Chapter 9:
“If you doubt me, check it out. Baek Joo-won, a man around twenty-five years old – see if he’s Korean. I’ll gladly provide all ten of my fingerprints if needed. Of course, the name is an alias.”
Baek Joo-won smiled, spreading his fingers and wiggling them playfully.
A crack appeared on Kwon Yi-soo’s typically impassive face.
Stateless.
It meant exactly what it said – a person without a nationality. Most stateless individuals were those who had lost their countries due to the monsters in the past thirty years and were forced to wander.
While there was no direct persecution against them, there was one problem: without a nationality, no country could legally compel them to do anything.
In other words, Baek Joo-won was not obligated to fulfill the five-year mandatory service in Korea. After a month of basic training, he was free to go wherever he pleased.
The Center, another Korean guild, or even overseas.
“You, of all people, should know how valuable a stateless S-rank Guide is on a global scale, Center Head.”
Baek Joo-won flashed a bright smile at the now-frowning Kwon Yi-soo.
“What can Korea offer me?”
His demeanor was not just relaxed but incredibly adept.
From anyone else, it would have seemed like mere arrogance, but coming from an S-rank Guide, even Kwon Yi-soo couldn’t dismiss it.
Baek Joo-won, a stateless S-rank Guide, was the only person even the dictatorial Kwon Yi-soo couldn’t control.
***
Left alone, Kwon Yi-soo meticulously examined a single sheet of paper. It was the result of Baek Joo-won’s Guiding capacity assessment.
“The entire world would come running like a pack of dogs if they knew about this.”
Guides couldn’t endlessly provide Guiding.
They could only heal Espers to the extent of their total Guiding capacity, and Baek Joo-won’s capacity was immense.
Even greater than his own, the reigning top Guide in Korea.
Every Esper without a paired Guide would covet Baek Joo-won.
And there was one in Korea, an S-rank Esper who had been given a terminal diagnosis due to the lack of a compatible Guide.
Seo Jae-yi.
Korea’s youngest S-rank Awakened and the one with the shortest lifespan remaining. An Esper so powerful that no other Guide dared to touch her.
From the moment she awakened, she had relied solely on his Guiding; she was his Esper, the one he had raised.
‘…Unpleasant.’
Kwon Yi-soo clenched his fist, recalling Seo Jae-yi’s overload level when he last saw her.
His phone on the desk rang.
<Kim Yoo-sung, Haeil>
Not a particularly welcome name.
“…Kwon Yi-soo speaking.”
—It’s Kim Yoo-sung. I saw that Mr. Baek Joo-won has been registered as an S-rank Guide. So now you’ll be checking his Matching Rate with S-rank Espers who don’t have pairs, right?
“That’s correct.”
Kwon Yi-soo loosened his tie, feeling constricted by Kim Yoo-sung’s direct approach.
—And the top priority for the assessment will be Seo Jae-yi, the only S-rank Esper who has been given a terminal diagnosis.
“You already know all this. Why bother calling?”
—I need confirmation. Of course, I doubt anyone would intentionally omit her, but still.
Kim Yoo-sung’s voice dripped with mockery, reflecting his long-standing discontent with the Center.
—Please contact me immediately as soon as the results are available. And don’t contact Seo Jae-yi directly. Remember, she is no longer affiliated with the Association or the Center; she is a member of the Haeil Guild.
“I’m well aware of that. Let’s end this call.”
Kwon Yi-soo hung up, tightly gripping his phone. A menacing glint flashed behind his glasses. He immediately summoned his secretary, Han Sung-woo.
“Conduct Matching Rate tests between Guide Baek Joo-won and all Espers. Report the results to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And investigate Baek Joo-won. He claims to be stateless, not Korean, so broaden the scope of the investigation as much as possible.”
“How far should we go?”
“Everything. Don’t leave a single stone unturned.”
He wasn’t simply verifying Baek Joo-won’s stateless status. Something else was bothering him.
‘That relaxed demeanor.’
Baek Joo-won’s Guide assessment wasn’t planned. He had genuinely been unaware of his own nature.
But as soon as he was identified as an S-rank Guide, his attitude shifted dramatically. He confidently asserted his position, putting pressure on Kwon Yi-soo as if he had been waiting for this opportunity.
No other Guide, not even the other S-rank Guides in Korea, had displayed such an attitude upon their initial awakening.
His remarkably quick adaptation, his calm and skillful demeanor, as if he had experience wielding power – it was not just strange but suspicious. Regardless of his stateless status, Kwon Yi-soo needed to investigate his motives.
‘And that’s not the only problem.’
Kwon Yi-soo looked at Baek Joo-won’s assessment results again.
Just as important as Baek Joo-won’s motives was his Matching Rate with Seo Jae-yi.
He was eager to know the percentage, how much higher it would be compared to his own.
***
The car carrying Seo Jae-yi and Kim Yoo-sung stopped in front of a house in Pangyo.
Before Seo Jae-yi could even get out, the passenger door flew open.
“Unnie! Did you see the notification?!”
A tall woman leaned against the car, her upper body bent over. Her long, ash-gray hair, tied as haphazardly as Seo Jae-yi’s, cascaded down.
Her already sharp and fierce features were even more intimidating today.
It was Seo Won-yeong, Seo Jae-yi’s cousin and another S-rank Esper.
“It’s been a while, Won-yeong.”
“Ah, right. It’s been a while, Unnie. I missed you so much. Why are you so late?”
Realizing she had forgotten to greet her beloved sister, Seo Won-yeong embraced Seo Jae-yi tightly as she got out of the car. Then, she glared at Kim Yoo-sung, who was getting out of the driver’s seat.
“But why is Kim Yoo-sung here? I only invited Unnie.”
Seo Jae-yi quickly shot Kim Yoo-sung a warning glance.
The fact that she had entered a dungeon today was a secret!
“…I volunteered to be your sister’s chauffeur so she wouldn’t be bothered. Relax those eyes.”
Fortunately, he understood and kept the secret.
Seo Won-yeong merely clicked her tongue at his explanation, prioritizing her sister’s well-being, and didn’t press further.
The three of them, carrying the numerous boxes of cake Seo Jae-yi had bought, entered the house.
The house where Seo Won-yeong lived with her mother was enormous. Not only was it a three-story building, but the garden, filled with beautiful flowers and trees, was also quite spacious.
And in the garden stood Seo Won-yeong’s massive workshop, where she worked as a crafting Esper.
As they were putting the cake boxes in the refrigerator, Kim Yoo-sung’s phone started ringing. It was Moon Soo-hyun, one of the Haeil Guild members.
However, Kim Yoo-sung ignored the call, anticipating a call from Kwon Yi-soo at any moment.
The ringing stopped shortly after, replaced by a barrage of text messages.
[I saw the news about the S-rank Guide! Where are you right now?! The Leader isn’t answering her phone either!]
Even through text, he could practically hear Moon Soo-hyun’s frantic voice.
“Where’s Aunt?”
While Kim Yoo-sung checked his messages, Seo Jae-yi, who was looking around the house, asked Seo Won-yeong.
“Mom went out, but she’s coming back after hearing the shocking news. So spill it. You saw it too, right, Unnie?”
Once they finished organizing the cakes, Seo Won-yeong shoved her receiver screen at Seo Jae-yi. A short message was displayed on the Esper-exclusive device.
【A new S-rank Guide has been registered at the Center.
S-rank Guide — Baek Joo-won】
It was the same message Seo Jae-yi and Kim Yoo-sung had seen before coming here.
“Yeah, I saw it. Actually, I know him. He’s a customer at my shop.”
“Gasp, really?! T-then he might have a good impression of you, right?”
Seo Jae-yi couldn’t bring herself to answer. There was still the unresolved issue of the water-drenching incident between her and Baek Joo-won.
“What about the Matching Rate? Did it come out? How is it? Can you… can you form a Pair?”
Seo Won-yeong stuttered, a rare occurrence for her.
Espers and Guides with exceptionally high Matching Rates and compatible personalities could form partnerships known as ‘Pairs’.
Except in emergencies, Guides prioritized Guiding their paired Espers. Naturally, Espers with paired Guides had a higher survival rate.
However, a Matching Rate of at least 70% was required to form a Pair.
It was an unattainable dream for Seo Jae-yi, who had been given a terminal diagnosis due to the lack of a compatible Guide.
“They’re still conducting the assessment. I told Kwon Yi-soo to do it properly.”
“Just telling him isn’t enough! You have to supervise him directly!”
Matching Rate assessments didn’t require the individuals to be physically present. The Center could conduct the test using the Esper’s Awakening factor, which they kept on file.
The problem was that the Center was Kwon Yi-soo’s domain.
“He doesn’t like you, Unnie. What if he manipulates the results to completely… you, using this opportunity?!”
Seo Won-yeong trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Kim Yoo-sung shook his head firmly.
“No. It has to be higher than Kwon Yi-soo’s, at least. If it’s lower, it’s definitely manipulation, and we’ll request a retest.”
“Why are you so confident?”
“…Just wait for the results. Seo Jae-yi isn’t even worried.”
Kim Yoo-sung gestured towards Seo Jae-yi with his chin. Unlike the two worried individuals, she was happily munching on one of the macarons she had bought.
Seo Won-yeong sighed at her sister’s carefree attitude.
Her easygoing personality was precisely why that bastard Kwon Yi-soo didn’t Guide her properly and just exploited her. That damn bastard. She would rip his head off before she died.
“But shouldn’t you be at the Center? What if Kwon Yi-soo badmouths Unnie to that Guide?”
Seo Won-yeong nudged Kim Yoo-sung, urging him to leave and monitor the Center instead of staying here. However, it was Seo Jae-yi who answered.
“We’ll make a move after we confirm the Matching Rate. And let me make this clear: even if it’s high, I won’t force him to be my Pair.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I’m not saying I’ll just ignore him. I want to live, so I’ll try to convince him. But if he refuses, that’s it. I won’t force someone who doesn’t want to Guide me.”
Both Kim Yoo-sung and Seo Won-yeong grimaced at her firm declaration.
‘Don’t mistreat Guides.’
They remembered her constant reminder.
They knew why she was so concerned about Guides’ safety, but their priority was her survival.
“Seo Jae-yi, will you be okay?”
“With what?”
“The Matching Rate will be higher than Kwon Yi-soo’s, at least, right? Then you might become obsessed with him like other Espers. Are you sure you can control yourself?”
This was a Guide with a high Matching Rate, the first one to appear in eleven years.
As an Esper, Seo Jae-yi might fall head over heels for him. Especially with her limited lifespan, she might desperately crave Baek Joo-won more than anyone else.
Could Seo Jae-yi, who had never experienced such an urge, truly resist it?
“Hmm, I can’t guarantee that. I’ve never experienced it before.”
Seo Jae-yi scratched her head, further messing up her already haphazardly tied hair.
Seo Won-yeong and Kim Yoo-sung sighed at her childishness.
Truthfully, they wanted her to succumb to that instinct, at least a little.
“…The results are out.”
At that moment, a message arrived on Kim Yoo-sung’s phone. It was from the Guiding Center.
“What does it say?!”
Seo Won-yeong reacted first, as if she would strangle Kim Yoo-sung if he didn’t answer immediately.
Kim Yoo-sung stared at the screen, his face pale, before looking at Seo Jae-yi.
“The Matching Rate between Baek Joo-won and Seo Jae-yi…”
Gulp.
“…is 93%.”
“…What?”