Chapter 31
Dowoon was anxious. Recently, Seoyul had been acting strange.
‘Did something happen…?’
At first, he hadn’t noticed, but day by day, Seoyul had become increasingly gloomy and depressed. Even though Dowoon was known for being oblivious, it had become impossible not to notice.
Seoyul seemed to think he was hiding it well, but as time passed, it became increasingly obvious.
‘It must be school-related.’
Given Seoyul’s personality, he would probably just shake his head and deny it if asked directly. Without Seoyul volunteering the information, there was no way to find out, which was frustrating.
At the same time, Dowoon felt a bitter taste in his mouth, wondering if he wasn’t someone Seoyul could rely on.
‘Haah. I’ll have to keep an eye on him for now.’
He was at least relieved that the Guiding was still going well.
But at some point, Seoyul had started to perform Guiding while spacing out. The problem was that the S-rank energy wasn’t coming out.
He even seemed so lost in his thoughts that he wasn’t aware of this fact.
‘I can’t just watch anymore.’
Dowoon wracked his brain on how to handle this situation. Something was clearly wrong.
He felt guilty about prying into matters Seoyul hadn’t shared, but all he needed was a reasonable justification!
‘Hmm. Yes. I just had the perfect idea.’
With a triumphant smile, Dowoon headed to the Center Director’s office.
—BANG!
“Ah, you scared me! Hey, kid! I thought my heart was going to drop out! Don’t you know how to knock?! Knock?!”
Munjin frowned as he scolded his son who had barged in loudly. But Dowoon, completely unfazed, began to blurt out what he wanted to say.
“Father. You know that thing. That thing.”
“…Why are you making me nervous, kid?”
The fact that he was willingly calling him ‘father’ led Munjin to conclude that Dowoon must have some ulterior motive. He began to gather his documents stealthily, preparing to escape at any moment.
Whenever Dowoon had that look on his face, something was bound to go wrong.
“That thing you said about giving a lecture.”
“Huh?”
Lec…ture?
Munjin tilted his head, wondering what on earth Dowoon was talking about. Then he remembered the offer he had made a year ago about giving a lecture at the specialist school for ability users.
Of course, Dowoon had flatly rejected it at the time.
“Ah, that. Why bring that up suddenly?”
“I’ll do it.”
“…”
“I said I’ll do it.”
“…”
“Right now.”
Dowoon was serious. Munjin just stared at him with an unreadable expression before realizing what he meant and being shocked.
“Haaah?! Didn’t you say you hated that? You complained so much saying it was too annoying to do!”
And now he’s saying he’ll do it? Right now?
“Ah, that was then. This is different now!”
…This sounded familiar. Judging by the identical repertoire, it seemed to be related to his Guide.
He had thought it was strange that Dowoon had agreed so easily to let Seoyul go to school, but it seemed he intended to follow him there all along. However, even if he was an S-rank Esper, there were things that could be done and things that couldn’t.
“No.”
“Ah, why not?!”
“Hey! Think about it logically. This is a year-old conversation, do you think that’s still possible?! And the semester has already started, kid!”
“…”
Dowoon was at a loss for words. It had already been a year? He had thought it was such a great idea, but it was from a year ago!
But he couldn’t give up here.
“Not even for a short time? Like a special lecture format. I’m an S-rank Esper, how is it not possible?”
“…”
Munjin’s mouth gaped wide open in disbelief. Cha Dowoon was pleading despite knowing it wasn’t possible.
“Did the sun rise from the west today?”
“…”
There was no way Dowoon hadn’t understood the meaning of that, and he frowned deeply as he shouted.
“Ah, so is that a yes or a no?!”
“Ah, my ears are going to fall off. You’ve always been so temperamental.”
Munjin shook his head and said.
“I’ll look into it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, kid.”
Since he was acting this way because of his Guide, who knew what kind of trouble he might cause if left alone. It was better to do something within his control.
“Thanks, Father! Your connections are the best!”
“…Ahem. You only realized that now?”
Munjin replied gruffly, but he was embarrassed to hear such words after such a long time. Except for when he was very young, Dowoon had never shown his emotions like this, so it was even somewhat touching.
‘He must really like his Guide.’
To think that Cha Dowoon could be this docile. He hoped Seoyul would hold onto him tightly and keep him on a leash for eternity.
Seeing him like this, it seemed like Dowoon would happily hand over his own leash and dance with joy.
* * *
After his conversation with Minjun, Seoyul continued to look for opportunities. He was trying to time when to talk to Yeon Jiwoo.
Since he had never had a proper conversation with him, he didn’t know how to approach him.
Plus, there were so many people around him. To talk to Jiwoo, he would have to get through many people.
The problem was that he still didn’t have the courage to do so.
‘What should I do…?’
What good was making a decision if he couldn’t act on it? He felt bitter, feeling like he was just going in circles.
As he kept sighing and observing the situation, he noticed the school was unusually noisy.
‘What’s going on?’
Without friends, Seoyul couldn’t know why the atmosphere was so excited. Minjun was there, but they hadn’t exchanged numbers yet, so it was difficult to ask via message.
‘I should have asked earlier.’
Since he could always see Minjun when he went to that place, he hadn’t thought to ask for his contact information. Seoyul regretted not getting it earlier as he continued walking.
As he walked down the corridor, he spotted a familiar figure in a secluded corner by the window.
It was Yeon Jiwoo.
‘Huh? He’s alone!’
Jiwoo being alone was a rare opportunity. After a moment’s hesitation, Seoyul walked over. He stood in front of him and cautiously spoke.
“Um…”
At Seoyul’s voice, Jiwoo’s gaze shifted from the window. When he noticed Seoyul, he didn’t hide his emotions, frowning as he spoke.
“What?”
“Huh? Ah. Well…”
His sharp voice instantly intimidated Seoyul. His heart was pounding rapidly. He had approached with confidence, but his body wasn’t following his thoughts.
Seoyul tried to suppress his wildly beating heart and barely managed to speak.
“I… had something I wanted to ask…”
“Something you wanted to ask?”
He didn’t hide his annoyed expression. But then, with a face that suggested this was a good opportunity, he smiled slightly and said.
“I actually had something to say too. Good timing. Follow me.”
Something to say? What could it be?
He couldn’t predict what Jiwoo wanted to say, but somehow he felt like the inevitable had finally arrived.
Seoyul quietly followed Yeon Jiwoo. They arrived at a place he had never been to before.
‘I didn’t know there was a place like this at school.’
It looked like an old building that wasn’t being used anymore. Jiwoo entered with familiar steps and went into an empty classroom filled with dust.
Seoyul followed cautiously, observing the unfamiliar interior. As the door closed with a thud, a sharp voice erupted.
“You. You’re more stupid than I thought?”
“Huh?”
He was momentarily taken aback, not expecting such a direct confrontation. But as if Seoyul’s situation didn’t matter, Yeon Jiwoo began to spout whatever he wanted to say.
“If I’ve been giving you such obvious hints, you should have understood. Do you think you’re something special because you’re Guiding Cha Dowoon Esper-nim? Do I really have to spell it out for you like this?”
“What… do you mean…?”
He couldn’t understand what Jiwoo was talking about. His mind wasn’t working properly due to the shock.
But now, instead of words, Yeon Jiwoo began to pressure him with actions. With a cold face, he approached one step at a time, pushing Seoyul back.
“Uh.”
Retreating under the pressure, Seoyul’s back eventually hit the wall. Yeon Jiwoo’s eyes were more menacing than anyone’s, displaying strong hostility towards Seoyul.
—BANG!
Seoyul shut his eyes tightly as Jiwoo slammed his fist against the wall. The vibration against his back made Seoyul’s heart sink.
‘Do you want to die?’
‘Are you not going to do it properly?’
‘You know what happens if you miss even one, right?’
Memories of being threatened by organization members for years flashed through his mind. His hands and feet began to tremble, recalling the violence that had been ingrained in him for so long.
Seoyul didn’t have the courage to look up, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. From above, he heard a contemptuous voice.
“And you call yourself Cha Esper-nim’s Guide? Someone like you?”
Flinch.
That statement pierced his heart.
Could he really call himself Dowoon’s Guide when he couldn’t do anything under such a minor threat?
All kinds of negative emotions began to flood his chaotic mind.
“Stop hanging around Esper-nim and live like the C-rank you are. Just because you’re Guiding an S-rank doesn’t make you an S-rank, does it? Hmm?”
Yeon Jiwoo’s eerie voice stuck in his mind. Live like a C-rank… For some reason, those words kept echoing in his head.
‘That’s right…’
Even though as a Hidden Guide he could use S-rank energy, it was only under specific conditions. If he couldn’t satisfy those conditions, he was just a C-rank.
But what about the man in front of him?
‘A perfect A-rank Guide.’
He was someone who could Guide anytime, under any conditions, as long as he was compatible with Dowoon.
‘He’s different from me.’
What Dowoon needed wasn’t a half-baked Guide like himself, but a perfect Guide like Yeon Jiwoo, wasn’t it?
Already severely impacted, Seoyul began to be sucked into a sticky darkness. He felt suffocated and constrained, as if someone was strongly binding him.
More precisely, the learned resignation that had been ingrained in him for a long time began to resurface.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
