# Chapter 11
“How is it?”
Sitting across the not-so-spacious dining table, Jiwon looked at Suhyun. His usually relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be found as his sparkling eyes stared at Suhyun with an intensity that felt burdensome.
He was slightly nervous and also somewhat expectant. Even someone with poor intuition would easily read Jiwon’s current expression.
“Is it not good?”
“…It’s fine.”
Faced with such an excited expression, it was difficult to make up something negative.
Whether it was because he hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time, or because of the meat Jiwon had grilled himself, the pasta he claimed to have made in his spare time, or even the salad served as a side dish.
It was a well-prepared meal that seemed unbelievable to have been made in such a short time.
“It’s delicious, right?”
Having openly shown his concern that it might not suit Suhyun’s taste, Jiwon was now acting confidently as if the outcome was obvious.
Instead of staring at Jiwon, Suhyun cut another piece of steak and put it in his mouth. His deliberately averted gaze was fixed on the steak.
“Eat a lot.”
Jiwon kindly urged as he looked at Suhyun. Since they weren’t making eye contact during Guiding, it had been quite a while since he’d had the chance to carefully examine Jiwon’s face at such close distance.
His snow-white cheeks were puffed out as he chewed. Is this what it feels like to be full just by watching someone eat? It was enough to make a passing dog laugh.
‘How can a person look like that?’
Jiwon began to openly observe Suhyun. He’d thought this before, but Suhyun had such a fascinating appearance.
His flawless snow-white skin contrasted with his jet-black hair, and eyelashes just as dark as his hair fluttered about. It seemed like he could fan someone with those eyelashes.
Like black jewels embedded in skin resembling flour dough. His somewhat plump, bright red lips glistened.
His face, beautiful beyond prettiness, could give a weak impression, but when you actually looked at Suhyun standing, it wasn’t entirely so. His solid build changed his impression.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
How long had he been staring?
Jiwon only came to his senses when he heard Suhyun’s stiff question, which made no attempt to hide his irritation.
“How long are you going to keep staring?”
“Ah, sorry.”
Jiwon only then realized that he’d put down his utensils and was observing Suhyun’s face. To forget about eating while admiring someone’s face.
“Let’s eat. Please eat plenty too, Esper-nim.”
Well, he looks particularly pretty today, so what can I do?
Despite constantly grumbling and seeming uncooperative, knowing that he was actually being considerate made even his eyelashes look pretty. They were actually pretty, but still…
Anyway, it’s true that Suhyun has been doing pretty things lately. Even preparing this meal was because of that.
In truth, Jiwon didn’t enjoy cooking. Separate from whether he was good at it or not. For starters, he didn’t like the smell of food spreading throughout the house.
That’s why Jiwon almost never ate at home, preferring to handle meals outside whenever possible. For him to prepare a meal for someone? It was something that could never happen.
‘Why does this feel so moving?’
They say that if you do well just once out of ten attempts, people’s hearts will be swayed. Suhyun was exactly like that.
Jiwon stared blankly at fingers so delicate they made it hard to believe Suhyun confronted monsters as an Esper.
Anyway, the heart was something that could never be rationally understood.
“…Ah.”
His gaze had once again begun to persistently follow Suhyun, but fortunately, it was quickly withdrawn. This was due to his phone starting to vibrate.
A call was coming in from an unsaved number. Jiwon hesitated briefly before pressing the call button.
“Hello, yes…”
-Honey!
“……”
-Why did you take so long to answer!
“Ah, yes….”
He had roughly guessed who it was from the moment the unknown number appeared, but when he actually heard the shrill voice, Jiwon was somewhat flustered, causing him to hurriedly stand up.
Jiwon gestured toward Suhyun as if telling him to continue eating, then quickly left the table. Soon, the door to Jiwon’s room closed with a thud.
Clatter. At the same time, Suhyun also put down his utensils.
***
Jiwon twisted his tired neck from side to side before crossing his legs as he sat. By now, the Guide’s tent positioned in front of the dungeon felt quite comfortable rather than uncomfortable.
He wasn’t at all bothered even if someone glanced at him sitting in the central seat.
In truth, it was just that he had too much on his mind to care about such things.
‘Things seem to be… taking a strange turn.’
The reason Jiwon formed an exclusive contract with Suhyun.
On the surface, it was because the S-class Esper had been without an exclusive Guide for two years, and Jiwon was the only Guide who could fill that position.
But the reality was that he entered the contract because of information that had secretly flowed in from the World Ability Users’ Alliance. Even if it was a bit forced.
Russia’s S-class Esper Yenin had died. Moreover, various Espers from all around the world were suddenly dying.
In the current situation where Espers rarely die unless they enter dungeons with inaccurately assessed grades—which is almost impossible given that dungeon grade assessments are 99% accurate—Espers were suddenly dying.
What’s more, there was nothing unusual about the dungeons where the Espers had died. There were no commonalities among them, making it difficult to identify the cause.
So in Korea, they assigned Jiwon as an exclusive Guide for Suhyun, their only S-class Esper. Without being able to identify the reason, they seemed to believe that was the best they could do for now.
Well, since they didn’t actually inform Suhyun about the situation, one might wonder what use it was.
‘But it seems like it was a situation that needed a Guide rather than an Esper.’
Anyway, the Association was continuously investigating this matter. And three days ago, he heard the results of an autopsy performed on an Esper who had died in a dungeon.
The cause of death was runaway due to wavelength instability.
It’s possible for an Esper to experience runaway and die in a dungeon. If the first casualty, Yenin, hadn’t been an S-class, people wouldn’t have even thought it strange.
There’s no possibility that he lacked Guiding. Every country actively manages and pays attention to the wavelength of an S-class Esper.
Korea was undoubtedly the only country that sent out its S-class Esper to multiple dungeons as if spinning them like a top.
‘Even if they can’t treat him preciously…’
Jiwon momentarily flared up before barely calming his breathing. Thinking about it again, he felt slightly heated at how inadequate it seemed to send just him alone to protect Suhyun.
‘If you check the wavelength flow of the deceased Espers by time period, you’ll see that just before death, their wavelengths suddenly became extremely unstable.’
‘Suddenly?’
‘Yes. Several hypotheses have emerged about this, and currently, the most credible opinion is that when an ability is used upon reaching a specific area inside the dungeon, the wavelength becomes more disturbed than usual. That means even using the same power results in different degrees of wavelength distortion.’
‘Then…’
‘The Esper attacked monsters as usual, but the tangled wavelength as a consequence of using their ability was at a level that the Esper themselves couldn’t handle… that would sum it up.’
In any case, while the person explaining maintained a composed demeanor throughout, Jiwon simply couldn’t remain so calm.
‘Then… Researcher-nim…’
‘You should call me honey. Oh, darling is fine too.’
‘…How do you think this situation should be resolved?’
‘Well… Although it’s credible, we can’t be certain without evidence. The first thing to do would be to confirm if this hypothesis is correct. Only then can we establish countermeasures.’
‘……’
‘No, I said call me honey?’
If the talk about dungeons was a prank like asking to be called “honey,” he would have given them a piece of his mind, but the person wasn’t the type to pull such pranks. As an Association-affiliated researcher and a well-known eccentric, they were serious about this matter.
Researchers were valuable resources like Espers and Guides. But because they were ordinary people, they were easier to hide compared to ability users and were frequently kidnapped.
That’s why they lived without revealing their identities. The reason Jiwon didn’t know the name or age of the person he was talking to was because of this, and the reason they called Jiwon “honey” was a kind of disguise to avoid revealing that they were a researcher.
It was enough to pretend to be close so that people around wouldn’t find it strange, but…
‘If they want it, I have to do it…’
He didn’t want to get on the bad side of a notorious eccentric, so he could accommodate that much.
“…Why did it have to be ‘honey’ though.”
But because of that, an unfair situation arose. Ever since that person started calling him by that strange term of endearment, Suhyun’s attitude became weird again.
‘You need to eat.’
‘I’ll eat on my own. Go eat somewhere else.’
‘You want me to leave?’
This time, his weirdness took a different form from before.
‘Don’t follow me into the next dungeon.’
‘Why so sudden?’
‘…It’s the weekend, isn’t it?’
Esper Seo Suhyun began showing his vast consideration, which he’d never shown to anyone else, especially not to Jiwon.
‘There’s no need for you to sleep in this house, is there?’
He must have clearly heard the “honey” through the phone. And he probably made that awful assumption that Jiwon had or had found a lover.
Let’s say that’s possible. But he never expected that Suhyun would use that as a basis to create distance while pretending to be considerate. To use it as a means to avoid receiving Guiding.
“Clever move.”
Jiwon laughed incredulously before hardening his expression. Suhyun’s attempt itself was absurd. Even if he were really in a relationship, he wouldn’t abandon his work. It made him wonder how Suhyun saw him.
“…Never mind.”
Lightly brushing back his hair, Jiwon rested his chin on his hand.
No matter what Suhyun did, Guiding wouldn’t stop, so it wasn’t an important issue for now.
‘But since the Association doesn’t want to sacrifice Espers… Guide Moon Jiwon-nim will have to enter dungeons with the Espers.’
Assigned to protect Suhyun, somehow Jiwon had become the most suitable person to resolve this issue.
There was no one better than Jiwon to be the Guide who would enter the dungeon alongside an Esper who could potentially die from runaway.
His matching rate was at least above average no matter which Esper he was paired with. It made him a cost-effective Guide who could be responsible not only for Suhyun but also for other Espers.
“Into a dungeon….”
No one except Espers can enter dungeons. Having never experienced such a place, it was an unknown space, inevitably accompanied by fear.
But to identify what part was problematic, he had no choice but to confront it. He needed to thoroughly investigate the anomalies in that dungeon. What aspects were different. What was disturbing the Espers’ wavelengths.
Each country continued to investigate the dungeons where other Espers had died, but they said they hadn’t discovered anything.
In the end, it meant entering the dungeon with an Esper and ensuring everyone returned alive.
‘The monster is a Cabl. Be careful as it exhales toxic substances. Cutting off its head is the fastest way to dispose of it, you all know that, right?’
The routine dungeon briefing given before entering dungeons particularly stuck in his mind today. In fact, he usually didn’t even listen to them.
“It’ll work out somehow….”
Jiwon swallowed a sigh. Since decisions already made wouldn’t change, he thought he should at least exercise so as not to become a burden to the Espers.
Though he wasn’t sure if that would help.
“Ahh! Esper-nim!”
Just as Jiwon was wiping his eyes in a dejected mood, he heard someone’s alarmed voice. It was then that he felt the chaotic wavelength of an Esper.
Was that dungeon occurring?
Just the assumption made his heart feel like it had dropped to the floor. He already knew this would begin. But since he wasn’t mentally prepared at all, bewilderment took precedence.
Staggering to his feet, Jiwon barely regained his balance and stepped out of the tent. Immediately, he saw an Esper who didn’t know what to do with their own raging wavelength.
Their exclusive Guide was right beside them, starting the Guiding process. Jiwon glanced at them and began walking.
“Seo Suhyun….”
The Esper who had come out was fine. The problem was the various Espers inside.
Various Espers.
And Seo Suhyun.
Seo Suhyun, whom only he could Guide, was inside the dungeon.
“G-Guide Moon Jiwon-nim! What are you doing…!”
He felt no hesitation. A lightning-like impulse drove Jiwon. He dashed toward the entrance and exit of the dungeon. His rationality was paralyzed by the thought that he needed to go inside.
“Ugh!”
“…What are you doing?”
But Jiwon couldn’t enter the dungeon.
This was because Suhyun, who had just emerged from the dungeon with a wavelength no different from his usual post-dungeon state, had grabbed Jiwon’s arm.
Suhyun is safe. The strength in his body dissipated, and he almost collapsed. Even after confirming that his wavelength was fine, just slightly disturbed, Jiwon anxiously asked.
“Are you okay?”
The reply that came back was like a reprimand.
“I asked what you’re doing.”
But.
“Ah….”
Only then did Jiwon realize the tense atmosphere around them. He had become a crazy Guide who tried to enter a dungeon without any rational judgment.
“Ah… An Esper with a chaotic wavelength came out… I thought maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“If so, then… I would need to Guide….”
“Are you saying you were trying to enter the dungeon to provide Guiding?”
Suhyun’s face crumpled mercilessly as if what Jiwon said was nonsensical.
Having actually intended to do just that, Jiwon could only keep his mouth shut. It was a natural reaction.
“Are you insane?”
Even if he had his reasons, he couldn’t explain them, so he had nothing to say. Jiwon anxiously tried to read Suhyun’s mood.
His pupils were particularly sunken. They were so cold that just making eye contact made it feel like his body would freeze solid.
“Haa….”
Suhyun roughly pulled the unresponsive Jiwon along. Since it seemed like they were heading back to the car, Jiwon obediently followed. Even if that wasn’t the case, he would have followed anyway.
‘More forceful than I expected.’
Jiwon nonchalantly thought as he looked at Suhyun’s hand gripping his arm. He had no idea that he would end up going home and having to be careful around Suhyun.
