Chapter 2: The Weight of a Guide’s Life

The government, or more precisely, the Investigation Team of the National Security Agency’s Central Branch Investigation Headquarters, a direct subordinate agency to the President, was divided into seven distinct teams.

Each team comprised an elite, small group, never exceeding ten members, including the team leader. This structured framework had remained unchanged for decades.

The Espers affiliated with the National Security Agency performed a myriad of duties.

These ranged from the mundane task of eliminating monstrous creatures that sporadically appeared across the nation, to collaborating with the police to dismantle violent crime syndicates.

Their influence even extended to international joint operations, where they were instrumental in eradicating terrorist organizations and clearing out monster strongholds.

Thus, the National Security Agency’s investigation teams could be considered righteous organizations, striving for national and global peace in their own way.

Jung Hanseol, however, had not joined as a Guide for the National Security Agency out of any grand ambition to contribute to global peace or human prosperity.

Rather, it was Joo Youngmin, now the Team Leader of Investigation Team 7, who had enticed the ordinary student into this world—a student who had been merely scraping by, with his college entrance exams a mere hundred days away.

For Hanseol, an orphan left at the orphanage gates with only a small note bearing his name and birthday, the proposition was undeniably enticing.

He was offered a substantial monthly salary, additional incentives, a comfortable home, and a pension that guaranteed his financial security from retirement until his death.

While the prospect of facing life-threatening situations and frequent exposure to danger initially gave him pause, Hanseol ultimately yielded to Team Leader Joo Youngmin’s terms.

Yet, eclipsing all other considerations, the most profound shock and revelation for Hanseol was the undeniable truth of his own identity: he was a Guide.

“Hmm…”

Seated at his desk, Hanseol checked his bank balance on his phone, a rather contented smile gracing his lips—until he swiftly curbed it, wary of prying eyes.

As a Guide, he had been reassured during the morning meeting that he was exempt from restructuring or an unexpected regional reassignment, but for others, the situation was far more precarious.

To grin obliviously would surely invite sharp, disapproving gazes.

“Hanseol, your brother will survive to the end and protect you. Just trust me, alright?”

“Ack!”

Without a sound, Jo Jinwoo had materialized behind Hanseol’s chair, grasping and squeezing his cheeks.

Startled, Hanseol’s body quivered before he spun his chair around to face Jinwoo, who beamed down at him with an inexplicable cheer.

Only then did Hanseol release a sigh of relief, meeting Jinwoo’s gaze with a slight pout.

“Ah, Hyung…”

“Oh dear, did our Hanseol get startled?”

Jo Jinwoo, an A-rank Esper, commanded electricity and possessed the ability to freely teleport within a 200-kilometer radius.

He harbored a mischievous penchant for surprising and tormenting Hanseol in myriad ways.

Jinwoo frequently appeared before Hanseol without a trace, using his teleportation ability, and each time, Hanseol would invariably stumble back in shock.

Now, perching naturally on Hanseol’s desk, Jo Jinwoo maintained his usual playful expression as he stretched and pulled at Hanseol’s soft cheeks.

“Hanseol, during this next battle, stick close to Hyung’s side just like last time. Understand? Just thinking about our Hanseol keeps me up at night with worry.”

“Yes… Ugh, oh, Hyung, but it hurts… Please stop pinching…”

“Still, just in case, we’ll need to do some special training, Hyung and you.”

“…Starting with the treadmill again?”

“Of course, kid. You need to build up your stamina. Who knows? Maybe if your physical strength improves, the side effects of your guiding will lessen.”

Jo Jinwoo, who had been ceaselessly kneading Hanseol’s cheeks as if working dough, grinned at the younger man’s sour expression.

Typically, Guides remained in the office rather than being deployed to the field; however, large-scale battles, which significantly depleted Esper energy and stretched over long periods, necessitated the presence of Guides.

Having joined only five months prior, Hanseol’s experience was still far too limited to shed his ‘rookie’ label.

He had participated in only one large-scale battle to date.

Recalling Jinwoo’s previous ‘special training’ escapades, which had felt more like outright torment, Hanseol found it impossible to maintain a pleasant expression.

The thought of running on a treadmill until his lungs burned and he was gasping for air made him feel dizzy already.

“Tonight, then?”

“…Can’t we start tomorrow?”

“Fine, I’ll let you off the hook today, but be prepared for a grueling session tomorrow. I’m off to work out now!”

With a light tap on Hanseol’s shoulder, a gesture of encouragement, Jo Jinwoo instantly dissipated like smoke, vanishing without a trace.

Hanseol briefly worried about such a seemingly wasteful expenditure of power, but then, recalling Jinwoo’s status as an A-rank Esper, he quickly dismissed the idle thought.

Jinwoo was widely considered a highly capable Esper within the team, and his individual achievements were astounding enough to ensure he wouldn’t be included in any restructuring.

Team 7’s average performance, when compared to other teams, was only marginally—a very slight bit—lower.

Given that Espers were evenly distributed by rank across all teams, it was inconceivable for any single team’s overall capabilities to plummet drastically.

Of course, the situation would be entirely different for Team 1, led by an S-rank Esper—a classification beyond even A-rank, unique in Korea, and numbering fewer than ten individuals worldwide.

Hanseol remained seated in a daze long after Jo Jinwoo vanished, eventually rising to finally get the coffee he hadn’t been able to drink earlier due to the tense office atmosphere.

Before he could take a step, Hanseol turned to his fellow Guide, Kim Hyelim, who was also holding down the office.

“Noona, I’m going down for coffee. Should I bring one back for you?”

“Oh, that would be great, thank you.”

Hyelim, engrossed in a game on her phone, grinned as she replied to Hanseol, then suddenly straightened her posture and opened her desk drawer, as if remembering something.

Hanseol, who had been about to head directly to the pantry, paused at Hyelim’s urgent call and turned back.

“I’ve collected all the stamps on my cafe coupon; let’s use it.”

Hyelim proudly presented him with a coupon for the in-house cafe located on the first floor of the company building.

Hanseol, taking it in a daze, widened his eyes upon seeing two coupons, each meticulously filled with ten stamps.

‘When had she managed to collect all these?’

Hyelim beamed at Hanseol, who gazed back at her with a mixture of admiration and surprise.

“I’ll have a blueberry smoothie. You should get one too.”

“Okay! I’ll be right back!”

Though she often drank coffee, Hyelim decidedly preferred sweet and refreshing drinks, a preference Hanseol carefully noted.

With lighter steps, he left the office, humming a tune as he felt an unexpected stroke of luck, having initially planned to simply brew coffee in the pantry.

Hanseol swiftly descended to the first-floor cafe via the elevator, only to find an unfamiliar, chilling atmosphere pervading the space, quite unlike its usual warmth.

He couldn’t discern if the cold was due to the lingering winter chill or the palpable, fierce aura emanating from the people within.

Rubbing his goosebump-covered arm, Hanseol walked deeper into the cafe, his eyes drawn to a group of men who boasted exceptionally brawny physiques.

Three sturdy figures stood in silence, their heads bowed low in unison, yet one man among them held his head aloft with an air of solitary defiance.

“Oh, ah, hello…”

As their eyes met, Hanseol instinctively bowed his head and offered a nervous greeting.

Unlike the others, this man possessed light, ash-gray hair, similarly pale irises and brows, and sharp, elongated eyes that accentuated his cool, formidable demeanor.

He exuded an intense, unforgettable aura that could overpower anyone without uttering a single word.

Even Hanseol, with only five months on the job, his quiet and introverted nature, and the overprotective tendencies of his team, had virtually no interaction with Espers from other teams.

Yet, he knew this man’s face and name unequivocally.

Ryu Yishin, the sole S-rank Esper in Korea and the Team Leader of Investigation Team 1 at the National Security Agency’s Central Branch Investigation Headquarters.

Hailed as a national hero, he had already garnered significant fame long before Hanseol joined the National Security Agency.

The media vied to report on Ryu Yishin’s exploits, and Hanseol himself had seen numerous news segments featuring him.

Within the agency, however, he seemed to be equally renowned for a temper as formidable as his abilities, though Hanseol, not being a member of Team 1, had yet to experience it firsthand.

Nevertheless, the persistent rumors he had heard countless times compelled Hanseol to adopt a naturally subservient posture in his presence.

“If you’ve finished ordering… could I, perhaps, place my order now…?”

Hanseol was in an awkward predicament, as the group stood directly in front of the ordering counter.

When he bravely spoke, Ryu Yishin’s impassive gaze shifted to him.

Despite Hanseol’s instinctive flinch of fear, a surprisingly cool nod was his only response.

As Ryu Yishin then took deliberate steps toward a nearby table, the burly men followed him in perfect unison.

It was a peculiar sight to behold: these men, whose biceps seemed ready to burst through their shirts, bowed their heads subserviently, unable to utter a single word to Ryu Yishin, who appeared relatively slender in comparison.

Hanseol, who had been unconsciously staring at Ryu Yishin, snapped back to attention when a staff member asked for his order, then presented the coupon and placed it.

“…”

Standing near the pickup counter, awaiting his drink, Hanseol found his eyes inexplicably drawn back to Ryu Yishin.

The formidable aura emanating from the man certainly contributed to this fascination, but more than that, Hanseol was captivated by the mysterious quality of Ryu Yishin’s ash-gray hair and eyes.

After Jo Jinwoo had mentioned that Ryu Yishin’s unique hair and eye color were a lingering side effect of an uncontrolled rampage, Hanseol couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for him.

Of course, Jinwoo, who deeply disliked Ryu Yishin, had scolded him, asking why he would feel sympathy for ‘that bastard.’