Chapter 57
10.
After that, Ye Han-seo never came looking for me again.
There were no fights, and nothing exploded around us.
Since I went to Ji Yeohoon’s class every day, I saw his face often, but we didn’t acknowledge each other.
I didn’t particularly pay attention to the kid either, as he stopped bothering me, perhaps having heard something about Ye Han-dam from Ji Yeohoon.
During that time, Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon applied for part-time work once more, but student Guide gate applications were put on hold due to the heat wave, so both guys were naturally put on hold too.
I still hadn’t told them about the imprinting, but they didn’t seem particularly bothered by it, as neither of them tried to look into it.
I also planned to find a solution somehow while I was still a student before gate raids became a contractual obligation.
When the heat subsided a bit, the delayed gate raid part-time job was approved.
But the problem was that two guys who didn’t get along well were added to the roster.
“Who chose them?” I asked.
“Well… the Association requested it. They said they’d give priority approval to me, Hyung, and Yoon Cheong hyung if they made this deal.”
“Is Ye Han-dam from Chaehwa?”
“Yeah. I told you before.”
“Is Ye Han-seo in it too?”
“Yes. He should be in Chaehwa too. The Association sent official documents for both of them, asking for their additional participation in the guild-led raid as students.”
Today, I’m the only student Guide waiting outside the E-class gate for Calling’s raid.
Since students are often grouped together, there was a high probability that all four guys would be assigned to me.
Moreover, since this was Calling, they already knew about Ye Han-dam’s peculiarity.
When I asked Ji Yeohoon about it a while back, he said that, ironically, Ye Han-seo could be guided well by any Guide.
Completely opposite from his brother, I guess.
“Hyung, do you really have to guide that person?” Ji Yeohoon asked.
“We can’t risk reverse guiding happening. I’m only using D-class bigar on him anyway.”
“But it’s still really tiring, isn’t it? It must be pretty tough guiding me and Yoon Cheong hyung already.”
Lately, I could understand why Ji Yeohoon was worried.
As the two guys’ abilities became more stable, the amount of bigar needed actually increased.
Ji Yeohoon, who had only been checked as B-class or higher, was particularly troublesome as the amount of bigar he required increased, making me think he might be judged as S-class among high school students, just like before the regression.
I guess this is why S-class Espers are always paired with B-class or higher Guides.
I remember Yoon Cheong was definitely A-class before receiving an upgrade judgment to S-class, but strangely, as he stabilized, his bigar requirements didn’t increase much compared to Ji Yeohoon’s.
“Even though they said Yoon Cheong hyung’s telekinesis takes longer to stabilize with B+ alpha, even my recent measurements show I’m A-class or higher, and those two peop… I mean, those two people are also A-class, so it’s no joke.”
I looked at Ji Yeohoon as he slightly corrected his wording, and he smiled harmlessly as usual.
Deciding to let it go for now, I was still concerned about what Ji Yeohoon had said.
If both guys were really assigned to me just because they were students, even with an S-class Guide having plenty of bigar for guiding, I would likely spend the entire weekend lying in bed.
“Ye Han-seo is okay since we can ask the guild members to handle him. Ye Han-dam is the problem.”
Even though my anxiety about guiding and fear of myself had faded considerably, I was still uncomfortable with entrusting Ye Han-dam’s guiding to someone else.
The good thing was that unlike the Association which had many D-class or lower Guides, Calling’s Guides were C-class or higher.
Being professionals who had experienced a lot of waiting both inside and outside gates, they wouldn’t recklessly pour out their strength like Oh Ji-hyun did.
They were different from the Association, which had many tasks besides guiding.
“Then, should we try to make them unable to use their abilities?” Ji Yeohoon suggested.
“Why?”
“If it’s just us, then you’d only need to guide the two of us.”
Really? And leave out an easier way to complete the raid?
Looking up in disbelief, Ji Yeohoon clung to me with a “Hyuuung~”
Yoon Cheong was also staring at me intently with his eyes less focused than usual, making me wonder if I should scold him again for using his face.
“Don’t say such nonsense. It’s better to finish quickly and get out. Anyway, both of them aren’t from Calling, so they won’t be positioning themselves strategically like during other gate raids. If we finish quickly and get out, it’s better for you too since you’ll use less energy.”
“But those two will be guided by you, Hyung.”
“I’m a Guide, so I have to do it.”
I grabbed Ji Yeohoon’s lip with my finger and pulled it like stretching it while he was hugging me and speaking sulkily.
Seriously, he gets upset over the strangest things.
Just as we were discussing preparations and telling each other to be careful and come back safely, the Guild Master approached.
I had a bad feeling from the moment those two were added.
“So I’m going in too?” I asked.
“I’m really sorry, our provisional gu—”
“It’s not confirmed yet.”
“Right, right. Our temporary Guide. Actually, since the gate level is low, it’s not that dangerous, and I was considering adding a Guide, but with students going in, each Guide becomes essential. The people who aren’t part of this raid are at other gate raids right now.”
The two Guides who were supposed to come had dropped out.
It wasn’t an unannounced disappearance; they had contacted us saying they had been hospitalized after getting food poisoning from something they ate while drinking excessively the night before the gate entry, excited about the upcoming raid.
It was ridiculous but also somewhat common before lower-grade gate raids.
“Why would someone drink heavily the night before a gate raid?” I wondered.
“Because you get money after coming out of a gate,” Yoon Cheong answered.
“Ah…”
“Is that so? My dad doesn’t do that,” Ji Yeohoon said.
“That’s because he wants to be with your aunt. Your aunt doesn’t drink much, right?”
When I worked at the Association, I had received emergency Guide dispatch requests a few times because of situations like this.
Even though I was in a field position, I rarely went on gate internal dispatches and usually called other Guides instead.
Back then, the reasons Guides couldn’t show up on the day were mostly due to drinking sessions held the night before gate raids.
It’s really no different from a college group project when you think about it.
Of course, the difference is that you can’t just say, “Then I’ll remove your name, senior~”
You don’t risk your life by dropping out of a group project.
I don’t know how other guilds handle gate raids, but in Calling’s case, if someone was missing during a raid, they would urgently fill the vacancy with additional personnel on the day, even if that person wasn’t originally scheduled for the raid.
I definitely appreciate that safety is the top priority.
But right now, I didn’t appreciate it.
“Hyung, you don’t want to go in, right?” Ji Yeohoon asked.
“Why are you asking?”
“You look really annoyed.”
“That’s visible to you?”
I understood the explanation about adding one more Guide for safety despite having a sufficient number.
But the fact that I was that one more Guide wasn’t good.
I couldn’t refuse either, because even though it was a lower-level gate, today’s gate raid was for new guild members of Calling, so the Espers participating weren’t much older than us.
The same applied to the Guides; excluding the two Guides who couldn’t come today and me, a provisional member who had been with Calling for a while, there were only two original Guides present, and three were new.
Most people hadn’t heard Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon’s stories, so if a newly joined Guide made a mistake in guiding, reverse guiding could occur.
After all, those with rock-bottom matching rates weren’t selected for raid team membership.
Moreover, since the raid gate on the other side was B-class, more people were over there, leaving only me and one other person as Guides waiting outside.
That meant both of us had to go in.
“Um, we’ll finish really quickly and come out,” Yoon Cheong said.
“I’ll ask the Guild Master again. Ask if I can just stay here. We’ll do it as quickly as possible, and just take that other person with—”
“No, stop, stop. After graduating from the 3rd school, I might have to go in whether I want to or not, so saying I won’t do it now would be a problem. I need to build my resume too.”
These guys worry a lot.
Unlike before the regression, this time I had no intention of joining the Association, so having gate raid experience would be beneficial.
But still, just getting close to a gate, let alone entering one, was quite frightening.
Even though I had cleared a gate that had risen to C-class without any incidents, the gate explosion engraved in my mind was still haunting me.
Even if I thought I would be okay with these guys here, memories aren’t something you can erase at will.
“It’s okay, I can go in.”
No matter how difficult it was, being overly protected by the kids made me feel somewhat embarrassed.
Since the two guys had changed, there wouldn’t be any explosions, and today there seemed to be one more guy trying to protect me, so it was okay.
In the distance, the awkward brothers were standing blankly.
“Both of you, come here.”
As expected, Espers’ hearing was remarkable, as they both walked over as soon as I finished speaking.
I knew Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon had displeased expressions, but I left them alone without trying to appease them for now.
“Have you ever been inside a gate before?” I asked.
“Yes,” Ye Han-dam replied.
“No,” Ye Han-seo answered.
The pink-haired one, being the older brother, had been in gates before, while the younger one was newly manifested and had no experience.
Ye Han-seo’s black hair was starting to lighten from the tips, probably from using his ability a lot recently.
I guess he’ll have brilliantly colored hair like his brother too. Silver, maybe?
“The other Espers will explain everything, so it doesn’t matter, but Ye Han-seo, you receive guiding well from others. Most of them are professionals with many guiding experiences, so you don’t need to worry. Ye Han-dam, you should be as cautious as possible. Guiding isn’t easy for you.”
Ye Han-dam nodded, but Ye Han-seo had a displeased look on his face.
What’s with that expression?
“Aren’t you going to do it for me?” he asked.
“Do what?”
“Guiding.”
Is he asking if I won’t guide him?
When I nodded, his expression became even more displeased.
“Why should Hyung guide you?” Ji Yeohoon demanded.
“Because we’re from the same school.”
“You’re not even in our guild.”
It made sense that I should be with the two guys who were guild members, and we’d been together all this time, but I had no obligation to guide Ye Han-seo.
I planned to help Ye Han-dam because of the Association’s request for assistance and to support him until his fear subsided and he could safely receive guiding.
But I didn’t expect Ye Han-seo to specifically want guiding from me.
I was considering doing it if his matching rate wasn’t too low, but judging from Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon’s expressions as they raised their eyes, they absolutely wouldn’t allow it.
Why are you guys making such a fuss when I’m the one who would be doing the guiding?
“Why are you being like that to Han-seo?”
Surprisingly, it was Ye Han-dam who stepped forward.
Even Ye Han-seo seemed surprised, turning his head blankly toward his brother.
Ye Han-dam squeezed between the two guys who had been flaring up and looked down at Ji Yeohoon.
Only now did I realize that he was tall enough to look down at Ji Yeohoon.
I hadn’t noticed because I wasn’t interested.
“Take good care of your brother. Don’t bother Soo-young hyung,” Ye Han-dam said.
“Why don’t you do better? Han-seo is obviously asking because he’d be more comfortable with someone he’s talked to before, so why are you interfering when you’re not the one involved?” Ji Yeohoon shot back.
“Obviously because we’re guild members.”
“Espers shouldn’t interfere with a Guide’s guiding.”
Why is the pink-head starting an argument again?
The guild members standing nearby found the kids’ fight amusing and didn’t even try to stop it.
“Should we just go ahead?” Yoon Cheong whispered.
I nodded to Yoon Cheong and entered the gate first.
Yeah, you guys just keep fighting.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
