# Chapter 56
Taeyun reduced the speed at which he was absorbing Guiding Energy from Jaehee’s clasped hand. Then he looked down at Jaehee, who appeared exhausted.
Thinking about it, there was no reason for Jaehee to have stopped him then. To Jaehee, he was merely a healing Esper helping with Geonwoo’s treatment, nothing more. And if he had power, there would be no reason to remain still while having his Guiding Energy taken like this. Taeyun thought he had overestimated Jaehee.
‘Since he’s in a one-sided Mark state, maybe he can’t touch him.’
So Taeyun didn’t think much of his body momentarily freezing on the day Jaehee had removed his Guiding ability control device. He figured it could also have been a reaction to using so much ability while treating Choi Geonwoo, just as Jaehee had.
He was thinking this and about to let go of Jaehee’s hand when someone grabbed Taeyun’s hand firmly. Looking up, he saw Geonwoo glaring down at him with a cold, sharp gaze. In response, Taeyun immediately removed his hand from Jaehee and rose from the chair.
Despite this, Geonwoo still held onto Taeyun’s hand and wouldn’t let go. Geonwoo was already tall enough that his eye level exceeded Taeyun’s height.
‘At his current growth rate, he’ll be at least A-class. If he does well, he could even aim for S-class.’
The body was essentially a vessel that could contain ability power. The stronger the power, the higher the class, the larger and more solid one’s vessel had to be compared to others.
‘But an unmanifested Esper who hasn’t even manifested yet is trying to overpower me with brute force.’
He was comparable even to Dohyun, who had had an exceptional growth rate.
But even so, he was still an unmanifested Esper. Taeyun placed his hand on Geonwoo’s hand that was gripping his wrist. He tried to remove Geonwoo’s hand.
“Ugh!”
But at that moment, he felt a strong grip. Taeyun couldn’t free his arm from Geonwoo’s grasp. The same was true for the wave energy. In a moment of surprise, Taeyun’s wave fluctuated, but Geonwoo deflected it right back.
At that, both Taeyun and Jaehee’s expressions changed. There really wasn’t much time left.
“Guide-nim. Lie down on the bed.”
But Geonwoo, not properly recognizing his own strength, focused only on embracing Jaehee, while not forgetting to remain wary of Taeyun.
“Looking at the situation, I should leave for today.”
Taeyun had thought about continuing Geonwoo’s treatment a bit more, but instead, the wave energy was spiking with Taeyun present. It meant Geonwoo didn’t like Taeyun’s presence. So Taeyun stood up.
“I’ll come back tomorrow.”
With those final words, Taeyun left the examination room. Geonwoo didn’t take his eyes off the door until he was gone. Only after Taeyun left and the door closed did Geonwoo lower his gaze to look at Jaehee. Geonwoo’s face immediately flushed red.
“G-Guide-nim?”
Jaehee was staring at him too intently. While it felt good, being held in that gaze for so long made him tense. His heart beat faster.
“…What is it, Guide-nim?”
Why are you looking at me in a way that makes my heart flutter? Geonwoo swallowed the rest of his thought.
“Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
Jaehee called to Geonwoo and reached out his hand. He placed his hand on Geonwoo’s chest, who wasn’t wearing a shirt to receive Guiding, and examined inside his body.
“Just now, didn’t you feel anything?”
Clearly, his ability had reacted when Taeyun was present.
“What? What kind of thing?”
But Geonwoo wasn’t focusing on Jaehee’s words. Water droplets were dripping onto Jaehee’s white shirt. Just as Jaehee had dried Geonwoo’s hair, Geonwoo wanted to receive Jaehee’s touch, so he had come out with his hair barely dried.
However, Jaehee looked too weak right now to ask him to dry it. It seemed even more so after having his Guiding Energy taken by Cheon Taeyun.
Just a moment ago, seeing Jaehee’s Guiding Energy being taken by another Esper, Geonwoo had become angry and grabbed Cheon Taeyun’s hand. If Jaehee hadn’t stopped him, he would have confronted Taeyun, telling him to never touch Jaehee again.
“It’s nothing.”
Seeing Geonwoo’s reaction, only recalling Taeyun and seemingly unaware of his own ability, Jaehee stopped speaking.
“Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
“Yes, Guide-nim.”
Instead, he called Geonwoo and pointed at a towel. Geonwoo turned his gaze to where Jaehee was pointing, and his eyes fell on the towel.
“You’ll catch a cold like that. I’ll dry it for you, so bring it here.”
What Geonwoo wanted was too obvious to see. Even his wave energy showed it. Just like now, whenever he wanted something, his wave energy would fluctuate slightly. Though he tried to act like he wasn’t nervous, in reality, he was trembling every time he asked Jaehee for something. He was tense about whether Jaehee would grant his wish.
“But Guide-nim, you’re… lacking energy right now.”
However, seeing Jaehee’s condition, Geonwoo just quietly embraced him. To that, Jaehee smiled and said he was fine.
“Come on.”
Finally, Geonwoo brought the towel. Jaehee slowly dried Geonwoo’s hair. Then, as if it had never been turbulent, his wave energy immediately calmed down. With this kind of reaction, it was impossible not to grant what he desired.
‘Was he like this before too?’
Before the regression, Geonwoo had been someone whose thoughts were difficult to read, but now his thoughts were too visible. It felt unfamiliar yet made him think, so this is what 20-year-old young Geonwoo was like.
That’s when it happened.
“Guide-nim, aren’t you hungry?”
Geonwoo suddenly asked. Jaehee opened his eyes wide at Geonwoo’s question and asked what he meant. In response, Geonwoo took out the snacks that the Guide had brought in the morning.
“Should we eat these? Us?”
They were snacks that children would eat. Sweet candies and cookies in cute shapes. The pretty hyung in his dreams used to enjoy these. Though he didn’t like cotton candy. Thinking this, Geonwoo took out the snacks and spread them in front of Jaehee.
Though the hyung in his dreams and Jaehee before his eyes were different. Seeing these snacks, Geonwoo just wanted to give them to Jaehee. He wanted to eat them together with Jaehee.
Jaehee chose one. It was a very sweet type of cookie.
But Geonwoo just watched Jaehee selecting a cookie without picking one himself. So Jaehee asked,
“Isn’t Esper Choi Geonwoo going to eat?”
At those words, Geonwoo finally picked up a cookie. But it was one with almost no sweetness.
“Esper Choi Geonwoo. Don’t you like sweet things?”
At Jaehee’s question, Geonwoo looked alternately at the cookie Jaehee was holding and the one he was holding, and hesitated for a moment. Seeing Geonwoo like this, Jaehee spoke kindly.
“Please tell me honestly. I want to know what Esper Choi Geonwoo likes and dislikes.”
At Jaehee’s warm words, Geonwoo stopped his hand that was about to switch to a sweet cookie and carefully spoke.
“I don’t dislike sweet things, but I’m not that fond of them either.”
“Oh, is that so?”
At those words, Jaehee’s expression was about to harden. So Jaehee smiled even more brightly.
“Esper Choi Geonwoo.”
“Yes?”
Jaehee recalled the time before the regression. A person so similar to himself. Geonwoo, with whom he had grown close quickly because their tastes and food preferences were all similar. But now he kept seeing new aspects of Geonwoo.
“Then, what do you like?”
Jaehee was now learning about Geonwoo one by one, things he hadn’t known before the regression.
***
Once manifested, an ability persistently asserted its presence.
“Ah!”
The Guide screamed in surprise. Suddenly, the water glass beside the Guide shattered and fell. Since the distance was considerable, no one was hurt, but the examiner, Guide, Taeyun, and Jaehee in the examination room all had surprised expressions. All eyes turned to Geonwoo.
Geonwoo fidgeted and grasped his own hand. Jaehee immediately stabilized Geonwoo’s wave energy. As his physical manifestation occurred, his ability was also manifesting at a rapid pace to match.
Looking at Geonwoo, Taeyun’s eyes glinted with an unusual light. It was time to start moving.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
At Jaehee’s question, the Guide, with eyes like a startled rabbit, nodded.
“I’m so far away, how could I be? But it did startle me when it suddenly shattered.”
Geonwoo was restless. He couldn’t control his power well. Because of this, such accidents had occurred several times.
“…”
While these accidents had little effect on Espers or Geonwoo, they came across as threatening to Guides or examiners. After all, they had nearly been injured due to the frequently manifesting ability. The same was true for Jaehee.
“I can’t control it at all.”
Geonwoo said with a highly anxious face.
“That’s normal. It’s because your ability has just begun to manifest.”
Jaehee gently stroked Geonwoo’s back, reassuring him as he was feeling anxious.
Taeyun, watching Jaehee from behind, asked,
“Guide Lee Jaehee.”
At Taeyun’s call, Jaehee turned his head.
“You’ve been taking the medicine I prepared for you regularly, right?”
Taeyun spoke in a gentle voice, words that didn’t match him. In response, Jaehee also answered with a smile.
“Yes, it’s been quite a while since I started taking it.”
At that, Geonwoo’s gaze was filled with questions. The question of what medicine Jaehee was taking was written all over his face.
“It’s medicine that stabilizes ability.”
Just as he had heard when he was young, just as they had deceived him, Jaehee said this to Geonwoo.
“Then shouldn’t I be taking it too?”
Geonwoo widened his eyes and asked.
“No. Only Guide Lee Jaehee needs to take it.”
The one who answered Geonwoo’s question was not Jaehee but Cheon Taeyun.
“This is medicine only for Guides.”
“Yes. So only I need to take it.”
Taeyun said this, and Jaehee also agreed with those words. But Jaehee’s eyes had sunk deeply. To not show this, Jaehee drew a smile at the corner of his mouth.
