TTOA Chapter 83

Having heard the words “Let’s kill them all,” I wasn’t that surprised, but I couldn’t help but be astonished by “Let’s abandon everything and run away.” Because Seo Eui-woo had always tried to confine Kwon Jae-jin.

The outside is dangerous, and the inside of the house is safe. He had always been consistent with that logic. That’s why he even tied Jae-jin up. But now the situation had changed. Everyone was desperately trying to ferret out the S-rank Late-Blooming Guide. The Special Residential District was already a hostile territory swarming with Espers, and now they were targeting and chasing Kwon Jae-jin, so it was true that Jae-jin’s situation had become incomparably more precarious than before.

Moreover, Seo Eui-woo’s changed state was also a problem. In the past, Seo Eui-woo could calmly carry out his missions even while hiding Kwon Jae-jin, but now he was so anxious that it was worrying. It was a problem that he couldn’t concentrate on combat and might get hurt, and it was also a problem that he had become disillusioned with the Esper society he had been a part of.

If they couldn’t come up with a good solution and continued to drag things on like this, Seo Eui-woo might end up committing murder. The most likely first victim seemed to be Major Ma Tae-o.

“How long do I have to wait? My shift is almost over… I can’t wait long.”

Seo Eui-woo rubbed his cheek against Jae-jin’s neck as if complaining. He was impatient because he was in a hurry, but Jae-jin didn’t give him an answer. Kwon Jae-jin swallowed a troubled sigh.

“Then, well… let’s have Seo Eui-woo return to the unit for now. I don’t think it’s something we can decide right away.”

“Why? What’s the reason? Are you disappointed that I want to run away? Do you think we won’t be able to date?”

“It’s not that, I need to think about it… Let’s talk about it again carefully after Seo Eui-woo gets off work.”

Jae-jin bought some time for now.

He wanted to take enough time to carefully consider and think it over. It was probably a decision that would change his life. This was a crossroads where Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin had everything on the line.

Once they ran away, they could never come back.

At least he needed time to make that kind of resolve.

“Ha, then since Jae-jin is awake, can I have a kiss before I go?”

“Eui-woo-ya…”

“Open your mouth. Just once.”

“Heut.”

“Can I take your clothes off?”

“No, you can’t take my clothes off.”

“I’ll just touch a little. Just a tiny bit.”

Jae-jin barely managed to appease and send back Seo Eui-woo, and then, left alone in the empty bed, he swept over the vacant space next to him. As if trying to hold onto the warmth that would soon disappear with Seo Eui-woo, he rubbed the bedsheets.

It was rough. And regrettable.

Seo Eui-woo’s spell seemed to have a truly remarkable effect.

He missed him.

*

Seo Eui-woo had once asked him what season he liked.

Kwon Jae-jin had replied that he liked spring or autumn. Because he didn’t have to pay for air conditioning or heating.

Then, Seo Eui-woo had said this:

That’s right. Jae-jin was that kind of person.

The idea of running away. The idea of abandoning everything and leaving. The idea of going to the 6th Residential District to find out about Jae-jin’s family and past life. The idea of hiding in general society and dating properly like ordinary people.

It was all good.

It was all good, but… how would they live?

If they left without a plan, where would they live, how would they make a living, what would they do for work…? It was obvious that Kwon Jae-jin’s identity couldn’t be used since they were on the run, and the same went for Seo Eui-woo’s identity. In modern society, a person without resident registration can’t even do the most basic things.

Address registration, bank transactions, employment contracts. All of that would become impossible.

Then they would just become wandering vagrants, moving from place to place.

And Kwon Jae-jin had originally worked in finance. Even if they liquidated Seo Eui-woo’s savings and took the money with them, he knew that it wouldn’t be usable in the general residential districts. Due to the isolation system, currency withdrawn from an Esper’s account was marked with serial numbers so that it couldn’t be taken out of the Special Residential District. Even if they exchanged it for gold bars or jewelry, the gold bars would also have serial numbers, and the jewelry would need a certificate of authenticity to be worth anything. Everything could be traced.

That meant there were too many restrictions. In an extreme example, they might have to resort to robbery.

‘Am I overthinking this?’

Living in a remote mountain village… in a dilapidated, abandoned cabin with Seo Eui-woo, that might be okay. He could tell Seo Eui-woo to hunt wild animals for food, and Kwon Jae-jin could tend the garden, farm, raise chickens and chicks, grow mushrooms, something like that…?

‘Would that work? Would that be okay?’

He secretly wanted to live peacefully in such a quiet place at least once. A simple country life. With lush greenery surrounding them, freely going out for walks, basking in the warm sunshine, planting seeds, touching the soil, chopping firewood, cooking scorched rice in the kitchen, with Seo Eui-woo… then that would be nice too.

‘But it wouldn’t be easy to find a place that’s exactly to my liking.’

Farming and agricultural work wouldn’t be something they could do without preparation. The agricultural industry was about surviving by working hard and diligently, not shying away from difficult or dangerous tasks, and he knew that he shouldn’t underestimate it. Even if Seo Eui-woo’s ability made some tasks easier, to start without capital, they would need prior knowledge, research, and the confidence that they wouldn’t fail before jumping in.

Moreover, it was winter now. If they left now…

‘Ah… right, the season is the problem.’

At least by spring, it might be quite doable.

If Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin spent the winter preparing thoroughly in various ways, making up their minds, and leaving with a meticulous plan… that might be a little better. It might not be such a far-fetched dream.

‘It seems a little more realistic than before.’

Then, if things went that way, would Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin be alone… literally alone…?

In this harsh world, abandoning everything they had, leaving behind being Espers, Guides, Awakened, and Late-Blooming, with nothing, just the two of them…?

Just as Kwon Jae-jin had abandoned his 26 years of life to be with Seo Eui-woo, would Seo Eui-woo also abandon his 20 years of life to be with Kwon Jae-jin? Was that what he wanted to do?

Even if he lost this 3000-pyeong mansion, the mansion nearing completion, and the 85 billion won in assets, not to mention the accumulated pension and bonuses, he wouldn’t care at all?

Even the dazzling honor and splendid achievements he had been born with and built up, and the brilliant future ahead, could he throw them all away like scraps of paper…?

Seo Eui-woo wouldn’t care about any of that?

‘No, he probably hasn’t considered those things… Seo Eui-woo doesn’t know general society, so he doesn’t know how harsh life will be.’

The higher the rank and class of the Espers, the higher their annual salary. Seo Eui-woo had been wealthy since birth. So he might not welcome living in a mud-floored cabin.

‘Ha… well… I don’t know.’

Jae-jin, who couldn’t sleep all night and tossed and turned in bed, picked up his tablet. He thought about waiting for Seo Eui-woo to get off work, but he wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyway, so he gave up.

Jae-jin stared blankly at the black tablet screen before turning it on and tapping out a text message.

[Seo Eui-woo. Can I ask you something?]

The reply was very quick. As if he had been waiting for Kwon Jae-jin to wake up.

[Jae-jin, are you up now? Did you sleep well? What is it?]

[No, I didn’t sleep. What I want to ask is about running away.]

[Yes, yes]

[I don’t know if Seo Eui-woo knows this, but if we go to the general residential district, we’ll have to live as fugitives with unclear identities, so we’ll probably have to live penniless.]

[Yes]

[Still, you don’t care? You want to abandon everything and go?]

Seo Eui-woo’s reply was really fast. It was a short answer, but it was firm.

[I’m okay with it]

Okay with what? How?

While Jae-jin hesitated to reply, another text message arrived.

[I don’t care about anything else as long as I have Jae-jin]

Kwon Jae-jin blinked rapidly and moved his fingers. His typing was a little agitated.

[No, are you talking about this knowing the situation accurately? In the worst-case scenario, we might have to live on the streets. Are you okay with living like that for the rest of your life?]

[Um… you know. The one who doesn’t know the situation clearly is Jae-jin.]

[Huh?]

[When I go on long-term missions to the Frontier Districts, sleeping in the open is normal. Once you enter a Gate, you have to eat and sleep not on bare ground, but in a swamp full of corpses…]

…Ah.

That’s right.

Do Espers usually experience worse things…?

[Isn’t the situation better anywhere in the general residential district than in the Frontier Districts or inside a Gate? No, even if it’s worse than that, I’m fine. I’m only worried about Jae-jin… Jae-jin is too delicate…]

[That’s not true. It will be better than the Frontier Districts… probably.]

[What! Then it’s settled!]

[Is that what you mean by settled…]

No…

Settled…?

Is the decision made? That easily?

‘That guy, he doesn’t hesitate even once.’

Not even once. Just once.

He can’t stand to see Kwon Jae-jin waver.

Seo Eui-woo… because the place he is looking at, is always the same. There is no need to worry about the decision, and there is no reason to take time for the decision.

He is blindly devoted, to the point of fanaticism.

Kwon Jae-jin is Seo Eui-woo’s god.