# Chapter 39
What are the chances of a C-class Guide meeting someone as high-ranking as the Center Director? And a private meeting at that. This was definitely a situation to be nervous about.
‘No, don’t be nervous.’
There was no reason to be tense or afraid since he hadn’t done anything wrong.
After taking a deep breath, Jeongyun folded his hands neatly and stepped forward. The Center Director, who had been gazing out the window, turned around when he heard footsteps.
“Welcome.”
His stern expression softened into a gentle smile, though the unusual glint in his eyes remained unchanged.
“Hello, Director. I’m a C-class Guide from the Guide Department—”
Jeongyun bowed deeply and tried to introduce himself according to protocol, but the Director raised his hand to stop him.
“No need for such formal greetings. Come here and sit down.”
Following the Director’s gesture, Jeongyun awkwardly sat on the sofa placed next to the Director’s office.
The Director snapped his fingers, and a secretary appeared silently, placing cups of tea in front of them before leaving.
“You’re Yeo Jeongyun Guide, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Jeongyun sat up straight as he answered. Although the Director smiled and told him not to be nervous, he couldn’t possibly relax.
“Sorry for calling you so suddenly. You must have been surprised when you received the summons.”
“It’s fine.”
“That’s good then.”
After finishing the meaningless introduction, the Director took a sip of the hot tea. He seemed satisfied with the properly brewed tea, a smile spreading across his face.
Watching him, Jeongyun carefully picked up his cup and took a small sip. It was a tea he’d never tasted before, with both floral scent and sweetness.
“Is it good? The tea leaves were quite difficult to obtain.”
“Y-yes, it seems so.”
In truth, Jeongyun couldn’t tell the difference between this and the teabags in the Guiding room, but he agreed with the Director anyway. After all, he couldn’t possibly relax enough to appreciate tea in this situation.
The quiet tea time continued for a while.
The Director would ask questions, and Jeongyun would answer sincerely. It seemed the Director was trying to help Jeongyun relax, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.
“Well, I shouldn’t keep a busy person too long. Let’s get straight to the point.”
The Director finished the light conversation and put down his teacup. Jeongyun, who had also finished his tea by then, carefully placed his cup down without making a sound, following the Director’s lead.
“You discovered him, right?”
“Yes, who do you…”
“Min Hwayeon Esper, I mean.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Upon hearing Jeongyun’s answer, the Director leaned back deeper into the sofa with a heavy sigh. Judging by his serious expression, the conversation about to begin wouldn’t be light.
‘What is he going to say?’
The brief silence that followed made Jeongyun’s mind race. He tried to steady his shaking eyes and waited for the Director’s tightly closed lips to open.
“Could you bring that for me?”
When the Director spoke toward the empty space behind him, a secretary appeared from somewhere and handed him a file. Then, just as silently as when he had set down the teacups, he disappeared.
“I think it’s better for you to see this directly rather than me explaining.”
The Director passed the file he received from the secretary to Jeongyun.
The name “Min Hwayeon” was written in large letters on the cover of the file. Jeongyun opened the document and slowly read its contents.
[Min Hwayeon. 19 years old. Fire-type. A-class Esper. Special note: Memory appears incomplete, possibly due to trauma from manifestation pain. Potential child soldier for anti-government Espers.]
Jeongyun’s eyes widened as he read through the document.
Child soldier for anti-government Espers. It was like a terrible rumor about kidnapping young Espers, brainwashing them, and raising them as terrorists—something horrific just to hear about.
And Hwayeon might be a victim of what he thought was a lie. Though it wasn’t confirmed, the fact that it was noted in the document meant suspicious evidence had been found.
“Have you finished reading?”
“…Oh, yes.”
Jeongyun gently placed the document on the table and straightened his back again. The Director, who had been finishing his tea, also sat up from his relaxed position.
The Director’s face turned serious as he looked straight at Jeongyun. Under his intense gaze, Jeongyun stiffened even more and swallowed hard.
“The reason I called you, Yeo Jeongyun Guide, is to ask you to handle Min Hwayeon Esper’s Guiding.”
“Min Hwayeon Esper’s Guiding?”
Though Hwayeon’s rank was high, he hadn’t even put on a Choker yet. For the Director to personally request Guiding in a situation where they didn’t know what choice he would make—this matter must be urgent.
But Hwayeon was an A-class Esper, and Jeongyun was a C-class Guide. Knowing how much difference in rank affects Guiding, Jeongyun couldn’t understand the Director’s proposal.
“Aren’t there many other Guides besides me?”
“We have tried, but Min Hwayeon Esper has rejected all other Guides. Quite violently, I might add.”
The Director emphasized the word “violently.”
Jeongyun recalled the half-burned building he had seen before coming here. That must have been the trace of Hwayeon’s violent rejection.
“Min Hwayeon Esper is one of the few A-class Espers we have. We can’t afford to lose such talent. But as you know, he’s only recently manifested his ability and is very unskilled at controlling it. There have been no casualties yet, but he’s like a ticking time bomb. That’s why he needs Guiding even more.”
“It doesn’t have to be me.”
“No, only you are possible.”
The Director was extremely firm.
Jeongyun, momentarily speechless, collected himself and tried to explain why he was unsuitable for this task.
But before he could even open his mouth, the Director cut him off.
“Have you heard of the Imprinting effect?”
“…This is my first time hearing about it.”
“They say baby ducks consider the first thing they see after hatching to be their mother. Though rare, in Min Hwayeon Esper’s case, most of his memories were erased due to manifestation pain. His mind became completely blank, you might say. And in that state, the first person he saw was you, Yeo Jeongyun Guide.”
“You mean Min Hwayeon Esper—”
“Has no choice but to follow you.”
Now Jeongyun began to understand Hwayeon’s inexplicable behavior.
If it was due to the Imprinting effect, Hwayeon had no choice but to blindly follow Jeongyun, the first person he saw. Just like a duckling identifies whatever it sees first after hatching as its mother.
“You won’t even need to do deep Contact Guiding. Just holding his hand should be enough.”
The Director asked again. Just holding hands, he said. Jeongyun knew better than anyone that with such a difference in ranks, that alone would not be enough for proper Guiding.
“…No, I’m not suitable.”
Jeongyun politely declined the Director’s offer.
Regardless of the rank difference, he was Domin’s Dedicated Guide. According to their secret contract, he should refrain from guiding other Espers as much as possible, so keeping that promise was the priority. Of course, Domin probably wouldn’t care at all.
“Hmm, aren’t you deciding too quickly?”
“No, I’d come to the same conclusion no matter how many times I think about it.”
During the uncomfortable silence that followed, someone knocked on the door. The Director’s face brightened as he looked toward the source of the sound, as if he had been waiting for this.
“Come in.”
The person who entered with the Director’s permission was the researcher who had guided Jeongyun here earlier. The researcher glanced at Jeongyun before approaching the Director and handing him something.
‘What is that?’
It looked like a document, but nothing was written on the black file cover. The researcher whispered something to the Director before leaving the office.
The Director’s lips curled into a smirk as he opened the file. Then he showed it to Jeongyun, keeping it open.
“Isn’t this enough?”
What the Director showed Jeongyun was a document with matching rates.
Min Hwayeon Esper and Yeo Jeongyun Guide had a 90% matching rate. Even without considering the rank difference, it was an incredible figure. It was amazing that such a matching rate could exist between an A-class Esper and a C-class Guide.
“With this rate, light Contact Guiding should be sufficient.”
As the Director said, with this level of matching rate, simply holding hands could eliminate most side effects. Even Domin, who had imprinted on Jeongyun, didn’t have this high a rate. Why was his matching rate with Hwayeon so high? If only his matching rate with Domin had been this high…
“Don’t overthink it. Just come in daily and simply hold his hand. I’m sure Choi Domin Esper would understand that much.”
“…”
“Come to the center for just one hour a day. We’ll provide a special allowance separately. If Yeo Jeongyun Guide wants, we can offer other benefits too.”
Seeing Jeongyun’s wavering eyes, the Director didn’t miss the opportunity. But Jeongyun gently closed the document and handed it back to the Director.
“I’m sorry. I think it would be better to find another Guide.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
