Chapter 18:
“Who is his practice partner today?”
Kwon Yi-soo, who had been staring intently at Seo Jae-yi’s bouquet, finally answered.
“An A-rank Esper affiliated with the Center. He doesn’t have a paired Guide, so his overload level is a bit high, but it hasn’t reached a dangerous level.”
It was the expected selection.
“Hello.”
The door opened, and Baek Joo-won entered. Seo Jae-yi, who had been fiddling with the flowers with an indifferent expression, smiled brightly.
“Hello, Mr. Baek Joo-won! You look well rested today.”
“Having two S-ranks observing me is making me nervous.”
“That’s why I brought today’s bribe. Please go easy on me after receiving this. The Center Head came empty-handed, so don’t go easy on him.”
Baek Joo-won flinched at the sight of the vibrant red rose bouquet.
“…It’s fine to come empty-handed.”
He meant it, but Seo Jae-yi, proud of her skills, simply took it as politeness. It was a sad reality for Baek Joo-won.
“Hello. Oh, Center Head.”
Baek Joo-won accepted the bouquet with a reluctant expression, sighing inwardly. Just then, the Guide training instructor, who would be coaching the session, and the A-rank Esper, Jo Won-jung, who would be his practice partner, entered.
They both widened their eyes in surprise upon seeing Kwon Yi-soo.
“It’s just an observation, so don’t mind me and proceed.”
“Ah, yes, sir!”
They entered the training room behind the glass partition first. Baek Joo-won, holding the bouquet, followed them.
Inside the training room, there was a table and two chairs. Jo Won-jung and Baek Joo-won sat facing each other across the table.
The instructor’s coaching instructions could be heard through the microphone in the training room, amplified in the observation room.
“You seem to have become quite close to Baek Joo-won.”
Kwon Yi-soo’s quiet voice cut through the instructor’s instructions. Seo Jae-yi replied without looking at him.
“I have to get close to him. He’s my only savior.”
“…”
“I never thought I’d experience the Esper instinct of clinging to a Guide. But after meeting Mr. Baek Joo-won, I understand. I instinctively know where he is, I feel happy when he smiles, and if he’s sad… I haven’t experienced that yet, but I think I would be heartbroken.”
Kwon Yi-soo observed her as she spoke softly. But her gaze remained fixed on Baek Joo-won behind the glass partition.
As if sensing her stare, Baek Joo-won glanced in her direction. Their eyes met.
“Is that why you’re monitoring me every time I come to the Center to see Mr. Baek Joo-won? Because you’re worried I might become obsessed with him and force him to Guide me?”
“What?”
“There’s no need for that.”
When Baek Joo-won turned away, Seo Jae-yi looked at Kwon Yi-soo.
Kwon Yi-soo unconsciously held his breath as he met her steady black eyes.
“It’s a bit difficult, but I’ll control my instincts. You know better than anyone that I can do it, Center Head. You’re the one who taught me.”
“…”
“I haven’t forgotten anything you taught me, so you don’t have to worry so much. That’s the only reason I learned it.”
Seo Jae-yi’s gaze dropped. Only then did Kwon Yi-soo realize he had been holding his breath.
He had indeed taught her how to suppress her Esper instincts when she was living at the Center.
Therefore, while she was at risk of overload, Kwon Yi-soo knew that no Esper was safer for Guides than Seo Jae-yi.
She had requested to learn it; he hadn’t forced it upon her.
It must have been difficult for a young child who was easily swayed by her instincts, but Seo Jae-yi had persevered and learned to control them.
Kwon Yi-soo had never regretted teaching her. In fact, he had believed it was a good thing that she had learned to suppress her instincts, as it prevented her from developing an interest in any Guide.
“…”
But why was he suddenly feeling a tinge of regret?
Kwon Yi-soo couldn’t tear his gaze away from Seo Jae-yi for a long time.
‘Hello, pretty oppa. You’re the Guide with the highest Matching Rate with me, right? Can you teach me how to keep Guides safe?’
He remembered what Seo Jae-yi had said when they first met, eleven years ago.
She hadn’t seemed childish despite being only thirteen, radiating a powerful energy that tempted him to Guide her.
He had taught that Esper, believing he could eventually possess her completely…
But now, Seo Jae-yi’s gaze was fixed on Baek Joo-won, not him.
Kwon Yi-soo loosened his tie, feeling a familiar thirst rising within him.
***
“We’ll begin the Guiding practice now.”
The actual practice began after the instructor’s brief explanation.
Esper Jo Won-jung, the designated practice partner, nervously clenched and unclenched his fists.
He had been a practice partner for rookie Guides before, but this was his first time with an S-rank Guide.
‘I need to stay focused.’
When the Center announced the selection for Baek Joo-won’s practice partner, all the Espers had volunteered.
When else would they have the opportunity to receive S-rank Guiding? If Center Head Kwon Yi-soo hadn’t personally chosen Jo Won-jung, a brawl would have likely erupted among the Espers.
‘Sigh, calm down. The Center Head is watching.’
If he performed well this time, he might become Baek Joo-won’s permanent practice partner, so he had to maintain his composure.
“Please take care of me.”
Jo Won-jung cautiously extended his hand. Baek Joo-won’s hand, much larger than his own, covered his palm. He was inwardly surprised by the size difference.
“Now, slowly initiate Guiding.”
“Yes.”
Jo Won-jung’s current overload level was 27%, neither too high nor too low.
He glanced at his watch, checking the displayed number, just as Guiding began through their clasped hands.
‘…Huh?’
Wait a minute. What was this?
Normally, when he received Guiding, his aching body would slowly relax, and his racing mind would calm down, as if he had been given a sedative.
But Baek Joo-won’s Guiding was completely different from anything he had experienced before.
It wasn’t just soothing; it felt like pure life force was filling the cracks in his being.
His mind cleared, as if he had inhaled the purest air. The thirst that had parched his body was instantly quenched, replaced by a sense of fullness, a feeling of finally grasping something he had always desired.
It wasn’t like someone was scooping water into a leaky vessel; it was like an entire ocean was pouring into him.
Jo Won-jung’s hand started trembling under the overwhelming Guiding energy.
Ah, at that moment, his body, riddled with the cracks of a dwindling lifespan, whispered to him.
‘If you possess him, you can experience this sweet sensation every day. You can survive if you have him. He’s the only one who can give you this!’
His Esper instincts devoured his reason in an instant.
Crash!
The chair toppled over as Jo Won-jung abruptly stood up, his eyes glazed over. His trembling hands were now clutching Baek Joo-won’s hand as if trying to break it.
“Mr. Jo Won-jung!”
The horrified instructor grabbed Jo Won-jung’s arm. His own Guiding energy flowed into Jo Won-jung through contact, but…
“Agh!”
Having tasted Baek Joo-won’s sweet Guiding, Jo Won-jung flung the instructor aside.
His crazed eyes focused on Baek Joo-won.
“More. More, more, more, give me more. Give me everything…”
“…”
But instead of continuing, the Guiding that had filled him was abruptly cut off. Baek Joo-won had forcefully stopped it.
Ah, ah. Thirst consumed his entire being. He had seen an oasis, but it had vanished like a mirage.
“No!”
Just as Jo Won-jung was about to forcefully drain Baek Joo-won’s energy…
“Aaaaagh!”
Someone grabbed his hand, tearing it away from Baek Joo-won. His bones cracked as his hand was crushed in a vice-like grip.
But the pain of separation from Baek Joo-won was far greater than the pain in his hand.
“Get off me!”
Jo Won-jung tried to shake off the person holding him, but…
Whoosh, thud!
His heavy body was lifted and spun in the air before being slammed onto the ground, chest first.
“Ugh, ack!”
He groaned in pain as the hard marble floor cracked beneath him.
“How dare you.”
The excruciating pain radiating from his chest finally brought Jo Won-jung back to his senses. He shakily turned his head to see who was pinning him down.
The small woman who had been with the Center Head was looking down at him with a cold expression, devoid of any amusement.
“I came to observe just in case, but I didn’t expect this to happen…”
Seo Jae-yi clicked her tongue, holding Jo Won-jung’s arms behind his back.
She had broken his hands and twisted his wrists to separate him from Baek Joo-won, but she didn’t feel guilty.
An Esper blinded by Guiding was like a drunk person, unable to control their strength. If she had been even a second late, Baek Joo-won would have been seriously injured.
And Espers healed quickly with Guiding, so there was no harm in subduing him forcefully.
“Mr. Baek Joo-won, are you alright?”
After confirming that Jo Won-jung was immobilized, Seo Jae-yi looked up at Baek Joo-won. He seemed calm despite the sudden chaos, assuring her he was fine.
But his hand, which had been clutched by Jo Won-jung, wasn’t unscathed. She felt anger seeing the redness and swelling.
“Hey, are you back with us?”
“Ugh!”
Pretending to ask Jo Won-jung a question, she twisted his broken arm further.
Jo Won-jung’s face paled. He was fully conscious now.
“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“How could you choose someone like him as a practice partner?”
Seo Jae-yi glared at the instructor, who was struggling to get up from the corner, and then at Kwon Yi-soo, who had finally entered the chaotic training room.