What is all this?
Yesterday they sent enough gifts to block the hallway, and today it seemed they’d sent people instead.
The two espers openly monitoring in front of the hallway sent out subtle waves as soon as they met Han Seoha. At the intentional display, Han Seoha rolled his gentle eyes pretending to be flustered.
“Um, if you need guiding, could you please go to the Center? This is the guide dormitory.”
“The Association President has instructed us to look after Guide Han Seoha’s convenience.”
“The Association President?”
When the Association President rather than Baek Uihyeon came out of the esper’s mouth, Han Seoha openly showed his genuinely flustered appearance.
“That can’t be. Isn’t there some mistake?”
He’d thought it was excessive for Baek Uihyeon’s authority, but it seemed the upper line was planning to push Han Seoha openly.
Before Han Seoha returned, he had planned to secure as much as possible, but.
‘Even so, the Association President is overkill.’
Even if he had attracted the Association President’s interest, it was excessive consideration to show to a mere C-rank guide. Given Han Seoha’s gentle disposition, a powerful person’s attention brought more harm than benefit.
More than anything, if it was like this, no matter how much Han Seoha tried to get along well with the guides, it would be difficult.
Who would pity a C-rank guide who went around with two esper guards?
But he couldn’t refuse firmly either. Because it didn’t suit Han Seoha. All he could do was buy time until the one who would absolutely not tolerate the guide dormitory’s discipline being disrupted came running.
Han Seoha bowed his waist and apologized to the guides who started coming out one by one, then pleaded with the espers.
“The others will be uncomfortable. Please leave.”
“This is the Association President’s order to protect Guide-nim.”
“That’s really okay. The guide dormitory is safe. If I press just one emergency button, the security team will come running in a few seconds.”
At Han Seoha’s innocence cheerfully showing even the watch on his wrist, the larger-built of the espers slowly extended his hand. The esper who very lightly grasped Han Seoha’s wrist with his gloved hand advised in a calm tone.
“Please try pressing the emergency button.”
“What? You need to let go of my hand…”
“I’m holding very weakly. About the grip strength of an ordinary adult male.”
“Ugh, it seems stronger than that though.”
He tried making excuses timidly while exerting strength, but the esper’s hand didn’t budge even slightly. The large esper’s hand completely covered the watch with no gap.
Han Seoha’s face turned bright red at the task that wouldn’t work even when he tried his hardest without needing to pretend to be weak.
“There are many cases where calling is impossible. We must also consider cases where the watch is removed.”
“I only take off the watch when showering.”
“Misfortune doesn’t avoid you just because you’re showering.”
The esper who came as a guard was quite talkative compared to his blunt appearance. More answers came back to Han Seoha’s trivial remarks. It was very desirable for someone in a position of needing to buy time.
Han Seoha looked around, then raised his voice a bit as if finding confidence.
“This is the guide dormitory. It’s only guides here, so what danger could there be for you to do this?”
“For that, there’s been frequent esper entry recently. Including the eviction team esper entering all the way inside the dormitory, Esper Baek Uihyeon came directly and used his power. Esper Ryu Jaegeon also used some power while under control.”
“Jaegeon isn’t dangerous!”
When Han Seoha, who hadn’t reacted to the story about Baek Uihyeon, strongly denied, warmth settled in the esper’s indifferent gaze. Espers were uniformly weak to guides who protected their espers. That said, they didn’t back down.
Han Seoha’s loud voice gathered the attention of guides who were preparing to go to work. If it was a rumor that would spread anyway, it was better to show this appearance too.
As the guides’ eyes and ears gathered, the espers’ posture became even straighter.
“We will do our job. Please think of us as background or shadows.”
“How can I pretend not to notice such a big shadow…”
“If you’re uncomfortable, shall we re-request espers capable of concealment?”
“I can’t complain like that. More than that, guards for someone like me—please cancel it.”
“We merely follow the Association President’s instructions.”
Really excellent. An esper who countered tirelessly like this. At another time, he would have been an annoying opponent worth kicking in the shins, but thanks to him, the end of the hallway started getting noisy.
“Why are you doing this to me? This is really troublesome…”
“Wow, this is driving me crazy. So now they’re just completely ignoring procedures and everything.”
At the sarcasm-filled irritated voice heard from the end of the hallway, Han Seoha was relieved that the one he’d been waiting for had finally arrived.
Lee Yeongjin, whether he’d come running as soon as he heard the news, was panting but unhesitatingly wedged himself between the esper and Han Seoha.
“Did I go cross-eyed? Why is an esper strutting around the guide dormitory?”
“We were assigned as Guide Han Seoha’s dedicated guards.”
“Yeah, so you barged in before the official document? So procedures and everything are a joke, is that it?”
“The Association President personally ordered…”
“Tell them I’m quitting as manager.”
“What?”
Lee Yeongjin even stood with one leg cocked and tilted his head crookedly, then pushed up his large glasses and raised his voice until veins stood out on his neck.
“Fuuuuck! Tell them I’m quitting as manager because I’m disgusted. Let’s see if the guide dormitory runs quietly for even one day without a manager, just you wait, fuuuck.”
“That’s so childish!”
“Ignore procedures, ignore the manager, ignore what the guide in question says. So what am I supposed to trust to keep you with my baby-like guides? Huh? A lion has barged into a rabbit pen, fuuuuck!”
Excited Lee Yeongjin’s voice grew louder and louder, but the hand turned behind his back waved firmly. He noticed it was a hand gesture toward Han Seoha, but he hesitated, unable to leave Lee Yeongjin alone and go inside.
Only when the guides who had been watching the situation with great interest quickly ran over and pushed Han Seoha into his room did he reluctantly retreat.
Just closing one door made Lee Yeongjin’s voice buzz. Left alone, Han Seoha released his troubled expression.
As expected, I was counting on you, our Chihuahua.
Fight well, Yeongjin.
That said, he didn’t make a sound outside or reveal his true nature even though he was alone. He paced in front of the door as if not knowing what to do because he was worried about outside, while his mind turned busily.
‘First, being monitored is a given.’
Surveillance could be attached in some way while Han Seoha didn’t notice. Since it hadn’t happened in his previous life, he’d lived comfortably at least in the dormitory, but now he had to suspect everything.
‘I didn’t know the Association President would intervene.’
In his previous life, the Association side didn’t make any mediation until the moment Han Seoha was tormented by espers and driven to death. It was natural since the one in the highest position at the Association wouldn’t be interested in something like the safety of a C-rank guide.
‘If it’s a variable, it’s only Baek Uihyeon.’
He didn’t know the Association President would move just because an S-rank esper showed interest. Looking at how urgently they attached people, Baek Uihyeon must have acted quite firmly.
Was it Baek Uihyeon’s demand? Or the Association President’s own judgment?
Whatever the reason, the Association President had shown interest. Just looking at the espers sent as if on display, it seemed they had no intention of hiding it, but they might be making them let their guard down on the outside while pulling some trick behind the scenes.
‘Since it’s come to this anyway.’
Let’s revise the plan.
The position of a pitiful C-rank guide abandoned by his partner had become harder to use anymore. Rather, it was better to be misunderstood as a pure-hearted man who couldn’t forget the esper who abandoned him despite an S-rank’s courtship. Abandoned, but with his heart still holding only one person, remaining free.
It was entirely plausible for Han Seoha to be like that, and he could appear that way. In this situation, it was the best option.
‘Even if I became the S-rank’s tenth, no, hundredth partner, I’d be cursed at. I’d be cursed at even if I refused. But while the former would only have envy and jealousy, the latter would also have people cheering.’
They wouldn’t let Han Seoha wither away alone.
Foolish love, pure affection that doesn’t abandon even when abandoned. A list of people who would buy this narrative passed quickly through his mind.
The Association President’s intervention wasn’t bad either. Rather, if he kept refusing the goodwill, they might ask for conditions to figure out his intentions.
If he received the interest and goodwill of the Association President and an S-rank, he could advance many things.
‘Still, maintaining distance is essential.’
The best hand that Han Seoha as a C-rank guide could prepare was to form a pair with an A-rank esper he happened to connect with by fate. It had to be a dramatic meeting with plausibility added enough that Han Seoha, who in others’ eyes only looked at Ryu Jaegeon enough to refuse an S-rank, would fall for them.
He had no intention of choosing from among the Association’s espers who already treated Han Seoha as a symbol of pure love and easy prey. If there wasn’t an A-rank, he just had to find one.
He just needed to pull out one of several plans he’d arranged for the returning Han Seoha.
‘I planned to have the first meeting in a safe place, but it can’t be helped.’
Though he thought of it lightly, it was by no means an easy task.
Not only did he have to walk the tightrope of an S-rank esper’s courtship, but he also had to find a prospective villain, seduce them, and reform them.
