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The Worst-Matched Guide 23

It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel betrayed.

He had a Guide out there with a 90% compatibility rate. Someone like that wouldn’t be lacking for anything—so why would Han Ju-oh choose him…?

Ah. They do lack something.’

Right before Han Ju-oh goes berserk, only Seo-ha’s Guiding can stabilize him. Still, unless the risk of going berserk exceeded 90%, forming a pair with that Guide was clearly the better option. No wonder Kim Mi-yeon hadn’t exactly welcomed him with open arms.

So the idea of forming a pair is purely Han Ju-oh’s decision, then.’

To say he’d stake his life just for the little energy Seo-ha could offer through his Guiding…

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Was he really that important now? Why did Han Ju-oh push forward without a second thought, choosing one extreme over the other without hesitation?

“Do you happen to know who that Guide is?”

Lee Jeong-min shook his head.

“It’s just a rumor, nothing concrete.”

Looking at Lee Jeong-min’s expression, it seemed he really didn’t know anything.

If there’s someone like that, isn’t it obvious they should be the partner? Then why? Why me?’

“But… is it really okay to ask about this like that?”

Seo-ha, lost in thought, looked up at Lee Jeong-min’s question.

“Most Guides heading to meet Han Ju-oh act like their lips are zipped shut. No one has the guts to ask questions like this behind his back.”

He was worried, seeing Seo-ha casually bring up Han Ju-oh in the middle of the guild’s cafeteria.

“Come on. It’s not like we’re meeting just to badmouth Han Ju-oh.”

Saying there was no need to feel so self-conscious, Seo-ha straightened his shoulders. Contracts required careful consideration. Getting to know the person you might become partners with was entirely reasonable.

“Well, yeah, but…”

Lee Jeong-min couldn’t hide his discomfort.

“It’s not like I asked you to spill Han Ju-oh’s weaknesses, or tell me how much of a jerk he’s been around here. The only thing I heard from you was that there’s some Guide with a crazy high compatibility rate, and we don’t even know who it is.”

“That… Guide Baek Seo-ha.”

“Honestly, I didn’t like that guy Han Ju-oh. He’s not a person—he’s a bulldozer. I wasn’t refusing for no reason, but he just kept pushing and pushing… Wait—no way, right?”

Seo-ha furrowed his brows as he noticed Jeong-min’s eyes shift behind him. He didn’t mind if others heard—up to a point—but this was a bit much. Letting out a heavy sigh, Seo-ha turned around.

Han Ju-oh stood with his arms crossed, looking down at him, one eyebrow raised high.

“Come with me.”

“I think we can talk right here.”

Whether out of respect for Seo-ha’s clear desire not to be alone with him or not, Han Ju-oh pulled out a chair and sat down.

“When I use too much power, like you saw… that’s my weak point.”

“Got it. Let’s talk outside.”

Seo-ha quickly cut him off, covering his mouth before he could say more. He had been about to spill everything right then and there—things that were supposed to be kept secret—and the thought that it was all because of him made Seo-ha deeply uneasy.

“I changed my mind.”

Han Ju-oh didn’t get up from his seat. Maybe he had only told Seo-ha to come out because he already knew he’d refuse.

Meanwhile, Lee Jeong-min had already fled far away. The way his pace quickened when Seo-ha shot him a Really? look was almost comical.

‘Coward. Didn’t want to get on Han Ju-oh’s bad side, huh?’

Never mind that he was an S-Class Esper—the real threat was Kim Mi-yeon, the guild leader standing behind him. Seo-ha understood Jeong-min’s fear, but it still left him in an incredibly awkward position.

“…Guess I’ll take a look at the contract.”

Deliberately, Seo-ha placed the contract—his only real shield—on the table and began flipping through the pages. Pretending he was here purely to read this, though it was clear Han Ju-oh had no intention of leaving.

Then, as if that weren’t enough, Han Ju-oh waved his hand, and a gust of wind swept through. Not from the windows—he had conjured it himself. A wall of wind.

The barrier surrounded their table, sealing them off from everyone nearby. Just as Seo-ha was absorbing the sight of it, Han Ju-oh’s voice pierced through.

“There was a Guide with a high compatibility rate.”

Seo-ha froze, fingers halted mid-page.

“The Guild Leader wanted me to pair with Guide Jin Ga-min. She thought, maybe, if we could even manage an Imprint, my weakness might disappear.”

A name left Han Ju-oh’s mouth. Jin Ga-min.

“But that was just wishful thinking. No one really knows what the outcome would be—it was nothing more than a shot in the dark.”

The cynicism in his voice made Seo-ha’s fingers tighten. He knew exactly what a shot in the dark meant.

He’d experienced it himself. Once, he’d hoped his compatibility rate might increase if they managed to form an Imprint. But that hope had cost an Esper his life.

The guilt that had once overwhelmed him may have faded in intensity, but it never disappeared. It clung to him like a shadow—always there, even when unseen.

Seo-ha set the crumpled contract down and turned toward Han Ju-oh.

“You might regret this.”

Maybe that was what he was afraid of. Maybe that’s why he kept running, avoiding signing the contract. If they became partners, only for Han Ju-oh to one day no longer need him—wouldn’t he come to regret this moment?

Even now, he was already resigning and running just to protect this empty shell of a body. If Han Ju-oh ended up staking everything on this day, and things went badly, that would wound Seo-ha deeply.

If he lost even the last bit of reason he’d barely managed to hold onto… would it still be right to go through with this contract?

“I’ve had enough regrets to last a lifetime.”

‘Han Ju-oh? Regret?’

“It doesn’t look like it at all…”

Seo-ha tried to recall if he’d ever seen such emotion on Han Ju-oh’s face—but nothing came to mind. Maybe he was just that good at hiding it.

“It’ll be the same going forward. You won’t notice it anyway, so don’t bother worrying.”

Seriously… So he might regret it, but he’d be able to hide it perfectly well?

‘That’s… kind of amazing.’

The unexpected answer caught him off guard, and the mood that had just hit rock bottom quickly bounced back to normal. Seo-ha studied Han Ju-oh’s face, trying to see if there was even the faintest shadow—but then blurted out loudly,

“Alright. Let’s do it. Let’s sign the contract.”

He’d agonized over it, hesitated, let himself suffer. He now knew that Han Ju-oh had a Guide with a notably high matching rate. And he’d even thought about turning that person into Han Ju-oh’s other partner instead.

“But don’t come crying to me later. I won’t cancel this even if you change your mind.”

“Look who’s talking.”

Han Ju-oh pulled a pen from inside his jacket and handed it to Seo-ha. Clearly, he’d come today with the intention to finalize the contract. Seo-ha all but snatched it from his hand.

With a solemn expression, he looked down at the contract, then raised the pen. His signature tore across the “Seal” section in bold, jagged strokes.

“I warned you. Now that you’ve taken me on as your Pair Guide, there’s no going back.”

With those words, he dropped the pen with a snap, issuing a final warning at the very last second.

 

***

 

Han Ju-oh carried the contract and walked toward the Guild Leader’s office.

S-Class? Are you seriously telling me you’re S-Class?

His mother, once just an ordinary housewife, had looked stunned and thrilled by the revelation of his rank.

My son’s an Esper? Like, really? One of those superpowered people who can fly and shoot fire from their hands?

His father, a regular office worker, had found it unbelievable yet felt immense pride. It was like his son had become someone from another world.

If anything ever happens, you better come save me first.

His younger sister had clung to his neck and made him promise.

Their ordinary household had changed drastically after Han Ju-oh awakened. With substantial support funds for Espers, they moved into a bigger home, and he received an education of much higher quality than before. Their lifestyle improved thanks to the extra allowance Espers received.

He thought life would only get better from there.

Mom… Dad, Ga-eun!

A Gate appeared.

Han Ju-oh took the initiative and cleared the dungeon himself—but he failed to stop the monster that burst out of the hidden gate.

To save his family, he drew on every last ounce of his power—for the first time since awakening—and faced the sensation of his body about to burst from the overload.

It was then that he realized something for the first time: With his power at 98%, he was little more than a ticking time bomb—capable of causing a catastrophe worse than any hidden gate.

Other Espers surrounded him instead of going to stop the monster. He shouted at them to go—Hurry, stop it!—but they didn’t move.

He resented them. But the one he hated the most was himself.

He wanted to save his family—desperately—but couldn’t take a single step. Even a single movement might spike his danger level. And to make matters worse, Guiding didn’t work.

No… No!

His family was caught in the monster’s rampage, one by one. All he could do was watch, frozen, as they were killed.

He had believed he could do anything—but he couldn’t save the ones most precious to him. Watching his little sister’s body get torn apart filled him with terror.

For the first time since becoming an Esper, he felt fear. And he was plunged into a sorrow that felt like death itself.

If only he could have moved…

If only Guiding had worked…

Losing his family left him trapped in a spiral of endless regret. Even now, no matter how well Guiding went, that day remained etched in his heart.

On that day, he had been utterly powerless. Useless. He still wandered, unable to escape the past.

“Even if it’s just 3% to everyone else, that energy might be as precious as life itself to someone.”

Those had been his words to Seo-ha. That day, when a single drop of Guiding was all it would’ve taken for him to move— That’s the regret that still haunted him.

Levia
Author: Levia

The Worst-Matched Guide

The Worst-Matched Guide

Status: Completed Author:
“I’m quitting.” A Guide with only a 3% match rate no matter which Esper they were paired with—ignored by everyone, dismissed by the system. The decision to walk away from Guiding, something they’d dedicated their whole life to, had finally been made. If nothing else worked out, well… they figured they could always take up farming.   ***   “Date me.” A confession right after the match test? Seo-ha muttered as the soft touch of lips brushed the back of their hand. “Are you asking me out?” “Be my Pair Guide.” Han Ju-oh clearly stated what he wanted. Seo-ha took a deep breath and gave their answer to Han Ju-oh’s confession. Well, even if Han Ju-oh wasn’t in love with Seo-ha, he still wanted Seo-ha as his Guide—so Seo-ha even offered a sweet little smile. “Go fuck yourself.”

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