Chapter 5
Several days had passed since then.
The examination results were said to take time, so in the meantime, investigations related to the organization were conducted. Seoyul was assigned a room within the center where he stayed and diligently cooperated with the investigation.
Perhaps because everyone found his desperate efforts endearing, the investigation proceeded in a gentle atmosphere.
Seoyul gradually regained his stability, and since tomorrow kept coming no matter how much he slept and woke up, he could truly feel that he had returned to the past.
Moreover, everyone was so kind. Seoyul sometimes thought, ‘Is this heaven?’
While living like that, news finally arrived that the results were in. Since Seoyul was more curious than anyone about how they turned out, he quickly made his way there.
“You’re here?”
When he opened the laboratory door, Sunjeong welcomed him comfortably. She had taken a liking to this Guide who was cuter and gentler than anyone.
With her fondness for cute things, his squirrel-like face also played a significant part.
“Want some cake?”
It was clear he would look even cuter if he gained some weight. That’s why she always offered sweet foods like this.
How adorable he had looked when he trembled after eating strawberry cake, saying it was his first time trying it. But as if there was something more urgent, Seoyul shook his head and asked.
“Th-the results?”
Sunjeong smiled slightly and gestured for him to come closer. Then she entered something into the computer and began searching for data. Suddenly, a jumble of information appeared on the large screen above the monitor.
“Oh my…”
Seoyul instinctively sensed that this was the examination result. But he couldn’t read it at all because it was filled with technical terms he couldn’t understand.
“As you said, you have wide compatibility.”
“Really?!”
He had just assumed it was true because the organization members had said so, but hearing it from an expert like this gave him a fresh sense of appreciation.
“Not just wide, but eeeeextremely wide. This is truly remarkable.”
She even used her arms to explain just how amazing this fact was. Seoyul was a bit dazed, but he listened to every word without missing a single letter and stored it in his mind.
“You’ll have over 60% compatibility with as many as 70% of Espers.”
“What?!”
Seoyul was shocked. Didn’t that mean he could Guide two out of three people!
Finding the right Guide was such a difficult task that essentially, as long as the compatibility rate was 60%, measures were being taken to allow Guiding.
And now to hear that he could definitely Guide two out of three…
‘So I was this good.’
He wondered if that was why the organization members wouldn’t let him go.
“Of course, this is based on simulations using data, so it’s not exact.”
“What? Then…”
Seoyul felt slightly anxious. But she continued with a bright smile.
“If you take a direct matching test, it could come out even higher.”
“Ah…”
He bowed his head deeply, feeling a wave of embarrassment for some reason. Finding his reaction cute, Sunjeong ruffled his hair.
“Your grade is a bit of a shame, but it’s still amazing, so you should be proud.”
When he looked up, he saw her with a face that truly seemed to say the grade didn’t matter at all. He had worried she would be disappointed that he was only C-grade, but he realized it had been a needless concern.
“And the important thing is this.”
She brought up another piece of data on the screen.
“This is…”
“Cha Dowoon’s chart data.”
When Dowoon’s name appeared, Seoyul was surprised again and stared at the screen. But he still couldn’t read any information from it.
“It’s top secret, but since you’re going to be involved now, I’ll tell you for sure.”
Top… secret?
Seoyul tilted his head in confusion, but she continued with a serious look.
“Dowoon has never received proper Guiding even once in his life.”
“What?!”
Never received it even once?
While he had somewhat guessed Dowoon’s situation, he was surprised because he couldn’t have imagined that he truly had never received it. If that statement was true, it was miraculous that he was still alive.
‘Ah…’
Now Seoyul understood why Dowoon would die after going berserk in a year. Because he had never… received Guiding.
“Compatibility aside, his energy is so violent that Guides faint as soon as they touch him. On top of that, for some reason, the medicine has no effect.”
Her self-deprecating voice was filled with worry. Since he hadn’t known such circumstances were hidden, he didn’t know what to say.
But she smiled as if to say not to worry and spoke.
“But there is exactly one drug that works for Dowoon.”
“Huh? Really?!”
Seoyul was startled as if it was his own matter, then breathed a sigh of relief. Although it wasn’t as good as receiving direct Guiding, if there was a suitable drug, there was a high possibility that he wouldn’t reach a dangerous state.
‘Wait, but…’
He recalled Dowoon, who was in so much pain that he forcibly chose to sleep. What he needed then was a Guiding drug. If there was a suitable drug, they could have given it to him, so why did he choose sleep?
“The problem is that this drug is on the illegal route.”
“…What?”
Illegal route…
Having been involved in that industry, Seoyul knew how many people wanted such a drug. That’s why it was even harder to obtain than the generally distributed Guiding drugs.
It seemed Dowoon was in the same situation.
“But then it appeared just like that!”
“What…?”
Unlike Sunjeong’s bright exclamation, Seoyul’s head tilted in confusion, not understanding. How cute that looked again. She chuckled and tapped on the keyboard.
“This is the drug data, and this is your data.”
She slowly overlaid the two charts that appeared on the large screen. Then something amazing happened. The two graphs matched exactly.
“Oh. Th-this is…”
“I had a feeling, but to think it was you. We’ve been searching for so long, why have you only appeared now.”
She seemed to be in a good mood, smiling broadly and patting his back. He felt somewhat dazed.
“You were… looking for me?”
“Of course! That’s why Dowoon joined the special team. To find the Guide who was suffering in the illegal route.”
A lump formed in his throat.
As soon as he heard those words, Seoyul’s heart tightened. He tried to hold back, but there was no way to stop the tears that had begun to well up.
All this time, he had thought it was like hell… he had cried so much because he didn’t want to make it… but now he heard that the drug had been a great help to Dowoon.
And they had even been looking for him. Since most of those searching the illegal routes were criminals, Seoyul had always felt guilty.
He wondered if many people were suffering because he was making Guiding drugs.
But there were also those who weren’t like that. Dowoon was undoubtedly one of Korea’s top Espers, a national asset, and someone who would make many contributions in the future.
‘To think I could be of help to such a person.’
Moreover, wasn’t he his benefactor? If it hadn’t been for him, he might not have found the courage. He was able to muster courage because he had a vague belief that Dowoon would raid the organization.
Dowoon was like a shining hope to him.
“Oh my. Why are you crying? Stop!”
Seeing tears falling drop by drop from his large eyes, Sunjeong felt sorry for him. She thought about how hard it must have been for him to cry so silently without even blinking.
From what she’d heard, he had grown up suffering under a gambling, violent father.
She hadn’t heard it directly, but that’s what the investigation had shown. All records pointed to how difficult it must have been for him.
“Thank you for appearing even now. We’ll have to see whether you can Guide Dowoon or not, but it’s certain that the drug is effective. That’s enough for us.”
Sunjeong gently wiped away Seoyul’s tears as if to comfort him. That kindness almost made tears burst out again. But thinking it would be troublesome to keep crying, he held them back firmly.
“Phew.”
After carefully regulating his breath, Seoyul fully expressed this welling emotion for the first time.
“I’ll work hard! I’ll learn! I’ll learn diligently and Guide!”
Sunjeong burst into laughter at his somewhat desperate cry.
“Hahaha. Right. You said you’ve never Guided before, right?”
Upon hearing that, his face flushed red. It was still embarrassing that he couldn’t Guide. Even if he had only awakened 3 years ago at his current age, in his heart, it had already been 10 years.
“Yeah, yeah. First, let’s learn how to Guide. And once you get used to it, we’ll see if you can Guide Dowoon and also do a matching test.”
“Matching, test.”
It was referring to a test that accurately determined the compatibility rate. Since only approximate figures could be obtained from data, it was an essential process that had to be undergone to form a pair.
‘If a high figure appears here… will I become the Esper’s Guide?’
Of course, there were still fundamental issues such as the grade difference and whether he could Guide or not, but somehow it seemed like it would be alright. It felt like he could do it.
With that, a pleasant hope and excitement revisited Seoyul’s heart. This too was an emotion he was experiencing for the first time.
“I… I’ll really work hard!”
Seeing his lovable appearance, Sunjeong encouraged him with a smile.
* * *
After that.
Seoyul began taking the basic Guide education provided by the center.
By accessing and registering on the Korean Ability Management Association’s website, one could listen to and view related materials at any time.
Seoyul entered his assigned Guide number and downloaded the related materials and videos. And he watched them without fail every day and memorized them thoroughly.
He even got a 100 on the test. Seeing that number 100 appear before his eyes made him feel so good. He wanted to jump up and down right there, but out of embarrassment, he only showed his joy by grinning.
“Did the practical go well?”
After the theoretical lessons, he also successfully completed the Guiding practicum. The Guiding practicum was conducted one-on-one, and he was even praised by the teacher for having talent.
“Yes! I was praised!”
Seoyul’s face, as he conveyed that fact without hiding, had brightened compared to before. Perhaps because he had been eating well during this time, he had gained a bit of weight on his face, making him look more and more like a squirrel.
Sunjeong was seized with the urge to pinch his cheeks tightly, but she held back and stroked his hair instead.
“Well done. Was it worth all your hard work?”
“Yes! I really worked hard!”
As he quietly surrendered his head to her touch with sparkling eyes, he also reminded one of a puppy in a way. She couldn’t help but laugh, wondering where such a cute being had appeared from.
“So now you can Guide?”
“Yes! The teacher said I need to keep practicing to get better, but still, I can do it now!”
Seoyul seemed pleased about the fact that he could now officially Guide.
Wondering how happy he must be to act like that, she withdrew her hand and said.
“Then let’s try it now.”
“What? Try it?”
He tilted his head with a face that showed he didn’t understand. It seemed that in his joy, he had forgotten why he had been working so hard.
“Yes. It’s been quite a while since I called him, so he should be arriving soon.”
“What?”
Just as he tilted his head again, the laboratory door opened. Seoyul’s head turned to check the face of the person who entered.
“Ah, why do I have to come and go again?”
“Huh…?”
There stood the violent Esper that Seoyul would have to Guide from now on.
Dowoon.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
