# Chapter 24
After drying my hair and changing into my uniform, I went out. Time was tight, but I managed to reach the main gate just within the time I had set.
Byun Tae-young was standing in front of a magnificent car like a model.
It was a car that only had a few in Korea, and it suited Tae-young perfectly.
I had seen him at the training ground, but seeing him posing like that under natural sunlight, the expression “breathtakingly handsome” seemed to fit him exactly.
Even in the novel, several paragraphs were devoted to explaining his good looks, but seeing him in person made me think those descriptions weren’t enough.
When he saw me, he checked his watch once and nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Once we got in the car, he skillfully sped through the streets.
“I wanted to tell you something.”
While listening to him, I admired the glamorous streets.
It had been a while since I’d been outside the Center.
‘Wow. Was that building there before? I think that’s my first time seeing it. It’s so pretty. The whole street looks upscale.’
“Are you listening, Seo Eunwoo?”
I was turning my head back to look at the buildings disappearing in the distance when I heard Tae-young’s voice.
“Ah… yes.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could focus.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Good. I wanted to talk about something. As you know, Lee Ha-min Guide is special. His Guiding method is unique. Unlike other typical Guides, he hardly uses sexual contact. Just holding hands or hugging is enough to calm the waves. When the waves reach dangerous levels, only the Esper takes off their top and Ha-min touches them. Then our waves stabilize.”
“…Yes.”
“There have been times when I nearly went berserk and a few times when I actually did, but each time Ha-min guided me like that. We’ve never kissed. No mucous membrane kisses, not even touching lips.”
But why was he telling me this?
It would be better if he told other Espers or Guides.
Then the misunderstandings about Ha-min would disappear.
“The fight that day happened for that reason. The Espers said vulgar things to Ha-min Guide. Then they tried to grab Ha-min Guide, and when he avoided them, they got angry. That’s how it happened. I think it would be good if the S-class Espers would clarify this.”
“It’s not a simple matter. Other Guides actually do Guiding that way, so what would that say about their Guiding? Don’t you agree?”
So that’s what he was thinking?
I was confused, wondering if I had been the only one misunderstanding them all this time.
“Do you really think we should say that? Ha-min is different from other Guides. Unlike other Guides, he performs Guiding without kisses or sexual contact. Like that? Should other Guides serve as foils just to highlight Ha-min Guide?”
“…”
After listening to him repeatedly, I understood that this wasn’t a simple matter.
“Still, I’m glad you’ve become close with Ha-min. We couldn’t find a solution. After the Gate appeared, we hit a wall. That’s when… I think I first thought we could die in the dungeon. It was frightening. I wanted to act like I wasn’t afraid of any dungeon or monster at any time, but I couldn’t.”
I was confused because I never expected him to reveal such deep feelings in front of me.
“We knew Ha-min was afraid of being with us, but we didn’t have the capacity to take care of him too. We knew he was struggling a lot, but we weren’t good at expressing it. Everyone was probably the same. So I was grateful to you. It seemed like you knew a language we didn’t know and could communicate with him. It was actually nice to see. That guy has become much brighter since hanging out with you.”
I was truly surprised to hear that.
How much has the novel’s content changed?
The world and other elements seem to flow almost unchanged, but has the relationship between offense and defense been completely overhauled?
The surprising revelations continued.
Although it wasn’t confirmed yet and I had only heard his side, if what Tae-young said was true, then I had greatly misunderstood the S-class Espers all this time.
While I was wondering how much I should believe and how wrong I had been, the car slowly came to a stop.
We were in front of a street filled with glamorous buildings.
The crowd was bustling, and music flowed from various places.
So this is how people in the city live.
The appearance of the dungeon hasn’t stopped their lives.
Thanks to the Espers’ activities, these people enjoy their lives, taking it for granted that tomorrow will come.
With these thoughts, I got out of the car, and people passing by on the street looked at us.
The Center’s uniform seemed to catch their eye.
And soon I could hear whispering.
“It’s Byun Tae-young…!”
“Oh my god! It’s really Byun Tae-young!”
When a few people shouted, more and more turned to look, and in an instant, people surrounded us.
Some cheered and screamed, and camera flashes went off everywhere.
It was like the popularity of a celebrity.
During this, Tae-young approached me with a cold expression and raised his arm over my shoulder.
The hand I thought would soon rest on my shoulder didn’t touch it.
He seemed to be walking with his arm raised to protect me.
Even an S-class Esper wasn’t allowed to use their abilities to harm ordinary people, so he seemed to be trying not to escalate the situation.
Following his lead, we entered a quiet restaurant.
As if there had been a reservation, the staff skillfully welcomed us.
It seemed like a place where only a chosen few could enter, but even the people inside showed interest in Tae-young’s appearance.
It was interesting to see how anxious they were to show even a little acquaintance with Tae-young, despite being people who would normally be the center of attention themselves.
I newly realized what kind of person Tae-young was and truly felt the status of an S-class Esper.
When we sat down, service began without taking separate orders.
However, there was no time to focus on the elaborate plating, delicious food, or excellent service.
This was because of what he said next.
“While investigating the dungeon where the ‘Gate’ appeared, I became curious. Woo-jin Hyung isn’t someone who gives empty compliments, but he’s also not someone who passes his achievements to others. I mean, he’s the type to claim what he’s done. But he clearly said that wasn’t his doing. Because we shouldn’t lie carelessly about our abilities. We’re not competing to see who’s the best; we need to find ways to respond when the Gate appears next time.”
It seemed like this wasn’t something I could just pretend not to know about and move on.
After saying that, he didn’t continue for a while.
His firm determination to get a definite answer this time was evident.
A heavy silence hung over us during the meal.
It was torture.
I couldn’t even tell if the meat was going into my mouth or my nose.
‘Sigh…’
Still, for now, I focused on eating as if I didn’t understand why he was telling me this.
Finally, he asked.
“Seo Eunwoo. Who are you?”
Like the sunset coloring the horizon, his eyes looking at me wavered.
“It doesn’t seem like you’re asking because you don’t know, but let me tell you again: I am D-class Esper Seo Eunwoo.”
At those words, he looked at me and burst out laughing.
So that’s how you want to play it.
That’s what his eyes seemed to say.
After that, he asked many questions as if trying to find out more about me, but I could only give the same kind of answers each time.
I had absolutely no intention of revealing that I was the one who eliminated the Gate and then entering the final dungeon like a martyr, receiving hollow cheers on behalf of everyone.
While I was willing to help everyone fighting for their lives, I had no intention of shouldering the fate of humanity alone.
I had already played that sucker role once in a martial arts game, trading the title of hero for the responsibility of others’ lives and peaceful existence—that was enough.
“I hope it was an enjoyable time. I hope you’ll want to come back. If so, come often, Seo Eunwoo.”
That’s what he said to me after I finished the meal.
“It was an interesting experience, but I think once is enough.”
The hint of expectation that had briefly appeared crumbled away, and he snickered.
“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”
In the car on the way back, he talked about Ha-min.
More precisely, it was about the stabilizer Ha-min had mentioned.
“About that stabilizer. I wonder why we didn’t think of it sooner. Well, until now, we didn’t know how amazing the Center’s researchers were.”
“Is there any progress?”
“It seems so. It will take time to commercialize, but they’re rushing as much as possible. It seems like they can gradually improve the performance of the stabilizer. Right now, they say it has the effect of a D-class Guide holding hands and stabilizing waves, but the researchers are very enthusiastic. Later, we might expect the effect of an A-class or S-class Guide’s Guiding.”
“That’s good.”
“But why are you so nice to Ha-min? It’s strange to see. If it were just your personality, I’d understand, but you’re not the type to get along well with people or be nice to someone, are you?”
As much as that might be true about me, I didn’t want to hear that observation from Byun Tae-young.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
