Ryu Jaegeon could abandon Han Seoha, but he couldn’t even imagine the reverse. It was natural for an abandoned guide to look for another esper, yet he couldn’t conceive of it.
That’s how much Han Seoha only knew Ryu Jaegeon. His entire daily life was adjusted to Ryu Jaegeon. He would guide until right before collapsing to fill the insufficient guiding, and when he came to his senses, he would seek out Ryu Jaegeon again. Thanks to the devoted Han Seoha, even if the guiding was insufficient, it was enough to go out on missions.
Ryu Jaegeon cherished Han Seoha, who only knew him, in his own way. It was affection on the level of raising a pretty dog that understood words.
But what about now?
Han Seoha, who had always welcomed him with a smiling face, had even a hazy awkward smile. The pretty eyes that used to sparkle and focus like a puppy when they were together didn’t even look this way.
The Han Seoha before his eyes was an appearance he’d never seen even once during their entire time as partners. Though it wasn’t sharply cutting him off, the signs of rejection with his whole body were evident.
When Ryu Jaegeon unknowingly stepped close at the sudden sense of distance, Han Seoha stepped back.
Just one step. When Han Seoha widened the distance from his side, Ryu Jaegeon’s greatly agitated waves scattered in an instant. At the same time, the entire security team that had been waiting for an opportunity rushed in and restrained Ryu Jaegeon.
“Get away from the guide!”
“Esper Ryu Jaegeon, did you just use your power inside the center?”
“Hold out your arm. We’ll check the control device.”
While they drove the docilely captured Ryu Jaegeon against the wall, even additional personnel surrounded the area. Literally enclosed by a human wall, the distance between the two physically widened.
“Control device is valid.”
“Isn’t the meter broken?”
The security team captain’s doubt was justified.
The esper-exclusive watch contained a control device that only worked in the center. If you tried to use your power here, you’d either faint or suffer from the waves flowing backward, having to endure pain without emergency guiding. Even if you endured the pain and exerted power, at most it would be weak output that wasn’t even half of half.
“Enough to overcome the control? Esper Ryu Jaegeon, I think we need to re-measure your rank.”
The security team captain who directly checked Ryu Jaegeon’s wrist only acknowledged it after seeing the pitch-black burned arm. The control device was working properly.
“Crazy, he exerts that much power under control?”
“Is he really A-rank? Shouldn’t we do a rank test again?”
Yu Haneul, who had been watching with a furrowed brow at the espers’ murmuring, smiled brightly and clapped his hands.
“Excuse me, aren’t you all being too serious? That guide over there was our Jaegeon hyung’s partner. They’ve been together, so for an esper, it’s a natural reaction, isn’t it?”
The A-rank guiding that spread faintly with his light tone easily subdued the espers’ complaints.
“That’s true.”
“Even I would lose it if my guide came with swollen lips.”
“Wow, A-rank radiant guiding is different.”
Having broken down the espers’ vigilance at once, Yu Haneul leisurely entered between the security team espers. The trained ones didn’t waver even at the A-rank guide’s approach, but Yu Haneul paid no heed to the menacing atmosphere.
“Please release our hyung.”
“Guide Yu Haneul, step back. Esper Ryu Jaegeon can’t control his power.”
“Is Security Team Captain-nim a guide?”
With just a light question, Yu Haneul pushed aside the security team and could easily reach Ryu Jaegeon. Avoiding the burned arm and holding the intact hand, Yu Haneul raised his voice as if for everyone to hear, startled.
“Your wavelength is a mess. Let’s go to a nearby guiding room.”
At Yu Haneul’s action of trying to take away the subdued Ryu Jaegeon, the security team captain firmly stopped him.
“Stop. We must immediately detain Esper Ryu Jaegeon.”
“Will you take responsibility if Jaegeon hyung goes berserk?”
“There’s an order to things. And he won’t go berserk with numbers at this level.”
When the security team captain came out more firmly than expected, Yu Haneul also couldn’t insist more strongly and tried to let go of Ryu Jaegeon.
“E-emergency guiding depends on the pair guide’s judgment.”
The soft voice with trembling clearly evident had obvious signs of tension. The security team captain looked back at Han Seoha, dumbfounded.
“Guide Han Seoha. This is a situation where an esper used power in a safe zone to threaten a guide. Don’t you understand that you’re trying to help him?”
Following the captain, the gazes of numerous espers reached Han Seoha. Among the espers filling the corridor, even while trembling with tension, Han Seoha didn’t stop.
“Espers of A-rank and above can request guiding for all criminal circumstances except major crimes.”
“Ah, I know that too.”
Yu Haneul, who was also a rookie guide, recalled what he’d recently learned and grabbed Ryu Jaegeon’s hand again.
“What in the world is this… Guide Han Seoha, are you serious?”
Han Seoha had only been abandoned by Ryu Jaegeon for one day. Far from being more spiteful out of revenge, he was actually taking his side—it was incomprehensible.
Even at the captain’s question, Han Seoha bowed at the waist toward Yu Haneul. He still didn’t say anything that could be presumptuous like ‘please take care of him.’ Ryu Jaegeon’s gaze stayed on such a Han Seoha for a moment before blurring with pain.
Only after Yu Haneul and Ryu Jaegeon finally left and even the emergency-deployed security team dispersed did Han Seoha stagger.
“Guide Han Seoha!”
“I-I’m, fine. Earlier Jaegeon’s wavelength was too strong…….”
“See? There was actual damage but they sent him off without even investigating.”
Even though they were openly sarcastic, Han Seoha curled up without a word of excuse.
Han Seoha’s reaction of trembling and sweating coldly was aftereffects from excessive exposure to an esper’s waves. While feeling sorry for Han Seoha who struggled for only the esper until the end and collapsed even while having such a hard time, they coveted him.
“I’ll help you up.”
“You’re not good at controlling your strength. I’ll do it.”
They were people who had gathered for a matching test with Han Seoha in the first place. While they bickered, not wanting to miss even a small opportunity, a security team esper stepped forward and lifted Han Seoha.
“I’ll escort you to the infirmary.”
“No. I’ll do the test first.”
When the supported Han Seoha entered the matching department, everyone was dejected like dogs that lost their chickens, but became docile again with the expectation that they could take the test if they just kept order.
Han Seoha, who actually entered the matching test department, collapsed as he was.
“Guide Han Seoha, are you okay?”
“Ah, so that’s why it was noisy outside.”
Even though they had put Han Seoha on the matching test list due to the espers’ pressure, it was just formality. Everyone was flustered when Han Seoha actually appeared.
“Oh my, someone bring water.”
“Ah, why now of all times.”
Guessing that the two had run into each other from Han Seoha arriving and silently shedding only tears not long after Ryu Jaegeon had protested and left.
“Goodness, why are your hands shaking so much? We have sedatives, shall I give you one?”
“I’m fine. Um, can I rest for a moment and then test?”
“Is the test the problem right now? Sit on this sofa and calm down a bit.”
The staff who offered the sofa and handed over a handkerchief were much kinder than before. Han Seoha bowed his head to the staff who were considerate enough to be bustling.
“I’m really fine… I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m like this either.”
Everyone but you probably knows. The same answer reflected on every staff member’s face. Han Seoha himself couldn’t see it with his eyes full of moisture.
“Have some tea.”
“Ah, thank you.”
As if his tongue had loosened at the warmth of a cup of hot tea, Han Seoha poured out his emotions to those watching him.
“Jaegeon… Esper Ryu Jaegeon was really having a hard time all this while. No matter how hard I tried, the numbers wouldn’t go down well, so guiding took a long time, and he had a hard time just coming back from missions. Now that he’s met an A-rank guide, he won’t have his time taken anymore and will have less pain. Now Jaegeon will really be okay… It’s really, truly a good thing. Really.”
The voice of Han Seoha, who judged the situation only from Ryu Jaegeon’s perspective, gradually became wet, and tears finally fell.
“Not being able to see him every day… Even if Jaegeon gets hurt, I can’t know anymore, and that’s so upsetting.”
Ah, he’s really like that till the end. Pitifully.
Someone’s tongue-clicking sound was full of sympathy. Han Seoha’s goodness and naivety had already been desperately conveyed to everyone.
“I’m sorry. You can’t even work because of me. I’ll get examined first.”
To Han Seoha who swallowed his tears while holding the received handkerchief in his hand, an older staff member approached and patted his shoulder.
“Never mind, what examination? Go back and rest.”
“No. I’ll do the matching test.”
“No, please just go and rest.”
The staff continued trying to send Han Seoha back, but it was useless.
“I can do it. Please let me. If there’s an esper who needs me, I want to work.”
Only then did the staff understand from Han Seoha’s words, desperately seeking his usefulness with a face where tears hadn’t even dried yet.
This guide was also desperate to somehow cover the pain of being abandoned with something else.
“Goodness, then rest a bit before doing it. There’s plenty of time.”
Plenty, my ass. They’d be fortunate if the espers waiting in the corridor didn’t stage an uprising.
Since everyone felt sorry for Han Seoha, the examination process was slower than usual.
The only anxious person here was the staff member who had scheduled appointments.
‘At this rate, it’ll overlap with the afternoon matching test.’
Since Yu Haneul would be late doing emergency guiding for Ryu Jaegeon, Han Seoha could face the S-rank esper alone.
At other times, they would have coordinated it even deliberately, but having witnessed Han Seoha’s frustratingly pitiful appearance these past few days, they thought to let him enjoy good fortune just once.
While thinking the treatment of the S-rank was too much, it was because Han Seoha was that pitiful.
