***
To get straight to the point, Hyun Yoonseo was right. On the way to the training room by shuttle, I felt a strange current directed at me among the Espers I encountered. Once I became aware of it, it was hard not to notice. If I had wandered around alone without knowing anything, it would definitely have been a situation where trouble could have occurred.
Still, perhaps not wanting to be misunderstood, Hyun Yoonseo only escorted me to the training room—right up to where Seo Yuseok was—then immediately disappeared. I’d matched his conversation as he chattered away without staying still for even a moment, and even explained the reason I came here, but he disappeared even faster with a reluctant expression. It was because he worried sparks might fly onto him.
‘I know it too, so why don’t you?’
He left behind such an incomprehensible statement.
I asked him once before he left, but in the end I couldn’t hear what he meant by those words. That I could only realize it by experiencing it directly?
“Esper Seo Yuseok-nim!”
And at the training room I’d visited with difficulty after hearing various things…
“I’m really fine.”
As if foreseen, I was met with Seo Yuseok’s refusal.
When even this refusal matched Hyun Yoonseo’s words, I gradually wondered if there was something only I didn’t know.
Did the Esper-nim mention my physical condition? But I’m really fine now.
The most reasonable reason was that Do Ganghyun had mentioned my poor physical condition and prohibited guiding.
However, thanks to Do Ganghyun who was particularly attentive to my health so I’d eat and sleep well recently, my body was in the best condition since I’d started living at the Center. Although I occasionally had stomach pains or heartburn, that was just a common problem from stress, and it would clearly improve gradually.
“If you avoid me again this time, I’ll start with contact guiding.”
Fortunately, this time Seo Yuseok didn’t avoid me. To be precise, it seemed he’d tried to leave the spot in surprise but couldn’t.
To avoid me, he had to use either the door or the window. Since I was guarding the door, if he wanted to avoid me he’d have to escape through the window, but the window was narrow and there seemed to be something holding him back as he hesitated, then he asked this:
“Guide-nim, you didn’t come here alone, did you?”
His face looked desperate, begging me to say no.
Of course, Hyun Yoonseo had brought me here, but to explain that, I’d also have to talk about him who’d hurriedly disappeared.
“…Yes, by shuttle.”
I rolled my eyes and answered with a small lie. I consoled myself slightly that I hadn’t completely lied since I had taken the shuttle.
However, even at that answer, Seo Yuseok cried out with an easily despairing expression. He didn’t forget to approach me closely in surprise and interrogate me.
“What about the driver? No, are you hurt anywhere? Did some strange Esper chase you…”
“No. There were strange stares, though.”
“What were you thinking, coming without a word!”
“If I’d told you, you would have avoided me again.”
At my words, Seo Yuseok closed his mouth like a clam. Since he’d already looked around for a place to escape when we met at the training room, he’d have nothing to say.
“But from now on I won’t go around alone. It seemed dangerous.”
“Yes, please do that…”
Seo Yuseok replied in a deflated voice. It was a tone that said he was glad I’d realized it.
Questions like ‘Did you tell the Captain you were coming here?’ followed. He also added that he hoped I wouldn’t tell him now that it had come to this. Unfortunately, since I’d reported before departing, I couldn’t grant that request.
“I left a text when I departed. But did you hear anything from the Captain by any chance? Why do you keep avoiding me, and even now you’re saying it’s better not to contact—”
“No?! Absolutely! I didn’t hear anything!”
The answer that came out so quickly was rather suspicious.
I didn’t hesitate and immediately cornered him. If I were the only one suffering harm, I wouldn’t go this far, but this was a problem involving Seo Yuseok’s imprint. I didn’t want his imprint dissolved, and I hoped the two people who cared for each other would work out. That wish gave me a bit of courage to speak up.
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
I threw out the same question again.
Seo Yuseok seemed determined to pretend not to know as he said something else.
“…Avoiding?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Did the Captain by any chance say I’m not feeling well? As you know, that’s just because the situation during imprinting was a bit dangerous, so the Esper-nim is being unusually careful, but actually—”
I wondered if I’d ever poured out so many words so quickly before.
With an urgent heart, I approached one or two steps closer, trying to inform him that my body was fine and there was nothing wrong with my health, but Seo Yuseok raised both hands and backed away defensively.
“Guide-nim, calm down. The Captain really hasn’t said a single word to us.”
“Words?”
Then did that mean he’d expressed his intent in some other way? Moreover, seeing how he expressed it as “us,” it didn’t seem to be referring only to Seo Yuseok.
“Ah…”
Seo Yuseok let out a sigh as if he’d made a mistake.
“…What does that mean? Does it mean he did something other than words?”
At my question, Seo Yuseok roughly rubbed his face.
My doubt was valid. Do Ganghyun wasn’t someone frivolous enough to carelessly spread words to others.
Especially since he was in a position with much media exposure, he was extremely sensitive about such matters. So it was completely unimaginable that such a person would say various things about me.
Then what else? I thought he could sufficiently apply covert pressure that those around wouldn’t notice. For example, wavelengths that don’t show on the surface.
“The Captain has never carelessly spoken to anyone. Not about Guide-nim either.”
Seo Yuseok opened his mouth with a resigned face.
“You know. He’s someone whose actions are faster than words.”
Actually, I don’t know much about that. However, thinking of how he’d shown a threatening appearance to Esper Park Subin at the first meeting with team members, I thought it could be so.
Seo Yuseok didn’t seem to want my agreement, as he easily continued his next words even while looking at my face standing blankly.
“After receiving guiding that day, I had several occasions to enter gates together with the Captain. That’s when everyone naturally found out. That we shouldn’t do guiding with Guide-nim.”
Seo Yuseok shuddered as if thinking of the time during the gate raid. However, seeing my worried expression, he immediately showed a smile.
“Don’t worry. We were originally living without a team guide anyway. And if my prediction is right, this is a problem that will be resolved with time—”
“I’ll try talking to the Esper-nim again. Or should we quickly raise your guiding numbers with contact guiding for now to buy time?”
I brought out a method I thought was fairly plausible.
In the end, what Esper Seo Yuseok needed was time to persuade his guide. Once is hard, but is twice hard? They say it’s faster to receive forgiveness than to get permission. If Do Ganghyun hadn’t stopped me from guiding but I was just conscious of him, I just needed to do as much guiding as possible before any actual restraint.
The guiding zone is gradually forming at home too—
Even if I did light contact guiding, there would be no problem guiding Do Ganghyun afterward.
However, Seo Yuseok, who heard my words, turned pale and jumped up.
“No! Absolutely not!”
“Why not?”
“Just helping me that time was enough. Hyeyeon was greatly relieved seeing my condition that day and knowing I had a team guide. Just having room for dialogue is enough.”
“But if your condition worsens again like this, and she finds out the team guide isn’t playing any role…”
Then the situation would return to square one.
I imagined what would come next with a pale face. It was a problem where the answer came out without having to think hard.
However, Seo Yuseok tilted his head as if wondering what the problem was, then carefully opened his mouth.
“Guide-nim, actually it’s extremely rude to ask about the day of imprinting, but, um—, I’m saying this because most people at the Center know the day you two were imprinted.”
‘I hope there’s no misunderstanding.’ Seo Yuseok emphasized again.
I wondered what he was trying to say by laying groundwork like this, but I nodded saying I understood for now.
“An Esper who’s just finished imprinting has extremely strong possessiveness toward their guide and vigilance toward other Espers. To a degree Guide-nim can’t imagine.”
“…Yes?”
“I’m saying that for at least a month or two, the Captain won’t want Guide-nim to guide other Espers. So this is a problem time will solve.”
Seo Yuseok scratched his cheek awkwardly. He also added that since you were appointed as team guide right after imprinting, he’d wondered if the Captain was a bit different and had taken the liberty of requesting guiding.
Hearing those words, I felt my face flush red.
…Possessiveness?
In other words, it meant he’d acted so coldly and cornered me out of jealousy over my behavior of guiding another guide.
