# Chapter 80
“Yes.”
Since it was true that there was a connection, Jiwon nodded and sat down on the bed.
“Please sit.”
He then gestured toward the single armchair in his room. Suhyun, who had been leaning against the doorway until then, walked over with heavy steps and sat down on the sofa.
Despite living together for months, this was the first time he had sat on that sofa.
If Suhyun hadn’t gotten drunk and caused a scene before, he probably would never have entered this room. Just as Jiwon himself had never been inside Suhyun’s room.
“Are you going to terminate our exclusive contract?”
As if there was no time for idle thoughts, Suhyun asked as soon as he sat down. Jiwon immediately shook his head.
“I don’t plan to.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
At Suhyun’s question, Jiwon closed his mouth. When asked what he was worried about, he had no answer.
Jiwon had merely been recalling past events and trying to understand Jo Wooyeon’s feelings. And he had just been thinking that he shouldn’t dismiss his warning.
“Hah…”
But just now, he had told Suhyun that he had no intention of terminating their exclusive contract. Knowing it wasn’t what Suhyun wanted, he had immediately answered to avoid any misunderstanding.
What he thought had been time spent considering the warning and deliberating now seemed pointless.
“…I guess I wasn’t really worrying about anything.”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
While he believed he should heed Wooyeon’s words, part of him had already rationalized that since this didn’t happen to everyone, Suhyun would be able to avoid it too. Because he didn’t want to be separated from him, nor did he want to assign him another guide.
How dangerous and arrogant that thinking was.
“You know that Director Jo Wooyeon was injured from excessive guiding, right?”
Jiwon quickly opened his mouth before he could convince himself again that everything would be fine.
Suhyun needed to know that such a danger existed. If he knew, then Jiwon wouldn’t be able to act selfishly and follow his own desires.
“…Yes, I’ve heard.”
Suhyun raised an eyebrow as if the sudden topic was unexpected, then slowly answered.
“Then, do you know what happened to the esper that Director guided?”
Suhyun shook his head. Perhaps because it was such an old incident, he didn’t know.
“They went berserk and died.”
Jiwon took a deep breath and spoke deliberately.
“People determined that the esper suffered from ‘guiding rejection.'”
“…’Guiding rejection’?”
“Yes. It’s a phenomenon where an esper refuses guiding from anyone except a specific guide. Since it happens unconsciously, they become unable to receive guiding even when pushed to the brink of going berserk.”
“…”
“The cause of the phenomenon hasn’t been specifically identified yet. The fact that it doesn’t happen often has also made research more difficult. But if there’s one thing for certain…”
That the two ability users had been in love with each other. And…
“The esper had been limited to being guided by only one guide. One reason why espers can receive guiding from other guides even though exclusive contracts restrict guides to guiding only one esper is to prevent this.”
Guides who experienced such incidents commonly said they loved their espers. And the espers did not receive guiding from any guide other than that one.
Jiwon only told Suhyun about the latter. Jo Wooyeon had started worrying after discovering Jiwon’s feelings, but since Suhyun didn’t like him, this part wasn’t a concern.
If he had mentioned that both parties were in love when Suhyun had no feelings for him, Suhyun might have thought this wouldn’t happen to him either.
Although Suhyun wasn’t a careless person, it was unnecessary information to share.
“I’m worried that Esper Suhyun might become so accustomed to my guiding that you’ll start rejecting guiding from others.”
Jiwon barely managed to ignore the inner voice trying to convince himself that such a thing would never happen.
“So I’d like you to receive guiding from a new guide for a while.”
He hated it. Just thinking about it made him hate it. He hated even the thought of someone else’s fingertips touching him. He wished it wouldn’t happen. He wished he could be the only one to guide Suhyun.
“Well… I suppose it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. It would be good to think of it as having an assistant guide.”
But if he didn’t want to lose him to an unfortunate accident, this was something he had to accept.
“…When would this start?”
Suhyun, who had remained silent for a while, asked.
“Um…”
The Riska dungeon hadn’t appeared yet, and a guide was already prepared, so it would be best to start as soon as possible.
Knowing this, but perhaps because he was reluctant, his lips wouldn’t part readily.
“As soon as possible…”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want that.”
Just as Jiwon finally managed to speak, Suhyun’s sharp words made him close his mouth again.
“I agree that it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. But I don’t want to right now.”
“…”
“Perhaps after the Riska dungeon is resolved.”
After briefly feeling childishly relieved at Suhyun’s refusal, Jiwon could only shake his head.
The Riska dungeon was a problem with no known resolution timeline, to the point where pessimistic speculations abounded that it might never be solved.
Suhyun was the only esper unaffected by Riska, yet Riska dungeons were appearing all over the world. Unless Suhyun could teleport, and even if he could, he couldn’t solve this alone.
That was why everyone placed their hopes on Jiwon rather than Suhyun.
“…Isn’t that too vague?”
Talking about after the Riska dungeon was resolved felt like saying he would never receive guiding from another guide, so Jiwon smiled and asked.
“…I’m not sure.”
Suhyun sighed as if frustrated and replied.
“I question whether a backup guide is really necessary in the first place.”
“…”
“Is ‘guiding rejection’ just an excuse? Are you trying to make me interact with another guide like this and then terminate our exclusive contract?”
Jiwon’s eyes widened.
He was thinking something completely different from what Jiwon had anticipated—that Suhyun might doubt whether the rejection phenomenon really existed.
“No. I’ve never thought that.”
Even if a situation arose where he had to, he had no intention of terminating the exclusive contract. He didn’t want to.
“Yes. I don’t think you would have. But the Association might have, wouldn’t they?”
Suhyun nodded at Jiwon’s words but asked sharply.
Why was he thinking that? Was it because Jo Wooyeon had mentioned terminating the exclusive contract? But he had also been worried about rejection…
“Ever since you’ve been considered the key to resolving the Riska dungeon, dangerous situations keep happening.”
Before Jiwon could make any excuse, Suhyun continued.
“So before this dungeon is resolved, I don’t want another guide near you, assistant or otherwise.”
“…”
“So that you have no choice but to focus solely on me, and so I can watch over you closely.”
Suhyun’s tone remained calm throughout. But as Jiwon listened to his words, he found it increasingly difficult to maintain his own composure.
He had told Suhyun that guiding rejection could put him in danger, but Suhyun was actually worried about Jiwon. That’s why he didn’t want an assistant guide—so he could keep Jiwon close and watch over him.
Wondering if he was interpreting this favorably, Jiwon went over it several times but came to the same conclusion.
Suhyun was worried about him being in danger and wanted to keep him as close as possible, just like now.
“Umm…”
Jiwon’s gaze fell. The white sheet was all crumpled up. He had been gripping it tightly without realizing.
“I can’t trust the Association. The same goes for Director Jo Wooyeon.”
Suhyun seemed to be trying to convince Jiwon. But Jiwon couldn’t quietly listen to him say he couldn’t trust Wooyeon.
“The Director…”
Wooyeon was one of the most trustworthy people to Jiwon. He didn’t want him to be misunderstood.
“He’s worried about us.”
“Yes, I know.”
Suhyun plainly acknowledged it, but the atmosphere remained rather sharp.
“But the Director has never once mentioned guiding rejection. If he was already aware of it, he should have looked into countermeasures long ago.”
“The Association…”
“They simply didn’t handle it, but they didn’t prevent it from being handled. Director has worked at the Association all along. He was in a position where he could have checked at least once whether they were properly finding guides or conducting their examinations.”
Jiwon was at a loss for words.
If receiving guiding from only one guide was a problem, Wooyeon would have been the one to work hardest to find another guide.
But as Suhyun said, he had never even mentioned it once. Only after noticing Jiwon’s feelings did he suddenly become alarmed.
He probably thought Jiwon would never develop feelings for Suhyun. Just as Jiwon himself had thought.
“Isn’t this a scheme to assign me a guide who happens to have a matching rate, terminate my exclusive contract with Guide Jiwon, and then make you guide multiple espers under the pretext of resolving the Riska dungeon?”
Jiwon gave no answer.
Not because Suhyun’s logic was convincing, but because the concern for him that had seeped between those somewhat sharp questions felt so vivid that heat rose to his face and his heartbeat began to quicken.
