"Esper Kim Wooju? Kim Wooju!"
"Call an ambulance! Esper Kim Wooju has returned! The S-rank Dungeon is closed!"
The noisy voices of people and the siren of an ambulance rang out.
From that point, everything proceeded just as I had imagined, smooth and swift.
I quietly slipped out of Kim Wooju’s pocket, shrank down to about the size of a bee, and flew around here and there, watching the situation.
It was a little different from the original, but the government, desperate to hear about the Dungeon from the sole survivor, tried everything to keep Kim Wooju alive.
But the healing Espers and hospital staff all gave up, saying there was no hope. Since he had no visible injuries, there was nothing they could do anyway.
In the end, just as in the original, the government chose to abandon Kim Wooju and ordered his body sent off to the morgue.
The path was a little different, but the moment everything aligned with the original story had come.
***
"Tsk tsk, poor young man."
"That’s what I’m saying. He’s still alive… but what can we do? Orders are orders. Nothing else for it."
Kim Wooju’s body was tossed into the morgue.
Since the Dungeons appeared, so many people had died that it was impossible to bury or cremate each one individually. Those without family were cremated in bulk at places like this and then buried in the ground.
Kim Wooju was no exception, so he was thrown in among the cold corpses.
I clung tightly to the inside of Kim Wooju’s clothes.
Each time his clothes were changed, I had to slip out and hide, then slip back in, barely managing to maintain the spell.
But even this ordeal was nearing its end.
I just wanted the chattering people to leave already.
Because even in this moment of being tossed around, Kim Wooju still didn’t move a muscle, and I was starting to worry.
'He’s not really badly hurt, right? He is conscious, isn’t he?'
Even though I was the one who told him to do it, the fact that he could stay completely motionless like that unsettled me.
I wanted to speak with him as soon as possible.
Thankfully, after a little more idle chatter, they left to fetch more bodies.
Now the only ones left inside were Kim Wooju and me.
"Kim Wooju, it’s done now. Kuoh."
"…It’s over?"
"Yeah. You’re free. Kuoh."
At my words, Kim Wooju slowly sat up.
Thankfully, he was fine.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Acting too well is a problem in itself.
If even I was worried about him, then…
I looked at Kim Wooju with open eyes for the first time in a while.
After lying down for so long, he staggered a little as he walked, but he managed well enough, and I couldn’t help feeling satisfied.
I had carried out the original in the gentlest way possible.
Now only one thing remained.
For Kim Wooju to awaken as an offensive-type Esper.
'…That much should be a piece of cake.'
Since he had still been abandoned by the government, I just had to make him realize that betrayal, awaken his fury, and ignite his anger.
Then my role would be finished.
I cleared my throat and asked him in a solemn tone.
"What will you do from here? Kuoh."
"…From here?"
"Yes. Kuoh."
Naturally, he should want revenge on the government that had exploited him his whole life and finally discarded him….
"I’ll stay with you."
"…Yeah, with me—Kuoooh!? What the hell do you mean by that, Kuoh!"
Caught off guard by his unexpected reply, I shouted without thinking.
Kim Wooju’s eyes widened in surprise.
Damn, I overreacted.
I forced myself to calm down and continued.
"No, what I mean is, Kuoh, think about it. Kuoh. The government abandoned you. Kuoh. Doesn’t that make you angry? Kuoh? Don’t you feel the urge to take revenge? Kuoh?"
"…But you’re here with me. As long as I have you, that’s enough. I don’t want to bother with anything else anymore."
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go….
His words struck me speechless.
Things were going awry.
Unlike the original, there was no sign of Kim Wooju awakening.
If this kept up, what would happen?
My mind grew tangled. I needed time to think. But I couldn’t stay here chatting with him forever, not when someone might walk in at any moment.
"For now, let’s get out of here… out and then talk. Kuoh."
"…Alright."
Kim Wooju tilted his eyes, gave that sly smile of his, then smoothly tucked me into his arms.
The motion was so natural that I forgot to resist and just stared blankly at him.
He looked at me again and smiled before stepping out of the morgue.
But before long, his steps stopped.
"…Hmm, Aru, where should we go?"
I had no answer.
Neither of us had anywhere to go.
We’d already put distance between us and the Center, but I had no idea where to head next.
I glanced at him.
He was staring absentmindedly at me, with no thoughts of his own.
This was troublesome.
The webtoon never covered what came after this point, so I didn’t know either.
How exactly did Kim Wooju go on to become a villain…?
Just then, his stomach rumbled.
"…Hungry, Kuoh?"
"…No, I’m fine."
Liar.
His stomach just growled, how could he not be?
Well, it made sense.
He’d been pretending to be unconscious, hooked up only to IV drips, and hadn’t had a real meal in a long time.
I watched him shake his head insistently and felt a pang of pity. I couldn’t just keep letting him starve like this.
I glanced around.
Then I spotted a good place.
Yes, that would do…
I pointed toward a nearby forest.
"…The forest? Why?"
Why do you think? We don’t have money. We’ll have to catch some animals and roast them.
"I’ll check if there’s food there. Kuoh. Wait here. Kuoh."
"…I’ll go with you."
I shook my head.
"I’ll be quick if I go alone. Kuoh. Moving together is a waste of time. Kuoh. I’ll also look for somewhere we can sleep. Just wait a moment. Kuoh."
"But…"
"I’ll fly fast. Kuoh. You won’t be able to keep up. Kuoh. Just wait quietly. Kuoh."
After repeating myself several times, Kim Wooju drooped his shoulders, dejected.
I couldn’t afford to get soft now.
It was far more efficient for me to move alone.
Reluctantly, he nodded at my firm stance.
"…Alright. But if I’m alone, I’ll be scared, so you’d better hurry back, okay?"
"Of course. Kuoh."
After coaxing him into staying, I spread my wings wide and took off.
Thankfully it was night, so no one was around.
I pointed at a pavilion and told him to rest there for a bit, then flew quickly toward the forest.
But once inside the forest, despair set in.
"…There’s nothing to eat? Kuoh."
All I found were a few birds.
I caught them, but what good would that do?
At least a pig would have been…
But of course, this wasn’t a Dungeon. No way there’d be pigs wandering in a forest.
I let out a long sigh.
We couldn’t keep surviving on birds forever. What were we supposed to do?
Kim Wooju still had to awaken, too….
The road ahead stretched endlessly, and I had no idea where to even start.
'…For now, let’s at least roast these. Kim Wooju must be waiting. Better hurry back.'
I spread my wings again, ready to take off.
I was worried about leaving Kim Wooju alone.
But just then, the ground began to split open as if an earthquake had struck.
'Huh? What’s this?'
Sensing danger, I shot up into the air.
But from the cracked earth, a white light surged upward and instantly pulled my body back down.
"Wh-what, what!?"
This wasn’t supposed to happen…!
Before I could even resist, I was sucked straight into the fissure.