Chapter 7: A Peculiar Sensation

There was a method to enhance guiding efficiency further through imprinting. However, given the already low synchronization rate, Ryu Yishin questioned how much more effective it could truly be. Moreover, due to the severe drawbacks associated with imprinting, he had never even considered it with anyone.

The nation even restricted imprinting between Espers and Guides, making it impossible to proceed arbitrarily. Special stabilizers, too, had little to no effect on him, rendering them practically useless.

“……”

Yet, recently, for the first time in his life, he had experienced a fleeting moment—lasting what felt like less than a second—when his mind had cleared completely.

It had been on the day the restructuring announcement came down. Suppressing his temper with utmost effort, and intending to boost his team members’ morale, he had taken a few of them to the company cafe for the very first time.

While he had often passed by the Team 7 Guide in the company, exchanging perfunctory greetings from a distance, he hadn’t truly noticed them. However, seeing them up close, Ryu Yishin had been struck by their innocent face, which held a somewhat vacant quality.

In that instant, the persistent throbbing in his head had miraculously cleared, as if he’d taken a potent painkiller, leaving him feeling rather perplexed.

Still, the moment had been incredibly brief, almost imperceptible, so he hadn’t dwelled on it much. He had heard that contact with a compatible Guide could bring a sense of profound clarity and tranquility, as if one’s mind had become a still, clear mirror. Yet, the duration was far too short to confirm such a phenomenon.

The fact that no Guide had ever possessed a wave pattern perfectly aligning with his own—which was uniquely distinctive to an unusual degree—further solidified Ryu Yishin’s skepticism.

Dismissing it as a momentary improvement in his condition, he had let several days pass. Then, today, he encountered that Guide once more.

Once, it was in the elevator heading to the director’s office; another time, it was at the scene they had teleported to.

At that location, the Team 7 Guide he encountered was brazenly pointing a gun at his head, intending to blow it off.

Inside the elevator, perhaps due to his nerves being exceptionally frayed over Choi Jiho’s matter, he hadn’t felt anything. However, at the scene, he experienced that peculiar sensation again.

Though the feeling vanished without a trace soon after, it was identical to what he’d felt when they met at the cafe. Despite its brevity, the momentary cessation of pain was undeniable.

“……What was that?”

What on earth could it have been? He vaguely recalled hearing somewhere that the Team 7 Guide provided rather good guiding. The absurdity of himself, a person with little interest in others, remembering such a detail made Ryu Yishin let out a light, hollow laugh as he ran a hand through his hair.

No matter how skilled that Guide might be, the two A-rank Guides on his own team surely possessed superior abilities. After all, he had personally recruited them.

Joo Youngmin, Team 7’s leader, had a decent track record and a good reputation within the company. However, Ryu Yishin was unsure how remarkable his ability to sense Guides truly was. If Joo Youngmin’s discernment was indeed sound, then the hypothesis that Team 7’s new recruit was also a capable Guide might hold true.

Ryu Yishin rose from the sofa and moved to his bed, collapsing listlessly onto it as he gazed up at the white ceiling. Recalling the Guide’s youthful face, trembling with fear during that unfamiliar experience, Ryu Yishin soon wore a cynical smirk and shook his head. ‘A Guide from Team 7, a team that never escapes last place each year? It’s probably obvious without even needing to check, but…’

‘It wouldn’t hurt to verify it one more time, would it?’

A surge of interest stirred within him, and Ryu Yishin, smiling genuinely for the first time in ages, slowly rose from his spot. ‘Jo Jinwoo, that bastard, better not be around then,’ he mused. Hoping that opportunity wouldn’t arrive too late and test his patience to its limits, Ryu Yishin leisurely strode out of the Guiding Room.

Because Ryu Yishin wore a faint smile all day, only Team 1’s members were left treading on thin ice, silently counting down the minutes until quitting time.

****

Two days prior, after returning from a mission, Jung Hanseol had developed a burning question. Of course, the team’s atmosphere—or rather, the chilling aura emanating from Jo Jinwoo—had prevented him from speaking up. Still, his curiosity showed no signs of abating.

Jung Hanseol was incredibly curious about why Jo Jinwoo and Ryu Yishin shared such a bitter relationship.

“Jung Hanseol.”

“Yes?”

“You have something to tell me, don’t you?”

Jo Jinwoo, whose intuition was uncanny, didn’t ask Jung Hanseol if he had something to say. Instead, he stated it as a fact, as if already privy to Jung Hanseol’s thoughts. Swallowing the food in his mouth, Jung Hanseol offered a sheepish smile and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. It was an unspoken affirmation.

“What is it? Tell me.”

Jinwoo, who hadn’t even finished half his tray, set down his spoon and crossed his arms. Given his seemingly open demeanor, as if he’d listen to any nonsense, Jung Hanseol hesitated for a moment, scratching his cheek.

‘Should I ask, or shouldn’t I?’ Watching Jung Hanseol cautiously survey the sparsely populated cafeteria, Jinwoo chuckled, then reached out and playfully tugged Jung Hanseol’s cheek. As Jung Hanseol winced at the sudden pain, Jinwoo, still smirking, lowered his voice and spoke.

“You can say anything, except for talk about that bastard.”

‘That bastard?’ Jung Hanseol knew perfectly well that Ryu Yishin was the only person Jo Jinwoo would refer to with such a vehement epithet. His expression subtly hardened, a mix of relief that he hadn’t spoken thoughtlessly and upset Jinwoo, and regret that this particular curiosity would have to remain buried within him forever. Noticing the shift, Jo Jinwoo tilted his head, then furrowed his brow and removed his hand from Jung Hanseol’s cheek.

“What? Were you going to talk about that bastard?”

“No, it’s just… I was curious.”

“About what?”

Sensing the gravity in Jo Jinwoo’s sharp tone and stern expression, Jung Hanseol diligently waved both hands, attempting to offer an explanation. To be precise, Jung Hanseol wasn’t so much curious about Ryu Yishin as he was about why the two men had become such bitter enemies. After glancing at Jinwoo once more, Jung Hanseol cautiously spoke again.

“It’s not… that I’m curious about Team Leader Ryu.”

“Then what?”

“I’m curious why you two have such a bad relationship…”

Watching Jung Hanseol correct the direction of his question, Jo Jinwoo’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but let a slow smile creep onto his face as he idly rubbed his chin. Jung Hanseol, unable to decipher the meaning of that smile, could only watch Jinwoo warily.

“So… you’re curious why I hate that bastard, then?”

‘Does it really come down to that?’ It felt as if Jo Jinwoo had interpreted his curiosity entirely self-centeredly, yet it wasn’t entirely wrong, so Jung Hanseol nodded. Jinwoo, his face quickly brightening with a cheerful smile, seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking in a subdued tone.

“Because that bastard has a dog-awful personality.”

“……”

“Ten years ago or now, he never filtered his words. He’d freeze and shatter anything he didn’t like, so there’s no way he could have any friends.”

As if merely mentioning Ryu Yishin’s name was repulsive, Jo Jinwoo shook his head and then gestured with his chin for Jung Hanseol to eat more quickly. Jung Hanseol, nodding in bewilderment, picked up his spoon again and took a mouthful of soup. Jinwoo’s answer felt subtly evasive, failing to fully address the core of his question. Still, Jung Hanseol chose not to probe further.

Jung Hanseol, whose life motto was to live thinly, long, and quietly, decided to suppress his impure curiosity at this point. He had no desire to get caught between two Espers and meet an untimely, unnoticed end. Though, simply by joining this place, it seemed he had already strayed far from a life of quiet endurance…

“Hanseol.”

As he swallowed his curiosity along with the hot, spicy yukgaejang soup, Jo Jinwoo called out to Jung Hanseol, his eyes twinkling. Seeing Jung Hanseol’s thinly double-lidded eyes widen, Jo Jinwoo said in a rather grave voice,

“If Ryu Yishin ever tries anything with you, tell me immediately. Understand?”

“Team Leader Ryu… with me?”

“Yes.”

Jung Hanseol’s innocent eyes blinked a few times, then focused entirely on Jinwoo across from him. Seeing the obvious bewilderment in Jung Hanseol’s gaze, wondering what this was all about, a playful smile touched Jo Jinwoo’s lips.

“Anyway, report it right away.”

“Okay…”

Ryu Yishin was clearly unlikely to ever speak to him first, let alone ‘try anything,’ before he even resigned. Jung Hanseol couldn’t understand why Jinwoo had said such a thing. Another question piled on top of his unresolved curiosities, but Jung Hanseol nodded, giving Jinwoo his assurance, then scooped a large mouthful of rice into his mouth. This, too, seemed like a question best buried for a thin and long life.

Immediately after lunch, Jo Jinwoo headed to Team 5’s office with Team Leader Joo and Min Yugeon. It was to report and discuss the situation with Team 5’s leader, who had just returned from a dispatch today.

The other team members had been out since early morning, responding to a police cooperation request. As usual, only Jung Hanseol and Kim Hyelim remained in the office. They could enjoy leisurely free time until they received word from the field team that they were returning to the office.

Jung Hanseol was repeatedly rocking his chair backward when he thought of picking up the novel he hadn’t finished last time. The moment he straightened up, Kim Hyelim sighed deeply and answered a call to her desk. After a few curt, unenthusiastic replies, she slowly rose from her seat.

“Hanseol, I’ll be back. I’m going to Team 4 for a bit. They requested support.”

“Okay, please do.”

Only then did Jung Hanseol understand why Kim Hyelim had answered the call with such a drained voice. With an expression clearly conveying her annoyance, yet still waving warmly to Jung Hanseol, Kim Hyelim exited the office, leaving him to guard the empty space alone.