It was true he hadn’t showered because he was in a hurry, but was this a situation where he should be pointed out for that? Situations where espers received guiding couldn’t always be stable. There were cases of holding onto guides trembling while covered in dirt or magical beast bodily fluids and guiding. Cases of pushing guides to the end who begged they couldn’t do it due to lack of guiding were commonplace.
Compared to that, what about Han Seoha? All he did was comfortably stay in the esper lodging and hold hands. At most, a hug was the best.
Ryu Jaegeon even felt betrayed.
He was furious that Han Seoha, his partner of all people, was turning away from him. He’d come with the happy news that he’d become S-rank and take him as a partner, but seeing him act so emotional over being temporarily terminated was absurd.
Ryu Jaegeon pretended not to notice there was an error in his thinking and headed to the Esper Center. He had a premonition that if he released his current mood, he’d produce enough output to have a significant impact on his ranking.
Jo Yonghwi, who had been running after Han Seoha heading to the emergency stairs to avoid Ryu Jaegeon, was anxious. Thinking of the wounds Han Seoha had sustained while desperately running despite staggering, he almost felt resentment toward Ryu Jaegeon. But he couldn’t carelessly offer comfort either.
Jo Yonghwi had treated many guides. He was always sorry to guides who got angry or cried because treatment often didn’t work properly due to his insufficient ability.
Han Seoha was a very easy guide for him to treat. He had taken his pain lightly.
‘A guide abandoned by an esper they’d been partners with for a year couldn’t possibly be fine.’
While going down the stairs, he couldn’t stop the staggering Han Seoha and only chased after him. If he fell here, Jo Yonghwi could treat him, so he just silently followed behind.
The emergency stairs created hollow echoes with the sound of the two walking. Han Seoha’s steps made irregular sounds, then gradually slowed and finally stopped. When Jo Yonghwi’s steps also stopped, what filled the emergency stairs was shallow sobbing.
Jo Yonghwi kept regretting. He felt bad thinking that Ryu Jaegeon and Han Seoha had run into each other because he’d unnecessarily dragged out time. He was just sorry that giving him a piece of his mind hadn’t helped at all.
Han Seoha’s sobbing decreased very quickly. It changed to deep breathing and the body that had been leaning on the railing slowly straightened. Looking only at the upright and good-looking back view, it seemed like nothing had happened.
Jo Yonghwi somehow felt like he knew. That Han Seoha was currently trying to create a smile. And that the first thing he’d say would be an apology too.
So he deliberately made footsteps and went down below Han Seoha. When he went down as slowly as possible, footsteps were heard from behind too. When Han Seoha followed him without a word, Jo Yonghwi gathered his courage.
“I like you, Seoha-nim. That, not in a strange way. I hope sincere and kind Seoha-nim will be happy. We’ve only known each other a short time, but I’ve come to feel that way.”
“I like you too, Yonghwi-nim.”
The voice that had become tightly locked in that short time trying hard to take on a bright air rather tormented Jo Yonghwi instead. Jo Yonghwi conveyed his sincerity with the hope that Han Seoha wouldn’t push himself too hard, only looking at the stairs.
“If you want to hide, you can hide. If you want to run away, you can run away. If you want to be alone, I’ll walk you there. If even that is uncomfortable, I’ll go down like this.”
“But we were supposed to have dinner.”
“Please, Seoha-nim.”
He wished this kind-hearted guide could be even a little comfortable.
“I want to be helpful to you, not a burden. Even though I’m an F-rank with no real ability.”
“Why do you talk like that? Yonghwi-nim treats me every time.”
At Han Seoha’s sincerity, Jo Yonghwi also gathered courage. Turning around to face Han Seoha whose gaze was level unlike usual, his watery eyes and reddened nose were lovable.
Ah. This person is truly lovable.
Jo Yonghwi conveyed even a little of the affection toward the other person he’d been suppressing, hoping it would comfort his heart even slightly.
“Seoha-nim also heals espers. Guiding is such a wonderful thing.”
Even if he couldn’t say wonderful words, at the words packed tightly with sincerity, warmth spread across Han Seoha’s wet face as if flowers were slowly blooming. Before he knew it, with their hands clasped together, Han Seoha came down the stairs and stood side by side with Jo Yonghwi.
“Since we’re both wonderful, let’s have a wonderful meal.”
“Are you… okay?”
“I think it’ll be good if I just wash my face first.”
“Or should we go to my lodging and get delivery? I have a regular sandwich place.”
“You had it for lunch too, didn’t you?”
“It’s delicious enough to eat twice a day.”
Chatting about trivial things while coming down the stairs, before they knew it the tears had dried and the trembling in the voice had disappeared too. Jo Yonghwi was relieved, thinking it was fortunate Han Seoha had found stability.
He thought they’d just spend an ordinary day eating sandwiches simply like this.
Beep beep.
At the alarm ringing continuously, when Han Seoha checked his watch and stopped, an ominous feeling struck.
“Seoha-nim?”
“Uh… it says some kind of report came in about me…”
“What? A report?”
Jo Yonghwi and Han Seoha, who had left the emergency stairs and come out to the Guide Center corridor, were looking at the small watch and didn’t see the approaching shadow. While the two had their heads together looking at the unfamiliar message, the huge shadow that had approached right in front of them suddenly held out documents.
“Are you Guide Han Seoha?”
“Yes? Yes, I’m Guide Han Seoha.”
Before Han Seoha, who had received the documents in the moment, could check them, the huge man in a suit brought up his business.
“I’m from the Ability Inspection Department. A situation of you guiding a villain suspect during an emergency operation has been reported, so I hope you’ll cooperate sincerely with the investigation.”
“…Pardon?”
“Seoha-nim, just a moment.”
Instead of the bewildered Han Seoha, Jo Yonghwi opened the documents and quickly checked the contents. There was this and that, but the important thing was that there was no compulsion. Relieved by this, Jo Yonghwi took a step forward in front of Han Seoha.
“He just needs to visit the relevant department on the attendance date, there’s no need to pressure him like this.”
“If you cooperate with the preliminary investigation, the risk of a disciplinary committee being convened will also decrease.”
When even a disciplinary committee was mentioned, the flustered Jo Yonghwi called somewhere, and Han Seoha nodded as if coming to his senses with a start.
“It’s true I guided them, but they were a kidnapped child.”
“Seoha-nim, don’t say anything. Hey, you too wait a moment. Don’t pressure him.”
“I haven’t pressured anyone.”
The sharp suit and huge build were severely oppressive just by existing. Even without particularly threatening, it was sufficiently concerning, and every time he casually added a word, Jo Yonghwi flustered, so Han Seoha’s sorry feelings doubled.
In the midst of this, when even Jo Yonghwi’s watch sounded a summons alarm, Han Seoha headed toward the employee who had come to get him without hesitation.
“Wa, wait. Don’t rush too much.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll do well and come back, so don’t worry and please go quickly.”
Jo Yonghwi, who had almost been fooled by Han Seoha’s appearance even waving his hand, saw his smile crumbling and even his fingertips trembling, and forcibly squeezed himself between them.
“I’ll go with you too.”
Jo Yonghwi, who was being unreasonable when he couldn’t even enter the interrogation room together anyway, started sending texts here and there at Han Seoha’s relieved appearance.
Among them was Ryu Jaegeon, who he’d been cursing until just now but still seemed very interested in Han Seoha.
* * *
To conclude, the visit to the Ability Inspection Department ended as a happening.
In the process, not only Baek Uihyeon but even Ryu Jaegeon barged in, and somehow even Lee Yeongjin came and turned everything upside down to the point that the investigation was rather delayed.
The misunderstanding started from the fact that there were several espers who witnessed Han Seoha trying to persuade Giro to guide him. Surprised at Han Seoha guiding a villain even beyond the safe zone, they reported that he was unsuitable as a field guide. It was a situation that proceeded in an instant because several reports came in at the same time and an Ability Inspection Department employee who happened to handle work quickly took on the job.
The misunderstanding was resolved far too easily. The proof that Baek Uihyeon had been nearby during the process of guiding the rescued unregistered esper was sufficient.
Rather, another rumor spread among espers from this incident. The Mother Teresa of the guide world.
If he guided even espers presumed to be villains, wouldn’t he do even more for them? With such expectations, matching alarms ran wild day after day.
So much so that the Guide Center even blocked applications from A-rank and below. Only then did things quiet down a bit, but despite this inconvenience, Han Seoha’s mood was very good.
The fact that timid Jo Yonghwi had tried to protect Han Seoha, people’s changed perception, Ryu Jaegeon’s possessiveness different from before—each one was a device to prevent Han Seoha from being treated carelessly. Lee Yeongjin’s protection, which he’d thought was limited to the guide lodging, also continued even within the Association, which was reassuring.
Of course, the biggest thing was S-rank esper Baek Uihyeon’s protection. Seeing how the guard sent by the Association had disappeared, he thought this too might have Baek Uihyeon’s influence.
“No matter where you go these days, they only talk about him.”
“Who? Ah, Han Seoha. That makes sense. They say he was abandoned by an A-rank.”
“That’s old news. These days he’s being courted by Baek Uihyeon.”
“Huh? Wasn’t he the Mother Teresa who even guides villains?”
“He must be going through a lot too, really.”
He was certain that due to the things that had happened in a short time in rapid succession, jealousy and goodwill toward Han Seoha were mixed, making it a decent time to move.
‘Now shall I slowly go meet my esper?’
It was time to visit Giro, who was still imprisoned due to ambiguous ideology verification.
