Before they knew it, both of them had become quiet, concentrating on the documents.
General Manager Seo Hojun and Team Leader Lee Juyeon quietly waited for the two of them.
“I’ve finished checking.”
“Me too.”
Seo Gangwoo, who had only checked Jiwon’s background, finished reviewing the documents first, and Jiwon, though the documents were over 10 pages, had mostly heard the explanations from Team Leader Lee Juyeon, so he quickly read everything and signed.
“What will you two do about accommodations?”
“Accommodations?”
“Yes. Most pairs share accommodations. They either move to somewhere close, or—well, it’s more efficient and convenient that way. That doesn’t mean you absolutely have to stay in the same accommodation. It’s not like there aren’t people who live separately.”
Seo Gangwoo’s previous pair, Choi Hyerin, had also lived separately. Choi Hyerin had lived separately in a mansion her family secured for her, saying it would be unpleasant to live with Seo Gangwoo.
“What about you, Esper-nim Seo Gangwoo?”
“…I don’t mind. Guide Kim Jiwon can do whatever is comfortable.”
“Then let’s use the same accommodation.”
Since it hadn’t even been a week since Jiwon had been using the current guiding-exclusive apartment and he hadn’t grown attached to it, moving accommodations didn’t matter to him. Considering Seo Gangwoo’s condition, living together would be more convenient for guiding.
General Manager Seo Hojun turned on the tablet he had brought. On the screen were photos of various accommodations.
“These are the currently available accommodations. Please choose one, and if there’s no place you like or if you have specific conditions you need, let me know. However, in that case, it may take time to find something that meets the conditions.”
Since Seo Gangwoo had left the choice of accommodation to Jiwon, Jiwon’s hand holding the tablet moved this way and that. They were all accommodations that looked large and nice.
Everything looked good, so Jiwon, who was pondering, recalled seeing in Seo Gangwoo’s information earlier that he had been living in the same place continuously since one year after his Esper manifestation.
“What about the place where Esper-nim Seo Gangwoo is currently staying?”
“The location is in the outskirts, and the house’s condition would be inconvenient for Guide Kim Jiwon to stay in.”
“Is the house small?”
Jiwon asked, tilting his head.
“That’s not it.”
“Then how many rooms are there? Isn’t there an empty room?”
“…There is.”
“Then let’s go with Esper-nim Seo Gangwoo’s house!”
Laughing brightly, Jiwon made the decision in one breath. They had already decided to live together anyway, and it was more efficient for only one person to move. And secretly, he was also curious about the house Esper Seo Gangwoo had been living in.
“Then we’ll proceed with that. If you want to change accommodations later, you can request it from the center anytime.”
“Yes.”
“Normally it takes a few days from application to approval, but we’ll make this case pass right away. We’ll contact you when it’s approved, so please wait until then.”
Jiwon saw off General Manager Seo Hojun and Team Leader Lee Juyeon as they gathered the application forms and stood up.
Two hours after they left, they received word that the pair contract had been approved. At that news, the two who were having dinner prepared to leave after the meal and exited Jiwon’s private room.
It would be fine to move slowly, but Jiwon decided to move right away.
Except for going to the research building at dawn for the matching test, he had been in a not-quite-confinement confinement state in the private room for two days, so he was short on spare clothes, and since he didn’t have much luggage to pack anyway, he decided to move to the accommodation right away.
Jiwon was about to call a separate car to travel, but Seo Gangwoo said he had a car parked at the center, so they just tidied up and came out.
They took the elevator down to the first floor and walked through the lobby.
At the sight of S-rank Esper Seo Gangwoo, who stood out even when alone, and A+-rank Guide Jiwon, who had just joined and was currently a topic of interest within the center, together, the eyes of the Espers and Guides in the lobby widened.
When Jiwon’s steps slowed, flustered by the suddenly concentrated gazes and murmuring, Seo Gangwoo took another step forward and stood close, blocking some of the gazes reaching Jiwon. Using the large Seo Gangwoo as a shield, Jiwon felt a bit more comfortable.
Jiwon stuck close behind Seo Gangwoo and walked quickly through the lobby. Of course, the surroundings were even more shocked at the sight of the two walking closely attached.
The two entered the outdoor parking lot.
Seo Gangwoo stopped in front of a black car that looked incredibly expensive even to Jiwon, who had no interest in cars. Seeing Seo Gangwoo open the passenger door, Jiwon quickly approached and got in the car.
Jiwon sat leaning against the seat with awkward movements. The interior was leather, but there was no particular smell.
When Seo Gangwoo, who had gotten into the driver’s seat, started the engine, Jiwon reached out and fastened his seatbelt.
The car moved forward smoothly and exited the center.
“You said it was the Guide-exclusive apartment behind the center?”
“Yes. It’s the last building at the end.”
Following Jiwon’s guidance, Seo Gangwoo drove. It wasn’t far, so they arrived quickly.
“I’ll pack quickly, so please wait just a moment!”
“You can take your time.”
Jiwon, who got out of the car, ran toward the apartment entrance and, seeing the elevator waiting on the first floor, shouted “Yes!” softly.
He opened the door to the accommodation, went in, took out the suitcase he had left in the corner, opened it, and put things inside.
Jiwon ran around the entire house going “dododo” and packed things in. Though he hadn’t been there for even a few days, the belongings he had taken out were scattered here and there. When he finished packing everything, the luggage that couldn’t all fit in the suitcase spilled out.
Jiwon plopped down on the floor.
He was just putting things back exactly as they had been sent from his family home, so why?! There weren’t even any additional items, but it seemed to have increased?
Something was wrong. But figuring out what the problem was was easy. His mom’s neat-and-tight, gap-free organizing skill was not something Jiwon had.
Jiwon took the things out and tried to put them back in, recalling how they were when first unpacked.
It was better than before, but still looking at the clothes bulging out awkwardly, Jiwon went “Ugh!” and just closed the suitcase as it was. He climbed on top of the closed suitcase, pressed down with his whole body going “nngh,” then stuffed in the escaping luggage and barely managed to close the zipper.
Phew… As long as it didn’t burst!
Though he wasn’t even sweating, he unnecessarily wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and stood the suitcase upright.
Lastly, Jiwon walked around the accommodation to check if there was anything he was leaving behind, straightened the shoes that were turned inside out from having been thrown off hastily, slipped his feet in, and came out dragging the suitcase.
Though no one was rushing him, thinking of Seo Gangwoo who would be waiting downstairs made Jiwon’s heart anxious, and he stamped his feet at the elevator that had left by a hair’s breadth.
When the elevator returned, he dragged the suitcase on board and exited the apartment, where Seo Gangwoo got out of the car and loaded Jiwon’s luggage into the trunk.
“Did you wait long?”
“Not very long.”
Seo Gangwoo answered, shaking his head. Relieved, Jiwon smiled and got back in the car.
Usually centers were built in outlying areas rather than the city center, and the direction Seo Gangwoo’s car was heading was going even further out from those outskirts.
Jiwon sat quietly in the passenger seat and looked at the scenery gradually becoming more deserted.
It was his first time in his life coming out to such a sparsely populated outskirt.
Then he noticed that the inside of the car was too quiet. It was different from being quiet because they weren’t having a conversation. It felt like being in a space-time separated from the outside world.
Come to think of it, even when starting and turning on the engine at first, he didn’t think he had felt any sound or vibration.
Is it different because it’s an expensive car?
Looking around and examining the interior that didn’t have even a common decoration, curious if he really couldn’t hear sounds from outside, he brought his ear close to the window.
Seo Gangwoo glanced at Jiwon like that.
“It’s custom-made so that sound and vibration aren’t felt. It can be adjusted, so on roads with other vehicles, it’s not completely blocked.”
“Wow… That’s possible?”
“There are Espers who can create artifacts.”
“Huh! Artifact creation?”
Jiwon had just thought it was because it was an expensive car, but he was startled at the sudden mention of an artifact.
Artifacts were objects imbued with power, and they were extremely expensive and difficult to obtain because they could raise basic ability stats or have attached abilities like healing, attack, or defense.
“They can be made instead of just coming out of dungeon gates?”
“There are no creation ability users in our country, and officially there are about three known abroad, and I put in a custom order with an American creator.”
“Does it only have sound and vibration blocking functions?”
“It has basic attribute resistance, physical defense, self-repair, and clean functions.”
Jiwon’s mouth fell open.
“That… must be incredibly expensive?”
“It was a bit over 20 billion.”
Truly amazing.
“Does it use gas?”
“The fuel is magic stones. With a grade 5 magic stone, even with heavy use, it’ll run for a few years.”
Jiwon’s mouth gaped open.
Is this the wealth of an S-rank Esper? The car is an artifact worth over 20 billion, and that car’s fuel is magic stones.
He remembered seeing online that grade 5 magic stones traded for between 100-200 million.
Jiwon suddenly became uncomfortable with the car.
Is it okay for me to be riding you, car…?
Just as he was worrying about what to do if it got scratched, Jiwon, remembering there was a self-repair function, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After the car drove for 20 minutes, though they hadn’t gone very far, there were no buildings visible around anymore, and only sparsely erected streetlights illuminated the darkness.
On the pitch-black and quiet road, there was only Seo Gangwoo’s car.
Just as Jiwon, unable to know where they were going, was about to become a bit scared, a tall, round, gray wall appeared in the distance. Jiwon’s eyes widened at the wall that spread endlessly on both sides.
