Kwon Ho-eun scooped up a big spoonful of egg porridge and slipped it into his mouth, glancing gloomily at his guide watch. He could’ve sworn it was over 70% last night when he checked in the bathroom. But now, after a single night’s sleep, Do In-ho’s guiding rate had dropped to 64%.
It wasn’t like Do In-ho had used his ability overnight, so seeing it drop like this made Ho-eun start to doubt himself.
Am I guiding him wrong somehow…?
Even while he was feeling this messed up inside, the egg porridge Do In-ho had cooked tasted ridiculously good. Perfectly nutty and just the right amount of savory. Ho-eun held out his empty bowl to Do In-ho.
“So, what kind of field are we going to today?”
Do In-ho took the bowl Ho-eun handed him and naturally filled it with more egg porridge. Before giving it back, he blew on it gently to cool it down.
“We’re headed to the Civil Complaints Division today.”
“What’s that department even do?”
“…The Civil Complaints Division…”
***
[Civil Complaints Division]
The Civil Complaints Division is part of the Esper Corporation’s Seoul Headquarters. It mainly handles complaints received from the government and private companies, which is why it’s often nicknamed the “Grunt Work Division.”
The danger and difficulty level of their fieldwork is very low, so the amount of guiding energy consumed by Espers is also minimal. Because of that, Guides assigned to the division don’t usually go out into the field—instead, they wait in the office to guide Espers when they return.
From the outside, it might look like a cushy department everyone would envy, but the Espers working there don’t see it that way.
It’s where Espers go when they’re not ready for proper field assignments. The lowest tier among those called Espers.
That stigma clings to everyone in the Civil Complaints Division like a tail.
As a result, the office atmosphere is always gloomy. On days when there’s no fieldwork and all the Espers are in the office, even turning on every fluorescent light can’t make the place feel bright.
With a vibe like mold is about to grow in the corners of the walls, Guide Kim Mi-young, who works in the division, made it a point to use her paid leave on days when there was no fieldwork.
“What the hell? Why are we suddenly having a morning meeting?”
Kim Mi-young’s expression turned sour first thing in the morning, thanks to an announcement posted in the company group chat after hours. A meeting? In the Civil Complaints Division? Unless the topic was something like “How do we brighten the office mood?” there was literally no point.
She scanned her employee badge at the terminal to enter the office. A beep sounded, and the automatic doors slid open.
“Hey, there’s dust over there!”
“Sorry, Team Lead!”
“Guys, try to arrange the Ability Tools naturally!”
“Yesmaam!”
“What the hell are they doing…?”
The large, burly men of the team were bustling around, cleaning the office. On top of that, they were holding what looked like decorative kendo swords and fussing over where to place them.
“Team Lead Kim Mi-young, good morning.”
“Yeah… but what’s with all the commotion? You said there was a morning meeting, but…”
She glanced around and wiped her desk with her hand. Not a speck of dust. The place was so clean it was unnerving. Kim Mi-young rubbed her goosebump-covered arm.
“Today, D-Do In-ho Esper-nim is visiting! Ahem!”
“D-Domino?”
She echoed the unfamiliar name, and the staff member turned bright red.
“Not Domino! Do. In. Ho! Esper-nim!”
“Never heard of him.”
“Well, he’s not really someone Guides refer to by name, so you might not know.”
A guy with bright yellow hair walked into the office with a lollipop in his mouth. Ha-jun, team lead of the ragtag Civil Complaints Division Espers, began spraying air freshener like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Guides call him Shifok, though.”
Psshh. Psshh.
A pleasant white musk scent wafted through the room. Kim Mi-young twitched her eyebrows at the nickname. She might not know “Do In-ho,” but Shifok? That, she knew.
The Esper who breaks Guides.
Espers with crystal implants consume an insane amount of guiding energy. If a C-Class Guide like Kim Mi-young made physical contact with one, she might pass out mid-guiding. And now someone like that was coming here?
“Are you nuts? Why would someone like him come here?”
“It’s so unbelievable it’s driving me crazy too. To think we’ll actually meet him in person…”
Ha-jun wiped a tear from the corner of his left eye, clearly overcome with emotion. Do In-ho. Whatever Guides might call him, he was a legend among Espers.
The strongest among flame-type Espers—Blue Flame. Unlike them, who only got minor assignments, he handled all the most dangerous operations.
Any Esper naturally admired someone stronger or rarer than themselves. The Civil Complaints Division was made up of D- and C-class Espers—rock bottom. They couldn’t escape their tier no matter how hard they tried.
So they looked up to stronger Espers and lived vicariously through them, projecting their aspirations onto those elite few.
Since Do In-ho worked mostly off the grid, he was rarely seen, but every major incident always included him. Like the recent Tiger Incident, for example.
Of course, no one from the Civil Complaints Division had been involved in that one.
“Esper Do In-ho said he wanted to experience our field operations.”
The meeting was to discuss the fact that Esper Do In-ho had expressed interest in working jointly with their department. Kim Mi-young scowled in irritation.
“Seriously? He’s already seen every kind of field. Why would he come to this… this low-tier shitshow?”
“Esper Do In-ho said he wanted to shoot a video about Esper fieldwork and thought our department was the most suitable. This is our chance to prove we’re not just the ‘Grunt Work Division’ anymore—we’re the Civil Complaints Division! Time to show our best side!”
“We can do it! We can do it!”
Ha-jun’s enthusiastic voice and the team’s rallying cries filled the room. The Espers cheered like kids, locking arms and looking determined.
They’re really this happy just because Do In-ho’s coming?
Kim Mi-young could tell the meeting was going to spiral into endless praise for Do In-ho, so she grabbed her notebook and stood up.
“But does this Do In-ho guy even have access to get in here? He doesn’t have an employee badge, right?”
“…”
The office, which had just been lit up with excitement, dimmed all at once. That’s right—Do In-ho was an Esper who didn’t have a badge. The reason he hadn’t interacted with this division before was simple: the Esper Corporation HQ required employee badges for literally everything.
Every entrance—offices, even the front door of the building—only opened with a badge scan.
“Maybe someone else is coming instead? Maybe he just made the call himself…”
“See? There’s no way someone as busy as him would come here.”
The team’s hopeful voices faded into groans of despair. Seeing everyone slump back into their usual depressed state weirdly made Kim Mi-young feel a little better.
“Well. In that case… how about I guide you all myself today—just for old time’s—”
Beep.
The team, just exiting the meeting room, all turned at once toward the sound of the scanner.
The automatic doors opened, and a man with ash-brown hair walked in, smiling with his eyes. His round eyes and softly upturned corners caught Kim Mi-young’s gaze immediately.
While she was blushing and getting flustered at the sight of the handsome man, someone else followed him in.
The first thing that caught the eye was his massive frame. Muscles bulged through the gaps in his suit, a stark contrast to the Civil Complaints Espers. His sharp monolid eyes radiated intensity. The moment Kim Mi-young locked eyes with him—
Every hair on her body stood on end.
“Gasp!”
While Kim Mi-young froze, Ha-jun, following behind, swallowed his breath like it was his last. It felt like going bungee jumping. Freefalling and rebounding, his whole world swinging up and down.
“I’m Do In-ho. I called yesterday.”
Everyone who had been shouting “Do In-ho” earlier instinctively dropped their eyes to the same spot—his chest. Or rather, even lower, to the green badge clipped to his belt.
The green badge—only given to personnel assigned to dangerous fieldwork.
Ha-jun, jaw dropped, hurried to close it with his hand and sobbed internally. He didn’t have a badge before, and now he’s been promoted? It was the moment his hidden fandom exploded. What could this man possibly be lacking, Esper Do In-ho!!!
***
Ho-eun sat in the conference room, sipping on the coffee a staff member had handed him. That morning, when he’d asked what kind of place the Civil Complaints Division was, Do In-ho had thought for a while before answering,
“It’s the department closest to civilians.”
That answer hadn’t made much sense. But now that he was actually here… he still had no clue what this place was.
Through the open meeting room door, Ho-eun scanned the busy staff. A man with bright red hair, like a rose in bloom, was holding a sword hilt, carefully wiping down the blade with a wet tissue.
Is that even how you’re supposed to maintain a blade…?
“Hey Red, doing your usual sword maintenance?”
“Of course, Green. You never know when I’ll need to swing this.”
“Ha ha, well then. Can’t let you outdo me. Time to begin my own hardcore training.”
The guy called Green, with teal-colored hair, grabbed a throwing knife and squared up at a target on the office wall. The blade clanged against the wall and dropped to the floor. Ho-eun quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.
“So, you’re saying you’re here to film a promo video for the PR department?”
“Yes.”
The man who’d introduced himself as Team Lead Ha-jun said he was an Esper with the Civil Complaints Division.
“Actually, we tried to line up a few sites after you said you wanted to join the field yesterday. Normally, we’re really busy, but it’s a slow spell, so the mission level might be a little… easy for you…”
He lied through his teeth without a single drop of saliva. Kim Mi-young, seated nearby, was probably making that “tastes like crap” face, but Ha-jun couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t want to look lame in front of someone he admired.
Of course, there was no way he could ever be on the same level as Do In-ho. But at least he didn’t want to be utterly embarrassing.
The Guide sitting beside Esper Do In-ho was wearing the same green badge, so he must’ve been part of his team.
If the place Do In-ho brought him to looked pathetic, that Guide might think even less of him! That can’t happen!
“As you can probably tell from our code names, our team is called the ‘Colorful Rangers.’ Ahem. We also do volunteer work for the country outside of our regular duties.”
“So… the names you’re calling each other now are…?”
“Code names. I’m Yellow. It’s a bit old-school, but we all grew up on Power Rangers, so it stuck.”
As he answered Ho-eun’s question, Ha-jun twisted his hair between his fingers, clearly embarrassed.
“Oh. C-Cool! You’re definitely… a unique department.”
Ho-eun bit down on his lower lip. He barely managed to suppress a laugh that threatened to burst out. He knew he shouldn’t mock people’s sincerity, but this one was tough. What kind of department even is this? Wait, is this their concept? Ho-eun reached into his bag and pulled out a camcorder.
“Then, would it be alright if we start by introducing the team members one by one? With their code names?”
His eyes sparkled dangerously as he found the perfect camera angle. Watching Ho-eun light up, Do In-ho smiled faintly—completely unaware that something had already gone very, very wrong.
