“Don’t be too harsh. Since Sa-weol paired with Yu-geon, his wavelength has finally stabilized for the first time. In any case, it’s worth celebrating that Sa-weol paired with one of the two.”
Ji-sang received regular reports about Sa-weol. She was one of only three S-Class Guides in the country and the only one serving at the center. The other two had left early due to illness. Besides her ranking, she excelled in many other aspects.
None of the espers she had guided had ever gone berserk, and she had proven her exceptional skills in not just wavelength management but also overall health management.
Ji-sang didn’t mind who Sa-weol paired with. He coveted S-Class Guide Sa-weol, so he was pleased that she paired with an esper from the Baek family.
Han-gyeol’s indecisiveness had worried him, but he was relieved that Sa-weol had paired with Yu-geon instead of being taken by another esper.
“Still… I always thought Sa-weol would be Han-gyeol’s match. Han-gyeol has turned down every arranged meeting so far, and I thought he was waiting because Sa-weol is still young…”
Ironically, the one most upset about Sa-weol not pairing with Han-gyeol was Yu-geon’s biological mother, Su-ryeon.
“Han-gyeol, do you really have no interest in Sa-weol?”
Su-ryeon believed Han-gyeol had feelings for Sa-weol. Han-gyeol rarely let anyone close except for family, and the fact that he had maintained a relationship with Sa-weol for over ten years was telling.
“I don’t.”
Yet Han-gyeol rarely revealed his true feelings, which was frustrating. Despite everyone else’s encouragement, he remained aloof, making it impossible to force the matter. Su-ryeon, disappointed, was about to stop asking when Han-gyeol added.
“If you’re asking if I want to pair with her as a guide.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have no interest in Sa-weol as a guide, but I do have romantic feelings for her.”
Han-gyeol said casually while sipping water, having just eaten some stew. His unexpected remark left everyone stunned.
“Brother.”
Yu-geon called out to Han-gyeol for the first time since arriving.
When Han-gyeol met his gaze, Yu-geon subtly shook his head as if to say ‘stop,’ but Han-gyeol looked back indifferently.
“Since when? You said you had no intention of marrying Sa-weol.”
Su-ryeon asked in surprise.
“That was after the family suggested it once Sa-weol manifested as a guide.”
“Then it’s perfect. The rankings match, and the compatibility rate isn’t bad either.”
From the adults’ perspective, it was obvious. Espers had no merit in marrying ordinary people, so while Sa-weol was still an ordinary person, they didn’t push them together despite their closeness.
Ji-sang had almost fallen out with Han-gyeol’s grandfather, the center director, when he decided to remarry Su-ryeon. Ji-sang had been firm in his decision, and the director couldn’t overcome the growing power of Ji-sang, leading to a tumultuous remarriage.
However, if Han-gyeol had feelings for Sa-weol now that she was a guide, there was no reason to push her away.
“Unlike Yu-geon, I have many guides with higher compatibility rates than Sa-weol.”
Despite this, Han-gyeol didn’t want Sa-weol as a guide. Sa-weol had no faults as a guide—in fact, she was exceptional.
“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”
Ji-sang asked, his expression hardening.
“It sounds like you’re saying you don’t like Sa-weol as a guide. Does that mean you want to date her but not pair with her?”
“I’m not saying I only want to date her. Even if we marry, I don’t want Sa-weol to bear the burden of being my guide.”
Han-gyeol clearly remembered his biological mother’s fate, the burden of being a guide to an esper.
“I don’t intend to have children.”
Ji-sang sighed deeply at Han-gyeol’s words.
“Oh my.”
Everyone else reacted with shock, but Ji-sang remained contemplative.
“Regardless, pairing Sa-weol with anyone but Yu-geon is pointless. I don’t mind if Sa-weol pairs with Yu-geon as long as she dates me.”
“What on earth are you saying? Brothers sharing one guide…”
Ji-sang wanted to say more but held back, fearing harsh words might slip out. Taking a deep breath to calm his rising anger, he spoke again.
“Does Sa-weol agree with this?”
“No. You asked for my thoughts, so I’m just sharing them. Now, I’ll try to win Sa-weol’s heart.”
The atmosphere at the table grew even more tense. Yu-geon openly glared at Han-gyeol, Ji-sang rubbed his temples as if to ease a headache, and Su-ryeon looked bewildered. Han-gyeol alone maintained a calm demeanor.
“So, you’re saying Sa-weol will pair with Yu-geon but marry you?”
Su-ryeon asked again, now understanding, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Is that true? Dear, am I misunderstanding this?”
“Well… Since Sa-weol hasn’t agreed yet, we don’t know what will happen. Let’s just have dinner for now. Han-gyeol, see me in my office after the meal.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Yu-geon’s mind was in turmoil. He still couldn’t understand what Han-gyeol was thinking when he said those things.
Han-gyeol had clearly told him he had no intention of pairing with Sa-weol or any romantic feelings. Why did he suddenly change his story? Had he been lying all along?
Yu-geon had suspected that there might be feelings between them recently. But suspecting it was different from hearing it directly from Han-gyeol.
Han-gyeol, who had remained silent, was now openly making his move.
Click.
Yu-geon was nervously pacing in front of Ji-sang’s office when Han-gyeol came out after finishing his conversation with Ji-sang. The soundproofing was so good that even Yu-geon, with his excellent hearing, couldn’t hear a word of their conversation.
“Go in. Father wants to see you.”
“Brother.”
As Han-gyeol was about to pass by, Yu-geon grabbed his arm.
“What are you thinking?”
“Talk to father first. I’ll be waiting in your room.”
Han-gyeol wasn’t surprised, as if he had expected Yu-geon to stop him. He appeared emotionless, like he was handling a routine task.
Although Yu-geon was anxious, he nodded and entered Ji-sang’s office. Ji-sang, seated at his desk, gestured to the chair opposite him.
“Sit down.”
The deep furrow in his brow indicated he was troubled.
“Han-gyeol said you didn’t know about this situation when you requested to pair with Sa-weol.”
“…Yes.”
While that was the surface reason, Yu-geon had known Han-gyeol had feelings for Sa-weol. Pairing with Sa-weol was partly an attempt to keep her away from Han-gyeol.
“Despite Han-gyeol’s feelings, it’s fortunate nothing has progressed with Sa-weol yet. Isn’t she pairing with you because she likes you? Now that you’re paired, you wouldn’t lose her…”
“Father, I don’t have that kind of relationship with Sa-weol.”
Yu-geon interrupted Ji-sang, his voice unusually firm for the youngest son.
“What kind of relationship?”
“I don’t like it that Han-gyeol has feelings for Sa-weol, but I didn’t pair with her out of romantic interest. I have no intention of dating Sa-weol.”
“…”
Ji-sang’s expression grew even more serious. The issue he had feared was becoming a reality.
“The Baek family cannot have such a messy lineage.”
He finally exploded.
“Some young people nowadays think they can separate pairing and marriage, but your situation is different.”
The Baek family was renowned for their esper lineage. Even though Ji-sang had softened compared to his younger years, it was unheard of for brothers to share one guide in such a way. Setting aside the rarity of both siblings being espers, Sa-weol was an S-Class Guide.
They needed to bind her to either Han-gyeol or Yu-geon. This was linked to Han-gyeol’s statement during dinner about not wanting to burden Sa-weol as a guide.
“The probability of having an S-Class awakener is high between an S-Class Esper and an S-Class Guide. Yet both of you say you don’t want children with Sa-weol. What does that even mean?”
In the Baek family, the ‘burden of being a guide’ meant having an S-Class child. Both the family and the media expected an S-Class awakener from their offspring. The entire nation looked to the Baek family for an S-Class awakener.
Ji-sang’s first wife, Han-gyeol’s biological mother, was also an S-Class Guide, and their marriage was arranged. However, Han-gyeol was born a normal human, and his mother suffered from depression due to family pressure and guilt for not producing an S-Class awakener.
After several miscarriages, things worsened. Eventually, they made the desperate decision to have Han-gyeol bitten by a creature to turn him into a Crimon.
As long as the core remained undetected, a Crimon’s abilities matched those of an esper. They planned to hide Han-gyeol’s Crimon nature.
During this process, the creature bit Han-gyeol’s mother instead of Han-gyeol. Unable to withstand the poison, she began transforming into a creature herself.
She lost her sanity and attacked Han-gyeol, leaving scars on his neck. That event left deep trauma for Han-gyeol. Although Han-gyeol later awakened as an S-Class, there was no guarantee that an S-Class Esper and an S-Class Guide would produce an S-Class awakener. He feared repeating the past tragedy.
This was why Han-gyeol said he didn’t want children, indicating he didn’t want to burden Sa-weol at all.
“Yu-geon, can’t you reconsider? Is it that you don’t find Sa-weol attractive as a woman? She’s pretty and seems nice.”
Yu-geon couldn’t help but laugh. While he agreed Sa-weol was pretty, she hardly gave off a ‘nice’ impression.
She was polite to adults, but she wasn’t exactly an amiable personality.
“No, I don’t see Gu Sa-weol as a woman at all. It’s not going to happen.”
Yu-geon was unusually adamant. Ji-sang, used to his youngest son’s gentle nature, found this suspicious.
Something seemed off. He wasn’t just saying he didn’t like her; he was saying it couldn’t happen.
