Behind the cat helmet, Gu Baekyoung followed, splendidly dressed.
They stopped walking in front of the reporters who had camped out at the Management Bureau and looked at them.
The reporters wanted to approach them, but couldn’t easily do so because of Gu Baekyoung’s murderous glare. Even though he hadn’t used his ability, they felt naturally intimidated.
“Has everyone gathered?”
The cat helmet’s voice was distorted, crackling.
“I have something to say first.”
The murmuring reporters fell silent. They focused as if they would capture every word, every breath of the cat helmet on camera.
“Center Director Park Hanil used his power to forcibly summon me, an ordinary civilian, all the way here. And on media that everyone is watching, no less.”
Just then, Park Hanil, who seemed to have rushed down, gestured toward the cat helmet.
“You…!”
Regardless, he just continued with his prepared words.
“The Constitution prevents the state or equivalent powers from forcing an individual’s choice.”
Only after saying that much did he look at Park Hanil.
“I understand that the Constitution is above the Guide Law, am I correct? Center Director Park Hanil.”
Those words were a sarcastic jab at Park Hanil threatening him by citing the Guide Law.
‘How’s that? You already got hit once, didn’t you?’ The sound seemed to reach him like an auditory hallucination, making his teeth grind.
But his agitation was brief; Park Hanil soon reorganized his expression.
So what— he thought. In any case, he had come all the way to the Guide Center to receive a guide test, and before long, it would be proven that he was a guide.
A proven guide would be bound to this place and have to follow his orders. No matter how much he talked about the Constitution or whatever, he couldn’t escape that fact.
In other words, the cat helmet was a rat in a trap.
Even with Gu Baekyoung standing firm, nothing would change. Even if he caused a disturbance, it would ultimately be a loss for them anyway.
“Haha, we didn’t gather here to discuss the law, did we?”
Park Hanil, who had regained his pace as if he had never been anxious, put on airs.
He tried to take them to the guide testing room before the cat helmet and Gu Baekyoung could say anything righteous.
“Now, since the protagonist everyone’s been waiting for has finally appeared, let’s all move directly to the testing room.”
His intention was to station reporters in front of the testing room so the cat helmet couldn’t escape.
“Just a moment before that.”
However, the cat helmet seemed to have more to say. Park Hanil nodded as if telling him to go ahead.
“Center Director, please swear in front of the reporters.”
“……”
“If it turns out I’m not a guide, you’ll accept the results and never threaten me again by talking about my identity.”
After showing such tremendous broadcast guiding, saying he’s not a guide?
At such absurd words, Park Hanil openly sneered.
“My goodness, anyone listening would think I made some unreasonable threat. I simply made an unavoidable choice for the safety of all citizens. There were absolutely no personal feelings involved.”
“Please swear in front of all the citizens that you will never infringe on my freedom again. And apologize to me as well.”
It wasn’t a difficult request. Because Park Hanil was certain that the cat helmet was indeed a guide. Whatever tricks they had prepared, they couldn’t avoid the guide test.
This was a game he would definitely win. There was no reason for him not to swear.
“Fine. I’ll swear.”
Camera flashes burst toward Park Hanil all at once. There wasn’t a single camera that didn’t capture his oath.
“Let’s go now.”
The cat helmet, who seemed to have finished speaking, finally stepped forward.
Park Hanil glanced at Gu Baekyoung as he turned around. He was remarkably expressionless.
It was a reaction that wasn’t in any of the scenarios Park Hanil had anticipated. A state where he couldn’t understand what scheme was being plotted.
‘What is he thinking?’
It was simply regrettable that he couldn’t read the cat helmet’s expression because of the dark tinting.
***
The testing room’s characteristic achromatic lighting slowly brightened. Bright light swept over the cat helmet standing on the circular device from head to toe.
Although it was disappointing that he couldn’t get the helmet removed in the end, since the helmet didn’t interfere with the test, the important thing was to get the results first.
Outside the testing room, Park Hanil stood in front of the microphone connected to the speaker inside the testing room and said leisurely,
“There’s no need to be nervous.”
He was confident that no matter what tricks the cat helmet and Gu Baekyoung had used, the results wouldn’t change.
The guide testing machine detected even D-grade guides, the lowest grade. There was no way it couldn’t read an S-grade reading.
Park Hanil waited for the testing machine’s results with full confidence. Several waiting reporters also watched only the machine with tension.
Amid expectations that explosive readings would soon appear…
“…Hm?”
The machine was eerily quiet.
……What?
Park Hanil nonchalantly restarted the testing machine.
But the result was the same. Far from the readings exploding upward, it only output readings lower than an ordinary person.
Park Hanil’s brow faintly creased at the unbelievable results.
‘Th-this can’t be.’
Park Hanil restarted the testing machine once again.
Of course, the result was the same.
—No guide resonance reaction
At that result, the reporters began to murmur.
“…This is strange. There seems to be a problem with the machine….”
Park Hanil urgently pressed the staff, but they had confirmed multiple times that there was nothing wrong with the machine.
“It’s, it’s the helmet! They definitely did something strange to the helmet.”
As if forgetting that he had said the helmet didn’t matter, an excited Park Hanil pointed his finger at the helmet.
Almost simultaneously, there was an energy that made him flinch. It was the pressure exuded by Gu Baekyoung, who had been silently watching the results.
As if angered by Park Hanil’s attitude change as easily as flipping a palm, the area around Gu Baekyoung resonated.
The moment objects around him began to float little by little due to Gu Baekyoung’s psychokinesis, someone grabbed his shoulder.
“Calm down.”
It was Na Geonwoo, who had followed at some unknown point. Behind him stood Alpha Team and ability users who had been interested in this matter.
Because Park Hanil had conducted a public test to humiliate the cat helmet, many people had gathered.
“Let’s proceed with the test with the helmet off.”
This couldn’t be. Saying he’s not a guide…
Unlike the stunned Park Hanil, the cat helmet answered dryly.
“Let’s remove the helmet and test one last time.”
***
The energy of guides and espers was completely different. That’s why the Ability Management Bureau had separate Guide Center and Esper Center.
If the two energies were similar, they would have shared the testing room. There was a reason for separately testing with different machines.
Onyul planned to exploit that blind spot.
He was a rare case who could use his previous life’s esper ability. Through various attempts, he had realized he could switch between esper and guide abilities like a switch.
In other words, he could live as an esper or as a guide.
Therefore, if he operated his esper ability in the testing room, he thought no guide readings would appear. It was a confidence he could have because he had lived as an esper for a long time.
Onyul’s confidence became reality.
No matter how much the guide machine measured him, no guide readings were detected from him. It was natural since he had used his therapy ability.
Onyul suppressed the laugh that wanted to come out and watched Park Hanil, who was showing flustered gestures.
Now he was mentioning the helmet he had asserted would have absolutely nothing to do with it. If he tested without removing the helmet, he seemed ready to cling to the helmet issue until the end.
People really… there’s a limit to saying two different things with one mouth. Tsk.
“Let’s remove the helmet and test one last time.”
Onyul had no choice but to comply with his words.
It was so that after today, he wouldn’t be caught by him anymore.
“However, I’ll turn around and be tested so I won’t be visible to the cameras. You’re not planning to take issue with this too, are you?”
Park Hanil reluctantly answered.
“Fine.”
Behind Park Hanil, Gu Baekyoung could be seen with a furrowed expression. Onyul slightly nodded his head to indicate it would be okay.
As he removed the helmet while turned around, he felt the machine reactivate.
But the result was the same. The guide readings weren’t measured high, and Onyul only showed readings close to an ordinary person.
Onyul, who confirmed the results through the readings panel inside the testing room, put the helmet back on.
“You have nothing more to say, right? I’m leaving now.”
Everyone’s faces he encountered after leaving the testing room looked dumbfounded.
The reporters who had been broadcasting the results in real-time, the ability users who seemed to have inwardly expected it, and even Park Hanil.
“H-how could someone who’s not a guide… to Esper Gu Baekyoung…”
Park Hanil couldn’t continue his words and made a devastated expression.
Onyul, as usual, only answered calmly.
“Now apologize as you swore.”
“So-something went wrong! I can’t believe it.”
As Park Hanil continued to refuse to accept reality, Na Geonwoo, who was holding Gu Baekyoung, opened his lips.
“Center Director, let’s stop now and accept it.”
Even Na Geonwoo, who knew Onyul’s plan, seemed slightly flustered upon seeing the actual results, but he was maintaining more composure than Park Hanil.
“Apologize. Right now.”
At Onyul’s request, Park Hanil was silent for a long time. He chewed his lower lip while reading the room.
“Well, if you won’t do it, there’s nothing I can do. But now, all the citizens have seen your ugly side.”
It was a sharp remark that didn’t match his plain tone. Onyul approached Gu Baekyoung as if he wouldn’t wait for Park Hanil any longer.
“See, I told you I’d handle it myself.”
He looked down at Onyul with a somehow choked-up face.
The reporters who had been watching the confrontation between Onyul and Park Hanil finally spoke in unison.
“If you’re not a guide, how were you able to stop Esper Gu Baekyoung’s rampage?”
“Pl-please say a word!”
Despite the flood of interview requests, Onyul confidently looked at them. Perhaps it was the helmet that hid his face that gave him confidence.
Absurdly, what came to mind at that moment was Gu Baekyoung’s ridiculous excuse.
Could there be a more fitting answer than that?
Onyul grabbed Gu Baekyoung’s white hand and said boldly,
“It’s the power of love. That’s all.”
