# Chapter 55
Geonwoo’s condition improved day by day at Jaehee’s side. Perhaps because he found psychological stability, his wavelength almost never surged.
“Guide-nim?”
Occasionally, like this, as long as Jaehee wasn’t absent, his wavelength remained mostly well-behaved.
“Esper Choi Geonwoo, I’m right here.”
At that moment, Jaehee, whom Geonwoo had been anxiously looking for, came out of the shower room. Geonwoo, who had just returned from receiving an Esper-specific examination with the examiner, had been desperately searching for Jaehee, thinking he had disappeared during that time.
“Guide-nim!”
Geonwoo immediately approached Jaehee. Jaehee must have washed during that time, as his skin was moist and his hair was damply wet.
“Did the examination go well?”
Jaehee asked with a smile at Geonwoo.
“Yes!”
Geonwoo answered while grabbing a towel placed behind him. The examiner followed Geonwoo into the room. He was holding a work pad in his hand. Jaehee looked at the examiner and said:
“I’ll check the examination results too.”
Jaehee extended his hand to the examiner for the pad. The examiner handed the work pad containing Geonwoo’s examination result data to Jaehee.
“What’s the next examination schedule?”
Jaehee sat in a chair, asking the examiner about the next schedule while touching the pad screen. The screen showed detailed records of Geonwoo’s condition.
But a drop of water fell onto the screen. Since he hadn’t properly dried his hair before coming out, a water droplet fell directly. So as Jaehee was about to brush his bangs up, Geonwoo was faster.
“Guide-nim, you’ll catch a cold.”
Geonwoo, who had already brought a towel, gently placed it on Jaehee’s head. Then he started drying it softly. Jaehee reached up to carefully hold the swaying towel and said:
“It’s okay. I’ll do it myself.”
“I want to do it. Please let me.”
Geonwoo didn’t let go of the towel. And Geonwoo knew that Jaehee would listen to him. It had been that way since the day he unfastened the bracelet.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Soon, words of approval fell from Jaehee. At that, Geonwoo raised the corners of his mouth and concentrated on drying Jaehee’s hair.
Jaehee looked up at Geonwoo, taking in every detail of him.
‘He’s changed a lot.’
Compared to when he had treated Geonwoo with Cheon Taeyun, Geonwoo was changing his appearance day by day incomparably. Small changes gathered every day, altering Geonwoo’s appearance.
His sunken cheeks gradually filled up, and small cheek flesh returned to its place, with color returning to his face, his cheeks soaked in a light peach hue.
His body had changed too. The emaciated body that couldn’t eat properly due to illness had gained considerable weight back, thanks to eating well at every meal and having his pain soothed.
He was finding his way back to the appearance of the 20-year-old Geonwoo that Jaehee was familiar with. That’s how much Geonwoo’s condition was improving day by day.
Conversely, Jaehee’s heart became just as complicated. How much it hurt to face Geonwoo like this and smile, to reenact those warm times before the regression, how much pain Geonwoo would feel when all this acting ended, was beyond imagination.
To avoid such thoughts, Jaehee turned his gaze to the pad screen. Information about physical enhancement was densely displayed. But even without looking at it, just by looking up at Geonwoo with the increased height difference, Geonwoo’s growth could be felt sufficiently.
‘When his ability first manifests, that’s the opportunity.’
Jaehee looked at the pad and roughly calculated how much time was left until then.
‘With this level of growth…’
Not much time left.
So Jaehee looked at Geonwoo and then focused back on the pad screen. A cup was placed in front of him. When he raised his eyes, it was the examiner who had put it down.
“They said it’s an ability stabilizer for Guides. Esper Cheon Taeyun told me to make sure Guide Lee Jaehee-nim doesn’t forget to take it once a day.”
At those words, Jaehee looked down at the cup. Inside was a red liquid. When he brought the cup close to his face, a unique scent stung his nose.
‘A drug that changes the properties of guiding energy.’
After releasing the guiding ability control device and accepting Geonwoo, he must have been anxious. So, that’s why he was so fixated on the drug.
Jaehee poured it into his mouth without hesitation. Jaehee also needed this drug. He had to prepare in line with Geonwoo’s growth.
And soon, his stomach turned. His brow furrowed involuntarily at the feeling like something was grabbing and shaking his internal organs.
‘It’s not dangerous, so don’t worry.’
‘That’s a deadly poison, especially dangerous for Guides!’
The words spoken by Taeyun and Dr. Yoon intersected in his mind. But whether it was dangerous or not didn’t matter. If only he could safely erase Geonwoo’s bond.
But with his energy depleted from excessive use of guiding energy, and arbitrarily changing the guiding ability, which is a Guide’s lifeline, Jaehee’s body couldn’t withstand it, and strength left his hands. The cup slipped and fell, and Geonwoo caught it.
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
But he only caught the cup, not the liquid inside, so the liquid splashed onto Geonwoo’s body.
“I guess you need to wash up.”
Jaehee grabbed the towel in Geonwoo’s hand and said with an apologetic face.
“Go wash up, Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
At Jaehee’s words, Geonwoo hesitated. His gaze kept wandering to Jaehee’s still not fully dried hair.
“I’ll dry it now.”
“Guide-nim, you’ll catch a cold! That’s why it must be dried.”
Jaehee smiled and nodded his head slightly. At that, Geonwoo took spare clothes and entered the shower room.
Not long after, Taeyun came to the examination room. Hearing the water sounds from the shower room, confirming Geonwoo’s location, Taeyun fixed his gaze on Jaehee.
“Guide Lee Jaehee-nim.”
Taeyun approached Jaehee.
“Are you feeling better?”
Taeyun asked Jaehee in his usual kind tone. But Taeyun’s gaze at Jaehee was a bit different from before. The one who used to hide his true intentions beneath a kind mask was now revealing them to some extent. As if testing Jaehee’s reaction.
“Thanks to your help, I’m fine.”
Jaehee greeted him with a smiling face. He knew why Taeyun was responding like that. Taeyun had been showing such a reaction since the day Jaehee released the guiding ability control device and accepted Geonwoo.
“More importantly.”
Taeyun sighed lightly as he brought up the subject, then sat in a chair near Jaehee. Then, looking at Jaehee, he continued speaking.
“Do you really intend to form a bond with Esper Choi Geonwoo?”
Taeyun’s gaze was fixed on Jaehee and showed no intention of looking away. As if urging him to tell the truth, Taeyun unwittingly pressured Jaehee by spreading a faint wavelength. And this wasn’t the first time Taeyun had asked this. Taeyun had repeatedly asked Jaehee why he suddenly changed his mind.
“As far as I know, it wasn’t long ago that you said you were tired and wanted to quit, so I can’t understand why you suddenly accepted Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
“It’s nothing special.”
At those words, Taeyun raised the end of his eyebrow.
“I thought it would be easier to accept the bond than to erase it. Since he’s an Esper with top-tier potential, he’ll at least manifest as a high-grade Esper, so I thought it wouldn’t be bad to form a bond with such a person.”
“But you erased it with Esper Kang Dohyun?”
At that question, Jaehee’s eyes dimmed a little.
“Yes. I was badly hurt at that time. I didn’t want to repeat that.”
“…I see.”
Taeyun said that as if mulling it over and reached for the pad in Jaehee’s hand. He took the pad from Jaehee and checked all of Geonwoo’s data.
“I didn’t expect his growth to accelerate this much just because you accepted Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
The figures displayed on the pad were abnormal. Whether it was a reaction to not having grown for a while, Geonwoo’s growth rate, now stable, far exceeded expectations.
“Are there any signs of ability manifestation yet?”
With these figures, it wouldn’t be strange for his ability to manifest at any time. And Jaehee, Taeyun, and the upper management were all waiting for this. They could start erasing the bond once Geonwoo’s ability began to bloom. Then it would be determined who would become the real owner.
And also, Taeyun had one more thing to confirm.
“Guide Lee Jaehee-nim.”
Jaehee made eye contact with Taeyun at the sound of his name being called.
“It’s a bit awkward to ask for guiding in this state, but I need to receive some guiding to enhance my ability for Esper Choi Geonwoo’s treatment.”
Taeyun made an expression as if he had no choice and extended his hand. Jaehee took his hand without hesitation. And in that moment, Taeyun rapidly absorbed Jaehee’s guiding energy. The recoil made Jaehee’s body stagger. Taeyun caught the swaying Jaehee.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Taeyun had deliberately absorbed a bit too much guiding energy to check Jaehee’s ability. But he couldn’t see anything of Jaehee’s ability. He couldn’t feel any peculiarity.
So this time, Taeyun absorbed more guiding energy than usual, to the point where it felt excessive.
“Are you okay, Guide Lee Jaehee-nim? I lost control for a moment and ended up absorbing too much energy.”
Taeyun looked at Jaehee, who was panting with his head lowered, pretending to be sorry.
‘Was I mistaken?’
Taeyun’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Jaehee.
‘If he makes such a face like he’s about to collapse just because I took a little more guiding energy, is it possible that he stopped me back then? If it was possible, why is he staying still now?’
