A Small Boat on the Sea (7)
An uncomfortable silence briefly filled the office. After everyone silently read each other’s expressions, Noona Hae-yoon spoke up.
“Do-min, do you know the new recruit?”
“…Ah, yes. I know him.”
The gazes of my team members intensified upon hearing my words. In the end, I had to add a brief explanation that bordered on an excuse.
“We’re not that close though…”
“Reeeeally?”
“Yeah, sure. I believe you. It’s not a big deal anyway.”
Though my team members’ faces were full of mischievous, playful expressions as they responded, I deliberately pretended not to notice.
“Shall we head to the training grounds now?”
“Let’s hurry. Even as we speak, the newbie is probably being pushed around by that crazy guy. We should appear heroically and save him.”
“Seong-rok, do you really think you can save that rookie from An Jong-hyeok?”
“Don’t get feisty and end up making the team leader angrier. Lee Seong-rok, staying quiet is the best way for you to help.”
“Oh come on, what’s wrong with me?”
“Are you seriously asking? For real?”
“Seong-rok hyung, you… really have a talent for inviting punishment. I’ve never met anyone quite like you.”
“What? You want to die? Want to try hanging upside down in the air? Huh?”
The Espers headed to the training grounds while bickering with each other, and we Guides, including myself, followed behind them. Honestly, I was half worried, half curious. How was Jong-hyeok hyung training Sa Hae-geon, was Sa Hae-geon keeping up with his training methods, and how did Sa Hae-geon appear as a raw gem in hyung’s eyes?
I was curious. I became curious about how others saw Sa Hae-geon, not just me.
At the training grounds we headed to, Jong-hyeok hyung and Sa Hae-geon were in the midst of training. Beyond the space divided by thick, solid walls and reinforced glass made from dungeon by-products, hyung was giving some instructions to Sa Hae-geon.
Sa Hae-geon was nodding with a very serious expression. His eyes reflected considerable determination.
“How many minutes has it been? Ah, it’s already been 13 minutes.”
A-rank Esper Noona Ha-seon, who was checking the timer measuring the training time, clicked her tongue.
“I bet the training won’t end even after 1 hour and 30 minutes on that timer.”
“1 hour and 30 minutes? Don’t be ridiculous. We’re talking about An Jong-hyeok here—maybe if it was 13 hours.”
“Still, I thought he might go easy since it’s a rookie and their first day of training… but from the looks of it, they won’t even take a lunch break.”
I quietly nodded at the words of Noona Ha-seon and A-rank Esper hyung Woo-seok. I had felt a lot while working with Jong-hyeok hyung in the same team and at the same sites. One of those things was about training.
Jong-hyeok hyung was one of the Espers who took training extremely seriously—so much so that there was even a bizarre rumor that he trained 20 hours a day. Having seen hyung train a few times, I couldn’t dismiss this wild rumor as just a joke.
That was because if there wasn’t a dungeon scheduled for conquest, hyung would devote himself to training as if there were no tomorrow. Even if his body broke down and deteriorated, he would receive treatment from healing Espers like Noona Ha-seon or Noona Ji-hyun, then get up as if nothing had happened and repeat the same routine.
So, Espers who unknowingly trained with Jong-hyeok hyung would all end up bedridden for a week. Considering that even low-ranked Espers had several times the stamina of ordinary people, this was truly remarkable.
And Sa Hae-geon was now training with Jong-hyeok hyung. With a serious and enthusiastic face that I had rarely seen before.
“Even so, he should teach while letting them eat lunch. Later, either I or Do-min can go in and intervene if needed.”
“Alright, then we’ll leave that to Hae-yoon and Do-min. Shouldn’t we start our training too?”
“Yeah. See you all later.”
One by one, the Espers left to train, leaving only the Guides behind. Of course, even the few Guides remaining soon left the training grounds urgently because of dungeon-related matters.
The training grounds were basically divided into spaces for Espers and spaces for Guides. Guides were supposed to observe Espers training through transparent glass windows and care for Espers who appeared to need Guiding or requested it.
I sat in a place where I could see Sa Hae-geon well and observed him. When Jong-hyeok hyung shot small but powerful flames at a target while saying something, Sa Hae-geon nodded and applied it. Soon, a ball of water about the size of a child’s fist was embedded in the center of the target.
Hyung seemed satisfied and patted Sa Hae-geon’s shoulder, and although Sa Hae-geon slightly furrowed his brow, he also appeared pleased. It was nice to see him approaching training with such determination, when he usually seemed so placid and gentle.
Before long, Sa Hae-geon was following hyung’s training while wearing ability control gear designed for training. The function of this training ability control gear varied depending on how it was set up. Usually, it was used to block the use of power above a certain level. It was said to be the best training method for efficiently using abilities.
Especially for Sa Hae-geon, who lacked the ability to handle his power efficiently or precisely, this seemed like it would be very helpful. While observing Sa Hae-geon’s training, several Espers came seeking Guiding.
Among them was A-rank Esper Yeom Jae-min, who usually received Guiding from me. He looked around, spotted me, and strode over to sit in the chair opposite me.
“Do-min, I need some Guiding.”
“Ah, yes.”
Performing radiative Guiding after such a long time felt nostalgic. Compared to contact Guiding, it clearly required less effort but was less efficient. Still, many Guides, including myself, preferred radiative Guiding.
After all, holding hands with others or pressing bodies together for Guiding was uncomfortable, no matter how much it was considered a Guide’s duty. Unlike Guides, Espers often preferred contact Guiding, and in field situations, there were various reasons why contact Guiding had to be used.
“How is your training going today?”
“That’s unusual. You’re asking how training was? Ah, is it because of the new Esper?”
Esper Yeom Jae-min pointed at Sa Hae-geon visible through the glass window and burst into laughter.
“The training itself was similar. It might be different once we start properly coordinating in the conquest team, but. The new Esper was keeping up well, wasn’t he? Thanks to him, I even heard words of praise coming from the team leader’s mouth.”
“Really? That’s good.”
“Is it really good? If he catches the team leader’s eye, he’s going to be very tired. Do you still think that’s good?”
After asking that, Esper Yeom Jae-min giggled and shook his head.
“It’s unfortunate for the new Esper. Unless he’s a training bug like the team leader.”
Was Sa Hae-geon a training bug? Since I hadn’t seen him train many times, it was hard to gauge. As I was scratching my cheek and staring at Sa Hae-geon, I realized he was staring back at me with narrowed eyes, though I had thought he was focused on training.
When I mouthed ‘why,’ Sa Hae-geon looked at me with a sulky face and then sharply turned his head away. The same thing happened when I was Guiding Esper Choi Min-jong.
The guy who would send subtle glances when I was alone would open his eyes wide and show discomfort as soon as Espers approached me. Apparently, he didn’t like me Guiding other Espers. He would surely nag me about it when we got home.
But there was nothing I could do. This was my job, and how could I stop just because Sa Hae-geon was uncomfortable?
Under Jong-hyeok hyung’s leadership, the training continued well past lunchtime. Noona Hae-yoon and I exchanged glances briefly before getting up and pressing the bell connected to the training grounds. It was a bell that notified people that non-Espers were entering the training grounds.
Only after confirming that the Espers were stopping their ability use one by one did Noona Hae-yoon and I open the door to the training grounds. Jong-hyeok hyung, who had been absorbed in training, looked at us.
“I told you not to come in carelessly because it’s dangerous. Do-min, why didn’t you stop her?”
“We rang the bell before coming in? Training is good, but you should let them eat too. Are you going to skip lunch and keep training? It’s already 30 minutes past. Do you want to get a reputation as a tyrannical team leader?”
“…Has that much time passed already?”
“Yes, it has. And it’s 30 minutes over. I told you to be mindful of the time when training.”
“I didn’t realize. I’m sorry, Hae-geon.”
“It’s fine.”
Sa Hae-geon lightly bowed his head to Jong-hyeok hyung, who had called him by name familiarly, and then met my eyes. His eyes seemed to have a lot to say. I rolled my eyes away from him and said to Jong-hyeok hyung:
“Then we’ll meet at the cafeteria after you clean up. We’ll go ahead and save seats.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
As Noona Hae-yoon and I were about to head to the cafeteria, I felt someone following me from behind. When I turned my head, I saw Sa Hae-geon following me with a sullen face.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
