Chapter 11: A Flicker of Hope

My body always tingled on the way back to the dorm after finishing the promotion program training.
There were no major changes for now, but I believed there would definitely be good results as the number of training sessions increased.

I checked Taewoon’s guiding level with my Guiding Watch.
The level, which was 61% in the morning, had risen slightly.
I had heard from Dr. Yoon that he was currently receiving medication guiding.
The sight of him receiving medication guiding even though I was here was upsetting, and at the same time, filled me with a subtle sense of displeasure.

From the day I was judged as a C-Class, he had thoroughly ignored me.
I wanted to contact him right now, but he wouldn’t answer even if I called.

I knew my feelings and actions towards him would only return as misery, but I couldn’t stop.
Even if I wanted to quit, I had already fallen for him.

I was walking down the hallway, thinking I should probably ask the manager to help me talk to him.
Then, a voice cheerfully calling my name came from the opposite direction.

“Lee Shinui!”

At the familiar voice, I turned my gaze and saw my high school classmate, Minhyuk, running towards me.

Minhyuk and I were close enough to call each other friends, but we gradually drifted apart when he suddenly awakened as an Esper in our second year of high school.

“Minhyuk!”

I also called out to him cheerfully and ran towards him.
I had lost contact with him when he transferred to an Awakened school, so I couldn’t help but be surprised by our unexpected reunion.

“I saw a name on the new guide list that was the same as yours and thought it might be you, but it’s even better to see you here.”

“Have you been well? It’s been five years.”

A happy smile spread across my face at the sight of the unchanged Minhyuk.

“Yeah. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you. You were upset, weren’t you?”

At the time, I had resented him for unilaterally cutting off contact, but now that I knew it was because of the Association’s regulations, I wasn’t upset.

No matter how much one was no longer a civilian from the moment of awakening, to block outside contact for the sake of confidentiality.
Not everyone was like me, with no family and few friends.

“No. I’m just happy to see you again like this.”

“Let’s see each other often from now on. I’ll give you my number.”

We took out our phones, exchanged numbers, and caught up on all the things we hadn’t been able to talk about.

“So you’re living in the dorms now? Is it uncomfortable?”

“It’s a single dorm, so there’s no inconvenience.”

“That’s a relief. Should I walk you to the dorm?”

“It’s okay. The manager gives me a ride.”

At my words, Minhyuk looked disappointed and suggested we have lunch together tomorrow.
The moment I agreed, a message came from the manager saying he had arrived at the underground parking lot, so we had to part ways.

Meeting Minhyuk after a long time made me feel incredibly happy.
Remembering him in his A-Class uniform, I looked forward to the day I could stand beside him like we did in high school.

I was doing physical training in the training room.
As soon as the gate appearance alert rang on my Guiding Watch, I moved to the shelter.

Just like last time, when I went to the front gate of the Center, there was a mobile shelter.
I showed my Guiding Watch to the manager in front of the shelter and tried to enter, but I was stopped.

“Guide Lee Shinui is not permitted for field guiding.”

“What? Why?”

I had entered last time, so I didn’t understand why I couldn’t today.

Seeing my bewildered expression, the shelter manager spoke with a troubled face.

“C-Class Guides are not permitted for field guiding in A-Class or higher gates. It’s only possible from B-Class.”

Only then did I remember Taewoon getting angry last time, asking how a C-Class Guide got to the field.

“Then what should I do?”

“Please wait in the Center’s exclusive guiding room.”

“My partner is an S-Class. Is it still not allowed?”

I wanted to be on standby at the scene because I didn’t know when he might be in danger.

“No. It is not allowed.”

“I understand…”

My C-Class grade always stood in my way.
I thought I had lived a miserable life even before coming here, but in the face of my grade, I felt even more miserable.

In the end, I had to return to the Center and wait in the exclusive guiding room.
Fortunately, I could see the gate situation through the monitor inside the guiding room.

I could see Taewoon and the team members confronting the monsters at the gate.
He acted alone, and every time he used his flame ability, the monsters quickly turned to ash and disappeared.
And his guiding level also decreased.
I waited anxiously for the gate to close.

The gate battle dragged on, eventually lasting over an hour.
Monsters were still pouring out of the gate relentlessly, but finally, with a single blow from Taewoon, the boss monster was annihilated, and the gate closed.

His guiding level was 42%.
If he didn’t receive guiding immediately, his level would continue to drop, and there was a risk of him going into a rampage.

While the other Espers moved to the shelter, he disappeared somewhere.
I held onto a small hope that he might be on his way to where I was, but he never came to my side.
In the end, I went to his exclusive guiding room to look for him, but there was no trace of him there either.

Hoping against hope, I waited for him until midnight, but he never showed up, and I had to return to the dorm empty-handed.

Even after returning to the dorm, I was worried about him, so I checked my Guiding Watch again and again all night.
It wasn’t until past six in the morning that his guiding level reached the calm zone.
It seemed he had received medication guiding.

If I had guided him, he would have entered the stable zone immediately…….
I was so frustrated by this situation where I wanted to run to his side but couldn’t.

While doing the promotion program, I received counseling from Dr. Yoon every other week.
Today, too, I headed to the research lab for counseling with him.

“Looking at your wavelength emission and transmission speed, you’re getting close to B-Class levels.”

As he said, I could feel that my levels were approaching B-Class.

“When do you think I’ll be promoted to B-Class?”

“Guide Shinui, you are growing at a faster rate than other Guides. At this rate, you should be able to get promoted to B-Class within the year.”

“That’s a relief. Once I become B-Class, I’ll be able to do field guiding, right?”

“Yes. But I don’t recommend it. Espers tend to get excited on the field, so low-grade Guides often die from reverse guiding. Because they are clumsy at handling their wavelength.”

“I see.”

I answered, but my mind was filled with the thought that becoming B-Class quickly was the only way.
I had to be able to do field guiding to show him my potential for growth.

“Is Taewoon-ssi still receiving medication guiding?”

At my question, he nodded and said he was also getting prescriptions for sleeping pills again.
I remembered him sleeping soundly when he was with me.
As I thought, he needed me.

“He’s probably reaching his limit soon. Guiding with a high-matching Guide has a powerful addictive quality for Espers, like a drug.”

I prayed that he had become addicted to my guiding.
And before long, my wish became a reality.
Just as Dr. Yoon had said, he, having reached his limit, came to find me.

I was in the guiding training room, wearing the wavelength amplification machine.
The door opened, and he came in.
I couldn’t help but be surprised by his sudden appearance.
He looked almost out of his mind.
The areas under his eyes and his lips were dark, and his walk was staggered like a drunk person’s.

“Taewoon-ssi?”

As soon as he saw me, he lunged at me.
He hugged me tightly, and we fell onto the bed.

“Taewoon-ssi, are you okay?”

He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and there was a faint smell of alcohol.
The Taewoon who always rejected me was now holding me without a word.

I took off the electrodes and properly laid him on the bed.
I tried to pull away slightly to see him, but he held me tight, as if he didn’t want to let go.
I soothed him, stroking his back and speaking.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll just help you get comfortable.”

The warmth of his body hugging me was so joyful and welcome.
He was sleeping peacefully in my arms, but upon closer inspection, his whole body was drenched in sweat and hot.
His heartbeat was also irregular.

If only I had been a little more trustworthy, he would have relied on me…

“I’ll work hard and become a Guide worthy of you.”

“……”

“Please just wait a little longer.”

I guided him, fiddling with his hair.
My wavelength gently enveloped his, which was lashing out as if in a rampage.
As soon as our wavelengths connected, the heat surrounding him gradually subsided, and his guiding level slowly rose.

Feeling a sense of stability from his wavelength, I lay down on the bed with him, and a warm sense of peace that I hadn’t felt in a long time washed over me.
I held his body gently.
I had been waiting to see him every day, so this moment was incredibly happy.