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The Villainous Guide’s New Life 12

“You’re an Esper too, Juho.”

“…….”

“Guides are really important for Espers. You’ll understand once you start working.”

“I still don’t like it. Sniff.

“I know, but this is something you have to understand, Juho.”

Whiiine.

For someone with such a big frame, the way he clung and sniffled was oddly endearing. Lee Tae-rim just stayed quiet, gently patting Seon Juho’s back to comfort him. He kept it up for a while, until Juho suddenly lifted his head.

“Then I’m going to monopolize your Guiding, hyung.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll start working as soon as I can—then I’ll make sure no one else gets Guiding from you.”

“Juho. That’s not how it works.”

The way he stubbornly pressed his lips together made it clear he wasn’t backing down. Tae-rim let out a soft chuckle. It wasn’t like Guiding could actually be monopolized unless there was a real Imprint. Once Juho started fieldwork, he’d come to realize that on his own. So instead of correcting him further, Tae-rim just smiled and ruffled his hair.

“Alright. Give it your best shot. I’m rooting for you.”

“Okay!”

Juho finally stopped crying, and he looked impossibly cute. His eyes were all puffy, but he was grinning ear to ear—and that made it even harder not to cheer him on. Juho hugged Tae-rim tightly and rubbed his face against his shoulder.

“Hyung, I really like you.”

“I like you too, Juho.”

“Hehe.”

Tae-rim couldn’t help but worry that once Juho became independent, he’d feel a hole in his heart. You don’t always notice when someone arrives, but you always feel it when they’re gone. He already knew he’d miss this puppy-like kid and his clingy affection.

 

***

 

Seon Juho bulked up almost overnight. His appetite grew, and with how hard he trained, muscle began to pack on daily. Watching the way his body changed left Lee Tae-rim genuinely amazed. These days, if there wasn’t meat at every meal, Juho acted like it wasn’t even food. It felt like just yesterday he was giggling while snacking on puffed rice, but now? He was undeniably an Esper. Tae-rim clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Dr. Han, impressed by Juho’s progress, suggested it was time to move on to ability training. Grinning slyly, he remarked that Juho’s ESP level was even higher than Kwon Hae-beom’s, and he couldn’t wait to see what he could do. He looked exactly like some shady mastermind. People always said researchers were freaks obsessed with their work—turns out, they weren’t wrong.

“Hyung, I’m gonna do well tomorrow, right? Yeah?”

“Of course.”

That night, even after lying down, Juho was too excited to fall asleep. Just the thought of starting ability training had him buzzing with energy, no matter how much Tae-rim patted his back to soothe him.

“I wanna get strong fast and go out on missions. So I can keep you all to myself.”

“You already have me all to yourself.”

“I want you even more.”

His greedy reply made Tae-rim laugh, but underneath the smile, he couldn’t help feeling anxious. Juho still seemed like a kid. Could someone like that really fight monsters out in the field?

Sure, there were Espers younger than him, but Tae-rim still worried. People said Espers were born emotionally dulled to fear and danger, but knowing that didn’t stop the concern from creeping in. He really did feel like an overbearing parent sometimes.

At the moment, Juho was remarkably stable. His danger level hovered around 3%. There was still some energy leaking due to his lack of full control, so he hadn’t hit zero yet, but overall, his condition was solid.

It helped that Tae-rim spent the entire day with him Guiding, but more than that, it was thanks to their insanely high Matching Rate. Considering Juho had once hit full-blown rampage, the fact that just a hug—after their initial kiss—had brought his danger level down so much was proof of how compatible they were. It was a huge relief.

The next morning, even after calling his name three times, Juho still hadn’t woken up. He’d gone to bed late, too hyped to sleep. Tae-rim finally managed to drag him out of bed, fed him, and brought him to the Esper training facility.

As they stepped into the building, all eyes turned to them. Clearly, everyone was curious about Juho’s abilities—but unfortunately for them, his training would be held behind closed doors.

When they entered Training Room 10—the largest space—Dr. Han, several researchers, and Esper instructors were already waiting. There were still thirty minutes until the session started, but Juho wasn’t the only one who was excited.

Tae-rim left Juho’s side and entered the control room. Since Juho tended to get nervous, the glass window was kept visible from the training area so he could see Tae-rim watching.

Juho returned dressed in a tight training suit that clung to his form—he now looked every bit the part of a real Esper. Dr. Han, attaching monitor pads to Juho’s body, looked like he couldn’t be happier. The man clearly had been waiting for this moment.

“Activate the shield at medium capacity.”

A dome-shaped barrier appeared in the center of the training room. Juho calmly walked into the dome. His first lesson was learning how to release his power. For Espers, that kind of thing came as naturally as breathing, so he picked it up in no time.

The hard part was suppressing it completely. Juho stumbled a few times but got the hang of it surprisingly fast. Watching him from the control room, Tae-rim couldn’t help thinking, My kid’s really smart. He picked things up quickly, and he listened well, too.

The first day of training wrapped up with basic power measurement and learning how to control it.

“Hyung… I’m tired.”

His watch showed a risk level of 35%. Tae-rim pulled him in for a hug as soon as he came out of the shower and began Guiding him. He still looked like a scrappy rookie in civilian clothes, but once basic training was over, he’d be issued a uniform. Tae-rim found himself secretly looking forward to seeing him in it—it would definitely be adorable.

“You did great today. Let’s keep it up tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

After safely completing five hours of training, Tae-rim brought Juho home and immediately prepared food. The lunch had been light, and Juho looked ravenous. It wasn’t quite time for dinner, but if he got hungry again later, Tae-rim could always make a late-night snack. For now, what mattered most was keeping him well-fed.

And so, the routine of feeding him, training him, and putting him to bed continued for a full week. Juho kept up with everything, excelling at each step. He was doing so well that there was no concern about him suddenly rampaging, and Tae-rim finally got some freedom back.

Juho pouted and whined about not wanting him to leave, but Tae-rim had things to do too. Physical training was one thing, but a Guide also had to keep up with regular Guiding practice.

Because of Juho, Tae-rim’s external deployment had been postponed again. Right now, Espers out on missions were relying on guiding Supplements. So Tae-rim had to stay prepared to be dispatched the moment Juho’s Incomplete Imprint broke. He needed to keep himself sharp.

There was a reason his bank account was so healthy. When he glanced at the Guide contract stored at home, he’d been a little surprised. The hazard pay was no joke.

The contract included both on-site hazard pay and an additional bonus for external expeditions. He didn’t know how dangerous those expeditions actually were, but the pay certainly suggested it was serious.

Just from that alone, it was clear he was earning more than most other Guides. He didn’t have any plans to live lavishly, but life was unpredictable. A cushy retirement required solid savings.

Telling Juho he was off for training, Tae-rim headed to his private Guiding room for the first time in a while. As soon as he clocked in via his watch, a reservation popped up. Since most Guiding was still on hold, only S-rank Espers who knew the situation would even see his name—so the speed was impressive.

The one who booked him was Esper Choi Dong-ha. The youngest among the S-rank Espers and the one with the highest Matching Rate with Tae-rim—78%. Though now, Seon Juho had surpassed even that.

Choi Dong-ha, twenty-one years old, had always shared an awkward dynamic with Tae-rim. There was an A-rank Guide with a slightly higher Matching Rate—80%—but the difference was so small that Dong-ha usually preferred Tae-rim. He still looked like a fresh-faced kid as he stepped in after knocking.

He probably knew his efficiency had dropped by 10%, which suggested he’d overworked that other Guide. But even with a drop in efficiency, an S-rank Guide was still in a league of their own—no real comparison.

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

There was only a four-month age gap between Tae-rim and Choi Jiwoon. Jiwoon had become a Guide just four months earlier, but somehow, the entire world revolved around him. Even Espers who normally went out of their way to stay on good terms with Guides treated Tae-rim awkwardly now—just because of that baseless rumor that he’d bullied Jiwoon. And Choi Dong-ha, despite their high Matching Rate, wasn’t any different.

Was it because of the original story? Or was this just the fate of a villain?

“I’ll begin the Guiding now.”

They sat down in their respective seats, exchanging no further words. Tae-rim could feel the barrier between them—the Guiding wasn’t flowing properly, and it irritated him. Still, he reminded himself this was all part of the job. Training, in a way. He focused and pushed through. The session took longer than usual.

Once it ended, Choi Dong-ha gave a brief nod and left without another word. Tae-rim, left alone, was practically seething. Trying to force something that wasn’t working was exhausting—but hey, at least it was good for building mental endurance.

There was still enough time to squeeze in one more session, but no new requests came in. So Tae-rim closed the Guiding room and headed to the training hall. He loosened up with some light exercise, then started on target practice.

That’s when someone tapped him on the shoulder—it was Kim Hyo-il.

“Long time no see.”

“Oh—hello.”

Tae-rim took out his earplugs and returned the greeting.

“I heard you’ve been assigned a new Esper.”

“Yes.”

“There’s a ridiculous rumor going around that you forced your way into this assignment again. But you’ve got the highest Matching Rate—what’s so forced about that?”

“I see.”

“‘I see’? That’s all? This time the rumors are complete crap, but everyone believes them. Doesn’t that bother you? I know plenty of people who think it’s nonsense.”

“Well… to be honest, I don’t really care.”

“What? But it’s about you! How can you not care?”

“It’s not like I can do anything about it. And there are still people like you who know the truth, right?”

Kim Hyo-il let out a deep sigh and smacked his chest in frustration.

Levia
Author: Levia

The Villainous Guide’s New Life

The Villainous Guide’s New Life

Status: Ongoing Author:
Ditching that damned Omega body and ending up in a Beta’s? Now that was a miracle. I possessed the villain Lee Tae-rim, who used his status as an S-rank Guide in the novel The Good Guide—a world without secondary genders—to torment the original Soo. Though a loner without a single close contact at the Center, Tae-rim was content to quietly do his job in a body free from heats and pheromones. That is, until he rescued a berserk Esper during an internal mission. "It looks like that Esper imprinted on Guide Lee Tae-rim." Wait—what? The Esper he saved imprinted on him, unilaterally? Now saddled with the unstable Esper Seon Juho, Tae-rim hoped it wouldn't be too big of a deal since everyone in this world was a Beta anyway. But as if to mock him, Juho becomes increasingly, suspiciously obsessed with Tae-rim’s scent… *** [Preview] “So for now, you'll be living with Seon Juho until he makes a full recovery.” “Living together?” “Yes.” “But... can’t you call me Juho-ya instead? I don’t like Seon Juho-ssi.” “…All right.” “And drop the formal speech, too.” “…Okay.” Seon Juho fiddled with Tae-rim’s hand before pressing his cheek against his palm and rubbing into it. It almost looked like a tail was about to pop out of him. “Um… so anyway, there’s a lot you’ll need to learn first.” “Okay.” “It’s all going to be unfamiliar, but I’ll be with you, so there’s no need to be scared.” “Okay.” “Make sure to listen to what the instructors tell you.” “Okay.” “Are you even paying attention to me?” “Okay!” Juho nodded while rubbing both of Tae-rim’s hands against his cheeks. Watching that soft, hazy smile spread across his face—even from such a light guiding—left Tae-rim at a loss for words. “…Let’s go outside for now.”

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