# Chapter 32
When he opened his eyes, he saw a pure white ceiling.
Slowly looking around, Jeongyun realized he was in the hospital inside the headquarters. Someone must have moved him here.
“Are you awake?”
A nurse who had just entered the room asked when she saw that Jeongyun had regained consciousness. When Jeongyun tried to get up, the nurse firmly pressed his shoulder down, saying he still needed to rest.
Forced back into bed, Jeongyun stared blankly at the ceiling while the nurse checked his condition. The nurse, who had been busily scribbling something on a chart, said to Jeongyun:
“I’ll call the doctor.”
“Oh, okay.”
After the nurse left the room, Jeongyun was alone again. He wanted to return to the Guiding room soon, but it seemed they wouldn’t let him leave until the IV fluid was completely gone.
‘I need to get my pager.’
If there was someone he could ask, he would have them bring the pager from the Guiding room, but there was no one. He had stupidly left behind the essential item he should always carry.
Even now, a call might be coming from Domin. He couldn’t afford to miss the already infrequent calls, so after contemplating, Jeongyun finally got up from the bed.
Just as he was about to push the IV pole and go outside, the door opened and the doctor entered with nurses. The doctor smiled kindly at Jeongyun, who had stopped awkwardly at the unexpected encounter.
“Jeongyun seems to have plenty of energy.”
“Oh, hello.”
“Instead of greeting, I’d prefer if you went back to the bed.”
The doctor said with a bright smile. With his path completely blocked, Jeongyun had no choice but to obediently return to the bed and lie down as the doctor suggested.
“Didn’t you hear that you need to rest?”
“Well…”
“It’s good to work hard, but you could get seriously ill that way.”
In the past it might have been different, but now without Domin’s calls, he only spent meaningless time in the Guiding room.
Could this really be called working hard? Jeongyun rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“So, when can I be discharged?”
“I’d like to tell you to rest here for a day, but I don’t think you’ll listen.”
Since he had already tried to leave once, Jeongyun had nothing to say. Eventually, he got permission from the doctor to be discharged after the IV fluid was completely administered. Jeongyun looked up at the IV bag hanging on the pole. Unfortunately, there was still quite a bit left.
“You need to be careful. Your Guiding efficiency has noticeably decreased.”
“Why has my Guiding efficiency…”
“Guiding is ultimately like Espers using their abilities; Guides also use their own power. But it’s very sensitive and changes greatly depending not only on health but also emotions and mental state. That’s why Guiding needs to be done in a particularly stable environment.”
As the doctor said, Guiding efficiency fluctuated greatly depending on the Guide’s health, mental state, and emotions. That’s why Guides consistently managed their physical condition and received regular mental counseling.
Jeongyun had also diligently followed the headquarters’ program, so he had conducted Guiding without problems until now. There were no issues even when he provided Guiding without a break, but now it meant that even just Domin alone was too much for him.
“What’s the reason?”
“Obviously because you’ve been doing excessive Guiding, right?”
The doctor answered with a smile, as if asking why he was inquiring about something so obvious.
The frequency wasn’t particularly high to call it excessive Guiding. Yet, the fact that his body was showing abnormalities ultimately meant it was due to the grade difference.
“Will I be okay if I just control the Guiding well?”
“Since your efficiency has started to decrease, this phenomenon will repeat whenever your condition worsens.”
“…It will repeat?”
Jeongyun couldn’t hold back a sigh at the statement that things would keep happening like this without getting better. If his Guiding efficiency continued to decrease, Guiding itself might become useless no matter how much they increased the level of contact.
“Jeongyun, you’re the Guide who imprinted with Esper Choi Domin, right?”
“Oh, yes…”
“I thought your name sounded familiar.”
Since Domin was so famous, most people in the headquarters came to know Jeongyun’s name as his new dedicated Guide. Jeongyun smiled awkwardly, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed.
“I heard that Guide Yeo Jeongyun is C-grade.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I know it’s hard because of the grade difference, but please make sure to tell Esper Choi Domin. If an Esper doesn’t control themselves and pushes a Guide too hard, serious problems can occur.”
Instead of answering aloud to the doctor’s words, Jeongyun nodded.
Generally, Guides have full authority over Guiding decisions, but that wasn’t the case for Jeongyun and Domin. However, since he couldn’t bring himself to tell others about it, Jeongyun avoided the doctor’s gaze, feeling needlessly concerned.
Seeing Jeongyun’s dejected face, the doctor muttered in a voice mixed with a sigh:
“…This is why people should meet others of matching grades.”
That statement, which pierced his heart, was a miserable reality.
Even after the doctor and nurses finished their examination and left, Jeongyun couldn’t rest comfortably. The doctor’s words kept circling in his mind.
* * *
Perhaps thanks to receiving the full IV fluid, the fatigue that had been weighing him down was completely gone. But this was only a temporary effect. If he pushed himself even a little, he would lose consciousness again like today.
‘So basically, I need to take consistent care of myself.’
With a light body but heavy heart, Jeongyun returned to the Guiding room and first looked for his pager. Fortunately, it was neatly placed on the desk where he always left it.
When he carefully pressed the button, he could see the number of accumulated calls. A total of five. All were calls from Domin. As expected, his uneasy premonition was always right.
Just as he was about to press the confirmation button now, a vibration sounded from somewhere. Looking around, Jeongyun found his phone on the bed.
‘It’s Choi Domin.’
Seeing Domin’s name on the screen, Jeongyun pressed the call button without hesitation. As soon as he brought the phone to his ear, Domin shouted through the receiver:
[Why aren’t you answering the calls?]
Startled, Jeongyun hesitated to answer for a moment. But Domin, unable to wait even for that pause, urged him to answer quickly.
Jeongyun composed his voice and said:
“I’m sorry. Actually… I was sleeping and couldn’t answer.”
He made the excuse that he had been sleeping, thinking there was no need to mention that he had collapsed.
Although he was concerned it might seem like he was spending his work hours irresponsibly, fortunately, Domin seemed uninterested and glossed over that story.
[So, are you in the Guiding room now?]
“Yes, I’m in the Guiding room.”
[And you’ll be there tomorrow too?]
“Unless something special happens, I suppose so?”
[That’s fine then.]
The conversation ended abruptly, leading to silence. Just as Jeongyun was wondering if he should end the call tactfully, Domin continued with a short sigh:
[I’ll come to receive Guiding.]
“When will you come?”
[It’s not urgent, so maybe tomorrow?]
Jeongyun quickly went to the desk, took the calendar, and drew a circle on tomorrow’s date. Since becoming Domin’s dedicated Guide, he had been marking the days when Guiding was scheduled like this.
Looking from a distance, the circles drawn on the calendar were sparse. Even counting all of them, there weren’t even ten, showing how rarely Domin came for Guiding. Yet, it was just bitter that there was a problem with Guiding efficiency.
“Um… Choi Domin. I have something to tell you.”
After contemplating, Jeongyun finally brought up the subject.
He had spoken to Domin about controlling the intensity before, but at that time, they were in the middle of Guiding, so it wasn’t a situation where they could have a proper conversation.
So he needed to persuade Domin now, when they could talk with clear minds. If things continued like this, Guiding efficiency would completely decrease, which wouldn’t be good for either of them.
[What is it?]
“For a while, I’d like you to… control the intensity of the Guiding.”
Even after Jeongyun finished speaking, there was no answer. Just as he was tensing up, wondering if Domin would reject like before, Domin gave the answer he had been waiting for.
[Let’s do that. It wasn’t urgent anyway.]
Unlike his worry, Domin’s answer was positive.
Jeongyun, who had been momentarily dazed, quickly covered his mouth to prevent a cheer from bursting out. Thank goodness. It really was fortunate.
[Guide Yeo Jeongyun?]
When no sound was heard, Domin called for Jeongyun on the other end. Calming his racing emotions, Jeongyun composed his voice.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
