At the content that Choi Hyerin had unilaterally broken the pair, the ability users covered their mouths and pricked up their ears at the fight between the two that continued thrillingly without time to get serious.
“You think I don’t know you secretly conspired and registered as a pair without even telling me?!”
“Who tells a person who’s done with them in advance that they’re making a pair contract with the next one? Is there some obligation to inform someone who’s already in the past? It’s over. Good-bye! The end! Don’t you know?”
“You move! I’m going to talk with Seo Gangwoo.”
“I don’t want to though? I won’t move?”
At Jiwon’s appearance completely blocking Seo Gangwoo’s front, Choi Hyerin’s eyes became even fiercer.
Unlike such Choi Hyerin, Jiwon didn’t crumple his face at all. That made him even more annoying.
It was humiliating enough for Choi Hyerin that she had to bow down to salvage the situation that had not only gone awry but become twisted because of Jiwon, who suddenly appeared and ruined the plan she’d thought was perfect.
In the midst of that, being ignored by Seo Gangwoo and having the tiny Jiwon in front of her annoyingly block and keep talking back made her lose her reason.
Even while pretending to be confident, her anxiety had grown after hearing from her father about Jiwon and Seo Gangwoo’s matching rate.
It was a matching rate that couldn’t be found even searching the whole world.
Her belief that naturally she would be the one with the highest matching rate with Seo Gangwoo going forward, that it could never change, had been shattered. On top of that, seeing the two already stuck together right upon coming to the Center, that anxiety hit its peak.
“Think carefully. Don’t you know who I am? Don’t regret it later and just do as I say! There’s nothing bad for you in it.”
“Do as you say what. It’s already over. And they say you didn’t even guide properly during the 5 years you were paired? It’s not like you came to work at the Center either, ignoring emergency calls—did you do anything other than play around and eat?”
Unlike Jiwon who spoke calmly and gently throughout, Choi Hyerin was now in a state where she couldn’t even manage her expression. No one had ever pointed her out so openly like this before.
“Ha! Really, what do you know? Why wouldn’t I guide! I did!”
“When? How many times did you do it?”
“Se-several times, you know?”
“Ah~ Over 5 years, se-several times? Then how many times a month did you do it?”
“…How would I remember all that?”
“Why don’t you know? You’d know roughly.”
“Who are you to interrogate me like this?!”
“I’m asking because I’m curious. Fine. Don’t answer if you don’t want to. I’ll ask my Esper later.”
That?! What month… it’s not like I did it once every two or three months, how can I say that! Choi Hyerin glanced around checking people’s reactions. Fortunately, she was relieved at Seo Gangwoo’s appearance showing no particular reaction.
Regardless, Seo Gangwoo had no time to care about such Choi Hyerin. Worried that Jiwon might hear bad things from Choi Hyerin because of him, he’d sent signals several times suggesting they leave, but Jiwon expressed his intention with refusing gestures.
Seo Gangwoo was full of thoughts of wanting to quickly get Jiwon out of this place due to his worry.
Just as he was watching for an opportunity to leave, the words “my Esper” that came from Jiwon’s mouth sounded louder than thunder.
With his heart pounding and even his head dizzy, he tried to grip tight the hand he was holding so he wouldn’t lose Jiwon, but then loosened his strength worried Jiwon would hurt, repeating this.
“If you’re busy, it could be like that. I’m not such a free person. I’ll take care of it on my own! And there’s never been a problem until now, you know? Seo Gangwoo is staying quiet too, so why are you making a fuss?!”
Jiwon, who had been turning his head to check on him at the feeling of Seo Gangwoo gripping and releasing his hand repeatedly, gradually hardened his expression that had been calmly and annoyingly countering Choi Hyerin’s shameless words in front.
“…What are you talking about. No matter how busy, naturally guiding your pair Esper is the top priority. You call that words? How could there be no problem? He had to endure with guiding substitute medicine until tolerance built up despite having a perfectly fine pair! You think I don’t know you threatened him with pair contract termination when he was in such a dangerous state?!”
“Why is that threatening?! And I’m telling you there was some error!”
“When you clearly knew the only Guide who could guide was you and broke the contract, how is that different from threatening? And after skipping all procedures and unilaterally processing the termination approval behind the scenes—an error? What error?”
“That’s enough, let’s go.”
At Jiwon’s heated appearance, Seo Gangwoo came to his senses and pulled his hand as if to say let’s not stay and go now, but Jiwon firmly shook his head and didn’t move.
“A newly manifested Guide unexpectedly had a high matching rate and made a pair contract, so you went ‘oh no,’ right? That’s why you came running like this after two months without a single contact. Isn’t that right?”
“Ha!”
At a loss for words, Choi Hyerin irritably swept back her hair. She’d always only been upheld; she’d never experienced a situation like this before.
Her head was a jumble of where to start salvaging from. She didn’t even want to think anymore.
“You schemed to break the pair contract and aren’t receiving penalties, right? You haven’t come to work at the Center even though it’s been two months since breaking the pair? Don’t arbitrarily pass on basic performance and penalty performance—fill it all diligently from now on!”
“Ridiculous, who are you to tell me to fill or not fill performance. And Esper Seo Gangwoo also isn’t receiving penalty application the same!”
“Esper Seo Gangwoo naturally has no reason to receive penalties. You’re the one who committed illegality, and Esper Seo Gangwoo only received notification after the pair contract termination approval came through, you know? If penalties were applied for that, that would be the problem!”
“That’s wrong! I came here to explain! I said I’d compensate you too. Who told you to do it for free?”
It was a repetition of the same conversation. At the feeling that words weren’t getting through, Jiwon took a deep breath and spoke carefully once again.
“You can’t understand words. The pair contract between Esper Seo Gangwoo and you ended long ago, and I have no intention of receiving compensation or whatever! So fine, spit out the salary you ate for free all this time and the money that went in for being a pair Guide while you’re at it. Haven’t you gotten indigestion yet? Eating for free like that. That’s all taxes, money earned risking lives. Put it out to donate to a good place or something before you go.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
“Why is it nonsense? Aren’t you a public servant? That’s the same as embezzlement. And if a Guide doesn’t guide, they’re the same as a regular person! Is that a Guide? You tax thief!”
“Ta… tax thief?!”
The words Jiwon articulated clearly went straight into the ears of the ability users in Cafe Ellin. Everyone felt like they’d drunk cider.
Though there were ability users who naturally pretended not to know while drinking the beverages placed in front of them without showing it, there were now Espers and Guides who were just openly watching like spectators.
Choi Hyerin gritted her teeth and somehow tried to think of something to say, but couldn’t think of anything. Even if she countered, because of Jiwon who hammered with facts, it seemed she couldn’t escape the disadvantageous situation.
It was humiliating that her plan had been exposed with so many people watching.
She didn’t want to be pushed back by the greenhorn Guide in front of her anymore.
“Being a newbie, I guess you can’t read the atmosphere well. It’ll be better for you too if you accept it while I’m saying it nicely—don’t you know who my grandfather is?”
In the end, what remained was pressing down with her background.
The power of the family that had put her in a position to be treated anywhere even before receiving everyone’s envy for being an S-rank Esper’s pair Guide had never betrayed her.
“Now even threatening? Being so used to it, it’s obvious how you’ve lived without even seeing. Does that great family of yours also know you go around like this without properly doing your obligations? Ah! They must know. That’s why they even processed the pair termination surprise approval!”
However, the Guide before her eyes wasn’t intimidated even by her family.
“You’re so young you have no fear? Can you handle it later?”
“We’re the same age though?”
Ah fuck…
Strength entered Choi Hyerin’s clenched fist. She’d been shocked by the fact that he was just 22, then got fooled again by Jiwon’s young-looking appearance.
“And can you handle it yourself? If anything unfair or whatever happens around me or Esper Seo Gangwoo later, we can just immediately emigrate to another country or something—there’d be places to live anywhere, right? I’ve sometimes wanted to try living abroad, so that works out. Then Korea would lose an S-rank Esper because of you and your great family. Ah! An A+-rank Guide too.”
“…Wha, what?!”
As irreplaceable as the lacking Guides was precisely S-rank Espers. Thanks to Jiwon’s appearance, even the only disadvantage of not receiving proper guiding had disappeared, so if they just expressed their intention to go to another country, it was a matter of course that anywhere in the world would rush over presenting VVIP-level or higher treatment.
If that happened, Korea would face an emergency. Not only would gate and dungeon management capabilities fall behind, national rankings also changed depending on how many S-rank Espers there were.
No matter how great Choi Hyerin’s family was and even if she was an A-rank Guide, this couldn’t just be passed over.
“Since you’ve openly threatened like this, if anything happens to us from now on, I’ll think it was all you who did it.”
“What—!”
Choi Hyerin’s face was stained with fluster. Even pressing down with the background she’d trusted was a failure. Rather, if that S-rank Esper and that pair Guide really leaked abroad, and if the reason was pinned on her and her family, it would be terrible. It exceeded the scope she could handle.
