Chapter 8
That sensation, they say, can only be felt with an Esper who has the highest matching rate.
Some said time and space slowed down, while others said they heard bells ringing in their ears. They also said it’s a feeling where reason becomes paralyzed and your gaze is captivated as if enchanted, making it impossible not to recognize.
Well… to be honest, when I first heard that claim, I thought it was nonsense. Guiding is guiding, what’s this about a destined Esper? I questioned whether what they were describing was just the same phenomenon that occurs when falling in love at first sight.
But after experiencing it once, I could clearly understand what it meant.
This, this feeling… was something I had never experienced when I was Jang Iju.
Actually, this is normally a phenomenon that Espers feel towards Guides with high matching rates, something Espers often say as they follow Guides around. But there was also a rumor circulating among Guides. They said ‘that’ sensation comes to a Guide just once in a lifetime.
‘…When meeting the Esper with the highest matching rate born on Earth.’
They said it was fate revealing itself. They also said you’d be a complete fool not to seize the opportunity. But they also said… such opportunities aren’t easily given. Since there were as many ability users as grains of sand on a beach, meeting by chance was close to a miracle.
He found himself glancing at Lee Seungwoo several times without realizing it.
Unlike Woo Sihyun, Lee Seungwoo seemed affectionate and smiled often. His attitude was consistently gentle, but judging from how he restrained Park Kyungho earlier and how naturally he led when the team members sat together, it seemed he naturally took charge of the group.
The body he now inhabited, ‘Ko Eungyo,’ had the appearance of a somewhat neurotic and diminutive man. And… the leadership-oriented and affectionate Lee Seungwoo seemed to match well with such a Ko Eungyo.
To be honest, he thought that Lee Seungwoo would have treated Ko Eungyo well. He quietly imagined Ko Eungyo and Lee Seungwoo standing together in his mind.
‘…I’m fortunate to have entered Ko Eungyo’s body.’
If he hadn’t, he would have died without ever knowing this sensation. Blankly recalling his days as Jang Iju, he wondered in which direction the life of a Guide who had met his Esper would flow.
If he had felt this special sensation in his past life, he probably wouldn’t have died so futilely after working all day long. It’s a bit regrettable, after all.
But why did Ko Eungyo like Woo Sihyun and not Lee Seungwoo? While he was deeply pondering this, recalling Ko Eungyo’s room which felt close to worship beyond mere liking, Nam Seonjae approached hesitantly.
“Professor, here’s… the list.”
Kind Nam Seonjae. He reflexively smiled at Nam Seonjae while receiving the Post-it note. It was a neat list compared to most of the other lists, which were roughly submitted on torn notebook corners. He stuck the Post-it note, with names and student numbers written in a tidy handwriting, onto the attendance book.
“Thank you. You may go now.”
But instead of greeting him and leaving, Nam Seonjae remained in front of him as if he had something to say.
‘What’s the matter?’
When he stared at Nam Seonjae, Nam Seonjae gave a slightly awkward smile.
“Um, Professor.”
“Yes?”
“Do you… have time after class?”
I understand that such words would inevitably draw the attention of the remaining students in the classroom. He was also quite surprised, but tried not to show any emotional fluctuation.
Since the “Understanding Abilities” course was aimed at special department students, all the students were either Espers or Guides. And Nam Seonjae looked more like an Esper than a Guide.
This “looks like an Esper” means having better looks than ordinary people. Of course, there could be unattractive Espers too. Since beauty standards vary for everyone, they might look plain to some people or unappealing to others.
But Espers are in a position that needs to receive Guiding, in other words, they are like flowers that need to be chosen by Guides. Therefore, those who try hard to enhance their appearance or flirt with Guides are mostly Espers.
And since both he and ‘Ko Eungyo’ were Guides, it was inevitable to feel that Nam Seonjae’s words could be misunderstood.
At the same time, he could feel the gazes of Woo Sihyun and Lee Seungwoo from a distance. Despite feeling an inexplicable tension, he had no intention of forming any relationship with Nam Seonjae, even if Nam Seonjae was interested in him.
First of all, this wasn’t his body, and Ko Eungyo must have had his own reasons for having only two Espers in his ‘my’. And as time passed, the more he became accustomed to this body, that is, ‘Ko Eungyo’s’ body, he instinctively felt that Ko Eungyo was not abundant in Guiding. It was different from Jang Iju’s body, where Guiding energy overflowed more the more it was extracted. Of course, his skill in Guiding wouldn’t have disappeared, but it felt like the power to perform Guiding itself had somewhat decreased?
And as a professor, touching a student… well, in this case, it would be the student touching the professor, but anyway, he didn’t want to create a situation that could cause a scandal with his own hands.
When he kept staring at Nam Seonjae without answering, Nam Seonjae, who had been quietly waiting for an answer, looked puzzled and suddenly startled as if burned.
“No, I mean, I literally meant if you have time! We’re having an opening ceremony today, and since I’m in the student council, well, both the department head professor and other professors really want to see Professor Ko so much. So…”
Seeing his flustered, bright red face, his psychological defenses loosened. He found himself smiling slightly. Nam Seonjae seemed to gain courage from this. Naturally, his stammering speech became more articulate.
“I sent an email, but you didn’t check it… I guess I should have called you.”
Then Nam Seonjae scratched the back of his head, seemingly embarrassed.
“Ah… the email.”
“Yes.”
Email… I hadn’t thought about checking emails at all. More accurately, it was closer to not thinking that I needed to check ‘Ko Eungyo’s’ email.
Thinking that all assignments would be received by email and that I should start getting into the habit of accessing Ko Eungyo’s email from now on, I nodded.
‘But do commissioned lecturers even attend opening ceremonies?’
Before he could finish his thought, Nam Seonjae continued.
“After the ceremony, we’re having a party at the bar ‘Condition Objet’ right in front. It’s a gathering where everyone drinks together, and the professors must… no, it would be nice if you could attend…”
“Seonjae, make sure to finish your sentences clearly.”
At his instruction, Nam Seonjae’s eyes widened. Nam Seonjae unconsciously followed Ko Eungyo’s directive and corrected his speech.
“Um, I would… appreciate it if you could attend the ceremony.”
He probably meant to ask him to join the after-party following the ceremony, but in his confusion, he asked him to attend the ceremony instead. Nam Seonjae’s face quickly flushed again. Just as he opened his mouth to correct himself, Ko Eungyo gently interjected.
“I see. I understand what you mean.”
“Ah, yes.”
“But I think I won’t be attending the ceremony. Thanks for letting me know.”
He declined Nam Seonjae’s proposal.
If Ko Eungyo really is from a wealthy family, they’re probably inviting him for connections to his family or… some such trivial reason. Or it might be customary for commissioned lecturers to participate in opening ceremonies.
Or it could be because they know that Ko Eungyo has few Espers in his ‘my’. More than half of the students taking the required liberal arts course were Espers, and Guides were always in short supply.
In any case, commissioned lecturers were typically field Guides with considerable experience at the Center. They probably wanted to use the commissioned lecturer as a connection to promote student employment, but this type of connection isn’t right. Rather, having entered Ko Eungyo’s body with its not insignificant background, it would be good if he could pretend not to know about this type of connection and resolve it at his level.
“Ah, but, I…”
Nam Seonjae, who was trying to say something to Ko Eungyo in confusion, suddenly closed his mouth tightly. Then, as if giving up, he complied obediently.
“Yes, Professor. I understand. See you next time.”
“Take care.”
Nam Seonjae bowed his head in greeting and left the classroom.
As he watched Nam Seonjae’s retreating back, he turned his head forward again. He was startled immediately. He had been aware of the gaze that had been staring intently at him since the moment Nam Seonjae approached Ko Eungyo… but he had forgotten about it while focusing on the conversation with Nam Seonjae.
Two pairs of piercing eyes were staring at him intently.
It was Woo Sihyun and Lee Seungwoo.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
