“Next is room 1202. This room will be shared by Trainee Kim Yeoul, Trainee Yeo Jihu, and Trainee Cheon Woojin.”
“Yes! Understood.”
As soon as the commissioning ceremony ended, they were assigned rooms. Under Captain Lee Haejin’s command, the trainees who had been standing in a line entered the rooms three at a time. They were in dress uniforms, holding suitcases packed with belongings for the four-week stay.
Yeoul entered the room with a pounding heart, dragging his suitcase. It was a space with large windows that let in plenty of sunlight. On the right was a bunk bed, on the left a single bed, and in the corner were a small desk and chair.
There was even a veranda. It seemed like it would be nice to put a table out there and drink beer at night (if such a thing were allowed). Laundry would probably dry well too. Room 1202—somehow it felt good.
“Um… Hello. I’m Yeo Jihu.”
One of the roommates spoke to Yeoul and the other trainee who were awkwardly looking around the room.
“I’m eighteen years old, and… we’ll be sharing a room from now on, so please take care of me.”
“Hello. I’m Cheon Woojin and I’m twenty. My awakening was a bit late… I was dragged here suddenly while drinking at university.”
Laughter naturally burst out at Woojin’s joke-like words. Yeoul’s eyes lit up with delight.
“Ah, hello. I’m Kim Yeoul. I’m also twenty, and I came here while attending university.”
“Same age? Nice to meet you. Can we drop the formalities?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Woojin and Yeoul shook hands happily. They talked for a while about which schools they attended and what their majors were. After chatting for some time, Yeoul noticed Jihu’s face, which looked a bit intimidated. Yeoul carefully touched Jihu’s shoulder and laughed.
“We’re only a few years apart anyway, so let’s be comfortable with each other. In that spirit, Trainee Yeo Jihu, you choose your bed first.”
“Oh, how could I… You hyungs should choose first.”
“It’s okay. Be comfortable. We’re the same rank, same year anyway. Age doesn’t matter.”
Fortunately, Woojin also smiled with an easygoing face. Jihu’s face, which had been noticeably tense being squeezed between the older guys, relaxed in an instant. Yeoul felt good having met nice people.
With Woojin and Yeoul’s concession, Jihu decided to take the single bed alone. Instead, Yeoul and Woojin chose the desk first. They finished the pleasant arrangement and were unpacking their belongings while occasionally chatting.
―Delivery.
“…Huh?”
The doorbell rang. All three looked at each other with bewildered faces and shook their heads. Jihu, who was closest to the door, opened it and checked outside.
“Is this Kim Yeoul’s room?”
“Yes! That’s right.”
“Ah, yes. There’s a flower delivery for Kim Yeoul.”
“What…?”
This time Yeoul sprang up. Suddenly a flower delivery…? Who on earth? Maybe it was delivered to the wrong place.
He rushed out and saw an administrative staff member holding a flower basket. Yeoul quickly took the flower basket while bowing repeatedly. It was embarrassing, but as soon as he received it, his arm dropped down—it was a heavy and large basket.
When he entered with the flowers looking dumbfounded, the two trainees looked at Yeoul with admiring gazes.
“Wow… Yeoul, I respect you. Cool, my fellow trainee!”
“No, no, wait. It’s not like that.”
“Well, Yeoul hyung, you’re so handsome that I’m immediately convinced.”
“No, Jihu. I really don’t have anything like that. Who on earth sent this…?”
Leaving behind the two colleagues’ teasing mixed with envy, Yeoul found a note among the cluster of colorfully blooming flowers.
Could it be Mother or Father? It might be Aunt. With a pounding heart, he unfolded the card.
[Trainee Kim Yeoul.
Congratulations on your commissioning.]
Yeoul looked down at the note silently for a while. His chest felt stuffy enough that he even forgot to breathe for a moment. The sender’s name wasn’t written separately, but he could immediately tell that the neat and pleasing handwriting, like it was printed by a computer, belonged to the person he had long admired and liked.
“What is it, who is it? Isn’t it really a girlfriend?”
“Uh… just…”
Yeoul smiled awkwardly while looking at the trainees who were sneaking closer with curiosity. He carefully placed the flower basket on the desk and quietly looked at the flowers.
He took out his phone. After sending a message saying ‘Hyung, thank you. I received the flower basket well,’ he gazed at the flowers again. Then he took several photos and set the best one as his profile picture.
Looking at the flower buds boasting their freshness with water droplets beaded on each petal, Yeoul once again recalled Hyeseong’s touch as he pinned the rank insignia on his shoulders.
***
“Trainees, follow quickly. Over there, Trainee Cheon Woojin! Don’t fall behind and follow.”
“Huff, huff. Trainee Cheon Woojin! I will correct it.”
“Trainee Kim Yeoul, louder!”
“Trainee Kim Yeoul! I will correct it!”
It had already been three days since entering the training center.
The schedule was tighter than expected. In the morning, they ran laps around the track in the training center under the guise of physical training. After running ten laps around the enormously wide track, they ate breakfast and immediately began group strength training.
Guide trainees, whose fitness levels were no different from ordinary people, especially had a hard time enduring this time. Fortunately, they used a completely different training center from the Espers, who were overwhelmingly more physically developed.
After finishing morning training, it was lunchtime. The meals were excellent, almost at the level of a hotel buffet. After devouring the food with unprecedented appetite, theoretical classes began.
Basic knowledge about guiding, the properties of wavelengths classified differently according to Espers’ attributes, methods to efficiently calm the wavelengths of rampaging Espers, etc…
Their stomachs were full, the theory was unfamiliar, their minds were getting hazy in real-time… After listening to class while slapping their thighs, physical training continued again. Fortunately, afternoon training was conducted autonomously, but they all had to gather in the spacious gym to exercise, and instructors walked around doing attendance checks frequently, so they couldn’t skip it.
Doing exercise they hadn’t done before was so grueling. Every part of their bodies screamed, and their legs trembled so much that even going up and down stairs was difficult. It was even worse for Yeoul, who had always had a weak heart.
Yeoul had already received all the worry from Hyeseong and his parents before physical training. Worried that Hyeseong, who was an FM soldier, might get involved in his training (though he desperately wanted to believe that wouldn’t happen), Yeoul quickly made a preemptive move by rushing to the hospital he attended.
Only after getting a diagnosis from his attending physician that stated ‘he has recovered heart function to a level almost close to normal, so he can receive training as long as he doesn’t overdo it’ and presenting it did Kang Hyeseong nod. Having received this training after such twists and turns, he couldn’t collapse like this.
Was it yesterday? One trainee had bravely asked a question. Why do we have to do physical training to this extent when we’re Guides, not Espers? The instructor nodded, saying it was a good question.
“As the trainee’s question states, it’s the Espers who go out to the field and fight, but it’s us Guides who purify and correct their tangled and broken wavelengths. The grade determines to what extent you can accept the range of wavelengths, but within the given grade, it’s physical strength that maximizes the wavelength interpretation rate.”
In other words, if the grades divided into A, B, C, etc. are the size of the container, the efficiency of the ability to stabilize wavelengths within it is determined by physical strength.
Physical training can’t overcome the limits of a grade, but within the same grade, there’s a huge difference in wavelength stabilization ability between a weak Guide and a healthy Guide.
“Haa… haa… I wonder what grade I’ll be. I’m so curious. I hope it’s not D…”
Woojin, who was doing leg presses, panted and murmured like that. Yeoul, who was doing lat pulldowns next to him, also nodded while straining with a “Heup.” Jihu next to them also chimed in.
“I know… I wish the judgment day would come soon, but I’m also praying it won’t.”
“Me too. I’m so nervous. Please, C or B…”
Ability Security Bureau Guide trainees don’t get graded immediately after commissioning, but undergo the grade judgment ceremony after completing four weeks of basic physical training.
After that, they leave trainee status and are assigned as probationary Guides to teams appropriate for each grade to perform guiding duties. After safely completing the three-month probationary period, only then are they recognized as official Guides of each team.
‘I hope… I can become a great Guide and be assigned to an elite team.’
Yeoul renewed his secret wish with a pounding heart.
Elite teams meant Rescue Teams 1-3, which high-grade Espers belonged to. Among them, the most famous team was undoubtedly R1 Team, which Esper Kang Hyeseong belonged to.
They were truly the Republic of Korea’s frontline unit, protecting citizens’ safety by conquering the most dangerous gates that were generated.
Therefore, becoming a Guide belonging to an elite team meant being directly exposed to danger by going out to the field together. Thus, Guides’ preferences for it were also starkly divided.
Although you couldn’t just belong to an elite team because you wanted to, even high-grade Guides had more people who wanted to belong to Support Teams, which stayed at the center and did guiding upon receiving calls, rather than Rescue Teams that jumped directly into the battlefield.
However, Yeoul wanted to belong to a rescue team. That said, he didn’t even dare dream of R1 Team where Kang Hyeseong was. Only A-grade and above Guides could enter there.
Since all the Espers belonging to R1 Team were A-grade or above, Guides with grades below that would have a hard time enduring anyway.
It didn’t have to be an elite team. He just hoped he could work as a rescue team member. If he could save Espers on the verge of rampage while working in the field.
Yeoul’s wish originated from memories that had been engraved for a long time. The image of Kang Hyeseong, who had rampaged in grief over losing his father even after saving numerous citizens ten years ago, was still vivid in his heart.
