Side Story: The Perfect Connection (3)
After easily coming to an agreement, Chae Do-min and Sa Hae-geon headed straight to the Central Center the next day. The Esper Center Director and Guide Center Director were wide-eyed at the sudden visit of the two who should have been enjoying their vacation.
“So what brings you two to the Center? Aren’t you still on vacation? It can’t have ended already…”
“That’s exactly what I’m wondering. Suddenly calling us all here… Making us anxious. Do you have something important to discuss?”
They expressed suspicion about Sa Hae-geon and Chae Do-min gathering them. While Chae Do-min might be understandable, Sa Hae-geon had always shown signs of not particularly welcoming the Center Directors. Previously, whenever they crossed paths at the Center, hadn’t he just given a slight nod with an impassive face?
But such thoughts were fleeting. The Esper Center Director, concerned that they might ask for more vacation time when they were already short-staffed, preemptively asked, “…Is there some urgent matter that required gathering all the Center Directors?”
Neither of them confirmed nor denied this probing question. This behavior only made the Esper Center Director more anxious. The Guide Center Director tilted her head at the nervous appearance of the person sitting beside her and met Chae Do-min’s eyes. At that moment, Sa Hae-geon’s firmly closed lips moved.
“I want to form a pair with Guide Chae Do-min.”
Sa Hae-geon spoke in a monotone as if discussing everyday matters, and both Center Directors opened their eyes wide. …So he was asking for Chae Do-min, not for more vacation time.
The Esper Center Director, who regained his composure first, stammered, “Wait, wait a moment. You didn’t say anything like this at first. If I remember correctly, you actually refused when the Center offered to pair you up. Have you suddenly changed your mind?”
To his question, Sa Hae-geon responded indifferently, “I said I didn’t like pairs arranged by the Center, but I never said I didn’t like pairs I wanted myself.”
“…Ah.”
The Esper Center Director sighed softly with realization. He clenched his fist, thinking he shouldn’t have brought up the pairing first back then, while the Guide Center Director asked, “Is Guide Chae Do-min also in agreement with this?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then are you also aware that there is a special contract between Guide Chae Do-min and the Center?”
“Yes.”
“If you know that, then you must also be well aware that Esper Sa Hae-geon’s request is excessive.”
The Guide Center Director spoke with a smile on her face. She didn’t stop there and continued her explanation.
“Guide Chae Do-min is one of our Center’s most valuable assets. That’s why we made a special contract to work together for a long period. But if he forms a pair, he would only guide Esper Sa Hae-geon, which would be an enormous loss for the Center. We don’t want to lose one of the few S-rank Guides in Korea this way.”
Sa Hae-geon’s eyebrows twitched. While the Esper Center Director might not be, the Guide Center Director seemed to be quite thorough with profit and loss calculations. His mood soured at the thought that she seemed to view Chae Do-min as a resource owned by the Center rather than as an individual human being.
Sa Hae-geon’s lips moved as if about to retort, but he discreetly shifted his gaze to check Chae Do-min’s reaction. After reading the slight displeasure on Chae Do-min’s face, he spoke with a somewhat triumphant expression.
“Guide Chae Do-min suffered considerable physical and mental damage from being kidnapped by a dungeon boss disguised as an Esper in the S-rank dungeon. I believe the Guide Center Director is well aware of the fear that the name and existence of monsters instill in Guides, not Espers. After all, they only have guiding abilities, with physical abilities no different from civilians.”
“Yes, well…”
The Guide Center Director nodded with a sullen face. Her voice sounded bitter as she agreed, clearly disconcerted by seeing Sa Hae-geon speak at such length for the first time.
“But the response from the Ability Department and the Central Center was inadequate. All they offered was a one-month vacation, seemingly conscious of public opinion. They didn’t even properly assess whether counseling or psychiatric treatment was necessary. Perhaps they believe that ability users sacrificing themselves is natural since the fate of a nation was at stake.”
The Center Directors blinked as they looked at Sa Hae-geon. Despite his appearance, he was quite logical. The more they listened, the more they felt almost entranced.
“I understand. Espers have thick nerve endings as people who have dealt with more monsters than the number of times they’ve held spoons. But isn’t it different for Guides who only stay at base camps for guiding, even when they enter dungeons? Do you really think a Guide who experienced such an incident in an S-rank dungeon, not just an ordinary one, can handle the same excessive workload as before? Surely you don’t have the complacent thought that Guide Chae Do-min will avoid PTSD just because he’s S-rank?”
“…”
“While it might not show in daily life, PTSD will definitely manifest when entering dungeons as memories of that time resurface. I’m saying that simply giving vacation isn’t the solution. Doesn’t thinking everything will be resolved with just a vacation mean the Ability Department and Center don’t view ability users as individual personalities? How can you treat people like mere parts? I think this is the biggest problem with the Ability Department and Center.”
Sa Hae-geon appeared as if he were giving a speech at a podium. His face was now lined with irritation and displeasure. It seemed as though speaking was stirring up his indignation.
“I cannot stand by any longer. I will expose how the Ability Department and Center are exploiting ability users, especially Guides, in unfair ways. The timing is also appropriate given the considerable public interest in ability users right now.”
“What? No, what are you…!”
“Expose? Esper Sa Hae-geon, are you threatening us? What?”
The Center Directors’ eyes widened like saucers. They stared at Sa Hae-geon with astonished faces.
“Yes. I am threatening you.”
“No, no…”
“Even so, this is…”
When Sa Hae-geon not only didn’t deny it but responded confidently, the Center Directors held their foreheads and burst into hollow laughter. The situation was so absurd they couldn’t even form proper sentences. They kept laughing intermittently before finally sighing and speaking in an accusatory tone.
“Have you not considered the losses we would suffer if you two formed a pair? A special contract isn’t child’s play. As I mentioned earlier, Guide Chae Do-min is a valuable resource that clearly belongs to the Center. The Center needs to strictly manage to prevent any loss of personnel.”
“So are you saying you’ll assign the same workload as before to a Guide who received a major shock in a dungeon?”
“No, when did we ever say that… It’s problematic when you distort our words like that.”
Why would he interpret their words that way? Now they felt somewhat wronged by Sa Hae-geon’s unconditional criticism and reproach.
“If you force him to work as before, the Central Center won’t lose Guide Chae Do-min to a pairing, but to aftereffects. Both the Ability Department and the two Center Directors don’t seem to consider the possibility that Guide Chae Do-min might develop dungeon phobia and never enter dungeons again. In that case, you would completely lose what you repeatedly claim is a valuable resource.”
“…”
“But if you allow a pairing with me, you can at least meet Guide Chae Do-min as a Guide. Additionally, Guide Chae Do-min could be of great help to the Guide training program run by the Ability Department. And wouldn’t it be beneficial for the Ability Department and Center to utilize the current public interest and fascination with ability users? Isn’t this a good opportunity to nurture Center-affiliated ability users?”
“Well, that may be true, but…”
After saying that much, Sa Hae-geon observed the reactions of the two Center Directors. They seemed to be wavering, but apparently hadn’t made up their minds yet. Sa Hae-geon decided to kindly help the two Center Directors with their decision.
“I wasn’t going to mention this, but since you two still seem unable to make a decision, I have no choice but to bring it up.”
The Center Directors looked up at Sa Hae-geon with puzzled faces. Sa Hae-geon’s lips twisted.
“I don’t know if you remember, but there was an exception clause in the contract.”
“What kind of exception clause…?”
The contract with Chae Do-min was so long ago that they couldn’t recall anything beyond the major points. The Center Directors tilted their heads and conferred, but couldn’t reach an answer. Then Chae Do-min, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke on behalf of Sa Hae-geon.
“The clause that allows an exception for pairing if an Esper with a matching rate of 97 percent or higher appears.”
Both Center Directors flinched at Chae Do-min’s words. That was a clause included in all contracts at the Center. While above 90 percent might not be, above 97 percent was nearly impossible to achieve, so no one had benefited from that exception clause until now. That’s why both Center Directors had completely forgotten about its existence.
The Center Directors were astonished by Chae Do-min’s achievement of remembering the exception clause and verifying it by checking every page of the densely written contract.
“No way…”
They had previously been informed that Sa Hae-geon was a very special case as an imprinting Esper, and that his matching rate with Chae Do-min, his imprinting target, was quite high. But they thought that was all…
“You may already know this, but the matching rate between myself and Esper Sa Hae-geon was 97.393 percent. That’s based on Esper Sa Hae-geon’s one-sided imprinting. If we form a mutual imprinting in the future, it could approach 100 percent.”
The two Center Directors’ mouths closed weakly. Facing them, Sa Hae-geon asked with cold eyes, “In case you don’t believe us, I’ve also prepared documents proving the matching rate. Do you need them? The numbers are written large so they won’t strain your eyes.”
The Center Directors sighed and rubbed their faces. The matter was already settled from the moment Sa Hae-geon and Chae Do-min mentioned the exception clause. It was clear that the two weren’t even considering the possibility of refusal. The Center Directors sent the two away with the obvious statement that they needed to consult with the Ability Department, then held their heads in their hands. The answer was too clear, but accepting it outright seemed like it would diminish the Center’s dignity too much.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
