Of all things, what was framed was Yeoul’s elementary school graduation photo. As anyone would be, it was an unbearably embarrassing period to have on display on a desk like this.
Chubby cheeks that hadn’t fully lost their baby fat yet. An appearance still unable to escape being an elementary school kid. Unlike friends who had gone through puberty early and had lowered voices, it was a time when he alone had a high-pitched voice and squeaked. Even so, Kang Hyeseong had called him by embarrassing nicknames like chick or baby back then.
Where is there such a gross and big chick? Goosebumps rose all over. Why is he really keeping such an embarrassing photo here to look at… Should he ask him to remove the photo later?
Yeoul swept his burning face with his palm. He was embarrassed, but thinking about it again, he was also happy about the fact that Kang Hyeseong had placed his photo here. Putting these various complicated feelings behind him, he shifted his gaze. It was the last frame on the desk.
And at that moment, Yeoul quietly stopped breathing.
‘…Who is this?’
She seemed to be a colleague. The woman standing side by side with Kang Hyeseong in the photo. Seeing the combat uniform she wore and the insignia symbolizing she was a Guide, Yeoul immediately recalled what he’d heard from the Director earlier.
‘Except for one person.’
She had said that except for one person, all A-rank Guides hadn’t exceeded 40% in the matching rate test with Kang Hyeseong. That meant one person had exceeded it.
Then was this person Kang Hyeseong’s former dedicated Guide…?
The speculation that followed in a chain reached that conclusion. He was quietly staring at the photo with deeply sunken eyes when.
“Looking at photos?”
“Ah, mm-hm.”
Before he knew it, Kang Hyeseong had come right up to him. Yeoul was startled and put down the frame. His heart pounded for no reason like a child who had done something bad.
“……”
Hyeseong’s gaze stopped at the frame placed on the desk. His eyes looking down at the photo without a word were calm. Watching him naturally pick up the frame and put it back in its place, Yeoul swallowed. For some reason, he didn’t feel good.
Then Yeoul, who detected an unfamiliar smell in the air, unconsciously sniffed.
“But hyung, suddenly there’s some smell… a really bitter smell.”
“…Ah.”
Hyeseong trailed off unlike himself and raised his hand. Watching him discreetly cover his mouth with the back of his hand, Yeoul blinked. Did he gargle or something…? But is there even gargle with such a strong and bitter scent?
Then a presence was heard from the doorway. Seeing the shadows rushing in en masse, Yeoul straightened his back with a tense face.
“Oh! Peace!”
“Peace! Team Leader. Did you rest a bit? But who’s next to you…”
“Huh? The person we saw last time…!”
Meeting people he’d only seen on the internet in person felt like facing celebrities. Esper Seo Giwon, whom he’d exchanged greetings with last time, telekinesis-type Esper Jung Dasol standing beside him, and physical enhancement-type Esper Hyun Junho were faces well-known in the media.
“Peace! Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul.”
Yeoul saluted toward his seniors with a spirited expression. Their eyes widened, and their gazes soon turned toward Kang Hyeseong. Seeing the look that seemed to require an explanation, it seemed the news that he’d become an R1 team member as of yesterday hadn’t been conveyed yet.
“This is Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul. He’s an A-rank Guide and was assigned to our team as of yesterday.”
“A… A-rank Guide?!”
“Giwon, Junho, jackpot! You guys really congratulations!”
“Wow, shit. Working hard with all-nighters and staying up all night every day, such a blessing comes to me too…”
As soon as they heard the words A-rank Guide, chaos broke out. Hyun Junho covered his mouth with wide eyes, and Seo Giwon clasped his hands together as if receiving a deity. Jung Dasol patted their shoulders while offering congratulations.
However, the festive atmosphere was mercilessly interrupted by Kang Hyeseong’s next words.
“He’s my pair Guide.”
Even if someone had poured a bucket of cold water between them, the reaction wouldn’t have been like this. Their movements stopped all at once.
Jung Dasol’s jaw dropped open, Hyun Junho quietly raised his hand to pinch his own cheek, and Seo Giwon wore an expression of truly not understanding what was said.
“…Pardon?”
“Team Leader, did we… mishear?”
Questions rushed in one after another. Toward them wearing dumbfounded expressions, Kang Hyeseong declared in a concise and indifferent tone.
“Today, by the Director’s order, we completed the pair contract. So unless it’s an emergency situation in the field, refrain from receiving guiding from Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul. Also, guiding beyond hand guiding is prohibited. That’s all. Any questions?”
“…No! We understand clearly.”
“We’ll keep it in mind!”
They momentarily wore expressions as if the sky was falling, but that was brief. Soon seeing them answer with a spirited attitude, Yeoul gulped. Then Hyeseong gently patted Yeoul’s shoulder beside him.
“Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul, introduce yourself once.”
“Yes, understood.”
Yeoul reflexively produced a vigorous voice. His spine and buttocks naturally stiffened. Introducing himself in front of these formidable seniors made his mouth feel completely dry.
“Peace! Second! Lieutenant! Kim! Yeoul! As of yesterday, I received orders for assignment to Rescue 1 Team. From now on, I will do my best to assist the Team Leader and seniors! I look forward to working with you. …That is all!”
“Aww, so cute I could die. Please take care of us from now on, Second Lieutenant.”
“Just absolutely overflowing with fighting spirit. The best, the best.”
After squeezing out all the vigor he had to greet them, a slight twitch occurred at the corner of his mouth. Fortunately, everyone seemed to view him favorably. Everyone patted Yeoul’s shoulder with pleased expressions.
“And also… Team Leader.”
Esper Hyun Junho spoke hesitantly toward Kang Hyeseong.
“Congratulations on… forming a pair!”
“That’s right. Congratulations on getting a dedicated Guide.”
Seeing everyone compete to offer congratulations to Kang Hyeseong, it seemed the Director’s words about chronic guiding shortage were true. Yeoul looked at Kang Hyeseong with a slightly displeased feeling. Really, no matter what, I absolutely must check Kang Hyeseong’s wave level before today passes.
“Thanks. Then take your time talking and rest.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Kang Hyeseong prepared to leave the office right away, saying he had a team leader meeting. Before turning around, he briefly stroked Yeoul’s head.
“Be comfortable. Contact me if anything happens.”
Watching his receding back, his lips suddenly dried up, but Yeoul comforted himself not to act like a child. He can’t hold onto Kang Hyeseong’s coattails and follow only him around forever. It’s not like he came here for a tour.
The moment he turned his head toward the team members while completely tense like that, Yeoul couldn’t help but be bewildered. Because everyone looking at him wore expressions that were either dumbfounded, shocked, or disbelieving.
“Just now… you saw it, right?”
“Uh… I saw it.”
“That person who just said he’s going to a team leader meeting is our Captain… right?”
“It seems right… but it also seems wrong…”
Everyone was having an incomprehensible conversation while surrounding him. Soon they looked at him with extremely excited faces. Seeing the seniors’ eyes sparkling with curiosity, Yeoul once again clenched both fists tightly and aligned his body properly.
“We really, really have a lot we want to ask. Should we slowly get to know each other from now on?”
Esper Jung Dasol opened her mouth first. Her bulldozer-like momentum was indeed like the straightforward appearance she showed in the media.
“Now, first. How old is our Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul?”
“Twenty years old!”
“Totally a baby, a baby.”
When Yeoul answered vigorously with a trembling voice, everyone smiled pleasedly like fathers. Then Esper Seo Giwon opened his mouth with sparkling eyes.
“Can we call you a bit more comfortably among us? Excluding the Team Leader, team members tend to call each other comfortably.”
“Yes! Please call me however you’re comfortable!”
“Okay. I really like our Yeoul.”
“Honey. Why so much interest?”
Then a slender voice interjected from the side. She was the only woman with a slender build among the burly Espers. When she poked Jung Dasol’s side with her finger, Jung Dasol suddenly wore a flustered expression and politely clasped her hands together.
“Oh, how could that be? How could I dare when I have my Guide?”
“Wait a minute. But come to think of it, yesterday was the trainee evaluation ceremony, right? Did the Team Leader snatch him up as soon as he was evaluated as A-rank yesterday?”
“He acted really fast. Team Leader, nice.”
“Wow shit, Team 2 must be in chaos. They were desperate to take a Guide this time.”
They laughed heartily while talking. Then Seo Giwon stepped forward and clapped a couple times.
“Alright alright, let’s introduce ourselves to the newbie too.”
“Let’s do that.”
“We’ve met before, right? But introducing once more, as Yeoul knows, I’m Seo Giwon, and I’m an A-rank flame-type Esper. I’m twenty-five years old and… mm… working hard to find my dedicated Guide. I’m jealous of the Team Leader.”
Leaving behind him who made a cute crying gesture, this time Hyun Junho stepped forward. He was a bit shorter than Seo Giwon, but his bulging, burly muscles were unrivaled. He was indeed befitting of a physical enhancement Esper.
“I’m Hyun Junho, twenty-four. A-rank physical enhancement Esper. Let’s get along well from now on.”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you!”
“I’m Jung Dasol. Twenty-six, and an A-rank telekinesis-type Esper. And this is my dedicated Guide. Her name is Lee Bora, an A-rank Guide. She’s a senior Guide to Yeoul.”
“I look forward to working with you, senior!”
“Yeah yeah. Let’s get along well, us.”
Yeoul exchanged greetings with Esper Jung Dasol and Guide Lee Bora in turn. The R1 team members totaled nine people including Yeoul, but the remaining three were currently supporting Security Bureau-affiliated public safety Espers in the provinces and were dispatched when gates occurred in nearby areas.
Thus, the R1 team members who regularly commuted to the Security Bureau totaled six people including Yeoul. Being the only team composed entirely of A-rank and above, R1 was said to be operated as the most elite among the Rescue teams.
“Like the Team Leader said earlier, Yeoul doesn’t need to worry about us and just work hard guiding only the Team Leader. In fact, that alone is a huge, really huge mission…”
“Right. The Director must be having a party today?”
“I really can’t believe it. The Team Leader having a dedicated Guide.”
“I thought the Team Leader would never have a dedicated Guide for his whole life.”
The team members kept clicking their tongues and looking at Yeoul as if he were amazing. At the gaze that seemed to be viewing artifacts displayed in a museum, Yeoul felt embarrassed enough for his earlobes to burn.
