Sometimes, even the smallest shift in mindset could completely transform a person’s world.
It hadn’t been intentional, but ever since Park Woo-jun made that bold declaration about becoming Lee Han-seo’s sweet potato, his world—as a newly reborn man—had changed entirely.
“Team Leader, Team Leader. When’s Han-seo coming back?”
“No idea.”
“Come on, Team Leader. Seriously, where did Han-seo go?”
“Told you, I don’t know.”
“Ugh, you totally do. I know you get all the reports… I paid attention during basic training, you know…”
“If I knew, would I still be the Esper Team Leader instead of the Guide Team Leader? I said I don’t know! How many times do I have to say it?!”
“Tch…”
It had been three days since Lee Han-seo, dressed to the nines in a sharp suit, got his form stamped by Park Woo-jun and bolted off somewhere. By now, Kim Joon-young’s ears were practically growing calluses from being pestered. Every chance he got, Park Woo-jun would pop up with those bright, eager eyes, asking, “When’s Han-seo coming back?” or “Where’d Han-seo go?” It was suffocating, but unavoidable—Kim Joon-young was the only other S-Class capable of training someone like Park Woo-jun.
“But hey, Woo-jun. Weren’t you… not like this before? You’ve gotten oddly cheerful. Chatty, even.”
“Heh heh…”
“Pretty sure I’ve never seen you smile before.”
“Hehehe…”
The usual gloom clouding his face had lifted. His slouched posture and shy demeanor were still there, but overall, he seemed brighter. Even when he’d looked glum, he’d always had a good-looking face. But now, with that soft, peaceful expression, it finally made sense why Lee Han-seo was so hopelessly obsessed with him.
Looking back, Han-seo had practically lost his mind the moment Woo-jun passed out and got transported. He’d declared—loudly and repeatedly—that he was going to be Woo-jun’s Guide, and no one else better even think about it. In the end, it looked like he’d gotten what he wanted.
…Though, come to think of it, had Han-seo ever cleared that with Ho-yeon?
Kim Joon-young considered it for a second, then mentally shut it down like flipping a TV channel. It was interesting, sure—but it wasn’t his problem.
“Anyway, now that your classification’s done, you’ll need to start Matching Rate tests with unpaired Guides. If you don’t find a good match, we’ll move on to a second round with already-Paired Guides who haven’t been Imprinted yet. Just head to the Guide Department this afternoon—someone from their team will help you out, so don’t worry.”
“Matching Rate tests…? But why do I have to do that?”
The confusion on Park Woo-jun’s face was blatant. He looked like he was thinking, But I already have a Guide… why would I need to?
How was he supposed to explain this? Kim Joon-young racked his brain. What was he supposed to say? That no matter how smitten he and Han-seo were, if upper management didn’t approve, it was meaningless? That Han-seo was technically already tied—under top-secret status—to another special-type S-Class Esper as a temporary Pair?
Granted, Han-seo had been the one to chase after Woo-jun this time, so the situation was a little different. But honestly, back in the early days, even Kim Joon-young had assumed that, since they were the only S-Class Espers at the time, he and Han-seo would naturally end up Paired. That optimistic assumption sank like a rock the moment Ryu Ho-yeon appeared.
Point is, there was no way the higher-ups would just sit back and let Woo-jun and Han-seo run off into the sunset together—not with someone like Ryu Ho-yeon in the picture.
The only reason Han-seo and Ho-yeon’s status still said “temporary” was because their Matching Rate had barely scraped above 30%. It was abysmal.
The Center had been pouring resources into experiments for years just to slowly raise their horrible Matching Rate. Officially, Imprinting was allowed at 85%, and Pairing approval came at 70%. But with those two? The moment they hit 70%, the Center would definitely force an Imprint.
“Team Leader. Why do I have to do tests with other Guides? Huh?”
Faced with his wide-eyed, innocent junior, Kim Joon-young didn’t have the heart—or the patience—to explain everything.
“I don’t know, okay? It’s standard procedure. If they tell you to do it, just do it.”
Total BS. Honestly, he was just too tired to deal with it.
“Team Leader?! You can’t just walk away! Team Leader!”
“Aagh! Park Woo-jun! How many times do I have to tell you—don’t use your powers outside of dungeons or the training field! You can’t just bind someone up like that with wind! If I were a civilian, I’d have a broken neck by now!”
“B-but you’re not even giving me a proper answer…”
“I said I don’t know! I don’t!! PARK WOO-JUN!!”
“Han-seo…”
“I DON’T KNOOOOOW!!”
Jung-hyuk… your hyung is enduring all this crap just to earn a living…
With a long sigh, Kim Joon-young pictured his own no-nonsense Guide’s perpetually grumpy face.
***
“Ah, welcome. Team Leader Kim already gave you the rundown, right?”
“…Y-yeah.”
No matter how much Park Woo-jun protested, Kim Joon-young kept his mouth shut, firmly refusing to get involved in someone else’s messy business. And while he stayed silent, time marched forward—calm, unbothered, and relentless.
Back then, Oh Seo-young, the Chief of the Guide Management Department, knew full well that Park Woo-jun wasn’t the type to run. Still, just in case he had a sudden change of heart and tried to bolt, she took it upon herself to head down to the Esper dorms first thing in the morning and personally escort the wide-eyed rookie back. Not that she dragged him, exactly—more like a firm and unavoidable invitation.
Han-seo. Han-seo. Han-seo…
For days now, Park Woo-jun had been repeating the name in his head like a sacred chant. Strangely, just whispering it three times seemed to calm the storm in his chest. Han-seo, bright as the sun. Han-seo, always shining. Swallowing hard, Woo-jun quietly followed behind Team Leader Oh like a puppy on a leash.
“You’ll wait here. The Guides will come in one by one. Since you’re S-Class, you’ll only be tested with A-Class Guides…”
“T-Team Leader!”
He barely managed to cut her off as she listed the procedures. It was thanks to that triple-Han-seo courage boost.
“I-I mean… I’m already supposed to be Paired with Han-seo… with Guide Lee Han-seo…”
As if she’d been expecting it, Team Leader Oh took off her glasses and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, letting out a deep sigh before responding.
“Sigh… I get it. I don’t know what kind of romantic nonsense Han-seo whispered in your ear, but this isn’t something you can just decide for yourselves. Especially not for high-level Espers like you two.”
“B-But I’m S-Class! Doesn’t that mean I can Pair with Han-seo? The only other S-Class is Team Leader Kim, and he already has a Guide! It’s true! I even had lunch with them yesterday—just the three of us!”
She felt worse than someone snatching candy from a kid mid-sob. God, that face. No wonder even someone as picky as Han-seo fell for him headfirst. Still, outwardly, she kept her tone sharp and professional.
“Park Woo-jun.”
“Y-Yeah…?”
“I’m sorry, but you and Han-seo can’t be Paired. He’s already matched with another Esper.”
“No… No way. That can’t be right…”
Watching him teeter on the edge of tears, Team Leader Oh gently dropped the bomb—about the secret special-type S-Class Esper this country kept tightly under wraps. About how that Esper had been with Han-seo for over ten years now.
“Look, don’t take this the wrong way, okay? You and Han-seo have barely known each other for a few days. Even if a miracle happened and you two were approved to Pair, think about what that would mean for Ho-yeon. You know how long they’ve been together? Fourteen years. Fourteen. Would you really want to be the reason they get torn apart? Are you really that kind of person, Woo-jun?”
“……”
The longer she spoke, the smaller he seemed to get—his shoulders curling in on themselves, his head drooping low.
“Woo-jun.”
“……”
“Esper Park Woo-jun.”
“Khhh… Y-Yes…”
“God, seriously. Don’t cry, okay? Please don’t cry. There are other Guides in the Center! Lots of them! Why are you crying like your whole world just fell apart?”
His lower lip quivered as he bit down hard, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. Despite her best efforts to soothe and reassure him, once those tears started, they just wouldn’t stop.
“Han-seo, sniff… told me he wanted to Pair with me… hic… he said so…”
“Okay. Yep. This is officially all Han-seo’s fault. Totally his fault.”
“H-He didn’t do anything wrong… Han-seo didn’t do anything wrong…”
“Mmhmm. Sure. Let’s go with that.”
“I… I really can’t Pair with him? Hic…”
“…No.”
“Really, really can’t?”
“Yes. Really, really, really can’t.”
“…Khhh…”
Han-seo. Lee Han-seo. Han-seo…
Out of habit, Park Woo-jun whispered the name three times in his heart. But unlike before, the storm inside didn’t calm. The fear and sorrow didn’t fade.
This time, the tears just kept falling.
