When Ryu Jaegeon and Yu Haneul returned to base camp, things were mostly wrapped up. However, even though the magic beast corpses had been cleared away, the stench left by the bodily fluids that had soaked into the dirt floor remained.
“What is this smell, ugh…”
It hadn’t been like this when Yu Haneul left. The inside of base camp was at least somewhat better, so the moment he crossed the boundary line, the smell faded, but Yu Haneul clung to Ryu Jaegeon with a disgusted expression.
Ryu Jaegeon immediately picked up a low-grade potion from the supplies piled in the center of the camp. Seeing this, Yu Haneul hurriedly opened a high-grade potion and poured it on his wrist.
“Ngh…”
The sensation of torn flesh and blood vessels sizzling as they regenerated was disgusting, but in an instant, it healed cleanly without even a scar.
“Wow, potions really are no joke.”
It was a waste to use it on a clean wound from just being cut by a knife, but Ryu Jaegeon headed toward Baek Uihyeon without saying anything special.
Yu Haneul felt not just disappointment but even anger at Ryu Jaegeon for not taking care of him, yet he hurriedly searched for his bag. Being an A-rank Guide, there was something he had received before entering the gate. It seemed Ryu Jaegeon wasn’t going to send him outside right away.
“Found it.”
Having found what he wanted, Yu Haneul felt much more at ease as the situation came into view. Even though the area around base camp was a complete mess, the rookies positioned inside had excited faces. Where their gazes were directed, Baek Uihyeon was there.
“S-rank really is different.”
“I already respected him, but now he looks like a god.”
“His waves stabilized, right? The Guides took turns guiding him, but there’s no change at all.”
At the murmuring heard from around him, Yu Haneul realized it was an opportunity. Even though the previous guiding test results had been good, Baek Uihyeon hadn’t proposed a partnership. Because of that, he had confirmed the pairing with Ryu Jaegeon, but he couldn’t miss this opportunity to be indebted to an S-rank.
When Yu Haneul stared intently at Baek Uihyeon, who was in conversation with Ryu Jaegeon, he could feel his waves bouncing roughly. Yu Haneul’s thoughts changed from just moments ago when he’d been trapped in the cave and had even self-harmed while trying to escape. If it was an Esper whose mind could change at any time, an S-rank partner position was better than A-rank. Yu Haneul fastened the bag he’d brought to his waist, dropped the worn jacket he’d received from Han Seoha on the floor, and immediately approached Baek Uihyeon.
Ryu Jaegeon, who noticed Yu Haneul’s approach, turned first, but what the Guide’s hand was actually directed toward was Baek Uihyeon.
“Your waves are a mess. The readings are over 70 too. I’ll guide you.”
It was a situation where Ryu Jaegeon could have protested, but at Yu Haneul’s continued words, he only frowned slightly.
“You’re going to look for Seoha sunbae, right? It’s more efficient to get guiding done quickly.”
In a situation where even the paired Esper was stepping back, Baek Uihyeon just had to accept. The rookies watching only them from a short distance away also thought it was natural.
Baek Uihyeon had no reason to refuse either. Even though it was meaningless, he’d received minimal guiding from the rookie Guides. He also knew that Yu Haneul would be far more efficient than an A-rank rookie clumsy at guiding. Even so, the reason he felt repulsion at Yu Haneul’s touch grabbing his arm was solely because of Han Seoha.
He knew that because Ryu Jaegeon had chosen C-rank Han Seoha, he was always being compared and talked about behind his back. If Yu Haneul’s guiding showed efficiency here, unnecessary malice would be directed at Han Seoha once again.
“I have Jaegeon hyung too, so close contact is a bit… I’ll just hold your hand.”
Just being nearby, he could vividly feel how rough Baek Uihyeon’s waves were. Yu Haneul, who realized that even a brush of skin would make him pounce first, was confident. Yu Haneul, who had grabbed Baek Uihyeon’s arm as if linking arms and was stroking and sliding toward his palm, found himself suddenly empty-handed.
“Huh?”
Baek Uihyeon, who had stepped back, was holding Yu Haneul’s watch. Baek Uihyeon brought it against his own watch and continued light manipulations.
“What, what are you doing? What are you doing with my watch?”
“I’ve received the last normal coordinates and voice data.”
At the mention of voice data, Yu Haneul’s complexion turned pale.
“Why are you listening to someone else’s voice?”
“In emergency situations, reviewing watch records is legal.”
Even if it were illegal, he wouldn’t have hesitated in a situation where Han Seoha’s safety was at stake.
“Jaegeon hyung, is this okay? I’m an A-rank Guide—what about my human rights?”
“Do you really have to listen to that? Even if you do, go inside and listen to it separately.”
As the anxious Yu Haneul clung to him, Ryu Jaegeon also judged that they had to prevent even the self-harm incident from being revealed. When Baek Uihyeon manipulated the watch without paying attention, the anxious Yu Haneul stuck his hand into his bag. The instructor who had been hovering around was flustered by the escape stone held in his hand.
“Huh? If you grip the escape stone that hard, it’ll activate. Put it back.”
Despite the instructor’s shout, Yu Haneul used the escape stone without hesitation. At the same time, Yu Haneul’s surroundings became blurry and he disappeared without a trace.
“That’s so valuable, and he—!”
“What? Did he really use it?”
“Wow, escape stones really are fast. So that’s why they’re expensive.”
“Still, we’re at base camp—why would he use that?”
The price aside, everyone was dumbfounded by Yu Haneul’s immature action of using the valuable escape stone at the entrance of the gate. Baek Uihyeon, who paid no attention to that side, activated the copied voice data.
— Aah! Help me! Pull me up!
— Please save me!
Mixed with the rough, tearing screams unbelievable for Yu Haneul was Han Seoha’s voice gently persuading him.
— See the vine next to you? Grab that and climb up.
— I can’t. Don’t let go!
— I won’t let go.
— Fuck, if you let go, I’ll kill you.
— I won’t let go even if I die.
— How can I believe that?
“Wow, his character… oops.”
Several people nodded in agreement with someone’s muttering.
— Listen without being surprised. I think Jaegeon is here.
— Don’t try anything.
— Jaegeon can’t see here.
— Liar. You’re trying to let go of me, aren’t you?
— Please stay calm. Absolutely don’t make noise. Look down.
From Yu Haneul’s reaction of swallowing his breath, they could tell he’d seen something and was surprised.
— Yu Haneul-nim, I’ll call for Jaegeon.
— What? Then the vines will…
— Yes, the vines will grab me. It’s okay, Yu Haneul-nim. The vines don’t harm people. They just react to noise and drag you.
— You’ll save me and get dragged away yourself? Why?
— Because you’re Jaegeon’s Guide.
Base camp became quiet and even the watch sound stopped. Along with Yu Haneul’s rough breathing, only Han Seoha’s sincere voice flowed out gently.
— I’m sorry. For treating you like Jaegeon’s spare life.
The small whispering voice burst out loudly as if having steeled his resolve.
— Jaegeon, I’m here!
— Aaaah!
Ryu Jaegeon covered Baek Uihyeon’s watch with his hand. There was nothing good about revealing what came after. Baek Uihyeon also stopped the watch audio as if there was no need to listen further.
“Was it the mottled vines that dragged away Seoha-ssi?”
“Black vines.”
The darker the vine’s color, the more sensitive to noise and the more violent the reaction. There were countless cases of people being injured from being dragged roughly.
“…And you left him there?”
At Baek Uihyeon’s question, who until now hadn’t forgotten to use honorifics, Ryu Jaegeon checked the shared watch coordinates and then took the lead. Baek Uihyeon gave up on the back-and-forth with the Association over Jeong Iro’s gate joining approval still not coming through. He had obtained all the basic information he needed, so he would just move directly.
Having made his decision, Baek Uihyeon instantly passed Ryu Jaegeon and rushed into the collapse area.
***
Han Seoha, who had truly been asleep, felt the quiet black room become noisy. Rather than noise, it was the small sound of vines moving and brushing. The light movement at the level of rustling past his arm gradually became intense and then rapidly headed somewhere. Thanks to this, items and magic stones rolled around here and there, hit by the vines. At this, Han Seoha crawled to a deeper place where there was less vine movement.
Seeing the unusually fast movement, noise must have occurred at a very close location.
If Jeong Iro had joined, he would have come straight here, so it’s either Ryu Jaegeon or Baek Uihyeon.
Seeing that there was no acrid smell or the severed vines weren’t burning up, it wasn’t Ryu Jaegeon either. As expected, was Baek Uihyeon the best alternative for Han Seoha right now?
If only he weren’t S-rank, he’d be useful.
Or not? Lately, guiding has been manageable too. The pain was a symptom that came from being sensitive due to his guiding energy being drained to the bottom, so time would resolve it.
Scrape.
As if someone had made a cut with a knife, the darkness was sliced away. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the light. The footsteps that followed were several, but among them, one presence hurriedly approaching was clear.
The fragrance he’d become familiar with from guiding every day came rushing first, and he was embraced by warm, solid arms and lifted into the air.
“Seoha-ssi.”
As expected, it was Baek Uihyeon. He buried his face in that embrace and pulled him by the neck. The waves that came through the hand touching his nape led to throbbing pain. Probably Baek Uihyeon had been feeling even more pain than this. It was a bit funny that Baek Uihyeon wasn’t suffering but Han Seoha was, so he revealed it.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because I thought… you really are a hero.”
“Am I your hero?”
At the voice that somehow felt choked up, Han Seoha pushed up his heavy eyelids.
What is this? Why is he looking at Han Seoha with such resentful eyes?
No. Rather than resentment, it was a somewhat different emotion. A distant emotion he’d definitely seen sometime before, but he couldn’t think of it at all.
Baek Uihyeon’s insides churned as he looked at Han Seoha, who was so exhausted from sleep that he couldn’t even open his eyes properly. The place where the black vine roots converged was full of magic stones left by the deaths of magic beasts. He couldn’t be in his right mind seeing Han Seoha, who had slept safely rather than resisting, in a place where numerous magic beasts had been dragged in and made a fuss before ultimately meeting their deaths because their bindings weren’t released. He couldn’t just watch the gentle Guide who, with his whole body scraped against the cave’s rough walls and even his fingernails stained with blood, called him a hero.
Because he was pitiful and lovable. Because he didn’t know what to call this emotion at all.
Just at this moment, he wanted to protect this person more than the thirst arising from lack of guiding and his body burning up.
