Episode 5.
Several days passed after that.
They said the test results would take time, so in the meantime, an investigation regarding the organization was conducted. Seoyul was assigned a room inside the Center and faithfully cooperated with the investigation.
Perhaps because everyone found his painstaking efforts endearing, the investigation proceeded in a gentle atmosphere.
Seoyul gradually regained his stability, and because tomorrow kept coming no matter how many times he slept and woke up, he could truly feel that he had returned to the past.
Moreover, everyone was so kind. Seoyul sometimes found himself thinking, *Is this place heaven?*
While living like that, news finally arrived that the results were out. Since Seoyul was more curious than anyone about how they had turned out, he quickly made his way over.
“You’re here?”
When he opened the lab door, Seonjeong greeted him comfortably. It was because she liked the cute and gentle Guide more than anyone.
Because she was someone who loved cute things, his squirrel-like face also played a big part.
“Want some cake?”
It was obvious he would become even cuter if he gained some chubby weight. That was why she would recommend sweet foods to him like this every time.
When he said it was his first time eating it and ate strawberry cake, trembling, the sight had been so adorable. But as if there was something more urgent than that, Seoyul shook his head and asked.
“Th-the results?”
Seonjeong laughed lightly and beckoned him in. Then she began typing something into the computer to find the data. Then, dizzying data popped up on the large screen above the monitor.
“U-uh….”
Seoyul instinctively sensed that those were the test results. But he couldn’t read them at all. Because incomprehensible technical terms were scattered everywhere.
“Just as you said, you have quite broad versatility.”
“Really?!”
Since the organization members had said so, he had accepted it, but hearing it from an expert made him feel newly impressed.
“It’s not just broad, it’s uuuuuuuunbelievably broad. This is truly amazing.”
She even threw her arms into explaining how incredible this was. Though Seoyul was bewildered, he listened without missing a single word and committed it all to memory.
“You’ll unconditionally break a 60% matching rate with a whopping 70% of Espers.”
“What?!”
Seoyul was startled. Didn’t that mean he could Guide two out of three people!
Finding a perfectly matching Guide was truly difficult, so in practice, measures were taken to allow Guiding even with just a 60% matching rate.
But to be able to unconditionally Guide two out of three…….
*So this is how capable I was.*
He wondered if this was why the organization members hadn’t let him go.
“Of course, it’s not exact because it’s a simulation based on data.”
“What? Then…….”
Seoyul became slightly anxious. But she smiled brightly and continued.
“It means if you receive an actual matching test, it could come out even higher.”
“Ah….”
For some reason, he hung his head deeply as embarrassment flooded over him. Perhaps because such a Seoyul was cute, Seonjeong ruffled his hair.
“Your Grade is a bit of a shame, but it’s still amazing, so you can be proud of it.”
When he raised his head, he saw her making a face that truly indicated the Grade didn’t matter much. He had worried she might be disappointed that he was only C-Grade, but realized it had been a needless worry.
“And the important thing is this.”
She brought up another piece of data on the screen.
“This is….”
“Cha Doun’s chart data.”
When the name Cha Doun appeared, Seoyul once again stared at the screen in surprise. But even then, he still couldn’t read the information within.
“It’s top secret, but since you’ll be a related party now, I’ll let you know for sure.”
Top…… secret?
Seoyul tilted his head, but she continued with a serious gaze.
“Doun has never once received proper Guiding since birth.”
“What?!”
Never received it even once?
He had guessed to some extent about Doun’s situation, but he was shocked because he couldn’t imagine that Doun had truly never received it even once. If that was true, it was a miracle that he was still alive.
*Ah…….*
Only then did Seoyul realize why Doun went berserk and died a year later. Because he had never…… been able to receive Guiding.
“Compatibility aside, his energy is so violent that Guides faint the moment they touch him. And for some reason, medicine is so ineffective.”
Her voice, seemingly tinged with self-mockery, was filled with worry. Because he hadn’t known such circumstances existed, he couldn’t tell what words to say.
But she smiled as if telling him not to worry.
“But there’s exactly one drug that works on that guy Doun.”
“Huh? Really?!”
Seoyul was startled as if it were his own business, then let out a sigh of relief. Because though it was inferior to receiving Guiding directly, if there was a compatible drug, the possibility of reaching a dangerous state was greatly reduced.
*Huh? But then…….*
He recalled Doun, who had chosen forced sleep because of the pain. What had been needed then was a Guiding drug. If there was a compatible drug, they should just give it to him, so why choose sleep?
“The problem is that drug is on an illegal route.”
“……What?”
An illegal route…….
Having worked in that industry, Seoyul knew how many people wanted that drug. Therefore, it was even harder to obtain than Guiding drugs that were generally circulated on the market.
Doun was probably in the same situation.
“But then you appeared!”
“What……?”
Unlike Seonjeong, who shouted brightly, Seoyul tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand. That appearance was somehow so cute again. She giggled and tapped the keyboard.
“This is that drug’s data, and this is your data.”
She slowly overlapped the two charts displayed on the large screen. Then an amazing thing happened. The two graphs matched exactly.
“U-uh. Wh-what is this…….”
“I wondered if it might be you, and it was. How long we’ve searched for it, so why did you only appear now?”
Perhaps because she was in a good mood, she beamed and patted his back heartily. For some reason, he felt dazed.
“You were…… looking for me?”
“Of course! That’s why Doun joined the special team. To find the Guide who was suffering in the illegal route.”
*Choked up.*
The moment he heard those words, Seoyul’s heart constricted tightly. He tried to hold it in, but there was no way to stop the tears that had begun to well up.
He had thought it was truly like hell all this time…… He had cried so much because he hadn’t wanted to make it…… But he heard that the drug had been a great help to Doun.
And to think they had even been looking for him. Because most of those who searched the illegal routes were criminals, Seoyul had always felt guilty.
He had worried that because he made Guiding drugs, many people might be getting hurt.
But there were also those who weren’t like that. Doun was undoubtedly one of Korea’s top Espers, an asset to the country, and someone who would accomplish many great things in the future.
*To think I could be of help to such a person.*
Moreover, wasn’t he his savior? If it hadn’t been for him, Seoyul might not have been able to muster courage. It was because he had held a vague belief that Doun would wipe out the organization that he had been able to find courage.
Doun was like a shimmering hope to him.
“Oh my. Why are you crying? There, there.”
Seonjeong felt pity seeing the tears falling drop by drop from his large eyes. She wondered how hard it must have been for him to cry while holding his breath like that without even blinking.
She had heard that he had grown up suffering every imaginable hardship under a violent father who gambled constantly.
It wasn’t that she had heard it directly from him, but the investigation had indicated as much. All the records pointed to how difficult it must have been.
“Thank you for appearing like this even now. We’ll have to check whether you can Guide Doun or not, but the medicine is definitely effective. That’s enough for us.”
Seonjeong gently wiped his tears as if consoling him. Because of that kindness, tears tried to burst out again. But thinking it would be a problem if he kept crying, he forcefully held them back.
“*Huu.*”
After carefully catching his breath, Seoyul conveyed this surging emotion wholly for the first time.
“I-I’ll work hard! I’ll learn! I’ll learn hard and do Guiding!”
At the cry that felt somewhat desperate, Seonjeong burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. Right. You said you haven’t tried Guiding yet?”
At those words, his face flushed bright red. The fact that he still couldn’t Guide was embarrassing. Even though he had only awakened three years ago at his current age, his heart had already lived ten years.
“Yes, yes. Let’s start by learning how to Guide. And once you get used to it, let’s see if you can Guide Doun too, and do a matching test.”
“Matching, test.”
It was exactly a test to find out the precise matching rate. Because only approximate figures came out from data alone, it was an essential process to go through to form a pair.
*If a high number comes out here…… will I become that Esper’s Guide?*
Of course, the fundamental issue of whether he could Guide despite the Grade difference still remained, but somehow he felt it would be okay. He felt he could do it.
Then, pleasant hope and fluttering excitement found their way into Seoyul’s heart again. This was also an emotion he was feeling for the first time.
“I…… I’ll really work hard!”
At his appearance that looked lovely no matter who saw it, Seonjeong encouraged him with a smile.
* * *
After that.
Seoyul began taking the basic Guide education provided by the Center.
If he accessed the Korean Esper Management Association website and signed up, he could listen to and view related materials anytime.
Seoyul entered his assigned Guide Number and downloaded related materials and videos. And every single day without fail, he watched and memorized them inside out.
He even scored 100 on the exam. Seeing the number 100 displayed before his eyes made him feel so good. He wanted to jump up and down right there on the spot, but embarrassed, he only expressed his joy with a broad grin.
“Did the practical training go well?”
After the theory lessons, he also safely completed the Guiding practical training. The Guiding practical training was conducted one-on-one, and he even received praise from the instructor saying he had aptitude.
“Yes! I even got praised!”
Seoyul’s face, having conveyed that fact without hiding anything, had become brighter than before. Perhaps because he had been eating well during that time, he had gained a little weight on his face and was becoming more and more squirrel-like.
Seonjeong was seized by the urge to pinch his cheeks tightly, but held it in firmly and instead stroked his hair.
“You did well. Your hard work paid off, didn’t it?”
“Yes! I really worked hard!”
With him quietly leaning into her hand and his eyes sparkling, he reminded her of a puppy. A laugh escaped her as she wondered where such an adorable creature could have come from.
“So now you can Guide?”
“Yes! He said I need to keep practicing to get better, but still, I can do it now!”
Seoyul seemed happy about the fact that he could now officially Guide.
Wondering how happy he must be to be like that, she withdrew her hand and spoke.
“Then let’s try it now.”
“Huh? Try it?”
He tilted his head, making a face that suggested he couldn’t understand what she meant. He seemed to have forgotten why he had worked so hard in his joy.
“Yeah. I called him quite a while ago, so it’s about time he arrived.”
“What?”
The moment he tilted his head again, the laboratory door opened. Seoyul turned his head and checked the face of the person who entered.
“Ugh, what now? Calling me here and there.”
“Uh……?”
There stood the violent Esper whom Seoyul would now have to guide.
It was Doun.