“How’s your body.”
Dawoon looked at Ryu Taeha, who wore a smile similar to usual, as if on guard, and pursed his lips.
“…I’m fine.”
Though he had a headache and his body felt heavy from not receiving guiding, it was bearable. He considered himself in good condition just by not being dizzy or vomiting blood.
“You don’t know what ‘fine’ means.”
Yeoul, resting his chin on Dawoon’s palm, grumbled quietly. He was very displeased with Dawoon’s attitude of only saying he was fine like a parrot while undergoing examinations after coming to the annex.
“Dawoon hyung spilled a bucketful of blood. While treating someone, he almost got devoured by an alpha bastard.”
“Devoured, what devoured.”
Dawoon pretended to pinch the mouth of Yeoul, who was rambling. Strictly speaking, he had let him consume his pheromones; he hadn’t been helplessly victimized.
“I heard about it.”
Ryu Taeha, watching Dawoon and Yeoul sitting closely together, spoke as if he knew everything.
“You were really determined to get hurt.”
He had been briefed on the site situation on his way here. He had heard in detail about how Dawoon had almost suffered a major incident while treating an excited alpha. He also knew the circumstances of Dawoon not avoiding the alpha and rather releasing his pheromones.
“I guess Dawoon’s life has gotten boring lately. Seeing how you’re striving to harm your body.”
Dawoon closed his mouth again this time. Since he acknowledged that he had acted recklessly, he had nothing else to say.
“I guess you know you did wrong. I was worried, thinking even your head had broken.”
“Hyung, stop it.”
Ryu Jin, who appeared grabbing Ryu Taeha’s arm, stopped him with a thoroughly wet face.
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
Ryu Jin gestured with his eyes toward the researcher standing at the door. The researcher, who had been looking for timing to make his presence known, cleared his throat and entered.
“Since the guild leader is here as well, I’ll tell you the examination results.”
Another researcher who entered afterward displayed the examination results on the monitor screen. Two graphs appeared on the wide screen.
“The left is a graph showing the physical response curve during guiding, and the right is a wavelength reading graph.”
Each graph had lines of various colors. Even without listening to the researcher’s explanation, the lines on the right with almost no fluctuation indicated Dawoon’s condition.
“As you can see, guiding is having no effect whatsoever on Esper Dawoon’s wavelength.”
The wavelength, which should have lowered the longer guiding was maintained, remained motionless in the same position. Rather, as time passed, among the physical response curves on the left, the stress index gradually increased.
This was a typical reaction of an esper suffering from guiding rejection.
“Guiding rejection?”
Dawoon, who had been listening to the explanation calmly, suddenly interjected. Since it was a term completely unrelated to himself, a question popped out without him knowing.
“Yes, in fact, it’s not that rare a reaction. It easily occurs when there’s trauma related to guiding, or when there’s a clear reason for being unable to open one’s heart to a guide.”
At the researcher’s continued answer, Ryu Jin bit his lip. His small face was full of guilt, as if he thought this situation was all because of him.
“No, I don’t have anything like that. My relationship with Ryu Jin is good, and there’s nothing uncomfortable when receiving guiding.”
Dawoon firmly denied it. To let Ryu Jin know that he had done nothing wrong, he deliberately emphasized each word as he spat them out.
“Were the results similar when receiving guiding from other guides?”
This time Ryu Taeha asked.
The researcher, adjusting his glasses, nodded and brought up a different graph. It was a graph from when he had a guiding examination with a different high-ranking guide, not Ryu Jin.
The curve of the line wasn’t much different from the previous one. Even when receiving guiding from a high-ranking guide with a long career, Dawoon’s wavelength maintained the same reading.
It meant the cause of rejecting guiding wasn’t Ryu Jin.
“The wavelength of an esper suffering from guiding rejection either pushes the guiding away or shows no response. And they feel great resistance to contact with guides themselves.”
The researcher continued explaining while showing graphs of other espers together.
“Esper Dawoon said there was no great discomfort with contact, but when we raised the level of contact a bit, as you can see….”
When the researcher enlarged the monitor screen, the wavelength graph became visible in more detail.
The moment the guiding intensity was raised from hands to an embrace, the wavelength reading, which had been motionless, began to change subtly. And in a bad direction at that.
The wavelength that should naturally have fallen had instead risen. Though it was a faint difference, what it meant was clear.
Dawoon’s body was clearly rejecting guiding.
“There’s no reason for that….”
Dawoon muttered with a feeling of injustice. When receiving the guiding examination, he hadn’t been thinking about anything in particular. It was embarrassing to hold hands and embrace in front of the researchers watching, but that was all.
He didn’t feel anything like displeasure or not wanting to receive it. He was just tired and only had the desire to eat something.
“What if you raise the contact intensity all the way?”
At Ryu Taeha’s remark while staring at the graph, everyone’s attention focused on him. He alone looked at Dawoon calmly and continued speaking.
“Dawoon, you’ve never received more than a kiss. Try going all the way while you’re at it.”
“Leader, are you deaf? He said there’s resistance.”
Yeoul, who stood up from the chair, blocked Dawoon with his large bulk. The researchers flinched at his fierce momentum and stepped back one step each.
“He might just be scared because he hasn’t tried. You don’t know anything before trying.”
“If he had the mind to receive it, Dawoon hyung would have received it already. Do you think all espers are crazy about mucous membrane guiding like the leader?”
Yeoul’s voice rose. The wavelength emanating from his body was equally sharp.
“Why are you so excited.”
Ryu Taeha smiled faintly and placed his hand on Yeoul’s shoulder. At the same time, a thin barrier like a glass membrane wrapped around Yeoul’s body.
“You need to properly distinguish between public and private matters. I’m not recommending mucous membrane guiding to Dawoon for fun right now.”
Ryu Taeha, lightly tapping the barrier membrane wrapped around Yeoul, requested a guide list from the researcher.
“For the rank, A-grade or higher, narrow it down to only guides with over 5 years of experience and show it to me right away.”
Then he added detailed physical conditions including age. Though it might seem excessive, there was a clear correlation between favorability and guiding. That’s why there were quite a few espers who looked for guides close to their ideal type.
“Yes, understood.”
The researcher, who had been gauging Yeoul’s mood, followed Ryu Taeha’s instructions for now.
“Hyung, will you receive it?”
Yeoul bent his body toward Dawoon sitting on the bed. Dawoon had been pressing his slightly heated forehead while listening to the exchanged conversation.
“If you don’t want to receive it, don’t force yourself. I’ll find another way.”
“Yeoul-ah.”
Ryu Taeha chuckled and casually called out to the endlessly serious Yeoul.
“You shouldn’t carelessly spout words you can’t keep.”
At the tone murmuring gently as if teaching a child, Yeoul’s eyes became even colder. Before Yeoul could emit his wavelength and even activate his ability, Dawoon grabbed him.
“Um… does this guiding rejection thing just occur sometimes?”
The researcher, who had only been swallowing dry saliva at Sau Guild’s unusual atmosphere, hurriedly answered.
“No, Esper Dawoon. It’s absolutely not a symptom that appears without a cause. Besides the reasons mentioned earlier, it’s very rare, but it does occasionally appear in newly manifested rookie espers in their early stages.”
Among rookie espers, there were occasionally those who couldn’t accept their bodies that had become ability users. They usually suffered from mild depression or guiding rejection.
“In those cases, the main cause wasn’t resistance to guiding itself, but being unable to accept their bodies that had become ability users. Most symptoms were naturally alleviated after going through the ability adaptation period.”
Except for Dawoon, Ryu Taeha, Ryu Jin, and Yeoul let the continued explanation pass. It was unrelated talk since Dawoon had already manifested as an esper over 4 years ago.
“How long is the ability adaptation period?”
Only Dawoon listened intently and probed in detail.
“There’s variation, but about three months. Some rookies adapt in as little as two months, but most need three months to get used to it. Physical reactions change too, and above all, since they gained power they didn’t have before, the psychological burden must be great.”
It was a story they as espers would know better. The researchers also explained assuming it was a separate case from Dawoon’s.
To say it again, Jeong Dawoon had manifested over 4 years ago.
“……”
The fact that it had only been a month since Dawoon possessed into the novel was something only he knew.
Dawoon, who quietly lowered his head, rested his forehead on his clenched fist. Heat was gradually rising in his throbbing forehead.
“I’ve brought the guide list.”
At that moment, a quick-footed researcher brought the guide roster.
As Ryu Taeha instructed, they were sorted and organized with only those who were moderately tall, had a neat appearance, and gentle impressions.
All were older. Since Dawoon was on the young side, they had no choice but to select older people anyway to meet the experience requirements.
“Good. Dawoon-ah, you read it too.”
Ryu Taeha, who scanned the list first, handed the file to Dawoon.
Yeoul, intercepting it midway, threw the fresh, hot-off-the-printer paper onto the floor.
