3
Jihwan couldn’t believe the situation before his eyes. A guide who could heal ordinary people? Is there such a thing?
But just a moment ago, he had clearly guided him.
Guiding involves filling an esper’s internal energy, which can also increase the recovery speed of espers, who already recover much faster than ordinary people. Jihwan remembered receiving that kind of guiding.
As Jihwan stammered in shock, even pointing his finger, Team 1 flew in.
As the number “1” suggested, Team 1 was considered the elite among the Hero Center.
With SSS-class esper and Korean Hero Center’s Esper Department Director Woo Minjae as their leader, Team 1 consisted of the Center’s ace A-class esper Yeo Eunjeong and A-class esper Joo Hoyoung.
As the team with the strongest power and mobility, their names were quite famous both inside and outside the Center.
‘Am I… performing my first mission with Team 1 seniors right now?’
Jihwan covered his mouth. It was a series of unbelievable situations.
“Sunbae-!”
Eunjeong, famous at the Center, could be seen greeting someone with a cheerful voice. She was being carried on Hoyoung’s back.
Eunjeong’s tied-up hair fluttered in the wind. Since Eunjeong was the tallest at the Center, being carried by Hoyoung, who was comparatively smaller, looked somewhat comical.
Eunjeong landed lightly on the ground and approached the guide who had been with Jihwan until just now, waving her hand. Sunbae? Jihwan was puzzled.
“Why are you so late.”
Despite the calm and curt response, Eunjeong answered with a bright smile.
“Hey, seeing you get annoyed means you missed me, right?”
He chuckled at Eunjeong’s flirtatious tone and shook his head.
Senior Eunjeong, who was rumored to bury people in the ground like kimchi pots at the slightest displeasure? Aegyo? Jihwan couldn’t understand what was happening before him.
Is he actually a famous guide? It’s natural for espers to be nice to guides after all. He was trying to make sense of the situation somehow.
Someone quietly bent Jihwan’s finger that was still pointing into the air. Ouch! Screaming at the pain from his finger being bent backward, Jihwan straightened his posture when he saw Eunjeong who had approached him.
“…What are you doing?”
“Ah, hello, Sunbae…”
Though Jihwan, standing over 180cm, was quite tall even within the Center, he had to look up at Eunjeong when facing her.
When seated and looking only at her face, Eunjeong appeared cute and gentle, but when she stood up, her large build gave an unintentional sense of pressure. Becoming a bit timid after meeting Eunjeong’s large, round eyes, Jihwan kept glancing around nervously.
“Oh, it’s the troublemaker!”
Eunjeong spoke as if she had just recognized Jihwan. When Jihwan had just entered the Center and was receiving training, he had damaged some equipment in the training room.
At that time, Jihwan had stayed holed up in his dormitory for three days, afraid of being scolded by Eunjeong (who was said to hunt down troublemakers as the Deputy Director), but in the end, Eunjeong had barged into his dormitory and thoroughly reprimanded him.
After that, whenever Eunjeong met Jihwan, she always called him “troublemaker.”
After greeting him, Eunjeong tilted her head and asked.
“But why are you here? Which team are you on?”
“Huh? I just came here because the instructor told me to…”
“Really? Who’s your team leader?”
Eunjeong asked with a frown. Feeling a bit scared, Jihwan looked over at Hoyoung, who was just standing there smiling.
Hoyoung, nicknamed the Center’s idol, was showing his distinctive warm eye-smile. Though Hoyoung didn’t have particularly striking features, he had a charm that strangely drew people’s attention when he smiled.
“Um… I don’t have a team…”
“No team? But you came out on a mission?”
Eunjeong showed an expression of disbelief. Hoyoung didn’t add anything and just looked at Jihwan with a puzzled expression. Jihwan quickly lowered his gaze.
“Yes…”
“What a mess.”
Eunjeong ran her hand through her hair irritably. Not knowing what was going on but thinking he should keep a low profile, Jihwan slightly hunched his shoulders.
“Is this your first mission deployment today?”
“Huh? Yes!”
“Well, you did well for your first time. You didn’t wet yourself, did you?”
Eunjeong joked with a smile to Jihwan, who was being cautious. Relieved, Jihwan began to gush.
“No! I’m truly honored to be able to perform my first mission with you, Sunbae!! To be with Team 1 seniors, I have no regrets…”
“Sure, sure.”
Jihwan started rambling excitedly, and Eunjeong, seemingly used to such reactions, responded casually while surveying the scene.
Jihwan followed Eunjeong and observed the guide who had been with him until just now. The guide, still wearing his hat pulled low, continued to move around helping with rescue operations. Occasionally, his slender, beautiful face peeked out from under the hat.
He must be really handsome… why does he cover up? Who is this guide that Senior Eunjeong calls “Sunbae”? Jihwan wondered.
“By the way, how did you end up with Senior Minjae?”
Eunjeong gestured for Jihwan to follow as she began clearing the area, lifting and moving debris that had fallen in the middle of the road.
“Senior Minjae?! Is Senior Minjae at the scene too?”
Startled, Jihwan grabbed Eunjeong’s arm and asked. Eunjeong’s eyes widened before narrowing into thin curves.
Umm…? Feeling uneasy for some reason, Jihwan gently removed his hand from Eunjeong’s arm. That’s when it happened.
“Sunbaaaaaae! Senior Minjaaaaae!!!”
Eunjeong called out for Senior Minjae with an incredibly loud voice. Jihwan was so startled that he forgot the other was a scary senior and made a gesture to cover her mouth.
“Be quiet.”
The hat-wearing guide approached and voiced Jihwan’s thoughts. Yes, Sunbae. Please be a little quieter. Jihwan mumbled in a shrinking voice.
Eunjeong looked back and forth between Jihwan and Minjae with an expression that suggested she found this hilarious.
“Senior Minjae, he’s asking where you are?”
“…Huh.”
The guide’s eyebrows rose as he let out a scoffing laugh. Jihwan finally realized that the person who had told Eunjeong to be quiet was that “Woo Minjae.”
Furrowed brow and gaping mouth. Jihwan’s expression froze like someone who had encountered a ghost in a horror movie, causing Eunjeong to burst into laughter.
Thanks to Eunjeong repeatedly slapping Jihwan’s shoulder, he swayed like a scarecrow in the wind.
***
All espers belonging to the Center were heroes. But among them, Woo Minjae was special. The term “SSS-class” alone was enough to cast a fantasy over people.
Woo Minjae was an extraordinary hero whom no one could easily see. Korea’s top esper. Hero Woo Minjae, whom people had met only through photos on TV or posters, had a strong impression.
Unique, the best, an extraordinary existence that no one could match. That was how the media exposed Woo Minjae to the public, and the public could only see the hero mask that the media had placed on Woo Minjae.
“Uh, so Sunbae is…”
“Woo Minjae.”
As Jihwan pointed his finger at Minjae, stammering and unable to gather his thoughts, Eunjeong folded his finger for him and added.
Lowering his hand and bowing his head with his hands behind his back, Jihwan didn’t know what to do. How could I not recognize him? The Woo Minjae? Jihwan was considerably taken aback.
It was partly because Minjae was wearing a hat pulled low, but the constantly frowning expression that made him look prickly made him even more unrecognizable. The person before him had a clearly different image from the Woo Minjae Jihwan had seen on screen.
The Minjae on screen was larger, with a more resolute image, and always had a gentle smile on his lips.
The Minjae before him had the same face upon closer inspection, but his overall impression and feeling were different. With a delicate face that seemed drawn with thin, fine lines and large eyes, he was closer to “beautiful” than “handsome.”
Moreover, the Center had never really mentioned Hero Woo Minjae’s abilities. Since espers were national personnel, their abilities weren’t openly disclosed to the public. There were only various rumors.
I thought it would be a combat-type ability, but it’s healing. That’s so cool. To think such a person is my senior, my senior! But really, what’s going on? Why didn’t I know? Thoughts rapidly spun in Jihwan’s head.
As Jihwan pondered how he hadn’t recognized his idol, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his head.
So, am I the one who picked up THE Woo Minjae and did this and that to him?
Thinking he should explain what happened and apologize, Jihwan quickly raised his face.
Should I kneel? Or should I beg for forgiveness first? In that brief moment, numerous thoughts crossed Jihwan’s mind.
But it was all in vain. Minjae had disappeared from sight. He seemed to have no interest at all in Jihwan, who was nervously fidgeting.
“I’m doomed…”
Jihwan slapped his cheeks repeatedly, hoping that the current situation might be a dream. Why did I mistake him for a guide? Jihwan wanted to crack his useless head. But… but…!
“It felt… so good…!”
Jihwan frantically ruffled his hair.
It was truly absurd, but when Minjae had treated his leg, a strange pleasure had arisen. Jihwan had thought it was because they were compatible.
You’re crazy, Park Jihwan. Crazy! Jihwan wanted to give himself a hard knock on the head.
He wanted to somehow clear up the misunderstanding with the senior who had looked at him like he was crazy, but the scene didn’t allow for such leisure.
Minjae, who had disappeared with the giggling Eunjeong, healed an incredible number of people very quickly. Jihwan also had to quickly join in to transport people.
“He must be really angry…”
A stinging pain spread across Jihwan’s face. He really wanted to cry.
Jihwan vigorously messed up his hair, squatted down, then abruptly stood up and flew off to support his seniors.
***
“Save me!”
It was a scene where cries for help were rampant.
It was fortunate if they could at least cry out for help. There were more casualties who had lost consciousness or were already at death’s door due to severe injuries.
In such cases, it was more difficult because rescuers had to be identified from among the building debris.
In short, there wasn’t enough time to comfort a stupid junior with an expression like the world had collapsed.
Anyway, there wouldn’t be much chance to see him again after this mission was over, so it didn’t matter either way.
“Sunbae!!”
How many people had he used his healing ability on? Since when, he wasn’t sure, but on Minjae’s wrist was a warning light indicating the early stages of guiding deficiency. At this point, he should start heading back to the Center.
As Minjae stood in place for a moment, pressing his temples, an esper teammate ran over to him, waving.
He was an esper who until recently had been the youngest at the Center, equipped with flight and physical enhancement abilities, and was a junior Minjae occasionally hitched rides with(?).
Except for his friend Wooseok, the Guide Department Director, and Eunjeong, Minjae, who often forgot names, kept forgetting the name of this teammate.
Even though there were only three people in the team, his junior complained every time Minjae couldn’t remember his name.
This time too, as Minjae just stood there watching, the junior introduced himself with a contorted expression.
“Hoyoung! Joo Hoyoung!”
“Ah, yeah. You’re here? The readings?”
“Aah-! Sunbae, you’re really too much!”
Ignoring Hoyoung’s words lightly, Minjae examined Hoyoung’s wrist. Fortunately, the situation was still okay.
Even at such a small gesture of concern, Hoyoung seemed touched, giggling and scratching the back of his neck.
“Sunbae, but the accident range was so wide today, it must have been hard for you to move around. Did you run?”
When quick movement was needed, flying espers often accompanied other espers.
Jokingly referred to as carpooling, even when not moving together as a team, Minjae called on Hoyoung so often that Hoyoung strangely seemed to think of himself as Minjae’s personal esper, dedicated to carrying him around.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Minjae answered with a faint smile.
“Well… it’s fine. Good job.”
Though I felt like throwing up. He decided not to add those words because Hoyoung was looking at him with an apologetic expression.
“Next time, please call me!!!”
“Sure, sure.”
Minjae lightly patted Hoyoung’s head.
“Ah, and Sunbae. Senior Eunjeong said she has a message from Director Choi, and asked me to relay it.”
Hoyoung, who had been grinning, suddenly spoke with a rather solemn expression, as if he had just remembered something.
“What is it?”
Hoyoung approached Minjae closely and made a gesture of whispering. He even cleared his throat. Though there was no one nearby, Minjae obediently lent his ear.
“She said to tell you that… a hawk seems to have flown in.”
“……!”
A hawk has appeared? Minjae began to quickly survey his surroundings while minimizing his movements to avoid drawing attention.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
