Chapter 81
My feelings were more jumbled leaving than they had been arriving. While I was relieved not to be diagnosed with guiding side effects, I also felt frustrated without a clear conclusion. I sighed involuntarily at the thought of how long this state might continue.
“Want to grab lunch together? It’s been a while.”
I looked up at the sudden voice and saw the team leader looking back at me.
“It’s almost lunchtime.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
I answered without hesitation and pressed the button for the nearby elevator. Glancing at my watch, I saw that indeed, lunchtime was approaching.
—
The place we arrived at in the team leader’s car was a Korean restaurant with a gravel courtyard. I had expected we’d go to a restaurant near the Guild, so I was surprised to travel so far during lunch hour rather than after work.
The restaurant looked like a traditional Korean house from the outside, and the interior rooms were decorated like a nobleman’s reception hall. Fortunately, the tables were standard height, so we sat comfortably and ordered. The food came surprisingly quickly.
Actually, I had no appetite before we arrived. If the team leader hadn’t suggested eating together, I might have voluntarily skipped a meal for the first time in ages.
But here, I was reminded that humans are weak to sensory stimulation. As the neat, modest dishes stimulated my sight and smell, my mouth began to water naturally.
“Eat plenty.”
“Yes, team leader. Thank you for the meal.”
I should eat heartily. It’s obvious why they brought me here, and picking at my food would be impolite.
With this self-justification, I filled my stomach with my portion of the food. Despite being in an enclosed space having a meal alone with a high-ranking superior, I didn’t feel uncomfortable or burdened at all.
The team leader was someone with many admirable qualities, not just in terms of their abilities as an Esper, but also in their everyday speech. As I listened attentively, smiling at their humor-laced stories, I realized our meal was nearly finished.
By then, the conversation had naturally drifted to the topic that had been bothering me for days.
“When you think about it, it’s only natural. Getting tired after using energy.”
I stopped drinking my tea and focused on the team leader again at this sudden remark.
“Students lose concentration after studying hard for a while, office workers collapse when they get home after work, and we Espers accumulate residual energy after a job. The Guide uses their energy to purify this residue – it would be strange if there were no effects.”
I listened silently to the team leader’s words. I could tell without looking why they suddenly brought up this topic.
“Someone I know at the Awakened Research Institute said the same thing. Even people who seem fine after guiding are affected somehow, they just don’t realize it themselves.”
“I see.”
“Also, guiding tolerance can change. Some people who seemed unaffected suddenly have severe reactions at a specific point, or conversely, some gradually become less sensitive. So, well, I understand why you’re worried, but the Deputy Guild Master and the Doctor said they’d look into it, so try to take it easy.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
“Shall we head back now?”
The team leader got up, patted my shoulder lightly, and left the room. Today, they not only treated me to lunch but also bought me a caramel latte topped with whipped cream and cookies from the café on the Guild’s first floor. I felt a lump in my throat realizing that just as I knew my team members’ coffee preferences, the team leader knew mine too.
As we climbed the stairs side by side to settle our stomachs, I spoke when we reached the landing leading to the third floor.
“I’ll stop by the guiding room for a moment.”
“Alright. See you later.”
I bowed my head respectfully and entered the third-floor corridor.
Was it thanks to my full stomach, or the sweet latte moistening my mouth? Compared to when I left the guiding room this morning, the weight on my heart had lightened somewhat. The added realization that “I may not know much else, but I’m truly blessed with good people” was a bonus.
—
“Look at this. Isn’t it hilarious?”
Kim Young-joo laughed breathlessly as she watched a funny video on her phone, slapping her thigh repeatedly. As amusing as the video was, I found watching Kim Young-joo even more entertaining. Some people just make you feel good by seeing them laugh, and Kim Young-joo was exactly that type.
The videos didn’t stop with just one. As Kim Young-joo swiped the screen with her long fingers, another similar video started playing.
“What’s this? Openly slacking off on company time?”
A voice suddenly came from behind me. Looking up, I saw Gitae’s face. It was indeed slacking off as he said, but instead of quickly hiding her phone, Kim Young-joo boldly invited him to become an accomplice.
“Want to watch together?”
“What is it?”
“It’s a collection of funny videos. They’re really good.”
“And you two were keeping such good stuff to yourselves?”
Gitae wrapped his left arm around my shoulder and perched his backside on the right armrest of my wheeled chair. The sudden shift in weight made the chair tilt, and I was startled.
“Whoa!”
If I hadn’t reflexively braced myself, we would have toppled over. Unlike my shocked reaction, Gitae shamelessly pressed down even more.
“Haven’t you been working out lately? I’m disappointed you can’t even handle this much.”
“…Are you considering your own weight when you say that?”
I looked up at Gitae in disbelief. I distinctly remembered hearing him mutter “Hmm, I’ll soon hit 100 kilos?” while weighing himself in the communal shower room. It was only because it was me that I could still support him; if it had been Kim Young-joo, they would have fallen over the moment he sat down.
“This won’t work. Should I just sit on your lap?”
Before he could finish speaking, I hurriedly pulled the chair back as his backside moved closer. Just then—perhaps fortunately—the device at my waist began to beep.
“Just a moment, please.”
I quickly unlocked the screen to check it. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but upon seeing the message content, my eyes widened. I immediately stood up and said:
“I need to go to the guiding room for a bit.”
The message was from Song Ji-hyeok. Receiving a text from him wasn’t surprising in itself, but the content was unusual.
[I’ll arrive at the Guild in about 5 minutes]
It seemed like a simple notification, but I immediately understood the hidden meaning. He was telling me to wait for him in the guiding room.
As I rushed down the stairs, my heart rate increased disproportionately to the intensity and duration of my movement. I felt an unnecessary sense of urgency inside.
He’s arriving in 5 minutes and only contacts me now? What if I had left or gone somewhere else?
I actually suspected the 5 minutes was an exaggeration and Song Ji-hyeok might already be there, but when I opened the guiding room door, he wasn’t.
I entered and sat on my usual side of the sofa. Though it was a two-seater and I might unconsciously sit in the middle, I had developed a habit of sitting to the left. This started after Song Ji-hyeok began sitting beside me rather than across from me.
The strange tension remained. I nervously jiggled my legs while staring at the door, which I had deliberately left slightly ajar rather than fully closed.
If I’d known this would happen, I should have said I’d eat after the guiding session.
Belated regret washed over me. Three days ago, as instructed by the Doctor, I had sent my daily physical condition logs and asked if I could get medication for guiding side effects. I expected an immediate response given my condition. But the Doctor replied by asking if Song Ji-hyeok was currently absent. Foolishly, I answered honestly.
[He should be back soon, I wanted to take it before then]
The result was a firm refusal. The medication for guiding side effects was meant to be taken when symptoms appeared, not as a preventative measure.
I understood immediately, but… now that the moment for guiding was approaching, I regretted not lying to get the medication. If I had, I would have taken it right now.
“Phew.”
Unable to calm down, I moistened my dry lips with my tongue when my gaze fell on an empty can on the table. Simultaneously, I thought of something that might distract me briefly.
‘Come to think of it, I had coffee after lunch.’
Though the brewed coffee from the pantry hadn’t left my mouth feeling stale, the upcoming guiding session made me conscious of it. Cleanliness is mutual courtesy, after all.
I jumped up immediately. With a toothbrush loaded with toothpaste in my mouth, I headed to the bathroom in the corridor.
I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth at top speed, then wiped my wet mouth with the back of my hand as I hurriedly returned. And as soon as I entered, I froze in surprise. Song Ji-hyeok had arrived in the meantime and was waiting for me.
