Chapter 19: The Unyielding Son and the Guiding Obsession

“So, you started work today?”

A middle-aged man, holding a spray bottle filled with water, approached the orchid pot by the window. He spoke to Ryu Yishin, who sat sprawled arrogantly on the sofa with his legs crossed.

His voice was gentle as he posed the question, and his hands, tending to the orchid, moved with utmost care. Ryu Yishin watched his back without much interest, then leaned languidly against the sofa and replied indifferently.

“Yes.”

“Should he be working already? Shouldn’t you have told him to rest a bit longer?”

“He seemed perfectly fine to me.”

‘Although he was wearing a wrist guard on his right hand, it didn’t look like a broken bone, so he should be okay.’ Ryu Yishin immediately recognized that the man had brought up Jung Hanseol, and while he answered, he swallowed the rest of his thoughts, finding no reason to elaborate. The primary reason, of course, was his sheer annoyance at having to prolong the conversation.

Seemingly displeased by the curt response, the middle-aged man clicked his tongue. He placed the spray bottle on the desk and took a seat diagonally opposite Ryu Yishin.

Unlike Ryu Yishin, the man’s hair and eye color were so intensely dark they brought to mind a profound abyss, yet their features shared a surprising number of similarities. Observing Ryu Yishin’s expressionless face, which suggested a complete lack of interest in the world, the man clicked his tongue again before his expression abruptly hardened.

“It’s a team leader’s job to check on the team members’ condition. You can’t just work them to the bone.”

“…”

“Efficiency improves when you allow for adequate rest. Don’t be too strict; try to be a bit more…”

“If you’re going to nag, I’m leaving.”

Ryu Yishin rose from his seat with a decisive, unhesitating motion, cutting off his father disrespectfully. The man, in lieu of a reply, let out a small sigh and bowed his head, instinctively knowing he could never win against Ryu Yishin.

‘Was it a mistake to indulge him in everything, being a precious only son born late in life? Or was it because I raised him like a revered master from the age of five, when his Esper abilities first began to manifest, fearing he might blow away with a gust of wind or shatter at a touch? Or perhaps it was simply his innate nature, so much like his abilities?’

‘It was true that I never had the heart to discipline my son strictly, as he had suffered from nervous disorders since childhood, having never received proper guiding. Yet, I never dreamed he would grow up to be such a walking time bomb. Sometimes, I’d chide myself, wishing I had occasionally scolded him like his mother did.’

It had been quite some time since Ryu Hyungjun had resigned himself to the belief that all this was his karma. Still, a sigh inevitably escaped him every time he directly experienced his son’s temperament.

Just thinking about how much further Team Leader Ryu Yishin’s already abysmal reputation within the company could plummet made him feel dizzy. Even the mere mention of ‘Ryu Yishin’ in a meeting, whether for good or bad news, sent his heart racing.

His worried nagging, which often wasn’t nagging at all, always led him to concede, for fear his son might spiral out of control again, just like that day seven years ago. If another rampage occurred, it surely wouldn’t stop at his hair and pupils turning ash-gray. He might even tragically lose his only son.

Ryu Hyungjun, the Director of National Security, was a father who adored Ryu Yishin fiercely, yet was also obligated to worry about his subordinates. He quelled the turmoil within him with a light sigh.

“Yishin, your father is saying all this for your own good…”

“I’m busy, so don’t call me for trivial matters like this.”

Despite the major battle having concluded, leaving him with no real reason to be busy, Ryu Yishin paid no heed to his father’s words, which had softened in an attempt to mollify him. He simply walked out of the Director’s office. After slamming the door shut with an irritable flourish, Ryu Yishin roughly swept his hair back and strode purposefully toward the elevators.

With every step he took, his father’s past admonishments resurfaced, causing his mood to sour further.

‘During the recent restructuring, I merely mentioned wanting to recruit a Guide instead of an Esper, and I was subjected to a lifetime’s worth of nagging all at once. It was unethical, they said; Guides weren’t even subject to restructuring in the first place, and how flustered would that Guide be upon waking up, especially since he was currently unconscious and out cold? And so on.’

Of course, Ryu Yishin completely ignored their words and, against all odds, brought Jung Hanseol to Team 1. He was a man who felt an insatiable urge to immediately act upon anything he set his mind to, and he found satisfaction only when he had grasped what he desired. There was no one who could control or stop Ryu Yishin once he had made up his mind.

‘…’

Ryu Yishin briefly recalled the events of a few days prior. It was late at night, and he was diligently scouring the mountains, driven by the sole ambition of breaking the record for the shortest large-scale battle and securing the top spot in performance. He discovered a large, artificially blasted hole halfway up the mountain and plunged inside to investigate.

He navigated the cave fearlessly, a gun in each hand, intent on annihilating any suspicious individuals he might encounter. Yet, the targets he sought were nowhere to be seen. Just as frustration began to swell, thinking it might be a wasted effort, he spotted a human figure sprawled face-down on the ground, covered in dirt. Ryu Yishin recognized who it was even before properly seeing the disheveled face.

The one and only person whose presence ignited his curiosity with an energy difficult to describe. The person who, for reasons unknown, could instantly calm his tumultuous emotions and bring a faint sense of peace. It was Jung Hanseol, Team 7’s Guide.

Ryu Yishin first placed a hand beneath Hanseol’s nose to check for signs of life. Finding him alive, he effortlessly lifted Hanseol’s limp body and slung him over his shoulder. He had no idea why Hanseol was in such a deplorable state, but leaving him there would surely result in his silent death.

Ryu Yishin casually deposited Hanseol in a safe spot he had noted on the way, then returned to the cave to explore its deeper reaches. When he eventually came back empty-handed, finding Jung Hanseol alone, struggling against a grotesque creature, was an unexpected turn of events.

Ryu Yishin had assumed Hanseol would perish without a fight upon encountering a monster, yet the sight of him desperately stabbing at the creature, even in that dire situation, had been quite impressive and remained vivid in his mind. Shortly after, he experienced Jung Hanseol’s guiding firsthand, much earlier than anticipated, making it a rather advantageous large-scale battle for Ryu Yishin in many respects.

Immediately after receiving Hanseol’s guiding, only one thought consumed Ryu Yishin’s mind.

‘Jung Hanseol might just provide me with the most satisfying guiding I’ll ever experience in my entire life.’

‘Therefore, I must bring Jung Hanseol to my side, no matter the cost.’

He had never, in his entire life, received such profoundly gratifying guiding. This was true even though it wasn’t direct guiding through physical contact. His perpetually restless, incomplete, and frustratingly unfulfilled heart had, for the first time, swelled to its absolute limit, providing an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

Although Jung Hanseol had collapsed and remained unconscious for two days due to guiding side effects, Ryu Yishin’s condition was so excellent during those two days that he didn’t need any guiding at all. The same was true for the other Espers who had received Jung Hanseol’s guiding at the scene. Though they didn’t explicitly state it, their vibrant eyes alone attested to the extraordinary power of Jung Hanseol’s guiding.

Another peculiar observation was that simply making physical contact with Jung Hanseol would calm his turbulent mind, as if he were being guided, and the migraines that had plagued him his entire life would gradually subside.

Based on several repeated experiences, he surmised that, while the exact causal relationship remained unclear, merely being close to Jung Hanseol seemed to produce a faint guiding effect. Thus, the desire to experience the next stage of guiding was an entirely natural urge for an Esper.

His impulsive decision to summon Hanseol to his room that morning and kiss him without warning had been somewhat spontaneous, but he had always intended to experiment with it someday, so it wasn’t a bad outcome. Simple physical contact and indirect guiding had been quite effective, but the kiss he attempted today was so profoundly impactful that it rendered previous guiding experiences incomparable.

It had been so electrifying that his vision momentarily bleached white, and he even felt a certain pleasure.

‘If only he wouldn’t just collapse so helplessly, it would be absolutely perfect. What kind of side effect is that?’

“…Hello.”

“Yes.”

As Ryu Yishin walked down the corridor, his mind entirely preoccupied with thoughts of Hanseol, someone greeted him with a slightly timid voice. Ordinarily, Ryu Yishin, whose nerves were typically on edge, would have outright ignored them, but hearing even his half-hearted reply, the other person’s eyes widened as if witnessing an unbelievable sight. Ryu Yishin, however, paid them no mind and simply continued on his way.

Ryu Yishin’s interest remained wholly and solely focused on Jung Hanseol. He found himself inexplicably picturing Hanseol’s dazed expression, even letting out a faint, foolish laugh. ‘Was he slow to adapt since he hadn’t been working long, or was he naturally a bit vacant?’ Ryu Yishin usually had no interest in or curiosity about others, but for some reason, thinking of Hanseol stirred a faint, nascent curiosity within him.

Finding the thought somewhat amusing, Ryu Yishin shook his head and quickened his pace, vowing never to set foot in the Director’s office again, no matter how many times his father called.