After returning from the gate, Han Seoha spent a full day sleeping.
He woke up in Baek Uihyeon’s room and was bewildered for a moment, but seeing that even his broken nails had been cleanly regenerated, he realized that Jo Yonghwi’s abilities had improved considerably.
At this rate, it seems like he’ll be E-rank or higher. Then will he stop doing house calls?
It was evidence of steady effort even before the major incident in the future that would raise his rank to A-rank.
I should ask him to eat with me to thank him.
Han Seoha was trying hard to think everyday thoughts. While barely suppressing the desire to rush out, he organized the blankets and drank water.
The compass was placed on the table along with the dented canteen. What was placed here were items recognized as Han Seoha’s belongings.
Even during the everyday actions of returning to the Guide dormitory, showering, and changing into outdoor clothes, Han Seoha’s mind was busy.
Finding my body means exposing the Association’s disgrace.
A Guide who found a treasure room that hadn’t been discovered in years of regular gate exploration coincidentally finds the Association’s secret laboratory in less than a month?
It was too convenient to be a coincidence.
The goal this time was to at least specify a general direction without showing that he was using the compass.
If I take a taxi, it’ll look like I’m in too much of a hurry, so let’s take the bus.
If Baek Uihyeon had known, he would have provided not only a car but also a driver, but he planned to move as if this were impulsive.
Considering mobility, it would be good to get a driver’s license at this point, but Han Seoha had no intention of arbitrarily doing something he hadn’t learned. His behavioral standard was not to deviate from what Han Seoha would reasonably do.
The first part of the plan was to submit a petition and appeal for the release of Jeong Iro, who would be in the detention room.
Han Seoha, who stopped by the reception desk before the visit, carefully pushed in the petition.
“Hello. I’m sorry for visiting again today.”
“Oh, Guide Han Seoha, I heard you were active in this gate.”
“What? No. I only caused trouble.”
“What are you talking about? There’s a rumor going around that you hit the jackpot with magic stones and items. So, about that. I’ll organize and submit the petitions that Guide Han Seoha has been bringing all this time.”
“Really? Thank you.”
“As Guide Han Seoha said, Esper Jeong Iro is still in the adjustment phase, so sending him to a detention facility is too harsh. He’s been cooperative in the detention room too. When the victim Guide is working this hard, he’ll be released soon.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Hey, no problem. We’re more grateful that you bring us coffee and desserts every day even though visits aren’t allowed.”
Even if he couldn’t see Jeong Iro, a favorable response was enough.
After that, he visited the HR team and applied for vacation. The employee casually received the application and was checking it when they doubted their eyes.
“Is this your first time taking vacation?”
“Ah… yes, probably.”
In Han Seoha’s records for the past 2 years, there was no vacation, let alone any record of going out. The employee’s indifferent face overflowed with compassion and approved five days of paid vacation in one go.
“Even if you’re C-rank, Guides can’t be away from their post for more than a week, so I filled it out to a full 5 days. Make sure to use the rest this year. It disappears after a year.”
“Thank you.”
“Hang in there, Guide-nim.”
Han Seoha bowed to the employee who even struck a fighting pose and sent a text to Jo Yonghwi after leaving.
If you have time, would you like to have lunch outside?
At the light suggestion, a positive answer came back in less than a few seconds, and he immediately set up an appointment. In the meantime, there was a sudden summons from the Association Director, but since he’d already started his vacation, he ignored it. Anyway, if the Association Director really wanted to meet Han Seoha, he could just give instructions to the Esper who was secretly following him around even now.
I wonder how Han Seoha would be in front of a person in power…
Since Han Seoha was infinitely weak before Espers, he briefly pondered how he should treat the Association Director to be like him. He would probably be polite. Perhaps he might find it difficult, but the Esper Jo Yonghwi would be more important to Han Seoha than the Association Director, who was an ordinary person.
For now, it’s vacation.
***
As soon as his vacation started, Han Seoha left the Association. After stopping by a famous dessert cafe with Jo Yonghwi and receiving curious looks for being men together before parting, he wandered around here and there alone.
The two Espers the Association Director had assigned watched where Han Seoha was going, but he was just riding buses and moving around as if doing a Seoul tour.
What he did was stare blankly out the window, occasionally look at his cell phone, or check his watch. Without meeting anyone or enjoying anything, when he arrived at the last stop, he would just take another bus.
A Guide wouldn’t be poor. Maybe because he’s C-rank, there’s no performance bonus? So he can’t travel and on the vacation he finally got, he’s just aimlessly riding buses around?
At least after moving from one end of Seoul to the other, he would sometimes take an intercity bus. He’d buy a ticket to Busan and then turn back midway, or perhaps interested in the sheep flock shown in a flyer he saw at a restaurant, he’d stop by a ranch.
The money spent was just bus fares, ordinary meals, and small admission fees. The two Espers watching Han Seoha even considered mentioning to Baek Uihyeon, if not the Association Director, to separately take care of a Guide bonus.
Of course, Han Seoha knew surveillance was following him, so he checked the compass while pretending to look at his watch.
Han Seoha’s wish was to find his own body. The needle, responding to his earnestness, glowed faintly and pointed in a direction. Thanks to the fact that no matter how much he moved around inside the Association, the direction didn’t change, so he started wandering around like a tourist using his vacation as an excuse. Following the subtly changing direction of the needle, he narrowed down the approximate location.
Jeong Iro can move with just information within a certain distance. Really a cheat character.
Once he could specify the building, he planned to use Jeong Iro to find his own body, which would be stored in a hidden location.
Jeong Iro would cooperate at least this much. Since there had been guiding done until now, he would help at least in the spirit of give and take. If he didn’t help, there was no reason to hold onto Jeong Iro’s hand.
Even if Jeong Iro didn’t help, it would just take a little more time. With just the compass, he could find it somehow. However, to do that, he would need to be able to explain why Han Seoha, who only knew the Association, was searching through a building like hunting for lice. Above all, that building had tight security, so Han Seoha, an outsider, wouldn’t be able to poke around.
It’s not like there’s no way.
He hoped he could make use of Jeong Iro if possible. Because the sooner he got Han Seoha back, the better.
***
Only three days.
Jeong Iro wasn’t anxious the entire time he waited for Han Seoha, who didn’t come looking for him. Even if Han Seoha couldn’t come see him in person, he could infer the situation from the stories told by those coming and going.
Han Seoha came to the detention room every day to explain that day’s events, even when he couldn’t meet Jeong Iro. He confided from the Esper’s standpoint and hoped for understanding and tolerance. Han Seoha worried only about Jeong Iro’s wellbeing to the point where the detention room staff clicked their tongues.
“Han Seoha is really devoted. He came every day until he entered the gate.”
“He even went into the gate to volunteer so they’d look after his Esper. And now he’s got aftereffects because of that bastard.”
“They say the pain gets worse every time he guides, but he’s got a good heart.”
“Ugh, that one doesn’t even know what his Guide is going through and just stuffs his face.”
Despite the guards’ complaints, Jeong Iro’s spoon didn’t stop. Unlike before when he would shut his mouth and endure in the detention room, Jeong Iro ate all the food that came in at mealtime without leaving anything. To the point where when it was time for Han Seoha to prepare snacks, he would even request snacks.
He wasn’t unaware that the treatment wasn’t bad despite the detention situation was thanks to Han Seoha. The goodwill toward Han Seoha among the supervising Espers was rising day by day.
Because of that, there were those who wanted to be spiteful toward Jeong Iro, but after confirming that the restraints would occasionally malfunction, no one treated him roughly. They didn’t provoke him because they realized the frequent malfunctions were due to the restraints not being able to withstand the energy waves.
“I think the restraints need to be fixed again. He’s B-rank, so why does it break so quickly?”
If he had been A-rank in the first place, he should have been moved to a detention facility long ago. The detention room facility had a limit of B-rank. In Ryu Jaegeon’s case too, it was just lightly done as an example for show, so he was temporarily held.
“Isn’t he hiding his power?”
“There’s no reason to go so far as to lower his own rank… ah, he’s from that place.”
Jeong Iro, who grew up among villains, was skilled at hiding his power. They also thought similarly and considered him provisionally A-rank in their minds and didn’t neglect caution.
Jeong Iro himself just waited for mealtime and spent his time in a daze.
Bored. I’m bored.
There was no TV here, no books full of pictures. Above all, the warm voice that constantly tickled his ears wasn’t heard.
Iro-ya, is there anything you want to eat? Would chicken stew be too spicy and hard? Then let’s order braised chicken.
Do you prefer homemade? Curry? Okay, I’ll make it right away.
Iro likes sweet things. That’s a relief. I’ll buy various types of cakes tomorrow.
Iro-ya, let’s watch TV. Iro, you like this. Last time you concentrated on it continuously, forgetting to even eat.
Iro-ya, can’t sleep?
Jeong Iro. You have to wash your hands before eating.
“…Seoha hyung, I miss you.”
For the first time, he realized longing.
