Though there were quite a few Espers with fairly high gauge numbers, both morning and afternoon shift Guides were all at the Center, and as it was an emergency situation after all, the list kept updating as everyone was actively guiding, so applicants were decreasing. There were many people waiting, which was unavoidable, but it seemed they didn’t need to worry too much.
And, if it’s an emergency, isn’t this the biggest emergency?
Jiwon looked at Seo Gangwoo.
Though there was no particular expression so he seemed fine now, Seo Gangwoo seemed like he would endure without showing it unless the pain was considerable, so Jiwon couldn’t be certain. He was continuously doing radiant guiding, but without contact, the efficiency inevitably had to drop.
Jiwon had Seo Gangwoo submit a guiding request for Room 705 and immediately accepted it. Though the basic form was for the Esper to be chosen by unspecified Guides, direct requests were sometimes submitted to Guides with whom there was rapport or good matching rates. And such cases were usually like now, when things had been discussed with the Guide in advance.
“I’ll guide you.”
Jiwon approached the single-seater sofa where Seo Gangwoo was sitting and extended his hand.
Seo Gangwoo carefully grasped the small hand visible before his eyes. The white hand layered within the large hand looked fragile, as if it would get hurt if he applied force incorrectly.
Knowing the gauge and waves were far too much for just hand guiding, Jiwon climbed onto the legs of Seo Gangwoo sitting on the sofa and leaned against the large upper body. Seo Gangwoo paused for a moment at Jiwon who entered his arms, but soon supported the leaning body with his arms to make it comfortable to lean on. Despite the physical difference between the two, even after Jiwon settled in, the generous embrace was quite cozy and comfortable.
At the guiding flowing in through their touching bodies, Seo Gangwoo’s eyes languidly closed. Jiwon’s energy—light and soft like dandelion seeds floating in the air that would scatter and fly away with just a puff of breath—mysteriously lost strength and became quiet whenever it enveloped the fierce energy like a hurricane that seemed ready to destroy and devour everything.
Without realizing it, Seo Gangwoo pulled the body of Jiwon leaning in his arms closer.
The high gauge number close to rampage didn’t go down easily. Uncontrolled waves tormented Seo Gangwoo endlessly. But while being caressed by Jiwon’s guiding, such pain felt like nothing.
“……”
Along with the guiding, a somewhat warm body temperature was transmitted. The close contact with another person felt unfamiliar after a long time. Seo Gangwoo didn’t dislike that warmth. His mental strength that had been gnawed away and his exhausted heart from enduring pain alone for a long time depended on that warmth and took a rest.
With Jiwon’s continued guiding, Seo Gangwoo’s guard released and his consciousness gradually sank. Making his insomnia seem meaningless, his head that had quickly fallen asleep dropped with a thud onto Jiwon’s shoulder.
Jiwon’s eyes widened as he tried to separate his body to check Seo Gangwoo’s condition, but he couldn’t move due to the arms holding him firmly even while sleeping.
The sound of even breathing reached Jiwon’s ears.
Jiwon, who hadn’t expected Seo Gangwoo to fall asleep, thought that if he’d known this would happen, he should have guided on the bed. He’d done it on the sofa because it felt awkward to suggest guiding on the bed to someone who was awake, but he was concerned about Seo Gangwoo who had fallen asleep with his head bent uncomfortably.
Since he’d just fallen asleep not long ago, it would be fine to wake him and move to the bed, but somehow Jiwon didn’t want to wake Seo Gangwoo who was sleeping soundly.
He just subdued Seo Gangwoo’s noisy energies with guiding so he could sleep comfortably.
* * *
While Room 705 with its peaceful atmosphere was calm like the eye of a typhoon, some personnel inside the Center were in an uproar.
“Why are you only telling me this important fact now?!”
Team Leader Lee Juyeon, who had come up to the Center Director’s office due to a matter that needed urgent reporting, couldn’t believe what the Center Director was telling her.
She was dumbfounded by the fact that Seo Gangwoo, one of only two S-rank Espers in the country and belonging to Center 1, had terminated his pair contract with Guide Choi Hyerin, and it had already been two months since the termination.
Team Leader Lee Juyeon had to work an emergency shift the previous night when multiple gates were created simultaneously.
She urgently called the morning shift Guides and monitored the field and Center situations, frantically handling work until the situation was sorted out. After the urgent situation passed to some extent, she even did guiding work in her private room before taking a nap and coming to the office.
Since she’d checked important matters intermittently, she expected there wouldn’t be any particular problems. After taking a big yawn, she sat down, entered the Center server, input the key to release access permissions, and Team Leader Lee Juyeon roughly combed through her disheveled hair with her hand.
While loosening her stiff neck that had accumulated fatigue this way and that, she was looking at the monitor and checking the working Guides, guiding status, and performance reports when she discovered something strange.
“Huh?”
Among the Guides confirmed to have come to the Center, there was the name of Choi Hyerin who had never come to the Center even once after making the pair contract. Seeing there was no guiding record, she thought perhaps Esper Seo Gangwoo’s condition had become urgent after yesterday’s gate situation so he was using the Center’s private room.
Team Leader Lee Juyeon was worried about Esper Seo Gangwoo’s condition, but there was no way to check the gauge with Seo Gangwoo’s watch turned off as always. Seeing that the Center was quiet now, she could only guess he was receiving guiding from Guide Choi Hyerin.
In the end, she left a report saying there was no problem and returned to her private room, guided several Espers, and came back. Even if she rested a bit, there was no one to say anything, but postponing work didn’t fit Team Leader Lee Juyeon’s disposition. Even if she postponed it, it was work she had to do anyway.
The office had even fewer people than before. Though there had been over 10 people in their seats earlier, now though she couldn’t see properly due to the wide office and partitions, there didn’t seem to be even 5 people remaining.
Due to the mass gate occurrence, Center staff had also worked all night. They had probably either left work or gone to take a brief nap in the Center’s break room. The Guide Support Team members’ seats were all empty too, perhaps guiding in their respective private rooms or resting.
Team Leader Lee Juyeon, who had spent a frantically busy day, finally found some leisure after making a cup of coffee. Smiling at the pleasant coffee aroma that calmed her mind, she accessed the work window and checked the guiding situation once more.
And Team Leader Lee Juyeon, who saw one spot on the monitor, spat out the coffee she was drinking.
“Pfft!”
Team Leader Lee Juyeon, who even choked and coughed, urgently pulled out tissues and wiped her mouth. She rubbed her eyes several times to check if she’d seen wrong.
Suspicious that something might have gotten on the monitor screen, she rubbed it hard with her finger, but there was no change.
“Haa, good heavens…”
Next to Guide Kim Jiwon, who she was monitoring with interest both because he was a Guide who had only just started working a week ago and because she personally liked him, an unexpected name appeared side by side. Team Leader Lee Juyeon’s heart started pounding.
Whether it was because he was still a rookie or his original personality, that Guide Kim Jiwon who was faithfully fulfilling his guiding performance and was pleasing just to look at—the Esper whose guiding approval came from him was…
Could there be another person named Seo Gangwoo at Center 1?
No, there isn’t…
Team Leader Lee Juyeon avoided reality, thinking it was an impossible thing.
It says S-rank? Is this for real? Am I dreaming?
Team Leader Lee Juyeon, who was forced to grasp reality by the Esper rank displayed in the detailed information window, repeatedly pressed refresh with trembling hands.
The fact that Esper Seo Gangwoo—who as an S-rank Esper simultaneously had terrible matching rates with any Guide in the entire world and always caused worry as the highest risk management level—was receiving guiding from the newly manifested rookie Guide Kim Jiwon, was enough to make Team Leader Lee Juyeon’s head go blank.
Wait, then what about Guide Choi Hyerin who had come to the Center?
Team Leader Lee Juyeon suddenly jumped up from her chair at the thought that occurred.
She who had naturally thought Esper Seo Gangwoo would obviously be receiving guiding in Guide Choi Hyerin’s private room, had to blankly stare at the monitor once more.
Team Leader Lee Juyeon, whose head was complicated because she couldn’t grasp how things were going, decided to report to the Center Director first. Situations regarding S-rank Espers are always the highest priority for reporting.
Less than a minute after submitting the report, a summons from the Center Director appeared. Team Leader Lee Juyeon got up from her seat and went up to the Center Director’s office.
When she knocked and entered, she saw Center Director Kim Taekjun with a serious expression not taking his eyes off the monitor.
“Center Director-nim?”
“Team Leader Lee, come in. Just sit and wait a moment. More people are coming.”
Team Leader Lee Juyeon settled into the table sofa in the center of the Center Director’s office. After waiting a bit, General Manager Seo Hojun, Research Director Choi Seunghyeon, and Esper Team 1 Leader Do Hyeonuk entered. They nodded to each other in greeting, and only then did the Center Director also get up from his seat and sit at the head of the table.
“Everyone’s gathered. I confirmed from Team Leader Lee Juyeon’s report a moment ago that Esper Seo Gangwoo seems to be receiving guiding from Guide Kim Jiwon who came in recently.”
“What?!”
“What the… Not Guide Choi Hyerin but Guide Kim Jiwon?”
The two directors who were greatly surprised looked at Team Leader Lee Juyeon. Team Leader Lee Juyeon nodded with a serious face, affirming it.
