TTOA Chapter 127

Taming the Obsessive Maniac – Chapter 127

#127

My mind went slightly hazy. I felt dizzy, and then the tension drained from my body, leaving me weak. Seo Eui-woo gripped Kwon Jae-jin tightly, supporting him.

But then, a sharp cry came from above the outer perimeter wall.

“Get back, retreat! Lieutenant Park is unstable!”

There were numerous corpses on the outer perimeter wall. And in between them, surviving Espers were being treated with Healing Factor. An anomaly was occurring in the location where the injured were gathered.

“What’s the risk level of a runaway?”

“It’s already too late!”

It was a tragedy that unfolded in an instant.

Suddenly, an intangible ability surged from one of the Special Task Force members.

Goosebumps prickled my skin, and I involuntarily turned my gaze toward the Special Task Force member in question.

The man called Lieutenant Park appeared perfectly fine on the outside. There were no visible external injuries, and his limbs were all properly attached. But Kwon Jae-jin could tell at a glance that he was torn apart inside.

Like a bag of water tearing and spilling its contents, his ability was leaking out, slowly tearing his Core.

The erupting power was dark and viscous.

Ominous, sinister, and malevolent.

It was a familiar energy.

The ability hidden in Seo Eui-woo’s abyss. The unstable ability of someone in a state of severe imbalance due to a lack of Guiding. It was exactly that.

Whether he had overused his abilities to escape the crisis in this battle, or whether he had failed to use his Guiding substitute medication in time, the unfortunate Esper had become a sacrifice, consumed by imbalance.

Runaway.

That was a runaway state.

“Kheu, keuk! Keuhaaaack!”

Lieutenant Park wailed like a demon in agony. His Core, embedded in his chest, cracked and split, and the runaway began.

The ability that had been his limbs, his pride, his trusted ally for his entire life, was now beyond his control, eroding and devouring its master.

Everyone knew what the end of a runaway Esper looked like… without needing to say it.

He was no longer an Esper.

He had been reduced to something no different from a monster.

He lost his reason, his ability could not be controlled, and he spewed out his ability in every direction until, in the end, his torn Core would explode completely. Like a nuclear bomb. Causing serious damage to the surroundings.

And of course, there was no way to save a runaway Esper.

The only option was to kill him before the damage became too great.

The Special Task Force members who had been treating injuries with Healing Factor hastily prepared for battle. But Lieutenant Park’s runaway came first. A terrifying mass of ability that drew on life force burst out in tendrils. The Special Task Force members caught in its path rolled across the floor with the corpses.

Most were pushed and fell, but there was one who stood his ground.

It was a familiar face.

Major Ma Tae-o, no, Captain Ma Tae-o, who had been demoted, was deploying a shield and approaching the runaway Lieutenant Park.

Black energy was streaking across Lieutenant Park’s face. Uncontrolled ability was covering him completely, swallowing him up. He would never be able to return to his original form.

The fallen Special Task Force members regained their senses and provided cover fire from the rear, while Captain Ma Tae-o, with his shield deployed, approached the runaway Esper’s Core.

Fortunately, it was right after the runaway.

If they could shatter this Esper’s Core now, they could stop the damage.

Ma Tae-o grabbed the pistol holstered on his thigh. He released the safety and aimed it at Lieutenant Park’s heart.

Gunshots rang out in quick succession.

Lieutenant Park, having lost his reason, charged at Captain Ma Tae-o. But perhaps Lieutenant Park’s rank was low, or perhaps Ma Tae-o’s ability had improved significantly, the round shield did not break.

Seo Eui-woo was amazing to have crushed that like an eggshell, a thought crossed my mind, out of place in the urgent situation. Ma Tae-o’s bullet struck Lieutenant Park’s Core.

It hit deeply, shattering the sphere.

And the Esper whose Core had been broken, the terrifying and dreadful ability crumbled like dust… and then collapsed to the ground.

Only a black corpse remained.

A corpse stained black with unbalanced ability.

Lieutenant Park died with his neck and half of his face blackened, and the rest in his original form. Because he had died before the runaway progressed too far, it had ended at that level.

“…Hah.”

The breath I had been holding was finally released.

Only then did Kwon Jae-jin realize that he had not been breathing.

His vision swam. Seo Eui-woo grabbed Kwon Jae-jin and used coordinate teleportation. His vision spun, and his body was pulled somewhere. Feeling dizzy, Kwon Jae-jin hugged Seo Eui-woo. He felt like he was about to faint.

*

It was the middle of space.

Beneath a dazzling Milky Way, and the splendor of Saturn. Kwon Jae-jin was alone.

There was no army of creatures swarming every day, and there was no mature 24-year-old Seo Eui-woo.

It was just quiet.

‘Hah.’

Jae-jin swallowed a heavy breath.

Was it all over?

Was it really… all over now?

He reached out and took off the goggles he was wearing on his face. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he slowly closed his eyes.

He didn’t want to think about anything right now.

He just wanted to see Seo Eui-woo.

As soon as he woke up from this dream, he would immediately hug Seo Eui-woo and roll around. Lying in bed, or taking a bath together, he just wanted to breathe with Seo Eui-woo without doing anything.

He needed his body temperature, his breath, everything about him.

He wanted to stare into his unique gray eyes. He wanted to feel safe looking at those glistening eyes, where the white and the iris were clearly defined.

He truly longed for rest.

‘Jae-jin ssi.’

But a languid voice came from behind.

Kwon Jae-jin did not turn around.

Just this once, for just one day, he wanted to let it pass.

It was clear that the 24-year-old mature Seo Eui-woo he encountered in the dream, the 1st timeline Seo Eui-woo’s behavior was suspicious, but he just wanted to pretend not to know, even if it was just for today.

Kwon Jae-jin was quite exhausted from questioning him, poking at him, or digging into him. His face was pale, and he was tired.

‘Jae-jin ssi…’

The 24-year-old Seo Eui-woo came right up behind him. The low, persistent voice echoed in his ear.

Then his hand touched his waist.

Kwon Jae-jin tried to evade him, but it was already too late. Thick arms snatched Kwon Jae-jin’s body and pulled him into a tight embrace. The presence pressed against his back was overwhelming.

It was heavy and fierce.

‘Get off. Let go.’

Kwon Jae-jin pulled at Seo Eui-woo’s arms, scratching at them. Seo Eui-woo didn’t seem to want to let go and whispered into the shell of his ear.

‘Just for a moment.’

‘I don’t want to. Let go.’

‘Just stay still. I don’t want to do this either yet.’

‘What?’

‘But Jae-jin ssi wore the goggles for me. I was so happy. So…’

‘……’

Of course, there were several questions.

What exactly was this dream, and what was the identity of the Seo Eui-woo who kept appearing?

He also felt suspicion.

Was Kwon Jae-jin really the only one who had regressed?

What had Seo Eui-woo done after the gate burst in the mansion garden four years later and Kwon Jae-jin died?

In fact, he had been trying not to think about it consciously.

What would have happened to the 1st timeline Seo Eui-woo after Kwon Jae-jin died…

Because it wasn’t like Kwon Jae-jin could do anything by thinking about it. He couldn’t go back to the 1st timeline Seo Eui-woo, and it was already all over anyway.

He just vaguely hoped, from time to time, that he was doing well. He hoped that he would meet a proper, official S-rank Guide, not a mutant Guide like Kwon Jae-jin.

After all the twists and turns, they had become lovers, but they hadn’t even been able to start a proper relationship, and the relationship itself was unstable… He thought that it would be better if he just forgot about Kwon Jae-jin.

After all, the 1st timeline Seo Eui-woo had erased Kwon Jae-jin’s memories.

He had erased Kwon Jae-jin’s family, his childhood, his past, his roots…

Seo Eui-woo too…

Seo Eui-woo himself… he hoped that he would erase Kwon Jae-jin’s memories, forget everything as if they had never met in the first place, and live a normal life.

He hoped that he wouldn’t be too pained, wouldn’t suffer alone, wouldn’t regret or blame himself, and that he would forget and move on, saying that it was an unavoidable accident.

Even though he knew very well that it wouldn’t be that easy to sort things out.

He didn’t even want to imagine how Seo Eui-woo, that obsessive bastard who would do anything to keep Kwon Jae-jin by his side, whether it was erasing his memories or putting him in handcuffs, would have gone crazy seeing Kwon Jae-jin’s dismembered corpse in front of him.

‘So… what are you going to do with me?’

Kwon Jae-jin took out the box that he had buried deep inside him. It was a box that he had locked and buried deep in his heart from the moment he decided to properly date the 2nd timeline Seo Eui-woo.

Now, he had no choice but to unlock the box, open it, and confront the 1st timeline Seo Eui-woo, whom he didn’t want to face.

He had no choice but to ask him…