X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerJin Ian seemed to have surmised, based on our recent guiding session, that our compatibility was quite good.
And rightly so; a matching rate exceeding ninety percent was exceptionally rare. Under normal circumstances, it would have been logical for me to become his temporary partner.
However, a unique individual named Yoon Geon-woo was already in the picture, complicating any potential pairing with Jin Ian. Both by matching rate and by the existing circumstances, Yoon Geon-woo was undeniably the higher priority for temporary partner selection.
This, of course, applied only to temporary pairings. The selection of an official partner was ultimately determined by the mutual consent of both the Esper and the Guide.
“Hey, could you do that again, just like before?”
As I pondered the implications of our matching rate, Jin Ian, visibly excited, seized my hand and shook it vigorously.
“Why do you keep asking me to…?”
“The guiding, of course. Salt Bread, I think you really are my Guide.”
Jin Ian’s eyes crinkled charmingly as he smiled. The way he gently nipped at my fingertips felt like a subtle, yet insistent, plea.
‘This guy… so this was always his habit?’
Even before the regression, when I served as Jin Ian’s temporary partner, he would invariably nip at my fingertips whenever the opportunity arose. This method allowed for quicker and more intimate guiding, as the energy could be transmitted directly through his oral mucosa.
Of course, this was merely a polite rationalization; it could just as easily be dismissed as one of Jin Ian’s peculiar, rather unsanitary habits. After all, it implied he’d let just anyone put their hand in his mouth.
“Come on? Quickly.”
Jin Ian resumed his playful eye-smile, beginning to pester me once more. It was truly awkward, with this utterly frivolous individual clinging to me, refusing to let go. I had no desire to draw further attention in the bustling cafeteria, and it was precisely as I was about to refuse his request that it happened.
*CRASH!
Jin Ian toppled backward with a resounding crash.
It might be a cliché, but it truly happened in the blink of an eye. Unable to fathom what had occurred, my initial thought was that Jin Ian had simply lost his balance and landed on his backside.
“Jin Ian!”
The sheer volume of his fall instantly drew every student’s gaze within the cafeteria to our table. I, too, was so startled that I rushed to his side in a single stride.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
Examining him, I saw his body trembling uncontrollably, as if the impact of hitting the floor had severely rattled him.
‘Wait, could this be…?’
Yet, to attribute his fall solely to himself felt suspicious, especially given the state of the chair he had been sitting on. It lay in splinters, as if intentionally demolished.
Furthermore, a vivid blue light shimmered around both Jin Ian and me, allowing me to instantly deduce that Yoon Geon-woo was responsible for Jin Ian’s sudden tumble.
‘Why would he do something like this?’
In this unforeseen turn of events, I immediately scanned the area where Yoon Geon-woo had been standing. However, other students had already crowded around us, obscuring him from view.
Naturally, an A-class Esper like Jin Ian couldn’t possibly be oblivious to what I had just realized. As he groaned and slowly lifted his head, his eyes held an ominous glint.
‘If this continues, they might actually fight…’
His light-colored pupils, fixed on the shattered chair, turned murky and unfocused. I instantly recognized that Jin Ian was absolutely seething with rage.
Given that both Yoon Geon-woo and Jin Ian were Esperes of no ordinary rank, a full-blown chaotic brawl would undoubtedly erupt if they were to come to blows.
Witnessing Jin Ian begin to gather his energy, clearly preparing to unleash his abilities, I had no choice but to urgently cry out to him.
“That… that was guiding!”
I seized Jin Ian’s hand without preamble and unleashed a torrent of guiding energy. Immediately, Jin Ian’s menacing aura, which had threatened to ignite into a full-scale confrontation, noticeably receded.
“This is it, isn’t it? What you wanted to confirm.”
Jin Ian’s eyes, meeting mine at such close proximity, sparkled with a profound astonishment. It was the very same look he had given me during our first guiding session before the regression—an ecstatic, almost ethereal gaze, as if he were about to take flight.
“Wow… you…”
Jin Ian exhaled a short gasp of admiration. As if the pain from moments before had vanished entirely, his expression had softened into one of languid contentment.
Yet, despite his visibly stabilizing condition, a sudden question pierced through my thoughts.
[Contamination Level: 45%]
Having guided him in such haste, a detail I had previously dismissed now resurfaced. Even at the snack bar, I had found it puzzling, but now I truly couldn’t comprehend why his contamination level had surged past forty percent.
‘Has he not been receiving guiding lately? His physical condition is truly…’
Truthfully, Jin Ian had always been the kind of Esper who used his abilities lavishly, making regular care an absolute necessity for him. He was well aware of this himself, and he had claimed to have managed his contamination levels through his own methods until he formed a temporary partnership with me.
I had understood that he’d avoided major issues by enjoying dates with various Guides and receiving guiding from different sources. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, his contamination level was now quite elevated.
‘Considering he’s been talking about partners non-stop since earlier, perhaps he hasn’t settled on a temporary one yet…’
Now that I thought about it, my partnership with Jin Ian had indeed begun around this time. Before the regression, I had met him shortly after Yoon Geon-woo unilaterally dissolved our temporary pairing in less than a month, so the timing felt roughly accurate.
“Salt Bread… you really do seem to be my Guide.”
Jin Ian appeared utterly delighted, as if the commotion of his recent fall had been entirely wiped from his memory. A faint blush even graced his cheeks, clearly the face of someone deeply satisfied by the guiding from a highly compatible Guide.
“Pair with me. No, let’s *be* partners!”
“I’m sorry, but I… already have a partner…”
Jin Ian subtly tugged the hand he held towards himself. Since I was kneeling on the floor, guiding him as he sat, I quickly lost my balance and swayed. It was baffling why Espers always resorted to brute strength first.
“See this? This has never happened to me before.”
“What, what in the world…?”
The hand I held with Jin Ian was then firmly placed on the middle of his muscular thigh.
Had he placed something in his pants pocket? Just as the peculiar sensation registered, a sudden, startling realization dawned on me, and I snatched my hand away.
But as if completely oblivious to my internal turmoil, Jin Ian smiled more beautifully than ever and declared,
“You have to take responsibility for this, Salt Bread!”
****
‘This lunatic… has his mind snapped from accumulated contamination?’
I bolted out of the cafeteria immediately, though not without delivering a light warning to the rascal.
“Hey, this is the only time I’m going easy on you.”
“So, next time, you’ll punish me?”
“Yes, I’ll use targeted shots during practice.”
At that, Jin Ian began to laugh out loud, finding something immensely amusing. ‘We’ll see if he’s still laughing like that later,’ I thought, picking up my dropped textbook and leaving his chuckles behind.
“And I can’t be your partner. Look for someone else.”
“Why? Don’t you like me?”
“It’s not about whether I like you or not. I already have a temporary partner.”
“If it’s not because I’m undesirable, then it’s fine. It’s not an imprinting, just a temporary arrangement.”
Jin Ian responded to my refusal to partner with him as if it were of no consequence. His demeanor radiated an inexplicable air of confidence.
His overly confident tone made it strangely difficult to retort. Thus, I chose not to dignify his words with a reply and simply walked away.
****
And now…
“Bok-sil!”
“Woof!”
I headed straight for the official residence behind the dormitory. I had been so preoccupied with various matters that it had been a while since I last visited, but Bok-sil, as always, eagerly ran to greet me.
After a long exchange of greetings with the overjoyed Bok-sil, I opened the can of dog food I had prepared beforehand.
“Bok-sil. Your big brother has a problem right now.”
Whether it was the allure of the can or not, Bok-sil appeared to be listening intently to my words.
“Alright, just listen while you eat.”
“Woof woof!”
“Brother, there are these Espers I need to keep an eye on, but they’re all acting so strangely. They all seem like lunatics.”
I stroked Bok-sil’s fur as they devoured their meal, letting out a low sigh. Only the contented slurping sounds of Bok-sil echoed through the quiet official residence.
“They push me around with their strength, they spout strange nonsense. Are all Espers naturally like this?”
“…Woof!”
“No, Bok-sil. You shouldn’t hear about things like this. Only good things.”
It felt absurd to find myself confiding in Bok-sil, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, simply because I had nowhere else to vent.
But just then…
“How are they strange?”
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore The Phantom of the Library. Start reading now!
Read : The Phantom of the Library
