Kim Sowoon’s Esper—no, Jet—soon hoisted the Esper wrapped around the tree trunk onto his shoulder and vanished in an instant. To Lee Heewoo’s ordinary perspective, it looked like teleportation, disappearing in the blink of an eye, but Heichi added that it only seemed that way because Jet’s ability was high-speed movement.
“I see…”
He didn’t clearly understand the difference between high-speed movement and teleportation, but he nodded along with moderate comprehension. In truth, what was more important right now than that was the situation around them.
The vicinity was a mess because the tree trunk Esper had lost his reason and thrashed about wildly. Most of the people who had been nearby seemed to have evacuated as well—even though this was the middle of a bustling downtown street usually teeming with people, there wasn’t a soul in sight. When Heewoo looked around with a worried expression, Heichi spoke soothingly.
“Don’t worry, this is a problem within the expected range. It’ll be fine.”
Heichi acted nonchalant as if this sort of thing was nothing unusual. The asphalt had holes punched through it everywhere, and the hoods of about a dozen vehicles were crumpled like paper, yet he claimed they could resolve all of this. Did the aliens have enough money to handle something of this magnitude? Heewoo had such an idle thought.
It was when he was about to leave the scene, thinking it would look strange somehow to keep lingering there. Someone appeared on the street he’d thought didn’t have a soul in sight and smoothly approached the two of them.
“Um…”
It was Kim Sowoon.
Lee Heewoo didn’t know much about celebrities, but from overhearing people chattering when the crowd had gathered earlier, he knew this person was a celebrity. Seeing Kim Sowoon again up close, even with soot smudged on his face from rolling on the ground, his handsome appearance wasn’t ruined at all. No, rather it felt as natural as makeup for filming a movie.
“By any chance, are you a Guide?”
Kim Sowoon, who had approached, carefully asked while looking at Lee Heewoo, who was practically trapped in Heichi’s embrace. A moment of delight spread across Heewoo’s face, who knew from the series of events that Kim Sowoon was also aware of Guides.
Heewoo tapped on Heichi’s arm wrapped around his chest, conveying his intention to be released. However, however Heichi interpreted that intention, rather than releasing him, he pulled Heewoo into an even firmer embrace. Feeling awkward, Heewoo this time verbally asked Heichi for understanding and escaped from his hold.
Lee Heewoo, who hurried over to Kim Sowoon, spoke with a face that couldn’t hide his delight.
“Oh, yes, I’m… a Guide…!”
“Wow! You really are a Guide, you’re the first Guide I’ve seen besides myself!”
At Kim Sowoon’s friendly tone, Heewoo replied in an even brighter expression with a small “Me too…!” The fact that he was a celebrity was of course amazing and impressive, but Heewoo was even more delighted by the fact that he was a Guide. It was because he thought they might be able to help each other.
“Earlier, thank you… You must have been in a difficult position when I suddenly fell over there. I would have been tormented for life if something had happened to you because you got dragged along because of me. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes, yes…! I’m, I’m fine. I’m not hurt anywhere.”
Heewoo looked over various parts of his body just in case, checking if he was injured anywhere. For now, there didn’t seem to be any injuries visible to the naked eye, so he was about to nod vigorously when Heichi, who had been standing back, suddenly approached and ran his hand over the back of Heewoo’s neck, saying:
“Here, you’re injured.”
“What? Wh-where? Me, I am?”
“Yes. Mr. Lee Heewoo, you’re injured.”
At Heichi’s words, Heewoo reached back with a surprised expression to feel the back area. However, the spot Heichi had pointed to was in a somewhat awkward position for Heewoo’s hand to reach, so he couldn’t confirm whether he was really injured. Come to think of it, the Esper who’d lost his reason had pierced Heewoo’s clothing near his nape with a tree branch, so he might have gotten scratched somewhere…
“But it’s not bleeding…”
“It is bleeding.”
“But… it doesn’t hurt?”
“Just because it doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean you’re not injured.”
Heewoo stomped his feet and earnestly made his case. Honestly speaking, he didn’t want to leave a burden on the conscience of the first Guide he’d met besides himself, but even that wasn’t easy thanks to Heichi acting unusually fastidious today. Kim Sowoon, who had been watching this, suddenly bowed his head.
“I’m sorry. You got hurt because of me… Thank you for saving me. I’ll never forget this.”
“Oh, no! N-n-no, not at all…!”
Heewoo was startled at the greeting that came with a bow and hurriedly waved both hands. He felt ashamed to receive such thanks since he hadn’t saved him with any grand sense of duty. In the midst of this, Heichi, who had been watching from the side, opened his mouth again.
“If you’re grateful, rather than saying it in words, you should pay compensation.”
“Heichi!”
At the mention of compensation, it was Heewoo who called out Heichi’s name instead. Hearing his name called, Heichi only looked back at Heewoo with a face that said “What’s wrong?”
“Compensation… Yes, that seems like a good method too. If you give me your contact information, I’ll reach out to you.”
“No, compensation isn’t necessary…!”
“Still, please give me your contact info. There aren’t many Guides, so it’d be good for us to know each other.”
When Kim Sowoon suddenly held out his phone asking him to enter his phone number, Heewoo had no choice but to input it. Kim Sowoon even called right then to confirm it, so Heewoo had to take out the flip phone he’d kept tucked away in his pocket and answer the call. Seeing Heewoo answer with a flip phone, Kim Sowoon carefully asked:
“Um… you’re not a minor, are you?”
“What? Oh, no! I’m twenty this year—no, I’m twenty-one now.”
“Ah, I see. I thought you might be preparing for the college entrance exam since you use a flip phone.”
Heewoo awkwardly nodded, recalling that exam students mainly use flip phones to cut off contact with media. He couldn’t very well say with his own mouth that he used a picked-up flip phone instead of a smartphone because he had no money.
“But, this person… is an Esper, right?”
Kim Sowoon’s gaze now turned to Heichi. Heichi, who had been stuck close to Heewoo’s side the entire time, lightly ignored the curious eyes directed at him. In place of Heichi, who didn’t even open his mouth, Heewoo answered.
“Yes, yes. He’s, he’s an alien.”
“Ah, an alien, pffft.”
“Why… why are you laughing?”
“Well, I thought of the Espers around me, and thinking that they’re aliens too is kind of funny.”
At Kim Sowoon’s words, Heewoo’s eyes widened.
“Espers, plural? Are there… many…?”
“Hm? Oh, a few? Including Mr. Jet who you saw earlier, there are about six of them.”
“Six people…!”
So there can be that many. Heewoo inwardly thought that maybe it was because Kim Sowoon was an amazing Guide. As if seeing through that thought, Kim Sowoon spoke first.
“I’m not sure myself, but they said I’m some kind of Brown…? grade. So I guess I have more than other people.”
Oh, I was told I’m Brown too…
He thought that, but didn’t bother saying it out loud. Seeing that he only had Heichi, Kim Sowoon probably had better abilities than Heewoo. And right now, Heewoo was more curious about whether Kim Sowoon felt similar things to him rather than how many Espers were attached to whom.
For instance, the feeling of dispersing guiding into a territory that he’d felt just moments ago.
Or the massive energy unique to Espers that was visible each time that happened.
Just as he was about to ask all of that in order, a black van appeared behind Kim Sowoon. Kim Sowoon, who turned his head at the sound of the car engine, checked the license plate and said with a pleased face:
“Ah, my manager hyung must be here! Well, I’ll be going now. What’s your name, by the way?”
“Lee, Lee Heewoo.”
“Heewoo, then I’ll contact you again next time. Please make sure to answer.”
“Yes, yes!”
It was when Heewoo was watching Kim Sowoon disappear in the van with a dazed expression. Heichi, who had been watching it all from the side, spoke quietly.
“All six of them probably aren’t that Guide’s Espers.”
“Then?”
“On Epsilon, they call it the ‘selection period’—it’s a period where several candidate Espers are attached to one Guide, waiting to be chosen as their match. It seems that period hasn’t ended for him yet.”
“I see.”
Heewoo, who had learned something new today, nodded. Then his train of thought suddenly branched into a different direction. Heewoo looked back at Heichi and asked with an innocent face:
“Then, what about me?”
“Pardon?”
“Me, can I also choose…”
Heewoo recalled the Espers who had passed by his side. There was Orin, and although he was Kim Sowoon’s Esper, there was also Jet. Perhaps Heewoo himself could also choose a different Esper instead of Heichi?
“No.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Lee Heewoo cannot choose.”
“Why, why not…?”
“…”
For a moment, it looked like Heichi was taking a long breath. With a face that had sunk colder than ever, he said:
“During the selection period, an Esper can kill other candidate Espers, and I have no intention of accepting any other candidate besides myself as Mr. Lee Heewoo’s Esper.”
—
[Online Community Post]
Did anyone see the incident in front of Gudeok Station today?
I was coming out after eating nearby and the police and military showed up, it was chaos? What happened?
↑Upvotes (47) | Comments (5)
Anonymous1: Watch the news, it’s crazy; search for tree trunk Esper incident, go go
⤷Anonymous2: Thanks thanks. Can’t find it in search yet though
⤷Anonymous4: Yeah, YouTube is faster, check there
Anonymous3: Wow what is this…?
Anonymous5: Crazy, watched the video and thought it was a disaster movie
—
Aren’t Esper superpowers too dangerous..?
Wow, watching the video of the asphalt splitting and tree trunks shooting up made my vision swim;
Can Espers just walk around like this without any regulations? crying crying Aren’t they walking murder weapons..
↑Upvotes (12) | Comments (7)
Anonymous1: Exactly haha. As expected, Korea’s safety insensitivity is top-notch, those bastards who were defending them saying “peaceful exchange with Espers” and all that bullshit, let’s hear them talk again haha
Anonymous2: But the fact that a higher-level Esper appeared faster than the police right when the incident happened is legendary, and they said they’d resolve it according to their internal military law, isn’t that regulation? Our country’s laws would just be a slap on the wrist anyway;
⤷Anonymous3: I agree with this too, that Esper appeared faster than the police…
⤷Anonymous4: That too, but it was lucky that there was already one Esper on the scene
Anonymous5: These days we finally escaped the economic recession thanks to the Espers, so hating on them like this is a bit…
⤷Anonymous6: Why is that thanks to the Espers? It’s because the won’s value went up haha. Economic president Shin Minsu~
⤷Anonymous7: Are you Minsu? (mocking nickname)
—
But is the person in the video Kim Sowoon?
That Kim Sowoon? Korea’s first Brown Dwarf Guide Kim Sowoon? Hot Choco Boy Kim Sowoon?
Am I the only one who sees Kim Sowoon calming down the Esper? Is Brown that level…?
↑Upvotes (106) | Comments (9)
Anonymous1: I thought the same thing while watching, Kim Sowoon must be a really insane Guide ;; The tree trunk Esper whose eyes rolled back white suddenly stopped moving with one look from Kim Sowoon
⤷Anonymous2: And that civilian who got caught is so pitiful crying
Anonymous3: Crazy Kim Sowoon
Anonymous4: That’s an Esper too but didn’t Kim Sowoon essentially resolve the situation?
Anonymous5: This is why Espers go crazy over Brown grades;
⤷Anonymous7: A Guide of this level only exists in two places on the entire Earth—our country and South Sudan..? Wow, my national pride is rising again
Anonymous6: Kim Sowoon is insane, shaking shaking shaking. The tree trunk Esper aside, the other Espers look really strong but he can cover all of that?
Anonymous8: Did Kim Sowoon really do it..? Why does it seem to me like the Espers’ attention was drawn somewhere else;
⤷Anonymous9: No no no, stop the hate
