Maybe it was because Je-ha’s demeanor had suddenly turned gentle after realizing who I really was, but a wave of awkwardness hit me.
“…Huh?”
“Wouldn’t it be easier for you too? Yeon Yu-jin’s an idol, after all. It must’ve felt like wearing clothes that didn’t fit.”
“I mean, yeah, but…”
Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to say I’d go with him just yet.
Why was that? Guilt? The looming breach-of-contract penalty?
Unable to decide, I shook my head.
“…I’ll think about it. But right now, it’s just not possible.”
My clean refusal made Je-ha visibly deflate.
“…Can I ask why?”
“It’s simple. Sure, I’ve been confirmed as a C-rank Guide, but I cut a deal with the Director of the Bureau over that intruder incident. I’d rather not give them a reason to come after me.”
Even if the deal was officially about catching the intruder, if it even looked like I was using the privileges I earned for something else, the Bureau could immediately come down on me and start interrogations.
The Bureau might claim to exist for the benefit of awakened ability users, but when you go against them, they’re as ruthless as it gets.
If they catch wind of me having contact with Hyun Je-ha, they’ll change their tune real fast.
And worst case, not just Je-ha and me, but everyone now tied to me as “Yeon Yu-jin” could get dragged into danger.
Plus, I could lose the valuable privileges I gained in exchange for covering up the Bureau’s mistakes.
A pointless death after losing everything—not happening in this lifetime.
At the mention of the Bureau, Je-ha’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“…A deal? What kind of deal did you make with them?”
“Well…”
I told him about the mess I went through at the ability testing center, and how I managed to gain two special permissions in exchange for staying silent about it.
Je-ha’s expression hardened at once—tense enough to snap.
“…I see. So that’s how it is.”
I hadn’t seen this serious a face from him even after becoming Yeon Yu-jin. It made my heart tighten.
And maybe it was because he was good-looking, but even that fierce, vengeful expression didn’t look bad on him.
What the hell… Even when he came at me like he wanted to kill me before knowing who I was, I didn’t think he had a face like that in him.
The Je-ha I remembered was always all smiles in front of me—this transformation caught me off guard.
Then again, after twenty years of being hunted by the government, it was no surprise. Frankly, the real miracle was that he wasn’t a total bastard by now.
I snuck glances at him as he sat with his chin resting in his hand, lost in thought for a long time. I felt a tight, uneasy pressure in my chest.
…Is he upset about the Bureau thing? Or maybe I didn’t negotiate hard enough?
Were two conditions not enough? Should I have run my mouth harder and milked more out of them?
Back when I was a Guide, I didn’t stay in the rear getting protected—I was more of a frontline bruiser.
Maybe it showed. Maybe I looked like someone only good at brute-forcing things.
Dammit. Handling these kinds of negotiations was Je-ha’s department.
I could command combat like a pro, but whenever I opened my mouth around government officials, we’d always end up arguing. Je-ha was the one who had to step in and smooth things over.
I poked his arm, nervous for no reason.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Ah… Actually, I was watching from the moment you went into the testing center.”
“And?”
“The guy you mentioned… If my guess is right, he might be a prime suspect. The one who tried to kill you and steal your ability.”
“…What?”
It felt like someone dunked my heart into a bucket filled with dry ice.
“That guy was a multi-ability user. He was using a stealth artifact, but still—he made eye contact with me.”
“……”
“When I tried to chase him, he teleported away. Pretty weird, right? He looked no older than his mid to late twenties. But the way he bolted, like someone stabbed him… like he knew me.”
The implication was obvious.
“So that guy could be…”
“Yeah. He might be the one who killed you. This time, I think it’s for real.”
After hearing the rest of Je-ha’s story, I stomped my feet in frustration.
“I shouldn’t have let that fucker get away…!”
I was livid. I thought he was just another weirdo—but to think he might’ve been the one who killed me and stole my power?
“If I’d known, I would’ve smashed that damn simulator to pieces and burst out of there.”
My clenched fists were trembling. I wanted to kick, punch—anything to release this fury.
To think the bastard who branded me with the terror of death had been so close—and I’d let him slip away.
“That simulator was modeled after a real dungeon gate, wasn’t it? And you said it was S-rank. You went in with A-rank Espers and near-civilians. The fact that everyone made it out in one piece is already a huge win.”
“Still…”
“You did your best, Ga-hyun.”
A soft hand rested atop my head. Je-ha was gently patting me.
It was the same gesture he used back in the day to comfort me on especially rough nights. Even though I was the Guide—not him.
He smiled faintly, like moonlight—dim, worn down by time. It wasn’t the bright, innocent smile I remembered, but it was still his smile. Even with his hair turned white, and his eyes no longer black but blue. He was still Hyun Je-ha.
“You did good. And… thank you. For coming back, no matter what it took.”
Tears welled in Je-ha’s eyes as he smiled in silence.
He was someone who never cried, no matter how brutal things got. And now he was tearing up. My own nose stung in response.
“…No, thank you for recognizing me.”
Thank god he’d been sharp enough to see through it first. I had no clue how I was going to prove I was Ahn Ga-hyun.
“If you hadn’t recognized me, I’d have been really hurt.”
Even if our bond had broken after my death, we’d still been partners. All I felt now was gratitude for Je-ha, who’d never forgotten me.
“You’ve had it rough too, Je-ha… Thanks for holding out.”
This time I reached out to ruffle his hair. His face and ears immediately flushed red.
“Th-th-thanks for what?”
“You still blush when I touch you during guiding, huh?”
That was strange. When he pretended to be on the verge of rampaging, he was like a rabid dog who hadn’t eaten in three days. But now he was standing there, all shy and red-cheeked—like a pure-hearted boy.
“That’s… only because it’s you.”
Je-ha muttered under his breath, but I didn’t catch it. Because by now, a new anger was bubbling inside me.
“More importantly, this is probably because you’ve been getting barely any guiding for way too long.”
“…Mm.”
“Be honest. Don’t you dare dodge this—have you seriously not gotten proper contact guiding since I died? Your corrosion level was dangerously high.”
Given he’d been fighting a shadow war against the government all these years, there’s no way he hadn’t been in countless battles.
He’d triggered his Second Awakening in a rampage when they found my body—his corrosion must’ve been building since then.
When I guided him earlier, I’d checked his internal condition, and it was horrific.
The channels where an Esper’s energy flows were shredded to pieces, like a patchwork of torn-up veins.
“Spill it. Don’t even think about avoiding this.”
When I pressed him, Je-ha shifted his gaze to the side.
“…Can I plead the fifth?”
“The fifth? Are you serious, you little shit? What, you think you’ve got the right to remain silent just because you’re a wanted criminal now? Jesus. Want me to slap a gold sticker on your forehead that says ‘great job’?”
My sarcasm made Je-ha’s face turn even redder.
“…But you’re the only Guide for me. I didn’t want a new partner. I didn’t want contact guiding from anyone but you.”
What the hell are you even saying?
You’ll die at this rate.
“Do you even hear yourself? Remember what you always said whenever new Espers and Guides paired up?”
No matter how tragic it was to lose your partner in battle, you couldn’t spend the rest of your life mourning and refusing to guide.
“You told them not to get too emotionally attached. That guiding was a means of survival. That the ones still alive needed to keep living. Who said all that, huh?”
I couldn’t count how many colleagues had gotten back on their feet after hearing those words.
And now here he was, the one who said it all—refusing guiding like it was oxygen, just because he lost me.
“…You’re right. I messed up.”
“So your discipline went to shit. That it? You awakened a second time and hit S-rank, and now you think you’re invincible?”
“N-no! That’s not it…”
“Oh really? You do realize you’re in your fifties now, right? Still being this stubborn—is that some kind of world record?”
I tore into him with no mercy, not even giving him a chance to explain. Je-ha looked like he was torn between laughing and giving up.
“…Yup. That’s the Ga-hyun I know.”
“You just called me something, didn’t you?”
“Nope. Anyway… your phone’s buzzing in your pocket.”
“…Ah.”
He was right.
I’d been so caught up talking to Je-ha that I completely forgot—I’d ditched my manager and the Secreti members to run off into the woods.
Probably the manager calling. I should apologize…
But when I looked at the screen, I froze.
Ra Ho-yeon.
The leader of those baby Espers was calling me.
