Cho Ha-cheol, who worked at the Seoul branch of the National Dungeon Management Center under the Republic of Korea, had been in a foul mood lately. Ever since Baek Seo-ha left, Cho Ha-cheol had become the Guide with the lowest-rated matching rate in the entire center.
At least Baek Seo-ha, being A-rank and naturally smooth-talking, had a way of brushing things off with ease. But Cho Ha-cheol was only C-rank and lacked both the ranking and the slick demeanor to deflect such things gracefully.
“The schedule was full, so I came here instead…”
Hearing the mutter from an Esper who had just returned from clearing a dungeon, Cho Ha-cheol nearly lost his composure mid-guiding.
“Guiding is complete.”
As Cho Ha-cheol let go of the Esper’s hand and checked the data on his pad, Esper Kang Kyung-hoon twirled his own wrist and scoffed.
“That was guiding? Didn’t feel like anything.”
At Kang Kyung-hoon’s mocking tone, Cho Ha-cheol pressed his lips into a firm line, then forced himself to relax. There was no need to respond to deliberate provocation. He simply stated the facts.
“Your risk level dropped by approximately 24%.”
“Exactly—only 24%. My body still feels like crap.”
He spoke with growing irritation, clearly displeased. Cho Ha-cheol could guess the lingering discomfort was the cause, but that didn’t mean he could do anything about it.
If that was such a problem, then go to a higher-ranking Guide—or form a Pair Contract, for that matter.
He couldn’t understand why someone who had lost access to both those options was throwing a tantrum at him. Cho Ha-cheol had decided to just let it slide, but Kang Kyung-hoon wasn’t done.
“Things were better when Baek Seo-ha was around.”
Cho Ha-cheol’s neutral expression almost cracked. He stared directly at the Esper who suddenly brought up Baek Seo-ha. The guy who’d had the lowest match rate of just 3%, widely considered the most useless Guide—why bring him up now?
“At least he was fun to look at.”
Cho Ha-cheol’s composure shattered. Kang Kyung-hoon had just crossed the line.
“I’ll be reporting this to the Guide Human Rights Commission.”
“Did I say something wrong? What’s so bad about saying Baek Seo-ha is handsome?”
The Esper seemed to didn’t understand what he’d done wrong. He praised Baek Seo-ha’s looks while dragging Cho Ha-cheol through the mud and didn’t see the problem with that.
A Guide’s job was to relieve an Esper’s burden. That’s why most Espers tried to stay on a Guide’s good side. Impressing a single Guide could be the difference between life and death, so they were often charming when necessary. But at their core, Espers were people who wielded power for battle.
They were the ones who exposed their killing intent to slay monsters, who stirred their blood in ferocious combat—most of them had hot tempers. Some were especially short-fused. Others cynical.
And then there were those who took pleasure in tearing down Guides who didn’t meet their personal standards.
Unfortunately, the Esper standing in front of Cho Ha-cheol—Kang Kyung-hoon—was one of those types. To him, Cho Ha-cheol didn’t even meet the minimum requirement. That meant there was no need to curry favor with him. With his proud demeanor, Cho Ha-cheol made for the perfect target—breaking that calm façade and revealing his raw vulnerability would be a thrill.
“Low-rank and still acting like you’re hot shit just because you’re a Guide.”
“Esper Kang Kyung-hoon! That’s uncalled for.”
Cho Ha-cheol glared at him, fury burning in his eyes.
“If you came for guiding, get it and leave.”
He couldn’t understand why Kang Kyung-hoon was stirring up trouble with rude remarks. Cho Ha-cheol had no way of knowing that the Esper, freshly back from a brutal fight and still riding the high, had fixated on him as the perfect outlet for his aggression.
“Can’t even guide properly, but your ego’s massive.”
“Get out!”
Cho Ha-cheol finally snapped and pointed toward the door. It wasn’t like he’d never dealt with rude Espers before—but lately, they had increased in number. He had a good idea why, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
“Why? You got another Esper coming in?”
Kang Kyung-hoon leaned back against the sofa, grinning lazily.
“I heard a lot of Espers have been asking for Guide Cho lately.”
“……”
“Now that Guide Baek is gone, looks like they’re settling for you. Isn’t that nice? You’re suddenly popular.”
Just as Kang Kyung-hoon said, ever since Baek Seo-ha left, more and more Espers had started requesting Cho Ha-cheol for guiding. He knew they weren’t coming to him out of genuine need—but this was the first time someone had said it to his face.
He’d long suspected their intentions were less than pure, but hearing it spoken out loud struck a blow to his pride. Cho Ha-cheol played his final card.
“You’re aware that everything you’re saying is being recorded, right?”
He pointed to the CCTV mounted in the corner of the guiding room. In cases involving high-contact guiding, the camera might be turned off—but these days, Cho Ha-cheol kept it on at all times. Too many people were starting to act like Kang Kyung-hoon to risk it.
“So what? Do whatever you want. You think that footage is gonna change anything?”
Kang Kyung-hoon waved at the camera, even adjusting his angle to make sure his smug smile was caught on tape. Watching him pose with a picture-perfect grin, Cho Ha-cheol could only feel exasperation.
“Someone from the Guide Human Rights Commission will come. When they do, will you regret this day?”
“Oh yeah? I doubt anyone’s coming.”
Kang Kyung-hoon still looked skeptical, and just as Cho Ha-cheol was about to hit the SOS button on his pad—
“It’s not fair, you know. Guides bullying other Guides is okay, but Espers can’t bully Guides?”
“What the hell are you talking about…?”
Cho Ha-cheol couldn’t finish the sentence. A surge of unease welled up inside him, and his silence only made it clearer that he knew he’d done something wrong. Kang Kyung-hoon’s sly grin deepened.
“Back when Baek Seo-ha was still around, you were always itching to tear him apart. Didn’t matter who was watching or listening—you just went for it. But now… look at you.”
“……”
Cho Ha-cheol had no rebuttal. Because it was true. With Baek Seo-ha’s low match rate, he had convinced himself that Seo-ha was beneath him and spent all his time trying to drag him down.
At one point, it had even been fun. When he laughed and gossiped with coworkers, a sense of superiority crept in—as if maybe he was actually a pretty decent Guide, even if he wasn’t A-rank.
But then Baek Seo-ha quit, and everything changed. Just like Baek had once said, he became the most lacking, the most inadequate Guide. Guides he used to get along with began to distance themselves, and disrespectful Espers started to appear.
And today, Kang Kyung-hoon had taken it to another level. He trampled all over Cho Ha-cheol’s pride with a bright, cheerful smile.
“Bet you didn’t see this coming, huh, Guide Cho? You had so much fun picking on him back then—what, feeling sorry now?”
“You… wait, don’t tell me…”
Kang Kyung-hoon read the suspicion in Cho Ha-cheol’s eyes—that maybe he had liked Baek Seo-ha—and let out a deflated laugh.
“Why the hell would I like someone with a 3% match rate? That little snake who smiled and slipped away every time I tried to get him to raise it.”
Cho Ha-cheol’s eyes went wide. Now he remembered. The incident between Kang Kyung-hoon and Baek Seo-ha.
Kang had once suggested a more intense form of guiding with Baek, who was otherwise considered worthless when it came to energy transfer through touch.
It happened in a dungeon, in front of others who overheard their exchange. The focus had been on Baek Seo-ha’s response. Kang had come on strong, his words verging on sexual harassment. If Seo-ha were offended, he’d have lashed out. But if he wanted protection, given the dangers of the dungeon, he might have accepted the proposition.
Baek Seo-ha responded with the prettiest smile, so dazzling it could make his features bloom. And then he said—
“That’s a great idea. So, should I just pull my pants down here? Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s make it enjoyable. See, my spot’s pretty deep, and unless you’re unusually well-endowed, it won’t reach. Ah, not that I’m saying you’re small or anything. I mean, with a build like yours, it must be pretty impressive down there, right? Don’t worry if it doesn’t reach—I won’t tell anyone.”
Delivered with a radiant smile, that venom-laced retort had left Kang Kyung-hoon red in the face and retreating in shame. After that, he’d looked for a chance to get back at Baek Seo-ha—only to fail again and again.
“So now you’re taking it out on me?”
Cho Ha-cheol growled, grinding his teeth. Kang Kyung-hoon just shrugged and stood from the sofa.
“I do miss him, honestly. I always wanted to shut that nasty little mouth of his for good—ugh!”
Just then, a force slammed into Kang Kyung-hoon, sending him flying with a loud crash. The opposite window cracked, and he smashed into the wall before slumping slowly to the floor.
Cho Ha-cheol stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened. He stared at Kang Kyung-hoon in disbelief, still stunned by the sudden turn of events.
And then, carried on a gust of wind, someone stepped into the room.
Someone he’d seen before—an Esper who had once walked into a café and taken Baek Seo-ha away.
“Esper Han Ju-oh.”
Cho Ha-cheol whispered the name.
