Chapter 21: Standing up for His Guide

Chaewon could abase himself whenever necessary just to survive.

He could make himself invisible, like someone who didn’t exist at all.

He never thought running away was shameful, and he could discard pride without hesitation.

But still.

When his retreat would result in someone weaker and younger than himself getting hurt, he would willingly step forward and raise his voice.

Most of the time, it didn’t help much.

In many cases, it only led to worse outcomes for Chaewon himself.

Even so, it didn’t matter.

That single moment of never backing down was a small conviction that kept Chaewon from being completely crushed by the misery life dealt him.

Of course, Jin Su-ha was not someone weak who needed Chaewon’s protection.

Even if he was a guide, he was clearly stronger than an esper who collapsed unconscious at the drop of a hat.

But regardless of how strong he was, the fact remained that he was Chaewon’s guide.

Su-ha’s displeasure with that fact did nothing to change it.

Just as a guide bore the duty to risk himself at times for the esper under his care, an esper carried the duty and responsibility to protect his guide under any circumstances.

No matter how utterly inadequate an esper he might be, Chaewon had no intention of abandoning that obligation.

“…Did I say something wrong?”

The voice that followed sounded polite and courteous, yet depending on how one heard it, oddly provocative.

Su-ha’s eyes shook violently, but Chaewon was looking straight ahead, focused solely on Giyoon.

The air around them was drawn taut to its limit like a fully strung bow.

Just as Eunho was about to step in, desperate to defuse the situation.

Suddenly, Giyoon pulled the corner of his mouth upward into a grin and extended his hand toward Chaewon.

“You’re right, Chaewon-ssi. That was my mistake. If I came to say hello, I should’ve just said hello, no need to insult someone else’s precious guide.”

His voice carried laughter, and at first glance it almost sounded sarcastic.

But those who knew Giyoon well could tell that he was genuinely smiling.

As puzzled glances passed between onlookers, Giyoon continued.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Joo Giyoon, Team Leader of Incident Response Team One.”

“I’m Lee Chaewon.”

As if there had never been a standoff, Chaewon calmly reached out and took Giyoon’s hand.

Su-ha’s gaze locked onto Chaewon’s hand, now hidden within Giyoon’s much larger one.

Noticing that look, Giyoon gave Chaewon’s hand a light shake and spoke.

“I ruined my first impression without knowing you’d be someone I’d like this much.”

Chaewon blinked his large eyes, quietly released Giyoon’s hand, and replied.

“It’s okay. Just don’t do it again.”

Hearing that, Giyoon burst out laughing.

It was a laugh that said, What kind of kid is this?

Chaewon, indifferent to it all, simply looked at Giyoon with an unchanged expression.

Normally, he would have added something to ease the other person’s burden, I wasn’t offended, or You don’t need to worry.

Strangely, those words wouldn’t come.

To be honest, Chaewon still didn’t feel very good about Giyoon, who had spoken so harshly to Su-ha.

Once Giyoon stopped laughing, he glanced down at Chaewon’s table and spoke again, his face still bright with amusement.

“You were in the middle of a meal, so let’s leave it at that for today. We’ll meet again later.”

“Yes. Please enjoy your meal too, Team Leader.”

As he turned away after receiving Chaewon’s farewell, Giyoon felt the urge to sneer at Su-ha, What a waste of an esper for Guide Jin.

But saying that now would surely earn him the small esper’s lasting resentment, so uncharacteristically, he held his tongue.

Thinking that an unexpectedly interesting person had finally shown up in this unbearably dull center, Giyoon left the cafeteria without continuing his meal.

As they blankly watched Giyoon disappear, the remaining people’s gazes gradually shifted toward Chaewon.

Eyes already full of curiosity now sparkled as if stars had been embedded in them.

Ignoring the atmosphere entirely, Chaewon turned straight to Su-ha and spoke.

“I’m sorry. I caused trouble for you for no reason…”

“Ah… ah, well…”

Su-ha was at a loss for words.

For a moment, he couldn’t understand why Chaewon was apologizing to him.

But it didn’t take long for Su-ha to grasp what Chaewon was thinking.

Because he was weak.

Because he was inadequate enough to be looked down on by other espers.

Chaewon clearly believed that Su-ha had been lumped together and belittled because of him.

The corner of Su-ha’s lips trembled faintly.

A sudden tightness seized his chest, and emotions surged upward.

Unable to suppress them any longer, Su-ha spoke.

“Chaewon, that’s not something you need to apologize for.”

“…Pardon?”

Chaewon looked confused, but in Su-ha’s mind, the scene from earlier replayed over and over.

Where had he found that courage?

Giyoon was an esper whose presence was as cold and sharp as his ice-element abilities.

Beyond the authority he carried as an S-rank, his very aura was enough to make people shrink back.

And yet, this fragile esper hadn’t retreated.

He had shielded Su-ha right in front of him.

A guide who had been indifferent, cold, rude, and, honestly, downright unpleasant to him from start to finish.

‘No matter how inadequate an esper I may be, you shouldn’t insult my guide in front of me.’

Chaewon’s words echoed in Su-ha’s ears as if on repeat.

Su-ha had never once thought of him as his esper, yet Chaewon, as an esper, willingly regarded Su-ha as the guide he was meant to protect.

That vast, dizzying gap pricked painfully at Su-ha’s heart.

After hesitating awkwardly for a long moment, Suha finally managed to speak.

“Thank you… Thank you for stepping in for me.”

“…?”

“It couldn’t have been easy… I really appreciate it.”

For the first time, confusion surfaced on Chaewon’s face, so composed even in front of Giyoon.

His mouth fell half open, leaving him unable to respond properly.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Su-ha didn’t wait for an answer.

He hurriedly glanced around in the air and added,

“Then please finish your meal. I’ll come by later before training for guiding… preliminary guiding.”

With that, he abruptly turned and hurried out of the cafeteria.

Reflected in Chaewon’s still-dazed eyes was someone chasing after Su-ha, calling out, “Hyung! Hyung!”

Chaewon stared blankly at their retreating backs for a moment, then turned to Eunho, his lips parting uncertainly.

“Just now, Eunho… just now… Su-ha said…”

Eunho’s mouth was hanging open as well.

“…Yes. Yes, he did. Guide Jin Su-ha.”

Even with most of the crucial words missing from Eunho’s reply, Chaewon looked utterly incredulous.

In all the time they’d spent together, it was the first time Su-ha had ever thanked him.

Gratitude and apologies had always been Chaewon’s role alone.

Wondering if he’d imagined it, Chaewon shook his head vigorously, but Eunho confirmed that he’d heard it too.

Only then did a small smile form at the corner of Chaewon’s lips.

It was really just a trivial remark, but for the first time, just a little, really, just a little, it felt like he’d seen something esper-like in Su-ha, and his heart lifted.

Chaewon wriggled his lips, sat back down, and picked up his spoon again.

Just as Eunho had said, the food really was delicious.

****

After finally shaking off the persistent Jeong Jin, Su-ha returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed.

It was nothing.

So what if there’d been a minor clash with Giyoon?

Why was his head so foggy over something so trivial?

“Who do you think you are…”

Suha muttered in an exaggeratedly disgruntled tone, as if arguing against the words my guide that kept echoing in his ears.

“…”

But once the hollow complaint faded, the image naturally surfaced, Chaewon rising like someone trying to protect him, standing between Giyoon and himself.

He was smaller and thinner than any esper Su-ha had ever seen, yet in that moment, his back had felt like a towering wall.

Su-ha let out a sigh and rubbed his face with both hands.

It had to be the guiding.

That was it.

No matter how hard he tried not to develop personal feelings for Chaewon, the continuous guiding was clearly affecting his heart in some way.

Otherwise, there was no way his heart would have raced like that just from looking at Chaewon.

“Get a grip, Jin Su-ha.”

He muttered the words as if to admonish himself.

How long had it even been since he’d started working with Chaewon, for him to be shaken already?

Handling an S-rank esper simply demanded more emotional energy, that had to be it.

Clinging to that excuse, Su-ha exhaled slowly.

He deliberately chose not to recall that it was a feeling he had never once experienced, despite guiding countless espers as a temporary guide before ever meeting Chaewon.