Chapter 4: Guiding at Gunpoint

“What do you mean, ‘what did I do’?”

Lee Ju-ju looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“Pardon?”

“I asked what it is that you just did.”

“Put your guns down, you bastards!”

A few Espers, clutching their guns with trembling hands, spat out profanities.

At that, the Espers who had lowered their muzzles were startled and hurriedly raised their guns again, though half of them showed signs of hesitation.

This was due to an Esper’s instinct to not put a Guide in danger.

More than that, he simply could not understand being asked “what did you do” when he had clearly released radiating guiding.

The gun barrel that had been aimed at the back of his head was now pointed at his forehead.

Even so, Lee Ju-ju took a step toward him, intending to demand an explanation.

“What do you mean by ‘what did I do’? Look here.”

“If you make such a sudden move one more time, I will shoot you right now.”

At Lee Ju-ju’s sudden movement, the cold-faced Esper must have clenched his teeth hard, as his masculine, strong jawline twitched once.

‘Is he trying to feign ignorance after receiving guiding or what?’

Just as Lee Ju-ju, genuinely angered by his response, was about to retort, faint moonlight leaked in through the half-broken emergency exit window.

Two eyes gleaming black beyond the muzzle.

Seeing the Esper’s eyes flash with an ominous black light, Lee Ju-ju was so shocked that he lost his words and his jaw dropped open.

‘What is this? Is he on the brink of going berserk? No, is he already in a state of rampage? Does this Esper keep his Guide enshrined at home only?’

Had he even received guiding within the last month to begin with?

Lee Ju-ju’s expression turned serious in an instant as he stared piercingly at the man holding the gun.

“Speak clearly. What is your identity?”

How can he still speak like a human when he’s in this state?

Suppressing the fleeting question, Lee Ju-ju answered obediently with a composed face.

“I am Lee Ju-ju, S-Class L3829, affiliated with the Central Union Headquarters. May I ask for your affiliation, Esper-nim?”

It was the moment when his carefree thought, that a Gate like this didn’t matter with so many Espers around, flew far away.

As soon as he realized that a Code Red was right in front of his eyes, Lee Ju-ju immediately followed the Guide Code of Conduct.

The first rule of the Code of Conduct is to calm an Esper who is on the verge of going berserk.

The Esper, who had been looking suspiciously at his sudden shift to obedience, slowly began to turn the muzzle away.

“I have never heard of the Central Union Headquarters.”

‘I bet you haven’t.’

‘Would there be any rational thoughts left in your head anyway?’

Lee Ju-ju subtly rolled his eyes.

He hadn’t expected an answer to the question about his affiliation in the first place.

It was a question asked solely to distract the Esper who was on the brink of going berserk.

It was also to figure out his personal details on the side.

If he could just hear this Esper’s affiliation and code, he would know the rank, and thus be able to come up with a countermeasure or something.

‘Well, not that he answered me.’

Regardless, the fact that an Esper on the verge of rampage was holding onto his sanity was an incredible feat in itself.

Lee Ju-ju tried hard not to get overly anxious.

This Esper is done for if he gets stimulated even once.

He is no different from a bomb waiting to explode.

‘Calm down, Lee Ju-ju.’

‘You can do this.’

Lee Ju-ju utilized his pretty face to the fullest and smiled brightly.

It was the very smile that had melted the hearts of countless Espers.

Yet, this Esper still held the gun to Lee Ju-ju’s forehead with an expressionless face.

Rather, the Esper noticed the trembling corners of the eyes of the suspicious man who was smiling with a face as innocent as a baby, and realized that he was feeling fear.

What is he afraid of?

If he was going to be afraid, shouldn’t he have been so from the start?

However, this man had seemed quite carefree.

For what reason did he suddenly change his attitude?

The Esper’s straight brows furrowed.

Just then, Lee Ju-ju grabbed his wrist.

“It seems like you are under an Emergency Code; when was the last time you received guiding?”

Lee Ju-ju realized the severity of the situation from the twisted energy flow felt through the fabric.

It was to the point where he could feel the blood failing to circulate properly, surging and flowing backward intermittently.

If it were an ordinary person, their mind would have long since collapsed from the twisting blood flow.

“…”

How had he managed to endure until it reached this state?

He was an Esper he was meeting for the first time in his life, and one who was currently aiming a gun at his head, but Lee Ju-ju couldn’t help but feel a sense of human compassion.

Unknowingly, Lee Ju-ju spoke as if trying to appeal him.

“May I perform guiding?”

The black-eyed Esper remained silent.

It was the same no matter how much Lee Ju-ju signaled that he was harmless, or even after he put the ice spray and sledgehammer on the ground and raised both hands.

It meant that no matter how long he waited, the event of the man lowering his gun, obediently taking off his glove, and reaching out his hand to Lee Ju-ju did not occur.

Lee Ju-ju, whose patience ran out quickly, eventually resigned himself.

‘Fine, whether I get torn apart by a berserk Esper or get shot to death, I’m going to die either way, so let’s at least try something before dying.’

Perhaps this Esper had figured out that despite the emergency situation, Lee Ju-ju was all style and no substance, and was actually very unskilled at emergency guiding.

That must be why he didn’t care about the weak radiating guiding being released earlier while still pointing his gun.

However, ever since Guides began to far outnumber Espers, it had been a long time since it became rare for an Esper to reach the brink of rampage due to a lack of guiding; therefore, being unskilled at emergency guiding was not Lee Ju-ju’s fault.

What kind of trivial talk should he engage in to make this Esper lower his guard a little?

“Esper-nim, please at least tell me your name.”

Having only ever seen Espers wagging their tails, Lee Ju-ju’s voice came out awkwardly as he had never tried to flatter an Esper before.

Even so, the miracle of him obediently telling Lee Ju-ju his name did not happen.

“Are you saying you are not an Esper?”

Rather, he even asked back in a hoarse voice.

For Lee Ju-ju, who had been faithfully releasing radiating guiding with the mindset of ‘gumming it if he didn’t have teeth,’ it was a remark so absurd it made him tremble.

He couldn’t understand why the man was so earnestly speaking such nonsense.

‘If he’s on the verge of dying like that, even this amount of radiating guiding should feel electrifying like a current, so what kind of nonsense is this?’

If the Esper hadn’t been holding a gun, he might have lost all fear and smacked him on the head.

“Yes. Did you perhaps not hear what I said earlier? I am a Guide.”

“…”

The Esper on the brink of rampage, who had barely opened his mouth at the business-like yet kind tone, shut his mouth again.

There was no telling how much longer he had to wait.

Lee Ju-ju decided to just take action.

“Then I will assume you are cooperating with the guiding.”

‘I already figured out you’re not in your right mind.’

Lee Ju-ju boldly raised his hand and grabbed the Esper’s thick wrist again.

That hand was still gripping the gun, and since he was wearing gloves, normal guiding was impossible.

Then, Lee Ju-ju pulled up his sleeve in one go.

The uniform sleeve, stiff like its owner, slid up helplessly.

At that, he felt the muzzle in the man’s hand tremble.

It seemed strength had gone into the finger pulling the trigger.

Lee Ju-ju fearlessly glanced up at the Esper.

Lee Ju-ju had never seen an Esper shoot a Guide before.

If anything, they’d kill him in bed, not with a bullet.

“Commencing guiding.”

Lee Ju-ju placed his hand on the exposed forearm.

As his palm touched the bare skin, he saw the man furrow his brows.

‘So what?’

Lee Ju-ju immediately began guiding.

And then, he pulled his hand away like lightning and dry heaved.

“Ugh, urgh!”

‘Is this bastard a total lunatic?!’

It was a repulsive sensation, like swallowing a chunk of ice made of blood clots.

The Espers, watching Lee Ju-ju bend over and retch repeatedly, exchanged glances with bewildered faces.

The suspicious man, not content with just rolling up the Colonel’s sleeve, was now suddenly bending over and dry heaving as if he had been punched in the solar plexus.

Now, he even slumped down onto the spot.

“Just now, this is…”

The face of the man, who had received contact guiding for the first time in his life, was frighteningly distorted.

The squad members following him were extremely flustered, worrying whether the Colonel had tried to kill Lee Ju-ju, or if they should stop the Colonel from harming him.

Colonel Shan Pei, who led the Espers in this area, could not gather his wits due to the guiding he had received for the first time in his life (though it was only later that he learned this act was exactly what ‘guiding’ was).

It felt as if someone had stroked with a warm hand the excruciatingly painful wick within him, something neither his mother nor father could ever relieve.

It was only for a single moment.

Even so, he could tell that a single ray of light striking his cavernous heart, where he had only wished to die after suffering so much, had left a deep mark where it had passed.

In this wasteland that was no different from a Gate, a very suspicious-looking man he met for the first time had simply reached out his hand.

To think he would feel such a helpless desire to crumble at just a single gesture.

“What did you do…”

Colonel Shan Pei lowered his gun in confusion.

As soon as he lowered his gun, all the Espers who had been aiming at Lee Ju-ju lowered their muzzles.