# Chapter 17
“Let’s not torment the researchers too much. Is Nox still avoiding you?”
Raon sighed deeply as he leaned back in his chair. Min Jaehwi, the source of all these problems, was diligently avoiding him. Honestly, Raon had no intention of becoming Jaehwi’s Guide. He had planned to do everything at the highest level, so he wanted to match Jaehwi with a good Guide suited to him.
Beyond guiding, if they were to form a bond, it would essentially tie him and Jaehwi together. This was a completely different issue from Jaehwi selectively refusing to accept guiding like he was doing now.
Only a bonded Guide could provide guiding to an Esper, and if something happened to that Guide or if they died… He didn’t even want to think about what would happen next. Moreover, it was absurd to think that he—older than Jaehwi and with insufficient guiding abilities—would be paired with someone as kind and young as Jaehwi.
He was trying to provide at least some guiding now because Jaehwi’s situation wasn’t good, but finding an Esper who was running away like a ghost was nearly impossible.
Jaehwi had flatly refused his offer to be his Guide temporarily and firmly stated he wouldn’t discuss anything related to it. So the last time Raon had seen him was on the day he signed the contract, which was already a week ago.
The problem was that there was a clause in the contract that Jaehwi had signed without properly reading—a clause that Raon had excitedly added on his own, promising to provide him with the best.
The clause promising to match him with the best Guide.
“Do you know where he is now?”
“I saw him at the training facility on my way here.”
“Wow. That stubborn ass. Tell him to come here right now. What am I supposed to do when he runs away as soon as I mention the contract? Besides, this is a contractual matter, and anyway, once he gets a Guide, none of us will have to suffer like this. If he avoids it this time, tell him it’s not going to be fun.”
After Hyukjin left, Raon opened the Guide list again.
He checked it carefully, not wanting to miss a single detail.
Six out of ten were A+ grade. The rest were S grade, so it wasn’t bad. If Jaehwi were properly measured, he’d likely be SS grade or higher, but the conditions Raon had proposed were already stringent.
Since Jaehwi was in his early twenties and there was a high possibility of a romantic relationship developing, the candidate needed to have a good appearance and excellent guiding abilities. Of course, they couldn’t be bonded to another Esper, so finding ten candidates in such a short time was quite impressive.
“What is it?”
Raon chuckled slightly at the grumpy voice that came with the sound of the door being flung open without even a knock. “What is it?” This wasn’t a joke—”What is it?” Twenty-year-old Jaehwi, expressing his anger with his entire body, was cute. He might be big in stature, but really, who signs a contract without properly reading it!
“Come here and sit down.”
As Jaehwi, who had been standing cautiously by the door, entered and headed for the sofa, Raon also got up from his seat. He handed the file he was holding to Jaehwi and sat across from him. Noticing Jay, who was keeping a distance, glancing their way before any conversation began, Raon picked up his coffee cup.
“What is this? It doesn’t look like a revised contract.”
Instead of answering, Raon gestured for him to open the file and crossed his legs. Didn’t I tell you several times to read the contract carefully? I can’t back down on this one. It’s clearly stated in the contract.
Jaehwi’s eyebrows twitched as he opened the file. His expression hardened as he turned the pages very slowly. After turning the last page, Jaehwi slammed the file down on the table with a loud thud.
Raon put down his coffee cup at Jaehwi’s displeased expression as he leaned back on the sofa, crossed his long legs, and stared at him.
“I told you I don’t need a Guide.”
“There’s no Esper who doesn’t need a Guide.”
“I said I never wanted to discuss this with you again, hyung. And I can maintain with stabilizers.”
“Right. They say your stabilization level is currently at 23 percent?”
The glaring eyes and hardened expression were no longer an issue for Raon. At first, every time he met those black eyes, he couldn’t regain his composure and felt like he was falling into them.
But in the end, Jaehwi was still his child.
“I’ve told you so many times that I really don’t need one. They say they’re developing a new stabilizer in the lab, so we just need to wait a bit, right?”
Raon didn’t mention that the most important component of that stabilizer was his own blood. Nor did he plan to mention that his head would spin whenever he stood up abruptly. If they could develop it properly, providing blood consistently, like donating once a month, until Jaehwi found a Guide wouldn’t be an issue.
“But you know there’s a limit to what stabilizers can do. A stabilizer is literally a substitute. Otherwise, I said I would guide you until I find you a proper Guide! But you say you don’t even want me now.”
“This file you gave me. Do you exactly understand what it means?”
Jaehwi sighed as he began speaking, looking at Raon who seemed not just calm but almost pleased. He couldn’t understand why they were now insisting he needed a Guide when he had managed for 10 years without one. And why were they forcing this on him when he clearly stated he didn’t want it?
It might be called a Guide list, but it was essentially asking him to choose someone to form a relationship with. How was this different from arbitrarily pairing animals for breeding? Perhaps the only difference was that he had a choice? And that it was a matter of survival, not reproduction?
“Of course I know. What’s so complicated and difficult about it for you?”
Raon ran his hand through his hair and picked up the file Jaehwi had thrown down, unable to reach a compromise on the subject. He knew exactly what he was recommending to Jaehwi. That’s why he was putting in extra effort.
He wanted to make Jaehwi comfortable by matching him with the best Guide. That’s why he was personally selecting one. His chest felt tight, and something welled up inside him from time to time.
And Raon knew exactly why he felt this way. He was selecting someone who would become Jaehwi’s lifelong partner with his own hands.
Raon’s hand, which had been turning the pages with a crisp sound, stopped. This was an essential matter. It couldn’t be delayed or avoided.
“Hyukjin is looking for more options now, so it’s not a decision to be made easily. But let’s be frank. How about number 3 here? They’re the same age as you, and although they’re A+ grade, compatibility is important. We can test and decide, right?”
After confirming Jaehwi’s still displeased expression, Raon turned a few more pages.
“Then, number 8?”
“Is that your type, hyung? The innocent style?”
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? I’m trying to match you with a Guide for your comfort, what’s there to complain about?”
They all look fine enough! Not just numbers 3 and 8! Raon’s hand, which had been nervously flipping through the pages, stopped.
Something occurred to him momentarily, but he couldn’t easily voice it. Raon looked around and spotted Jay on one side. Then he looked back at Jaehwi and shifted his gaze to the file. It wasn’t a particularly problematic issue, as it was common among Espers and Guides.
“Hwi.”
After hesitating for a while, Raon cautiously called him.
Jaehwi, who had been sitting arrogantly drinking coffee, merely glanced at Raon without answering. His entire body expressed his dislike for the situation. But since he seemed to be indicating for Raon to continue if he had something to say, Raon swallowed the saliva that had pooled in his mouth.
Raon hesitated several times before speaking. For things like this, clarity was essential.
“Do you perhaps need a male Guide?”
That was it. The aspect that neither Hyukjin, who had prepared the file, nor Raon, who had carefully reviewed it, had been aware of until now. This file only contained female Guides.
Silence was the response.
Jaehwi’s gaze, which had seemed somewhat relaxed, comfortable, and indifferent, changed. This kind of stare was burdensome. Like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web, Raon couldn’t move even his fingertips. He could escape the entangled gaze by slightly shifting his eyes, but even that wasn’t allowed.
“Or is that not your style?”
Ironically, Jaehwi seemed to permit speaking. Still unable to escape his gaze, Raon pulled out another thought from his mind.
“Yes.”
With Jaehwi’s answer, Raon was able to free himself from the spider’s web that had ensnared him.
“Really? Then, tell me your preferences. I’ll try to match them as best as I can.”
“Can you really do that? I doubt it.”
Raon clenched his fist at Jaehwi’s mocking words. Indeed, dealing with a young, slippery person was impossible. Jaehwi, now serious, sighed deeply and ran his hand through his hair.
He even snickered as if it was truly ridiculous. Then, watching him shake his head, Raon relaxed the tension in his hands.
“I told you. I’ll try to match them as best as I can.”
He chose to back down, feeling that continuing to be confrontational could escalate the situation. Instead of a sharp and strong voice, he used a quiet and soft tone, as if soothing a child.
“The voice should be gentle.”
In the quiet space, Jaehwi’s voice was heard, as if he was also backing down as much as Raon had. Sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, he even folded his arms, taking a completely defensive posture. His gaze was fixed on Raon’s face.
And Jaehwi continued, dropping one detail after another.
The skin should be white and soft, they should like to dress up, and be sensitive to fashion trends. They should like coffee, and if nothing else, he’d like them to have plump lips—after hearing all this, Raon finally interrupted him.
“Do you think the person you’re describing exists in this world?”
