The cafĂ© was quiet, perhaps due to the ambiguous timing that wasn’t quite peak hours. Lim Haeyul had his English reference book open in front of him, taking advantage of the free time. He had plans to meet Kim Sol and decided to come out early since staying home felt stifling.
“Haeyul.”
About 30 minutes had passed when Kim Sol appeared in the café, much earlier than their scheduled meeting time. Accustomed to friends who were habitually late, Lim Haeyul was slightly taken aback but greeted him with a warm smile.
“You’re here, hyung?”
As always, Kim Sol’s striking appearance turned heads. His urbane features lit up with a bright smile, making him look innocently cheerful.
“You look beautiful today too,” Lim Haeyul teased as Kim Sol approached. Though he was genuinely happy to see him, a pang of guilt made him feel the need to lighten the mood.
“What are you talking about?” Kim Sol rolled his eyes, feigning exasperation. Lim Haeyul chuckled awkwardly.
Kim Sol had been the one to advise Lim Haeyul not to fall for Cha Jae-woo, insisting it was just a side effect. But now, Lim Haeyul not only acknowledged his feelings but had also decided to pursue a relationship with Cha Jae-woo. This made facing Kim Sol directly quite uncomfortable. Still, avoiding him wasn’t an option, so they met.
“Is it because we haven’t seen each other in a while? You seem especially radiant today,” Lim Haeyul commented.
“Haeyul must have done something wrong,” Kim Sol replied, suspiciously.
“…Why would you think that?”
“That pause just now was very telling.”
Lim Haeyul shook his head, pretending not to understand. However, Kim Sol’s scrutinizing gaze didn’t waver.
“By the way, you’re the one who seems extra shiny today,” Kim Sol noted.
“Me?”
“Yeah, something about you feels different.”
Lim Haeyul wondered if high-ranking Guides could sense changes in people’s auras. The sudden question made him curious. He tried to respond casually, “Well, it’s because I’m wearing all new clothes today.”
He whispered as if sharing a secret, and Kim Sol leaned in, only to laugh incredulously at the explanation.
It wasn’t a lie. Recently, Lim Haeyul had been indulging in shopping sprees, with a particular someone in mind he wanted to impress.
“Were you studying?” Kim Sol asked, moving on from the playful banter. Lim Haeyul was relieved; he feared that prolonging the conversation might lead to revealing everything.
“Yeah, trying to get ahead on my scores.”
“You’re really dedicated.”
“Well, I have a lot of free time. If things were normal, I’d be busy with part-time jobs, but now I’m not,” Lim Haeyul explained.
After studying, he still had plenty of time on his hands. His guiding duties only took up late nights, leaving the rest of the day empty.
He wondered if Cha Jae-woo being less busy would make things better. What was keeping him so occupied? Were there more gate incidents happening secretly?
Kim Sol would likely know, but Lim Haeyul didn’t ask. He preferred to avoid topics that might lead back to Cha Jae-woo.
“Are you planning to join a company later?” Kim Sol inquired.
“Um… probably? I can’t just keep doing this forever,” Lim Haeyul replied.
Being a Guide wasn’t bad; the pay was good, better than most corporate jobs. However, Lim Haeyul felt a sense of emptiness, like time was slipping away without purpose. Unlike Kim Sol, who passionately guided various Espers, Lim Haeyul’s guiding was focused solely on Cha Jae-woo.
Moreover, he felt uncomfortable accepting monthly payments from Cha Jae-woo. It seemed meaningless to let pride get in the way, but exchanging money in a romantic relationship felt wrong.
Lim Haeyul found himself in a state of contemplation. He no longer wanted to consider guiding Cha Jae-woo as a job. Although he couldn’t quit immediately, he intended to stop accepting payment once he found employment.
“I gave up on those thoughts as soon as I became a Guide,” Kim Sol remarked. Lim Haeyul nodded in understanding. He could relate; initially, he studied out of habit rather than a strong desire for a career.
“Honestly, the treatment of Guides isn’t as good as that of Espers, but it’s still better than most corporate jobs,” Kim Sol continued. Lim Haeyul agreed, nodding along.
“And… the work is surprisingly easy.”
However, a question lingered in Lim Haeyul’s mind: Why had Kim Sol become a Guide?
Kim Sol hadn’t become a Guide when the mandatory Guide exams were introduced. He had already established himself in the field before then. Typically, the Guide exam was not something ordinary people attempted easily. In a country where Guides had to hide their identities, few willingly took the exam.
“Back then, I had to do something, anything,” Kim Sol explained, sensing Lim Haeyul’s curiosity. “I desperately needed money. But it felt like pouring water into a bottomless pit. No matter how much I worked, the debt kept piling up.”
Lim Haeyul wondered what had happened. Was it debt? Or something else? He was curious but hesitated to ask, seeing the slight grimace on Kim Sol’s face as he recalled those times.
“Then I heard about the Guide exam,” Kim Sol continued. “I didn’t think I’d become a Guide; I just did it for the exam fee. But then I ended up with a contract and a monthly salary.”
“Ah… And you ended up as an S-rank?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to make some money from the exam, but suddenly I had a signing bonus and a monthly salary.” Kim Sol smiled, his expression brightening.
Lim Haeyul wasn’t sure how to react. Should he smile along? While it was good that Kim Sol’s situation improved, he felt a strange discomfort.
“The funny thing is, my family hated it,” Kim Sol said. “They still do. They take the money I earn but think being a Guide is shameful.”
“What? Why would they think that?” Lim Haeyul couldn’t help but raise his voice, indignant. Kim Sol seemed amused by his reaction.
“They’re quite proud,” Kim Sol explained.
Lim Haeyul felt a sense of injustice. He couldn’t understand why people thought so poorly of Guides. It frustrated him that the Guide Association did little to improve their image, instead focusing on questionable activities. The face of President Jang of the Guide Association came to mind.
“Oh, have you heard? Someone robbed President Jang’s house,” Kim Sol mentioned, as if reading Lim Haeyul’s thoughts. Lim Haeyul’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…Robbed?”
“Yeah, they took everything.” Kim Sol seemed amused, almost satisfied. It was clear he had his own grievances with President Jang.
However, Lim Haeyul couldn’t share in the amusement. He remembered the phone call with Cha Jae-woo on Christmas Eve and the voice of President Jang in the background.
“When… did this happen?” Lim Haeyul asked, his voice trembling slightly.
“Christmas Eve. Quite the holiday gift,” Kim Sol replied.
Lim Haeyul’s body tensed. Could Cha Jae-woo be involved? Had he really heard President Jang’s voice that night? Why would Cha Jae-woo do such a thing?
“But President Jang said he didn’t see anyone,” Kim Sol added.
Lim Haeyul’s racing thoughts began to settle. President Jang had definitely called Cha Jae-woo that night, which meant Cha Jae-woo couldn’t be the culprit. If he were, the news would have already spread.
“…I see. What a strange turn of events,” Lim Haeyul said, his voice calmer now.
“It’s chaos over there. I think President Jang is just making excuses. He probably lost something valuable and is trying to blame an Esper to cover it up,” Kim Sol speculated.
Lim Haeyul nodded in agreement. It seemed plausible, given President Jang’s character.
“You really don’t like President Jang, do you?” Lim Haeyul observed.
Kim Sol shrugged. “He’s not the most likable person.”
Lim Haeyul’s casual question about whether Kim Sol liked President Jang was met with an immediate response.
“How could anyone like that idiot?” Kim Sol replied without a moment’s hesitation. Lim Haeyul laughed, relieved that he wasn’t considered an idiot himself.
“Anyway, because of this, the Espers who were under Chairman Cha Seong-ju are now under suspicion. People are wondering if they’ve truly reformed or if they’re secretly rebelling against the Association,” Kim Sol explained.
It was a convenient accusation, but Lim Haeyul knew it was unlikely. However, he hoped Cha Jae-woo wouldn’t be affected by these suspicions.
“Have you seen those Espers?” Lim Haeyul asked, curious about what they were like.
“Yeah, I’ve seen them,” Kim Sol replied.
“What are they like?”
“Nothing special. They’re quiet, but they have to be. They’re like kites with their strings cut, shunned by everyone. The Association is trying to integrate them, even bringing Cha Jae-woo in to help,” Kim Sol said.
Lim Haeyul found the situation uncomfortable. He wanted to defend Cha Jae-woo but decided to stay quiet.
“So, how’s guiding Cha Jae-woo going?” Kim Sol asked, bringing the conversation back to Cha Jae-woo. Lim Haeyul hesitated before answering.
“It’s fine. Always the same,” he replied.
“Really? You’re not overexerting yourself?”
“Come on, you taught me how to block properly. Why would I overexert myself?” Lim Haeyul responded.
“That’s good to hear. I thought you might be wasting away with how much Cha Jae-woo is flying around. But looking at you, that’s not the case,” Kim Sol observed. Lim Haeyul laughed, feeling a mix of pride and discomfort.
“So, he must be getting additional guiding from someone else,” Kim Sol concluded. Lim Haeyul didn’t confirm or deny it, knowing it was expected for an S-rank Esper to have multiple Guides.
“Ah! Is that why he was with Guide Lee Ju-yeon?” Kim Sol asked, mentioning a name Lim Haeyul hadn’t thought about in a while.
“Guide Lee Ju-yeon…?” Lim Haeyul repeated, his mind racing. Lee Ju-yeon was a B-rank Guide with a higher matching rate with Cha Jae-woo. They had even retaken the matching rate test together, and Lim Haeyul remembered President Jang boasting about Lee Ju-yeon’s increased matching rate.
“Yeah, I’ve seen them together a few times. I heard their matching rate went up even more,” Kim Sol said.
Lim Haeyul felt a pang of unease. Why were Cha Jae-woo and Lee Ju-yeon together? He knew Cha Jae-woo wasn’t receiving guiding from him, so what was their business?
“Well, it’s good for you if Cha Jae-woo has another Guide. Less burden on you,” Kim Sol said.
“Yeah… I guess,” Lim Haeyul replied, his mind still on Lee Ju-yeon.
“You’ve been through a lot, Haeyul,” Kim Sol said sympathetically.
“No, it’s not that bad,” Lim Haeyul insisted, though his smile felt forced.
“I couldn’t stand being with Cha Jae-woo for a single day. Just being around him would be torture,” Kim Sol said, shaking his head. Lim Haeyul laughed, but his mind was elsewhere, wondering why Cha Jae-woo and Lee Ju-yeon were spending time together.