Chapter 1: The Weight of Underperformance

Gulp.

The Adam’s apple bobbed wildly as he swallowed, and the solemn sound of his breathing filled the guiding room.

Hanseol sat crouched on the bed like a bluebird whose range of motion had been restricted, scrutinizing the faces of the six individuals seated far away from him. Their precarious state, as if on the verge of rampage, heightened Hanseol’s tension.

Another gulp.

Hanseol swallowed once more, then focused his mind. How wonderful it would be if he could guide as easily as others breathed or ate.

Yet, unlike others, he had never been able to perform such ordinary guiding from the very beginning. Whom could he blame? He didn’t even know the faces, names, or ages of the parents who had given birth to him.

He began a mental countdown: “Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

As he closed his eyes and counted backward, he heard someone growl a curse in a low voice. ‘I want to do it quickly too…’

He felt a strange sense of injustice, yet he had to shut out the sound and concentrate with all his might. Even the slightest lapse in focus could lead to guiding failure.

“Six, five, four…”

The breathing grew even rougher in his ears. Hanseol raised both hands to cover them, squeezing his eyes shut.

If he were to be swept away by the Espers’ emotional turmoil, everything would be for naught.

“Three, two, one…!”

The moment his solitary countdown ended, the breathing of those surrounding Hanseol settled into an even rhythm. The crimson tint in some of their pupils receded, their eyes regaining their original luster.

Hanseol, who had silently diffused an aura potent enough to penetrate all six bodies, found himself without the strength to cling to his fading consciousness and simply toppled sideways.

Friday, February 14, 3:36 PM: All team members’ guiding complete.

With that final thought of what to record in his log, Hanseol’s consciousness plummeted into oblivion.

****

“Hanseol, are you alright now?”

“Hanseol, do you feel any pain?”

“Our Hanseol seems to be getting thinner and thinner… If you’re free today, want to grab something delicious with me, hyung? How about some beef?”

“Jo Jinwoo is trying his tricks again.”

Hanseol, whose consciousness had been surrendered to the realm of dreams, awoke exactly 24 hours after completing the guiding session. Even after that, the lingering fatigue kept him rolling around in bed, letting another day slip by.

Only after this extended rest did he finally come to work, where his remarkably vibrant team members all inquired about his well-being. Hanseol’s eyes crinkled as he beamed, responding to their concern.

“I’m fine. Has the team leader arrived yet?”

“He’s in, but the Director suddenly called all the team leaders together, so he went there. Why? Do you need to report something?”

“Yes… I suppose I’ll have to once he returns.”

Hanseol grinned broadly once more at Deputy Team Leader Yoon Sehee, who had answered his question, then walked to his own corner desk. He tapped his tablet, which was always plugged in for charging, to wake it.

After logging into the intranet, Hanseol uploaded his overdue work log. The clatter of the keyboard keys created a steady rhythm.

[T7-G2 / Guide Jung Hanseol, Investigation Team 7]

[February 14. Approximately 3:36 PM, all team members’ guiding complete.]

[February 15-16. Monthly leave (Reason: Guiding side effects).]

As there was nothing particularly detailed to write, the log entry was quickly finished. Hanseol stretched, then casually checked what had happened during the two days he was absent.

It seemed nothing out of the ordinary had occurred while he was on leave, sleeping as if unconscious, as he found no special notes in the other team members’ work logs.

Seeing the bright faces of his team members today, he felt pleased, assuming the guiding had worked as effectively as usual.

Although the current peace wouldn’t last long due to an impending large-scale battle, it seemed they could enjoy a few days of respite. Hanseol, thinking positively as he always did, was about to head to the pantry for a cup of coffee.

“Everyone, gather ’round.”

The glass door, which only opened upon recognition of a registered employee ID and fingerprint, slid open with a soft whir. Team Leader Joo Youngmin of Team 7, to which Hanseol belonged, entered the office with a grave expression.

His deeply solemn voice instantly created an inexplicable tension that permeated the wide office.

“What’s going on?”

“Why does he look so serious?”

The team members, who had been seated, tilted their heads and began to stand up one by one. Hanseol, half-risen and awkwardly gripping his desk, quickly pulled out a small notebook and pen from his drawer, then hurried toward the conference room.

As Hanseol, the last to enter the conference room, closed the door, Team Leader Joo immediately triple-locked it. Even without such extreme measures, this conference room was inaccessible to anyone other than Team 7 members with registered fingerprints or senior executives possessing a master key.

Thus, Team Leader Joo’s act of tightly triple-locking the door only served to amplify the team members’ uneasy questions.

Hanseol furtively glanced at Team Leader Joo before quietly slipping into the empty seat between Deputy Team Leader Yoon Sehee and team member Jo Jinwoo, placing his notebook and pen on the table.

A heavy, oppressive silence filled the conference room, making it feel as if even breathing was forbidden.

“…What’s wrong, Team Leader?”

It was Yoon Sehee who broke the silence first. Team Leader Joo, his brow deeply furrowed, sighed and placed his clasped hands on the table.

Hanseol felt the palpable tension in the air infect him, causing him to involuntarily gulp. Moments later, Team Leader Joo’s slightly pale lips slowly parted.

“…Upper management suddenly informed us that they will be restructuring only the Central Branch during the first quarter of this year.”

“Restructuring?”

Restructuring, out of the blue? Hanseol belatedly opened his notebook, intending to jot down any important details, but then froze, simply staring at Team Leader Joo.

Not only Hanseol, but all seven members of Team 7, excluding Team Leader Joo, had their eyes fixed on him.

“The criterion is underperformance.”

“…”

“So, it seems upper management has compiled our cumulative performance up to last year…”

Team Leader Joo’s fingers were now nervously drumming on the table. Each tap sent a jolt through Hanseol’s chest, as if a hammer were striking his heart, forcing him to secretly steady his breathing.

Team Leader Joo buried his face in his hands, running them over his features as if washing, then uttered a single word in a heavy voice.

“We have been designated as the team with the lowest average performance.”

A cold, dreadful silence descended in an instant, as if an icy wave had swept through the room and then receded. While Hanseol froze, blinking blankly, Yoon Sehee, seated beside him, abruptly stood up, gripping the table.

“What do you mean? Why are they suddenly restructuring? And within the first quarter? That means it’ll happen by March!”

Even her flowing black hair seemed to ripple with indignation, causing Hanseol to flinch. Deputy Team Leader Yoon Sehee was unfailingly kind and gentle to Hanseol.

Yet, when consumed by such fury, she became a more formidable presence than anyone else. All the team members, knowing this, lost all color from their faces. Only Team Leader Joo maintained his composure amidst it all.

“Upper management’s plan is to cut two teams out of seven, reorganizing into five. Based on average performance, our team is the top candidate for restructuring.

However, it seems they intend to dismiss about ten individuals by evaluating overall individual performance.”

“Whoa, what the hell is this sudden bullshit?”

Team Leader Joo turned his gaze to Jo Jinwoo, who was spewing curses along with his complaints, and continued in a slightly calmer voice.

“It seems they’re short-staffed at the Northwest and Southeast Branches and want to send people there. But if they just pick and send them arbitrarily, there’ll be strong opposition, so they’re using performance as a metric, I suppose.”

“What kind of dog-shit manners are these? Taking applications should be the priority. There must be people who’d want to go.”

“Jo Jinwoo, do *you* want to go?”

“No. My apologies, I spoke too soon.”

Jo Jinwoo scratched the back of his head, answering Team Leader Joo’s question with an irritated tone, then let out a long sigh. Because of Jo Jinwoo, who had so easily reversed his opinion, a faint ripple of laughter briefly filled the conference room.

At that moment, Kim Hyelim, a Guide like Hanseol who had been silently observing, raised her hand with a somewhat solemn expression, securing the right to speak. Team Leader Joo gave a slight nod, inviting her to speak.

“Are Guides also being assigned to regional branches?”

Hanseol sharply turned his head, quietly watching Kim Hyelim across from him. Through her spectacle lenses, a gaze brimming with worry emanated.

Hanseol silently thanked her for asking a question that also concerned him. Team Leader Joo sighed heavily once more, then looked at Kim Hyelim and began to speak.

“Guides are not affected. Only Espers are subject to restructuring.”

At Team Leader Joo’s words, exasperated sighs began to erupt sporadically throughout the room. Only Hanseol and Kim Hyelim, the Guides on the team, inwardly swallowed sighs of relief.

They exchanged silent glances, quietly waiting for the excitement of the Espers, who formed the majority of the team, to subside. Team Leader Joo tapped the table with his hand to quell the commotion, gathering everyone’s attention. He then delivered a solemn statement.

“It’s not that there’s no chance for a comeback.”

Gulp. The Adam’s apples of all eight individuals, including Team Leader Joo, bobbed noticeably as they simultaneously swallowed. At the word “comeback,” everyone’s eyes sparkled like diamonds catching the light.

Bolstered by their reaction, Team Leader Joo spoke in a firm voice.

“If you can significantly boost your performance in the large-scale battle at the end of this month, you can be excluded from the restructuring.”

At his words, expressions of relief bloomed on the faces of the five Espers, excluding Team Leader Joo, while a shadow of despair fell upon the faces of the two Guides.

‘We’re doomed.’

This time, Hanseol couldn’t suppress his sigh; he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned.