# Chapter 27
Hyukjin’s gaze wasn’t particularly kind as he watched Jaehwi, who was massaging Raon’s shoulders as they came out, with Raon leading the way, still seeming drowsy. His brilliant college classmate who excelled in every way had a strange obsession with Nox.
A brief childhood connection?
Hyukjin didn’t want Raon to live as a Guide because of Jaehwi. He would have to constantly stay by the side of an Esper who could outbreak at any time and, depending on the situation, would have to visit dangerous sites. Moreover, Raon wasn’t a combat-type Guide. He was literally raised delicately in a greenhouse, someone who could live doing whatever he wanted without getting a single drop of water on his hands for his entire life.
But a Guide? And a Guide to an Esper who only goes to the most dangerous places in the world and has unstable stabilization levels? That was no different from shattering Raon’s life.
Raon appeared in a white shirt, tight black slacks, a fitting gray long cardigan, with red-rimmed glasses and wearing loafers.
Behind him was Jaehwi, wearing black cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and military boots. Seeing him made Hyukjin’s head throb.
“E1101S Min Jaehwi. If you’re ready, we’ll start the compatibility test.”
Jaehwi, who had glanced at Raon standing next to him, looked up at Hyukjin while still massaging Raon’s shoulders.
“Does a compatibility test really have much meaning?”
Despite his calm voice, one corner of Jaehwi’s lips was raised crookedly.
“Whether it has meaning or not, we have to try it. You can’t keep living with the risk of outbreak due to unstabilized conditions. I’ve heard the pain is quite severe.”
“It’s like there’s constant noise in my ears 24 hours a day, my eyes feel like they’re about to pop out, and it’s like someone is continuously hammering my head, but it’s not enough to kill me.”
“What? Are you in pain right now?”
Raon was the one who reacted most sensitively to Jaehwi’s indifferent answer. Immediately turning his body and covering both of Jaehwi’s ears, his action deepened the smile on Jaehwi’s lips.
“37 percent.”
Hyukjin sighed as he heard the researcher whispering Jaehwi’s stabilization level in his ear, along with Jaehwi’s attitude suggesting that no matter what they tried, the conclusion would be the same. As if that whisper wouldn’t be heard by Jaehwi.
Although they said there was perfect sound isolation between the test room and control room, perhaps that guy had heard all the brief conversations they’d had outside.
“Hwi. I asked if you’re in pain. Is anything else hurting besides your head and eyes?”
Raon’s hands touched Jaehwi’s forehead, shoulders, arms, and when his confused gaze turned to Jaehwi’s eyes, the slick smile that had been filling his face just a moment ago completely disappeared.
“Everything just hurts. Constantly.”
The researchers and Hyukjin couldn’t say anything as they saw Jaehwi speaking softly with an expression that truly looked pained and exhausted. The arrogant expression and cold gaze they had seen just a moment ago had become as if they never existed.
“Aren’t you going to proceed with the test? If it’s a compatibility test, guiding will also happen, right? If you receive that at least…”
“Yes.”
Jaehwi had clearly been expected to refuse. But Jaehwi, who had been fully accepting Raon’s touch as he checked his condition by feeling his body, complied with his words obediently and turned first to enter the test room.
“Sigh… Really, what are Espers and Guides even. What divine blessing? It’s a terrible curse. Who’s the first Guide?”
Watching Jaehwi sit down on a chair and put on sensors on his wrist without being told to do so, Raon sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Then, as he turned his head to find his own seat, he saw researchers busily handling machinery and Hyukjin flipping through files.
“Didn’t you say you were busy? Aren’t you going?”
Despite Hyukjin’s words, urging him to leave when just earlier he had been pestering Raon to come down, Raon didn’t budge and sat next to him.
Slightly pushing up his glasses that had slid down with his fingertips, Raon stared intensely through the window and folded his arms firmly. The loafer hanging on his crossed foot swayed slightly with his movement.
Jaehwi, with sensors on his wrist, wasn’t sitting in a chair but was leaning against the wall with his head bowed. In contrast, the Guide who was also wearing sensors was seated in a chair but had turned his body away from this direction to face Jaehwi.
“No significant change.”
“Was it A-grade?”
“Yes.”
“Compatibility?”
“20 percent.”
“Next.”
As the dry conversation continued, the female Guide who had been sitting in the chair until just now came out. When a male Guide who had been waiting entered and attached sensors, everyone’s gaze in the control room turned to the screen showing the measurement values.
But Raon’s gaze was fixed on only one person. Jaehwi, who had avoided and hidden from getting a Guide like a slippery loach, was now quietly doing as he was told.
“Is guiding happening?”
“…Stabilization level shows no change.”
Just because he hugged Jaehwi or covered his ears, he couldn’t alleviate Jaehwi’s pain. Perhaps if he had infused energy, but since visiting the field yesterday, strangely, he couldn’t feel anything. He wasn’t overflowing with energy like high-grade Guides, nor could he move it at will.
At most, he had energy like a small spring trickling. And even that wasn’t much, often disappearing after trickling out, and it didn’t refill quickly either. If he could even do that, he would be able to block the noise that was so tormenting.
“Can we give him a stabilizer after this is over?”
“Please try contact guiding.”
Raon looked at Hyukjin, who immediately turned on the microphone and delivered the necessary instructions in response to his mumbling.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. Please switch to another Guide.”
When Jaehwi, who had been looking at the floor all this time, raised his head, his exhausted and tired expression was clearly visible.
“37 percent.”
“Why is his stabilization dropping when he hasn’t used any abilities? He didn’t even use his power.”
“If they’re not compatible, they’re poison to each other. Change to another Guide.”
This isn’t worth doing either. Raon wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing to Jaehwi. It was he who had forced Jaehwi into the test room, saying it would make things less difficult for the struggling boy. He was also the person who most detested forcibly assigning Guides to maintain Espers’ stability and condition at their best for use in emergencies.
He wanted Jaehwi to be happy. He said he would do anything so that Jaehwi wouldn’t suffer from pain and would only have happy and enjoyable things. Jaehwi had spent his entire life rolling around for the country. But… What am I doing now…
I’m forcibly making a match for him. And to a child who doesn’t want it. And Jaehwi seemed to have given up and was following his will. But how can I watch him in that pain, on the brink of outbreak at any moment?
Raon’s fingertips resting on his thigh trembled slightly.
He should have given Jaehwi, who hadn’t met many people, natural opportunities to meet Guides. He could find someone he liked gradually while socializing with Guides. Even though he knew it was inadequate, he could take stabilizers that maintain at least 30%, and as for his blood—he could give as much as needed.
“Choi Hyukjin.”
“Yeah?”
“This…”
Stop it. Let’s stop. Jaehwi hasn’t even been contracted with MK for a full month. He’s only been to the field once at NCSC’s request. If he doesn’t go to the field as much as possible, maintaining stability is easier, right? The same goes for outbreak. The thoughts swirling chaotically in Raon’s head weren’t voiced out loud.
Hyukjin looked at Raon, who was biting his left index finger, wondering what was bothering him again as Raon grabbed his arm.
“Hello. Last time…”
Aiden cautiously greeted Nox, who was looking down with his head bowed, not even looking at him. Although he hesitated at the indifferent gaze looking down at him, Aiden smiled a bit more.
It was Nox, of all people. Nox was his idol and a veiled, lone wolf-like figure whom everyone wanted to meet. As soon as Aiden manifested as an S-grade Guide, he wanted to meet Nox. What would it feel like to be the Guide to someone as perfect as him?
What had been thrilling just to think about was happening in reality. When MK Center asked if he could accompany them to the Donghae site, Aiden followed without hesitation. Being of the same S-grade, he was confident he could cover for him if there were no special problems. He had practiced so much for this day.
The moment he saw Nox returning from the field with a tired appearance, a shiver ran through his entire body. His heart trembled at the pressure felt from Nox as he gradually approached, and his mouth dried up, but Aiden focused on radiative guiding. Despite his efforts not to make mistakes, Nox never once looked at him.
And his guiding only hovered around him without any change.
They said Espers go crazy for guiding. Especially when they return from the field, they’ve used a lot of their energy, and the mood of the field remains, making them rougher and more driven by their desires.
To an Esper, a Guide was no different from a savior. They were beings who could end their pain, give them pleasure beyond that, and make Espers whole.
Since they told him to start radiative guiding as soon as he entered the test room, he did as instructed. To do radiative guiding while wearing sensors and sitting in a chair.
But finding it awkward to be the only one sitting while the Esper was standing, Aiden, after attaching sensors to his wrist, approached him a little.
