# Chapter 23
The Director willingly issued Ko Eungyo a temporary field Guide license on the spot using his authority as Director. Along with it came advice that to change the temporary license to a permanent one—in other words, to guarantee that Ko Eungyo was a proper field Guide—he would need to clear at least one gate within three months.
Of course, Ko Eungyo was already well aware of this.
On the back of the temporary license, the card’s validity period was written above the barcode.
It wasn’t often that one could achieve something so effortlessly. Holding the small plastic card, Ko Eungyo left the Director’s office. Naturally, he made sure not to appear too pleased. In professional settings, one should never completely reveal their true feelings to anyone.
Just as he was about to open the door and leave, the Director spoke behind him with a tone of surprise, “You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, haven’t you?”
Well, whatever it was, it probably wasn’t as much as “changed a lot.”
He laughed off the Director’s comment. And he felt proud of himself for seizing this unexpected opportunity at just the right moment.
Just having this temporary license in hand made him feel like all his previous humiliations had been completely washed away.
To think that a small card proving he was a (albeit temporary) field Guide was now in his hand. That fact alone made it feel like his path to being reinstated as a field Guide had come significantly closer. Since a Guide couldn’t go into the field alone, he would need to find a suitable Esper to help him clear a gate, but that would be as easy as eating rice cakes while lying down.
‘No, wait.’
How far had Ko Eungyo’s notorious reputation spread in the Center? Ko Eungyo’s excited strides through the Center gradually slowed down.
There probably wouldn’t be any accurate rumors, so he needed to choose an Esper who was unfamiliar with gossip but frequently went out into the field.
But even that would be quite difficult.
‘Would any Esper willingly agree to run a gate with a rookie Guide they’ve never met before?’
Right now, he wasn’t the well-known team leader, Jang Iju. He was just an ordinary Guide named Ko Eungyo, without connections or any Espers he knew.
Of course, Ko Eungyo did know some Espers. Exactly two. And even if the world were to collapse, he didn’t want to receive help from those two.
Wait a minute.
Jang Iju?
‘If that’s the case…’
If that’s the case, what about snagging one of ‘Jang Iju’s’ Espers who might be wondering where to transfer after his death?
Most Espers on the ‘my’ list would have met other Guides by now, but some surely hadn’t been able to.
Ko Eungyo was a B-class Guide, but there could be higher-level Espers among those who hadn’t found a Guide and were essentially vacant, whose wavelengths matched with his.
The importance of wavelength in Guiding was an immutable law. If wavelengths aligned properly, it could show tremendous efficiency, instantly overcoming even several levels of grade differences.
Well, if all else failed, he could always slowly entice them while doing some ‘rhythm gaming’.
Ko Eungyo truly had remarkably pure energy. As if he had never used his energy even once since his manifestation. Therefore, after awakening as Ko Eungyo, he had to practice summoning Guiding energy every day within a short period.
Just as abilities came as naturally as using hands and feet for Espers, Guiding energy was like hands and feet for Guides. However, Guiding energy was literally “energy,” not an ability, so one extracted and used the energy within the body. Because of this, it was a common concept that the longer you kept the energy in your body before extracting it, the purer the Guiding energy became. That’s why Guides were prevented from Guiding as much as possible after manifestation until they met an Esper with matching wavelengths. Unfortunately, this rule was rarely followed.
In theory, any Guide who kept the energy within their body without Guiding for more than 5 years would develop pure energy that could pivot them to a high-level Guide, but as far as he knew, he’d never seen such a Guide. All Guides tried to help Espers immediately upon manifestation, unless they didn’t know how to use their abilities.
It was a kind of altruism. There was no other way to explain it. There was even a saying that kind people who felt validated when they were needed by someone were the ones who became Guides.
Surely, Ko Eungyo couldn’t have kept his energy pure by not using his abilities until now because he was the only Guide lacking altruism?
Smiling briefly while looking at the Center application, he slowly raised his head. Then, looking at the photos around the bed that were so glossy they almost sparkled, he wore a serious expression.
‘…Maybe it’s true?’
Perhaps he hadn’t even glanced at other Espers because he was too busy worshiping Woo Sihyun… No, but he would have at least provided Guiding to Woo Sihyun. The records in the Center application proved it. So Ko Eungyo’s energy was simply innate.
After returning home, as he had told the Director, he sent an email requesting a grade correction to Korea University. Just as he was stretching pleasantly and getting up from his seat, a familiar notification sounded from his mobile phone.
His expression hardened as he checked the notification without thinking.
It was a Guiding call from Esper Woo Sihyun.
*
An overwhelming sense of displeasure swept through his entire body, making his heart feel like it had dropped the moment he saw the notification.
Unable to believe that Woo Sihyun had called him, Ko Eungyo had to stare intently at his phone screen for a while.
While he might understand if it were Lee Seungwoo, Woo Sihyun had no particular connection with Ko Eungyo.
That is, after that damned incident with the panel, bucket, and paint pouring over his head.
‘…Why on earth?’
The Guiding appointment set by Woo Sihyun was for 7 PM. He had scheduled the Guiding for that time on a weekend, specifically Saturday evening. Did he have no plans? He seemed to have many friends in class, but was he actually quite isolated? At this time, people would typically be relaxing comfortably at home or drinking with friends. At least, that’s how it had been during his own undergraduate days.
Though since waking up in Ko Eungyo’s body, he himself had also been free during these hours.
He had been curious about how Woo Sihyun and Lee Seungwoo were managing without Guiding. He remembered trying to ask about it under the pretext of giving group report feedback, but couldn’t follow through due to Woo Sihyun’s bristling attitude, letting the matter drop.
‘This might actually be fortunate.’
Since Woo Sihyun had called him for Guiding, he thought he should simply go along with it. It wasn’t because his perception of Woo Sihyun had changed positively. He just planned to provide adequate Guiding, politely ask how he had been managing Guiding all this time, and then very gently… suggest changing Guides.
Now that he understood why Woo Sihyun had been so cold to Ko Eungyo himself, he decided to adopt a mature attitude first, as a professor who had briefly taught Woo Sihyun.
If Ko Eungyo had collaborated with the Director to exercise ‘mandatory Guiding authority’ because of his unrequited love for Woo Sihyun, forcibly Guiding him… With Woo Sihyun’s temperament, he probably wouldn’t have just sat back and allowed Ko Eungyo to do as he pleased, but he wouldn’t have been able to block all of Ko Eungyo’s unnecessary contact either.
Given the forced authority situation, Ko Eungyo had likely taken the opportunity to express his feelings to Woo Sihyun as much as he wanted.
If the circumstances were so clear that he had gone so far as to manipulate the Director to possess Woo Sihyun…
Woo Sihyun had probably experienced unimaginable things.
That’s why he had asked the Director to free Woo Sihyun and Lee Seungwoo. And honestly, he had thought that the moment escape from Ko Eungyo became possible, whether it was Woo Sihyun or Lee Seungwoo, they would immediately disappear…
So why was Woo Sihyun asking for Guiding now?
If his assumptions were correct, Woo Sihyun should have been ignoring Ko Eungyo. After all, Ko Eungyo must be a terribly dreadful existence to him.
‘It wouldn’t be bad to find out what he’s thinking.’
So he decided to respond to Woo Sihyun’s call.
To commemorate his last received paycheck, he bought a Guide-exclusive wristwatch available at the Center. This item was very useful both in gates and in daily life. He glanced down to check the time.
‘I’m a bit late.’
Since he had come wearing a comfortable black t-shirt and black slacks, waiting wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. Fidgeting his legs nervously, he checked the time every five minutes.
Currently, he was in the Center’s Guiding room. Basically, all ability users had to give and receive Guiding at the Center. It was for the Guide’s safety. Outside of gates, all Guiding done elsewhere was illegal.
“This bastard…”
And 30 minutes had passed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
