Yunho waned between waking and darkness. He picked up on worried voices asking about him, something about his glasses. Silhouettes moved before his blurry sight, but their voices seemed distant as if through a thick fog. His limbs were made of lead. He couldn't move a finger, trapped in his state of limbo.

New voices questioned the ones he heard before he passed out. A child was crying.

"What did he do?" A gruff male voice. Authoritative. A red uniform flashing past. Governmental officials.

"I think he slowed it down?" The female voice didn't sound sure either. More feet trampling past. Yunho's head was so heavy. Their steps seemed to vibrate through the earth into his brain.

"Bring him along in an ambulance and despatch a team to investigate that demon for traces."

Yunho was jostled around. Put onto a stretcher. Lifted and rushed out of the building. He hoped the mother and her child were fine.

His mind waned yet once more and darkness enveloped him, to leave him with all his questions.

-

Yunho finally awoke in a place he had never seen before. It was some sort of sick ward, which made sense, but he doubted it was a regular hospital.

The nurse bustling around nearby didn't wear a white or blue uniform. Its burgundy red was reserved for official governmental institutions. Yunho remembered catching a peek at it before he passed out.

Disoriented, he peered at his IV and the needle in his arm. A clear liquid dripped into him at a languid pace. He couldn't remember losing blood, so it made sense to give him other medication.

When he fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand by his side, the nurse picked up on his movement. She came over with a smile and checked on his infusion. His hair was matted on his forehead, but his glasses didn't take damage when he blinked against the new details in the room.

He was in a ward with six beds, but he was the only one here. The quiet hum of machines was the same as in a regular hospital, but the sleek interior humbled Yunho. This place was luxurious. What happened?

"How do you feel? Any pain?" The nurse asked him when she propped up his bed. Yunho sent her a confused smile while she rang someone.

"I feel okay," he replied, and that much wasn't a lie. He rested and his body replenished its strength. He remembered the rift and the demon in the bunker, but nothing after. Had he gone into shock?

"No headache?" She made sure, marking something on her tablet.

Yunho carefully shook his head and nothing hurt.

"No."

When she made to leave, Yunho gathered his courage. He felt odd to question her since she seemed confident in his presence, but the dread of paying off the bill for a high-end hospital with his meagre convenience store salary made Yunho's stomach twist into knots. He couldn't afford unnecessary expenses.

"I'm sorry, but could you tell me where I am? I don't remember getting here."

She gifted him a bright grin.

"Of course! Don't worry about your momentary memory loss. It's very normal upon awakening. You are at the esper hospital in Gangnam. Please rest assured that you are taken care of by the most capable professionals."

Yunho's expression slipped. Gangnam? That entire district was too expensive for him to even dare look at. And what was he doing at an esper hospital? Did the rift worsen so badly they had no other spots?

When he started sweating profusely about the hospital bill coming his way, the nurse motioned him to rest himself.

"The commander will explain the rest to you. Please stay in bed until we tell you it's safe to move. And congratulations." With a chipper grin, she left, and Yunho stared at the sleek interior and expensive lamps. It wasn't his world, neither the luxury nor the nation's best-trained staff who tended to the espers.

Was there a mix-up while he was unconscious? He doubted doing his job at the store and opening the bunker warranted this.

Befuddled, Yunho fell back into his soft pillows. His phone wasn't with him and though he didn't know how long he slept, it was already evening again. The rift opened shortly before his shift ended.

Fuck, was he fired for not showing up to work?

Stressed, Yunho rubbed his forehead. It took him forever to find a job that took him in. He couldn't afford to lose it.

Firm steps marched down the corridor and halted in front of his door. Meek, Yunho pretended he belonged there when a man made his way inside. Red flashed in Yunho's peripherals, but the stranger made right for him. A moment later, he halted at the foot of Yunho's bed.

Golden tassels and medals adorned his uniform. He carried himself rigorously and the lines of his aged face were hard. When he checked the tablet in his hand, Yunho wiped his sweaty hands on the blanket.

"Jeong Yunho?" The man made sure with a gruff voice. Yunho nodded meekly. He sat up straighter on instinct, still used to firm voices from his military service, but he was terrified of being pulled back into that life.

A thin smile nodded at him.

"Congratulations, Mister Jeong. Your powers as an esper awakened."

Yunho was glad he was lying down, and the IV took care of him because he might just have fainted again after hearing that.

"An esper? Me? I don't have powers." He never did. His parents were normal people, as were the generations before them. Yunho lived an ordinary life, going to school, working, hanging out with friends. He had no superhuman abilities like the people he watched save the earth on TV.

His bewilderment fell on deaf ears.

"People can experience their awakening at any age, gender and origin. The rift in Yongsan awakened you, and our espers and medical staff confirmed your abilities. Welcome in the force."

Quivering fingers adjusted his glasses. No, this wasn't right. Yunho needed to call his family. There had to be a mistake somewhere. He didn't belong in that world. Yunho was just Yunho.

His shock must have been visible, because the commander pulled in a chair and sat down, gesturing Yunho to calm himself. As if that was so easy after just learning his entire life changed. Normal was no more. If Yunho was an esper, he would never be the same.

"There is no need to be scared. You are a D-class esper."

"D?" Yunho never needed to study their classes. Or, well, didn't pay much attention to it in class. He only knew that the people fighting the rifts were the nation's heroes of the highest ranks. Influential people, revered for their strength. Making millions by sacrificing their lives for their country. They didn't live with friends and family, rarely could afford a family since they were always out there risking their lives.

That wasn't Yunho. He worked at a convenience store and watched anime in his free time.

The commander looked irked by his ignorance, but he took the time to explain.

"We categorise into five levels, from rank S, the strongest, to D, the weakest. Your level is incapable of killing or protecting those around you, but you have helpful powers. Your service will aid the country," he told Yunho.

Frozen in his bed, Yunho didn't know what to do with himself. He had to call his parents. He needed time. But he was here, suddenly told he was an esper, if not a powerful one.

"Can I... refuse?" He didn't want all that. Heroism wasn't for him. Sure, working minimum wage sucked, but at least it was safe and Yunho got to play on his phone when no customers were in.

But the frown on the commander's face darkened further.

"You cannot. Every esper is required to serve the country with their unique abilities. You are part of the elite now. Our citizens rely on you. There are barely enough espers to deal with the rifts we have, so we cannot afford to lose even a single one."

At Yunho's stunned silence, the commander tapped on the embroidered sigil on his chest.

"New rifts open every day. With our limited forces, we rely on your powers for the protection of our country. You will be paid a sizeable sum for your involuntary draft and will become part of the National Esper Association, in short N.E.A. from today onwards. Seoul's governmental centre is called Auresce, and you will be in their care. They are the nation's top centre and can support you with safety and training. I am elated to greet you in our ranks."

This was too much. Yunho's head started spinning anew.

The NEA? Him? With other espers like the ones who saved him?

This had to be a bad dream, but the knot in Yunho's stomach told him it wasn't.

What child didn't wish to be a superhero? To fight for the life of others and be hailed in victory? Yunho liked to help. But Yunho never regarded himself as a warrior. He appreciated the people protecting him like any other, but he couldn't bear that responsibility.

Since the commander looked at him full of expectation, Yunho gulped down the bile gathering in his throat. He wanted to hide away and forget ever hearing about this. Did people usually jump and cry in joy if they awakened? Or dedicated themselves to their duty?

Yunho was a coward.

But he had no choice. Unless he left the country, they would find him. And even elsewhere, the esper situation was just as dire. For people with powers, there was no running away.

But there was hope, since he was at the lowest level. If he couldn't kill and he couldn't protect, he would only be staff and help secure the area. Perhaps he could do that much without feeling guilty about ditching everyone.

How? What even was his power?

"There is training?"

If Yunho wasn't thrown into that world right away, perhaps he could try. Not that he had a choice. But the money could pay his bills and his parents wouldn't have to worry about him.

As long as he could stay on the sidelines and not lose his life...

The commander looked pleased by his tentative question. Even if Yunho was in shock right now, if he had time to get used to the thought, he might come around.

After all, espers with unchecked powers posed a risk to the military and the world around them. Whatever Yunho could do, he relied on teachers. And for that, a centre was his best bet.

"Correct. You will receive general combat training and cognitive therapy to connect with your powers. A guide will join you shortly as your new team partner. They will have the same rank as you do. With their help, you won't go mayhem and can channel your abilities to do good."

Guides... Yunho only knew they were needed for their healing powers. No human could burden superpowers without going crazy. It wasn't natural. Thus, they needed guides to keep their sanity in check. Yunho didn't know how the pairing process worked or what he had to watch out for. But he would learn that.

He exhaled slowly. Shudderingly.

His life as he knew it twisted so abruptly. From one day to the next, he wasn't just Yunho anymore but an esper with powers and responsibilities.

He needed to learn. Be it for the sake of protection in missions or just so he wouldn't harm himself and others. The NEA tried to help him. The least Yunho could do was try it out.

"Rest yourself and I will have someone pick you up once it's time. You will meet your guide at the centre. Bring your belongings," the commander told him, friendlier now that the understanding dawned on Yunho.

There was no running. He had nowhere to go. This was yet another duty and, with some luck, it wouldn't have to be as bad as the military.

When the commander stood to shake Yunho's hand, Yunho was as if dazed. His mind was disconnected, trying to catch up with everything he just learned.

"Welcome to the force, kid. I look forward to your cooperation."

Yunho's hand dropped onto the sheets when the man left with his firm stride and he trembled again.

He was no hero. Never had been.

But he also had no other choice.