100.
Song Won-young was a special-class A-rank Esper whose primary ability was healing. Like all ability users whose powers were in high demand, there was a time when he too believed he was nothing short of the protagonist in this complicated world.
No, to correct myself. For him, who had just turned twenty-five this year, it wasn’t that there “was” such a time, but rather it was still that time. At this rate, it seemed it would take several more years for him to get through that phase that everyone supposedly goes through at least once.
This was because Song Won-young, who had belatedly awakened as an Esper in this peaceful world where dungeons had long ceased to appear, happened to possess the ability of “healing.” Although not particularly effective for diseases or internal injuries that had already begun to progress, his ability to heal almost any external injury simply by touching it, without concern for surgical complications, was causing his value to soar with each passing day.
Though he couldn’t dare compare to Simon, the S-class healing Esper from France renowned as a living saint, he was showcasing absolutely unrivaled abilities among healing ability users with South Korean citizenship. Everyone from prominent politicians to chaebol chairmen who had nothing but money had long been desperate to meet him.
His shoulders kept swelling with pride whenever even the most arrogant surgeons from prestigious universities would shrink their shoulders and express humility before him.
He didn’t need to worry about guiding. The wealthy, well-connected people who wanted his abilities would provide high-ranking Guides without being asked.
Some of them would recite the profiles of A-class Guides they had secured and frequently suggest that he work exclusively for them.
But Song Won-young had never nodded to any of these suggestions.
This was because he already had a Guide firmly marked in his mind as his pair.
The very person in front of his eyes now, who had immediately subdued the panicking Esper that no one else had dared approach.
“Secure the exits so they don’t escape again. It’s tiring. I’ll begin guiding right away.”
“Um, are you sure you’ll be okay without a backup Guide…?”
S-class Guide Choi Jae-won.
Is there any South Korean who doesn’t know Choi Jae-won? Everything about him was special—the fact that he had inherited so much wealth from his grandfather and parents it was rotting away, that he was the devoted pair Guide of Ryu Ho-yeon who had saved the world and disappeared, and that he was one of fewer than ten S-class Guides in the entire world. At that level, people would be desperate to see the good in someone even if they were ugly or had flaws, but on top of all that, he had a tall stature and handsome face without a single fault to criticize.
Every Esper without a pair harbored the wish to have Choi Jae-won as their exclusive Guide. Lee Han-seo was in a similar position to Choi Jae-won, but there was no hope there. His pair Esper stood firmly by his side as if glued together, with no sign of separation.
Song Won-young could confidently say that the only Guide worthy of someone as special as himself was Choi Jae-won. That this man whom everyone coveted deserved to be his Guide. Unlike others who harbored vain dreams based on mere admiration… his desire was a “future” that would soon become reality.
From Song Won-young’s perspective only, there was a powerful destiny at work between himself and Choi Jae-won.
The Guide dispatched to escort Song Won-young to the jurisdiction center when he first awakened as an Esper was Choi Jae-won, and it was also Choi Jae-won who saved Song Won-young when his unstable abilities during early awakening almost put him in danger. This was, without a doubt, a definite signal of fate.
(In truth, there were many Espers who had similar experiences to Song Won-young, as Choi Jae-won, for whom each day without Ryu Ho-yeon was torment, had accepted all incoming support requests without sleeping, spinning around like a madman. Among them, however, Song Won-young’s premature confidence was particularly strong.)
Although it was a bit of a flaw that Choi Jae-won and Ryu Ho-yeon’s intense romance was almost as famous as the story of Romeo and Juliet with a bit of exaggeration added, Song Won-young decided (very one-sidedly, just like the context of the aforementioned story) not to mind. Isn’t it natural for a relationship to deepen gradually by healing someone’s past pain of love or deep emotional wounds? Healing happened to be his specialty and pride, so it was worth trying.
“I’ll monitor the guiding values. Currently 45, 48, 55…”
Choi Jae-won still looked impressive after such a long time. He had been so worried that he could barely endure when the news suddenly cut off after hearing that Choi Jae-won had suddenly gone abroad while working normally at his company…
He and Choi Jae-won must indeed be destined for each other. Coincidentally, just as Song Won-young was dispatched to a hospital in Daejeon, Choi Jae-won appeared at the Sejong branch.
It was truly worth canceling all his appointments that had been scheduled long in advance and rushing to Sejong City in one breath as soon as he heard Choi Jae-won was coming.
After confirming that the Esper held by the nape by Choi Jae-won was gradually entering a state of calm, Song Won-young immediately began pushing through the crowd.
“Ah, what’s this? Why are there so many people? Everyone, move aside! Do you even know how long it’s been since I’ve seen the Guide? Move, move!”
It was quite a job just to break through the dense crowd, all seemingly there to see Choi Jae-won like himself, but his steps forward were light and excited.
“Ugh!”
“I said move out of the way!”
Song Won-young forcefully pushed aside a man who had inconsiderately stood right next to Choi Jae-won. The man, who had suspiciously pulled his hat down low, couldn’t hold his ground and fell over with a loud thud. Not that Song Won-young cared.
The unsightly fallen man must have been the last barrier, because soon Choi Jae-won’s figure appeared, filling his vision. Song Won-young raised his voice cheerfully.
“Guide Choi Jae-won! It’s been a long time. Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”
Unaware that he had already been blocked for being annoying, Song Won-young, who had been steadily leaving messages, pouted his lips pretending to be hurt. Even the way he had obtained the contact information wasn’t by asking Choi Jae-won directly, but by tracing connections through a company chairman whose fracture he had treated, then the chairman’s friend’s friend’s in-law’s… anyway, he had barely managed to find out that way.
“Do you even know how long it’s been since we last met? Didn’t you miss me? I missed you a lot.”
It was meant to sound cute and sulky. At least, he seemed to have definitely succeeded in capturing Choi Jae-won’s attention.
Judging by how quickly Choi Jae-won’s head turned—Choi Jae-won, who never gave even a bit of attention to anyone pestering him from the side, whether it was Song Won-young or anyone else—it was clearly working.
Choi Jae-won roughly examined the readings of the Esper he was guiding and then abruptly released his hand from the nape. Choi Jae-won’s palm was in a grotesque state, with peeled skin and blisters as if it had been branded with a soldering iron.
Choi Jae-won walked toward Song Won-young with a hardened expression, and Song Won-young’s heart began to pound rapidly with no way to stop it. First… yes. He should break the ice by treating those hideously mangled wounds on his palm. The thought brought an inappropriately excited tingling to the soles of his feet.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Guide Choi Jae-won!”
Whether he didn’t notice or chose to ignore the savage voice that sounded like grinding teeth, Song Won-young just smiled brightly and stretched both hands forward. His intention was to first heal Choi Jae-won’s palms, which had guided the out-of-control electric ability user with bare hands.
But if he would offer his hand so easily, he wouldn’t be Choi Jae-won.
“I asked what you’re doing.”
“Pardon?”
Choi Jae-won ruthlessly knocked away Song Won-young’s delicate hands that everyone else was desperate to hold, his eyes flashing fiercely. Quite unlike the person who, when out on work support, had eyes like a frozen pollack—indifferent no matter what.
“Don’t you see who you just pushed?”
Song Won-young’s face, which had been blankly sending question marks wondering what this was all about, finally lit up with an exclamation mark. Is this really reality and not a dream? Song Won-young couldn’t believe his ears.
“How dare you put those filthy hands…”
There was no way Choi Jae-won could treat him like this just for pushing one person!
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
