Chapter 6
At lunchtime, people’s gazes followed me in the cafeteria, they whispered amongst themselves openly, and Espers from other teams who usually treated me like I was invisible suddenly tried to strike up conversations.
The situation wasn’t much different in the afternoon, the next morning, or even the afternoon after that.
In the guiding room with the plain nameplate [3-4], I went down first and waited. Shortly after, there was a knock and the door opened.
The person who entered was Park Jae-kyung. She belonged to Team 6, which was at odds with our team (though our Team Leader didn’t care), and was one of the few Espers I got along well with.
“Ah, I’m dying. Hurry up and do it.”
She demanded as soon as she sat down, but I didn’t mind. We were in the same intake and got along well, so we’ve been comfortable with each other for a long time.
“Give me your hand.”
I lightly grasped Park Jae-kyung’s hand, which she had already stretched out before I asked. Soon, I let the guiding energy flow through our point of contact. Judging by the band-aid above her left eyebrow and the damage I could sense in various places, it seemed she had been reckless again this time.
These Espers, really.
‘Though I’m half Esper myself. But I don’t want to roll around like that.’
While it’s unavoidable to get injured when participating in life-or-death battles, I had zero desire to go berserk and rampage like a madman.
Since Guides always take care of higher-ranked Espers first, it was right for someone like me to only act within my abilities. Otherwise, I’d just end up dying needlessly if I tried to show off.
But Park Jae-kyung was the same C-class as me, yet she acted like she had two lives, so I couldn’t help but sigh every time I saw her.
“Take care of yourself, will you? Don’t you know you’re the only one who loses if you die?”
“Then it would be a glorious death.”
“Glory my ass. Didn’t you say you want to get married and live happily? How are you going to find a decent husband like this?”
“Did I say that?”
Playing dumb, are we?
“Don’t you remember whining about wanting to get married when we were drinking together a month ago?”
“Hm. Don’t remember.”
Park Jae-kyung looked away and scratched her ear. Then she said “Oh, right” and looked back at me. It was as if she had just remembered something.
“I heard you got a high matching rate with an S-class Esper, is that true?”
Unlike her sparkling eyes, my expression soured.
That S-class talk again. I’ve heard it so many times over the past three days that my ears are about to grow calluses. But since it was Park Jae-kyung asking, not someone else, I answered honestly.
“That’s right.”
“Wow, my friend has really made it big! Congratulations, man!”
She gives me a thumbs up with her free left hand and smiles innocently. It’s obvious without looking that it’s a congratulation without any lies or pretense.
So, for the first time, I opened up a little about my true feelings.
“But it’s still only half-done. It’s precarious.”
“Half-done? What do you mean?”
I went ahead and told her about what happened in the HR department. Also about how Song Ji-hyeok preferred an A-class Guide.
Park Jae-kyung listened to me with a rare serious expression, then let out a quiet sigh.
“Ah, so that’s why…”
“What?”
“Huh? Nothing. It’s nothing.”
With that expression, no one would believe it was nothing. I sent her a questioning look urging her to speak, and Park Jae-kyung scratched the back of her neck and avoided my gaze. She moved her lips a few times, then finally confessed.
“In the car on the way back, our Team Leader suddenly started shouting. He was making a fuss about an A-class for an S-class or something, and I didn’t know what he was talking about. But after hearing your story, I think it’s because that A-class Guide is Choi Young-sun from our team.”
Unlike regular team members who collapse exhausted after conquering a dungeon, the Team Leader checks their device first. This is to quickly grasp and respond to major issues that occurred in the guild while they were away.
It seems the Team 6 Leader checked his device as soon as he got in the return vehicle and found out about the recruitment of an S-class Esper. And the fact that the Guide with the second-highest matching rate with that Esper belonged to his team.
‘This has become troublesome.’
Just imagining the Team 6 Leader fuming made me tired already. If only his personality was normal…
He’s a person who not only harbors hostility towards our Team Leader but considers all of Team 3 a thorn in his side. So it’s understandable that he’d be furious about losing the chance to recruit an S-class Esper, rarer than wild ginseng, because of a Guide from Team 3, and a mere C-class at that.
But is that my fault? Even though it was him who insisted on sending someone else to his team instead of me seven years ago. If we’re talking about regrets, mine are much bigger.
“You know our Team Leader’s temper, right? He’s the type to take out his anger on innocent targets, so I recommend you watch yourself for a while.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the advice.”
“By the way, how was your compatibility with that Esper? Did you feel electricity tingling and like you were going to heaven?”
“We haven’t done it yet.”
“Huh, why?”
“He’s still in the probation period. I think he’ll come for guiding after his first skill training.”
“Even at just over 60%, the effect is this good… I can’t even imagine what over 80% matching rate would be like. Just captivate him completely!”
“Calm down. Don’t move.”
“Ah… sorry.”
I laughed as she clenched her fist like catching a flying mosquito, then immediately apologized and scratched her cheek at my words.
At times like this, I feel like I might not be lucky with skills, but I’m lucky with friends.
The timing was perfect as the guiding also finished. After confirming that Park Jae-kyung’s internal energy waves were completely stable, I let go of her hand and asked the routine question.
“How is it?”
“Do I need to say? It’s always the best. Let’s have a drink sometime when you’re free.”
After making a playful drinking motion, Park Jae-kyung left the guiding room. On the other hand, my duty wasn’t over yet.
‘First, a chocolate bar before that…’
I was thinking of eating one, but when I looked inside the basket, it was completely empty without even a speck of dust. If you ate the last one, you should refill it. How inconsiderate.
Nothing changes just because I don’t eat one chocolate bar, but it’s been a long-standing habit, so I felt empty if I didn’t do it. Sigh, I’ll be generous. I’ll refill it.
I got up to get chocolate bars that should be somewhere in the pantry. Just as I opened the guiding room door and took a step out.
‘Ack.’
Just my luck. As soon as I came out, I locked eyes with Team 6 Leader Kim Kwang-in. If Park Jae-kyung came to the guiding room, of course their team members who deployed together would also receive guiding. Why didn’t I think of that?
Regardless of my inner thoughts, my body bowed automatically like a well-trained dog.
“Hello… Gack!”
The greeting wasn’t completed. An invisible force slammed my body against the wall and choked me at the same time.
My face turned bright red from the sudden loss of oxygen.
‘He really lives up to his name. Is he crazy?’
I wanted to shout angrily, but it was obvious that resisting at a time like this would only backfire. I couldn’t break free with my own strength anyway.
Fortunately, the time of suffering wasn’t long. As I coughed and sputtered, the Team Leader’s harsh words rained down on my head.
“Know your place. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Oh, damn it…
When I raised my body that I had lowered, Team Leader Kim had already disappeared. The thought I always had at moments like this was the same.
‘Why is someone with such a messed-up personality an A-class?’
What a rotten world.
As I vented my belated resentment, I made a firm resolution once again. Somehow, I will secure the spot next to Song Ji-hyeok, for real.
***
Two days later, on the much-anticipated day, I headed to the 3rd floor guiding room when my wristwatch showed 2:40 PM. As I said, today is the day I give Song Ji-hyeok his first guiding. The original appointment was at 3 PM, but there was no harm in going earlier.
I ended up pouring the chocolate bars I brought today into the basket, and immediately unwrapped one and put it in my mouth.
“Hnngh, haah!”
Unlike the quiet here, intense moans could be heard from the next room. Suddenly, I remembered a phrase written somewhere in the newbie guidebook.
[The more physical contact between an Esper and a Guide, the better the guiding effect.]
To put it bluntly, it means the guiding efficiency is maximized when they have sex.
To be honest, when I first awakened, I was only seventeen, and my sexual experience was limited to kissing my middle school girlfriend. So even though I received sufficient explanation during new employee training, I was quite shocked at first.
But after just three days, that thought disappeared completely. It was because I directly experienced with my body that guiding was truly a matter of survival.
As I unwrapped and ate the third chocolate bar in a row, I glanced at the electronic clock on the wall. The time already showed 3 PM.
‘It should be about time he arrives…’
My eyes looking at the closed door were filled with both anticipation and nervousness. To be honest, the nervousness was a bit stronger.
