Esper: A Foreign Entity in a Guide-less World

She pressed her lips together in silence.

Under normal circumstances, anyone would find this tragic. But I wasn’t just anyone.

Even if I did feel a shred of sympathy, it only applied within the realm of common sense.

Being dragged into an unfamiliar world and told, “Life’s been rough for us, so we kidnapped you from your comfortable existence. Now, without question, suffer for our sake,” was beyond absurd.

Anyone who agreed to that without a fight had to be mentally deranged.

If someone ever pulls that on you, remember—anyone gambling with your life is always a fraud. Without exception.

“There’s nothing more to discuss. Send us back before I tear everything apart.”

I turned away, grabbing my shirt from the ground and slipping it on.

“If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll be the one to wipe you all out—monsters included.”

I was exhausted.

I just wanted to go home, collapse into bed, and hold Ji Seon Woo until I passed out.

I rubbed at my tired eyes, waiting for her response—

And then she had the audacity to say the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

[“I can’t.”]

…What?

I snapped my head back toward her, eyes narrowing.

Oh, so she really wanted to push this to the limit.

[“You’re right. We kidnapped you without warning and forced this burden onto you.”]

[“But I was desperate enough to abandon everything—to willingly let go of what mattered most.”]

[“Curse me all you want. To you, I must seem like a monster, and I won’t deny it.”]

[“I am forcing this responsibility onto you and this child. That’s the truth.”]

Her shameless confession rolled out smoothly, without hesitation.

[“That’s why I have no intention of negotiating with you. No requests, no deals. One way or another, I’ll achieve my goal.”]

[“Even if it means exploiting everything I have—even if I have to be the villain. Even if it means betraying the very idea of justice.”]

Then, as if the weight of her words hadn’t just filled the room, she casually shrugged and smirked.

[“What? Did you think throwing a tantrum would make me cave and send you home?”]

The soulless ghost wearing Ji Seon Woo’s body let out a brittle laugh.

[“If that’s the case… you’re far too naive.”]

She blinked slowly, then—

Repeated my own words back at me.

[“Dream on.”]

That was it.

“You really want to die, don’t you?”

I grabbed her by the throat.

But I didn’t squeeze.

Of course, I didn’t.

Because this was Ji Seon Woo’s body.

How the hell could I ever hurt him?

[“It’s his body that would die, not me.”]

The fake’s expression shifted.

She didn’t even flinch under my grip—just tilted her head back, looking up at me.

Her dark, glassy eyes gleamed with something unhinged.

Ji Seon Woo’s face should never look like that.

It was infuriating.

I exhaled sharply, feeling my jaw clench to the point of aching.

“…Ha.”

I hadn’t even realized how exhausted I looked.

“You fucking—”

I ground my teeth, fists shaking.

I wanted to rip her apart. To tear her limbs from her body.

But in the end—

I let go.

And I hated myself for it.

“Fuck!”

I roared, shoving her away as I staggered back.

My breath came ragged, heat rising beneath my skin.

Sweat and blood matted my hair to my forehead as I pushed it back, still seething.

No matter how I looked at it, I was furious.

“Hey. Fuck off.”

[Stand down.]

Before I could lunge at her again, Silver Hair grabbed my shoulder.

“Don’t touch me, you bastard!”

I violently shoved his hand off.

[…Brat.]

“Back the fuck off unless you want to get your ass kicked.”

[For fuck’s sake! What the hell is he saying? Aria, did this kid just insult you?]

Silver Hair and I glared at each other, neither backing down.

Then, suddenly—

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Like I was a joke.

I scoffed, lips curling in disgust.

He and I—

We were walking time bombs, ready to go off at any second.

And yet, instead of me, she turned her gaze to him.

[“Jayan.”]

Just calling his name made the fire in him flicker out.

What, was he some kind of trained dog?

[“There’s so much I need to apologize for.”]

[“For becoming the World Tree without telling you. For everything you had to endure.”]

[“But above all… thank you. For protecting me, even when I wasn’t there.”]

[“I have so much more to say, but I don’t have time.”]

[“I can’t stay in this body much longer.”]

[“…Aria.”]

[“Jayan. Jayan, my love. Please, I beg you.”]

Her voice trembled.

[“Protect these two.”]

[“They’re victims of my selfishness, but also—”]

[“The only salvation this world has left.”]

[“So please… Ah. Ahh… I’m sorry.”]

[“The body’s true owner is waking up.”]

[“We’ll meet again. I swear it.”]

[“…Aria.”]

[“…Am I supposed to sit here and wait for you again, like some loyal dog?”]

[“I will return for you.”]

[“…It’s too much. But—”]

[“…Fine. I love you.”]

Silver Hair’s eyes brimmed with sorrow, as if he were about to break down in tears. His hands, trembling, gently caressed her as if he were afraid she’d vanish at any moment. And yet, despite everything, he kept smiling.

I clenched my fists at the sight of him holding her—inside Ji Seon Woo’s body—like that.

Those two… were really putting on a damn show.

What the hell were they doing right in front of me?

“You two planning to let go anytime soon?”

I quickly separated them, impatiently waiting for the real Ji Seon Woo to return.

The second he did, we were getting the hell out of this place.

“You’re out of your damn mind, Ji Seon Woo.”

I swear, I could count on one hand the number of times I had cursed at Ji Seon Woo.

No—if I thought about it, I probably never had.

No matter how sharp-tongued or aggressive I could be, no matter how many expletives I spat, my anger was always reserved for the trash that tried to come between us. Never at him. Or sometimes at myself for being an idiot.

But today was different.

“Are you fucking insane? Do you even realize that?”

My hand shook as I pointed at him.

“Yoo Seong-ah. Yoo Seong, please. Just calm down and listen to me, okay?”

I harshly shook off Ji Seon Woo’s gentle grip on my arm.

“Let go, fuck!”

Smack!

The sharp sound of a slap cut through the air.

Without hesitation, I did something I would never have dared to do before.

Ji Seon Woo’s pale hand turned red where I had struck him, and for a brief moment, my eyes wavered.

But I forced myself to ignore it.

There was no time to comfort him.

Ji Seon Woo had lost his mind.

Really, truly lost it.

“…Yoo Seong-ah.”

“Don’t call my name. I can’t think of anything to say right now that won’t hurt you, so just… please, let me stay quiet.”

My sharp reaction could be traced back exactly two hours ago.

Two hours ago, the fake disappeared, and the real Ji Seon Woo returned.

In that moment, I felt like I had won the world.

I was so relieved, so ecstatic, that all I could think about was taking him back to our world.

That was the only thing that mattered.

The way back?

That lunatic had mentioned something about a “forbidden spell that transcends time.”

Fine. We’d find it.

I didn’t care if it took days, weeks, or even years—so long as we escaped this hellhole.

So I held Ji Seon Woo close and whispered over and over, “We can go home, hyung.”

I was so sure he’d be happy.

I was so sure.

But then—

“Yoo Seong-ah…”

The look on his face—

“I’m sorry.”

The meaning behind those words—

“I can’t go back. Not like this.”

They sent me plummeting straight into hell.

And so, for the past two hours, we had been locked in a heated argument.

Me, demanding we go home.

And Ji Seon Woo, insisting we stay here until we found a way back.

“You’re not listening to me. I know we’re not staying here forever. But we don’t have a way back yet, so why not stay here and figure it out?”

He was desperate.

“There’s food. Shelter. Why would we run off into the unknown with nothing?”

“Hah…”

“And if we help the people here, maybe Aria will be grateful enough to tell us about the forbidden spell. Staying here gives us a better chance of finding a way home. Just storming out of here won’t solve anything. Why can’t you see that?”

“And how long do you plan on staying? A week? A month? A year?”

I shot back, my voice laced with frustration.

“What makes you think we can trust them? Do you have any idea what they might demand from us?”

“Wake up, Ji Seon Woo! You really think that fraud will just hand over a way home?”

Veins popped in my neck as I shouted, my entire body shaking with rage.

I didn’t even notice how terrified he looked.

I was too consumed by fury.

“We were kidnapped! We’re victims!”

“I know that!” Ji Seon Woo yelled back, his voice cracking. “Then you find a way back! Right now!”

His chest heaved, his breath ragged.

“What the hell are you going to do if we just run? What’s your plan? What if it’s even worse out there? What if there’s no food, no shelter?”

His voice wavered.

“I’m not just being emotional. You act like you’re the only one thinking logically, but you’re not, Yoo Seong.”

He gritted his teeth, eyes desperate.

“You always think you’re right. And that means I always have to be wrong, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t change the damn subject.”

“Oh, so you’re the rational one, and I’m the emotional wreck? Is that it?” Ji Seon Woo’s voice trembled.

“Well, guess what? I can’t be rational right now! You don’t understand! I can feel Aria’s memories inside me. I can’t just ignore them—I can’t!”

“…Then let’s go,” I pleaded, voice raw.

“Hyung, please. Please, let’s just go home.”

I was willing to do whatever it took.

“I’ll take care of everything. You won’t get hurt, you won’t go hungry. I’ll work harder, be better—just trust me.”

I ran a frustrated hand down my face.

I didn’t want to be this aggressive, but every time I spoke, my words came out harsher than intended.

In the end, I shut my mouth.

The air between us was heavy, thick with tension.

Then, in a low voice, Ji Seon Woo finally spoke.

“So this is what it’s come to?”