DPGR 5

The place Jiho fled to in order to escape Park Gitae was a small storage shed not far away.
It was a spot he often hid in to avoid his master’s wrath when he was furious over something else, and now, with his anxiety rising, his feet had taken him there instinctively.

Creaaak—Bang!
The thick iron door closed with a loud noise. Jiho quickly locked it before Park Gitae could follow and gasped for breath.
The sensation of hands that had groped his shoulders and chest still lingered vividly. Goosebumps broke out on his skin, and Jiho shivered, then slid down to the floor with his back against the door.

“This is just a dream, so shouldn’t it go the way I want it to?”
Jiho squeezed his eyes shut and imagined Baek Dojin. In his mind, Dojin stood holding a shopping bag full of sweet-smelling desserts.

“I wish Baek Dojin were right in front of me.”
As always, he would hand Jiho the desserts. Looking down at Jiho, who was hesitating, he would speak in his low but gentle voice.

“You’re still too thin. Eat all of this before I get back. Don’t try to save any.”
And this time, unlike before, Jiho would reach out and grab Dojin’s hand. Hold it tight, interlace their fingers, and pour in his guiding energy…

“I wanted to be your Pair Guide.”
He would write that on Dojin’s palm, like a little scribble.

“And, and…”
As his thoughts flowed smoothly from one to the next, Jiho’s eyelids trembled.
He was just about to throw himself into Dojin’s arms in his imagination—

Bang bang bang!
The metal door behind him shook violently with a loud noise. Park Gitae’s voice came from outside.

“I know you’re in there. Come out.”

“……”

“Hurry up and come out. We need to wait at the meeting point.”

Bang bang bang!
Jiho’s body trembled along with the door he leaned against. It was hard to tell whether it was the door being hit or his own body.

He involuntarily let out a small gasp and squirmed on the floor.
As he moved away from the door, the vibration that felt like it rattled his skull finally stopped, though the pounding sounds continued.

Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!
If Park Gitae had just knocked normally from the start, Jiho might have gone out without resistance.
But the way he was now, violently banging like he meant to break the door, Jiho couldn’t summon the courage to open it.

Since Jiho didn’t respond, Park Gitae growled through the door.

“Open the door while I’m still being nice, before I break it down.”

“……”

“Sigh… Alright. I get it. You’re probably startled because of earlier. I’m sorry. I was just worried because your injury was worse than I thought. So, please? Open up so we can talk face to face.”

“……”

“Are you just going to stay in there? Weren’t you waiting for Team Leader Baek? How are you going to meet him if you stay holed up in there?”

Team Leader Baek. That name made Jiho lift his head in an instant.

That’s right. I’m supposed to meet Baek Dojin. That’s why I kept imagining him—so why hasn’t he shown up yet?
This had to be a dream… If it were a dream, things should unfold the way he imagined them.

He felt confused. Truthfully, he’d felt wronged ever since he first became aware of the pain in his body.
If it was really a dream, his body shouldn’t hurt like this. His mind shouldn’t be so clear either.
And with his meager imagination, there was no way he could have created such a vividly realistic world.

But if this isn’t a dream… then what is it?

Hesitating, Jiho pinched his own cheek.
He couldn’t grip hard enough to cause real pain, and it wasn’t enough to make a judgment.
So Jiho slapped himself—smack—across the face.

“Ah…”

It wasn’t as hard as when he’d been hit by ‘clients’ or espers at the center, but it was strong enough to turn his head.
The pain was far too sharp to be called a dream.

In that case, could it be…

“This… isn’t a dream?”

Park Gitae was still saying something outside the door, trying to coax Jiho, but none of it registered in Jiho’s ears.
When he turned his head, he saw a mirror covered with cloth. Jiho walked straight over and pulled off the dust-covered fabric.
The cloth dropped to the floor with a soft thud, sending dust fluttering into the air.

“Uh… uhh…”

He stared at his reflection in the mirror: messy hair that nearly covered his eyes, a face that looked younger than his age.
A shabby boy, marked with signs of abuse, stood there.

“Uh…”

A foolish sound escaped Jiho’s lips. It was understandable.

The mirror reflected his appearance from three years ago—when he had been trapped in the facility.

Then… if this isn’t a dream…

Had he actually traveled back in time to when he was confined in the facility?

It seemed more plausible that he was watching his life flash before his eyes with Baek Dojin as they died, or that he had suffered a mental breakdown and fallen into delusion.

But how was he supposed to explain the pain still throbbing in his body, Park Gitae’s voice echoing from outside, the dusty smell tickling his nose?

…Unless I’ve truly gone insane.

Jiho stared blankly. The twenty-year-old Jiho in the mirror wore the same dumbfounded expression.

Trying to come back to his senses, he slapped the same cheek he had hit before.

The slap was hard enough to leave a red mark on his skin.

The sting of the pain, along with the pathetic image in the mirror, helped clear the fog in his mind a little.

This wasn’t the time to sit around like this. If this wasn’t a delusion—if it was real—

Maybe… I can change Baek Dojin’s death.

The image of Baek Dojin dying in a brutal state flashed in his mind. The memory alone made him feel as if he could smell the thick stench of blood, and his stomach turned.

“Urgh…”

He dry-heaved a few times, and tears streamed down his face involuntarily. Jiho gasped for breath, struggling to calm his churning insides.

How much time had passed?

Thud thud thud!

“Hey! Are you listening? I said I was sorry! You’re not deaf too, are you?!”

Park Gitae, who had been pretending to be patient and coaxing up to that point, started banging on the door again, raising his voice.

His tone grew more violent, as if he had run out of patience.

“You little sh*t. Open up! Should I really break the door down?! Huh?! You wanna get dragged out of there like a dog?!”

Thud thud thud!

“Sigh… I’m gonna count to ten. If you’re not out by then, it won’t end well for you!”

With that, Park Gitae started counting.

One, two, three…

As the count grew, Jiho’s fingertips began to tremble.

If it was Park Gitae, he really might break the door down and drag him out like a dog.

I—I should go out.

If this really wasn’t a dream, and he couldn’t wake up… he couldn’t avoid Park Gitae forever.

One day, he would have to face and put an end to the people from the center who had tormented him.

Gulp.

Jiho swallowed hard and reached for the door handle. But just before he could unlock it—

“What are you doing right now?”

“Huh?! T-Team Leader Baek?”

A voice rang out from beyond the door—not Park Gitae’s, but someone else’s. A voice Jiho recognized.

Baek Dojin…?

Jiho’s eyes widened. Outside, Dojin was interrogating Park Gitae.

“I went to the meeting point but didn’t see him. Where is Guide Jiho?”

“Uh, h-he’s hiding in here, I mean, he went in and just… hasn’t come out.”

“…Hiding?”

“No, no. I misspoke. He’s not hiding, just, um… he went in and hasn’t come out, that’s all.”

All the sharp, cutting words Park Gitae had thrown at Jiho just moments before vanished. His voice was full of submission now.

Listening to Park Gitae stammer and squirm, Jiho thought it was finally time to step out. But before he could move, Dojin knocked first.

Unlike Park Gitae’s threatening pounding, Dojin knocked gently—carefully, so as not to startle Jiho inside.

“Guide Jiho? It’s me, Baek Dojin… Ah. I suppose you don’t know my name.”

He murmured to himself, then cleared his throat and spoke again.

“Didn’t we make a promise earlier? That I would come find you once everything was done? I’ve finished my task and came to look for you. Are you in there?”

“……”

Jiho nodded instinctively. Then he realized Dojin couldn’t see him and moved his lips instead.

But Dojin, as if he had heard Jiho’s silent response, continued calmly.

“May I come in for a moment?”

“……”

“Excuse me, then.”

Click. The doorknob turned. Even though it was locked, Dojin broke the handle easily without using any force.

Thunk! Creeeaak—

The old hinges let out an unpleasant sound as the door slowly opened. Dojin peeked his head through the gap.

“Ah…”

“Guide Jiho?”

The sudden light made Jiho squint. Because of it, he couldn’t clearly see Dojin’s face.

But Dojin could see him clearly—every part of his face that was tightly scrunched up, his tousled hair, and trembling lashes.

His gaze shifted from Jiho’s furrowed nose bridge to his cheek.

“Your cheek… what happened?”

Not the left cheek that had long been bruised and swollen—but the right cheek, the one Jiho had just struck himself.