had been driven into his chest. Knowing that there would be a problem if he didn’t restrain himself, a fierce force spread out like lightning from beneath Seo Eui-woo’s feet. A rapid vibration echoed, and a thumping noise was heard from under the floor.

“Haa, hoo…….”

He couldn’t calm down at all. Seo Eui-woo, his eyes coldly distorted, struck his own chest. He clenched his fist and hit his heart, and when that wasn’t enough, he grabbed his own neck with his gloved hand and strangled himself. Only when his breathing was blocked and his mind became hazy could he barely collect his scattered ability.

Following the dog-like situation where he had to cooperate with the search unit led by Major Ma Tae-o, Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san gave Seo Eui-woo the cruel order to kill Kwon Jae-jin, bring back his corpse, and get promoted. In the midst of all this, even if Seo Eui-woo was skilled at lying, it was difficult for him to put on a smiling face.

“Ugh.”

Out of the blue, he felt like he understood why Kwon Jae-jin had self-harmed.

He felt like biting his tongue would cover up his suffering with pain, even if only slightly. Of course, Seo Eui-woo had been a combatant for a long time and was originally insensitive to pain, so simply tearing off a piece of his tongue would not be emotionally moving. To properly self-harm, he would have to shoot himself in the thigh or stab himself in the stomach with a knife.

The problem was that Seo Eui-woo had to endure even such insane impulses.

If Seo Eui-woo acted strangely now, he would only arouse unnecessary suspicion. He couldn’t put Kwon Jae-jin in even greater danger.

Seo Eui-woo took a deep breath and regained his composure. He really wanted to see Kwon Jae-jin. He wondered if he was doing well, if he was safe, if he was okay, if he was alive.

Seo Eui-woo sent dozens of text messages to Jae-jin via the Goggles, asking how he was doing, and then immediately executed the coordinate movement. If he delayed and arrived too late, there would be another problem.

The dazzling white light spread, and the surrounding scenery changed once again. It was a coordinate movement room in the form of an airship, temporarily installed in the canyon.

When Seo Eui-woo finished sterilizing and came outside, he saw the search unit members waiting below the ridge. And the commander standing with his back to them caught his eye.

A man like a military dog, sweeping back his black hair to reveal his forehead. It was Major Ma Tae-o.

Ma Tae-o, whose hands that had touched Kwon Jae-jin’s tongue, lips, and chest should be burned with fire, torn to shreds, and fed to beasts. To think he would have to face this man so soon.

“This is Captain Seo Eui-woo, of the 1st Special Task Force. I have been ordered to carry out a creature extermination mission.”

*

Seo Eui-woo did not return home even after midnight. Kwon Jae-jin waited for Seo Eui-woo until around 2 a.m., exercising, cooking and eating, practicing shooting, watching the news, and eventually lying down in bed first. He wanted to tell him what dating was like when he came, and what Kwon Jae-jin wanted to do with him in a small way, but the situation was what it was.

Jae-jin rubbed his tired eyes and communicated with Seo Eui-woo on his tablet. Seo Eui-woo was like a parrot. He wasn’t an automated greeting machine, but he kept sending the same messages without stopping: ‘I miss you, Jae-jin.’, ‘What are you doing, Jae-jin?’, ‘Are you okay, Jae-jin?’

Kwon Jae-jin replied to some messages and sent dots to others, yawning wearily. He intended to respond to the messages as much as possible until just before he fell asleep.

[Jae-jin.]

[.]

[Jae-jin?]

[.]

[Are you really okay, Jae-jin? I want to see you right now.]

[.]

[I want to date Jae-jin.. I want to date properly.]

[.,]

He kept sending dots, but from some point on, his eyes started to flutter shut. An irresistible sleepiness was overwhelming him. Even so, he thought that if he just fell asleep without saying anything, Seo Eui-woo would become overly anxious and worried again.

Kwon Jae-jin, almost closing his eyes, typed a message on the tablet.

[졸ㄹㅕ 잠들거 가틉니다 (I think I’m going to fall asleep)]

[응? 자요? (Huh? Are you sleeping?)]

[점 없어시졈ㄴ 잠든 겁니ᅟᅡᆮ (Dot obsent im sleeping)]

[??]

Seo Eui-woo went wild. Messages poured in one after another.

[재진 씨 자요? (Jae-jin, are you sleeping?)]

[진짜 자? (Really sleeping?)]

[안돼 싫어요 조금만 더 답장해줘요 (No, I don’t want you to. Please reply a little more)]

[재진씨 조금만요 (Jae-jin, just a little bit)]

[나 금방 집 갈게요잠깐마ㄴ 기다려요 (I’ll go home soon wait a sec)]

He didn’t know what he meant by coming while he was on duty. Was he going to get another unauthorized departure penalty? Actually, there’s no reason for Seo Eui-woo to worry this much. The house’s security system is also operating safely. Even if something happens, the alarm will go off immediately this time.

Jae-jin fell asleep hugging the tablet. The bed without Seo Eui-woo was so wide. His body was comfortable without the arms tightly constricting his waist, but it was rather nerve-wracking and uncomfortable.

How long had he been sleeping like that? He vaguely woke up to the sound of someone’s presence. Seo Eui-woo had returned, and a familiar large body was rustling next to the bed. He wanted to get up and greet him, but his lying body wouldn’t budge.

In fact, it was difficult to even tell if Seo Eui-woo had actually returned. Maybe this was a dream where Seo Eui-woo appeared. Seo Eui-woo kept saying he wanted to see him, so Kwon Jae-jin must have wanted to see him so much that he was dreaming of Seo Eui-woo. It was a bit strange that the background wasn’t space…

Not long after, Seo Eui-woo’s touch was felt near his neck. Only then did he realize that it wasn’t a dream.