Chapter 5: The Ally He Longed For

At Eunho’s voice, Chaewon easily shook off his wandering thoughts and looked back at him, shaking his head as he said, “I’m fine.”

Letting his thoughts drift while someone was right in front of him was, to Chaewon, another behavior worth being cautious about.

Eunho glanced briefly at the chart he’d been using to monitor Chaewon’s condition while he’d been unconscious, then continued.

“Since you’re awake now, Chaewon, there’ll be a Guiding test scheduled soon. If you’re still not feeling well, we can push the schedule back a bit.”

Chaewon answered immediately.

“No, it’s okay. There’s no problem at all. You can proceed as planned.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I was a little concerned about running a test as soon as you woke up, but finding a Guide quickly is better for you too, Chaewon.”

With a small smile, Eunho nodded and wrote something down on the chart he was holding.

Chaewon watched him quietly for a moment, then spoke up very carefully. There was something he wanted to ask.

“Um…”

“Yes, Chaewon?”

“When you say a Guiding test… does that mean you’re deciding which Guide I’ll be working with?”

Chaewon had always thought that Espers and Guides lived in a world completely separate from his own.

He’d never taken more than passing admiration or vague awe toward them.

Even though information about Espers and Guides was treated like common knowledge in this day and age, people like Chaewon, who were busy just trying to survive, rarely had the luxury of sitting down and absorbing such things properly.

Not knowing what everyone else knew could be embarrassing, but Chaewon understood that embarrassment itself wasn’t the real problem.

The real danger was being too embarrassed to ask and making a serious mistake as a result.

Being mocked for ignorance could be brushed off.

A mistake, however, could threaten his livelihood immediately.

Even though the world around him had suddenly changed, Chaewon felt it was better to keep living by the principles he’d always held onto.

Before answering, Eunho studied Chaewon’s eyes for a moment.

Despite how confusing and overwhelming everything must have been, Chaewon met his gaze calmly.

His gentle features and pale skin gave him a fragile impression, yet the dark eyes that held no trace of agitation felt strangely firm.

Whether that steadiness was part of Chaewon’s original nature or something he’d gained upon becoming an S-rank Esper, Eunho couldn’t tell.

But it was certain that Chaewon had an oddly affecting presence.

After watching him wait quietly without rushing for an answer, Eunho finally spoke.

“There’s already a Guide provisionally assigned to you, Chaewon. Today’s test is to check how compatible the two of you are in terms of wavelength. He’s an exceptionally capable Guide with a very broad spectrum, so there shouldn’t be any issues. The test is really just a procedural step.”

“Ah…”

“So you don’t need to worry too much. It’s not like you’ll be using your Esper abilities, so-”

‘-there shouldn’t be side effects like yesterday.’

Eunho stopped himself mid-thought.

All of a sudden, he realized he couldn’t actually be certain there would be no side effects.

By conventional standards, Chaewon shouldn’t have lost consciousness yesterday.

But as they already knew, Chaewon’s reactions weren’t conventional. That meant even a Guiding test, something that should normally pose almost no burden, might produce unexpected results for him.

Worried that his hesitation might make Chaewon anxious, Eunho glanced at him cautiously.

Chaewon’s expression hadn’t changed at all.

At that moment, Chaewon was thinking about something else entirely, about the capable Guide Eunho had mentioned.

“Eunho.”

“Yes?”

“Um… does my condition put a burden on the Guide too?”

Eunho fell silent at the unexpected question. Chaewon continued.

“If I experience worse side effects than other Espers, I was wondering whether the Guide who has to manage that would end up having a harder time.”

Eunho had said the Guide was capable.

Chaewon found himself worrying that being assigned to someone as troublesome as him might hurt that Guide’s career.

Even if he didn’t know much about Espers or Guides, Chaewon understood that the two affected each other deeply.

It was entirely possible that his side effects could impact the Guide as well.

Looking a little awkward, Eunho tilted his head slightly before answering.

“Hmm… you don’t seem like the type who prefers sugarcoated answers, so I’ll be honest. The truth is, we don’t know yet.”

“……”

“To put it simply, Chaewon, you’re a first in many ways in this country. So there’s no way to know without trying. We’ll try, see the results, and then figure out the best way forward. And the best people we have will be walking that path with you.”

He didn’t need to explain things in such detail.

Eunho could have brushed it off with a vague it’ll probably be fine, or simply said we don’t know and left it at that.

But he added more words anyway—just because he wanted to.

Whether it was fondness toward an S-rank Esper who’d appeared like a comet, or sympathy for the harsh life of someone who’d lived as terminally ill, even Eunho wasn’t sure. He lightly tapped Chaewon’s arm and added,

“So don’t worry. The Guide you’ll meet today will become your strongest ally.”

Sensitive by nature to the goodwill or hostility others directed toward him, Chaewon felt Eunho’s clear kindness and smiled faintly as he replied, “Thank you.”

At the soft smile formed by a face that had seemed almost indifferent until now, Eunho’s eyes wavered for a brief moment.

Chaewon didn’t notice, he’d already turned his gaze to the scenery outside the window.

My strongest ally.

The unfamiliar label spun around in his head.

It sounded like something mythical, like a unicorn, something that didn’t exist in reality.

But Chaewon’s reality had already changed.

A life that would have ended in loneliness and poverty, dying painfully on his own, had crossed an unseen threshold into an entirely different world.

And if that was the case… maybe unicorns really did exist in this world.

As the reality of awakening as an Esper slowly sank in, the will to live—a will he’d never let go of no matter how harsh things became, began to stir again.

Thinking of a Guide whose face and name he didn’t yet know, Chaewon clenched the blanket in his hand.

He wanted to meet him soon.

****

Walking down the corridor, Su-ha unconsciously came to a stop.

He’d spotted someone approaching from the other end.

Min Ihyeon.

The Esper Su-ha had longed to reach stood right before his eyes.

Special Response Team 1, led by Ihyeon, had recently taken on a dungeon raid that required prolonged combat.

Word had spread that they’d cleared it safely, and it seemed they’d finally returned to the Center.

Su-ha hurriedly straightened his clothes and, as the distance between them closed, spoke first.

“Hello, Team Leader Min. Have you just returned?”

“Oh, Su-ha. Yeah. I just got back—on my way to make a report.”

As he spoke, Ihyeon gave a playful wink, his brows knitting as if the whole thing were a nuisance.

That easygoing familiarity, combined with his looks, was one of the traits that made him so appealing.

When people thought of S-rank Espers, especially combat-types, they often imagined towering physiques and oppressive attitudes that made others instinctively tense.

And in truth, many of the few existing S-rank Espers did fit that image.

Min Ihyeon, however, stood at the opposite end of that spectrum.

Compared to ordinary people he was certainly tall and well-built, but even among S-rank—no, even A-rank Espers—he was relatively lean.

He rarely used his strength to intimidate others or treated people rudely.

Holding back the corners of his mouth that kept trying to twitch, Su-ha continued.

“You must have had a difficult mission. I heard it was especially dangerous…”

“Difficult? Not really. It’s just what we do. More importantly, it sounds like you’ve got some good news?”

Team 1 was always the group that risked their lives on the most dangerous missions.

Before Su-ha could even feel impressed by their leader brushing that off as just what we do, Ihyeon’s next words made his face stiffen.

Before the thought of no way could fully form, I-hyeon spoke.

“I heard an S-rank Telekinetic Esper came in… and that you’ll be in charge of him, Su-ha.”

Su-ha’s expression darkened instantly.

The assignment wasn’t even official yet, and already rumors were spreading, so far that they’d reached Ihyeon’s ears.

His emotions surged, but oblivious to Su-ha’s inner turmoil, Ihyeon smiled brightly and added, almost cheerfully.