Min Jaeha’s suggestion left Yujin dumbfounded. Beat who up, exactly? Did he want two S-rank Espers fighting and bringing the whole center down? Yujin looked at Min Jaeha with a withering expression and answered.
“You just focus on doing your job as a guard properly.”
“Isn’t getting revenge on behalf of my client part of a guard’s job?”
“Don’t go adding weird duties on your own.”
“Aw, come on.”
Min Jaeha tried to be cute about it in response to Yujin’s scolding. Yujin, of course, watched him with an unamused look. Then he turned away.
“Leave Kang Taejun alone. Don’t pick a fight even if you run into him.”
“Hmm, that’s unexpected. I thought you’d be the first one telling me to go rough him up.”
“……”
Come to think of it — Yujin Langford would definitely not have let something like that slide. He was the type who needed to repay every slight he’d suffered at an Esper’s hands, and then some. If it had really been him, he’d probably have found a way by now to wedge Kang Taejun and Yu Haneul apart and torment them until they were on the verge of spiraling out of control. Because nothing was more agonizing for an Esper than that.
Min Jaeha also knew Yujin Langford’s personality, which was probably why he looked puzzled. Yujin mulled briefly over how to explain himself, then opened his mouth again.
“I’ll deal with Kang Taejun more decisively later.”
“More decisively?”
“Yeah.”
Yujin gave a vague nod. It probably sounded like an excuse, but he didn’t feel the need to elaborate. If reality was shaping up to resemble the novel, then Kang Taejun was going to get his comeuppance soon enough through the incoming Multi-layer Gate crisis.
He’d known from the very first time they met that Min Jaeha was watching him. The version of him that behaved differently from Yujin Langford must have seemed suspicious. Even now, Min Jaeha was prodding at him as if testing him, reading his reactions.
So what.
Either way, now that he was back in this body for good, there was no chance of switching with Yujin Langford again. If anything, the Yujin Langford that Min Jaeha and everyone else had known up until now was the fake — he was the real one. He’d have to play the part of Yujin Langford for a while yet, but there was no need to keep it up forever. With that thought, something in him felt a little lighter.
I’ll make that bastard Kang Taejun the very last one I Guide.
He’d assigned Yu Haneul to him, but with Yu Haneul’s Guiding energy as a D-rank Guide, he wouldn’t be able to properly Guide Kang Taejun. Yujin would drag out the Guiding until right before the quest deadline, cutting it as close as possible. With the Multi-layer Gate crisis on the horizon, Kang Taejun would be burning through his abilities at an insane rate and suffering from a constant lack of Guiding. Maybe then he’d come to appreciate — even slightly — just how valuable an S-rank Guide was.
That was how it always ended with S-rank Espers, after all. They’d kick up a fuss about not wanting his Guiding — and then later, without fail, they’d come back with their heads bowed. Kang Taejun would obviously end up the same way. Yujin let out a quiet scoff and got to his feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Time to head to the Guiding room.”
Yujin muttered, checking the time. Baek Dohun, knowing his personality, would arrive at the Guiding room right on time. So Yujin intended to be there when he showed up.
“Ugh, and here I was promised Guiding priority. Now I have to sit here watching you Guide some other Esper.”
“That’s your job.”
“That’s just cruel.”
Yujin headed to the Guiding room with Min Jaeha grumbling along behind him. This time Yujin was about two minutes late, and Baek Dohun had already arrived and was waiting.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
Baek Dohun, who had been seated, looked up. He studied Yujin and then Min Jaeha.
“……Are you alright?”
“Oh.”
Baek Dohun had been the one to step in when Kang Taejun caused all that chaos. More precisely, he had put a stop to things before a fight could break out between Kang Taejun and Min Jaeha, who had been trying to hold Kang Taejun back. Objectively speaking, the ability to subdue an S-rank Esper in a single move was genuinely impressive.
“Yes, I’m fine now. Thank you for helping me back then.”
“It was the obvious thing to do. Fighting between Espers is prohibited.”
Baek Dohun said matter-of-factly. Honestly, Yujin hadn’t expected Baek Dohun to ask after him. He’d figured someone who seemed fine on the surface wouldn’t bother with a show of concern. That was a little surprising.
“I’ll make sure to address this with Esper Kang Taejun on my end as well.”
“Well…… suit yourself.”
He seemed like someone with a strong sense of responsibility as Team Leader. Yujin acknowledged Baek Dohun’s response with a vague nod. Kang Taejun’s disciplinary matter was already being discussed with the Association anyway, so there wasn’t much more to say to Baek Dohun about it.
“Anyway, let’s get the Guiding done. It looks like your Contamination level has climbed again in the meantime.”
“……”
Baek Dohun had used his ability in a burst of force when subduing Kang Taejun and Min Jaeha. On top of that, his Contamination had already been elevated from the Gate mission prior. Exactly as much as it had been lowered last time.
Yujin forced a smile and extended his hand. This time, he intended to pour in more Guiding energy and bring the level down significantly.
“……And — I owe you an apology as well.”
“Pardon?”
And then, without warning, Baek Dohun lowered his head. Yujin stared at him in surprise.
“Looking back, I handled you carelessly as well. I’ve been reflecting on it.”
“……”
It was only after Baek Dohun apologized that Yujin recalled the incident where he’d gripped his shoulder hard. He had brought it up to the Center Director to make the case for having Min Jaeha as a guard — but truthfully, it hadn’t stayed strongly in his memory. What Kang Taejun had done was so much more of a shock.
On top of that, he hadn’t anticipated Baek Dohun apologizing like this, which surprised him. Even the male lead Esper characters in the novel’s world had eventually reflected and apologized for treating him carelessly — but only after sustained Guiding over a long period. Not a single one of them had acknowledged their own wrongdoing as quickly as Baek Dohun.
He seems like someone who holds himself to a rigidly strict standard.
Whatever Yujin Langford may have done, violence could never be justified. Even if Yujin Langford had done plenty of awful things, he hadn’t exactly committed any crimes.
And beyond that, an Esper using physical force against a Guide was legally a serious offense. No matter how disoriented Baek Dohun might have been receiving his very first Guiding session, it had been something he shouldn’t have done.
Whether the sight of what Kang Taejun had done prompted a belated moment of reflection, or whether this was genuinely what Baek Dohun thought — Yujin didn’t know. But the straightforwardness of the apology didn’t sit badly with him. Yujin let out a small smile and spoke.
“I’m glad to hear you’ve been reflecting. I hope nothing like that happens again.”
“I’ll be careful.”
It seemed like Baek Dohun might actually be someone he could talk to. Since Yujin Langford had been particularly fixated on him, Yujin had privately been unsure whether the dynamic could improve even with continued Guiding — but it seemed the incident with Kang Taejun had produced an unexpected outcome.
“Then I’ll begin the Guiding.”
Feeling satisfied, Yujin took hold of Baek Dohun’s cool, large hand and began moving his Guiding energy. He carefully traced and soothed the unusually irregular fluctuations.
“Ngh……”
As if the Guiding was difficult to bear again this time, Baek Dohun clenched his jaw. Stifled moans seeped out from between his teeth in small increments. Yujin’s gaze stayed fixed on the watch displaying the Contamination level.
The numbers are dropping smoothly.
The effectiveness of Guiding was also influenced by the feelings between an Esper and a Guide. The closer and more intimate the two were, the higher the effectiveness. That was why things like Attunement and Imprinting produced such powerful results.
Leyan — the main love interest of the original novel — was a D-rank Guide, and yet she had been able to Guide S-rank Espers. It wasn’t only because of her high match rate. The deep resonance between Leyan and the Espers, along with Imprinting, had a significant influence — pushing the Guiding efficiency to its absolute limit. Almost like the Guiding of an S-rank Guide.
Baek Dohun’s apology was perhaps proof that his mental state had stabilized compared to before. The Guiding felt noticeably smoother than last time. Yujin soon pulled his hand away, a satisfied look on his face.
“That’ll do for today.”
“……You’re stopping already?”
Glancing over, Yujin noticed that Baek Dohun’s eyes had gone slightly glassy. Speaking through half-lidded eyes, there was something languid about him. Yujin pointedly looked away from Baek Dohun, who was radiating an indescribable sensuality, and continued.
“Pushing further than this would only backfire.”
Yujin said with certainty. To S-rank Espers, his Guiding was like a drug. The kind you couldn’t stop once you’d been drawn in.
But pouring too much Guiding into Espers who had been suffering from a prolonged lack of it — especially in the early stages — was actually dangerous. Through his accumulated experience, Yujin knew precisely when to give and when to stop.
“……Alright.”
His expression wasn’t entirely convinced, but Baek Dohun gave a reluctant nod as if accepting there was nothing to be done. That he stepped back this cleanly again was unexpected. In situations like this, there were many Espers who clung on insistently, wanting more.
“I’ll see you next time, then.”
“Yes, have a good rest.”
Baek Dohun walked out of the Guiding room with the same composed, measured gait as always. Though, just before he left, he flicked a glance at Min Jaeha standing behind Yujin — for some reason. He said nothing, however, and quickly looked away.
“My turn now, right?”
“Oh……”
The moment Baek Dohun stepped out of the Guiding room, Min Jaeha spoke up. Yujin turned and looked at him, then gave an easy nod. Guiding Min Jaeha as much as he wanted had been part of the arrangement.
He’d been a little worried about Baek Dohun, but since he’d been unexpectedly cooperative, there was now a faint twinge of anticlimax about having made Min Jaeha his guard — still, there was no telling what might come next. Yujin had Min Jaeha sit across from him and extended his hand again.
He’d planned to place his hand on top of Min Jaeha’s once Min Jaeha extended his arm. That was how he’d just done it with Baek Dohun.
But Min Jaeha didn’t place his hand on the table. Instead he reached out directly and snatched Yujin’s hand, which had been hovering in the air between them. Then, smoothly and without missing a beat, he laced their fingers together. Yujin frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“Something pretty.”
“……”
Saying that, Min Jaeha curved his eyes into a smile. Yujin stared at him in speechless disbelief.
