Han Seoha, who had discreetly gripped in his hand a nail-sized magic stone remaining with ash near his wrist, called out to Ryu Jaegeon softly again, but he didn’t respond.
Ryu Jaegeon rushed to base camp in one breath without even saying words like “don’t be stupid” or “don’t do dangerous things” to Han Seoha. Unlike before, it was excessively fast, so the wind brushing his face hurt enough that he had to close his eyes.
Before Han Seoha could gather his wits at the base camp they arrived at in an instant, the leader approached.
“Oh? Esper Ryu Jaegeon. Guide Han Seoha came along too.”
Ryu Jaegeon, who put down Han Seoha toward the welcoming leader, headed toward the newcomers gathered on one side without even looking back. When Ryu Jaegeon approached, the Guides who had been chatting with the Espers swarmed over en masse.
“Oh, Esper Ryu Jaegeon-nim. Welcome.”
“Wow, hello, Ryu Jaegeon-nim.”
“I’m not interrupting, am I?”
“Interrupting? You’re very welcome!”
Ryu Jaegeon, showing them a relaxed smile, looked as if he was proving his worth to Han Seoha. Though it was already after he’d shown plenty of signs of worrying about Han Seoha.
Han Seoha acted bewildered at the base camp they’d suddenly arrived at. When he appropriately brushed down his hair, thoroughly disheveled by the wind, with his fingertips, the leader simply gave a warning.
“Guide Han Seoha, even if you’re with an Esper, you can’t stray recklessly.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
“Don’t leave base camp. There will probably be almost no guiding to do, but you never know what might happen.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
The leader conveyed only instructions to Han Seoha without any particular emotion. Since it would be strange to have emotion, Han Seoha was packing away the emergency rations he’d received when the gaze felt piercing. He saw Ryu Jaegeon staring intently at the leader before his gaze shifted away.
Is he acting like this just because we touched hands a bit? What exactly is he trying to do?
It’s not like he’s an elementary schooler throwing a tantrum after just becoming aware of his feelings.
When he settled appropriately near the Guides, the Guides’ conversation could be heard.
“Since there probably won’t be any guiding to do anyway, should we practice among ourselves?”
“If the Espers clear the surroundings and we guide, it’ll be perfect.”
“Right. I’ll take the Esper with the worst wavelength.”
The B-rank Guide with a young face whose aegyo naturally mixed in even with a light laugh was already the Espers’ target. At that B-rank Guide’s proactive statement, the Espers discreetly got up from their seats.
“May we handle the monsters wandering around?”
“Even if they’re small, monsters are monsters. The Guides might be scared.”
“Hmm, fine. Form teams of two or more and only move to where base camp is visible.”
The leader also didn’t stop the Espers who said they’d clear the surroundings. There weren’t any significant monsters nearby anyway, and the newcomers’ proactiveness would be bonus points.
“But will there be anything for us to catch?”
“That’s… true.”
The new Espers who had boldly stepped forward had nothing to do. Ryu Jaegeon had already scorched the surroundings. At Ryu Jaegeon’s actions of blatantly burning all the nearby trees to create a situation requiring guiding, the new Guides each decided their order and the Espers made ambiguous expressions.
“We’ll just be twiddling our thumbs.”
“Still, we’re getting a good show. The ability usage is amazing.”
“Right. The fire is so big but it’s not spreading here.”
The new Espers instinctively felt rejection at the situation of having their guiding opportunity stolen, but they were also excited at the scene of directly seeing an A-rank Esper’s activities. In the end, the Espers also cheered for Ryu Jaegeon expanding the safe zone.
Inside base camp, even the acrid smell was significantly reduced. It wasn’t base camp in name only. It was a designated zone with all kinds of technology and buffs, equipped with enough defensive power to block most monsters and was a space purified in real-time.
Thanks to that, Ryu Jaegeon could also rampage to his heart’s content.
Applause burst out here and there at Ryu Jaegeon’s showmanship as he descended to the center of base camp enveloped in flames. As always, he didn’t hide his attention-seeking.
“Wow… A-ranks really are different.”
“Even using this much power, his wavelength is quite stable.”
While the new Guides were only waiting for the timing to approach, Ryu Jaegeon’s steps headed toward Han Seoha. Han Seoha deliberately hid behind people at his confident attitude as if bestowing a favor after ignoring him until just moments ago. Though he’d already been discovered, he couldn’t step forward while already being checked by the Guides.
Ryu Jaegeon, who had been ready to drag Han Seoha out at any moment, stopped while looking somewhere. The difficulty settling on his face was fleeting and soon changed to fabricated gladness. As soon as he turned his head following Ryu Jaegeon’s gaze, what he saw was a familiar face.
“Hello. Sorry I’m late.”
“Gasp, crazy. An A-rank Guide is entering the Gate?”
Yu Haneul, why are you here? The precious A-rank should have been enshrined in the quarters.
“Wasn’t this a B-rank Gate?”
“This is crazy. I’m really glad I participated.”
At the newcomers’ reactions, Yu Haneul, who had arrived escorted by Espers, smiled brightly and waved his hand.
“I’m happy to see everyone. I heard it was Gate guide experience, so since I’m also a newcomer, I hurried to catch up. You’re not excluding me for being late, right?”
“Aah, what hurtful words!”
“Come over here, Yu Haneul-nim.”
Yu Haneul’s Gate participation was sudden, but not unexpected.
The Association, which couldn’t find a way to break through the phenomenon of Guides avoiding Gates that had been building up complaints, had been offering various compensations. When it still didn’t improve and the Association was about to force it, just before that, a flow was created when Han Seoha, searching desperately for work that would be a lifeline for his temporary partner, stepped forward saying he’d do even this.
Even a C-rank is going, so it must really be safe. The devotion of Guides serving Espers drew out the recklessness of spirited newcomers. In the midst of that, at the news of Baek Uihyeon’s confirmed participation, newcomers who had only been watching submitted applications, but if this expedition ended safely, existing Guides would also participate following the flow. If that happened, Espers’ survival rate would also rise and the Gate clear probability would increase. Treatment of Guides would also improve.
Actually, he didn’t care how this turned out, but if Han Seoha returned later, it would help in some way, so it wasn’t bad.
But to think Yu Haneul would butt in from the start.
Seeing him follow belatedly, he probably didn’t plan to participate from the beginning. Perhaps Ryu Jaegeon’s sudden joining stimulated Yu Haneul.
“Huh? What’s this, Jaegeon hyung. Your wavelength was fine this morning, why is it like this?”
Looking at Yu Haneul’s aegyo-mixed irritation as he immediately clung to Ryu Jaegeon and got angry saying his wavelength was a mess, it was the correct answer.
He was relieved seeing Yu Haneul’s transparent inner thoughts as he took care of Ryu Jaegeon without giving even a glance toward Han Seoha. Because he would prevent Ryu Jaegeon from monitoring and chasing after him.
Han Seoha truly thought that.
“Seoha sunbae, why are you standing apart alone?”
“I was looking around base camp.”
“Hey, what’s there to see? Don’t do that and come over here.”
Yu Haneul was more shrewd than expected. Rather than appearing as a partner chasing Ryu Jaegeon and bothering the Esper, he showed himself together with his fellow Guide.
Yu Haneul’s purpose from the start was for Ryu Jaegeon and Han Seoha not to be close. He just needed to monitor Han Seoha. Thanks to that, Han Seoha could hardly find an opportunity to secretly leave his spot.
“Guide Yu Haneul, I was thinking of gathering the ingredients we brought to make a hot pot, want to eat together?”
“Wow, that’s wonderful. It’s like we’re camping. Seoha sunbae, join us too.”
“Ah, a C-rank is a bit… Yes, well. Since they’re a Guide, let’s eat together.”
Those who had been excluding Han Seoha reluctantly made room at Yu Haneul’s bright cheerfulness. Having no grounds to refuse, Han Seoha tried to get past it with the lie that he’d already eaten the randomly received meal distribution, but at Yu Haneul’s consideration of sharing his portion, he had no choice but to sit.
In this way, Yu Haneul took care of Han Seoha and followed him around in all overall situations.
“Seoha sunbae, your clothes aren’t thin… but they’re too worn out. We’ve pitched tents too, so let’s go there.”
“I’m fine. I’m full, so I was thinking of taking a walk.”
“That’s nice. Let’s go for a walk together.”
“I… have some things to think about.”
“They said to move in teams of two or more.”
Having heard when it was said to the new Espers, Yu Haneul kept clinging to Han Seoha.
“I don’t like talking when I walk. I’ll just walk quietly.”
Yu Haneul’s presence, approaching excessively, was uncomfortable and interfered with the plan. In the midst of that, as Ryu Jaegeon didn’t take his eyes off them and Yu Haneul approached even more pretending to be friendly, Han Seoha turned his head over how to detach Yu Haneul.
It would be perfect if Yu Haneul stuck to Ryu Jaegeon.
What should he do to create a situation where monitoring Ryu Jaegeon was better than following Han Seoha around?
That wasn’t a difficult matter.
“Jaegeon seems to need guiding.”
Cracks appeared in Yu Haneul’s smiling face. His smile twisted faintly and his bright voice lowered as he took one more step toward Han Seoha.
“That’s for me to judge, Seoha sunbae.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry for being presumptuous.”
“Hey, you were just being considerate. Then, wait for just a moment. I’ll charge up and come right back.”
Yu Haneul, who lightly headed toward Ryu Jaegeon, unhesitatingly pulled his neck close and kissed him. Exclamations and playful whistles from the newcomers, still unaccustomed to such a scene, spread.
Only Ryu Jaegeon, who had been continuously watching, witnessed Han Seoha quietly disappearing while staring blankly, but no one found it strange.
Because it was too natural for a hurt Guide to avoid the scene.
