110
Siwoo woke up early and stood by the living room window, lost in deep thought. His face was full of worry as he rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the sky.
All his concerns were related to the Espers under his charge. He couldn’t stop sighing as he thought about Geonho and Seojun, who were beastkin, and the leader who wasn’t feeling well. Though not as much as them, he was equally worried about Jihan.
“They need to sleep properly to avoid stress building up…”
He was constantly concerned about Jihan, who was too busy to return to the dormitory. He wished Jihan would at least come for a brief guiding session. He wondered how Jihan managed to sleep at the gate site teeming with monsters.
The wavelengths of all the Espers on his pad were within the stable range. Jihan and Seojun were in excellent condition thanks to the intense guiding they recently received from Siwoo. The leader was probably the same. As for Geonho, his wavelength neither rose nor fell, making Siwoo wonder what he was up to.
Today, I should do some guiding for Kang Geonho, he thought. Looking at the clock, it wasn’t even 8 o’clock yet.
“Ah, time is crawling by so slowly.”
Geonho always came to see Siwoo around sunset. He would mysteriously show up when Siwoo was most bored, just to see his face and leave.
It was still a long time before he would come. If only Siwoo had woken up later, he wouldn’t have to wait as long.
“This is frustrating.”
Siwoo felt restless, just waiting for the Espers to arrive. Being his first assigned guild, he still couldn’t quite grasp what he should be doing. He just had a strong desire to do well.
Fortunately, his weakened physical strength recovered quickly after leaving the hospital room. It seemed the hospital stay was indeed the problem, as he felt perfectly fine just a day after returning to the dormitory.
Siwoo, who had been lightly tapping his forehead against the transparent glass window, left his spot with a determined expression. He couldn’t just wait around while everyone else was busy during this crucial time. He had to do something.
First, he ran to his room to change clothes and stood in front of the bedside table.
“…”
On the table were two phone boxes. They were brand new, still wrapped in packaging.
One was sent by Jihan, and the other by the leader. Both had been delivered through their secretaries rather than in person. The secretary had told him to use whichever he preferred and keep the other as a spare, just in case.
Keeping an expensive latest model phone just like that… Siwoo had wanted to refuse one of them but couldn’t decide which one to return.
His hand, hovering over the two phone boxes, briefly changed direction. Siwoo first picked up a small acorn next to the phone boxes. He had been fiddling with this acorn until just before falling asleep last night.
When did I put this on the bedside table? Come to think of it, he had a vague memory of bringing it from the hospital room.
Siwoo rolled his eyes and shrugged, putting the acorn in his pocket. For some reason, he wanted to keep it with him. Touching the smooth surface of the acorn strangely calmed him down. It made him feel at ease inside.
Touching the acorn in his pocket, he stared at the bedside table again.
The phone given by Yoo Jihan and the one given by Kang Taebeom. After pondering for a long time which one to use, he hesitantly picked up one box. It was too heavy to carry both, so he had no choice but to choose just one.
* * *
Siwoo intended to seek advice from the Guide Team Leader. He was determined to learn in detail what he should do in the current situation. While there, he also planned to ask about contact guiding.
“Not here.”
The Team Leader’s office door was locked. After turning the clicking doorknob a few times, he scratched his cheek. Well, it’s understandable. With the emergency at the gate site, there’s no time to sit in the office. Siwoo berated himself, thinking he must be the only guide idly staying in the dormitory, and moved on.
The Team Leader was the only person he could ask for advice about guiding and Center affairs. If it were another guide, they would have asked a close colleague or senior. Realizing this, he bit his lip as his mouth turned bitter.
Walking out of the building, he looked around sluggishly. Siwoo was the only one walking alone; everyone else was in pairs or small groups, engaged in conversation. And almost all of them were guides.
Siwoo narrowed his eyes and scanned the street more carefully. There was a noticeable decrease in people. Especially, not a single beastkin Esper was in sight.
So Ha Seojun’s words were true after all.
Although he hadn’t doubted Seojun’s words, seeing it with his own eyes made him realize the gravity of the situation. It had become difficult to see beastkin Espers not only at the site but also in daily life.
Then where are they and what are they doing?
Siwoo had no idea where Geonho and Seojun were staying. Still, he believed they must be in a good place since they were part of the Baekya Guild. He hoped it was a spacious area, if not as comfortable as the dormitory.
“Shouldn’t they be confined somewhere? At least put under quarantine.”
Siwoo, who had been walking listlessly, slowed his pace at the conversation of a group sitting on a bench. He couldn’t pass by because a name he couldn’t ignore was mentioned.
“The Center is really protective of Ha Seojun. They say they can’t touch him easily because he’s in the former Guild Master’s line.”
“Hey, forget about that. He’s from the Baekya Guild, how could they easily talk about quarantine measures?”
“What’s so hard about it? What if he transforms into his true form again and goes on a rampage?”
The person sitting at the end of the bench shook his head and shuddered, saying it was disgusting. They frowned as they talked about Seojun’s true form, which they had only heard about through rumors. Just last week, some of them had been bragging about greeting Seojun. But now, they were cursing that very moment they had greeted him.
“If he had transformed into his true form in front of me then… God, that would have been horrifying.”
“He should hurry up and leave Baekya. It’s been a week already, and there’s no word. What if he just continues guild activities like this?”
“No way. If he has any conscience, he’ll leave on his own.”
They criticized Seojun as if he had committed a grave sin. They strongly disapproved of him hiding his terrifying true form and occupying a position in the country’s top guild.
“Shit, all beastkin Espers should be cleared out at this point.”
The man sitting in the center of the bench made a statement that crossed the line. He was a guide with a large build and a rowdy atmosphere. The group, momentarily taken aback by his words, soon agreed and continued the conversation.
“Honestly, that’s right. They say it’s hard to guide beastkin Espers.”
“The risk of going berserk is supposedly doubled. There’s a reason why many seniors avoid beastkin Espers.”
“The beastkin are the problem. If it weren’t for those bastards, would the Center’s atmosphere be this fucked up?”
There were no beastkin among those sitting on the bench. Led by the foul-mouthed man, they continued to make disparaging remarks about beastkin without hesitation. Judging by their crisp guide training uniforms, they were clearly new to the Center. Their faces all looked young and inexperienced.
“How great would it be if they made one huge containment facility and threw all the beastkin Espers and their guides in there? These idiots just don’t think.”
“Wow, that would really be the animal kingdom. It’d be quite a sight.”
The group, chattering excitedly, suddenly fell silent. Their gazes all fixed on Siwoo, who had approached the bench.
“Watch what you’re saying.”
They looked at Siwoo’s face with momentary surprise, then frowned at his following words.
“If you’re human, speak like one. You fucking bastards.”
The expression of the man who had been snickering turned cold. However, it was nothing compared to Kang Geonho, who was famous for his nasty looks.
“What did you say? Fucking bastards?”
“Yeah, you fucking piece of shit.”
Siwoo, who had spent time with Espers far more intimidating and oppressive than this, wasn’t intimidated at all. If the leader had been here, he would have made these young punks’ knees weak with just the sound of his breathing.
The man, seemingly upset by the mere swearing, stood up and spat on the ground. Siwoo had endured far worse words polluting his ears. He remained silent, curious to see how far they would cross the line.
To think there were beastkin haters even in the Center. He had thought there wouldn’t be any in a place where beastkin were more prevalent. Thinking of the youngest member who would have greeted these bastards with a smile, a fiery anger rose in his heart.
“Hey, say that again.”
At that moment, the man abruptly stretched his arm towards Siwoo’s face. It looked like he was trying to grab Siwoo’s collar or hair. The moment Siwoo saw the thick, sausage-like fingers approaching his face, he immediately stuck out his teeth.
He bit down hard on the man’s fat fingers, but before his teeth could fully sink in, the man shoved Siwoo’s shoulder with a thud. There wasn’t even a teeth mark left on his hand.
“This is why I hate beastkin.”
Along with the man’s loud mockery, Siwoo’s head flew back.
“If you’re human, you should use your hands. What’s with the teeth, huh?”
The man who had struck Siwoo’s cheek grabbed his thin body as it lost balance. He gripped Siwoo’s collar, squeezing his neck tightly.
“Stop showing your beast side and act like a human.”
“Shut up, you pig!”
Siwoo, undeterred, shouted back and grabbed the man’s collar as well.
“Watch your mouth! Who are you to badmouth Ha Seojun! What the fuck do you know!”
Siwoo, his throat constricted, burst into a cough. At the same time, a nosebleed trickled down his philtrum.
“Then who are you? What business is it of yours whether we trash talk Ha Seojun or praise him?”
The man playfully shook Siwoo by the collar. He grinned, adjusting his grip to keep Siwoo from passing out. He couldn’t help but laugh at the legs flailing desperately to attack him somehow.
“I’m… his dedicated guide.”
Siwoo threw a punch at the man while speaking in a strained voice. But the man tilted his head back, causing the punch to miss again.
“What? Dedicated? You?”
“Wow, this guy’s really crazy.”
“He says he’s Baekya’s dedicated guide.”
The group’s mockery grew louder. Siwoo stretched out both arms with all his might to strangle the man, but he couldn’t muster any strength in his hands.
“Hey, you’re not Baekya’s dedicated guide. How dare you.”
The man repeatedly struck Siwoo’s white hair, telling him to watch his own words. Each time the large palm hit his crown, Siwoo’s skull seemed to ring. Siwoo kicked the man’s stomach with his leg, but the large body was unaffected.
“You should have just shut up and gone on your way. Why are you butting in? Bored? Want me to entertain you?”
The man who grabbed Siwoo’s thigh pulled the thin body close. Siwoo, with his teeth clenched in the close position, kneed the man in the groin. Finally, the man’s smile faded as he frowned and raised his hand again. Siwoo glared, even as the pot-lid-sized hand flew towards his cheek.
At that moment, the sound of a dog barking echoed from afar. Simultaneously, the strength in the man’s hand gripping Siwoo’s collar loosened.
