# Chapter 89
After the door closed, Hajin turned his head and apologized to those who were still staring at him.
“First, I’d like to apologize for calling you all here at such a late hour. I was so preoccupied that I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”
After bowing neatly and raising his head, Hajin continued as if giving a presentation.
“Now I’ll begin the Guiding. First…”
Before Hajin could finish speaking, someone hastily stood up at the mention of Guiding.
“Me first! Guide me first!”
As the Esper approached without waiting for a response, Hajin raised his hand to stop him, but someone else intercepted the excited Esper first.
“Hey, Kim Deokjung. Are you the only one in a hurry? Calm down.”
Kim Deokjung flared up angrily in response.
“Calm down? CALM DOWN?! You can say that because your levels aren’t dangerous, but mine are hanging by a thread! I’m already pissed that those Association bastards made me wait because I didn’t show preliminary symptoms, and now you’re getting in my way?!”
Despite experiencing pain from unstable wavelengths, he had been forced to wait endlessly because he showed no preliminary symptoms.
Unable to contain himself, Kim Deokjung shoved Cho Hyunwoo who was blocking his way.
Fights don’t happen if one person chooses to be patient. But Espers weren’t known for patience. Cho Hyunwoo stumbled back a step after being pushed, then contorted his face in anger.
“You bastard… Did you just push me?”
The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. Despite their unstable wavelengths, they seemed to forget that fact as they prepared to use their abilities.
‘Is someone looking to die here?’
Hajin, who had been confused and bewildered since they started arguing verbally, quickly stepped in when it threatened to escalate to physical violence.
He had planned to calmly explain the situation before beginning treatment, but in this situation, it seemed best to just put them to sleep.
As dense Radiative Guiding spread from Hajin, the Espers’ gazes locked onto him like bees and butterflies drawn to a flower.
“This is…”
Even those who had been agitated and on the verge of fighting stared at Hajin with their mouths hanging open, just like everyone else.
Their minds grew calm to the point where they wondered why they had been so angry in the first place.
That wasn’t all. The pain that had felt like needles pricking their veins disappeared. Their hypersensitive skin that had been reacting to the flowing air grew quiet.
They were witnessing a miracle named Lee Hajin.
“J-just a little more…”
Someone intoxicated by this newfound ecstasy took a small step toward Hajin. Seeing this, nearby Espers moved as if not wanting to be outdone, and this movement spread to everyone in the room.
The sight of multiple people approaching like zombies or zealots was quite terrifying. Goosebumps rose on Hajin’s arms as he instinctively held back his retreating feet and poured out even more Guiding.
The strong, intense Guiding made those approaching fall asleep helplessly.
Looking down at the people who had collapsed in heaps, Hajin finally sighed. He then turned around, opened the door, and called for Ha Sungjin.
“I need some help.”
“Yes! Just say the word.”
At his response, Hajin fully opened the door that he had only slightly cracked to reveal the scene inside.
“Uhh…?”
At first, Ha Sungjin thought they were just piles of discarded clothes, despite the multicolored hair visible. That’s how unbelievable the sight of Espers collectively collapsed and asleep was.
“W-what is this…?”
Ha Sungjin looked at Hajin with an expression that demanded explanation. His pupils shook uncontrollably, showing how shocked he was.
Hajin spoke with a slightly embarrassed face.
“They suddenly started fighting… so I put them to sleep.”
“Put to sleep— wait, all of these people?”
Hajin silently nodded. Ha Sungjin stared blankly at the sleeping Espers as his understanding of reality collapsed.
In fact, the conventional Radiative Guiding was known to be inefficient. It was only used when there were special circumstances or when there was no alternative.
That made sense. Why waste precious Guiding in the air when you could efficiently Guide someone just by holding their hand?
Normally, that would be correct, but…
“So I need to move them to separate locations, but I can’t manage alone, which is why I need to request some people.”
Ha Sungjin heard Hajin’s words with his ears, but his mind was still struggling to process the current situation. When his wandering gaze settled on the sleeping Espers, Hajin snapped his fingers to get his attention.
*Snap!*
“Ack!”
At the crisp sound, Ha Sungjin jolted and came to his senses.
“I’d appreciate it if you could bring help quickly. I want to finish and go home.”
“Ah, yes, yes. I’ll bring them right away.”
It was only after Hajin showed signs of fatigue that Ha Sungjin began to move quickly. Turning back and entering the room again, Hajin decided to first treat the Espers who had fallen asleep separately from the pile.
Just turning over the fallen bodies required significant effort. They were muscle-bound figures weighing nearly 100 kilograms, and being asleep made it even harder to position them properly.
‘I wish… they’d bring someone… with some strength…!’
“Huff, whew…”
Using just arm strength wasn’t enough; he had to use his entire body. After barely managing to turn one person over, Hajin caught his breath quickly and opened the sleeping Esper’s mouth with his hand.
It was somewhat amusing that he was finally performing the mouth-to-mouth contact Guiding that he had initially imagined when thinking about contact with Espers.
With his tongue meeting the limp tongue of the Esper, he quickly infused Guiding energy and lifted his body. Though it felt like it took five minutes to turn the body over, the treatment itself took less than 30 seconds.
Just then, Ha Sungjin returned with people. With additional manpower, the work proceeded quickly.
Hajin briefly compared his arms with those of an employee who, unlike his own struggling, effortlessly turned over the muscular bodies using just arm strength.
‘It’s because I couldn’t exercise while I was kidnapped.’
Making an excuse that no one had asked for, Hajin pressed his lips to the second Esper. The employees would turn over those who had fallen face-down, Hajin would treat them, and then other staff would take the treated individuals and lay them down separately.
Hajin was satisfied with the Association’s handling of the situation for the first time as things proceeded efficiently. Without unnecessary movement processes and with faster treatment speed, the situation was resolved in no time.
After Guiding the last Esper, Hajin straightened his body that had been folded while kneeling. Patting his slightly numb thighs, he bowed to Ha Sungjin and the employees he had brought.
“Thank you. Thanks to your help, we finished quickly.”
They hurriedly bowed in return. They had all been considerably surprised and had expected Hajin to be arrogant since it was clearly their fault.
“N-not at all. We should be the ones apologizing and thanking you. We haven’t even properly compensated you yet, and you’ve had to work so hard when you’ve been back for only a few days…”
It hadn’t even been a few days. Hajin had treated all these Espers after resting for just one day. Moreover, he hadn’t complained or expressed any dissatisfaction during that long time.
Hajin was already in a position of authority, and after the kidnapping incident, he had become someone they dared not cross. Yet he showed no signs of difficulty at all.
They would have had nothing to say even if he had gotten angry about having to clean up the mess, but he had silently performed the Guiding and even maintained a polite attitude, which ultimately moved them.
‘There are Guides like this too…’
What were Guides in the Association? Even low-ranking Guides received special treatment, while high-ranking Guides wielded virtually unlimited power.
After always having to serve Guides, meeting someone like Hajin left them dumbfounded. However, Hajin responded with the same attitude as before.
“It’s fine. It was a time-sensitive matter. Now that the treatment is done, may I go home?”
“Of course! We’ll escort you right away!”
Hajin turned away, receiving greetings from the employees whose attitudes had markedly changed. As he returned to the waiting room, Lee Doyoon, hearing his footsteps, opened the door first.
“We’re leaving now, right?”
Doyoon took Hajin’s hand, which had been extended to open the door, and walked toward the main entrance. He wanted nothing more than to pick Hajin up and run. It would actually be faster than taking a car.
“Why tire yourself out unnecessarily? You told me to accept good treatment when it’s offered. Let’s ride.”
But as Hajin said this while taking Doyoon’s hand and leading him, Doyoon had no choice but to follow. His heart even fluttered at the sight of Hajin holding his hand and leading the way.
“Hyung, you’re cool.”
“Thank you.”
Hajin didn’t understand why Doyoon suddenly said that, but he thanked him for the compliment. As they walked out hand in hand, a vehicle that Ha Sungjin had quickly arranged was waiting.
Leaning back on the plush seat, Hajin experienced the feeling of leaving work for the first time in a long while. Of course, this luxurious commute home was a first for him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
