Chapter 12: The Unexpected Guiding

The pickpocket had undoubtedly passed out, though the duration of the effect remained uncertain. As Jungwon swiftly approached the prone figure, Seokjoo, despite his evident reluctance, followed closely behind.

First, Jungwon retrieved their bag, which lay scattered on the ground. As they checked to ensure nothing had fallen out, Seokjoo simply stood, gazing down at the unconscious pickpocket.

Once assured that nothing was missing, Jungwon shifted their gaze. Even in passing, they had noted the pickpocket’s small stature, but up close, their face was strikingly young. Could they have been barely fifteen?

“Was that guiding?”

“Yes.”

Jungwon hadn’t anticipated that he would recognize it. Finding it somewhat remarkable, they simply nodded with a calm demeanor.

In the fleeting instant their bodies connected, Jungwon had deployed their guiding ability against the young Esper pickpocket.

Guiding, at its core, is the process of stabilizing an Esper from an unstable state back to normal. This inherently meant that an Esper already in a stable condition had no need for it.

Moreover, if a stable Esper received guiding, their body would first experience profound weariness and a significant drain of energy. When skillfully applied, the ability could even induce a deep sleep or render an Esper completely incapacitated. It was simply not a common practice.

Seokjoo spoke, a note of genuine curiosity in his voice.

“I’ve never seen anyone use guiding in such a way.”

“Yes. I haven’t seen anyone else do it either.”

Indeed, such a feat would be impossible for anyone who wasn’t a Guide as powerful and skilled as Jungwon. If anyone else attempted it, the target would likely only feel a slight lethargy. At Jungwon’s understated comment, Seokjoo chuckled briefly.

“It’s impressive, but… you could have just left it to me. Isn’t that a waste of your ability?”

“It wasn’t severe enough to be considered a waste.”

In truth, Jungwon had expended barely any energy. They began to walk away, leaving the unconscious pickpocket exactly where they lay. Seokjoo, meanwhile, remained focused on the boy’s prone form.

“What should we do with this one here?”

“What should we do? I was just planning to leave them.”

“What about reporting it?”

They had been caught; wasn’t that sufficient? Being in a foreign country already made Jungwon uneasy, and the mere thought of reporting the incident and drawing a crowd was utterly exhausting.

“After all, nothing was actually stolen.”

“How generous of you.”

Seokjoo chuckled softly, yet his peculiar gaze made Jungwon feel oddly discomfited. With a slightly displeased expression, Jungwon offered a curt reply.

“Yes. I am naturally quite broad-minded.”

“Alright. Then we’ll just go.”

Though it was a shame to leave the pickpocket sprawled in the middle of the street, they had only been put to sleep temporarily and would awaken soon. Jungwon approached Seokjoo, who was hailing a taxi, and posed a question.

“Are we going straight to the hotel?”

“Or what? Do you want to sightsee? We should unpack first.”

Jungwon’s expression contorted into a deep frown. Sightseeing—it was a concept they had never even entertained. Seokjoo’s tone, as if he had already decided Jungwon was a tourist and was now cajoling them to unpack first, struck Jungwon as utterly absurd.

“I’m not here on vacation, so what sightseeing are you referring to? I merely asked because I thought we should report to the branch office first.”

“Ah, a report… Do we really have to go there? We could just leave a call.”

“I’ve never done it that way before.”

Even when not traveling abroad, the protocol dictated that they always had to visit the local branch office in person to report and receive an on-site briefing. Such was the agency’s established manual.

While it might be deemed a cumbersome and unnecessary procedure, it was undoubtedly preferable to facing complications later for not adhering to it.

Domestically, the East Sea Branch was particularly stringent in this regard. Failing to report one’s arrival immediately would lead to even the most minor details being scrutinized and reported to headquarters, making disciplinary action almost inevitable. This strictness was largely attributed to the branch manager’s unusually peculiar temperament.

Having endured such experiences on numerous occasions, Jungwon had simply grown accustomed to meticulously adhering to the manual.

“It’s more convenient to visit in person and get an on-site explanation. With limited information, we should gather as much as possible.”

“If Jungwon says so, then we’ll do it. For now, let’s check in first.”

Jungwon hadn’t actually desired an immediate, arduous journey to the branch office with their luggage. With no valid reason to refuse, they quietly followed Seokjoo.

The vicinity of the airport teemed with people. The current mission location was Norn, an island nation nestled in the Mediterranean, renowned as a tourist destination for its breathtaking natural landscapes. The dense crowds were undoubtedly a consequence of its popularity.

Beside Seokjoo, who was attempting to hail a taxi, Jungwon idly observed the energetic throngs of people. Suddenly, their gaze settled upon an elderly man selling wares from a makeshift stall on the ground. He was offering peculiar, uniquely shaped fruit candies.

“Do you want to eat some?”

Seokjoo had seemed utterly preoccupied, leading Jungwon to believe he wouldn’t even notice them. Yet, he had inexplicably thrown out the question, almost as if he were a ghost. Startled, Jungwon frowned.

“No. I don’t eat sweets.”

“Do you dislike them, or do you just not eat them?”

“Are the two very different?”

It wasn’t a matter of dislike, but simply that they abstained from sweets. Stung by the precise accuracy of his observation, Jungwon deflected with a vague question. Seokjoo, however, pressed no further, as a taxi had just pulled to a stop before them.

Jungwon allowed Seokjoo’s conversation with the taxi driver, conducted in Nornese rather than English, to drift past them as they gazed out the window. Uniquely, this country presented a blend of towering skyscraper forests and pastoral-style residences, separated by mere blocks.

Despite not being there for leisure and striving to avoid succumbing to admiration, the foreign streets, encountered for the very first time, proved sufficiently captivating to hold their attention.

Though the journey to the hotel offered many intriguing sights, it was the sheer size of the room that truly astonished Jungwon.

“The room is too big.”

“The room is big, so why do you look so displeased? Do you prefer a small bed?”

“This is my first time experiencing something like this. I’m wondering if something went wrong.”

“No way. Even if it was a mistake, would they give it to us only to take it back?”

Seokjoo lightly laughed off Jungwon’s concerns. He seemed entirely unbothered by the possibility of any error.

On all previous business trips, Jungwon had always occupied a single room, which typically offered just enough space for a double bed. They had never felt any particular dissatisfaction with this arrangement.

Disliking shared spaces, they were content simply to have a room to themselves. Even now, sharing a single guest room felt somewhat inconvenient, but its sheer size promised enough division of space, which was a slight improvement.

From Seokjoo’s reaction, it was clear that such lavishness was not new to him. Jungwon had suspected as much since the director displayed that peculiar cautiousness, confirming that S-class Espers truly commanded a different level of treatment.

“Which one will you use? Choose the comfortable room.”

Jungwon surveyed the room with a wry expression. This was their first experience in a hotel suite, and its opulent design was undeniable: two separate bedrooms, each boasting a king-sized bed, in addition to common areas like a living room and dining room.

They wondered if such an expansive room was truly necessary, considering they would be out all day for their mission, using it primarily for sleep.

“I… I’ll use the outer room.”

After a moment of consideration, Jungwon made their decision. Their words were spoken with the implicit understanding that a Guide bore the duty of protecting their assigned Esper to the best of their ability.

Seokjoo, perhaps discerning their underlying intention, chuckled briefly, as if playfully teasing them.

“Are you looking out for me? How thoughtful.”

“…I also know that Kang Seokjoo is unlikely to be attacked. It’s just my job, that’s all.”

“Yes, I know. You don’t have to be so defensive.”

He had initiated the playful teasing, yet now he feigned an air of propriety. As Jungwon shot him a glare, he merely smiled even more annoyingly and added.

“Then I’ll take the safe inner room.”

It was a trivial joke, yet one Jungwon found difficult to stomach. Had the other person not been an Esper, they might have simply brushed it off, perhaps likening him to a mischievous, non-existent nephew.

But precisely because he was an S-class Esper, it didn’t evoke a sense of cuteness or awkwardness; instead, it stirred a distinct feeling of caution.

Jungwon watched Seokjoo’s retreating figure disappear into the inner room with a wry gaze for a moment, before entering the outer room, which was closer to the entrance, to unpack their luggage.

Watching their neatly arranged luggage and the pristine bed, Jungwon sank into thought. A compulsive urge to do something, anything, began to nag at them.

Yet, nothing suitable came to mind. Headquarters had offered no detailed explanations for this mission, merely instructing them to “just do as Kang Seokjoo says.”

Kang Seokjoo, for his part, remained skeptical even of the simple procedure of reporting their arrival at the branch office and receiving mission details. Consequently, Jungwon found themselves in a situation where there was nothing they could immediately do.

Furthermore, Jungwon was utterly exhausted. As they collapsed onto the bed, almost as if possessed, the fatigue they had barely managed to suppress felt as though it was melting their very mind. With a feigned reluctance, Jungwon finally lay down.

Sleep instantly claimed them.

****

This dream always begins with the same scene.

A narrow, dark room, heavy with the scent of dust. They awaken to a sense of commotion, only for the sounds to abruptly cease.

Drawn by a pungent, metallic odor, they open the door, yet find no trace of another presence.

The sequence is always identical. They call out for their parents, then for their brother, anxiously scanning their surroundings… until they come face-to-face with ‘that man’.

What follows is the man, laughing as if entertained by their presence, strangling them…

Today, however, the nightmare did not end there.

Their body was hoisted into the air. Even as they thrashed, desperate to break free from the man’s unyielding grip, he remained utterly motionless.

But how had they escaped this predicament before? Had they truly escaped at all? They believed it was a dream, but what if it wasn’t? What if they were strangled to death right here? Where had their parents gone? And their brother?

As they thrashed at the hazy boundary between dream and reality, a clear, resonant boy’s voice suddenly pierced through.

“What are you doing there?”

No, brother!

A silent scream tore from their throat. They refused to witness that inevitable ending with their own eyes once more.

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