“Huh?”
“What, Guide Kim Jiwon is Esper Seo Gangwoo’s pair?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Then what about Guide Choi Hyerin? Since when were Espers allowed to have multiple pairs? Did the regulations change?”
The ability users murmured. They said they were talking among themselves, but thanks to their voices naturally growing louder in surprise, those sounds reached Jiwon’s ears too.
Through the gaps between the bustling people, he could see Team Leader Lee Juyeon standing at the doorway. She seemed to have come down after hearing the rumors, and when their eyes met, she smiled with her eyes and waved her hand slightly.
Jiwon smiled back subtly at her and glanced around. At a table in the back of the cafe, he could see Esper Lee Minhyeok and also Esper Lee Gayeon whom he had guided earlier.
Since he was still a new Guide, there were more unfamiliar faces than familiar ones, but thanks to diligently guiding during his short working period, he occasionally saw faces he knew.
Choi Hyerin bit her lips tightly.
Having heard the news and with ability users subtly gathering one by one, Choi Hyerin regretted not approaching more carefully.
She had planned to meet first and take him to her private room to persuade him, but she hadn’t expected Seo Gangwoo to refuse so firmly.
No, she should have approached at least when Seo Gangwoo was alone. Anyway, since she had things to say to the pair Guide who had just manifested, it was a mistake to approach without much thought.
Choi Hyerin took a deep breath in and out and gathered her wits.
“So your name is?”
“Kim Jiwon.”
“Guide Kim Jiwon, could we also talk briefly together? The three of us with Esper Seo Gangwoo. It’s not a bad story for Guide Kim Jiwon either.”
She had to leave this place quickly. Inwardly she wanted to immediately drag him to her private room, but outwardly she spoke in a calm voice as if gently coaxing.
“I’m not really interested. Our order came out, so can we go now?”
Jiwon also calmly but firmly refused just like Seo Gangwoo. Then he looked with satisfaction at the dessert boxes neatly packed in pretty transparent vinyl and held them in his hands.
Seo Gangwoo, who was watching that from the side, naturally took them and held them. Though they weren’t that heavy, Jiwon smiled at Seo Gangwoo with his eyes, grateful that he looked after him.
When they moved to leave, as expected, Choi Hyerin, who wouldn’t let them go easily, blocked their way.
“Hey. I said I have something to say.”
Choi Hyerin felt like she was being ignored by these two. She barely suppressed her rising anger and voice by clenching her teeth.
“Then say it.”
Choi Hyerin found Jiwon, who stopped walking and looked at her as if to say hurry up and speak, so irritating. Though Jiwon rarely fought or quarreled with others in his life, he wasn’t the type to shrink back anywhere.
“I’d like to do this quietly somewhere other than here.”
Choi Hyerin’s mouth was smiling, but her eyes were tense.
“I have nothing to talk about, and if you want to, do it here. Otherwise I’ll just go.”
Jiwon faced Choi Hyerin with eyes that said sharply, what will you do?
Choi Hyerin was boiling inside. It was humiliating to show herself clinging to Seo Gangwoo, whom she had ignored until now, and a bean-sized new Guide who had just manifested, in front of several people at the center.
She continued speaking, racking her brain as much as possible.
“Whew… I didn’t intend it, there was some misunderstanding so the matter was handled wrong. I’ll turn things back to how they were originally and give Guide Kim Jiwon sufficient compensation too.”
It was obvious she was trying to speak indirectly, leaving out direct mention of the unilateral pair contract termination.
Jiwon stared at such Choi Hyerin blankly. He couldn’t understand what face she had to say such things when she hadn’t even properly guided Seo Gangwoo while they were pairs and had even arbitrarily terminated the pair.
On the other hand, he also thought that because she was such a person, she would have ignored procedures and tried to manipulate the other party with pair contract termination.
“What misunderstanding? Are you talking about unilaterally terminating the pair with Esper Seo Gangwoo without saying anything?”
At Jiwon’s words, the ability users who had been continuously murmuring fell silent for a moment. At the unbelievable words, everyone either couldn’t understand all at once or frowned.
“What do you mean unilateral termination. Absolutely not! That was a slight error in the processing.”
“No contact for over two months since the termination, and now that another pair appeared, you finally show up, and you call it an error?”
“Hey. Guide Kim Jiwon, this is between me and Esper Seo Gangwoo. Could you back off?”
“Your pair contract ended long ago, and I’m currently Esper Seo Gangwoo’s pair so it’s related. And the person who said earlier let’s talk among the three of us wasn’t me but you. Aren’t you here trying to cling to Esper Seo Gangwoo belatedly because the situation got twisted?”
At the words hitting the nail on the head, Choi Hyerin’s expression crumbled.
“Cl, cling?! How can you say such things? I’m just trying to correct what went wrong due to a misunderstanding. I said I’ll give Guide Kim Jiwon sufficient compensation to be satisfied, didn’t I?”
“Who said they wanted compensation? I don’t need it.”
Team Leader Lee Juyeon, who had rushed over worried that the soft Jiwon might suffer harm at the news that the key figures were having a three-way confrontation, now watched this situation with interest, relieved at Jiwon’s appearance of responding clearly point by point.
Anyway, now that the pair contract approval had been issued, Choi Hyerin’s side couldn’t make forceful moves. She probably thought to try reversing the contract by getting Seo Gangwoo and Jiwon’s consent, but the possibility of that happening was zero.
And a misunderstanding.
Did she think if she said it was a misunderstanding and asked to pair again, Esper Seo Gangwoo would pair with her again…? Delusion is also freedom.
Team Leader Lee Juyeon found Choi Hyerin pathetic, wondering what she was relying on to say such things. Thanks to this, it would be announced loudly, so should she say thank you? Team Leader Lee Juyeon organized in her head in advance the upcoming matters and follow-up handling.
“Haa… Esper Seo Gangwoo, are you going to be like this? Are you really going to continue pairing with this kid?”
Choi Hyerin swept up her hair in frustration at things not going as she wanted.
Jiwon pouted at being called a kid.
Being short and having a youthful face meant being misunderstood was daily life, so even hearing such words didn’t bother him much, but what Choi Hyerin said felt bad.
“I’m not a kid though?”
“Kid, you be quiet. Can’t you see I’m talking right now?”
Choi Hyerin, who lacked patience from the start, finally raised her voice and revealed her personality. Jiwon watching from the side with a continuously pouting expression was annoying.
“How old are you?”
“22.”
At Choi Hyerin suddenly speaking informally, Jiwon’s speech also became short.
“What…?”
Choi Hyerin lost her words for a moment as Jiwon’s age was more than expected.
How does that look 22? I heard he just manifested not long ago!!!
“Then how old are you?”
“…You don’t need to know.”
“How old are you? If you don’t say, I’ll just look it up!”
Even when Jiwon glared, far from being threatening, he was rather cute, but Choi Hyerin flinched at the momentum that seemed he wouldn’t back down easily.
“…I’m 22. Why.”
She confessed her age at the sign that he would really search on his phone. Choi Hyerin was a Guide who was already well-known externally, so it was difficult to hide.
She was one of the few A-rank Guides at the center, and she did many external activities like interviews, so basic personal information was known not only within the center but also to the general public.
“Because you look like a kid!”
Choi Hyerin shouted angrily. She somehow felt pushed back by Jiwon who looked smaller than her.
“Lucky you look old for your age!”
Jiwon shot back without losing.
At the suddenly childish quarrel, in the quiet, a sound of laughter bursting out came from somewhere with a “pfft.”
Choi Hyerin turned her head sharply, but she couldn’t find the culprit as everyone had already turned their heads pretending not to know.
Everyone’s outward appearance was natural, but in reality, they were enduring the laughter about to burst out with mental strength pulled up from their deep cores.
Team Leader Lee Juyeon completely turned her body away from there to hide her face that had reddened from holding back laughter while biting her lower lip.
Unlike Jiwon who wore casual clothes with a bare face and carried a white backpack, Choi Hyerin with heavy makeup inevitably looked relatively more mature.
Choi Hyerin, who had upturned eyes with double eyelids, prominent cheekbones, and full lips, did have a mature-looking appearance. Since her appearance had been complete from a young age and there were people who mistook her for an adult even in middle and high school, Choi Hyerin, pricked by Jiwon’s words about looking old for her age, flared up.
“Stop butting in! Being so small, really!”
“You’re the one who should stop being clingy. It ended ages ago, why are you doing this now?”
“What? Cl, clingy? I’m being clingy?!”
“Then what else is it but clingy? If you terminated the pair by yourself playing both sides, you should leave cleanly, why are you so clin! gy!”
Jiwon emphasized each syllable of the word clingy.
“Hey!!!”
“What!”
Choi Hyerin’s voice grew louder, her pride cracked by being called clingy. Jiwon didn’t back down and shot back.
