# Chapter 51
- Being good at something is often a waste of time.
But I want to waste time, so please let me be good at it.
The potion sales stabilized when spring came, as cherry blossom buds bloomed in profusion. During that time, Dohyun met various Espers through Handam’s introductions and trained to sense their energy. It was all for making potions.
“Are you trying to become some overpowered character? Though I suppose it’ll be temporary since you need Guiding,” Haegang mildly chided Dohyun, who diligently trained to memorize Espers’ abilities so he could make potions when needed.
“I give you potions, don’t I?”
“That’s a different matter.”
“If you don’t want them, you don’t have to take them.”
“I have no intention of refusing something being offered.”
Lately, Dohyun felt he had gotten a bit closer to Haegang. Though he hadn’t deliberately tried to reduce the distance between them, they say people grow closer after overcoming danger together, don’t they? Since the emergency gate incident, they hadn’t really had any personal conversations, but they seemed to have become fairly close—enough to exchange light jokes like this.
While Dohyun trained and produced potions, the guild and the association negotiated policies for potion supply. They decided not to release too many and to control the quantity to some extent. After all, it wouldn’t be good if random resellers profited when Dohyun was the one making them.
Since the potions were already limited in production and now further restricted in distribution, inquiries from other guilds poured in. The effects of the potions had been proven through the high-grade gate incident, and when Somyeong Guild showcased the potions in their gate conquest video, the guilds handling sales went crazy.
Dohyun would often lurk around the office, wondering if there was anything he could do to help. But there was no way he could assist with paperwork or phone calls. Even though the guild took a sales commission, he somehow felt guilty.
‘It’s not like I committed a crime.’
‘It feels like I’m the only one not working.’
‘This wouldn’t have been possible without Esper Baek Dohyun in the first place.’
‘So it’s because of me, isn’t it?’
‘Somyeong Guild is thriving because of it, so it’s actually beneficial.’
Haegang tossed out a comment with an expression suggesting he couldn’t understand Dohyun’s thoughts: ‘This happened because Esper Baek Dohyun’s abilities are exceptional.’
‘…’
Was that a compliment? Dohyun acknowledged that his abilities were good. Non-combat Espers were generally valued higher than combat Espers to begin with.
Though he knew this, Dohyun still felt uneasy. That’s why he occasionally treated the guild office staff to snacks.
“So you brought food again?” Chan asked.
“No, I made it this time.”
“What?” Chan’s eyes widened as he quickly reached out to open the box, which was full of disposable lunch boxes.
“What’s this?”
“I heard there’s a gate conquest today, so I made them.”
“Kimbap?”
“I rolled them since early morning.”
“…You didn’t try to stop him?” Chan asked Haegang.
“He wouldn’t have stopped even if I tried.”
Haegang wore a resigned expression. Dohyun tended to get quite anxious when he had nothing to do. At Haegang’s suggestion that he should try exercising instead, Dohyun had started working out, but he was still at a very beginner level. After a brief workout and making a few potions, he quickly ran out of things to do. He just wanted to do something.
“You really can’t stay still, can you?”
“That’s just how I am. If you have a problem with it, don’t eat.”
“You cheap bastard.”
Despite their bickering, Chan reached out his hand, and Dohyun, despite his complaints, gave his friend the lunch box. He could have refused to give it, but Dohyun always yielded to his friends.
“Distribute what’s in the box to the others as you see fit. This one is for the Guild Master; I’ll deliver it to her separately.”
“Oh, are you done meeting with Espers for today then?”
“Yeah, for today.”
Dohyun nodded vaguely to Chan’s question about energy detection training and headed to the Guild Master’s office. Naturally, Haegang accompanied him.
“Oh, lunch boxes? Esper Dohyun, did you buy these?” the Guild Master asked.
“No, I made them.”
“…I wonder if I can swap sons.”
The Guild Master wore a wistful expression as she looked at the lunch box.
She deliberately added a few more nutritionally meaningless remarks, as if trying to neutralize the atmosphere a bit before getting to her real point. Dohyun, aware of this, nodded obediently despite the dragging conversation.
Then, as if the real talk was about to begin, the Guild Master’s expression changed. Dohyun straightened his posture.
“The fire was concluded to be arson. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.”
Despite the Guild Master’s words, Dohyun felt a bitterness in his mouth. It had taken a long time to officially confirm what everyone already knew. Was it necessary to drag out an incident that happened in winter until summer? Thanks to Haegang’s explanation, he could guess why it was delayed.
The association was responsible for managing those who had awakened. Since they also supported family, school, and other matters related to the awakened person, they naturally had to delve into unfortunate incidents where family members died. However, the association’s staff shortage was well-known. Most personnel were assigned to gate support teams rather than awakened support or related management teams.
Particularly in cases of terrorist incidents, until now, accidents were processed as electrical short circuits or family mistakes. However, the fire at Dohyun’s house became a catalyst that required previous incidents to be investigated as well.
“There were cases where Espers whose families died migrated to countries other than Korea, and quite a few cases where they themselves died.”
“Died?”
“The cause of death was lack of Guiding. After losing all their family members and unable to attach themselves anywhere, they even rejected Guiding. Children at that age are already quite unstable.”
No matter how much they had superpowers, awakened individuals were teenagers who had just started school, or even children not yet in their double digits. They were already unstable because they couldn’t manage their energy well, and when emotional problems arising from family issues were added, it became even harder to manage.
“Espers whose families have died are under special management at the association and watched more closely. If they’re affiliated with a guild, it’s relatively less intensive, but if they don’t have a guild, it’s hard to avoid.”
Nevertheless, young Espers who lost their families often went berserk or died. Somyeong focused on this issue.
“This doesn’t seem like an ordinary matter. The fact that many Espers who lost their guardians, despite being focused on by the association, eventually go berserk and die.”
“…”
“Esper Dohyun, you need to be careful.”
Dohyun somehow understood what the Guild Master was saying. She was looking at him with a worried face.
“Guide Choi Haegang needs to be careful too.”
“Yes.”
Though neither family nor guardian, Haegang was living with Dohyun to manage his Guiding. Recently, with the delivery of potions to the guild, the Guiding had become more regular. Although he was a contracted exclusive Guide, Haegang was undeniably Dohyun’s closest person at the moment.
“Someone is… targeting us, right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. We’ll find them quickly so that Esper Dohyun can be guaranteed safety. After all, Esper Dohyun’s abilities aren’t suited for combat…”
Dohyun thought that was fortunate. Somyeong didn’t properly know his abilities. He turned his head slightly and met Haegang’s eyes. He could feel they were thinking the same thing.
When Dohyun had handled the emergency gate alone, the guild asked him about the gate’s internal structure and conquest method. Haegang had slipped in an answer on behalf of Dohyun, who was struggling.
‘It was a monster like a ghoul or zombie.’
‘Ah…?’
‘When I made a potion and sprinkled it, even a small amount made them disappear.’
‘Is that so?’
‘Yes. Esper Baek Dohyun doesn’t seem to like that kind of thing much.’
Thanks to Haegang’s cover story while Dohyun pretended to be asleep in the hospital, his abilities were still unknown to the guild. Dohyun didn’t know why Haegang had helped him, but he was grateful.
“Actually, it might be safer if Esper Dohyun is completely revealed.”
That was true. The more well-known a celebrity is, the further they are from being a target of covert crimes. It’s easier to protect them because they can be publicly guarded. But Dohyun shook his head. He thought that if he were exposed to the outside, he might suffer an even bigger accident.
“And Guide Choi Haegang, be careful too. I hear you’ve been treated like an Esper lately.”
This was also true. Haegang had been one of the Guides who requested non-disclosure of information for quite some time. If one dug deep enough, they could find out that Haegang used to be a swimmer and retired involuntarily after manifesting as a Guide, but there was no reason to dig that deep into a Guide’s past. Information about Guides wasn’t particularly necessary.
“Esper Dohyun should also be very careful when going out. We have short-range Espers providing maximum security, but since we don’t intend to control Esper Baek Dohyun’s movements, they might not be able to respond immediately if something happens.”
“Um… would it be better if I got a license then?”
“Huh? License?”
“If I drove a car… they couldn’t follow me that easily.”
Short-range Espers didn’t run faster than cars. They could keep up with the city’s speed limit, but… Somyeong murmured and then nodded, saying it wasn’t a bad method.
“I’ll just drive you around for a while, so you don’t need to think about that,” Haegang said.
“Isn’t it inconvenient? Wasting your time because of me…”
“It’s not inconvenient.”
He’s lying. The longer Dohyun stayed at Haegang’s house, the more he became concerned about how much Haegang was accommodating him. Dohyun had deliberately suggested going out alone, thinking it would be better for Haegang to have some time to himself, but he couldn’t understand why Haegang was intervening again.
“It’s better for your safety.”
“Safety…?”
“Yes.”
Is he still going to bring up winning at arm wrestling to say he’s stronger? Dohyun squinted his eyes, but Haegang didn’t seem to have any intention of changing his mind.
The Guild Master, who had been quietly observing their conversation, suddenly said:
“Surprisingly, you two are getting along well.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
