Come to think of it, he read my memories last time.
Even with the system blocking it, he’d managed to read memories during Guiding and had barely caught a single word — “Langford.” And he’d held onto that, then went and looked up where the word appeared. His tenacity was something else.
“So you read that kind of novel.”
“What’s it to you.”
In a world where people of the same sex biting, sucking, and clinging to each other was perfectly normal, reading a gay novel wasn’t particularly embarrassing. Whether the author was a Guide or an Esper, the Guiding scenes were written with such expertise that Yujin had actually found it unexpectedly helpful. That was why he could be so unapologetic about it.
“Langford’s the villain, though. Do you like villains?”
“…You’re unusually talkative today.”
It was strange to see Lee Siyun talking nonstop the moment they met. Last time, he’d stubbornly refused to open his mouth on the grounds that he was trying telepathy. It was so absurd that Yujin kept letting out small, involuntary laughs.
“Just sit still and take your Guiding. Your readings are——, hm?”
Yujin had been speaking while habitually glancing at his watch when he stopped short. He narrowed his eyes as if doubting what he was seeing.
Lee Siyun was a mental-type Esper, and his Contamination level had always been maintained at a steady rate. Even at their first meeting it had been in the 50% range — a stable figure compared to other Espers.
But right now it had climbed past 60%. It was a far too steep rise in such a short period of time. Yujin fixed Lee Siyun with a suspicious look.
“Why is your level like this?”
“…….”
“Did you not use your ability?”
There was only one answer. Lee Siyun had deliberately refrained from using his ability and left his Contamination level to climb unchecked. A headache was already creeping in. Yujin pressed his thumb firmly against his forehead.
What on earth was he thinking. He wasn’t some problem child. Lee Siyun had his lips pressed shut in a way that felt almost defiant, and something cold radiated off him.
“Not going to answer? I asked why your level is like this.”
He pressed him, but Lee Siyun’s lips were sealed shut as if glued together and wouldn’t budge. Yujin finally gave up on getting a proper answer and let out a long sigh.
What could be going through that little head of his. Was this also him acting out because of some grudge against Yujin Langford? That seemed like the most likely reason. Yujin extended his hand.
“Just take your Guiding for now.”
“…Yes.”
Whether he still wanted the Guiding or not, Lee Siyun grabbed his hand without hesitation. It became even more baffling.
Either way, bringing down a Contamination level that had spiked this suddenly was going to take longer than usual. Fortunately, Min Jaeha wasn’t around. Otherwise he’d have been whining right beside him about how Yujin was Guiding another Esper longer than he Guided him. Just thinking about it was exhausting.
63%, 62%… the levels are dropping well.
The moment Guiding began, the numbers dropped steadily. As if the abnormally inflated levels were dissolving like foam. Yujin shot a suspicious glance at Lee Siyun.
Surely he hadn’t intentionally raised his levels rather than simply neglecting them. If he could lower his levels with his ability, that meant the reverse was equally possible. But he quickly dismissed that thought.
Surely not — even if someone had completely lost their mind, would an Esper deliberately raise their own levels? Even a slight increase was said to bring on side effects that were agonizing. Who would enjoy that kind of pain? As long as Lee Siyun wasn’t out of his mind, he wouldn’t do something like that.
“Ha…….”
A small sigh escaped Lee Siyun’s lips. It was plain to see that he was satisfied with the Guiding. Yujin looked down at Lee Siyun’s small hands.
Unlike the other team members who were combat-type Espers, Lee Siyun was on the smaller, slighter side. Even so, most Espers tended to develop physically — but not Lee Siyun. Being locked up in a research facility and experimented on since childhood probably had something to do with it.
And with that thought came a small wave of pity. Maybe it was because, unlike the other Espers, Lee Siyun looked so much like a child — it was hard to really say anything harsh to him. His defiance was still fairly minor, too. Yujin thought this and continued the Guiding.
“Do you feel sorry for me?”
“What?”
Lee Siyun asked out of nowhere. Yujin looked at him with wide eyes, then quickly furrowed his brow.
“Did you read my memories again?”
“They just kind of drifted in while I was being Guided…….”
“Ha…….”
Whether what Lee Siyun said was true or not wasn’t the point. Whether he was using his ability on purpose or not, having his memories glimpsed every time he Guided someone was a problem. Yujin let out a sigh and pulled his hand away.
“If you keep doing this, it’ll be hard to keep Guiding you.”
Yujin said it in a cold, level tone and crossed his arms. Lee Siyun’s dark eyes trembled faintly.
Lee Siyun’s ability was far more powerful than he’d anticipated. To be able to break through the system’s block and read memories — not a single mental-type Esper in the novel’s world had ever managed that.
He’d have to consider using the device during Guiding after all. Not Guiding Lee Siyun wasn’t an option — not with the quest on the line. Yujin turned it over in his mind for a moment.
“I was joking. I didn’t actually hear your thoughts.”
“What?”
“Really, I didn’t. I just guessed on my own.”
“Hmm…….”
Lee Siyun scrambled to explain himself. Yujin scrutinized him with sharp eyes. At least on the surface, the way he looked was desperate enough that you couldn’t tell he was lying. People tend to give themselves away when they lie, after all.
Whether it was acting or the truth, there was nothing to do for now but pretend not to know.
“Don’t ever make a joke like that again.”
“Yes.”
“Keep your answers short.”
“Yes.”
At least he answers well. Yujin clicked his tongue and took Lee Siyun’s hand again to continue Guiding. He was going to have to keep a close eye on Lee Siyun for a while. Yujin’s eyes narrowed.
2. Change
“God, I genuinely thought I was going to die today.”
“…….”
The moment Lee Siyun’s Guiding session ended, Min Jaeha came back. What had started as a gate that opened at dawn had taken until evening to close — a battle that stretched over twelve full hours. Thinking of it that way made Yujin feel a little sympathetic, so he decided to be generous.
“That did run unusually long today.”
“Right? Gate difficulty has been shooting up lately. Supposedly the grades are the same, though.”
“Hmm.”
Min Jaeha’s words made Yujin think of the system, which had been quiet recently. Since issuing the main quest, it had been completely silent. But the main quest being activated meant that, step by step, the path toward this world’s destruction had also begun to open.
In the original world too, the moment the quest was received, the gates had become more demanding without any change in grade, and Multi-layer Gates had started to appear. It seemed like this place was going to follow a similar trajectory.
Well, it’s still got nothing to do with me right now.
Gates were ultimately the Espers’ domain. In the novel’s world, when the Multi-layer Gate situation had grown severe and Espers faced the risk of going berserk inside them, Guides — including himself — had been deployed into the gates. And that had been in a place with a shortage of Guides and no Guiding medication either.
But that was all after things had gotten much, much worse. So even with signs of Multi-layer Gates appearing, Yujin remained unmoved. For now, all he had to do was keep Guiding his assigned Espers as the quest directed.
“Guide me, hurry up.”
“I know, stop rushing me.”
After Guiding a whining Min Jaeha who sounded like a small child, the day’s work was done. For a while it was a repetition of the same routine. Guiding and Guiding and more Guiding. With everyone except Kang Taejun, his relationships seemed to be getting along smoothly enough.
“You have a dinner appointment at the XX Hotel this evening.”
“Right.”
After arriving at the office in the morning and receiving his schedule update from Hayeong, he was reminded of today’s plans. That’s right — today was the day he was supposed to meet Kwon Seunghyeok. An offhand suggestion of getting together sometime had finally been turned into an actual appointment for today.
“Got it.”
“Um, do you need to be there on time?”
“I said I got it.”
Still seemingly unsure whether to trust him, Hayeong asked again several times. Yujin waved him off with an annoyed flick of his hand.
He was a little worried about how strained things had gotten between him and Kwon Seunghyeok, but he’d been diligently Guiding his assigned Espers, so surely he wouldn’t get chewed out too badly. Yujin finished up the day’s schedule with a fair amount of nerves.
“XX Hotel — isn’t that the most expensive hotel in the country?”
“Yeah, more or less.”
“I’m jealous. I want to eat there too.”
“Go when you’ve got a free slot.”
You’ve got plenty of money, what are you complaining about. Yujin grumbled as he glanced back at Min Jaeha, who was following him and clinging on. He’d firmly told him that there was no need for an escort outside the Center, yet he’d stubbornly tagged along anyway.
“That’s not fair. Couldn’t you at least invite me along at a time like this?”
“No.”
“Why not? It’d be like a meet-the-parents kind of vibe. Could be nice.”
“…….”
Is this guy out of his mind. Yujin stared him down with a deadpan expression. Min Jaeha, apparently sensing the charged atmosphere, backed down first.
“Fine, have a good time.”
“Hah…….”
Yujin shook his head and stepped outside the Center. He climbed into the car that had been waiting for him.
It felt like they’d barely set off when the hotel was already in sight. The moment he stepped out, someone bowed their head toward him.
“He’s waiting inside.”
“…Okay.”
It was one of Kwon Seunghyeok’s secretaries. They had met before, but it felt awkward to say it had been a while, so Yujin simply gave a slight nod. He followed the staff inside the hotel.
