# Chapter 45
“Damn it…”
Cha Jinwoo cursed at yet another empty space.
He knew it wouldn’t be easy. This was Seo Juan, after all. But even though he anticipated difficulties, the repeated failures in their search were making him anxious.
Cha Jinwoo turned away from the empty space that seemed to mock him, a place so vacant not even an ant could be found.
He could have oxidized a space like this into dust by simply deploying his ability, but with his runaway coefficient already at a dangerous level, he couldn’t afford to waste energy.
He didn’t want to receive Guiding from any other Guide, nor would it be effective anyway. He chewed and swallowed a pill that had a mild Guiding effect even without water.
‘This feels awful.’
The unpleasant, alien power that couldn’t compare to Hajin’s Guiding forcibly suppressed his rampaging energy.
As he struggled to shake off the dirty feeling and pain, he received a call from the Association. It was a direct order from the Association Chairman to return immediately.
If the Chairman himself was calling, it surely had to be news about Hajin.
Cha Jinwoo got into his car and started the engine.
“Hey, hey! Esper Cha Jinwoo!”
He heard the confused calls from the staff who remained behind for the investigation, but his mind was so full of worry for Hajin that he had no attention to spare.
When he arrived at the Association and headed straight to the Chairman’s office, he found that he was the last to arrive—the other three members of Alpha Team were already there.
Han Seungho, who made eye contact with Cha Jinwoo, fidgeted his legs nervously before shifting his gaze to the Association Chairman and widening his eyes.
“Now that the Team Leader is here, how about telling us why you called us.”
It was a tone completely devoid of respect, but for the current Han Seungho, simply not flipping the place over was respectful enough.
“You’ve all been working hard. Please, sit down.”
Cha Jinwoo, also showing no need for pleasantries, questioned the Chairman directly.
“This must be urgent since you called us so hastily.”
The atmosphere demanded that it be an emergency. The Association Chairman cleared his throat with a cough before speaking.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have news about Guide Lee Hajin.”
“…Are you kidding right now? If not that, why call us when we’re busy enough as it is?”
Lee Doyoon flared up as if subjected to false hope, but Cha Jinwoo stopped him with a glance. The Association Chairman also appeared displeased.
Lee Doyoon, who had almost lunged forward, pulled himself back with a thud, pressing his back against his chair.
The Association Chairman felt irritated by Lee Doyoon’s rudeness—someone who could be his grandson’s age—but deliberately suppressed his emotions.
If it had been any other Esper, even an S-rank, they would not have escaped his anger.
But Alpha Team was different.
The Association Chairman both needed and was wary of Alpha Team’s abilities, a group composed of the strongest among S-rank Espers. And Alpha Team, at least for Hajin’s sake, needed the Association’s protection.
“I understand your urgency. It’s been over a week without locating Guide Lee Hajin, which must be incredibly distressing. And during that time, you’ve been using your abilities excessively without proper Guiding.”
That was the problem. They were now too anxious to properly manage their runaway coefficients.
In just a week, they had pushed themselves to the point where their runaway coefficients were at dangerous levels.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if one of the Alpha Team members went berserk. That couldn’t happen. That’s why the Association Chairman shared news about Han Jiwoo.
“Guide Han Jiwoo’s rank has been raised. He’s now S-rank.”
Despite being news that would surprise anyone who heard it, Alpha Team showed little interest. However, they couldn’t help but react to the Chairman’s next words.
“You will receive Guiding from him.”
As soon as the words ended, a piercing aura filled the room. Even the Association Chairman, who controlled countless Espers and Guides, momentarily clutched at his chest where his heart was.
But the Association Chairman calmed them down even as he swallowed hard. He had anticipated this reaction long ago.
“Urgh… calm down. Did I say anything about changing your Guide?”
The constricting pressure subsided somewhat. The Association Chairman cleared his throat again and drank some water to settle himself.
At an age when he would have retired from most professions, he wondered what kind of hardship this was.
“Receive Guiding from Guide Han Jiwoo. You know you can’t manage your coefficients with medicine alone. And it’s not like you’re going to rest either. If one of you goes berserk, that would be the end of the Association.”
Every word was indisputably correct. Who would sit idly by while a lit bomb walked around? Yet Alpha Team’s expressions remained somehow unconvinced.
“I don’t want to.”
The Association Chairman had hoped not to hear what he considered the worst possible answer, but when does life ever go as planned?
“Don’t want… don’t want to? Why not?”
The Chairman almost burst out shouting at Lee Doyoon’s flat voice but restrained himself.
There are things worth being stubborn about. What good would come from going berserk? Why be obstinate about such a thing?
Although he had put them together himself, he felt resentful about whatever Hajin had done to make these Esper bastards act this way.
“It feels sketchy. We still haven’t resolved our suspicions about how that bas—I mean, that guy returned alone unharmed. Why should we trust his Guiding?”
Lee Doyoon’s argument had some merit. But was this really an ordinary situation?
There was no evidence to suspect Han Jiwoo, and the Chairman couldn’t understand Doyoon’s stubbornness based on mere intuition.
The Association Chairman made no effort to hide his sigh, treating Doyoon like a naive child.
“Haah, I haven’t forgotten that aspect either. But Esper Lee Doyoon, what kind of situation do you think we’re in to be stubborn like this?”
Even Doyoon, who was indignant at being treated like a child, couldn’t respond to that. The Chairman continued more sternly.
“If you want to find Guide Lee Hajin, you need to manage your runaway coefficients first. Are you asking me to let time bombs loose outside? What if you go berserk in a civilian area? How will you take responsibility then?”
It was a logical argument that left no room for rebuttal. Yet despite this, Lee Doyoon couldn’t bring himself to nod in agreement due to a persistent uneasiness.
It was an intuition coming from a place that the civilian Association Chairman couldn’t even comprehend.
They shouldn’t receive Guiding from Han Jiwoo. This thought kept pricking Doyoon like a thorn.
“Ugh, but…!”
The Chairman waved his hand, indicating he wouldn’t hear any more.
His manner of pushing his opinion without giving room for objection, even against S-rank Espers, showed that he hadn’t earned his title of Association Chairman for nothing.
“I’ve already arranged for Guide Han Jiwoo. No more arguments—go and receive Guiding.”
The realization that he never intended to consider their opinions upset not only Lee Doyoon but even the hot-tempered Han Seungho. However, Cha Jinwoo interceded first.
“Understood.”
Three pairs of eyes fixed on him for his compliant response, but Cha Jinwoo left the Chairman’s office without even looking at them.
The next to rise was Baek Jaan. Since Hajin’s kidnapping, he had kept his mouth shut even to his fellow Alpha Team members and had been searching nationwide without sleep.
This meant he was currently the most dangerous person.
Once Baek Jaan also left the Chairman’s office, the remaining two had no choice but to get up. As they walked down the corridor with only the four of them, Lee Doyoon finally couldn’t hold back.
“Team Leader, no matter how you look at it, that bastard is suspicious, right? Even Baek Jaan hyung was suspicious!”
“Keep quiet.”
When Cha Jinwoo continued walking without offering any convincing argument, it was Han Seungho who finally erupted.
“Acting this way is why they call us dogs.”
His voice was uncharacteristically calm, but the emotions it contained were more intense than ever. It was his subconscious suppressing an unbearable anger.
Even Lee Doyoon, who had been arguing with Cha Jinwoo, was taken aback by Han Seungho’s words. But Cha Jinwoo simply continued walking as if nothing had happened.
His attitude seemed almost nonchalant, but they all knew that none of them were truly composed.
That’s why Han Seungho felt even more frustrated. Despite his frequent arguments with Baek Jaan, Han Seungho didn’t clash with Cha Jinwoo.
Cha Jinwoo simply did his job well as a team leader, and there was rarely any reason to come into conflict with him.
“Managing the runaway coefficient comes first, I get that. But you don’t really think that old geezer is sending us just to lower our coefficients, do you?”
Cha Jinwoo, who had been walking silently as if deaf to their voices, stopped. Han Seungho continued.
“If that bastard can Guide us and remain fine, would the old man still act this urgently?”
Lee Hajin was undoubtedly an exceptional Guide. That’s why the Association had suspended all its operations and was focusing all its efforts on finding him.
But in a situation where a substitute S-rank Guide had emerged, would the search continue with the same intensity? Han Seungho was certain it would not.
If Han Jiwoo could replace Hajin in Guiding Alpha Team, the Chairman, with this newfound flexibility, wouldn’t be as zealous as he was now.
Of course, the search wouldn’t stop entirely since letting Hajin fall into anti-government hands was unthinkable.
However, the number of people deployed for the search would decrease. The Chairman would make excuses about not being able to suspend the Association’s operations indefinitely.
“Probably.”
Cha Jinwoo’s agreement showed that he understood this. Despite knowing how troubled they all were, his seemingly calm voice nearly pushed Han Seungho to explode in anger.
“How can you just…!”
“What will you do if you don’t receive Guiding?”
All three turned to look at Baek Jaan, hearing his voice after a long time.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
