Chapter 3: The Weight of Expectations

Ryu Yishin sat with his arms crossed, speaking softly, never once raising his voice. The distance made it impossible to discern his exact words. However, observing the men opposite him, their heads sinking lower as if to bore through the floor, it was evident his words were far from pleasant.

Jung Hanseol cautiously stole glances, observing Ryu Yishin with greater scrutiny. He seemed far too quiet to be the notoriously bad-tempered man the rumors painted him as. According to the circulating gossip, Ryu Yishin should have already effortlessly overturned a table or two by now.

Though expressionless, Ryu Yishin didn’t actually appear angry, which made the deferential attitudes of those opposite him rather perplexing. Jung Hanseol wondered what had them so terrified and flustered. However, knowing it wasn’t his place to interfere, he decided to curb his burgeoning curiosity.

“Your order of three iced Americanos and one chocolate Frappuccino is ready.”

Jung Hanseol redirected his gaze from Ryu Yishin upon hearing the voice nearby, letting his eyes fall upon the four cups arranged on the tray. One particular chocolate Frappuccino stood out, seemingly ordered by someone utterly lacking in awareness.

As if roused by the staff’s announcement, one of the burly men abruptly rose from his seat and approached the pickup counter. His shoulders were rigidly tensed, a clear indicator of his palpable nervousness. Jung Hanseol, utilizing the dynamic vision he had diligently honed under Jo Jinwoo’s strict supervision, swiftly scanned the employee ID hanging around the man’s neck.

‘Investigation Team 1, Kang Seungmin’

The man, marked by a scar running diagonally across his left eye, promptly took the tray and retreated to his seat. Given that Ryu Yishin led Team 1, and the man who retrieved the coffee also appeared to be from Team 1, it seemed probable that all those assembled, whose very presence instilled tension in onlookers, were members of the same team. Jung Hanseol’s curiosity piqued, wondering who among them had so tactlessly ordered the Frappuccino. However, feeling that peering like a thief was unbecoming, he ultimately averted his gaze.

‘Wasn’t that team supposed to be the most immune to this restructuring?’ Jung Hanseol pondered. They consistently achieved the top quarterly performance and were never assigned to minor, trivial tasks. Yet, observing even *their* serious demeanor, it became clear that the restructuring plan handed down from above was profoundly affecting the internal Espers.

‘Perhaps it would be best to lie low for a while.’ Instead of conspicuously roaming the building, it would be wiser to remain confined to his office, as was his usual habit, or simply head straight home after work. There was absolutely no benefit to be gained from irritating the already sensitive Espers. Jung Hanseol swallowed hard, meticulously solidifying his plan in his mind.

“Your blueberry smoothie and vanilla Frappuccino are ready.”

Moments later, Jung Hanseol’s order was announced. He verified the drinks in the carrier, offered a slight nod to the staff, and carefully began to walk away. However, his gaze was drawn once more to the distinctive ash-gray hair. Making unexpected eye contact with Ryu Yishin, a startled Jung Hanseol hastily fumbled his way out of the cafe.

‘Among the notoriously sensitive Espers, Ryu Yishin is surely the one I need to be most wary of,’ Jung Hanseol mused. With that thought, he hastened his return to the office.

****

“Ugh, haah, huff, phew…”

Jung Hanseol collapsed onto the floor in an outstretched sprawl the moment he stepped off the treadmill, gasping raggedly for air. Jo Jinwoo, who had been lifting dumbbells in front of the mirror, approached with a disapproving click of his tongue. He then squatted down and lightly tapped Jung Hanseol’s cheek with an index finger.

“Already collapsing after just a few minutes of running?”

“T-ten minutes, huff, surely ten minutes is enough…”

“Ten minutes? *Only* ten minutes? You need to hit thirty today, Hanseol.”

“Hyung, I’m going to die…”

Despite Jung Hanseol’s pathetic whimpering and complaints, Jo Jinwoo exhibited not a hint of leniency. He simply grinned, then forcibly hauled Jung Hanseol back to his feet.

“The schedule is tight with shooting practice, so you’d better run diligently, alright?”

Jo Jinwoo placed the utterly drained Jung Hanseol, who now fluttered like a leaf, back on the treadmill. He then moved to the fly machine, beginning to flex his burly pectorals with evident pride. Jung Hanseol, watching Jinwoo with a blend of mild horror and grudging respect, sighed and reactivated the treadmill. He understood Jo Jinwoo’s reasons for forcing him to exercise, yet he still couldn’t fathom why one should dedicate time and effort to an activity that merely induced sweat, breathlessness, and sheer exhaustion.

Shooting practice, at least, was tolerable; he had even received praise for his apparent talent, which had made him look forward to actual combat. However, during his very first large-scale battle, Jung Hanseol hadn’t even managed to properly grip his assigned firearm. His teammates had decapitated the monstrous creatures faster than the speed of light, virtually as soon as they emerged. Naturally, Jung Hanseol couldn’t help but question the necessity of his own diligent shooting practice.

Even for a Guide who didn’t directly engage in combat, moving alongside an Esper was mandatory during the three or four large-scale battles each year—essentially, whenever they raided a monstrous creature’s stronghold. This obligation applied even to Jung Hanseol, despite his unique guiding side effects.

Unlike Espers, Guides possessed physical capabilities no different from ordinary humans. Therefore, mastering a firearm for basic self-defense was an absolute necessity. While they always remained in close proximity to Espers, the unpredictable nature of combat meant anything could happen at any moment. Consequently, the skill Jung Hanseol dedicated the most time to learning at the Guide Training Center before his employment was precisely marksmanship.

“Jung Hanseol, aren’t you running?”

“I’ll run after just a little rest…”

‘Then couldn’t I just focus on shooting practice?’ Jung Hanseol had once entertained this thought. However, such logic held no sway with Jo Jinwoo, who firmly believed that stamina was the fundamental basis for everything. This was especially true given Jung Hanseol’s guiding side effects, which were notably more severe than those experienced by other Guides.

Jung Hanseol possessed explosive guiding abilities, capable of elevating the condition of multiple individuals to their absolute peak through indirect guiding alone. Although his indirect guiding range did not extend beyond one kilometer, resulting in a final A-rank assessment, repeated examinations had consistently suggested his guiding efficiency itself was akin to A-rank or even higher.

However, Jung Hanseol suffered from a critical guiding side effect. Upon completing a single guiding session, he would immediately lose consciousness and collapse, needing to sleep profoundly for anywhere from a minimum of thirty minutes to a full twenty-four hours.

Direct guiding, reputedly even more potent than its indirect counterpart, had been attempted only once, initiated by a simple clasp of hands. Jo Jinwoo, the recipient, had maintained peak condition for an entire week, entirely free from the need for further guiding. Yet, Jung Hanseol had immediately fainted and slept for two consecutive days without a single interruption, rendering them too daunted to attempt it again.

Jung Hanseol himself feared he might die if something went awry. Furthermore, Team Leader Joo Youngmin had sternly warned him never to attempt direct guiding unless faced with an absolute emergency.

It wasn’t that Jung Hanseol suffered from any chronic illnesses. Aside from falling into a profound sleep and eventually waking, his body exhibited no other abnormalities post-guiding. Even the health check-ups he underwent after joining the company consistently returned normal results, indicating nothing exceptionally good or bad.

Disregarding Jung Hanseol’s health check-up results, Jo Jinwoo steadfastly maintained his unfounded assertion that building physical stamina would undoubtedly improve the side effects. He was determined to make Jung Hanseol exercise, no matter what. For Jung Hanseol, who had never truly exercised beyond simple breathing routines or the occasional gym class in school, these sessions were nothing short of hellish.

“Jung Hanseol.”

“Alright…”

Jo Jinwoo’s voice cut through Jung Hanseol’s distracting thoughts, urging him on. With a distorted expression that bordered on tears, Jung Hanseol increased the treadmill’s speed, his feet moving rapidly as he began to run. Though he considered it a strenuous effort, to Jo Jinwoo’s discerning eye, his pace appeared to be little more than a brisk power walk.

Jo Jinwoo stood right next to the treadmill, performing dumbbell curls and watching Jung Hanseol, clearly for surveillance. In that moment, Jung Hanseol’s breath instantly reached its limit, giving him the dangerous thought that it might be better to grab Jo Jinwoo’s arm, attempt direct guiding, and collapse into sleep.

“Hanseol.”

“Huff, yes?”

Perhaps realizing Jung Hanseol wasn’t concentrating on his workout, Jo Jinwoo unexpectedly introduced a new topic, all while maintaining an impassive expression and continuing his dumbbell reps. Jung Hanseol, momentarily dazed, nearly stumbled as he stared at Jinwoo, only just managing to regain his balance by clutching the side handles. He had only mentioned seeing Ryu Yishin at the cafe to Kim Hyelim, so it seemed Hyelim must have leaked the information to Jinwoo.

“Surely that bastard isn’t eyeing our Hanseol, is he?”

Jo Jinwoo clicked his tongue once, then set the dumbbell down. His gaze had shifted away from Jung Hanseol, indicating he hadn’t expected a reply. ‘Just a brief encounter and a greeting—isn’t ‘eyeing me’ a bit of a leap?’ Unable to comprehend Jinwoo’s line of thought, Jung Hanseol tilted his head, asking in a breathless voice,

“Eyeing me, huff, why would he, huff, do that?”

“Because our Hanseol is a capable Guide, cute, and our lovable youngest, right?”

Jo Jinwoo responded with a surprisingly gentle voice, considering his large build, and grinned. He then furrowed his brows, picked up the dumbbell, and resumed his bicep curls, grinding his teeth as if taking out his frustration. Meanwhile, Jung Hanseol subtly decreased his running speed, chewing over Jinwoo’s words and tilting his head once more. Investigation Team 1 was the only team with two A-rank Guides, so Ryu Yishin had no reason to covet him.