Chapter 2: The Unwelcome Roommate

Chapter 2

‘They want me to do what, three times?’

The Vice Principal was even more brazen and unreasonable than I had imagined. Striving to maintain my composure, I replied with a hint of indignation.

“Isn’t coercing guiding in such a manner illegal?”

According to the documents, my pairing with Yoon Geon-woo was strictly ‘temporary.’ For a temporary pair, contact guiding was only permitted up to oral contact. Therefore, the level of guiding the Vice Principal demanded of me was, strictly speaking, illegal.

‘Got it, you rotten egg yolk.’

“Why, because it’s not a formal pairing yet?”

“Yes, it seems so…. Both Yoon Geon-woo, the Esper, and I are still provisional personnel affiliated with the school.”

I emphasized once more to the rotten egg yolk—no, to the Vice Principal—that my status was that of a student. While I longed to unleash a string of curses right into their sly face, I exerted superhuman patience and held it all in.

Noticing my expression contort, the Vice Principal opened their mouth with a false smile.

“Isn’t it a bit early to worry about that? As you know, Sogum, Esper Yoon Geon-woo is quite particular when it comes to choosing a partner.”

‘Right, it’s that infuriating ‘don’t get ahead of yourself when they haven’t even offered you anything’ kind of talk. I hated to admit it, but I couldn’t really argue.

Even in the past, when I was forced into a temporary pairing by the SAA, Yoon Geon-woo had unilaterally terminated the pairing without me ever even touching his fingertips.

“Then… are you saying I don’t have to guide during the temporary period?”

“Of course not. Just get close to him and try to keep Esper Yoon Geon-woo happy. If he says he wants to do it with you, then make sure you accommodate him.”

‘What a choice selection of words.’

Every word the Vice Principal uttered left me with an utterly unpleasant feeling. It was like staring into a clogged drain full of hair or a sink overflowing with bloated noodles. In short, everything that spilled from their mouth was nothing but refuse.

‘Of course, they’d be eager. A compliant pushover with a leash around their neck, like me, just happened to have a high compatibility rate with someone as formidable as Yoon Geon-woo. They must see this as their golden opportunity.’

From the perspective of the Central Authority or the SAA, they couldn’t simply stand by and watch a precious S-rank Esper like Yoon Geon-woo be neglected, unable to use his abilities. It was a push.

In other words, they didn’t care about the state of a regular B-rank Guide like me; their twisted logic was that anything was acceptable as long as it pleased the S-rank Esper, Yoon Geon-woo.

“Are you talking about temporary pair guiding right now?”

“…You won’t have anything to worry about during the temporary period, so it will probably be pair guiding then. Esper Yoon Geon-woo is currently under an ability suppression order.”

The formation of a ‘formal’ pair between an Esper and a Guide who had entered a temporary pairing only happened after they reached adulthood.

At that point, whether Yoon Geon-woo and I engaged in intense, repeated guiding, as the Vice Principal suggested, or anything else, there would be no legal issues.

‘How laughable. Do they think I know nothing?’

However, the Vice Principal’s belated addition was nothing more than empty words.

Hadn’t Yoon Geon-woo’s current ability suppression order been issued because his contamination levels had risen to dangerous levels due to his repeated refusal of guiding? They were afraid he might go berserk.

If anyone other than me succeeded in guiding Yoon Geon-woo, it was obvious that the SAA would rescind the order. Then they would dispatch him to high-level missions that required him to unleash his powers.

And they wouldn’t care in the slightest if the Guide who guided him was overworked.

‘Wait, berserk?’

As I was silently cursing out the Vice Principal and the SAA, something flashed through my mind.

What if the Esper who went berserk on graduation day was Yoon Geon-woo?

‘The blue-eyed Esper.’

A searing, icy blue, like oxidized flames. That was the eye color of Yoon Geon-woo, an S-rank Esper who primarily used fire-element abilities. It was also the identity of the gaze I had last seen at the graduation ceremony.

‘How was his condition that day…?’

Of course, high-ranking Espers like Yoon Geon-woo were carefully managed by both the SAA and the Central Authority, so the risk of a major incident was low.

But perhaps the graduation day, when a massive explosion occurred, was the day Yoon Geon-woo, who had repeatedly refused guiding, finally lost control. I had been in a state of utter panic myself, so I couldn’t be sure of anything.

‘I need to find the Esper who went berserk before graduation day.’

Considering the scale of the accident, it had to have been an A-rank Esper or higher.

There were only two choices to avoid repeating death: find the A-rank or higher Esper who would go berserk in the future before graduation, or guide all high-risk Espers.

‘How can I possibly monitor every A-rank or higher Esper in the entire school by myself?’

If I did that, my abilities would be insufficient, and my energy would be utterly drained, leading to a natural death. But I couldn’t just stand by, knowing the impending danger.

“I’ll… give it a try.”

I shed my previous helpless demeanor, determined to successfully become Yoon Geon-woo’s temporary pair Guide this time. After all, the most promising candidate right now was the S-rank Esper, Yoon Geon-woo, who refused guiding.

“Good, that’s a wise decision. Then, sign your agreement here….”

“However, I have one condition.”

Even if it was a somewhat extreme approach, shouldn’t the beginning be different this time?

It might be the worst possible move for Yoon Geon-woo. But for now, this was the best move I could make.

“Make me his roommate. With my tem. po. ra. ry. pair Esper.”

****

With my meager belongings in hand, I had been pacing in front of Room 714 in the Blue Dorm for over thirty minutes.

Where was Room 714 in the Blue Dorm, you ask?

Where else? It was the room of Yoon Geon-woo, who used a double room as if it were a private one.

Though I had received permission to become his roommate through the Vice Principal’s authority, my hesitation at the door was unavoidable.

To be blunt, it was nothing short of trespassing. Yoon Geon-woo’s wishes hadn’t been considered in the slightest, so my unexpected appearance would undoubtedly make me feel like an unwelcome intruder.

Regardless of Yoon Geon-woo’s thoughts, the first step of my plan had been successfully set in motion.

“Ugh… what am I even doing, really?”

My head throbbed, prompting me to press my temples. It was a folk remedy that the guy I had a temporary pairing with in my previous life often did for me, though I wasn’t sure if it actually worked. Yet, it felt like it helped, so I’d done it a few times, and now it had become an unconscious habit.

‘Ah, come to think of it, he was an A-rank Esper too.’

This time, I intended to focus on becoming Yoon Geon-woo’s temporary pair, so I probably wouldn’t form a relationship with that guy I’d paired with before. After all, my connection with him only began after my temporary pairing with Yoon Geon-woo broke.

We had gotten along quite well, so I felt a little regret, but wasn’t survival the priority? If Yoon Geon-woo’s condition seemed stable, I could think about it later. For now, I decided to focus on the immediate task at hand.

“Surely he wouldn’t hit me, would he?”

Even if he had a fiery temper, I hadn’t heard of an Esper hitting a Guide. Or had I? Perhaps I just hadn’t paid attention.

Yoon Geon-woo himself was a person who kept everyone at arm’s length from Guides, so not much was known about him beyond public information.

Knock, knock, knock—

Taking a deep, quiet breath, I cautiously knocked on the door of Room 714. A faint sheen of sweat dampened my clenched fist from the tension.

What would I say when I met him? Should I introduce myself first?

“Hello, Yoon Geon-woo. I’m…”

‘No, that won’t do. Given his personality, he’d probably slam the door shut right after ‘Hello, Yoon Geon-woo.”

After that, I continued to rehearse my self-introduction alone, but the door showed no sign of opening.

‘Is he not in his room because it’s vacation?’

With the short ten-day winter break, most students had vacated the dorms. Excluding people like me who had nowhere else to go, it was possible Yoon Geon-woo wasn’t there either.

‘Should I just open it and go in?’

A sudden urge to return to my original room welled up. But if I went back now, I felt like I’d never want to come here again.

To catch a tiger, one must enter the tiger’s den.

I took out the spare key for Room 714, which I had received in advance through the Vice Principal’s influence. It was called a key, but it was a spherical multi-recognition key. The security was thorough, as entry was only possible after fingerprint and iris registration were complete on the sphere.

Of course, now that I was one of the owners of Room 714, there wouldn’t be any problem.

Click—

As the key was recognized, I heard the sound of the warm-textured wooden door latch turning. The dorm hallway was quiet, and there was still no sign of anyone within the room.

Trying to shake off the unnecessary tension, I opened the door.

“Is anyone… here?”

It was already after sunset, but the room I cautiously stepped into was entirely covered by black blackout curtains.

My visibility was poor, and I was just thinking about turning on a light when suddenly—

“Hmph!”

A powerful, chilling aura washed over me, raising goosebumps across my entire body.

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