# Chapter 30
Most abilities are used against monsters in dungeons, but as seen with the Espers who attacked Ha-min before, sometimes person-to-person battles occur too.
So Shim Woo-jin showing me illusions was definitely unusual.
“But are you really okay? It seems like you used a lot of your ability.”
I was now very worried about Shim Woo-jin.
I wondered if he might not be aware of his condition because he was too excited.
I thought I might need to force him to receive Guiding, but he tilted his head.
“Can’t you feel my waves too, Eunwoo? If my waves had reached dangerous levels, you would have known.”
That’s true.
I could feel it when Espers returning from dungeons and missions had waves reaching dangerous levels.
But right now, Shim Woo-jin wasn’t like that at all.
‘Is it because he’s S-class? No, that’s not it. He seemed to really struggle before.’
I still suggested we go see Ha-min anyway and called him, but he answered with a voice that sounded half-dead.
It seemed like Ha-min was the one who needed Guiding.
Still, he didn’t refuse, and Shim Woo-jin seemed to understand the situation and smiled.
“I’m really curious who will become Esper Ha-min’s Guide.”
He said to me after I hung up the phone, then looked at me.
“But Eunwoo, you don’t receive Guiding? I’ve heard talk about that.”
“Ah… well. It’s not like I use much power in dungeons. Since I’m D-class, it’s rarely my turn, and mostly the higher-ranked Espers do all the work…”
Judging from Shim Woo-jin’s expression, he seemed to think I was making up elaborate nonsense, but I didn’t back down.
“Let’s go for now. Ha-min says he can do Guiding.”
“I’m really fine.”
Still, he didn’t keep insisting and obediently listened.
When we visited, Ha-min also seemed to have had a tough time, and Shim Woo-jin felt bad about asking Ha-min for Guiding, so he said he would receive Guiding from another Guide instead.
Then there was a moment of silence.
You know those times?
When conversation suddenly stops.
It was just one of those moments, but since the last thing said was about receiving Guiding from another Guide, certain images came to mind.
It felt like those words were still hanging in the air like smoke, so I tried to change the subject to disperse them, but Shim Woo-jin’s face turned incredibly red.
Ha-min said it was fine and assessed Shim Woo-jin’s condition.
“You’re okay? Very stable. This isn’t just okay—I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone this stable before. You’re even more stable than your usual peaceful state. What did you do, Esper?”
Ha-min looked at Shim Woo-jin with curiosity, and Shim Woo-jin looked at me.
Then he answered Ha-min.
“I trained with Eunwoo in the forest. The intensity was high, about the same as when I tackle the most dangerous dungeons. Normally, my waves should be going wild by now, but they’re not, which is strange.”
“Really? That’s weird. If you used your ability to that extent, this doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, that’s right…”
We all said it was strange and thought deeply, but it wasn’t something we could find an answer to just by thinking.
“If anything changes even slightly, call me right away, Esper.”
“I will, Esper Ha-min. Thank you. But it seems like Esper Ha-min shouldn’t keep delaying the decision to choose a Guide. Look for someone suitable among the high-ranking Guides.”
“Yes…”
Ha-min lowered his head as if he had reached another difficult part.
Poor thing.
***
When Ha-min came out of the training room, Yoon I-jae approached him.
There was no reason for Yoon I-jae, a Guide, to appear in the Esper training room, but he waved at Ha-min with a bright smile as if by coincidence.
“Ha-min. Ah, Esper Ha-min.”
As if “Ha-min. Ah, Esper Ha-min” was all one title used to address Ha-min, many people called him that way.
Ha-min wasn’t pleased to run into Yoon I-jae.
Knowing how Yoon I-jae had treated him before, his body seemed to tense up automatically whenever Yoon I-jae spoke to him or approached.
“…”
“Esper Ha-min. Coming from training? I was called by the Center Director. Since I’m an A-class Guide, they seem to have a lot of questions.”
Ha-min wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.
“Esper Ha-min. I hear you haven’t chosen a Guide yet. Shouldn’t you decide quickly? Other people can only decide after Esper Ha-min does.”
“It’s not like it’ll be an exclusive Guide, so what does it matter?”
When Ha-min spoke, Yoon I-jae paused and looked at him.
Before, he couldn’t even say something like this, but since he started hanging out with Seo Eunwoo, he had begun speaking up occasionally.
And it seemed even more so after awakening as an Esper.
Who could have thought that Ha-min would become an Esper?
He couldn’t understand why this unprecedented global event had to happen here of all places.
Thinking about it made his irritation rise, but to steer things in the most favorable direction for himself at this stage, Yoon I-jae held back his anger.
“I’ve been good to Esper Ha-min many times before. It hurts me when you act like you’ve forgotten all that. Esper Ha-min knows well that Guiding works best when hearts are in sync. No one understands Esper Ha-min better than I do, so how about making me your exclusive Guide?”
Ha-min immediately shook his head.
He hadn’t yet fought monsters in dungeons, nor had he used his ability enough to need Guiding.
The Center was saying that Ha-min needed to experience it and was training him to draw out his ability, but so far his waves hadn’t become unstable or gone berserk.
While he might not go berserk, they expected that at least his waves would become unstable, but even after increasing the intensity of training and using abilities more strongly, it didn’t happen.
‘Someday I’ll need to receive Guiding, but I still don’t want Yoon I-jae.’
Ha-min could be certain about that thought, and if Yoon I-jae kept sticking to him, he could tell him even more firmly.
Yoon I-jae’s expression gradually soured.
Because he didn’t have good matching rates with the three S-class Espers, the only way for him to become an exclusive Guide to an Esper was to be Ha-min’s Guide.
There was controversy about giving preferential treatment by assigning an exclusive Guide only to A-class Esper Ha-min, but since no one could deny that he was special, the controversy quickly subsided.
Yoon I-jae held back his bad mood and forced a smile.
“You haven’t tried yet. So you don’t know if we match or not. Let’s try once. You must be tired after training. Your waves are already jumping around.”
As he spoke, he subtly approached and tried to blatantly stroke Ha-min’s arm.
But Ha-min simply avoided him and smiled.
“If you really think that, I don’t think we need to talk anymore.”
He meant that if Yoon I-jae couldn’t even tell that much about his waves, there was no need for further conversation, and Yoon I-jae’s face flushed hot.
Watching Yoon I-jae, Ha-min tilted his head.
At first, he said it to get rid of Yoon I-jae, but seeing his expression, he thought that Yoon I-jae really couldn’t feel his waves.
That wasn’t strange.
It would be understandable if it was because he was an Esper who had only recently awakened.
Rather, there was something else strange.
-Ha-min. Your waves are a bit unstable? You shouldn’t keep delaying finding a Guide. Shouldn’t you take a break from training today? It seems dangerous to use your ability before finding a Guide.
-Ha-min. What did you do? Did you receive Guiding? Your waves are stable now? How did you do it? Did you find a matching Guide? Who is it?
The person who always noticed his waves and gave him advice.
That person was the strange one.
‘How does Eunwoo know that?’
Ha-min’s steps quickened.
At first, he was going to ask the researchers at the Center.
But then he stopped in his tracks.
He didn’t want to cause trouble for Eunwoo by talking to them.
‘What should I do?’
While he was worrying, wanting to satisfy his curiosity, a welcome face appeared in front of him.
It was Eunwoo, coming with a face full of dissatisfaction about something.
When Ha-min saw Eunwoo, a smile naturally appeared on his face.
“Eunwoo.”
“Ah, Ha-min. Sigh… I’m really annoyed about having to fulfill training hours. Why do they only count training done in the training room? What about people who train well on their own elsewhere? No, even when I say I can prove I trained, they insist I must do it in the training room. This makes no sense. It’s so annoying, really.”
Ha-min burst into laughter while trying to comfort the grumbling Eunwoo.
“Then why don’t you talk to the Center Director directly?”
“I can’t do that. I feel like I’m getting too much attention as it is. This goes against my life motto. I was trying to live quietly without standing out, but I don’t know why things turned out this way.”
“Our Eunwoo is having a hard time.”
“I’m glad at least you understand.”
Ha-min didn’t realize that his waves, which had risen a bit because of Yoon I-jae, were becoming extremely stable.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
