HIDDEN CARD: Hidden Card

ESPER: Psychic [04]

Yoongi, Hoseok, and Yeoju. After dinner, they met at the back gate of the school. The walk to Control Area S-2 felt longer than before.

Hoseok was busy looking around, feeling awkward and curious about this new road, while Yoongi, who had his hands in his pockets and his AirPods on, just walked slowly.

The female protagonist, who had been walking late, suddenly stopped. Ho-seok, who had nearly bumped into her back because of her sudden stop, was startled. He uttered a single, short word and stopped dead in his tracks.

김여주

"The opportunity is now."

정호석

"…huh?"

김여주

"Run away. To a place the government doesn't know about."

민윤기

"……."

Yeoju spoke without even looking back, her gaze fixed on the floor. Hoseok and Yoongi remained silent, watching Yeoju's words belie the situation.

김여주

"Once you become a Guardian, the only way out is to die. If you don't want to regret it, run away now."

정호석

"What are you talking about all of a sudden… Aren't we supposed to be on patrol right now? And we haven't even announced our names yet…."

김여주

"If you don't run away now, you have no chance."

The heroine's gaze, previously fixed on the floor, shifted to Hoseok and Yoongi. Yoongi met her gaze without saying a word. His eyes, which had been filled with a multitude of emotions, were completely empty.

If I had to make a prediction... I guess it would be regret. Yes, regret. Regret was the only thing that settled in those dry eyes.

김여주

"I'll be patrolling here, so you two just don't touch anything and hurry."

Kaak– Kaak–

The heroine's words were interrupted by the alert sounds of several beasts behind her. Feeling uneasy, she turned around to see a swarm of hyenas, seemingly unfamiliar with how they had arrived so quickly.

Judging by the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, it seemed there was already a victim. At least seriously injured, at most dead. No, there might not even be a body.

It wasn't yet confirmed whether they were Wolta or Volta. The heroine couldn't attack rashly, as she didn't want to reveal her abilities to others.

While frowning and wondering how he could get rid of them without Yoongi and Hoseok noticing, the hyenas gradually closed the distance and approached.

The largest hyena in the center, its red eyes flashing, let out a loud roar, and the other hyenas around it followed suit. And then,

김여주

“…Ah. Shit.”

My feet wouldn't move. No, my body wouldn't move.

That hyena's ability is binding... I only found out after being tied up like this. That's Volta.

민윤기

"Jung Ho-seok."

정호석

“…No. It’s night, so there’s no light.”

Yoongi and Hoseok, perhaps sensing that they were Volta, also began discussing among themselves. Yoongi cursed in a low voice at the noisy hyenas surrounding him, and called out to the female protagonist before him.

민윤기

"hey."

김여주

"…."

민윤기

"hey."

김여주

"…."

민윤기

"Hey, Kim Yeo-ju."

김여주

"yes yes?"

Yeoju, who was so lost in thought and lost in thought that she couldn't hear anything else, only came to her senses when her name was called. She didn't even think to ask where he'd gotten the name "Kim Yeoju."

민윤기

"Tell me everything you're thinking right now."

김여주

"…yes?"

민윤기

"You're a Guardian. Aren't you trying to get out of this situation somehow? Tell me what you're thinking right now. It'll help you no matter what."

김여주

"……."

Yes. We can't be too hasty in hiding our abilities right now. We need to eliminate the Voltas, conduct the remaining patrols, and check for any casualties.

Even as I pondered this, the hyenas were already surrounding the three of them, approaching them one step at a time. There was no more time.

김여주

“…First, we need to catch the hyenas. And… we need to check if there are any casualties. Judging by the amount of blood in their mouths, they’re at least seriously injured, at most dead.”

김여주

“We need to check the situation quickly… If we continue like this, neither we nor the victims will be safe.”

정호석

"Yeonju, what are your abilities?"

김여주

“……Right now, I can’t tell you.”

There was a brief silence. I expected someone to ask why I hadn't told them, but no one asked anything like that.

민윤기

"Okay, so I just have to get rid of them? I thought I had to keep them alive."

김여주

"…yes?"

…I'd forgotten. Those two are also S-class espers. In an instant, the ground froze around the three of them, freezing the hyena's body like a statue.

The hyena's eyes were still red, but its previously motionless body was now free to move. It already seemed... dead.

As I stood there, dazed by the sudden turn of events, Yoon-gi, standing behind me, gently placed a hand on my shoulder. The face facing me was filled with playfulness, unlike the cold air.

"It's a shame. I'll see you until I die."

Ah. I got caught up in it.

Control Area S-2 was completely covered in wheat fields. Their height was well above Yeoju's eye level, obscuring her view, but she wouldn't be a Guardian if she succumbed to it.

김여주

"We have to find the victim carefully because there may be more than one."

정호석

"It seems inefficient for the three of us to be moving around like this. Should we each go look for them?"

김여주

"No. It's still dangerous. I'll go find it alone. You two go together."

정호석

"You're the one in danger. What if something like that happens again?"

As she turned her back on the two men and prepared to leave on her own, Hoseok gently wrapped his hand around Yeoju's wrist. It was just the right amount of pressure, just enough to make her easily fall if she tried to shake it off.

Yeo-ju, who was under the full weight of Hoseok's worried gaze, looked at him with a trembling expression. It was the first time she'd felt someone concerned about her.

김여주

"...It's okay. I've been walking alone up until now, so I'm used to it. Do you have the earpiece I gave you earlier? Contact me with it as soon as you find the victim."

As I continued to gaze into Hoseok's eyes, I felt something strange inside. It was almost like I was trembling. Anyway, feeling this strange sensation for the first time, Yeoju quickly pulled Hoseok's hand away.

김여주

"Well then, let's see you later, you two."

If we continue to delay like this, even the seriously injured victim could die. The female protagonist moved her feet busily.

I searched the area for ten minutes, but couldn't find a single hair. I wondered if there were no victims, but if that were the case, the hyena's mouth wouldn't have been covered in blood.

As I was making my way through the wheat, scratching my face and body on the thorns here and there, I saw a pair of shoes that looked like combat boots lying on the ground.

I don't think there was any mention of soldiers searching today... Feeling ominous, Yeoju gritted her teeth and approached the place.

김여주

“…Excuse me. Come to your senses. Excuse me.”

As expected, a soldier lay collapsed next to the boots, his condition dire. His shoulders, waist, and legs had been bitten extensively, his clothes and flesh filthy and scratched.

김여주

"...Ah. If you hear me, don't answer, just listen. We found a victim about 10 minutes east of where we parted ways earlier."

김여주

"The victim appears to be a soldier, and the injuries are severe… on the shoulders, waist, and legs. Please tell Senior Seojun to call the GEC."

The female lead, having relayed the message, took her hands off the earpiece. There was no time to contact Seojun directly in this situation. Why was Seojun off today of all days? The workload had doubled.

The heroine untied the white cloth she had secretly tied around her waist and tore it into a long strip. It was a habit she always carried around with her, in case she got hurt.

김여주

“This won’t stop the bleeding completely….”

Just then, the howling of beasts was heard from somewhere. Not one, but two. I bent down to the ground, protecting the unconscious soldier as best I could. I glanced around, and in that moment,

Kahak–!!!

A hyena, its white fangs bared, charged.

The heroine didn't dodge the hyena that lunged at her with its mouth wide open. Still crouching, she reached out toward the hyena. And then,

Passus–

The hyena that had been rushing towards me disappeared, and only a grayish powder was left in the place where the hyena had been.

김여주

"after…."

After confirming the hyena had completely vanished, the heroine turned around again and wrapped the soldier's leg in a cloth. Her gesture was so natural that anyone observing would have assumed the hyena had never been there in the first place.

It looks like one of the hyenas has escaped from the pack. Recalling the hyena that had been there just moments ago, the heroine stood up, determined to be thorough on this patrol.

Shoooooooo–

The night breeze blew, swaying the wheat to one side. The heroine, who had absentmindedly raised her head to look for another victim, was forced to halt in her tracks by the sight of the figure before her.

“Kim… Yeoju?”

Hoseok was watching.

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