# Chapter 15
“Then I won’t accept it.”
Dohyun couldn’t understand why people considered this unearned income as something natural. Doesn’t money earned without working always cause problems? Dohyun declared with a determined expression that he would not accept it. The guild master made a strange face, and the Espers and guides standing nearby also looked awkward.
“The thing is…”
“You can just accept it. After all, you need a bank account to live as an awakened, don’t you?”
Haegang interrupted at that moment. When Dohyun turned his head, Haegang was looking down at him with a slightly exasperated expression.
“There could be problems.”
“That’s not the case. There won’t be any issues. I need to submit some documents too, so let’s go together.”
Together? When Dohyun shook his head saying he could go alone, Haegang spoke up.
“If you leave the gate now, I’m 100% certain you’ll go straight home, so let’s just go.”
“……”
His thoughts had been read. It was uncomfortable having Haegang staring directly at him.
“It’s better to set up the account in advance.”
“Um… I can just do it later…”
“I’ll keep asking until you agree to go, so don’t waste your breath refusing. There’s no reason not to go, is there?”
Dohyun was about to feel a surge of resistance to Haegang’s near-coercive words. Then Haegang lowered his head and whispered softly in Dohyun’s ear.
“Don’t waste my time.”
When Dohyun stepped back, Haegang, with an indifferent face as if he hadn’t said anything, left the gate first.
“While we travel together, I’ll explain why there’s no problem accepting the allowance. The reason why it’s money that’s perfectly fine to receive.”
“Ah, yes.”
Well, that’s different then. If he could get a clear explanation, maybe it wasn’t dirty money after all. Living expenses were better the more you had anyway. Dohyun nodded and headed outside the gate.
❖ ❖ ❖
Unlike Dohyun, who sat in the passenger seat full of tension, Haegang started the engine without showing any change in expression.
If he had known earlier that “going together” meant riding in the same car, just the two of them, he would have reconsidered. Not only was the atmosphere suffocating, but the car was too luxurious.
Even just stepping on the seat with his worn-out and tattered sneakers made Dohyun feel like he was committing a sin. He didn’t think even Handam, the famous high-grade guide, had a car this nice…
Of course, Dohyun knew that freelance guides earned high incomes. But he didn’t realize it was enough to drive such a car.
He also knew that Espers who made a name for themselves earned more money than S-grade guides, but that was far removed from Dohyun’s reality.
“You know when most awakened individuals typically manifest their abilities, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
It’s usually around puberty. Of course, there were rare cases of people becoming awakened around the time of elementary school entry, but most awakenings occurred between upper elementary school and high school entrance.
“Esper Baek Dohyun’s case is a bit late but still within the normal range. The latest recorded case was in their mid-twenties.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Quite a few people manifest around the age of 20.”
His explaining voice remained as emotionless as usual. Thanks to Haegang focusing solely on driving and explaining, Dohyun’s discomfort gradually subsided. Enough for him to bend his rigidly straight back and lean into the comfortable seat.
“As you know, awakened individuals who manifest transfer to specialized schools. If Esper Baek Dohyun hadn’t been so close to graduation, you would have transferred to one of the awakened specialized schools in Seoul.”
But Dohyun manifested when he was almost 19. It was near the end of his school years, and the Association appropriately handled Dohyun’s situation as he manifested just before turning twenty. They couldn’t make an Esper who had never attended a specialized school go back to being a high school student, so the Association directly provided the education that should have been received as a student.
“But there’s a significant difference between the situation of awakened individuals who attended those schools and Esper Baek Dohyun.”
“Situation?”
“During their time at specialized schools, awakened individuals are required to participate in at least one conquest of a low-grade gate under the pretext of practical training.”
“Ah… yes.”
Dohyun knew that awakened individuals who attended specialized schools participated in gate conquests several times as students. But Dohyun had never experienced this.
“So Espers from specialized schools are likely to have already set up Association-designated bank accounts. Those accounts can only be created by awakened individuals, and the minimum requirement to open one is completing an F-grade gate conquest or higher. Only awakened individuals can enter gates, after all.”
“…Guides too?”
“Yes, guides too. Though for guides, waiting outside the gate also counts.”
Guides start from a different baseline to begin with. Espers were indeed inconvenient. As Dohyun was having somewhat melancholic thoughts, his eyes suddenly widened.
“Don’t ordinary people sometimes get swept into gates? Even if they come out after being in a gate…”
“Ordinary people don’t directly participate in conquests, do they?”
Ah, I know that look. That’s a face that says I’m pathetic. Dohyun turned his gaze away from Haegang and back to the front.
“Even if they enter the same gate, awakened individuals and ordinary people are treated completely differently. Awakened individuals mostly enter voluntarily and must help with the conquest. But ordinary people who get swept in don’t. You know the precautions for ordinary people entering gates, right?”
“…Stay still at the location when swept in…?”
“If you move around carelessly and get caught by a monster, death is the minimum outcome.”
“Then what’s the maximum…?”
“Disappearance, of course. They can’t even find your body.”
Dohyun quickly acknowledged this. Indeed, pre-gate Dohyun couldn’t have opened such an account. He also understood why the guild had wanted to take him, who couldn’t use any abilities, into the gate.
But isn’t it still unearned income? He hadn’t done anything, just like an ordinary person. As he was about to ask about the income, Haegang turned the steering wheel. As he pulled into the Association building to park, he made eye contact with Dohyun.
“To begin with, it’s extremely rare for student trainees to properly participate in conquests. They wouldn’t recklessly tell students who have only seen monsters through YouTube conquest videos published by guilds for views to handle monsters.”
“That’s true…”
…For views? Dohyun pressed his lips together.
Before institutions related to awakened individuals like the Association or guilds were established, many awakened people rushed into gates to profit from the by-products. As a result, countless people, both adults and minors, died after recklessly jumping in for money. There were quite a few who formed teams for activities, but they were just temporary teams for conquests.
As time passed, guilds were established in Korea, following foreign countries. This led to the creation of the Association to oversee these guilds, and the Awakened Management Headquarters to legally regulate them. Terms that had been used haphazardly became properly established, and situations that had been governed only by convention began to have precise standards.
“Unless there’s an unexpected situation, we can’t force student Espers or awakened individuals entering a gate for the first time to participate in conquests. Even in low-grade gates, inexperienced Espers could get into danger if they jump straight into attacks, and if guides don’t handle it skillfully, reverse guiding could occur, causing a major problem. So Espers entering a gate for the first time basically don’t participate in conquests.”
Haegang’s explanation stopped as the car came to a complete halt.
It had been quite a lengthy explanation. It felt somewhat like receiving a lesson, but since Dohyun could understand it completely, he felt at ease. According to Haegang, it was natural that he hadn’t done anything. Therefore, he didn’t need to feel sorry about receiving the allowance, and it wasn’t legally problematic unearned income.
With a relieved expression, Dohyun unbuckled his seatbelt a bit late.
“……?”
“Let’s get out.”
Was I that slow? Haegang had already circled around the car and was opening the passenger door. It ended up looking like he had opened the door for Dohyun. As Dohyun hesitated in confusion, Haegang gestured for him to hurry out.
“If we’re any later, the bank employees will leave for the day. Then we’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes.”
At those words, Dohyun hurriedly moved his legs.
‘So that’s why he was impatient.’
He had been surprised, thinking Haegang might have been considerate of him, but it was purely out of frustration.
Dohyun found Haegang unexpected. Do people usually know this much in detail? Dohyun had also received education several times, but he didn’t particularly remember the details about the Association and the Awakened Management Headquarters being established and systems being created. Curious about why Haegang, who usually didn’t talk much, could explain so confidently, Dohyun spoke up.
“How do you know all this, Guide?”
It was the first personal question he had asked. Haegang, who was walking ahead, only slightly turned his gaze at Dohyun’s question. That gaze was the problem. When he just sharply turned his eyes with that expressionless face, it startled Dohyun. Seeing Dohyun flinch, Haegang turned his gaze back to the front.
“I prepared to enter the Association once.”
“Ah…”
It was a simple reason. Quite a few guides worked as part of the Association. Most Espers belonged to guilds, and if they didn’t, they faced many disadvantages in various legal processes. But guides, who were free from guild enrollment, often worked independently. Since many guides became part of the Association, the Association had a strong pro-guide tendency.
Dohyun, who was briefly recalling his memories, nodded and said, “Ah.” Come to think of it, even on the day they first met, the Awakened Support Team Leader initially kept his distance and used formal language, but there was something strangely familiar about him.
‘Guide Choi Haegang won’t refuse the dedicated contract.’
‘I’m sorry, but Guide Choi Haegang has personal circumstances…’
He also remembered how the team leader spoke as if he knew and was considerate of Haegang’s personal circumstances. Were they perhaps seniors and juniors who had studied together? Or had they met at an awakened specialized school? Though he didn’t know the team leader’s exact age, he looked quite young. Considering that, he would be in his late twenties to early thirties… Then how old was Haegang?
As Dohyun was connecting these thoughts, he realized that he didn’t even know his dedicated guide’s age.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
