# Chapter 6
Just two years ago. It’s hard to imagine now, but Seo Suhyun was adorable when he first awakened.
Watching him fumble around after suddenly becoming an Esper, “adorable” was the only word that came to mind. Meeting Suhyun always put Jiwon in a good mood.
Back then, Jiwon could meet Suhyun often. That was because Suhyun frequently visited the Association for training. No matter how well he controlled his power upon awakening, proper education was absolutely necessary.
“Hello, Guide-nim.”
“You’re early. Ah, do you have training today?”
“Yes…”
“Then come see me after your training. The previous time slot is open, so we can do your guiding right away.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Whenever Suhyun came to the Association, he visited Jiwon first. When he smiled slightly and greeted him, Jiwon’s mind would clear at the sight of that beautiful face.
When coming to the center for guiding, Suhyun would carefully knock and slowly peek his face in first, like a cunning demon who knew exactly how pretty he was and used it to his advantage.
Each time, Jiwon would laugh softly, and Suhyun would blush pink on both cheeks and laugh along.
‘How did that boy turn into… this?’
It’s still a mystery Jiwon can’t solve.
Their relationship deteriorated rapidly. It happened right after Suhyun suddenly stopped visiting the center. At first, Jiwon thought positively about it.
That Suhyun must be busy. That once his busy schedule cleared up, he would visit the center frequently again, like before.
But before long, Jiwon was reprimanded by his superiors for not properly managing Suhyun. Orders came down to guide him quickly, as he had been entering dungeons with his wavelength in disarray.
Only then did Jiwon realize that Suhyun was deliberately avoiding him. It was confusing and somewhat annoying. Jiwon even grumbled to himself about having to do fieldwork that wasn’t part of his job description.
“I don’t need it.”
But he wasn’t serious. Jiwon thought that if he told Suhyun he was here because he’d been scolded by his superiors, Suhyun would look troubled and apologize. He even had the relaxed thought that he might tease him a little.
Perhaps… he had been looking forward to meeting Suhyun after so long.
“You don’t need guiding?”
“No. Guide Moon Jiwon-nim doesn’t need to guide me.”
“…Why? Isn’t there still no guide with a higher matching rate than me? The Association would have contacted me if there was.”
“Even with a lower matching rate, that doesn’t mean guiding isn’t possible. I don’t think I need to receive it specifically from Guide Moon Jiwon-nim.”
But the Suhyun who greeted him had such a cold expression that Jiwon wondered if this was even the same person.
Faced with Suhyun’s unfamiliar attitude, Jiwon was at a loss for words. What Suhyun was saying made no sense, but Jiwon’s mouth just opened and closed without any sound coming out.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
After standing there stupidly for a while, Jiwon finally managed to ask. He thought there must be a valid reason why Suhyun didn’t want to receive guiding from him.
“Esper Seo Suhyun’s wavelength is not okay at all right now. A guide with a low matching rate can’t properly stabilize your wavelength. Don’t you know that? Did you hear some strange rumor somewhere? Is that why you want to avoid me because I make you uncomfortable?”
Maybe Suhyun was misunderstanding something about him.
Working at the center was comfortable, but dealing with many people often led to exhausting situations. One of those was the prevalence of unpleasant rumors.
Since these rumors usually originated from Espers who refused to visit the center, Jiwon dismissed most as nonsense, but there were innocent people who fell for them. Jiwon suspected Suhyun might be one of them.
Though it hurt a bit that he’d been swayed by mere rumors, Jiwon could accept it since Suhyun was like a pure white canvas of a person.
“…Are there rumors about you?”
But Jiwon’s guess was wrong again. With a face crumpled in disbelief, Suhyun spoke firmly.
“I just don’t want to see Guide Moon Jiwon-nim often. I haven’t heard any rumors.”
Suhyun was literally “just” refusing him.
“…Why?”
“Because I don’t like you.”
It was a clear answer.
Because I don’t like you. Because I don’t want to face you. Because I don’t want to receive guiding from you.
The sense of betrayal was indescribable. It was the moment when the Suhyun he knew shattered completely.
After that, before long, Suhyun appeared at the center again. After all, he couldn’t continue without receiving guiding.
It was thanks to the Association’s direct persuasion that Suhyun finally yielded his stubbornness.
However, although they were in the same space as before, the atmosphere between them had completely changed.
At first it was cold, then awkward, then turned uncomfortable, and eventually they reached a point where they’d scowl and spit sharp words at each other the moment they saw each other’s faces.
“I really don’t understand.”
He just couldn’t figure it out. It was difficult to understand someone who had changed their heart in an instant without any apparent reason.
Moreover, Jiwon had never treated anyone as well as he had treated Suhyun. Maybe that’s why. Sometimes Jiwon felt resentful toward Suhyun.
‘Resentful…’
If he truly resented him, he wouldn’t be sitting on this sofa waiting for Suhyun to come out. It was just an empty thought.
Jiwon smiled slightly and stared at the door to Suhyun’s room. The firmly closed door showed no signs of opening yet.
***
A special car with soundproofing between the front and back seats, allowing no sound to pass between them. Jiwon and Suhyun were sitting in the back seat. Jiwon glanced at the driver provided by the Association, then turned his gaze out the window.
‘I thought I would be driving.’
In the past, it was almost expected that the Guide would take the wheel. When going to a dungeon like this, that is.
So yes, this car was heading toward a dungeon. It had been three days since Jiwon had camped out at Suhyun’s house.
This was thanks to Suhyun, who had initially refused guiding, suddenly deciding to diligently receive it for whatever reason.
With Suhyun being cooperative, his levels stabilized quickly. Just yesterday, Jiwon had given Suhyun a clean bill of health.
Stability: 72.
It was a score that gave no grounds to prevent him from entering a dungeon.
It was natural for his condition to improve after receiving guiding faithfully twice a day. But conversely, it was a bit strange how eagerly he was accepting it this time.
‘Does he like dungeons that much?’
Does his body get itchy if he doesn’t go out? Is he going through some kind of withdrawal?
From what Jiwon had heard, Suhyun went out alone and massacred monsters. Is that how he relieved stress? After initially refusing, did the stress of living with Jiwon build up so much that he couldn’t stand not going to a dungeon?
‘I just don’t understand.’
It was self-destructive behavior. All that rushing around would only wreck his wavelength and cause him pain.
He must constantly suffer from headaches. Seeing how Jiwon’s own head was throbbing just from doing some guiding.
‘And yet, he’s come here again…’
Jiwon let out a small sigh. In truth, dungeons weren’t particularly pleasant places for him.
It was natural and inevitable that he had to follow Suhyun into dungeons, and he had no intention of avoiding it, but perhaps because he had no good memories of this place, he felt uncomfortable.
He acknowledged that he benefited from having high matching rates with various Espers. But not in dungeons. An S-class Guide with high matching rates with many Espers, yet without a dedicated Esper, was merely premium bait.
Espers whose wavelengths became distorted after using their abilities would inevitably develop an obsessive fixation on Guides, and Jiwon had been repeatedly entangled with them.
“Fuck…! Why are you dawdling when I’m about to die here?”
“Why should he get guiding first? Can’t you see? Who’s in worse condition right now?”
“Hey! Guide me properly!”
The Espers, who seemed almost like they were on drugs, were burdensome and frightening.
Moreover, Jiwon was a minor at the time, and due to his late growth spurt, he was small and frail.
A young, weak S-class Guide. How easy it must have been to intimidate him.
Additionally, ten years ago, many Espers looked down on Guides. There are still Espers like that now, but back then, it was common knowledge that Guides should be submissive to Espers.
At first, Jiwon did just that. He moved as they wanted and tried to do everything for them. But their demands gradually became more persistent, and they grew angry, claiming Jiwon’s efforts were insufficient.
“I won’t do it. The guiding.”
Fortunately, Jiwon was intelligent and quickly realized that he didn’t need to comply with all their demands.
“If you’re going to talk to me like that, don’t even think about receiving guiding from me.”
Guides should not be disrespected. Rather, it’s the Espers who need to be submissive. Because without Guides, they’re nothing. No matter how desperately they want guiding, they can’t receive it if the Guide refuses. The Guides held the Espers’ lifelines.
The Espers acted outraged at Jiwon’s attitude, but in the end, they were the ones who had to bow their heads. This happened because all the Guides stood with Jiwon on firm grounds, creating difficulties for the entire Esper community.
Not long after, Jiwon began working at the center instead of in the field. The Espers behaved even more obediently. Because if they didn’t, guiding would be refused.
That was when they learned that Guides don’t unconditionally serve Espers.
“……”
It was essentially Jiwon’s victory, so the outcome was good. However, the discomfort of those naive past memories was a separate matter.
