Chapter 40: The Price of Guiding

Chapter 40

“Hey, no, that’s not what you’re thinking, Yoon Geon-woo.”

‘My previous pair and I only kissed, that’s all. This feels unfairly accusatory.’

Despite having done nothing wrong, a strange prickle of guilt assailed my conscience. My discomfort only deepened as I recalled Yoon Geon-woo’s innocent reaction earlier, when he had been beneath me, receiving my guiding.

“I think you might be laboring under some strange misunderstanding right now…”

“It’s quite alright. Before forming a formal pair, it’s only natural to have harmonized your guiding with various Espers.”

“It’s not… what you’re imagining.”

“Then, does that mean this was your first guiding session ever?”

“No, that’s not…”

Damn it. I tried to continue, hoping to correct his mistaken assumption, but somehow, things only grew more entangled. As I struggled to provide a timely answer, Yoon Geon-woo’s gaze grew increasingly clouded.

“Well, I said you don’t have to explain further.”

Just as I was racking my brain, the conversation abruptly ceased at a most unsettling moment. Ajusshi behaved as if no further explanation was necessary.

“We’ll speak again another time. I’ll contact you separately.”

“Who said you could contact them?”

“This is a private matter, so stay out of it.”

“Damn it, you senile old man.”

“Don’t you think you’re the one who’s immature? What do you say, in your opinion, does this Ajusshi look like an old man?”

Ajusshi, while bickering with Yoon Geon-woo, deliberately pulled me into their argument. With my body already feeling unwell, being caught between this father and son, who were clearly at loggerheads, was nothing short of excruciating.

Regardless of their relationship, purely based on appearance, Yoon Geon-woo and Ajusshi shared a striking resemblance. From their sharp features and piercing eyes to their unapproachable aura, everything was remarkably similar.

Both men possessed such commanding presences that they would instantly stand out in any crowd. I couldn’t help but feel that their current squabble was utterly pointless.

‘He’s Yoon Geon-woo’s father, so I can’t exactly say anything harsh…’

While one might be able to curse their own family, it’s generally frowned upon when an outsider does. Though there might be exceptions, I was hesitant to interfere, as I didn’t know the full story behind their strained relationship.

After a moment of deliberation, I subtly reached out and took Yoon Geon-woo’s hand. I half-expected him to swat it away, but thankfully, he didn’t pull back.

[Contamination Level: 84%]

Perhaps fueled by Ajusshi’s infuriating presence, Yoon Geon-woo’s contamination level had already climbed to 84%. His body temperature remained high, clearly indicating his poor physical state. I decided I needed to get Ajusshi out of our sight as quickly as possible.

“Yoon Geon-woo, you shouldn’t call older people ‘old man’ or ‘senile.’ It’s just not appropriate.”

“…”

Receiving no reply from Yoon Geon-woo, I subtly glanced at Ajusshi before continuing.

“Calling a handsome person ugly isn’t really an insult, is it? But seeing how he got angry at what you just said… I guess… it might have… some truth to it…”

No sooner had I finished speaking than the fingertips of Yoon Geon-woo’s hand, still clasped in mine, twitched. As if my words had pleased him, the rigid expression on his face seemed to soften somewhat.

“You… I didn’t take you for that kind of person…”

Ajusshi, however, seemed considerably shocked. He muttered something to himself before raking a hand down his face. The way he did even that was so uncannily similar to Yoon Geon-woo that I was once again struck by the formidable power of genetics.

“Please leave. I have nothing more to say to you, Ajusshi.”

Though I had phrased it politely, it was, in essence, an earnest plea for him to disappear. Between soothing the sensitive Yoon Geon-woo and tending to my own utterly drained body, my mind and spirit were utterly exhausted.

“Very well. Then this old man shall take his leave. I’ll inform the medical team separately, so please wait here for a moment.”

With those final words, Ajusshi exited the isolation room. While he appeared somewhat offended by the term ‘old man,’ it was of no concern to me. He seemed to cast a brief glance at Yoon Geon-woo just before stepping out, but then left without another word.

I wondered what story lay behind their relationship, which seemed worse than that of strangers. Though curious, I also found myself reluctant to delve too deeply into it.

‘I’m exhausted.’

My mind was utterly blank. It felt as if a tremendous storm had just swept through. Utterly drained, I slumped onto the filthy floor of the isolation room. Yoon Geon-woo, too, settled down beside me. I hadn’t noticed amidst the chaos earlier, but now that the situation had subsided, an overwhelming fatigue washed over me.

‘I truly can’t do this again.’

Guiding a high-risk Esper who had surpassed their safe point was far more taxing on the body than I had anticipated. It seemed it would be better for both of us to avoid such dangerous situations in the future. As I pondered if there might be a better solution, Dr. Nam’s suggestion of sleep guiding suddenly came to mind.

“Yoon Geon-woo, when we go back to school, could you let me be your roommate?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t share a room with anyone else.”

Yoon Geon-woo refused unequivocally. Since he was so adamant, I didn’t feel inclined to press the matter further. For me, it didn’t really matter as long as I could meet him to guide, even if we weren’t sharing a room.

“Then don’t terminate our temporary pair agreement. I’ll take responsibility and help you until you graduate.”

“Who are you to keep saying you’ll take responsibility for me?”

“I told you. I’m very interested in you.”

Despite my dwindling energy, I steadfastly conveyed my interest to him, only to be met with a dismissive ‘tsk’ sound. Then, in a suspicious tone, he began to interrogate me.

“Hey. You’re really not the Director’s puppet, are you?”

“What in the world… are you talking about? You just heard Ajusshi and me talking.”

Dumbfounded, I glared at Yoon Geon-woo. While his continued suspicion initially annoyed me, my anger quickly subsided as I considered how desperate he must be to have lost so much faith in humanity.

Oblivious to my thoughts, Yoon Geon-woo relentlessly continued to provoke me.

“You followed the Director without even knowing what kind of person he is? Do you have no sense of self-preservation?”

“I only followed because your father said he’d take me to where you were. How was I supposed to know it would be a place like this?”

“Damn it, stop calling him my father.”

“But he is your biological father.”

“f*ck. Don’t say things like that. It gives me the creeps.”

“What, did you just fall from the sky when you were born? Were you picked up from under a bridge? You can’t deny it; you and Ajusshi look too much alike. With that identical face telling me you were in danger, how could I not follow?”

At the mention of his resemblance to Ajusshi, Yoon Geon-woo visibly shuddered in disgust. Even with the heavy fatigue clinging to his eyes, he apparently still had enough energy to get angry.

Slam—

Yoon Geon-woo slammed away my hand, which had been guiding him. Had he already forgotten that he was just complaining about being in pain and not feeling well?

“Yoon Geon-woo, I’m still guiding you.”

“I don’t need your guiding anymore.”

His temper was truly atrocious. It was as if he was trying to prove he wasn’t ‘Yoon-jok.’ He wasn’t a grade-schooler, so what exactly was he doing?

“Then who are you going to get the rest of your guiding from? The official Guides here at the center?”

Faced with a rebuttal that hit too close to home, Yoon Geon-woo clamped his mouth shut and offered no retort. The only saving grace was that even amidst this bickering, he hadn’t left my side.

‘Well… it’s not like he has anywhere else to go here anyway.’

After a brief, uncomfortable silence, I decided to be the first to extend an olive branch to Yoon Geon-woo. What else could I do? He had, after all, only said things he disliked.

Everyone has certain topics they are sensitive about, and for Yoon Geon-woo, it seemed to be anything related to the Director. Since I also react sensitively to discussions about So-eun, I decided to consider it a similar issue.

“I only met Ajusshi today. He came to the hospital where I was admitted, and he said you were in danger. So, I followed him. To repay you for your kindness.”

I subtly leaned towards Yoon Geon-woo as I continued speaking. Yoon Geon-woo looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if to ask, ‘What kindness are you talking about?’

“You saved Park Hyeon-seo and me during the Death Game. I felt like it was all thanks to you.”

I expected Yoon Geon-woo to respond when I brought up the incident from that day. However, for some reason, he seemed lost in thought.

Taking advantage of the moment, I placed my hand over the back of Yoon Geon-woo’s hand, which rested on the floor. His contamination level had already dropped into the 70% range.

‘My energy is draining so fast.’

As the guiding slowly flowed through our clasped hands, my energy was depleted in real-time. The intense guiding session brought on a sudden wave of fatigue, making my eyelids feel impossibly heavy.

‘I think I’m going to fall asleep before the medical team arrives…’

Just as I was about to succumb to the overwhelming drowsiness, a firm hand seemed to steady my swaying head. Then, Yoon Geon-woo, sitting beside me, spoke in a low voice.

“Lately, I keep having strange dreams.”

‘What kind of dreams?’ I wanted to ask, but I was already half-asleep. Yoon Geon-woo’s hesitant voice faded into the distance.

“In my dreams…”

It felt as if I was sinking beneath the surface of water, everything buzzing around me. With a final, soft sigh from him, my head finally drooped, unable to fight off the sleep any longer.

“You die. Over and over again.”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Could It Be That I’m Actually the Strongest Final Boss?

ComedyFantasyFemale Protagonist

Read Now →
Not interested