HIDDEN CARD: Hidden Card

ESPER: Psychic [05]

There was no word on the way back to school. An hour of searching around the area yielded no other victims, and the soldier Yeoju had found was carried on Ho-seok's back.

Hoseok glared at Yeoju so fiercely that it felt like the back of her head was pierced, and Yeoju ignored him. Yoongi noticed that the atmosphere between the two was strange and was waiting for the right moment to intervene.

정호석

"Isn't it time you told me something?"

김여주

"……."

정호석

"What did I see earlier? Was it the power to annihilate? Or... the power to kill the opponent?"

김여주

"Just say the name of the ability, don't talk vaguely."

정호석

"It's because it's different from the abilities I knew before. It's the first time I've seen something like that. If it were annihilation, not a single dust should remain, but there definitely was dust left in that place."

김여주

"ha……."

정호석

"There's not a single body left, so it's hard to say they were killed. How should I define this?"

민윤기

“…What are you guys talking about? Are you guys keeping this between you?”

Haa… It was difficult. It was so difficult. Yoongi, oblivious to what was being said, kept poking me here and there, making me even more nervous. Yeoju nervously brushed her bangs away from her eyes and opened her mouth.

김여주

"Absorption."

정호석

"Absorption…?"

김여주

"It's absorption. There are restrictions on moisture, particles, etc. for each level, but for me... as you can see, there aren't any."

정호석

"……."

김여주

"Literally, if I just put my mind to it here...."

김여주

"It could wipe out the whole world."

The words, spoken so thoughtlessly, were truly terrifying. Absorption. Even for Hoseok, who often followed Namjoon to the library and was well-versed in miscellaneous knowledge, this was a completely new ability.

Upon hearing Yeoju's words, Ho-seok's steps stopped dead in his tracks. Yoon-gi's face hardened upon hearing about Yeoju's abilities. Having gained experience working with Seok-jin on small tasks in the North, Yoon-gi knew about absorption abilities.

It was clearly said that the last absorption esper was 200 years ago... But it's been 200 years since it appeared again. The absorption esper.

김여주

"Please keep it a secret from others. I don't want to reveal it to anyone."

Having finished speaking, the heroine turned away from Hoseok and Yoongi without a second thought. Her pace wasn't fast, but it was impossible to keep up. Her feet wouldn't lift, as if they were glued to the floor.

정호석

“Brother… what happens if you absorb all the moisture and bone particles in your body?”

민윤기

"What will happen? It will disappear as if it never existed."

정호석

“…could small particles like powder remain?”

민윤기

"Well... it depends, right? If you tried to absorb only what was inside, the outer particles would remain. If you didn't control it well... small substances might remain."

정호석

"……."

민윤기

"But why is that? Are you talking about Kim Yeo-ju?"

Really… Kim Yeo-ju is an absorption esper. Ho-seok lightly ignored Yoon-gi's voice in his ear and blankly stared at Yeo-ju's back as she gradually moved away.

Returning to school first, Yeoju, instead of heading to the dorms, moved to her own secret location. A lake with a beautiful night sky, obscured by the school's overgrown grass.

The people who nurture the nature growing at school sometimes come here, but I knew there wouldn't be anyone there at this time of day, so I just went to the lake.

김여주

"……."

김석진

“Uh… hello?”

Ha, why am I so unlucky today? Things I'd rather hide are being revealed to an unusually large number of people today.

Seokjin's cheeks were flushed pink, as if he'd been there for quite some time. He awkwardly greeted the female protagonist and tapped the side of his body, suggesting she sit down.

김석진

"How did you get here?"

김여주

“…That’s what I’m going to say. How did you get here?”

김석진

"I got lost while walking around and ended up here. Are you lost too?"

김여주

"…no."

I was on edge. Fearing I might see something negative, I turned my gaze away, focusing solely on the lake.

Since the female protagonist remained silent, Seokjin remained silent, and for several minutes, the two gazed silently at the lake. The gentle breeze, the swaying grass, even the soft moonlight. He felt a little at ease.

김석진

"You seem to be in a bad mood."

김여주

"Yes, as you can see."

김석진

“It seems colder than when I saw you earlier.”

김여주

"Because I don't feel well."

김석진

"Then shall I tell you a beautiful story?"

김여주

"No, it's okay."

김석진

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived in a small village–."

김여주

"……."

I told you it was okay… Despite the glaring gaze of the female protagonist, Seokjin smiled faintly and continued his story. His voice, like reading a fairy tale, was more comfortable to listen to than I had expected.

"Mom! Mom! I think I'm a genius! I can hear what people are thinking!!"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Hurry up and wash your hands and peel the apple in the kitchen. I left it on the table."

"Oh, really?! Should I read Mom's mind?!?"

The child raised his arms in joy, as if he had discovered something remarkable. His mother, who was hanging blankets on a clothesline in the yard, quickly withdrew her attention, thinking the child was playing a strange game with his friends again.

"Oh, really?! I can really read your mind!!"

"Okay, okay. Mom hasn't said anything yet?"

“Huh…? Didn’t I just say that I play weird games with my friends…?”

The mother hesitated for a moment at her child's words, but didn't show it. She could have easily guessed the answer just by guessing. She simply thought her son had become a little smarter, able to guess thoughts from faces.

"How on earth do you educate a child?!?! My child didn't say a word, so why did your son hit my child to tell him not to swear at his parents!!!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'll try to teach the child better."

"No, Mom... Did Myungwook really swear at our mom and dad...? It was Myungwook who was wrong!!! Don't apologize!!"

"Me, me, me!!! What is he saying, really!!!"

It wasn't until he entered middle school that he realized he was different from other children. At the time, his parents were unaware of espers and simply thought their son was a little special.

More than once, he'd come running to his friends, accusing them of secretly cursing him. His parents believed him, but the world didn't.

Because the words that were not spoken were not actually put into practice, other people could not help but think that the child was violent and mentally ill.

The child's special abilities grew stronger as he grew older. He could hear the voices of people without even looking, and if he looked into someone's eyes and gave them a command, that person would always obey.

As time passed, the child inevitably became mentally exhausted. The person he'd thought was his friend turned out to be someone who was deliberately faking intimacy due to an inferiority complex, and the man who pretended to know him turned out to be a man who had secretly loved the child's mother when they were younger.

Everything was revealed to the child, and nothing could be hidden. Only the child's parents could protect him.

“Mom… Dad… My head… I think my head is going to split open….”

"No, don't lose your mind now!! I'll be there soon, I'll be there soon, so just a little bit…."

The child's parents took the child, who was in pain and clutching his head, to a church in the mountains, and the priest there felt sorry for the child as soon as he saw him.

“You have far greater abilities than your size, child….”

"Ability? What does that mean?"

"You'll know the details faster than I will. Oh, and by the way, take this necklace. It'll make the child feel less pain if you put it around his neck."

The priest handed the child's parents a note with an address and an amber-colored necklace. The parents, somewhat bewildered but grateful, accepted the items and headed straight to the address on the note.

김석진

"The address on that note was actually a special school in the north. So the child received an education at the special school, and while adjusting his abilities, he lived happily."

김여주

"……."

김석진

"How is it? It's a beautiful story, isn't it?"

The female protagonist, who had been silently listening to Seokjin's story, rose. She brushed off the dirt from her legs and buttocks and stood up, catching sight of the amber necklace hanging around Seokjin's neck.

김여주

"I don't know what is beautiful."

김석진

"Why? The warm hearts of parents who love their children and the child's determination to navigate life. Doesn't this sound like something that would fit right into a textbook?"

김여주

"How can you know how much the child suffered? He must have complained every night."

김여주

"First the friends who cursed you, then the people who didn't believe in you, then your own abilities, then the parents who gave birth to you, and finally…."

The heroine's indifferent gaze moved from Seokjin's necklace to his eyes.

김여주

"I feel like shit."

김석진

"……."

Seokjin's eyes flickered slightly as he gazed at Yeoju. He held his breath, gazing at her bathed in moonlight. He felt something rise from deep within his chest.

김여주

“And who knows, that child will live happily or miserably.”

김석진

“Do you think… the child will live an unhappy life?”

김여주

"I don't know. The ending is decided by the protagonist."

김여주

"The main character in that story isn't me, it's that child, right?"

Saying she should go to bed, Yeoju bid Seokjin farewell and said she would see him tomorrow. As she passed by Seokjin, she paused for a moment before speaking.

김여주

"Oh. Please tell that kid."

김여주

"I hope it has a happy ending."

With those words, Yeoju headed back to the dormitory without looking back. This was out of consideration for Seokjin, who might want to be alone.

Seokjin, who had been holding his spot for several minutes after Yeoju had left, looked at the seat next to him, which had been warm until just a moment ago. Yeoju wasn't there, but it felt like she was there.

"……."

“The moon… is pretty.”

Today, more than ever, the moonlight was in my heart.