# Chapter 77
All the way back to the lodgings, Jaeha kept nagging.
“It would be better if you don’t overlap with Jiho when visiting from now on. Gilma is too honest, so I think he easily picks up bad habits.”
“That’s a misunderstanding. My feelings for Jaeha are sincere.”
“I’m also sincere about asking you two to come separately. At least Jiho shows that he’s joking, but when Gilma acts like this, it really… Ugh, can you see my goosebumps?”
Jaeha held out his arm and pulled up his uniform sleeve. He did this to show he was getting goosebumps, but Haeil only saw smooth skin and answered honestly.
“It looks clean and soft. May I touch it?”
“What? Ah, no. It was just a figure of speech.”
Jaeha’s voice dropped as he quietly lowered his sleeve. He was troubled by not knowing how to deal with Haeil, who somehow seemed lighter but still serious. But Haeil thought that being honest about his feelings was the right answer since they seemed closer now.
“If possible, I wanted to be Jaeha’s guard.”
“You too, Haeil? Being an Esper must be really tough. Even Cheonoh, who just awakened, keeps wanting to be a guard.”
Haeil smiled at Jaeha, who had returned to using his name with “hyung,” and revealed his true feelings.
“It’s because I want to be with Jaeha.”
“Yes, yes. When we get to the lodgings, I’ll do guiding for you.”
Jaeha’s thought that being together meant guiding wasn’t wrong. Haeil also included guiding as a reason for wanting to be closest to Jaeha. But if it was just that, there were other guides too. Even today, people were lined up outside the association to take the guide test. Among them, there must be guides compatible with Haeil.
But Haeil wanted to be with Jaeha more than anyone else. He wanted to be special to Jaeha, who treated him playfully like “Gilma” from a game, not as Esper Kwon Haeil or Daesung’s illegitimate child.
“I want to be the closest person to Jaeha, so I’ll try hard.”
“Unfortunately, my annoying brother lives closest to me.”
Even Jaeha’s slightly misaligned responses seemed cute, making Haeil smile. Haeil’s calm smile reassured Jaeha.
“Do I have another schedule this afternoon?”
“You just need to give a light encouraging speech to people who came to take the guide test.”
This was also about standing in front of people. For Jaeha, who had lived an ordinary life, it was a burdensome task.
“Ugh, it won’t be a situation where people rush at me like before, right?”
“While earlier was a press conference, I think this will be more like a fan meeting.”
Thinking it would be like experiencing being a celebrity indirectly, Jaeha steeled himself.
‘But why are there so many people wanting to take the guide test?’
Jaeha’s expectation that there would be fewer people than the dozens of reporters who rushed at him earlier was completely wrong.
The large space, shaped like a circular lecture hall with steps, was filled with people without any gaps. Even those standing in layers at the back were all waiting for Jaeha.
‘No, if it’s this many people, they should have given me time to prepare a speech.’
Actually, there was enough time. Before the afternoon, while holding hands and guiding with Haeil, they had discussed the guide test scheduled for the afternoon.
Haeil had constantly reassured Jaeha, saying it would be fine, he would be by his side, and Jaeha should just speak as usual. Haeil was definitely the type who gave excessive trust. If he said it would be fine, it really seemed like it would be.
Even now, before going up to the platform, Jaeha was constantly clenching and unclenching his hands due to nervousness, but the hand that naturally held his gave him stability even without guiding. It was both bitter and reassuring that holding hands with a man had become so routine that he didn’t even feel aversion anymore.
Telling himself that after kissing in front of others, just showing his face and saying a few words was nothing, Jaeha took a step forward.
“It’s Seo Jaeha.”
“Guide Seo Jaeha!”
“Wow, he’s much cuter in person.”
When everyone’s gazes turned to him at once, Jaeha wanted to take back the step he had just taken. As Haeil stepped forward for the hesitating, nervous Jaeha, an even bigger commotion erupted.
“It’s Esper Kwon Haeil!”
“Kyaa! Oppa, look at me please!”
“Wow, he’s handsome. Is he really not an actor?”
“Haeil Oppa, please make me your guide!”
Somehow, there was a high proportion of women applying for the guide test, and it seemed many were more interested in the connection with Espers than in being guides themselves. Thinking their purpose was the Espers, Jaeha actually felt more at ease.
As he followed Haeil up to the platform, he had the strange thought of wondering if this is what students looked like to professors.
Haeil went up first but led Jaeha to the microphone. After all, this was an event for guides, so taking care of Jaeha was natural.
When Jaeha stood in front of the microphone, the murmuring subsided. Some people were still blowing heart signs or taking out their phones for Haeil, but they were stopped by the guards.
The pressure of people’s focus was burdensome, so Jaeha lowered his gaze and grabbed the microphone, wanting to get it over with quickly.
“Hello, I’m Seo Jaeha… Guide.”
“Hello, Guide!”
The word “guide” still felt awkward on his tongue, but people’s reactions were enthusiastic. Even though they were seeing Jaeha for the first time, most of them had watched his guiding video repeatedly and felt goodwill toward him through the association’s promotions.
As Haeil said, it was closer to a fan meeting atmosphere. Though they weren’t fans but just had curiosity and light goodwill, Jaeha’s tension eased a little bit, allowing him to smile slightly.
“He’s cute!”
“Protect the small and precious guide!”
“How tall are you?”
With questions pouring in, Jaeha grabbed the microphone tightly with a slightly irritated expression.
“Um, I’m not that small. I’m average, but Haeil is just too tall.”
“That’s right. Jaeha is cute, but he’s not small.”
“Haha, Haeil is just saying that seriously, but he’s joking.”
“I’m always sincere to Jaeha.”
“Hyung, please stop.”
Haeil’s serious fact-dropping and Jaeha’s disgusted hand-waving made the audience pleased. When they watched through videos, Espers and guides seemed like people from different worlds, but seeing them joke and bicker made them feel closer.
The eyes of guide aspirants, who had only seen Haeil’s textbook-like image until now, shone even brighter upon seeing this different side of him. It felt like a given that becoming a guide meant becoming close with Espers.
Feeling like he had chatted too personally on the platform, Jaeha straightened the microphone.
“I heard you all came for the guide test today. I came to cheer for you… but I feel embarrassed about why I’m standing here.”
As Jaeha became serious, the playful shouts also subsided. Whatever their motives were, this was a place for people who came to take the guide test, and the person who became the standard for guides was holding the microphone. As people became serious, Jaeha also wanted to be of at least some help and could speak naturally.
“If you have any questions, I’ll answer them as best I can.”
“How did you awaken as a guide, Guide Seo Jaeha? Was there support from Daesung?”
Fortunately, this time it wasn’t a joking question. To this proper question, Jaeha glanced at Haeil and then began to answer calmly.
“I suddenly became a guide one day, so I don’t know exactly when I awakened. I didn’t even know guides also awaken. As for Daesung’s support… ah, the lodgings here are really comfortable. The employee cafeteria changes its menu every day, and we often have meat. The kimchi has a really deep and refreshing taste, so um… it goes well with kimchi noodles… maybe I’ll have that for dinner…”
By the end, his answer had turned into a monologue, which made those listening burst into laughter one by one. Fortunately, the questions that followed were not difficult to answer. There were also questions about the light swirls that appeared when Jaeha guided Jaeyoon, but since Jaeha didn’t know either, he said he would let them know when he had information and moved on.
“Is there a special feeling when guiding?”
When he received the last question as quite some time had passed and it was time to wrap up, Haeil looked surprised. But Jaeha continued answering calmly.
“Usually, there’s no feeling. But with Espers receiving guiding for the first time, maybe because their mana waves are tangled, it feels like electricity rises when I hold their hand. There is a pain that feels like being stabbed.”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“It hurts a bit, but I think it’s bearable compared to the pain Espers have endured.”
The laughing and chattering atmosphere seemed to become a bit solemn, and then a man wearing a hood added a question.
“An Esper I know said it feels really strange, though.”
“It is strange. It’s like getting an electric acupuncture, and it hurts sometimes.”
“No, not like that. Sexually…”
From the moment he mentioned the strange feeling, Haeil signaled with his eyes to a nearby guard. The guard quickly approached the hooded man and whispered in his ear. The hesitating man bowed his head deeply and headed outside with the guard. In the uncomfortable atmosphere, Jaeha tried his best to conclude the situation.
“Sexually? Haeil, do you grade the guide test too?”
“…Grades are applied. I think we need to wrap up now.”
“It’s not grades but levels, he says. I hope my answers helped. Everyone, do your best. Fighting!”
At Haeil’s suddenly rushed behavior, Jaeha quickly gave a closing greeting and stepped down from the platform. Fortunately, people sent off Jaeha with a big round of applause.
Some people understood what the hooded man was saying, but they felt both goodwill and confusion at Jaeha’s innocent reaction. This was because among the materials they had gathered through the internet, there were quite credible guiding reviews. Despite confidentiality clauses, there was no enforcement on the guide side, so there were reviews leaked by newcomers.
It wasn’t just Espers who felt strange desires during guiding. Guides were also affected, which could easily lead to unnecessary secondary guiding, resulting in observers having to give cautions.
It was a special property of guiding that only Jaeha seemed unaware of.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
