Chapter 6: Please Take Care of Me

Chaewon stiffened for a moment at Ihyun’s words.

“Congratulations. Getting Guide Jin Su-ha right from the start, now that Esper is someone to envy.”

He knew it was lip service. If Ihyun had truly wanted Suha badly enough to envy that Esper, then Suha would already be standing beside him as his guide.

So he understood, this was nothing more than polite small talk. He understood that. He did.

And yet, it felt as though he had foolishly lost his chance to become Ihyun’s guide, and the thought made something churn uncomfortably in his chest.

Unable even to offer a simple thank you, Su-ha stood frozen as Ihyun gave him a light wave of the hand.

“Then I’ll be off to make my report. See you around.”

“…Yes. See you again.”

Forcing his expression to relax, Su-ha bowed slightly in return.

As he watched Ihyun’s back retreat without a trace of lingering regret, it suddenly came back to him that today was the day he would be testing with an Esper named Lee Chaewon.

Even knowing how unlikely it was, he found himself hoping their wavelengths wouldn’t match.

Harboring ill feelings toward an Esper who had done nothing wrong didn’t sit well with him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the thought that this man, who had appeared out of nowhere, was somehow in his way.

Su-ha stood there for a long while, staring at the spot where Ihyun had disappeared, before finally moving his heavy feet.

****

Chaewon let out a long sigh as he sat in the examination chair. Ye-seon, who was attaching various monitoring devices to Chaewon just as he had the day before, chuckled softly.

“Nervous?”

“…A little. It’s my first time meeting him, after all.”

“Just think of it as meeting a coworker at a new job. Nothing special.”

At Ye-seon’s considerate words, Chaewon felt some of the stiffness leave his face and smiled faintly.

He’d met countless people through work. The faster you adapted to new people, the better, and that was a skill Chaewon had mastered long ago.

Thinking of his guide as just another person like that made his heart settle, at least a little.

As Ye-seon muttered, “He should be here by now…,” Chaewon asked.

“His name was Jin Su-ha, right? Should I call him Guide Jin Su-ha?”

“Just call him Suha-ssi. No need to be formal.”

Chaewon almost asked what kind of person he was, then stopped himself and simply nodded. He’d be meeting him soon enough, there was no need to hear about him secondhand.

His heart kept thudding, thump, thump. It had been that way ever since he’d heard he’d be meeting a guide.

He told himself it was just a working relationship, but whenever he recalled the widely known stories about Espers and guides, a strange sense of anticipation crept in.

They said that Espers and guides who formed a pair experienced an intimacy unlike anything else in the world.

Even if they didn’t become lovers, partners shared a bond so deep they reacted instantly to each other’s condition, felt profound affection, and relied on one another more than family.

Chaewon turned over those secondhand stories in his mind.

He had lived a life where he did everything alone. His grandmother had been his family, but she had also long been his responsibility and obligation.

Having family by his side could be emotionally comforting—but far more often, Chaewon had lived under the pressure that if he collapsed, there would be no one left to care for her.

He didn’t resent that. He loved his grandmother and would have done anything for her. But from the time he entered high school, she had never been someone who could realistically share the weight he carried.

After she passed away, there was nothing more to say.

Life remained unforgiving, and in a world where even warm body heat and sincere conversation were gone, Chaewon had endured pain, fear, and the prospect of death entirely alone.

And now…

For the first time, someone who might be called a partner would enter his life. Bound to him by the inseparable names of Esper and guide.

What would that person think of him? Would he resent being paired with an Esper who was barely half-functional? Small hopes mingled with countless worries.

Were there Espers who never found a guide? What if Jin Su-ha refused to become his?

Would he have to look for another guide, and another—searching again and again for someone who could endure him? And what if, in the end, no one wanted to stay by his side?

Even then… would he be allowed to remain here?

What had begun as faint excitement spiraled steadily toward darker thoughts. He pressed down the urge to ask Ye-seon what would happen if the guide disliked him, rubbing his palms against the patient gown instead so the examination would go smoothly.

Then, at last, he heard the door open.

“Guide Jin Su-ha, you’re late.”

Ye-seon spoke with a voice that carried a hint of teasing. Chaewon couldn’t bring himself to turn around, clutching the fabric of his gown tightly instead.

The person who might become his first partner in life was here.

‘I should’ve checked the mirror before coming’, Chaewon thought belatedly.

Just as that regret crossed his mind, firm footsteps approached, stopping right in front of him.

Chaewon rose reflexively from the chair and slowly lifted his head to look at the man.

****

Su-ha stood facing the Esper who had risen to meet him.

He was taller than Su-ha had expected. On video he’d seemed small, perhaps because his frame was slender and slight.

His pale complexion made him look less like an Esper and more like someone unwell. If they had passed each other somewhere else, Su-ha wouldn’t have guessed he was an Esper at all.

The fact that he’d once been terminally ill felt immediately real.

Su-ha had heard in advance that Chaewon hadn’t received physical enhancement, but seeing it with his own eyes was different. It was easy to understand why the center wanted a guide who could protect him in the field.

And yet, despite everything, he didn’t look pitiful or shabby.

Just approaching him, Su-ha could feel the power Chaewon possessed as an Esper, proof that something truly formidable lay dormant within him.

Even without that sensation, Chaewon wouldn’t have looked insignificant. There was something about his features that made even his pallor seem refined, almost noble.

None of that mattered to Su-ha.

Up close, Chaewon’s instability seeped through the air. If Su-ha could feel it without touching him, Chaewon himself must be aware of it as well. Still, aside from a hint of tension, his expression revealed no other emotion.

A brief silence passed before Ye-seon spoke up.

“Go on, introduce yourselves. You already know this, but this is our new Esper, Lee Chaewon.”

“Hello. I’m Lee Chaewon.”

Chaewon bowed politely the moment Ye-seon finished. He didn’t yet know how hierarchy worked here, but as a newcomer, it seemed safest to be respectful to everyone.

At S-rank, one could get away with arrogance regardless of actual seniority, but Chaewon didn’t know that. And even if he had, it wouldn’t have changed how he behaved.

Watching him with faint interest, Yesun continued,

“And this is the guide who’ll be partnering with you Jin Su-ha.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jin Su-ha.”

Su-ha only gave a slight nod as he spoke. He could’ve offered a handshake, but he didn’t particularly want to touch Chaewon first. He knew it was childish, but he couldn’t rein in his twisted mood.

Meeting Ihyun earlier had left his emotions unsettled.

That Esper is someone to envy.

Ihyun’s offhand remark echoed relentlessly in his ears. If not for this Esper, Su-ha wouldn’t have had to hear such empty pleasantries.

Chaewon blinked once, briefly meeting Su-ha’s gaze. They’d exchanged only a few words, but it was unmistakably clear, the guide standing before him didn’t welcome him.

That was something anyone could tell, even without being an Esper or a guide.

Still, Chaewon didn’t panic or feel hurt. He’d expected as much, and working with someone who disliked him from the start wasn’t new.

‘Don’t stand out. Stay quiet. Act like you feel nothing.’

Recalling how he’d survived among people who despised him, Chaewon spoke in an even, calm voice.

“I look forward to working with you.”

If the atmosphere had been better, he might’ve added more, apologies for his inexperience, promises to work hard, assurances that he’d learn whatever he was taught. Instead, he swallowed all of that and offered only the single sentence that remained.