Chapter 48: Before The Emergency Call

The man who had claimed his hand was crushed by Tae-woo was said to hold a fairly high-ranking position in the Esper Association.

So-won shifted his gaze back to the man who was trembling uncontrollably.

His face had already gone pale.

He kept darting glances toward the door, as if debating whether to run or not.

Earlier, seeing that scene had only irritated So-won, but now that he knew the circumstances, a trace of pity crept in.

Tae-woo sat quietly with his gaze lowered, lips sealed.

Unlike the man shaking in fear, Tae-woo’s hands rested neatly on his thighs.

Despite having gone through something horrific, he looked oddly fine, and So-won had been about to feel relieved—when a memory suddenly surfaced.

At the guiding examination room, Tae-woo had only stared at the researcher’s outstretched hand and never took it.

At the time, So-won had found it strange and brushed it off.

Was that because of the accident…?

…Still, he’d held my hand just fine.

So-won gave a small, awkward cough.

He recalled the day they followed the gate, when Tae-woo had grabbed his hand and pulled it up to his own face.

For some reason, the memory made him feel embarrassed.

The corners of his mouth twitched, and he bowed his head deeply to get his expression under control.

“Are you worried?”

“A little… I am worried.”

One good thing about the situation was that there weren’t many people around.

They could whisper without worrying about being overheard.

Since the report meeting was still in progress, everyone’s attention was focused on the presentation, and no one was paying attention to their conversation.

Honestly, even if So-won and Tae-woo did something noticeable, no one would likely realize it.

So-won lowered his arm and lightly took Tae-woo’s hand.

“See?

I’m fine.

Nothing happened.

Everything will be okay.”

He leaned closer and whispered so only Tae-woo could hear.

Tae-woo looked at So-won silently for a moment before answering softly, “Yes,” and nodding.

The tedious presentation continued—plans for the Association’s second half of the year and a recap of past achievements—until they finally began talking about So-won and Tae-woo.

They wrapped it in flowery language, but the gist was simple: Korea had produced the world’s first guide with a 100% matching rate, and Tae-woo’s condition was improving rapidly.

The fact that they had started that topic meant it was almost So-won’s turn to go up.

He straightened his clothes and swallowed hard.

A staff member who had invited him beforehand had already warned him that the moment he shook hands with the award presenter would be broadcast on the news.

Appearing on the evening news was far more nerve-wracking than just having a photo taken for an article.

That was exactly why So-won had paid so much attention to his appearance today.

“With that, we would like to present a plaque of appreciation to Esper Kang Tae-woo and Guide Lee So-won.”

Tae-woo stood first, and So-won followed him to his feet.

He tried his best not to look nervous as he walked forward, but his stiffened body refused to cooperate and moved awkwardly.

Tae-woo stepped ahead and received his plaque first.

The man handing it to him was the same one who had been stealing glances at Tae-woo’s hands and trembling the entire time.

He forced his lips into a smile, but his face was completely rigid.

Soon, a trembling hand was extended.

Tae-woo hadn’t even taken it yet when the reporters’ camera shutters began firing rapidly—click, click, click—as if an accident were inevitable.

Nearby, paramedics who hadn’t been visible before stood on standby.

When Tae-woo lifted his hand, the shutter sounds grew even faster.

So-won watched the scene, tense for no reason.

The two men clasped hands briefly and then released.

It was almost laughable how pointless all that tension had been.

Next, So-won received a bouquet, exchanged a light handshake, and faced forward with Tae-woo for photos.

By the time he shook So-won’s hand, the man had turned deathly white; he staggered and had to be supported by staff as he returned to his seat.

“See?

Nothing happened, right?”

After returning to their seats together, So-won whispered to Tae-woo.

As So-won smiled softly, Tae-woo quietly nodded in response.

Even after the meeting ended, they were told they needed to take more photos, so So-won couldn’t leave right away.

Once the brief shoot wrapped up, they tried to exit the hall immediately—but reporters surged toward them.

“How do you feel about becoming Esper Kang Tae-woo’s exclusive guide?”

“What was going through your mind when you achieved a 100% matching rate with the Esper known as a monster?”

Despite clearly fearing Tae-woo, the reporters bombarded them with aggressive questions.

So-won felt dazed listening to it all.

They didn’t come too close because of Tae-woo’s presence, but they still thrust cameras and microphones forward, refusing to back down.

It didn’t look like they planned on letting them go easily.

“What do we do…?”

So-won looked helplessly at the tightly packed crowd.

With reporters swarming, the path to the exit was completely blocked.

Forcing their way through seemed impossible, and no matter how he scanned the area, there was only one exit, far in the distance.

“Please excuse us for a moment.”

Suddenly, Tae-woo scooped So-won up into his arms.

“—Ah!”

Caught completely off guard, So-won flailed and hurriedly wrapped his arms around Tae-woo’s neck.

He was utterly flustered.

Judging by how the area fell silent in an instant, the reporters were just as shocked.

When So-won peeked up, he saw every last one of them staring with their mouths hanging open.

Ignoring them entirely, Tae-woo walked forward with So-won in his arms.

As Tae-woo approached in long strides, the reporters instinctively split down the middle, clearly intimidated.

So-won and Tae-woo passed through the gap unhurriedly, accompanied by the rapid-fire click-click-click of camera shutters like background music.

***

So-won’s phone was usually silent.

Aside from the occasional spam message, he rarely received any contact at all.

He preferred it that way.

After becoming Tae-woo’s guide, he’d gone eight years without keeping in touch with anyone, and now even exchanging casual updates felt awkward.

[Hey, you’re Kang Tae-woo’s guide now?

Damn, poor bastard… hang in there.]

[Is this seriously you???]

…That had been the case just an hour ago.

So-won let out a long sigh as he looked at the pile of messages.

About an hour after the event ended, messages started pouring in—from friends whose faces he could barely even remember.

Unfortunately, eight years ago, So-won had been cheerful and sociable, which meant he had a lot of friends.

After turning into a gloomy thirty-year-old, he’d ignored most messages and cut the number down somewhat, but judging by how many were still reaching out, staying quiet for a while seemed impossible.

At first, the constant ringing was too loud, so he switched to vibrate.

Then the vibrations got on his nerves, so he turned it to silent.

Finally, the battery started draining too fast, so he just powered the phone off completely.

Staring at the darkened screen, So-won set the phone down.

He’d thought it would stay quiet for at least the day—no, at least until the evening news aired.

He hadn’t expected things to explode this quickly.

Judging by how noisy it had become, the articles must have gone up fast.

Well, considering the dramatic exit they’d made, the reporters who saw it probably couldn’t keep their fingers still.

Bzzz.

So-won frowned and lifted his phone, then relaxed when he saw the black screen.

Ah—right.

He’d turned it off.

Then that vibration must have been Tae-woo’s phone.

He glanced to the side, and sure enough, Tae-woo was checking his vibrating phone.

Moments later, he answered the call.

It was rare for Tae-woo to receive calls, so curiosity got the better of So-won, and he listened closely.

Since Tae-woo was right beside him, he didn’t even need to strain to hear.

–“Hello, Esper Kang Tae-woo.

This is an emergency summons.”

Emergency summons?

So-won’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

Unless the situation was extremely serious, they wouldn’t issue an emergency call to an S-rank Esper.

As So-won stood there stunned, the voice on the other end continued.

–“An entrance believed to be an A-rank gate has opened, and monsters have escaped beyond the gate, making suppression difficult.

A helicopter is already en route to the Association.

Please move immediately.”

…Now that he thought about it, wasn’t it around this time?

Something clicked in his mind.

It had been a major incident even back then, so he remembered it.

This was around when So-won, who had been avoiding Tae-woo, was summoned to the Association for guiding for the first time.

Tae-woo’s condition back then had looked genuinely monstrous to So-won, which only deepened his fear of him.

“I understand.”

Tae-woo hung up without asking a single question.

Then his black eyes turned toward So-won.

That gaze reminded So-won painfully of eight years ago—when Tae-woo had watched him cry and struggle, refusing to guide.

His heart throbbed with a dull ache.

Guilt flooded over him.

Unable to meet Tae-woo’s eyes, So-won lowered his head heavily.

“You have to go, don’t you?”

The words slipped out in a subdued tone.

Tae-woo seemed to notice the shift immediately, his gaze briefly scanning So-won as if checking his condition.

“Yes.

I’m sorry.

I don’t think I’ll be able to escort you home today.”

“I… can’t I come with you?”

“No.”

Tae-woo’s answer was firm.

So-won had known he would say no, but he’d asked anyway, hoping—just a little—that Tae-woo might take him along.

He shrank back at the refusal.

Still, knowing how dangerous an unstable gate with monsters escaping could be—even the surrounding area could suffer earthquakes—So-won obediently nodded.