“Haa…”
“How was it?”
“Damn, Rion-sunbae is in peak condition. At this rate, he’ll probably clear the Gate by tomorrow. Not only did he take care of the aerial monsters alone, he even swept up our share.”
“For real. It kinda felt like we were just here as the gathering team, y’know?”
While Kang Rion was receiving guiding, the Espers around him chattered excitedly, praising his exploits. Whether they babbled or not, Rion simply surrendered himself to the guiding flowing in through Yu-won’s hand, breathing out slowly and deeply.
This guiding really was the best. Of course it was—when the matching rate was that high—but even so, this sensation went beyond anything that could be measured in numbers.
It felt like he could finally breathe again. He could see now why so many Esper-Guide pairs ended up in romantic relationships.
If just holding hands could feel this good, then it was only natural to want something more.
“Haa… This feels amazing.”
“Feels that good, huh?”
“Your face is completely flushed and you haven’t even had a drop to drink.”
The Espers teased him, but Rion didn’t so much as blink. He paid them no mind, just quietly soaking up the guiding.
“What would any of you know, when you don’t even have a matched Guide?”
“Wow. That’s funny coming from the guy who used to say the exact opposite.”
“Right? You’d be all like, ‘You guys are so lucky… having a Guide with a matching rate…’ and sigh at us every time. Don’t tell me you forgot already?”
Thanks to the relatively low difficulty of the Gate and Rion’s stellar condition, the whole party was in high spirits.
After a round of mutual praise and boasting, someone suddenly turned the conversation to Yu-won.
“What about you, Yu-won?”
“Hmm?”
“They say when a Guide works with a highly compatible Esper, the Guide feels way less fatigued than usual. Is that true?”
At Joo-seop’s question, Yu-won blinked slowly before responding.
“…It’s true. I don’t really feel tired at all.”
“Of course not. An S-rank with a 99 percent match? It’s fate, seriously. You two are destined! I bet you’ve already gotten swamped with interview requests, haven’t you?”
At Ji-soo’s dramatic flair, Rion shuddered, recalling the flood of interview offers he’d gotten over the past few days.
“If I had time for crap like that, I’d rather hit the gym more. Total waste of time. Don’t you think so too, Yu-won?”
“Yes.”
Yu-won nodded and took a sip of water.
Rion, who suffered from chronic guiding deficiency, made it a point to work out regularly when he wasn’t on duty to supplement his stamina.
But even compared to him, Yu-won didn’t seem the least bit behind in physique. Hidden beneath his clothes, Rion could clearly make out the definition in his muscles.
Should I really be bragging about my workouts in front of this guy?
Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, Rion reached out and touched Yu-won’s arm.
“You work out?”
“…!”
Yu-won visibly flinched the moment Rion’s hand made contact and instinctively drew his body back.
What the hell? That was awkward.
Feeling a little foolish, Rion quickly pulled his hand away.
“…Ah. Sorry.”
Did I scare him? Well, I did grab him out of nowhere, so yeah, that’s on me… but still, did he really have to react that strongly?
Rion awkwardly returned his hand to his lap.
“…I do like working out.”
“Ohh, for real?”
True to form, the ever-simple Rion had already forgotten the awkwardness from seconds before and perked up with interest.
“Well, your body is too good for it to be just from daily activity.”
“You’ve got sharp eyes. When’d you even get a look at that?”
“I mean, anyone who does more than just ‘breathing exercises’ like you would’ve noticed it.”
“Sunbae!”
Seo-ha huffed and glared at Rion, who completely ignored him and continued talking to Yu-won.
“You go to a gym? If you’re cool with it, wanna work out together sometime?”
If we start training together, it’d naturally help us get closer, Rion thought, smiling cheerfully.
“I don’t really like working out with other people. I’ve got a home gym.”
“Oh, really…?”
What came back was a cold rejection.
The other Espers and Guides exchanged glances and subtly checked Rion’s reaction.
“…Well, that’s fair! Still, knowing we share the same hobby makes me feel like we’ve got some common ground.”
Rion tried to act unfazed, attempting to lift the mood.
It’s only our first day working together. He’s probably just shy. No way my matched Guide is actually just an asshole… right?
Rion nodded to himself, doing his best to stay positive.
“Maybe that’s why your matching rate’s 99 percent—because you’ve got so much in common.”
Seo-ha jumped in to support him, clinging to the light atmosphere. Rion was in top form today, and they didn’t want to kill the vibe over something so minor.
“Right? I bet if we kept digging, we’d find even more stuff we have in common.”
“Let’s find out. Where’re you from?”
“Got any hobbies besides working out?”
They peppered Yu-won with questions. He responded curtly but sincerely, answering each one. The conversation remained pleasant, if a little stiff.
“Wait, you got into H University’s law program and gave it up to become a Guide?”
“Seriously? Even if you’re S-rank, what about all that effort studying? Doesn’t that feel like a waste?”
Seo-ha and Ji-soo looked at Yu-won like he was a one-of-a-kind freak.
Sure, S-rank Guides made a ton of money—easily matching or surpassing other high-end professions—but there was more to life than money.
Law school wasn’t easy either, but spending half a day, or even weeks at a time in backwater Gates, physically draining yourself to provide guiding? That was not the same as sitting at a desk pushing paperwork.
“If I had brains like that, I would’ve quit my job without a second thought.”
“Seriously. Good thing you’re an Esper. Without that ability, what would you even do for a living?”
“Excuse me? Like you’ve done anything remotely impressive with your life?”
Joo-seop and Seo-ha started bickering again.
As if used to the commotion, Ji-soo ignored them and turned back to Yu-won.
“Was there a specific reason you chose this job? I mean, if you got tested the moment you turned of age and didn’t even go to college, you must’ve really wanted to do this.”
“A reason…”
Yu-won, who’d been responding briskly so far, paused for the first time.
Why had he abandoned his path without hesitation to become a Guide?
“…It’s a secret.”
Letting out a soft sigh, Yu-won lowered his head.
A secret, huh? Saying that only made people more curious.
Rion perked up, ears twitching like a cat’s.
“What is it? Now you’ve got me curious. We already submitted our pair application, right? Starting next month, we’ll officially be a team, so can’t you tell me at least?”
Rion scooted a little closer, leaning his shoulder lightly against Yu-won’s as he looked up at him. He swallowed dryly.
“Uh… sorry…?”
But Yu-won’s face, which had just barely begun to soften earlier, had already turned frigid again.
“…It’s fine.”
This time, he didn’t shove Rion away, just calmly accepted the apology. But his face might as well have had icicles hanging off it.
“It’s just… too personal. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh, yeah? That’s fair. Totally understandable. Ha ha… then, uh…”
Ji-soo scrambled to steer the conversation elsewhere.
But Rion, Ji-soo, and everyone else present had started feeling slightly snubbed.
The wall Yu-won put up—and the total lack of effort to hide it—was off-putting. Even if he was a rare S-rank Guide, he was coming off as insufferably cold.
“S-So, uh… anything you’re worried about? Or curious about for the job?”
“Ah.”
Seemingly unaware of how people were reacting, Yu-won asked casually,
“I heard a bit about how pairs work, but I’ve never actually seen one. Are there any at the Center?”
“Uh… yeah. A few. There’s Assistant Manager Su-jin and Min-ho—A-rank pair. I think there are three B-rank pairs too?”
“Weren’t there zero S-rank pairs before these two matched up?”
“No, there’s an old pair from the provinces. Honorary position. Long time ago, though.”
The team was made up of good-natured folks, so they soon let go of their irritation and answered Yu-won’s question earnestly.
Everyone except Rion, who was still sulking from being brushed off.
“Come to think of it, there’s a pattern with these paired folks.”
“Pattern?”
“Yeah. Except for Su-jin’s team, they’re all dating. Like, actual couples.”
“I mean, they will be too, soon. Haven’t you seen how hard Min-ho’s been chasing after Su-jin? She says she’s not into it, but looks like she’s considering it.”
Now that they’d found a new topic, the party quickly regained its lively chatter.
Just like they said, it was common for matched Esper-Guide pairs to become lovers.
Emotions factored into matching rates, and the euphoric sensation of receiving guiding from your match… was incomparable to anything else.
Globally, statistics showed most paired Guides and Espers ended up as romantic or married couples.
The exceptions were the outliers.
Right… maybe even if it’s like this now, we’ll grow closer over time.
Rion tried to soothe the sting in his chest, repeating the thought.
Besides, so what if his junior was kind of a jerk? As the older one and the sunbae, he had to set the example and guide him properly.
With that renewed resolve, Rion straightened up and grinned.
“See? Most pairs get along. Who knows—maybe Yu-won became a Guide because he liked me?”
“Come on, Sunbae. Getting a little full of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Well, maybe! Let’s ask him directly—”
Rion turned with a teasing grin, planning to laugh it off like “You like me, don’t you? Come on, just admit it~”
But when his eyes met Yu-won’s, the words died in his throat.
“….”
Yu-won’s expression was icier than ever.
