How could he call Cha In-ho? Carrying Beom-gyu all the way to the set was out of the question. But he doesn't have a phone, and neither does Beom-gyu, and the staff, the staff was…
He had memorised the number on the crumpled note still in his drawer. He hadn't meant to, but once he saw it, it stuck in his mind.
He needed to get to the staff waiting at a distance. If he could get to Cha In-ho by car, maybe things would work out somehow.
The question was whether Beom-gyu could hold on until then. He had already used a considerable amount of his power on the mission in a situation where guiding was insufficient. Moreover, the spot where he had been shot was in a very bad place.
Joo-hyun had been telling himself that he should have just killed the witness earlier. Should've just done what he usually did. Shouldn't have done anything unnecessary. Joo-hyun wiped away the wave of 'what ifs' flooding his mind. Regret wasn't what he needed now.
"Hyung, I, I went on a rampage, and it was really tough... but still..."
"I told you not to talk!"
Joo-hyun hastily opened his bag and took out some illegal guiding drugs. He couldn't expect much, but it was better than nothing.
"Meeting the hyungs and noonas... cough... that was a relief, I think."
Although he hadn't done anything for them, they had been greatly comforted by Beom-gyu's bright and cheerful personality. Joo-hyun wasn't particularly affectionate, but Beom-gyu was the only younger brother he had, so he cared in his own way.
"Yeah, they're good people. You're lucky."
As he pushed the syringe needle in, Beom-gyu smiled faintly. Despite being illegal, the drugs seemed somewhat effective, easing Beom-gyu's breathing a little.
If he could get to the car and meet the staff, they might survive. Just as Joo-hyun thought this and tried to help Beom-gyu up, Beom-gyu spoke again.
"I'm sorry for getting angry before."
"It's okay. You had a right to be angry."
"Mom, Mom said... cough, cough... everyone handles sadness differently."
"You're not angry; you're sad."
Suddenly, Joo-hyun remembered someone telling him that long ago. Of course, it wasn't helpful now. He quickly brushed the memory aside and helped Beom-gyu to his feet.
Beom-gyu's limp body was heavy, but not so much that he couldn't bear it. He draped Beom-gyu's arm over his shoulder, holding his side, and took a step forward.
The bullet lodged in his lung made Beom-gyu's breath rough and uneven. Each exhale came with a spurt of blood from his lips. It felt like every breath was taking a piece of Beom-gyu's soul with it. Though he knew it was an exaggeration, the thought kept crossing his mind as Beom-gyu's body grew colder.
Walking through the port, filled with the sound of waves, Joo-hyun felt an unusual hope rising within him.
He thought of contacting Cha In-ho with the staff's phone and hold out with the remaining guiding drugs, that's how Beom-gyu might survive.
But, as always, the world seemed determined to mess with someone. Today, it was Joo-hyun's turn.
"Joo-hyun hyung... live with a smile."
"What?"
"Even if I die... huff... don't cry for me..."
Beom-gyu coughed up a clump of blood. But Joo-hyun couldn't focus on that.
The body that had been hanging limply on him suddenly convulsed violently, and Beom-gyu let out a suppressed groan. Joo-hyun knew what it was. The way the once-calm waves now roiled told him instantly.
A runaway. Beom-gyu was rampaging again.
Whether it was due to excessively low guiding levels or just terrible timing, the rampage had started, and there was no stopping it.
Beom-gyu, who had been on the verge of death, staggered to his feet, clutching his head. A loud scream erupted from him, far from what someone with a hole in their lung should be able to produce.
Guiding was no longer the issue. Most esper rampages ended in death. Surviving once was a miracle.
Boom! Boom! Bang! Beom-gyu's power began to explode randomly around them. The sea water burst, and the solid concrete ground was pitted.
No one could stop an esper rampage alone unless there was an overwhelming difference in ability. If left unchecked, the damage would be catastrophic, and Block C would detect the anomaly and trigger the bomb soon.
Joo-hyun knew exactly what he needed to do in such a situation. Even though he hated it and knew he'd have nightmares for days, it had to be done.
He drew a gun from his pocket. Though his face was twisted with anguish, his hand didn't waver.
If left alone, Beom-gyu would be executed as a runaway esper. One push of a button from someone sitting at a desk would end his life. No one would care about a headless body.
Joo-hyun didn't mind dying like that himself, but Beom-gyu was loved by so many. There were no tears for a fallen comrade from Block C, but Beom-gyu's tears had more value.
In truth, Joo-hyun envied Hana. Someone to cry for her if she died. To mourn the life lost and grieve she death. Joo-hyun would never receive that. Part of him admired Beom-gyu for being able to cry so freely, while he felt ashamed of his own dried-up despair.
Beom-gyu, still staggering and causing explosions, finally fell to the ground. At that moment, Joo-hyun saw his blood-red eyes meet his.
Did Joo-hyun look like that too? Did he have that expression and those eyes when he rampaged? He didn't know. He couldn't remember a thing from that time.
Suddenly, Joo-hyun lowered the gun and ran towards Beom-gyu. As he hugged the violently trembling body, Beom-gyu struggled as if trying to escape, but Joo-hyun didn't let go. To Beom-gyu, it might feel like a restraint rather than an embrace, but at least he wouldn't die alone.
Beom-gyu was too warm, too young, too kind, and smiled too often to die. Even now, amidst the chaos of his rampage, his power didn't directly attack Joo-hyun.
As Beom-gyu's power narrowly missed him again, Joo-hyun gritted his teeth.
'I'll take responsibility. I'll carry the burden of your death.'
"Don't forgive me."
Another gunshot echoed through the port.
***
The mission to eliminate the illegal guiding drugs was a success. Of the two runaway espers involved, one died during the mission, but no one in the Association cared. It was a common occurrence.
The deceased esper's body was buried in an external cemetery at the strong request of the family, despite being a runaway. The gravestone bore his name clearly, and his body was whole before cremation.
Did Joo-hyun envy that? He wasn't sure.
Joo-hyun lit a cigarette with a match. The acrid smoke killing his lungs was always addictive.
Standing alone in a rarely visited room, Joo-hyun threw the lit match onto a pile of belongings. The fire burned more vigorously than expected, thanks to the oil he had secretly obtained.
These items all belonged to the dead. More precisely, he had taken them after they died, but they could still be called keepsakes. Shoes, shirts, books, pens. Various items from various people.
"What are you doing?"
The half-open door swung wide as Chae-kyung approached. Wearing his usual sunglasses, he stared at the blazing fire.
"What do you think?"
"I don't know. Playing with fire?"
"Then that's what it is."
Without another word, Chae-kyung turned and left the room. Joo-hyun didn't stop him. However, Chae-kyung returned shortly after, bringing others with him.
Seung-cheol, Bom-i, and Chae-kyung entered, tossing their own items onto the fire Joo-hyun had started. The flames hesitated briefly before consuming the new items and growing larger.
"I had a lot to get rid of too."
Seung-cheol threw in a small wooden statue, and Bom-i, though she didn't throw anything in, stood quietly, enjoying the warmth.
Much later, Se-hwa appeared. Her face oddly crumpled, she glanced at Bom-i before tossing a shirt into the flames. Though it was a women's shirt, it had been too large for the petite Se-hwa. Hana used to wear it often.
No one was unaware of the fire's meaning. This was a funeral. A funeral for the runaway espers, their comrades, who never received proper mourning.
It wasn't that sudden waves of sadness and regret overcame them, or that they had a change of heart. They just realised that there were other ways to handle grief, and that keeping it locked away and remembering alone wasn't the only method.
Watching the fire that contained the lives and deaths of many, Joo-hyun picked up a box he had set aside. Inside was a rough, thick rope. He had no idea where Han-gyeol had found it.
Han-gyeol had joined Block C three years after Joo-hyun's own runaway. He was five years older than Joo-hyun and had cared for him like a brother. Joo-hyun had been very fond of him.
However, as gentle as he was, Han-gyeol's fragile nature couldn't withstand the life of a runaway esper.