# Chapter 7
“Is your condition okay?”
It’ll get better once we arrive.
Jiwon tried to keep his mind at ease as he asked. He was much different from how he used to be, and anyway, he was now Suhyun’s dedicated Guide, so he couldn’t guide other Espers.
Hmm. Thinking about it that way did make him feel a little better.
“……”
Jiwon glanced at Suhyun, who didn’t answer. Come to think of it, the irony wasn’t lost on him. His dedicated Esper didn’t want guiding from him, while other Espers were desperate for it.
“Are you not okay?”
“You can check for yourself.”
He could have just said he was fine, but instead he’s being curt and making the conversation longer.
Jiwon shrugged. He could check the wavelength with the watch on his wrist. But what he was curious about wasn’t the wavelength but Suhyun’s condition.
“I heard that today’s dungeon, even though it’s B-class, has a lot of monsters. So I’d appreciate if you didn’t push yourself too hard and just did what’s appropriate. If your stability was 100, that would be different, but now…”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will.”
Jiwon smiled lightly. It might seem like he was giving too much advice without ever having entered a dungeon himself, but he had good reason.
To put it crudely, they said he massacred monsters. He’d heard that other Espers who went in with him just had to stand around doing nothing.
How foolish. If this happened repeatedly, how would other Espers behave? Naturally, when entering dungeons with Suhyun, they’d stop thinking about fighting altogether. He was taking all the burden on himself.
“But you say you’ll handle it yourself, yet you’ve never done a good job of it, have you? Wouldn’t it be too upsetting if my S-class dedicated Esper’s wavelength is a mess after visiting a B-class dungeon?”
“Isn’t it the S-class Guide’s job to stabilize that wavelength?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“To me, it sounds like you’re saying you can’t guide me.”
Without understanding these deeper concerns, Suhyun continued to get on Jiwon’s nerves without hesitation.
Well, even if he did understand, he’d probably say he didn’t care.
“Your wavelength isn’t very good. I’ve guided you morning and evening for three full days, and it’s barely above 70. It should have been at least over 80.”
“That’s…”
“It’s not because my ability is lacking. It’s because you, Esper-nim, didn’t receive the guiding you should have for a long time, so your wavelength can’t easily find stability.”
Jiwon sharply cut off Suhyun’s words, who, unlike himself, seemed to have plenty of energy for arguing.
“Don’t rampage alone. I hear five Espers including yourself are entering this B-class dungeon.”
It seemed the other Espers were already used to following Suhyun around as if they were going for a walk. It was a bad sign. What if Suhyun got caught up in an accident like Russia’s Yenin…
‘There would be no solution.’
He could already envision the Espers in panic.
“Did you hear me?”
“I heard.”
Well… should he say thanks?
‘I wonder if I could slap him once to bring him to his senses.’
If he could just give him one slap on the cheek… well, the face might be too much… maybe on the arm or body… But it would probably just hurt himself more than anything.
“Haa…”
While having these useless thoughts, the car was already approaching the dungeon.
The barricade was gradually coming into view. Barricades were installed at 500 meters from the dungeon, and only ability users and Association officials could enter beyond that point.
Driving cars in was also prohibited, a rule that came about after one lacking Esper brought in a civilian friend claiming they were close.
Thanks to that, even ability users had to walk from here to the dungeon entrance.
“There are a lot of people…”
The area in front of the barricade was bustling. It was because of journalists who always waited for ability users, as well as regular people who came to see the ability users and the dungeon.
Why would they take such risks just to see something interesting? At 500 meters, there was still a possibility of getting caught in an accident, yet everyone seemed fearless.
It would be quicker for the Association to forcibly block them than for these people to develop caution… Hmm, they probably wouldn’t care about such things though.
“……”
“…Shall we go?”
They’d only take action after something happened. There would be no use in making suggestions.
“…Aren’t you getting out?”
As the car stopped, Jiwon grabbed the door handle to get out. But Suhyun wasn’t moving, lost in thought.
“What’s wrong? Don’t want to go to the dungeon?”
Now that he’s had a break, maybe he wants to rest more?
Though he knew that couldn’t be the case, Suhyun glared at Jiwon’s casual remark and opened the car door first.
Did he decide to ignore him because it was bothersome? Jiwon frowned as he followed Suhyun out of the car.
“Ahhhh! Seo Suhyun!”
“It’s Seo Suhyun!”
“Suhyun-ah! Seo Suhyun! Look over here!”
At that moment, voices loud enough to burst eardrums rang out. Jiwon, who had been looking somewhat displeased, widened his eyes in surprise at the sound.
He spotted people shouting at the top of their lungs, looking like they might climb over the barricade at any moment. All of them were calling out Suhyun’s name.
Jiwon looked at Suhyun with a curious expression. However, Suhyun was quickly leaving the scene, pretending not to see not only the people calling his name but even Jiwon himself.
‘What… is he embarrassed?’
The moment Jiwon had that thought, a smile spread across his face. It was a bit cute how Suhyun was clearly running away out of embarrassment.
It’s well-known that Espers’ popularity rivals that of celebrities. Especially Suhyun’s popularity, which couldn’t be compared to other Espers.
But he didn’t know there would be so many fans coming all the way to the dungeon.
“What is this? Are they all Esper Suhyun’s fans? Did they all gather here to see him?”
Having found something to tease Suhyun about, Jiwon’s eyes sparkled as he quickly caught up to him. A smile still lingered on his face, clearly enjoying the situation.
“Is it always this crowded when you come to the dungeon? Ah, it must be. There are even people holding placards.”
“…Let’s walk quietly.”
“Huh? Am I being loud? How softly do I need to speak?”
Jiwon giggled.
“Noona is about to awaken… I will become your dedicated Guide. Noona cares for you a lot, Suhyun-ah.”
“…Don’t read that.”
“I love you, Seo Suhyun.”
Annoyed by Jiwon, who was busy teasing him despite being told not to, Suhyun stopped in his tracks. Jiwon wasn’t the type to be flustered by such a reaction. He gestured at the placard he had just read and laughed.
“If she really awakens, I should probably give up my position to her, shouldn’t I?”
He could hand it over anytime if the matching rate was decent. Since Suhyun only acted nasty towards him, it would be a good outcome for everyone.
If such a thing actually happened, that is.
“This is fun…”
Jiwon shrugged. It was an interestingly peculiar sight—both Suhyun’s fans and Suhyun being embarrassed by them.
“But how do these people know to come here? Both the dungeon and the Espers entering it are not disclosed, right? Even we don’t know which Espers will come.”
Thanks to Suhyun, who started walking almost at a run as if he’d never stopped, the distance from the fans was increasing. But Jiwon’s interest was still fixed on them.
“Esper-nim, do you use social media? Do you report things like ‘I’m going to a dungeon in this area today,’ so your fans…”
“I don’t do such things. Just wait in the waiting room.”
Of course not. Jiwon knew that too.
He just wanted to tease Suhyun, who was acting embarrassed in a way that didn’t suit him.
Jiwon continued to observe Suhyun’s fans, ignoring Suhyun who was personally pointing to the Guide waiting tent. They were still looking at Suhyun with excitement.
“Shouldn’t you at least do some fan service? You didn’t even greet them.”
“If you want to do that, go do it yourself.”
“Huh? Should I go and say, ‘Hello, I’ve become Esper Seo Suhyun’s Guide’?”
“……”
“I won’t get stoned, will I? Since I took their place…”
“……”
“But I’ll give it up if they really awaken. Hmm… would that not work?”
Jiwon’s jokes continued endlessly. Finally, as if deciding to ignore him, Suhyun shut his mouth and turned his head away sharply.
Jiwon laughed out loud and opened his mouth. One verse wasn’t enough, and he was about to start a second.
“Oh? Who do we have here?”
But Jiwon’s mouth quickly shut at the sound of an unwelcome voice. His mood plummeted to the ground with surprising speed.
“Wow, it’s Guide Moon Jiwon! It’s been so long!”
An unpleasant voice was chattering about how good it was to see him, making Jiwon unable to manage his expression.
Jiwon slowly closed and opened his eyes, turning his head in the direction of the voice. An Esper was approaching leisurely from the front.
“It’s been about two years since we last met, right? Have you been well?”
What incredibly thick skin. Jiwon clenched his fist and stared at him.
‘Just stay still. I need guiding.’
The giggling laughter and the feeling of helplessness, of not being able to do anything, came back to him as if he had returned to that moment.
