Chapter 16
It was common for Espers’ appearances to change as their abilities stabilized.
Depending on their abilities, their eye color might change slightly, or their hair color could transform.
Koreans typically have black, dark brown, or deep brown eyes and hair. However, among awakened Espers, some had extremely light hair colors or brighter eyes than others, making children look different from their parents.
For example, Ji Yeohoon’s father, Guide Oh Chan-seok, had dark brown hair and relatively black eyes, a common appearance among Koreans. In contrast, his mother, Esper Ji Seon-young, had blonde hair and blue eyes, resembling an angel from mythology.
Ironically, their son Ji Yeohoon had dark brown hair and brown eyes, but when I asked later, they said it was because he was young and that he looked exactly like his aunt when she was little.
Yoon Cheong’s eye color had been gradually brightening since his awakening. Seeing the transformation from completely black was fascinating.
“Yoon Cheong hyung, they really turned blue?”
“Yeah.”
“Soo-young hyung, will mine change too when I manifest?”
“I suppose so? Aren’t you curious what color they’ll be?”
“I’m a little curious, but I’ll find out when I manifest, so it’s fine.”
If nothing changes from before the regression, Yoon Cheong’s eyes will turn an even more piercingly bright blue than they are now. Ji Yeohoon’s brown hair will lighten, and his eyes will turn green.
I couldn’t forget seeing them like celebrities on TV, as they were two popular S-class individuals.
Guides don’t change appearance when they gain guiding abilities, so out of disappointment, I bleached and dyed my hair throughout my early twenties.
But after comparing my hair—broken and damaged from harsh chemicals—with the beautiful colors and healthy hair of Espers, I stopped.
“By the way, Ji Yeohoon, what’s with the formal speech?”
“Mom and Dad keep using it, so I got used to it… But hyung, when will I manifest?”
Ji Yeohoon, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, had a sulky face.
Having passed the age of twelve when I transferred schools, Ji Yeohoon asked as if feeling left out.
The kid who used to speak casually when he was practically glued to Yoon Cheong and me started mixing in formal speech after I transferred, and eventually it became permanent.
Seeing that he still spoke casually to Yoon Cheong, there must be some reason he was doing it only with me, but I couldn’t figure it out.
Yoon Cheong and I had moved up to the middle school division.
After entering middle school, class time increased slightly, but it was still 5 minutes shorter than regular middle schools.
Classes ran from 8:50 AM with 40-minute lessons and 10-minute breaks, lunch at noon, then another class at 1:00 PM followed by ability-related lessons.
There wasn’t a big difference, but perhaps because I’d gotten used to elementary school classes, as soon as I entered middle school, I was so tired that I requested leave almost every time.
Moreover, as I aged and time passed since the regression, my memories of school studies from before the regression were fading.
Isn’t it normal to forget all your studies after the college entrance exam is over?
Although School 3 put less emphasis on regular subjects, I still found studying tedious and escaped at every opportunity.
It was during one of these rare outings when I was sprawled out reading a novel on my phone in Ji Yeohoon’s room, just like before. Ji Yeohoon, who had been searching for Esper-related articles on his computer, suddenly became gloomy and looked at me.
“Do you want to manifest that badly?”
“Yes.”
“Why? You’ll manifest eventually anyway, and once you do, you’ll have to use your ability for life and won’t be able to leave the dormitory until you become an adult.”
“Because hyung is at school.”
As expected, the straightforward Ji Yeohoon answered as if stating the obvious. Yoon Cheong, sitting nearby and diligently raising his Digimon game character in the field, nodded in agreement.
I wondered if I’d become their attachment figure after raising them since childhood, but since I was a Guide and not easily separated from them anyway, I’d given up worrying about it. I tapped on my phone screen while looking at the text.
This novel is interesting.
“We’ll keep seeing each other anyway. We see each other often now, and you stay over here every time we come out.”
“But Yoon Cheong hyung gets to see you all the time at school, and I’m the only one outside, plus this hyung has grown so tall!”
That seems to be one of the reasons he’s upset.
Fourteen-year-old Yoon Cheong’s height had recently reached almost 170cm.
Given his Esper body, he’ll probably grow even taller than that. He was quite tall before the regression too.
When did these kids, who were almost the same height or shorter than me during kindergarten and first grade, grow so much? Yoon Cheong especially had grown too much.
Meanwhile, Ji Yeohoon was still slightly shorter than his peers. The stress seemed immense as the gap between us began to widen, as I was growing slightly above average.
“Plus, they said my ability manifestation will be in the buff category like my mom, so I won’t grow much taller.”
“But why do you want to manifest quickly?”
“So I can transfer to school sooner…”
I sighed seeing Ji Yeohoon casually saying things that would make his parents feel hurt.
I didn’t want to be separated from my parents, but was he just immature or still a child? I shook my head in disbelief.
“Your father and mother will be really hurt.”
“Ah…”
Only then did he move the mouse wheel with a face that suggested he shouldn’t have said that.
The timing of ability awakening varied from person to person.
Some manifested during adolescence like I did originally before the regression, and others like Yoon Cheong manifested at the relatively early age of 10 in elementary school.
Occasionally, some people manifested after their twenties, but the general theory was that manifestation typically occurred during the growth period around elementary school entry.
Of course, I knew that Ji Yeohoon’s manifestation wasn’t far off if things went as they did before the regression, but I didn’t think I needed to tell him since I wasn’t a prophet.
Still, it wasn’t far away. After Ji Yeohoon entered sixth grade, we consistently went out to be together. This was to prepare for the shock of the power that would burst out during manifestation and the physical discomfort he would experience.
“Hyung, are you going back early tomorrow morning?”
“No, in the afternoon. We need to go to the guild for Yoon Cheong and my checkups anyway. Your mother said you should go too, so she scheduled the date.”
“Hyung, will you stay overnight then?”
“Should I?”
I really apologize to my parents, but I need to take care of the little one first.
It seemed sad to leave him alone, as he had to play by himself after his hyungs who always stuck together went to School 3.
And besides now or when he called, I didn’t have much time to talk with Ji Yeohoon.
“Ah, seriously, did you just play games after entering school? How did you collect so many items?”
Ji Yeohoon expressed his frustration while checking Yoon Cheong’s game character items. Yoon Cheong, who was tapping his phone playing a different game, answered nonchalantly.
“The dormitory computers are good, I’m telling you.”
“After manifesting, huh? You didn’t practice with your ability but just played games?”
“I’m doing well inside. You don’t need to worry about me.”
These elementary school kids are fighting again.
One has become a middle schooler but is still causing a scene.
“Oh, Ji Yeohoon, Yoon Cheong passed your dragon score.”
“Augh, this hyung is really!”
Ji Yeohoon took his eyes off the monitor and hurriedly picked up his phone. It was a game that had been out for quite a while, but these two were still competing.
While they always fought, they were also constantly engaged in all kinds of competitions—sending hearts, racing in marble games, and unleashing dragons.
“Stop following me!”
“Just beat me then.”
“Seriously, both of you, stop it.”
As soon as I spoke, the two who had been glaring at each other pressed their lips shut.
“It’s not just me staying over, Yoon Cheong will be here too, and you’re already fighting before an hour has passed, again. You’re in middle school now, and you’re in sixth grade so you’ll have lots of younger kids… I mean, you guys. This…?”
In the middle of my habitual nagging while holding my phone, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
Yoon Cheong, who had been looking away as if staring into the distance, suddenly opened his eyes wide in surprise and moved away from Ji Yeohoon, while Ji Yeohoon turned his head this way and that.
Then Yoon Cheong’s phone suddenly lifted into the air and crashed into the ceiling with a thud.
“What’s going on, why are you doing that?”
“No, I just…”
Since Yoon Cheong’s ability was telekinesis, he sometimes used it unconsciously.
The same was happening now. Normally, he would have slightly pulled his phone from the table into his hand with a bit of telekinesis, but it seemed he couldn’t control it and smashed it into the ceiling instead.
Yoon Cheong was flustered, as if his power wasn’t moving as he intended, just like when his ability first manifested.
“I didn’t use that much force.”
I approached Yoon Cheong, who looked upset about his cracked screen, and the confused Ji Yeohoon, grabbing both their wrists.
“Yoon Cheong, try not to use any power. Ji Yeohoon, try not to move too much.”
When I put my hands on them to stabilize them, they both exhaled calmly.
“Is the screen completely broken?”
“Yeah. I think I need to take it to a service center.”
“Then Ji Yeohoon, pick up your phone now. Call your father.”
The service center isn’t the issue.
You need to prepare to go to the dormitory you’ve been wanting so badly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
