“Ha.”
Kang Taejun fell silent for a moment, staring intently into Park Shinui’s eyes. Possessing abilities beyond specifications that modern science could never quantify, he demonstrated overwhelming power not only in combat but in various fields.
Mental abilities were also one of them. If used against people rather than monsters, it left fatal mental damage, but if he wished, he could look into someone’s mind in detail. Park Shinui was no exception to this.
Yet since the day of the bonding ceremony, he couldn’t read his thoughts at all. Far from being readable, he only chose to say completely unpredictable things, making it difficult to even guess his inner thoughts.
Could this terrible drug addict, who had acted as if sex was all he wanted from him, have become a completely different person overnight? Now even the absurd statement about going to the battlefield was reaching him as sincere.
“I’m sorry, but.”
Kang Taejun, frowning deeply, took a step closer to Park Shinui. Then he bent at the waist and fixed his firm gaze on those black pupils. Even if those words were sincere, so what? There could be no more meaningless waste of time than worrying about and being curious about the existence called Park Shinui.
While it was true that the being before his eyes was quite irritating, right now the duty to protect the nation from monsters was far more weighty than the Guide’s well-being.
“I’ll refuse that from this side.”
Kang Taejun, who had stopped at a close enough distance for his breath to touch his ear, tilted his head at an angle. Park Shinui’s upper body tensed tightly under the overwhelming pressure. His body stiffened as he rolled only his eyes to stare at him.
“I don’t know what scheme you’re speaking with, but you just need to fulfill your role as a Guide.”
A subtle sarcasm mixed into Kang Taejun’s sunken voice. Even though their skin wasn’t in direct contact, just Park Shinui being in close proximity made the blood in his veins pulse rapidly. The sensation left by last night’s Guiding suddenly arose, brushing past his lower abdomen.
“With F-rank physical abilities, you can’t endure even a D-rank Gate. Moreover, didn’t Park Shinui-ssi say you don’t even know how to Guide?”
“Kang Taejun-ssi.”
As if he hadn’t expected to be rejected so flatly, Park Shinui’s ears flushed red. Kang Taejun’s gaze fixed momentarily on that redness. If he bit into that flesh hard, would this unpleasant pain pooled deep inside his body disappear again?
Just by overlapping bodies with Park Shinui once, Kang Taejun’s condition had recovered remarkably. The contamination rate that had fluctuated above 90% instantly dropped below 80%, and the pain that had felt like blades cutting through his entire body also eased considerably. Was it cunning to say humans were fickle? The sweetness of Guiding tasted once was hardly forgotten.
If he touched Park Shinui, if he was together with Park Shinui, the yearning that the pain clinging like a chronic condition might decrease a bit more slowly eroded his mind.
Even so, Park Shinui was still looking up at him directly. There was no sign of backing down. Kang Taejun lowered his voice to the fullest and added a cruel remark.
“I’m saying we should each be faithful only to what we need to do. Spreading your legs obediently when I want—that’s not such a difficult thing, is it?”
So even if Park Shinui sincerely wanted to go to the battlefield, this side was refusing. Rather, if anything was fortunate, it was that he had a frail body far from combat. What if he went to the battlefield with some half-baked grade and died meaninglessly? If that happened, the regretful one would be this side instead.
“I’ll receive training.”
Park Shinui bit down hard on his lower lip and glared up. His gaze, unable to hide his displeasure, blazed fiercely as if he’d received a tremendous insult from Kang Taejun’s words.
“Training?”
“Other Guides don’t go straight to the battlefield as soon as they manifest either. Everyone starts with training.”
“That’s when they’re at least C-rank or above. All of the Center’s manuals are set that way.”
Kang Taejun spoke decisively while straightening his upper body, as if he had explained enough. Not much time had passed, so he needed to head to the Gate site before delaying further.
“I’ll still receive it. I can receive it.”
As Kang Taejun showed real signs of leaving, Park Shinui urgently intercepted.
“That’s enough.”
“If I receive training, it will definitely be different.”
“The moment you’re exposed to Gate wavelengths, it’s over right there. I’m saying you’ll already be a person of the next world before you can do anything.”
“Still…”
“Why exactly are you being so pointlessly stubborn?”
“Well…”
Park Shinui opened his mouth then closed it, and once again glared at him fiercely. Kang Taejun was genuinely bewildered this time.
“Well… it’s because I want to go into combat with Kang Taejun-ssi.”
And then such words came out. Park Shinui scratched the back of his neck as if he couldn’t bear how embarrassing it was even after saying it with his own mouth. It was hard to tell who should be disgusted with whom.
“That’s enough, so if the tests are over, go home. Anyway, there’s nothing for Park Shinui-ssi to do even if you come to work at the Center.”
Kang Taejun suddenly wondered why on earth he was wasting time having this squabble with Park Shinui. Even if it was B-rank, it was still a situation where a Gate had opened. It wasn’t a conversation valuable enough to have while postponing deployment like this.
“Why? Why is there nothing to do?”
Park Shinui bristled and talked back again. His expression, changing moment by moment, was far more varied and vivid than when he acted in the past.
“Didn’t you read the test results just now?”
“Do you mean the results showing my physical abilities are F-rank? Or the results showing my Guiding ability is S+ grade?”
“I mean the results showing that S+ grade applies only to me.”
“What?”
Park Shinui’s eyes widened as if hearing this for the first time. Kang Taejun unconsciously put strength into the corners of his mouth, which wanted to laugh, and composed his expression. If he didn’t know, it was a fact he didn’t particularly want to tell him, but it also didn’t suit his nature to pettily hide it. The time spent without a Guide hadn’t been unbearably terrible either, and he had even less intention of letting Park Shinui use this fact to manipulate him.
“Park Shinui-ssi’s S+ grade Guiding ability applies only to me.”
“So what?”
“……”
“Why is that?”
Had Park Shinui always been this good at acting? Or had he really become an idiot after losing his memory? Kang Taejun stared at him as if speechless.
“That’s why I’m saying there’s nothing to do even if you come to the Center. You can’t Guide other Espers anyway.”
“Ah…”
“Do you understand now?”
“I still want to come to work at the Center. And I’ll receive training too.”
Watching Park Shinui stubbornly insist to the end, whether it was to preserve his pride or what, Kang Taejun shook his head. Strangely, though they’d only exchanged a few words, fatigue washed over him as if he’d fought an intense battle.
“Do as you please. I don’t know what will change from receiving training. At least your stamina to endure when Guiding will improve.”
Kang Taejun, spitting out his words sarcastically, strode toward the door. The higher-ups who had been holding their breath and eavesdropping on the two’s conversation moved their bodies sneakily toward Park Shinui as if this was their chance. When Kang Taejun turned his cold gaze sharply to glare at them, they flinched and stopped, and leaving them behind, he exited the room.
BANG―!
When Kang Taejun used his ability to close the door, silence instantly enveloped the corridor. Hoo. He exhaled and checked his wristwatch. At that moment, Park Shinui’s voice flowed out from inside the door as he began asking the examiner something.
― Is it really true I can only Guide Kang Taejun-ssi?
― Unfortunately, yes.
― That’s quite fortunate.
― Fortunate? Just a moment ago…
― And they say my grade is as high as S+.
― But the problem is your physical abilities are also F-rank.
― Still, it means my Guiding will continue to help Kang Taejun-ssi.
― Yes, well, that’s right.
― Honestly, Kang Taejun-ssi has a somewhat bad personality, no promise, speaks harshly, and has many unsavory aspects in various ways… but still, he’s saved people all this time, protected the country, and done a lot of good work. It’s fortunate that such a person can now receive proper Guiding. Don’t you think?
― …….
― He must have had a hard time all this while.
― Esper Kang Taejun isn’t someone who obsesses over Guiding to that degree, but… he must have had it hard.
― So, about that, the physical abilities might have been measured wrong. I may not look it, but I’m a certified 4th-degree black belt in taekwondo and have won several gold medals.
― Taekwon… what’s that?
― Taekwondo. You don’t know? How can you not know taekwondo?
― I’m hearing it for the first time.
― Yap! It’s done like this. I’ll show you.
― Park Shinui-ssi, wait a moment!
“Taekwondo?”
“Yes?”
“Do you know what taekwondo is?”
“Well… it’s the first time I’m hearing that word.”
“I don’t know either.”
“What?”
“But Park Shinui-ssi seems to know very well what it is.”
At Kang Taejun’s strange tone, the person in front made an expression not knowing what to say.
“Let’s go.”
Leaving behind his flustered subordinate, Kang Taejun took the lead and walked. By the time they arrived at the Gate anyway, the situation would be over, but it was his duty to make a final confirmation of the site.
Kang Taejun stood in front of the elevator and waited for his subordinate. Thump, thump. As the sound of dress shoe heels hitting the floor echoed, Park Shinui’s voice gradually faded.
For some reason, he felt a little regretful that the voice was growing distant.
