# Chapter 14
Physical examinations for Guides tended to finish more quickly than those for Espers. Unlike Espers, who needed to be examined thoroughly for any physical damage and wavelength stability, all a Guide needed was a sample for matching rates to compare with other Espers.
Thanks to this, Jiwon, who had finished his examination earlier, was now on the second floor of the Association with Jo Wooyeon.
This was originally the floor where he had operated his Guiding Center. Since he wasn’t there anymore, operations had stopped, making the entire space quiet.
“But when are they going to announce it? After an Esper dies?”
Jiwon’s voice echoed through the quiet space, full of frustration.
“I’ve been suggesting we announce it quickly… but I keep getting the same answer that we need to be careful because it could cause confusion.”
“They really are going to announce it after someone dies, aren’t they?”
“Words can become reality.”
“The Association seems to be waiting until that seed sprouts.”
“…Are you criticizing me?”
“How could a mere Guide criticize a Team Leader like you?”
“Ha.”
Jo Wooyeon shook his head at the deliberately playful remark. Jiwon smiled briefly but quickly hardened his expression.
The problem was the Association’s sluggish handling of the situation. The hypothesis had been established, and it was decided that Jiwon would enter the dungeon.
Yet they still hadn’t released any announcement about it. It was even uncertain when he would enter the dungeon.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if an accident happened first.
“We’ll have to try our best to get the word out as soon as possible.”
“You’re really struggling among those ordinary people.”
Jo Wooyeon let out a hollow laugh.
Not just the Guide team, but the executives of the Association were also filled with ordinary people. Executives of an Association for people with abilities being ordinary people—it was ironic. Jiwon considered this situation to be the result of the fear ordinary people felt toward those with abilities.
Perhaps they had some ridiculous notion that if the Association was filled only with ability users, they would be dominated by them—that’s why the Association executives, who were determined by votes, were always ordinary people.
It would be better if there was an appropriate mix, but it’s too extreme. That must be why they couldn’t make prompt decisions even when ability users’ lives were at stake—they were too busy with other concerns.
It was frustrating, but neither Jo Wooyeon nor Jiwon could do anything about it.
“Ah, I heard you had a run-in with Park Minwoo?”
Jo Wooyeon, who knew him better than anyone, changed the subject. Jiwon laughed along with him, as his unusually loud burst of laughter seemed quite satisfying.
“It wasn’t me, it was almost Esper Seo Suhyun-nim with him.”
“I didn’t know Esper Seo Suhyun was the type to get into fights with other Espers.”
“I know, right? His sense of justice is so strong…”
The standoff between Park Minwoo and Seo Suhyun was still amazing to recall. Did he say something about not treating criminals as humans? That was a statement that suited Suhyun perfectly.
“Was it just because of his sense of justice?”
“What else could it be?”
“Maybe he was angry because someone was trying to mess with his Guide?”
Jiwon took a hollow breath and shook his head.
“No way. Don’t you remember how I kept getting the cold shoulder? He was probably just angry because it didn’t align with his personal philosophy.”
Jo Wooyeon was almost the only one who knew that things weren’t good between them. After he found out, Jiwon had vented his frustrations several times about being ignored.
‘That nice person?’
Jo Wooyeon was surprised, but.
At those innocent words, Jiwon was even more bewildered. Suhyun really had been exceptionally cold only to him.
“Think about when he awakened.”
Moreover, Suhyun’s attitude was still ongoing. He had somewhat accepted it, but it still left a bitter taste.
“That’s true. He’s an Esper who didn’t kill anyone even while awakening in a cramped airplane.”
“Yes.”
“But it seems Guide Jiwon still likes Esper Suhyun?”
At Jo Wooyeon’s question, Jiwon raised his eyebrows as if asking what he meant.
“You haven’t said a single negative word about him.”
“When have I ever badmouthed other people…”
“After raging that it was bullshit when he offered to guide you?”
“…There’s no need to quote me exactly.”
Jo Wooyeon laughed briefly, finding his answer amusing.
“Well… even if he’s cold to me, the person himself isn’t bad.”
Espers like Suhyun were rare. Forget about a sense of justice. There were far more bastards who thought of Guides as trash.
Many were freeloaders who regularly collected their tax-funded salaries while cherry-picking only easy dungeons. Some even deliberately followed Suhyun into dungeons. Because with Suhyun there, they wouldn’t have to struggle.
“And he works hard too.”
How many times had they entered together, only for Suhyun’s wavelength alone to come out distorted? Of course, such incidents had decreased significantly after he expressed his difficulties.
“Looking at that, he’s similar to Guide Jiwon.”
“To me?”
“Guide Jiwon also has an exceptional sense of duty.”
Jiwon tilted his head as if he had heard something absurd.
“This situation. How many Guides do you think would readily agree to enter the dungeon? I think there might have been only one. It was accepted as a given because it was Guide Jiwon.”
“Well, that’s…”
“Because you think it’s what you should do.”
Jiwon closed his mouth at Jo Wooyeon’s firmness. He didn’t want anyone to die. He had willingly agreed because he was the only one who could do it.
Come to think of it, Suhyun seemed to think similarly…
“Is it only people with that level of duty who become S-class?”
Though it was probably meant as a joke, it sounded like he was saying that as an S-class, he had to perform. Perhaps that was what he himself thought.
“What can we do.”
Because he had no intention of avoiding it.
“Yes, Esper Seo Suhyun probably thinks similarly to Guide Jiwon.”
I agree. Seo Suhyun would be the same.
“So why did you want to see me?”
Jiwon abruptly asked, pushing aside the floating image of Suhyun’s face.
“Just wanted to see your face.”
“Surely not you, Team Leader, with your busy schedule?”
Even if he was concerned about Jiwon entering the dungeon, he wasn’t the type to make time like this to meet and chat. Literally because he was too busy. Especially in times like these.
“You caught me.”
Jo Wooyeon let out a deflated laugh. But only for a moment. The smile quickly vanished from his face.
“There’s something on my mind that I thought it would be better to tell you about.”
***
“Tsk…”
Jiwon clicked his tongue as he headed to the 10th floor of the Association. His crumpled expression, reflecting his troubled mood, wouldn’t smooth out.
It should be time for Suhyun’s examination to end too. Unless he wanted to advertise that he’d heard some annoying news, he needed to manage his expression…
“…Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes…! Thank you!”
“Be careful.”
It wasn’t working out well. Was the news really enough to upset him this much?
“……”
It must have been. Otherwise, why would he crumple his expression even more severely upon seeing Suhyun standing far away, rather than composing himself?
“Yes… thank you, Esper Seo Suhyun-nim.”
Jiwon bit his lower lip and took a long breath. The woman answering with a reddish face next to Suhyun appeared to be an Association employee.
Suhyun’s hand—delicate-looking yet firm—was gripping the shoulder of the woman who was twisting her body as if embarrassed.
“Ha….”
Surprisingly, Suhyun wore a gentle and soft expression. There was no trace of his usual coldness, making Jiwon wonder if his eyes were deceiving him.
‘To think he could be so affectionate…’
But Jiwon’s eyesight was fine, and the scene unfolding before him—like something out of a youth drama—remained unchanged.
Jiwon’s lips twisted.
If Jo Wooyeon’s words had this much impact, that would be preferable, but right now Jiwon was getting worked up over the kindness Suhyun was showing to someone else.
“T-Then… I’ll be going now.”
“Yes.”
The employee, turning to walk away, slipped slightly and staggered. Suhyun caught her to prevent her from falling and asked if she was hurt.
He would have done the same thing himself. But the reason his insides were boiling was that he couldn’t accept Suhyun’s soft face and gentle tone.
‘Are you alright? Not are you alright, sir?’
It’s not like he had always spoken in a rigid manner. That’s why Jiwon thought he had changed because of the senior games played by guys like Park Minwoo. That he just couldn’t break the habit because he was used to it now… But just now…
“……”
Jiwon suppressed a deep sigh. By now, Suhyun’s gaze was directed at him.
Don’t get ahead of yourself. It was he who had opened his heart, not Suhyun. Suhyun had never tried to get closer to him.
He was simply accepting the well-behaved guiding that Jiwon wanted. That was clearly all he had wanted at first.
“Is your examination over?”
But without realizing it, what he wanted had gradually increased.
Well, that was Jiwon’s own issue.
“Yes.”
He wanted to get closer to Suhyun. That should be all, he shouldn’t wish for Suhyun to do anything more. It would obviously make him uncomfortable.
“You’re quite affectionate.”
I know…
His mouth prattled on by itself.
“To me…”
Jiwon barely managed to stop his lips from moving on their own.
Why only to me? If I did something wrong, couldn’t he tell me? If it was a problem that could be resolved with an apology, he wanted to do that.
Jiwon barely restrained himself from asking outright. He didn’t want to upset Suhyun by speaking in an agitated state when the words should be delivered calmly.
“What do you mean?”
When he spoke and then closed his mouth, Suhyun asked obliquely. It was his usual rigid questioning.
Jiwon moistened his lips and smiled awkwardly. He was glad he hadn’t impulsively run his mouth. He had almost picked a fight with Suhyun.
Suhyun was now somewhat cooperative. Though he thought about getting closer to him, if he pushed too hard, it might actually drive them further apart.
Soon, Jiwon would have to enter the dungeon. Among them all, he had to follow Suhyun into his dungeons without fail. Because he was the only one who could guide him.
So he needed to be extra cautious to prevent any trouble.
“I just saw you. I thought you seemed affectionate, that’s all.”
When Jiwon spoke calmly, Suhyun looked him over with a strange gaze.
He seemed to be asking what that had to do with anything.
Beep— Beep— Beep!
“!”
The thoughts that had been swelling to the point of overload suddenly subsided.
It was because a loud sound echoed throughout, as if putting an end to useless emotions and conversation.
Three loud alerts.
Both Jiwon and Suhyun knew what it meant.
It was the sound announcing that an Esper had died in the dungeon.
