# Chapter 62
“I want to take this off…”
Geonwoo tried to remove the safety restraints binding his hands and feet. But they wouldn’t come off at all.
“Take this off!”
As people approached closer, Geonwoo shouted at them. Trying desperately to escape the current situation, Geonwoo thrashed like a madman.
“Beginning Radiant Guiding.”
But not a single person here paid any attention to Geonwoo. The Guides started Radiant Guiding, and the Examiners pressed the power button on the guiding machine. The room filled with Guiding Energy.
“What’s the Guiding Energy level?”
At Dr. Yoon’s question, the assistant standing behind turned toward the guiding level measuring machine. After checking the readings, he spoke to Dr. Yoon.
“Almost at target level. I think you can start soon.”
As soon as the assistant finished speaking, Jaehee placed his hands on his shirt. One by one, the buttons came undone.
“…Guide-nim?”
Geonwoo’s eyes trembled. He couldn’t understand the current situation at all. The guiding machine emitting unpleasant Guiding Energy, Guides performing Radiant Guiding as they pleased, Guiding Energy gradually filling the room. And Jaehee taking off his shirt.
‘…It’s the same as back then.’
The memory Geonwoo least wanted to recall replayed in his mind. The scene now was so similar to when Jaehee had tried to erase Geonwoo’s bond before.
‘No…’
That realization terrified Geonwoo.
‘It can’t be…’
Geonwoo stared at Jaehee with disbelieving eyes.
Jaehee avoided that gaze and silently continued unbuttoning his shirt. After removing his shirt and placing it aside, Jaehee approached Geonwoo. He climbed onto the bed where Geonwoo was lying and lay down beside him.
“…Guide-nim… Guide-nim…”
Throughout this process, Geonwoo kept calling for Jaehee. But Jaehee never once responded to Geonwoo’s calls. He completely ignored the voice calling for him. Instead, Jaehee looked at Dr. Yoon standing in front of the bed rather than at Geonwoo and asked.
“How long will it take to erase a one-way bond?”
Geonwoo’s breath stopped at those words. His body, touching Jaehee’s, went completely rigid. Jaehee felt it too, but thoroughly ignored it and looked at Dr. Yoon, waiting only for his answer.
“How long it takes to erase a bond… Honestly, that’s unknown.”
Dr. Yoon spoke while checking the various readings on the machine and Geonwoo’s condition one by one.
“Since we have to gradually erase the bond while monitoring Esper Choi Geonwoo’s condition. Well, it’s difficult to specify an exact timeframe.”
Because they were erasing the bond rather than overlaying a new one, it had to be diluted gradually. So it required a long time. No one could know exactly how much time it would take, or how many days would be needed.
“The period might be shorter than expected though.”
Dr. Yoon, having said that much, turned his head to look at the screen displaying Geonwoo’s sensory readings. After checking the numbers, he immediately changed his statement.
“…Actually, that doesn’t seem likely.”
Geonwoo was forcibly trying to close the senses opened by Contact Guiding. It showed clearly in the readings. The more Geonwoo tensed his entire body and tried to control his senses, the faster those readings rose.
Seeing this, Dr. Yoon narrowed his eyes and said.
“Hm… This is the first time I’ve seen readings rise this much.”
After saying that, Dr. Yoon turned his head toward the section showing Geonwoo’s wavelength readings. But as if competing, these readings too were rising exponentially. Dr. Yoon lifted his glasses and pressed the bridge of his nose.
“…It seems this will take quite a while.”
None of the readings were normal. That meant a difficult process was anticipated. They could only hope that Geonwoo’s body would endure throughout the bond erasure.
“Guide-nim…”
Dr. Yoon put his glasses back on and alternated between looking at Geonwoo, who was desperately calling for Jaehee, and the wavelength readings. Seeing the high wavelength readings, wounds would have already started forming inside Geonwoo’s body.
“Guide-nim. I don’t like this…”
But Geonwoo, as if not caring about the pain, only called for Jaehee. With a desperate gaze, he just kept looking at Jaehee, saying he didn’t like this situation.
“Please take this off. I don’t want to receive guiding today…”
His eyes, rejecting the current situation, trembled weakly.
“I don’t want to. I don’t want to receive guiding…”
Geonwoo refused the guiding.
“Keep… kee…p…”
Geonwoo painfully sputtered out the reason.
“…Other people’s Guiding Energy is entering my body…”
Geonwoo let Jaehee know that the current situation was too difficult for him.
“We need… to protect our bond…”
Geonwoo hoped for Jaehee’s help. Help him protect their bond. Save him from this situation.
“Guide-nim… I’m so scared… What if our bond becomes faint? What if it gets erased?”
Geonwoo’s lips trembled. Not Jaehee, he wouldn’t do this. He would be on his side. Geonwoo desperately denied reality. Those emotions were clearly visible on his face. Not just his lips. His eyes, gradually becoming wet, were also full of pleas to ease his anxiety.
“When I develop, we were going to form a bond…”
Geonwoo felt his insides twisting. Guiding Energy entering his body as an Esper made Geonwoo feel pain as if his insides were being sliced apart. It was worlds apart from when he received only Jaehee’s guiding. Discomfort dominated his entire body.
“So we have to protect it. Our bond…”
Geonwoo was gradually consumed by fear. The situation before his eyes, and Jaehee’s silence in response to his words, intensified Geonwoo’s fear. His heart raced. Tension dominated his entire body.
“Guide-nim, please…”
Tell me this is all fake… Tell me you’re not trying to erase the bond… Please answer me…
In response to Jaehee’s silence, the vast power of an Esper that had been submerged in the depths began to stir. Power that resonated with Geonwoo’s emotions was trying to reveal itself.
“Dr. Yoon, the readings!”
Suddenly, the wavelength readings on the machine rose frighteningly. The pain increased proportionately, and Geonwoo violently thrashed.
“Argh!”
Geonwoo let out a groan of pain. His entire body trembled. His body, unable to withstand the pain, jerked upwards involuntarily. Geonwoo’s reaction was so intense that the safety restraints binding his hands and feet were pulled taut.
“Secure the safety restraints more tightly!”
Seeing Geonwoo like this, Dr. Yoon urgently commanded.
“The pain will gradually get worse.”
This pain was just the beginning. It would only get more severe as time went on.
Watching Geonwoo writhing in pain, Dr. Yoon furrowed his brow. An Esper suffering from the Guides’ Guiding Energy? It was something that shouldn’t happen. It was bewildering even to witness directly.
“Keep checking the wavelength readings!”
At Dr. Yoon’s words, his assistant never took his eyes off the machine. Geonwoo’s readings were not normal. His determination to somehow hold onto the bond was palpable. But no one was willing to support that desire.
It was then.
“Danger!”
Suddenly, a strong wavelength that made one’s body tingle shot out from Geonwoo’s emotionally heightened body. The ability that had been suppressed by the sedative awakened and flaunted its power.
“Step back immediately!”
The glass windows of the examination room shook all at once. Startled, people stepped back.
“What is this…!”
Those who had stepped back exclaimed in surprise. Choi Geonwoo was clearly still an undeveloped Esper. Even if his development was imminent, the intensity of the wavelength was too strong. This confused everyone.
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Guide Lee Jaehee! Are you alright?”
Jaehee’s face, directly exposed to the wavelength Geonwoo was emitting, didn’t look good. Nevertheless, Jaehee gritted his teeth and focused solely on opening Geonwoo’s senses.
“I’ll call the physical Espers as well!”
One of the Guides who had stepped back reached for the caller. They felt the need to prepare for any possible situation. Currently, there were only Examiners, Guides, and healing Espers with low combat abilities specialized in healing.
“If we leave him like this…! Ah! The Esper ability control device! Do you have that?”
The assistant standing behind Dr. Yoon urgently asked the Examiner with a desperate face. If they left things as they were, Jaehee could get hurt.
“Please find it quickly! I think it would be better to put that on him for now!”
The assistant extended his hand as if urging them to hurry. The Examiner was about to turn to look for the control device when—
“No control device!”
Jaehee stopped them.
