# Chapter 51
Baek Jaan argued that they wouldn’t have built their headquarters at a depth where just one A-rank could enter. Cha Jinwoo supported Baek Jaan’s claim.
“It’s a very credible theory. The number of hideouts we’ve discovered so far is abnormally low. Considering their forces, the numbers don’t make sense. As Esper Baek Jaan suggests, I think we should search deeper underground.”
However, the Association Chairman’s expression was far from positive.
Firstly, it felt like they had made the decision among themselves and were merely informing him to get permission, and secondly, because of their attitude that seemed to doubt his word that the search had already been completed.
Both reasons were directly tied to the Chairman’s own authority. The Chairman made no effort to hide his discomfort.
‘These brats are getting too bold because I’ve been too lenient with them.’
As if things weren’t bad enough, the longer they failed to find Hajin, the more unfinished Association work piled up.
In this difficult situation, the Alpha Team was being uncooperative and unreasonable, which irritated the Chairman.
However, it was also reality that upsetting the Espers who had lost their Guide could lead to unpredictable consequences.
If the Chairman refused them here, they would likely desert the Association to search for Hajin on their own.
And even if they found Hajin, it was clear they wouldn’t return to the Association.
Hajin too, having suffered due to the Association’s careless handling, would have no reason to persuade them otherwise.
‘Tsk. This is becoming troublesome.’
If Hajin had been younger, if he had joined the Association earlier, these concerns wouldn’t exist.
While Espers might desert, there had never been a single instance of a Guide deserting.
“Sigh… Do you really have to be so stubborn?”
At the Chairman’s poor choice of words, the hot-tempered Han Seungho and Lee Doyoon, who was still too young to hide his emotions skillfully, flared up. But Cha Jinwoo intervened before they could speak.
“I don’t care if it’s called stubbornness. If there’s even a slight possibility, we need to go there.”
At those words, Han Seungho and Lee Doyoon, who were about to get angry, quietly closed their mouths.
As the leader of Alpha Team, Cha Jinwoo appeared the most sensible and calm to outsiders.
But how could he always remain sensible and calm even as a leader of young and powerful Espers?
At least the other S-rank Espers knew well—that Cha Jinwoo was the most troublesome and frightening when turned into an enemy.
Han Seungho and Lee Doyoon’s gazes cooled slightly. They looked at the Chairman as if observing something stupid and pitiful.
‘He won’t last long.’
The two turned their eyes away from the Chairman.
They no longer needed to care about him. It wasn’t just because he had offended them.
The Chairman already had a record of failing to prevent anti-government forces from infiltrating the Association.
Everyone knew that while they were all distracted by Hajin’s disappearance, confidential Association information had been regularly stolen in the process.
Despite having already made such mistakes, the problem was that the Chairman was still clinging to his meager authority.
‘He must have something to rely on to act that way.’
Han Seungho recalled the dry, emotionless Guiding he had experienced.
Guiding that definitely felt like it was happening but evoked no emotion whatsoever.
Had he not confirmed with his eyes that the Guide was human, he would have mistaken it for a high-performance machine.
‘Still, S-rank is S-rank after all.’
If Han Jiwoo hadn’t been there, perhaps the Chairman would have been as desperate as they were. Han Seungho clicked his tongue internally.
It was all suspicious—returning alone and unharmed after being with Hajin, and suddenly becoming S-rank.
But it was frustrating that they had to put this aside because finding Hajin was more urgent.
While Han Seungho continued his train of thought, the Chairman, who had been dealing with Cha Jinwoo, had to partially pretend to give in to their unrelenting determination.
Regardless of how vexing it was, it was clear that if these people deserted, it would severely impact the Association’s current situation.
The Chairman openly groaned as he spoke.
“Ugh… As you know, the Association doesn’t have the resources right now. To go as deep underground as you say, the number of people who can withstand it drops significantly. Only S-ranks might be capable.”
The Chairman paused briefly to drink water, as if his throat was dry.
“But I can only assign half of the S-ranks to the search. Will that be acceptable?”
Looking at numbers alone, there weren’t many S-rank Espers. It was natural for higher ranks to be fewer in number. Currently, there were about twenty S-rank Espers affiliated with the Association.
Being S-rank, even twenty could be considered plenty. But dividing that in half left only ten.
It meant those ten would have to search underground locations across the country. Even for S-rank Espers who could fly and overturn the earth, it would take a long time.
“Even for S-rank Espers, it will be difficult.”
The Chairman spoke as if regretfully, as if there was no choice.
The Alpha Team knew very well that his true intentions were different. But their answer was predetermined.
“That’s fine. Please assemble the personnel.”
Even if the Chairman had only allowed Alpha Team to conduct the search, they would have had to accept.
If they deserted now because they were dissatisfied with the Chairman, it would only create more obstacles in finding Hajin.
* * *
“Mr. Choi Jihyung.”
“Huh! A-are you talking to me?”
“…Yes.”
Hajin wanted to say it was nothing when Choi Jihyung jumped excessively and blushed every time he was addressed, but he held back and nodded.
How could someone be so consistently like this?
It seemed like he should have gotten used to it by now, but far from becoming accustomed, Choi Jihyung reacted more severely each time Hajin spoke to him.
It wasn’t just his extremely timid demeanor that bothered Hajin. Every time Hajin spoke to him or approached him, Choi Jihyung would blush intensely and breathe heavily like an excited person.
His hands would even twitch, making Hajin stop in his tracks more than once for fear of being grabbed if he approached any closer.
‘…He seems like a pervert.’
Looking at Choi Jihyung reminded Hajin of perverts he had encountered a few times in the past, making him even more wary.
It had rarely happened since becoming an adult, but during his student days, there were some perverts who would solicit him for compensated dating or follow him around. Being young, pretty, and without parents made him particularly vulnerable to such people.
If Choi Jihyung’s reactions were similar to those perverts, should he feel sorry for him?
Hajin hoped so. If the person he needed to persuade turned out to be a pervert, escape would become much more difficult.
“What, what can I help you with!”
Hajin, who had been briefly lost in thought, refocused at Choi Jihyung’s energetic response that seemed to say “give me any task.”
Whether he was a pervert or not, if things got dangerous, he could just put him to sleep with Guiding. Right now, with Seo Jihan away on a mission, he needed to somehow make Choi Jihyung his ally.
“If you don’t mind, please come for a walk with me.”
“Huh, with, with me? Weren’t you going with Aji?”
When the dog’s name was mentioned, Hajin’s lips twitched slightly.
Originally, he had planned to target the seemingly naive one despite his appearance, but the dog was less sentimental and not as easy to deal with as he had thought.
Just the fact that he mentioned a Guide who committed suicide in front of Hajin, a Guide himself, as a veiled warning showed how crazy he was.
That’s why Hajin had chosen to target Choi Jihyung, who might be a pervert.
Since Choi Jihyung blushed and became flustered just by Hajin speaking to him, useful information might slip out inadvertently.
“He’s out on a mission now. Or am I allowed to walk around by myself?”
Fortunately, he had a good excuse. He had been worried it would seem suspicious if he suddenly distanced himself from the dog and approached Choi Jihyung instead.
“N-n-no, you can’t…”
Choi Jihyung shook his head in alarm. Hajin, who hadn’t expected much anyway, shrugged his shoulders.
“Then please come with me.”
“I will! W-wait a moment!”
Choi Jihyung exclaimed for Hajin to wait just a moment, then darted into his room.
He came out hurriedly wearing a coat he had quickly gathered, and extended his hand to Hajin as if to escort him.
“L-let’s go.”
Hajin didn’t take his hand. He ignored the outstretched hand and walked past him first. From the corner of his eye, he could see Choi Jihyung looking dejected, but he didn’t feel particularly sorry.
Who would want to hold a hand extended by someone with a red face and flaring nostrils?
Belying the term “walk,” the two walked apart as if they were strangers. Choi Jihyung seemed bothered by this and glanced at Hajin before slightly closing the distance.
Then, watching Hajin’s expression and seeing no particular change, he seemed to gain courage and narrowed the gap more boldly.
The distance between the two, who had been at opposite ends, reduced until they were close enough that they could grasp each other’s hands if they reached out.
‘I hope he doesn’t have strange intentions.’
Although pretending not to care, Hajin was aware of the unexpectedly reduced distance and was ready to use Guiding immediately if Choi Jihyung showed any signs of strange behavior.
Fortunately, Choi Jihyung seemed to have mustered his maximum courage just for this distance, as he followed along with his head lowered and face flushed.
‘Seeing him like this, he does seem to act his age…’
While blushing and stuttering could just be signs of extreme nervousness and wouldn’t be strange, Hajin found himself unusually wary of Choi Jihyung.
It seemed the image of him reaching out to Hajin like someone entranced had been imprinted in his mind.
Maintaining that distance, they walked along the same straight path Hajin had walked with the dog the previous day. Before entering his room after returning, Hajin greeted Choi Jihyung.
“Thank you for coming with me.”
At the softly offered thanks, Choi Jihyung opened his eyes wide as if checking whether he had heard correctly, then smiled broadly. He looked quite innocent.
And the next day, Hajin asked Choi Jihyung to accompany him again.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
