“Actually, Team Leader Baek Dohun once laid his hands on me as well.”
“What?”
The Center Director startled at those words, eyes going wide. He asked again as though he couldn’t believe it.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
The Center Director was already well acquainted with Kang Taejun’s temper, but it seemed the idea that Baek Dohun could have done the same thing had never crossed his mind at all. Given Baek Dohun’s composed, disciplined image, that was to be expected.
But there was evidence on Yujin’s side. There was Hayeong’s testimony, and the Guiding room had CCTV installed specifically for Guide protection. The Center Director, apparently concluding that Yujin had no reason to lie, soon let his expression fall into a somber one.
“For what it’s worth, I carried out the Guiding faithfully.”
“Phew — alright. I’ll look into filing a complaint about Team Leader Baek Dohun as well.”
“Rather than disciplinary action, I’d prefer to be protected through other means.”
“Ah, right. I was already thinking of assigning a guard — I was just about to pull up profiles……”
It seemed the Center Director had been thinking along similar lines, likely concerned for Yujin’s safety in light of recent events. Yujin turned his head and gave a small nod toward Min Jaeha. Min Jaeha stepped smoothly forward and spoke.
“Would I be allowed to put myself forward as that guard?”
“Hm?”
Only then did the Center Director’s eyes move to Min Jaeha. He seemed not to have even noticed Min Jaeha had come along. His eyes went round.
“Esper Min Jaeha — you?”
“Yes!”
The Center Director couldn’t hide his look of difficulty. Redirecting a precious S-rank Esper to a bodyguard assignment would not sit well with the military.
“What if he enters Gates with me, but is exempt from all other assignments in exchange for staying by my side? S-rank Espers don’t strictly need to be deployed for anything outside of Gates anyway.”
“Ah, well, if it’s just Gates……”
That must have been enough negotiating room to work with the military, because the Center Director gave a nod at Yujin’s explanation. Still, he eyed Min Jaeha with a look of lingering uncertainty.
“But why would you……? Were you close with Team Leader Kwon?”
“Ha, hardly.”
Min Jaeha laughed and shook his head openly. Yujin, too, would not have felt particularly pleased if Min Jaeha had brazenly lied in a situation like this.
“Team Leader Kwon promised me Guiding priority.”
“Guiding priority?”
“Yes!”
Having heard Min Jaeha’s explanation, the Center Director looked as though his questions were now answered, his expression relaxing slightly. He muttered quietly.
“Right, well — it’s a real relief to hear he’ll actually be doing his job from now on……”
“……”
Whether it was because he’d been worn down by Yujin Langford for so long, there was even a touch of emotion in the Center Director’s voice. That seemed like enough for the conversation, and Yujin rose from his seat.
“Then please coordinate with the military and the Association and let me know.”
“Yes, of course. Rest well today.”
“Thank you.”
Yujin walked out of the Center Director’s office just like that. As the Center Director had said, he intended to rest to his heart’s content today. He’d leave the office repairs to Hayeong, and go straight back to his quarters.
“……Why do you keep following me?”
But as he neared his quarters, there was someone getting on his nerves. Min Jaeha. They’d had a short Guiding session, and the guard matter had already been discussed with the Center Director — so why he was still trailing along was beyond Yujin. Yujin turned to look at him, exhaustion written plainly across his face.
“A guard is supposed to follow along — that’s the job.”
“It hasn’t been approved yet.”
“It’s probably going to be, though.”
“……”
Min Jaeha smiled and said it plainly. Yujin also figured, based on the Center Director’s reaction, that the approval would go through without much trouble — but he had no desire to agree with Min Jaeha out loud. So what came out was a voice with a fairly sharp edge to it.
“Enough — just go. There’s no one else in this center going on a rampage like Kang Taejun.”
He waved his hand dismissively as if to shoo him away. But Min Jaeha still didn’t budge. He even reached out and caught Yujin’s wrist as it swung through the air. Yujin looked up at him in surprise.
“Your hand is trembling.”
“……”
“You were actually scared, weren’t you?”
Only then did Yujin look down at his own fingers, still held in Min Jaeha’s grip. The tips of his fingers were trembling faintly. Yujin clenched his teeth.
He’d nearly been killed by an S-rank Esper. Of course he wasn’t fine. Even if the physical pain had been healed, the shock to his mind wasn’t something that could fade so easily.
But so what?
Would lamenting and dragging it out change anything? It was far more productive to spend that time finding a way to protect himself. Here, he was completely on his own. No one knew that better than Yujin himself.
So there was no need to get choked up over something Min Jaeha said. Yujin knocked Min Jaeha’s arm away.
“Even so, it’s none of your business.”
He said it coldly and turned away. Fortunately, Min Jaeha didn’t follow after him. The Guide residential area was off-limits to Espers anyway — so maybe he’d snapped for nothing.
Ha, I don’t know anymore. I just want to rest.
Back in his quarters, Yujin collapsed onto the sofa. The moment he shut his eyes, sleep crashed over him. His body felt impossibly heavy.
And just like that, Yujin drifted off.
* * *
“I refuse to receive your Purification — it’s filthy!”
“……”
Yujin, who had been extending his hand, clenched it into a fist. He wanted nothing more than to smack the immature words right out of the third male lead’s head, but he couldn’t. Yujin slowly breathed in.
Since transmigrating into the novel, Yujin had been through situations like this more times than he could count. All of this was because of the original personality of Yujin Langford, the body’s previous owner. He could try to think about the feelings of the male leads who’d suffered under him……as if. He was just as annoyed.
“Then don’t receive it.”
“What?”
“Go outside the Empire and drop dead on your own when you spiral out of control.”
“W-what did you just……”
Having let loose every last bit of his irritation, Yujin left the third male lead trembling with fury and got up. What a sight — some well-bred noble who hadn’t been vaccinated against harsh words, getting rattled so easily. Yujin clicked his tongue and turned to walk back to his room.
“Damn it — if it weren’t for the quest!”
If it weren’t for the quest given to him by the System, he wouldn’t care one bit what happened to these insufferable male leads. But if the world collapsed, he — transmigrated into this body — would die right along with it. Back in his room, Yujin fumed and kicked the wall.
“Yujin.”
“……”
And immediately, a soft voice called his name. Yujin made a displeased face but turned around without protest. Standing there was a young boy who had just stepped into the room.
“……Your Highness.”
A boy with long, shimmering golden hair — like afternoon sunlight — walked toward Yujin. Yujin lowered his head in a bow.
Noel Kazar Fernando, Crown Prince of the Fernando Empire. No matter that Yujin Langford was the Empire’s only S-rank Guide and the heir to a ducal house — this was not someone he could treat carelessly.
“Did you get into it with Grand Duke Berta again?”
“That was — that bas— I mean, he started it……!”
At Noel’s question, something surged up from inside him again.
Grand Duke Berta — Wade Berta — was the one who had just hurled insults straight to Yujin’s face in the reception room. Every time he got furious, Yujin referred to him in his head not by name but as “the third male lead.”
“Calm down, Yujin.”
“……”
“Getting that worked up isn’t good for you either.”
Noel said gently and patted Yujin’s shoulder with a soft hand. Yujin was the Guide, and Noel was the Esper — so why was it that Noel’s touch brought him a sense of calm? Yujin pressed his lips together in a pout and, as if giving in, sank into the chair.
“Is your foot alright? You hit the wall pretty hard.”
“I’m fine.”
“Let me see.”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
He shook his head at Noel, who was fussing over him with careful attention. But he ended up having to wrangle with him for quite a while. Noel eventually pulled off the shoe Yujin was wearing, confirmed there wasn’t a single scratch on his foot, and only then let him go with a sigh of relief.
“Yujin, you know how it is. Grand Duke Berta has always had a difficult personality.”
Noel said in a gentle voice. Strangely, his voice had a way of settling the person he was speaking to. Yujin, who had been seething, let out a long breath.
“Yeah…… I know.”
“So don’t let it weigh on you. And don’t go hurting yourself over something like that.”
“No, that wasn’t——”
He’d been about to protest that it wasn’t self-harm — but when he met Noel’s eyes, the color of amethyst, the words somehow didn’t come. He briefly wondered if it was because of Noel’s high standing as Crown Prince, but for someone who had come from a country without nobles or royalty, that wasn’t something he felt all that keenly. Besides, Noel was so much younger than him. And yet, every so often, Noel left him at a loss.
“……Alright. I get it.”
With no other choice, Yujin relented and nodded again. It was less genuine reflection and more a quick surrender to move past the moment. But Noel simply delighted in Yujin’s compliance and broke into a wide smile.
“I’ll give the Grand Duke a stern talking-to as well, so don’t worry.”
“Yes — thank you.”
He was grateful for Noel’s consideration, but honestly he didn’t expect Wade’s attitude to actually improve. In the original story, he had been one of the male lead characters who harbored an extreme aversion to Yujin Langford. Yujin shook his head inwardly, expecting nothing in the way of a positive outcome.
……But why am I here?
And then, belatedly feeling a sense of wrongness, Yujin looked around him. And startled.
