Chapter 5
“Esper Baek Dohyun, about that.”
“Well, you must be very busy. Being an S-grade and all.”
“……”
At the seemingly sarcastic tone, Dohyun blinked. It seemed he had done something wrong. The employee who was about to say something only looked back and forth between the two people without readily speaking up.
Say something, or at least tell me what’s going on. Dohyun had only been told that he needed to verify the matching rate today. So since the matching rate was confirmed to be high, shouldn’t it be fine if he left now?
Although he didn’t like the seemingly mocking tone, Dohyun thought that if he became able to use his ability, there was a good chance he would encounter Haegang again, since he had low potential for reverse Guiding. Because of this, he had kept his mouth shut instead of talking back, but…
“There’s a limit to how much you can disrespect someone…”
The moment he heard the muttered comment, Dohyun was dumbfounded. From the beginning, it was Haegang who had inserted sarcastic nuances between his words. But disrespect…? Wasn’t it him who had been disrespectful?
Dohyun couldn’t understand Haegang’s words at all. When Dohyun didn’t say anything, Haegang stood in front of him and looked down at him as if glaring. It felt like cold sweat was running down his back, but he didn’t avoid the gaze. He didn’t want to avoid it.
The employee with the friendly smile intervened between the two, trying to calm Haegang.
“Esper Baek Dohyun has just manifested as an Esper. He might not know well…”
“Doesn’t that have nothing to do with having just manifested as an Esper? He heard about the matching rate but says he’s leaving, so it sounds like he’s refusing Guiding. The reason he came to the Association in the first place…”
Dohyun couldn’t understand the conversation between the two at all. It seemed this trouble had arisen because of something he said, but someone should explain! The Guide standing in front of him, Haegang, seemed to be angry about something he had said, but no one was telling him what went wrong, and he felt confused.
Haegang saying he had disrespected him, the employee trying to calm the Guide without any explanation, and other people watching cautiously as if they didn’t want to get involved in the fight… Dohyun had a headache. Can I really not just leave?
It had always been like this. There was a time when Dohyun had tried not to be misunderstood by people. But because of his shy nature and poor communication skills, the situation would only worsen, and eventually, he gave up. This was just another familiar situation.
In situations like this, it was too difficult for Dohyun to say he didn’t understand what was going on and ask to be informed. This was because he had often been rejected rather than given a proper explanation when he made such requests. So it was better to just avoid and be misunderstood. It was easier to reject first than to be rejected.
He just wanted to get out of here quickly. What was the big deal about Guiding? Since he couldn’t use his ability yet, he didn’t really need Guiding, and if necessary, he could request another Guide. He’d heard that good medications and Guiding devices were available these days, so if he worked hard, he might be able to buy them someday.
Although it was Dohyun who wanted to leave this place, Haegang was one step faster.
“Hah… I’ll just go first.”
“Guide Choi Haegang. It seems you’ve misunderstood something. Let me explain.”
“I don’t think you need to trouble yourself. I’ll leave first.”
There was a sound of exhaling in disbelief and then gritting teeth. The following greeting made it feel as if Dohyun’s response was wrong, making him even more confused.
But how could the twisted situation be reversed? Once this situation passed, it would be over. Dohyun swallowed and nodded in understanding, bowing his head in return. He just hoped never to meet him again.
The Association employee, Deputy Seon, who had approached hesitantly, awkwardly smiled at Haegang and pointed to the door with both hands. Haegang, whose expression had hardened frighteningly, followed the deputy outside.
Through the closing door, Dohyun could see Haegang’s sharp eyes, but he deliberately avoided meeting his gaze.
“…What’s going on?”
That’s when the Team Leader returned.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Ah, no thanks.”
“Is citron tea alright?”
Why did they keep trying to feed him something? His friends also always tried to feed Dohyun. The Team Leader seemed to be the same, and if he refused, they would keep changing the menu and asking, so he just obediently said yes.
A steaming hot citron tea was placed on the table. If I down this in one shot, can I go home? As Dohyun picked up the cup, the Team Leader, who had been thinking for a moment, cautiously asked.
“Esper Baek Dohyun. Is there a specific reason why you’re not joining a guild?”
“What? No, there’s no particular reason.”
“It’s difficult for Espers to operate without being affiliated with a guild. That’s because gate conquests also receive bulk approval through guilds.”
“But I’m… non-combat type.”
“Even if you’re non-combat, the situation isn’t different. There’s a difference in taxes when you’re affiliated with a guild versus when you’re not.”
The Team Leader handed Dohyun several documents. He had no idea what they contained, but there seemed to be a lot. The white parts were paper, and the black parts were numbers and letters. When Dohyun slightly furrowed his brow, the Team Leader said he didn’t need to look at them now, and after hesitating, added:
“I hope you don’t take what happened earlier too seriously. It seems to have occurred due to a misunderstanding, but I will explain this part to Guide Choi Haegang.”
“…I don’t particularly mind. I’m just curious why he got angry.”
If things had already gone sour, Dohyun wanted to just give up on everything, escape this place, and go home. But if this happened because he did something wrong, he thought he should know what went wrong. Because it could happen again.
“Well… it’s a situation that arose from customs that developed while awakeners worked together.”
“Customs?”
While there was an abundance of Espers in need of Guiding, Guides who could guide Espers were always in short supply. Because of this, unlike Espers who needed to be affiliated with a guild for tax issues or convenience during gate conquests, it was more beneficial for Guides to become freelancers or have connections with multiple guilds. A Guide affiliated with Guild A could also help Guild B or C personally.
More free-spirited freelance Guides typically received a lot of help from the Association rather than directly forming new connections with guilds. Of course, there were agencies that acted as intermediaries, but their fees were steep. Since agencies would prioritize proposals from guilds that gave them commissions, from the guild’s perspective, they mostly received introductions to freelance Guides through the Association.
Conversely, there were cases where Espers personally visited the Association. This was when they wanted to contract with a Guide personally, not through a guild.
“Personally…?”
“It varies by situation. It usually happens when a Guide or Esper first enters a guild. When the matching rate between a newly entered Guide and an Esper is severely low and simply impossible, the Esper inevitably enters a new contract. Conversely, there are cases where pairs who were active together well break their contract because their relationship turned bad.”
“They can turn bad?”
“…It’s usually because of romantic issues.”
Ah, that’s right. It would be uncomfortable to work with an ex. Dohyun understood immediately.
“Because of this, when Espers come to the Association to check matching rates, it’s often thought to be related to Guiding contracts. If the rate is high, most contracts are finalized.”
“Ah….”
Now he could understand why Haegang was angry. That was the problem.
Dohyun had come simply because he was told to come to the Association. He had no intention of making a Guiding contract, nor did he feel the need for one. He’d heard that Espers without Guiding might run wild, but since Dohyun showed no signs of this at all, he hadn’t been interested.
But many people check matching rates to form contracts. So Haegang had essentially been told to his face that Dohyun didn’t want to contract with him.
‘That’s why he got angry…’
He recalled Haegang’s hurt expression.
“…You didn’t tell me any of this.”
“I’m sorry. It’s something many people know about, and I mistakenly assumed you had been informed in advance.”
Moreover, before coming to the Association, Dohyun had explained several times that he was fine. The employee who had called, Deputy Seon, would naturally have relayed this to the Team Leader in front of him.
“That’s my oversight as well. I was also aware that Esper Baek Dohyun’s readings were stable. So I only wanted to ask for Guiding for Esper Baek Dohyun later, after obtaining the Guide’s understanding first. It may be stable now, but Guiding will definitely be needed eventually.”
Haegang hadn’t heard this explanation, and Dohyun didn’t know the situation, leading to a buildup of misunderstandings. After confirming the high matching rate, it seemed like he had rejected Haegang without reason.
“I should have explained in advance that Esper Baek Dohyun needs to be affiliated with a guild. I apologize. We will spare no support to help Esper Baek Dohyun enter a good guild. But in the meantime, you need to receive Guiding.”
“Do I need to check the matching rate again?”
“…I’m sorry, but 92% is not a common matching rate.”
“You mean…”
“I’d like you to form a dedicated contract with Guide Choi Haegang, even if it’s temporary.”
Why, when he doesn’t like me? Dohyun’s expression soured.