“I would discard it,” Han-gyeom replied without hesitation. “I have no need for it.”
A beautiful flower held no value for him. He wasn’t the type to indulge in sentimentality over such things.
The old man gazed at Han-gyeom and let out a faint laugh through his wrinkled lips.
“You don’t have the best personality, do you?”
“I’m aware,” Han-gyeom responded.
The old man weakly raised his hand, the one with an IV needle inserted, and extended it toward Han-gyeom.
“Come closer, my child.”
Han-gyeom approached and, almost instinctively, took the old man’s frail hand. The old man’s bony fingers gently clasped Han-gyeom’s hand in a handshake.
Suddenly, Han-gyeom felt an odd sensation.
‘What is this?’ he wondered, puzzled by the unexpected feeling.
The old man looked up at Han-gyeom with a kind expression, his eyes meeting Han-gyeom’s gaze.
‘He looks almost… dead,’ Han-gyeom thought involuntarily.
The old man’s breath was barely audible, and an oxygen tube was attached to his nose. Up close, his face appeared pale and lifeless, as if he might pass away at any moment. Only the vivid spark in his eyes belied his frail appearance.
Han-gyeom realized that the old man was gently stroking his hand, his touch surprisingly tender.
“So, you’re guiding Won all by yourself?” the old man asked.
“Yes,” Han-gyeom replied.
“Isn’t it difficult? He’s been guided by multiple people since he was young, so handling him alone must be challenging.”
“It’s fine,” Han-gyeom responded lightly, though he felt that strange sensation again.
As Han-gyeom tried to pinpoint the source of his discomfort, the old man continued to pat his hand affectionately.
“As you know, Won has an exceptional number of innate ESP abilities. That’s why he requires so much guidance.” The old man sighed regretfully. “Moreover, I’ve heard from his guides that his ESP pathways are quite finicky, making him difficult to guide.”
Han-gyeom was somewhat surprised by the old man’s words. ‘He knows a lot for a non-Esper,’ he thought. The old man’s assessment was accurate.
Seo Won’s ESP capacity was remarkably high, envied by many Espers. Having a large amount of ESP meant he could utilize his abilities in various ways simultaneously. He was likely the only Esper in the country who could maintain five doppelgangers all day and still appear unfazed.
However, this extensive use of abilities inevitably complicated the pathways through which his ESP flowed, making it challenging to manage all that power. Even after prolonged guiding by Han-gyeom, Seo Won’s pathways remained a complex maze. It would be difficult for them to ever become smooth and straightforward.
This issue was not unique to Seo Won. High-ranking Espers, who could use many abilities without tiring easily, often ended up with intricate ESP pathways resembling spider webs or labyrinths. Therefore, they needed guides who could skillfully navigate these complexities—guides with the right sensibilities, delicate touch, and ample GP to avoid being overwhelmed by the Esper’s ESP.
Ordinary people had no way of understanding these details. To them, concepts like ESP pathways and guiding were mere fantasies, as they could never experience them. Yet, the old man seemed quite knowledgeable about ability users.
‘Perhaps he’s so interested because of Seo Won,’ Han-gyeom thought. It made sense; Seo Won was the heir to the Kangsan Group. A man on the verge of death would naturally be deeply concerned about the future of his group and its leader.
“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to assign more guides to Seo Won. What do you think?” the old man asked.
It was a reasonable request. Seo Won was a high-ranking Esper who had previously received daily guidance from multiple guides. The old man was likely anxious about Seo Won relying solely on Han-gyeom now.
However, Han-gyeom knew that an imprinted Seo Won could not be guided by anyone else. He shook his head lightly. “There’s no need. I can handle the guiding alone.”
The old man’s eyes turned cold.
“Are you worried that if other guides come, you might lose Seo Won to them?”
Han-gyeom met the old man’s gaze steadily, understanding his intentions. The old man was testing his ’emotions.’
‘Ridiculous,’ Han-gyeom thought. What he felt was far from such trivial emotions.
He feigned ignorance of the old man’s cold stare and smiled lightly.
“Hardly. If someone could take him from me, that wouldn’t be so bad. But there is no guide who can guide Seo Won as well as I can.”
Following Seo Won’s advice, Han-gyeom spoke his mind honestly, holding nothing back. He explained that if another guide were assigned to Seo Won, there was a risk of exposing Seo Won’s Black Vein. But beyond that, Han-gyeom personally hated the idea of anyone else guiding Seo Won. He recalled the intense anger he felt when he saw evidence of Kang Woo-chan’s interference with Seo Won.
The old man’s eyes gleamed sharply as he scrutinized Han-gyeom, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of his words.
“Quite the confidence you have,” the old man remarked.
“If your guiding is insufficient, it will ultimately lead to a rampage. Your selfishness could kill Won,” the old man warned.
His words irritated Han-gyeom greatly. Although the old man was deliberately provoking him, Han-gyeom couldn’t ignore the accusation. Guides were supposed to stabilize and support Espers, not be blamed for their rampages.
‘I’m so tired of this gaslighting,’ Han-gyeom thought, recalling his painful memories from the research facility. He felt a sudden surge of emotion, followed by a tickling sensation in his throat—a sign of an impending seizure.
Realizing he didn’t have his ice apple, which he usually relied on to suppress his seizures in Seo Won’s absence, Han-gyeom felt a wave of anxiety. But then, he remembered Seo Won’s reassuring words and the gentle touch on his shoulder.
“It’s okay. As long as I’m here, no one can harm you.”
Remarkably, the memory of Seo Won’s words and touch calmed him, and the anxiety subsided as quickly as it had come.
‘What just happened?’ Han-gyeom wondered, surprised by the sudden stability.
“My child,” the old man called out, observing Han-gyeom’s expression. “Have you ever imagined yourself causing Won’s death?”
Han-gyeom frowned at the old man’s callous question, but his anxiety had vanished.
“Seo Won will not rampage,” he asserted firmly. “I won’t let that happen.”
He was determined to prevent Seo Won from suffering the same fate as Song Yeon-woo, who had been consumed by the Black Vein and died as a monster.
The old man looked genuinely surprised by Han-gyeom’s resolve. His eyes, once filled with vitality, now sparkled with intrigue as he stared at Han-gyeom in silence.
Han-gyeom broke the silence, addressing the old man.
“May I ask you something?”
“…Go ahead,” the old man replied, his gaze still fixed on Han-gyeom.
Han-gyeom’s next words caught the old man off guard.
“Why do I keep sensing a strange ESP from you?”
Han-gyeom had finally pinpointed the source of his unease. He pressed further, speaking to the now-silent old man.
“Whose ESP are you bound to?”
