With a racing heart, I sat huddled in the car, about 100 meters away from the gate Cha Jae-woo had entered.
Typically, reporters or civilians can’t get closer than 500 meters to a gate, so my position was relatively close. Before becoming a Guide, I had never gone to see a gate, so this was my first time observing one up close. While there are videos and photos taken by others, they usually focus on the Espers, making it hard to see the gate itself. Perhaps because of this, the gate, which looked like a dark cave, seemed incredibly fascinating to me.
Additionally, the small tent set up closest to the gate caught my attention. Usually, guiding takes place at the Guide Center, but in emergencies, a few Guides wait nearby when a gate appears. They set up tents like this to conceal the Guide’s identity, as explained by the driver.
I wondered if Kim Sol also waited in such tents. The thought came to me because Kim Sol often missed training due to his fieldwork. It occurred to me that Kim Sol might be in that tent today, as the gate that appeared was of a high rank.
South Korea is relatively fortunate, as high-ranking gates are rare compared to other countries. However, it doesn’t mean they never occur. Sometimes, gates of at least A-rank or higher appear, like today.
As a result, high-ranking Espers gathered at the gate, including Cha Jae-woo.
“How long will it take? Will he be okay? He won’t get hurt, right?” I asked the driver.
“He won’t get hurt. However…” The driver didn’t finish his sentence, but I could tell he was worried about Cha Jae-woo’s condition.
Cha Jae-woo usually received guiding at home, but he had called me to the scene today, which meant he anticipated a difficult situation. His condition had improved significantly, but it was still precarious. He wasn’t ready for challenging gates. Ideally, Cha Jae-woo should rest and recover instead of going to every gate.
His condition was stable but not entirely reliable. He would go to the gate when he felt better, use his abilities, and then his condition would worsen again. It was a cycle that kept him from fully recovering.
‘Will he be okay?’ I wondered silently.
Yesterday, after the guiding session, Cha Jae-woo’s condition was much better than when we first met. Initially, he was on the verge of a breakdown, but yesterday, his condition had improved by about half. However, this didn’t mean he was stable. His condition fluctuated between 50 and 100 on a scale, never dropping below 50. In such a state, facing an A-rank gate was risky. Cha Jae-woo shouldn’t be here.
“Damn it…” I muttered under my breath.
The driver remained silent, and I clarified, “I’m not talking about you.”
“I know,” he replied.
“And it’s not about Cha Jae-woo either,” I added.
The driver said nothing more.
I was cursing the Guide Association and the Esper Association, which seemed to exist only to cause trouble. The driver might have misunderstood, but I didn’t bother explaining further. My frustration was too great to care about such details.
It was infuriating. Despite knowing that I was only a D-rank Guide and that maintaining Cha Jae-woo’s condition was the best I could do, they still sent him out. His poor condition was obvious, and they were aware of it. Yet, they issued the mission anyway.
These bastards even made an announcement:
[Breaking News] Signs of an A-rank or higher gate appearing. The Esper Association states, “Cha Jae-woo will naturally participate in the subjugation.”
My memory isn’t usually this good, but I remembered it perfectly, down to the last detail. I even recalled the exact expression on Cha Jae-woo’s face as he clicked his tongue in disapproval. This meant that Cha Jae-woo was unaware of this fact.
“……You won’t go, right?” I asked him. Lately, his lips had been tightly sealed, making it hard to strike up a conversation, but that day, I found the courage to ask him easily.
Of course, I knew it was a ridiculous and selfish question.
An A-grade gate meant that at least A-grade Espers had to participate. B-grade and below weren’t even allowed to enter. Just a few years ago, there had been an incident where lower-ranked Espers were forced into a gate to make up the numbers, resulting in casualties.
A minimum of A-grade. But since A-grade Espers were rare, it was only natural that an S-grade like Cha Jae-woo was needed.
But wouldn’t Cha Jae-woo decide not to go? He would know better than anyone that his frequency wasn’t stable. Plus, he wasn’t the type to care about what others said.
However, Cha Jae-woo chose to remain silent, which meant he would go to the gate.
I couldn’t understand why he didn’t protest, and it frustrated me. He wasn’t particularly righteous, so why wouldn’t he avoid a situation that could put him in danger?
My worry grew, making it hard to breathe.
I stared endlessly at the gate that had swallowed Cha Jae-woo and the other Espers. I hoped his condition wouldn’t be bad. I hoped that skipping class to come here wouldn’t be in vain.
But realistically, the chances were slim. Cha Jae-woo would know that his condition wouldn’t be good after exiting the gate.
The Guide Association had cut ties with me, yet today they called me to the gate where their people were coming and going. It must have been a decision made knowing the danger.
The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became, fidgeting with my fingers. Strands of hair fell out as I tugged at them.
Cha Jae-woo, who usually cleared the gate of monsters in just 1 or 2 minutes, had been inside for over an hour with no news. I felt like I was on pins and needles.
If only I could have guided him before and after the gate. I wished I was more than just a D-grade.
Staring blankly out the car window, I felt a sense of helplessness wash over me.
“Are you alright?” the driver asked, noticing my distress in the rearview mirror. I couldn’t bring myself to nod.
“It’s taking too long…….” I muttered.
“He’ll be out soon,” the driver reassured me.
“He hasn’t been hurt by a monster inside, has he? He couldn’t have, right?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“He’s not the type to get hurt,” the driver said firmly.
But I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. My hands, shaking with anxiety, grasped the car door handle before letting go. I felt an overwhelming urge to rush out.
Why was I so anxious? Had I subconsciously come to think of Cha Jae-woo as a friend? The thought of something happening to him made me feel like I would go crazy.
My heart raced, and my body trembled. I was so tense that my teeth chattered. Despite the warmth, I felt a chill. I curled up, my eyes fixed on the gate, waiting for Cha Jae-woo to emerge.
And then, finally, after another 10 minutes, I saw him. Relief washed over me, and tears welled up in my eyes.
“Cha Jae-woo……!” I exclaimed, but the driver stopped me from getting out of the car.
“You can’t go out,” he reminded me.
“Yes, yes, I know. But…….” I trailed off, my eyes fixed on Cha Jae-woo.
His frequency was a mess. As soon as I saw him, it felt like someone was pricking my skin with a needle.
He looked terrible, much worse than the other Espers. It hurt to see him like that. I later realized it was because our matching rate was high, making his frequency more visible to me.
The driver got out of the car, and Cha Jae-woo walked towards us. Each step he took seemed to echo in my chest.
I felt a pang of fear, worried that he might collapse at any moment.
‘……Why am I feeling this way?’ I wondered, but there was no time to dwell on it. As soon as Cha Jae-woo opened the car door, I lunged at him.
“Guiding, I’ll start guiding……!” I stammered, but I didn’t even give him a chance to react. I threw myself into his arms, driven by an urgent need to stabilize his frequency.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I hesitated for a moment, my lips pressed tightly together. Despite my earlier anxiety, I found myself at a loss for how to begin the guiding.
“Go ahead,” Cha Jae-woo said softly, giving me the permission I needed.
My momentary daze was broken by Cha Jae-woo’s brief words.
I found myself nodding unconsciously and tightening my grip around his back. His head rested on my shoulder, and the sensation of his skin against mine felt like someone was repeatedly slicing it with a knife.
I bit my lip, trying to ignore the sensation. I hadn’t even started guiding properly, yet my breath was already hot and ragged. Just moments ago, I had felt a chill, but now my body was burning up.
“……I’ll begin,” I managed to say, trying to focus my mind and ignore the pounding of my heart.
I needed to do what I came here for—to guide him. Fortunately, Cha Jae-woo wasn’t on the verge of losing control, but he was clearly exhausted. I had to help him regain his strength.
With him in my arms, I could feel his mana more vividly than when I held his hand. The mana quickly took the familiar form of a black mass.
The damned thing was swollen to several times its usual size, looking just as it had when I first encountered it.
“……Ugh,” I groaned, biting my lip to hold back a curse.
The contrast between my feverish state and Cha Jae-woo’s cold body was frightening. I desperately wanted to stabilize his condition as quickly as possible.
