The Unwanted Gaze

“Do you want to go to the dorms? He probably can’t follow you there.”

Yoon Changwoo, who had been granted permission to live off-campus but promptly moved into the dorms after being accepted, often invited friends over. Since his roommate was from a different department and rarely came in, their room occasionally served as a secret hideout.

“No, I’m good.”

“Ugh, you must be having a tough time. They’re not chasing you all the way home, are they?”

“There are people loitering outside,” Seo Dowoon replied, pulling his black hat further down. Even though his personal freedom had been curtailed, his identity had been exposed in just a day, and people who looked like reporters were now milling around his house. He was seriously considering moving.

“Ugh… That’s relentless. Why do they cling on like that, even after all this fuss?” Lee Jongho said, patting Seo Dowoon’s shoulder, prompting others nearby to cast worried glances at him. They, too, had many questions, but had to suppress their curiosity since Seo Dowoon had firmly stated he didn’t wish to speak about the incident.

Yet, some individuals viewed Seo Dowoon with disdain, wondering what the big deal was about simply entering a crack, despite the attention he received. Their reason was that Seo Dowoon had caused a stir on campus. And among them, there were those who wouldn’t let it go easily.

Like this bastard.

From the back, Kim Donghyun spoke in a loud voice, clearly intending for everyone to hear.

“A civilian got caught in a crack… Should we say they’re lucky to have survived? Or just incredibly stupid for falling in?”

“Lucky, I guess. They survived, after all.”

“Right? And there’s one such incredibly lucky crack survivor right in front of us.”

Yoon Changwoo’s brow furrowed in annoyance at the sneering tone. It was even more grating because the remarks were clearly aimed at Seo Dowoon.

“Is that a dog barking somewhere? I hear dog barks.”

“What the hell, a dog? Did you just call me a dog?”

“Oh, me? No, I didn’t. I just genuinely heard a dog barking, that’s all.” Yoon Changwoo shrugged, his lips twitching. Though his expression was playful, his eyes held a chilling intensity. Meeting Kim Donghyun’s gaze, Yoon Changwoo’s mouth curved into a smirk before instantly turning serious. Kim Donghyun scowled, then scoffed.

“Hey, Seo Dowoon. I’m just really curious… How was the Herbivore Guild?”

“……”

“Is there anything to see there besides Han Gureum? No, wait, he’s already past his prime. How did it feel to come out with a washed-up Esper? Aren’t you guys curious? Doesn’t everyone wonder how you managed to clear it with such a pathetic guild?”

Kim Donghyun shrugged, then turned to his friends and asked. They didn’t react much, but their silence didn’t deny their curiosity.

Seo Dowoon merely listened. He felt no particular need to respond to those words. In his stead, Yoon Changwoo’s lips twisted into a lopsided smile as he retorted.

“Actually, no, we’re not curious. Wow, I haven’t heard ‘washed-up’ and ‘pathetic’ in ages. Is your sense of style stuck in the 90s?”

“Yoon Changwoo, stop butting in. Are you two dating? Why do you always have to defend Seo Dowoon like that? It’s sickening.”

“We do share a bond of friendship so strong you wouldn’t understand.”

Facing Kim Donghyun’s blatant provocation, Yoon Changwoo was equally unyielding. While Yoon Changwoo, as class president, preferred to maintain friendly relations with everyone, anyone who dared to mess with his friends was an entirely different matter.

As Yoon Changwoo deliberately slung an arm over Seo Dowoon’s shoulder, Kim Donghyun’s face contorted.

“Disgusting bastards.”

Just as expected, Kim Donghyun spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, prompting Lee Jongho, who was standing nearby, to tilt his head.

“You guys are more disgusting. It’s incredibly childish, ganging up like that to pick a fight. We’re adults now. University students. What is this, some kind of schoolyard bullying from ages ago?”

“Whoa, ‘schoolyard bullying’! Heh. Haven’t heard that in ages.”

“Yeah, I even surprised myself saying it.” Lee Jongho rubbed his arms, claiming to have goosebumps.

As Yoon Changwoo and Lee Jongho laughed together, Kim Donghyun’s face twisted further. Seo Dowoon, the actual target of the provocation, remained utterly silent. Whether he knew this only fueled Kim Donghyun’s anger, or not, he appeared completely uninterested.

“Hey, you’re not the only ones here. Let’s calm down, the seniors are watching, you know?”

“Yes, sir! Our apologies!”

When a third-year senior from the back interjected, Yoon Changwoo bowed deeply, adopting a rigid posture.

“Damn, these crazy bastards.”

“Yup. That’s you.”

“Is he insane?”

“Not insane. Just sitting here.”

Lee Jongho retorted to Kim Donghyun’s muttered words, seizing every tiny opportunity as if determined not to lose even a trivial verbal spar.

As Kim Donghyun’s lips twitched and he started to move towards Lee Jongho, a friend beside him gently nudged his arm, urging him to leave.

“Let’s go smoke. Class starts in ten minutes.”

“Alright. Go on.”

The other friends also pushed Kim Donghyun forward. Since the seniors had told them to stop, it was obvious that fighting here would only further tarnish the image of those who started the quarrel.

Kim Donghyun continued to seethe until he exited the classroom, clearly still furious. Only then did Yoon Changwoo remove his arm from Seo Dowoon’s shoulder, dramatically shaking it out in the air as if in exaggerated disgust.

“Ugh, damn it, I touched you because of that jerk. So annoying.”

Seo Dowoon silently brushed off the shoulder Yoon Changwoo’s arm had touched, then rose from his seat.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Restroom.”

Seo Dowoon stepped out of the building, pulling the brim of his hat down even further. He then walked with the determined gait of someone with a clear destination.

Not far away, a pungent smell of cigarette smoke wafted. The smoking area was visible from where he stood, and perhaps because class was about to start, there were only three people there. Seo Dowoon didn’t approach, merely observing them from a distance.

“Damn, aren’t those bastards utterly disgusting? Two guys hooking up, and they’re so shamelessly open about it.”

“Hey, don’t say that kind of stuff anywhere else. What’s the big deal about it these days?”

“Oh, for f*ck’s sake, are you seriously trying to lecture me in this situation?”

“This is school. Watch your mouth. There are reporters everywhere, and plenty of YouTubers. If you say the wrong thing, you’ll be buried, man.”

“Damn it, am I supposed to be scared of that? Korea is a country with freedom of expression.”

Kim Donghyun furiously puffed on his cigarette, then spat on the ground. Still clearly enraged, he continued to curse. Seo Dowoon, who had been quietly watching, was about to turn away when a familiar word made him stop in his tracks.

“Looking at the video, Han Gureum looked pretty old. Completely different from during the Great Dungeon, didn’t he?”

“He looked the same to me. He was totally cool during the Great Dungeon. I still have that video.”

“Cool, my ass. Is going berserk cool?”

“If it wasn’t for Han Gureum, half of Seoul would’ve been wiped out back then, you know? Your house was within range too.”

That was true. Kim Donghyun, still annoyed, threw his cigarette on the ground and crushed it out with his shoe. He hadn’t originally harbored any particular feelings toward Han Gureum. In fact, he had rather liked him as an Esper. No one would dislike an Esper who had played a crucial role during the Great Seoul Dungeon Break in ’19. It was just that Seo Dowoon rubbed him the wrong way, so he spoke carelessly.

Whenever asked why he hated Seo Dowoon so much, Kim Donghyun always gave the same answer:

‘Just his damn face is annoying.’

Despite having no particular connection, Kim Donghyun simply disliked Seo Dowoon. His friends often remarked that Kim Donghyun wasn’t a bad guy, but he was strangely sensitive only when it came to Seo Dowoon.

Seo Dowoon had heard these remarks and knew about it. Even so, he hadn’t developed any ill will towards Kim Donghyun. That guy was just that guy. It wouldn’t have mattered as long as he wasn’t annoying, but…

‘He’s annoying.’

Seo Dowoon’s black eyes, fixed on Kim Donghyun, gleamed dangerously.

****

Seo Dowoon slipped into the classroom just before class began and took his seat, just as the professor entered. Despite attendance being called, Kim Donghyun didn’t return. Not only Kim Donghyun but also the two friends who had gone out with him were absent. Before long, the hallway grew noisy. Everyone went out to see what was happening, only to find people gathered by the stairs.

“Hey, Kim Donghyun. They say he fell down the stairs? There’s an ambulance being called and everything.”

“Crazy.”

“He apparently fell really badly. They say there’s a lot of blood. And his leg looks twisted, like it might be broken.”

Hearing the students whisper, Yoon Changwoo leaned over to Seo Dowoon, his face extremely serious, and whispered, “Am I… an Esper?”

Seo Dowoon stared at him as if to ask what nonsense he was spouting. Then Yoon Changwoo grew even more serious and spoke in a voice so faint an ant could barely hear it.

“When Kim Donghyun left the classroom earlier, I wished he’d fall! And now he actually fell!”

Technically, he hadn’t just fallen; he’d tumbled down the stairs.

“What is it? Prophecy? Or maybe, a wish? Is that my ability?”

Seo Dowoon pushed away the face that kept drawing closer with the palm of his hand, then calmly twirled his pen between his fingers. He had the fleeting illusion that his tinnitus had improved, if only for a moment.

****

Seo Dowoon dragged his feet, making it abundantly clear how annoyed he was. He had no choice but to accompany Yoon Changwoo, who was stubbornly insistent on getting tested at the Awakened Center today.

Yoon Changwoo had even written an agreement, promising Seo Dowoon an A+ for their next group project if he came along, even if Seo Dowoon did no work. If Yoon Changwoo’s grades hadn’t been consistently good, Seo Dowoon would have ignored him entirely. But since Yoon Changwoo had been at the top of his class since middle school and was now receiving a scholarship in college, he was somewhat reliable.

“Wow…! I can’t believe I’m actually here!”

Yoon Changwoo seemed incredibly excited, as if he truly believed he had become an Esper. Seo Dowoon’s expression, however, was far from pleased. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why Yoon Changwoo wanted to be tested when he clearly wasn’t an Awakened. If Yoon Changwoo hadn’t been smart or well-connected, Seo Dowoon would have cut him off long ago.

“Dowoon, I’m scared. What if I really am an Esper? Should I drop out of school? Should I join a guild? Or a government agency? No, a guild would be better if I had a choice.”

“……”

“What if I’m an A-rank? I might even be S-rank!”

“……”

“Yoon Changwoo, the first S-rank Seer Esper in South Korea!”

How did a guy like this become class president?

Knowing that one answer to Yoon Changwoo’s rambling questions would only lead to an endless stream of fantasies, Seo Dowoon simply nodded vaguely and looked around.

The Awakened Center, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, was brightly lit even at night. With many staff members and countless people coming for Awakened tests, Yoon Changwoo even had to take a waiting number.

Whether it was the people who came for tests in the middle of the night or the center that operated 24 hours for such people, it all seemed like a utterly useless endeavor in Seo Dowoon’s eyes. He simply wanted the test to be over quickly so he could go home.