I Want to Be Your Guide – Chapter 9
There are two types of imprinting.
Unilateral imprinting and bilateral imprinting.
Since both types of imprinting occur through extremely rare probabilities, headquarters generally discouraged having relations during Guiding for any reason.
Bilateral imprinting is an imprint that binds both the Esper and Guide to each other. It’s like a marriage vow, promising to live only for each other for a lifetime.
But unilateral imprinting is different. It has no effect on the Guide, but for the Esper, it’s a one-sided constraint that allows them to receive Guiding only from the imprinted Guide.
“Driver, please hurry.”
In the taxi heading to headquarters, Jeongyun was constantly plagued by anxiety. Until just now, he had been happy thinking he had saved Domin, but the situation had changed.
‘This can’t be happening. Unilateral imprinting on Choi Domin?’
According to Wooyeon, Domin was looking for the Guide who had unilaterally imprinted on him and then ran away.
But there was an error in that statement. First, Jeongyun didn’t know he had unilaterally imprinted on Domin, nor had he run away. After finishing the Guiding, he just left because he didn’t want to wake Domin who was sleeping peacefully.
However, in this situation, who would believe him even if he said that?
“…What should I do?”
Jeongyun let out a deep sigh as he dragged his hands down his face. He had heard that unwanted unilateral imprinting could be erased, but the procedure was complicated, and the Esper would experience significant pain during the removal process.
But if the imprinting isn’t removed, Jeongyun would be the only Guide who could provide Guiding to Domin. An A-rank Esper having to receive Guiding only from a C-rank Guide—who would be happy with that?
Not likely, Jeongyun quickly acknowledged the reality. Besides the rank difference, his matching rate with Domin wasn’t that good. The exact figure required a test, but he could be certain.
At most, around 40 percent. A level where normal Contact Guiding would be useless.
“We’ve arrived.”
While he was agonizing, the taxi arrived at headquarters.
Getting out of the car, Jeongyun seriously considered turning back even now. But the taxi had already gone far away, and the green light on his pager kept blinking, urging Jeongyun.
“I have to go…”
Suppressing the urge to run away, Jeongyun entered headquarters with a miserable heart, like livestock being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
Stepping through the massive revolving door, a hall so wide it was hard to take in at a glance appeared. And there were the white stairs that separated F-rank from the rest of the ranks.
The F-ranks on the lower floor called those stairs the “Stairway to Heaven.” Of course, it wasn’t a good meaning in the literal sense.
Wooyeon had said before that it was a pessimistic expression, lamenting their unchangeable rank and their inability to go upstairs.
Ever since learning that these stairs, so familiar to him, were the object of such fervent desire for others, Jeongyun always found himself paying attention to the lower floor whenever he climbed these stairs.
After climbing the stairs that cruelly divided the floors, the right side was the Esper building and the left was the Guide building.
After passing through a long corridor, he reached the floor where the Guiding rooms were located. As he was about to take out his pager to report his return, he saw a group gathered in the lounge far away.
Jeongyun put his pager back in his pocket for a moment and approached where the people were gathered.
“It’s okay, don’t cry.”
“How could he do this to you? Choi Domin, really such a bastard…”
“He’ll be caught soon. They said the imprinting can be removed quickly too.”
As he got closer, the previously muffled voices became clearer. In the lounge, there were familiar faces and unfamiliar ones.
Not only B-rank Guides but also C-rank Guides who didn’t usually get along well were together. And at the center, with reddened, swollen eyes, was Saeon. Jeongyun stopped walking toward the lounge.
“Jeongyun.”
When someone tapped his shoulder and he turned around, Wooyeon was standing there. As Jeongyun’s lips parted, Wooyeon placed his index finger on his lips, signaling to be quiet.
Fortunately, the people busy consoling Saeon had no interest in their surroundings. Wooyeon gestured as if to say “come here.” Jeongyun followed behind Wooyeon.
“It was you?”
As soon as the Guiding room door closed, Wooyeon asked out of nowhere.
It was an unfriendly question with the subject omitted, but Jeongyun immediately understood what Wooyeon was asking.
Jeongyun slowly nodded. Wooyeon’s eyes, which had been secretly hoping it wasn’t true, distorted miserably.
“Are you out of your mind? No matter how much you like Choi Domin, this isn’t right.”
“It’s not like that.”
“What do you mean it’s not like that! Do you know that headquarters has been turned upside down? Why did you do it!”
“I didn’t do it on purpose, really…”
His voice trembled with the rising sense of injustice. Jeongyun slowly explained to Wooyeon what had happened last night.
The sudden terrorist attack, Domin suffering from severe aftereffects, and the Contact Guiding he had to proceed with due to the rank difference.
Wooyeon, who had been listening quietly, exploded in anger when Jeongyun said that the Contact Guiding had progressed to having relations, but he barely calmed down. However, his face, still hot with anger, was bright red like a balloon about to burst.
“I thought you were normal, but you’re not. Yeo Jeongyun. You’re crazy. A lunatic who loses your mind when it comes to Choi Domin.”
Since it wasn’t exactly wrong, Jeongyun didn’t refute.
Seeing Jeongyun quietly closing his mouth and agreeing with his words, Wooyeon’s indignation burst again, and he hit his own chest repeatedly with his fist.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“If I go and tell the truth…”
Tell the truth honestly. That it was an accident during emergency Guiding, and that he hadn’t secretly run away.
Unlike Jeongyun, who thought Domin would understand, Wooyeon was skeptical.
“That guy will try to tear you apart as soon as he opens his mouth.”
“No, he won’t.”
“You think that maniac who’s currently raging, saying he’ll kill the Guide who unilaterally imprinted on him and ran away, will fully believe that?”
“…”
At Wooyeon’s confident words, Jeongyun tightly closed his mouth.
It wasn’t unusual for Wooyeon to curse Domin, but this time Jeongyun couldn’t be certain either.
What he knew was only Domin’s image seen on television, not the real person.
Seeing Jeongyun’s serious face, Wooyeon offered belated comfort, saying there must be some way. But it wasn’t helpful at all.
Jeongyun pushed away Wooyeon’s hand, which was patting his shoulder, and took out the pager from his pocket.
“I need to go.”
“Where?”
Instead of answering, Jeongyun showed the name of Department Head Jung Yona displayed on the pager. Ah, Wooyeon sighed deeply.
“…Jeongyun.”
“It’s okay. I’ll tell everything honestly and come back.”
After reassuring the worried Wooyeon, Jeongyun quietly left the Guiding room so that the Guides in the lounge wouldn’t notice.
While walking to Department Head Jung Yona’s office, Jeongyun prepared to speak honestly. From telling everything that happened yesterday without omission to apologizing, his preparation was perfect.
Jeongyun stood in front of Department Head Jung Yona’s office, which he had visited a few days ago. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
After waiting for a moment, Jeongyun carefully turned the cold doorknob.
“I came because you called…”
Department Head Jung Yona’s seat was empty. No, the office itself was empty. Jeongyun, who stopped his greeting and looked around, took out his pager to check.
Department Head Jung Yona had definitely sent the call, so thinking she might have briefly stepped out, Jeongyun gently sat on the edge of the sofa placed in the middle of the office.
How long did he wait like that?
Just as he was about to yawn from boredom, the door opened after a while and someone came in. Jeongyun, who was about to stand up and greet them, widened his eyes at the appearance of someone he never expected.
“Hello.”
At the fresh greeting, Jeongyun was dumbfounded. He couldn’t even ask why Domin was here.
Unlike other Espers who had to wear designated clothes, Domin usually wore eye-catching, fancy suits because of his profession.
Domin, who pulled off even the dark blue suit as if it were his own, looked as wonderful as if he had just stepped out of an advertisement. Jeongyun couldn’t help but be entranced by the radiant appearance he had only seen on TV.
“What are you doing? Sit down.”
Domin, who had taken the seat of honor, tilted his head. Jeongyun, embracing his dazed feeling, sat back down on the sofa.
‘He looks like an idiot.’
Domin, crossing his long legs, stared at Jeongyun’s dazed face and thought. He had met all the Guides on the list that Junyoung had brought.
Except for one, Yeo Jeongyun. He couldn’t feel any reaction from the other Guides.
If so, he was half certain that the remaining Yeo Jeongyun was the culprit, and seeing him avoiding eye contact like someone who had been caught, Domin could be 100 percent certain.
It’s this guy.
The audacious Guide who unilaterally imprinted on me and ran away.
“You’re Guide Yeo Jeongyun, correct?”
Jeongyun, stiff with tension, slowly nodded. Of all things, a C-rank. He thought he wasn’t a fool who would eat just anything no matter how desperate, but perhaps he had overestimated himself.
Wouldn’t Ju Saeon be better?
Domin, who was comparing Jeongyun and Ju Saeon in his mind, momentarily stopped his thoughts when he saw Jeongyun’s trembling lips.
“You know me, right?”
This time too, instead of answering, Jeongyun nodded. As expected, at the anticipated answer, Domin’s eyes curved as he smiled prettily.
Despite it not being a situation to like, Jeongyun’s face, unable to read the atmosphere, flushed red again at Domin’s smile that melted his heart.
Junyoung had said to wait leisurely for a day, but Domin didn’t want to waste time. Going to his home directly would also be an option, but why go through the trouble when he would crawl back to headquarters on his own if an order to return was issued?
It was a bit of a struggle to borrow the pager from Department Head Jung Yona, but in the end, it saved the effort of going to find him directly, so that was fine.
“Do you know why I came looking for Guide Yeo Jeongyun?”
At Domin’s sudden question, Jeongyun honestly nodded. Has this guy’s mouth been glued shut since earlier? Why does he keep just nodding?
Domin’s eyes, which had erased his smile, lingered on Jeongyun’s finely trembling shoulders before moving slowly.
“Last night…”
It’s really hard to hear his voice. Jeongyun, who opened his tightly closed lips, spoke in such a small voice that it would be inaudible unless one concentrated.
And the way he kept sneakily glancing around was like seeing a delicate herbivore in front of a carnivore.
Domin, with a smile that seemed about to melt softly, told him the correct answer.
“You fucked me and ran away yesterday, didn’t you?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
