# Chapter 79
When the Vice Minister showed hesitation, Cheonoh warned again.
“Would you have done the same thing if Esper Seo Jaeyoon were here?”
At the name of the Esper who destroyed and collapsed the shell of a giant monster that even missiles couldn’t penetrate, a smile returned to the Vice Minister’s hardened face.
“I was just happy to meet a proper guide for the first time. Don’t misunderstand, guide boy?”
Jaeha stepped back instead of answering the Vice Minister, who removed his hand with a brazen smile. When Cheonoh took care of Jaeha and backed away further, the Vice Minister’s security guards also backed off.
Even though the guide who was supposed to escort the Vice Minister wasn’t moving, the Vice Minister left the rooftop first, and the guards and staff followed. Cheonoh looked pitifully at the other guards who didn’t move when Jaeha, a guide belonging to the association, was threatened.
Jaeha slowly moved his feet that wouldn’t easily leave and then stopped.
“Ugh, I don’t want to guide that person. He looks at people strangely.”
“You don’t have to.”
“But he seems like someone who likes to be served, and I’m worried what nonsense he might say if we just send him away like this.”
Contrary to his thoughts, his feet wouldn’t move. The sticky touch that rubbed the back of his hand and the breath blown into his ear made his skin crawl, and he clenched his fist.
Noticing that Jaeha’s body was stiff, Cheonoh spoke firmly to reassure him.
“I will formally file a complaint about today’s incident.”
“Haha, it’s okay. It’s just that he held my hand a bit tightly, that’s all.”
Jaeha tried to brush it off, worried that it might cause trouble for Cheonoh. But Cheonoh was firm.
“It’s not okay. He tried to receive guiding without consent.”
“That’s true, but I wasn’t hurt. It’s nothing.”
“How can forcibly trying to get guiding be nothing?”
Jaeha’s expression hardened at the word “forcibly,” having tried to just let it go. It was sudden, and since guiding with others had always taken place in safe situations, his awareness was delayed.
A situation where guiding was attempted without consent, with threats added, was not something to be overlooked by simply enduring it for the sake of smoothing things over.
Above all, it wasn’t something he should endure while worrying those who cared about him.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have taken it lightly as just a handshake.”
Even if the action was as simple as holding hands, if the other person’s reaction and intention were different, he needed to respond clearly as well.
Cheonoh, who had been genuinely angry, stepped back from beside Jaeha with a face full of concern and bowed his head.
“Please value yourself. Everyone is worried about Guide Seo Jaeha.”
At Cheonoh’s seriousness, Jaeha realized that he needed to change his thinking to match the changed world.
“Yes, I’ll respond more firmly from now on.”
Cheonoh could be somewhat reassured by the sight of Jaeha making a commitment while clenching his fist.
Afterward, both the Vice Minister and the Association Chairman attended the luncheon prepared by the association. Jaeha, who had tried to avoid the Vice Minister without even guiding him, had no choice but to sit down reluctantly when the Chairman personally urged him.
Fortunately, the topic of conversation was the Chairman and Vice Minister’s views on the association’s authority and crisis response. Throughout the entire conversation, where the two exchanged compliments and sharp remarks back and forth, only Jaeha felt uncomfortable, as if his food was going up his nose.
“I enjoyed today’s informative conversation. Next time, visit our ministry. You’re a valuable person, so we’ll treat you well.”
“How can we carelessly use national money? Whenever you visit us, we’ll treat you lavishly.”
After finishing the full hour of dining, the Vice Minister rose from his seat first. The Chairman stood up, exchanged greetings, and then turned around and left through another door. It was rude behavior, but no one pointed it out.
The Vice Minister, heading toward the opposite door, extended his hand to Jaeha, who was standing at the back of the people, almost as if hiding.
“It was nice to meet you today.”
To the Vice Minister’s action of requesting a handshake with a shameless smile, Jaeha unhesitatingly said the words he had prepared for such a moment.
“A guide has the right to refuse physical contact.”
“You’re excited to be treated like an Esper. Are you going to be picky even though you’re still an ordinary person before being tested?”
In response, Jaeha raised his clenched fist and passed by without even brushing the Vice Minister’s hand.
“Let’s use a fist greeting instead. Goodbye, Vice Minister.”
“Well… you’re cute.”
As the corner of the Vice Minister’s mouth rose, Jaeha quickly turned around.
“I have another schedule, so I’ll go ahead.”
“Are you saying you’re busier than the Vice Minister of National Defense?”
“Yep, that’s how it is today. Goodbye.”
Thinking it was better to run away than to get caught in word games, Jaeha quickly headed out the door. Fortunately, there was no sound of being grabbed from behind. When Jaeha looked back and met the eyes of Cheonoh who was closely following, he smiled.
“Did I do well?”
“Yes, you did well.”
“You don’t need to worry too much. I might be physically weaker than Espers, but I’m not mentally weaker.”
Though the words from someone he needed to protect didn’t quite resonate, Cheonoh hoped that Jaeha’s bright appearance, which was even cheerful, wouldn’t change. For that reason, he wanted to exclude as many threatening elements as possible.
All he could do as a guard was protect him from direct external dangers. He didn’t lower his vigilance of the surroundings the entire time they headed to the practice room for the next schedule.
They arrived at the scheduled time, but the theory class was still in full swing in the practice room. It was even noisy, either because the person conducting the class was unskilled or because those who had passed the guide test were eager.
Looking inside, unlike yesterday’s speech, everyone appeared to be adults.
“I guess all the students failed?”
“No. Minors just don’t practice.”
“What? Are they being deployed to the field without practice? Isn’t that too harsh for kids?”
“Rather, I think they’ll just have theory classes and grade checks until they become adults. It might change as guiding data accumulates, but I heard that’s how it will proceed for this batch of guides.”
The information Cheonoh provided seemed to be missing some points somewhere. Cheonoh was conveying it properly, but it was a phenomenon that occurred because Jaeha’s common knowledge about guiding was different from theirs.
As he continued to watch, the temporary teacher conducting the class spotted Jaeha and waved.
“Guide Seo Jaeha, you’re here. Please come up.”
Seeing the teacher’s relieved face, Jaeha walked confidently, thinking he had to go anyway. The eyes of the prospective guides, who could be considered students, sparkled. Jaeha’s heart raced at the diverse age range and the considerable proportion of women.
Until now, he had only done guiding with male Espers, but thinking about it, there were quite a few female second-generation Espers. Maybe he could guide Espers of different genders in the future? If so, it would be more exciting than awkward like now.
Spinning his happiness circuit, Jaeha went up to the platform and guessed that guiding would be done here, seeing two chairs, a table, and a monitor placed in the center.
“Time has already passed so much. I’m sorry the class ran long, Guide Seo Jaeha.”
“It’s fine. I was moved to see everyone studying so hard.”
When he praised the prospective guides with a smile, they all called Jaeha softly and even applauded. At the friendly response, Jaeha looked around wondering who he would be guiding, and the teacher turned off the lights. Only the platform lights remained, making the faces of the students invisible.
Just as he was starting to feel awkward, as if he should sing a song here, the teacher grabbed the microphone.
“Our guides who have gathered to lend a hand in protecting the changed future, the first guide currently active in the field, Guide Seo Jaeha, has come here to demonstrate. Everyone, applause~”
At the teacher’s gentle words, applause erupted from the darkness. Though it seemed like everyone was clapping, the sound was subtly quiet. As if they were conserving their hands, when Jaeha looked at the teacher, the only visible person, he too was tapping his palm close to his wrist.
“Well done. Let’s all remember that our hands are our assets and be careful~”
The teacher’s treatment of the prospective guides met today seemed kind and good. Though Jaeha wondered if they really needed to save their hands, in a way, it was also the most convenient means.
“Aren’t you curious about which Esper will participate in today’s guiding demonstration?”
“We are!”
Their expectation was felt through the resounding voice as they shouted with one heart and one mind.
“Originally, only Esper Joo Dojoon was going to come…”
“Joo Dojoon! Joo Dojoon!”
“Is the Guardian coming?”
“E-Everyone, calm down~ Yes, Esper Joo Dojoon, known as the Guardian, wanted to come, but he said he might be late or unable to come because his schedule doesn’t match.”
The sighs of disappointment from the prospective guides could be heard from the darkness. While watching anxiously, wondering why they were causing such great disappointment, the teacher had a plan.
“So, luckily, someone who stopped by the association for a re-examination~”
‘Damn, I hope it’s not the Vice Minister?’
Jaeha, startled, cursed inside first, but then a very familiar name reached his ears.
“Esper Seo Jaeyoon has come to help us.”
“Kyaa!”
“Jaeyoon! Jaeyoon!”
“Oppa, guide with me!”
The reaction was hot even though Jaeyoon wasn’t even visible yet. Meanwhile, Jaeha looked at the invisible darkness below the platform with a disgusted expression.
While he was displeased at having to hold hands with his brother in front of others, they hadn’t been able to meet since their eyes briefly met during the interview at the auditorium yesterday.
The sound of footsteps approaching the platform was clear. The voices of the guides calling for Jaeyoon subsided at the sound so clear that it seemed deliberate.
Jaeyoon, who climbed the platform through the darkness, was dressed in a jet-black uniform. He seemed to have styled his hair, revealing the scar on his forehead, but it matched the Esper’s solemnity. Black gloves were visible on his hands again, but there were no bandages on his wrist when he waved to the guides.
‘I guess it was an item after all.’
Relieved, Jaeha squinted, and Jaeyoon, who was greeting the darkness, turned around. Jaeha was surprised to face him directly on the platform, but soon thought, ‘Why am I surprised?’ and straightened his back and squared his shoulders.
“Then I’ll explain the order for the guiding demonstration. First, when an Esper and a guide meet, they must tell each other their grade and name. This is to confirm that they are the pre-arranged partners.”
Though introductions were unnecessary for siblings, Jaeha followed the teacher’s instructions.
“Well, you obviously know, but I’m your brother.”
At Jaeha’s grumpy tone, laughter erupted from the guides. A slight smile appeared on Jaeyoon’s lips, but then he introduced himself to the guides in the darkness, not Jaeha.
“A-class Esper Seo Jaeyoon.”
“A-class?”
“Wasn’t Esper Seo Jaeyoon B-class?”
To this, Jaeyoon continued calmly.
“Espers can enter a berserk state if they abuse mana, but they can also surpass their limits because of it. In my case, I’ve been working at my limit for quite a long time… and as a result, I received confirmation of my grade increase through a re-examination today.”
Despite Jaeyoon’s calm explanation, only words like ‘limit’ and ‘berserk’ caught Jaeha’s ears.
“Without the guide’s help, I wouldn’t have become A-class, let alone be standing here. That’s how desperately Espers need the help of you guides.”
The murmuring of the guides, which might have been a bit light-hearted, subsided. This time, Jaeyoon’s voice became solemn as he made eye contact with Jaeha.
“Thank you, hyung.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
