# Chapter 96
“Esper Kang Dohyun?”
Yoo Jiwoon spoke as he saw the Esper who had opened the door and entered. His bangs were slightly disheveled, as if he had rushed over.
“I came because I have something urgent to discuss. But.”
Dohyun spoke while standing at the doorway. His gaze passed Jiwoon and settled on Minhun who was behind him. Immediately, Jiwoon rose from his chair, slightly blocking Minhun, and said:
“Ah, we just finished guiding.”
Then, turning around to look down at Minhun sitting in the chair, he said:
“Since the guiding is over, would you mind leaving now? I have something to discuss privately with Esper Kang Dohyun.”
At those words, Minhun, who had been hanging his head low, frowned. Eyes filled with possessiveness toward the Guide slowly rose and fixed on Jiwoon.
Minhun was unaware of what kind of expression he was making as he looked at Jiwoon. He also didn’t know what emotions were taking root inside him the more guiding he received. He simply stared at Jiwoon.
Yoo Jiwoon looked at Minhun, smiled faintly, and gave a light greeting.
“I’ll help you again next time you need guiding.”
Then he lightly placed his hand on Minhun’s shoulder. In that moment, guiding energy flowed in, and Minhun’s eyes became dazed again. With his gaze fixed on the floor, Minhun quietly walked past Dohyun and went outside.
The edge of Dohyun’s eyebrow raised for a moment. He felt something off about Minhun as he passed by. It wasn’t like him at all.
But Dohyun soon erased that thought from his mind. He had no time to worry about other things right now.
As soon as the door closed, Dohyun immediately got to the point.
“Choi Geonwoo has called in Dr. Yoon.”
Jiwoon looked surprised.
“Then…”
“Soon, Choi Geonwoo will come out of the building to deal with the monsters.”
Dohyun said what Jiwoon was about to say.
Then suddenly, Dohyun slightly furrowed his brow. As if hesitating about something, he looked at Jiwoon, paused for a moment, and then slowly opened his mouth.
“…Are you sure you’ll be okay? You could get hurt.”
At those words, Jiwoon recalled the conversation he had when he was with Dr. Yoon and Dohyun. While devising their plan, Dr. Yoon and Dohyun had agonized over one problem. They needed bait to keep Choi Geonwoo occupied while they took Jaehee away.
‘If it’s that, I’ll do it.’
Jiwoon had stepped forward then. To properly deceive the sensitive Choi Geonwoo, Jiwoon had volunteered to be the bait. He would lure Choi Geonwoo with Jaehee’s guiding energy on his body, buying time for Jaehee to escape safely.
But it was also a very dangerous method.
So Dohyun was bringing up that matter again to ask.
“Guide Lee Jaehee.”
Looking at Dohyun, Jiwoon mentioned Jaehee.
“He was badly injured saving me in the gate.”
Jiwoon said this as his eyes softened a bit. As if it still pained him to think about that time, he spoke with his lips trembling slightly.
“It’s been weighing on my mind. I think I’ll only feel better if I do this.”
So please let me help, Jiwoon added.
“And since I’m going to be Esper Choi Geonwoo’s Guide now, shouldn’t I do at least this much?”
Jiwoon spoke as if he was fine and there was no need to worry about him anymore. Yet concern remained in Dohyun’s eyes. How could he ask someone else to take a risk in order to get Jaehee out?
But.
“I know I shouldn’t ask this, but…”
Dohyun’s mind was filled with Jaehee. He had to get Jaehee out somehow.
So Dohyun bowed his head to Jiwoon.
“Please.”
With his upper body deeply bowed, he asked Jiwoon for help.
“Yes, don’t worry, Esper Kang Dohyun.”
Jiwoon spoke as if it was fine. But the look in Jiwoon’s eyes as he gazed down at Dohyun’s bowed form was utterly cold. It was because of Dohyun’s gaze.
Kang Dohyun, who had received even more of his guiding than Lee Minhun. But unlike Minhun’s, his eyes contained only Lee Jaehee.
This time too… still.
***
“Guide Lee Jaehee, can you get up?”
After Geonwoo left, Dr. Yoon immediately attended to Jaehee. He supported Jaehee, who was lying on the bed, and helped him sit up. But even that seemed difficult, as Jaehee let out a groan.
“Ugh! Dr… Yoon.”
Jaehee furrowed his brow as if it was hard to support himself, and entrusted his body to Dr. Yoon. His body, which had been constantly tense by Geonwoo’s side, relaxed languidly when he saw Dr. Yoon.
Dr. Yoon looked at Jaehee with a sympathetic face for a moment, then immediately checked his condition thoroughly.
First, he checked for fever. Jaehee’s body temperature was abnormally high, and it was even continuing to rise from there.
And Dr. Yoon had seen this phenomenon far too many times.
‘Omega manifestation…’
He suddenly got goosebumps. Choi Geonwoo’s words… could become reality.
Dr. Yoon immediately examined Jaehee’s guiding energy as well.
‘…Why?’
But Dr. Yoon soon had a confused look on his face. There was no trace of guiding exploitation, which had been his biggest worry.
‘He’s in a one-way bond state, but he hasn’t taken guiding?’
Guiding is directly connected to a Guide’s life. Also, a one-way bond creates shallow possessiveness, making one endlessly crave the guiding energy of the bonded partner. That’s why he had worried. Fearing that Jaehee’s guiding energy might be taken away to the point of near-death.
But that wasn’t the case.
‘Then why, for what purpose does he want a one-way bond?’
Dr. Yoon had a confused look. He couldn’t understand Geonwoo’s actions.
“…Dr. Yoon.”
Soon, at Jaehee’s call, Dr. Yoon shook his head. What was important now wasn’t Choi Geonwoo’s intentions. The priority was to get Jaehee out quickly.
Dr. Yoon laid Jaehee back down and then carefully peeked outside through the curtains. In the distance, Choi Geonwoo was slaughtering monsters. Loud screams echoed from everywhere.
Normally, these monsters wouldn’t have been even a momentary challenge for Choi Geonwoo. But not now. Since he wasn’t receiving proper guiding, Geonwoo was likely placing severe restrictions on his own abilities to prevent a rampage. So it was clear that it would take him a long time to deal with the monsters.
Moreover, they had deliberately withdrawn all the Espers at the western entrance to extract Jaehee. That meant Choi Geonwoo had to handle all the monsters alone. This gave Dr. Yoon and Dohyun time to secretly take Jaehee away.
At that moment, Jaehee weakly called out to Dr. Yoon again.
“…Dr.”
Dr. Yoon immediately responded to Jaehee’s call. He closed the curtain and approached Jaehee again.
“Yes? What is it, Guide Lee Jaehee?”
“Sup… suppres… please.”
But at those words, Dr. Yoon’s face contorted. And he said something else.
“Guide Lee Jaehee, it’s okay now. We’ll be leaving here soon.”
“Doctor, suppres… sants…”
Jaehee said it again. Only then did Dr. Yoon speak to Jaehee with difficulty.
“No, you can’t take suppressants. You shouldn’t take them, Guide Lee Jaehee.”
It was too late. The pheromones, which should have been suppressed by taking suppressants before manifestation began, were already rampaging, pervading his entire body. In this state, it would be better for Jaehee’s body to wait for manifestation and let it release. Forcibly suppressing a body that was already heated up to manifest would actually be harmful to Jaehee.
But this would be hard for Jaehee to hear. It meant there was no medicine to control his endlessly heating body.
Moreover, judging from his urgent expression now, it seemed like he had already realized that Choi Geonwoo was waiting for his Omega manifestation and intended to form an Omega bond.
That would make the current situation, where suppressants couldn’t be used, even more terrifying.
“Guide Lee Jaehee, listen carefully. Esper Kang Dohyun will be here soon.”
“……”
“Once everything is sorted out, I’ll contact you, so leave the Center with Esper Kang Dohyun.”
“…Dr!”
But at those words, concern flashed in Jaehee’s eyes. Choi Geonwoo had just given a warning.
That must be what was bothering him.
Dr. Yoon immediately understood Jaehee’s concern and said:
“You don’t have to worry about the others. The Center Director and the Espers are all prepared to handle this situation.”
“But… what if…!”
But Jaehee’s anxiety didn’t disappear. Dr. Yoon looked at Jaehee and added:
“And a dedicated Guide for Esper Choi Geonwoo has been decided.”
At those words, Jaehee’s expression changed.
“S-class Guide Yoo Jiwoon has agreed to become Esper Choi Geonwoo’s dedicated Guide.”
