“She might not know. I didn’t know her either.”
I said this with a nonchalant tone, though I didn’t really believe that Song-i truly didn’t know me. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was deliberately ignoring me to insult me.
“Guide Baek Song-i reawakened last year, right? She was originally E-Class. It makes sense that she didn’t know you—who remembers an E-Class guide?” Su-ha, standing next to me, chimed in with a snarky comment.
*Ah, so she reawakened,* I thought. I had been wondering about that. There are only around ten A-Class guides in Branch A, and fewer than 30 in the entire center. If she was A-Class, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known about her.
“Is she joining our team when she transfers to Branch A?”
“Probably. She’s got the rank and family connections here.”
“Isn’t that favoritism? I don’t like it.”
“She’s A-Class, so it’s not really favoritism.”
“Still.”
Hanna didn’t even try to hide her hostility toward Song-i. Su-ha, on the other hand, seemed to find the situation amusing.
“Unni, you didn’t say anything when Yu-geon joined.”
“Yu-geon’s cute and handsome.”
“Song-i is cute too, though. Does she have a pair?”
“Do you like all guides? Didn’t you see how she treated Sa-weol just now? Gu Sa-weol, are you really going to let that slide? Aren’t you going to say something?”
Hanna’s hostility toward Song-i only intensified when one of our Esper teammates showed interest in her. Hanna had always been fiercely protective of our team members, whether they were close or not.
If Song-i had acted like that toward a lower-ranked guide or someone timid, Hanna would have intervened immediately. She must have assumed I could handle it myself and had been watching to see how I’d respond.
“Why should I? She’s harmless.”
“What?”
Hanna’s eyes widened in surprise at my unexpected response.
“Wow, Sa-weol unni must have turned into a saint after pairing with Yu-geon oppa.”
Even Su-ha looked at me in disbelief.
“It’s better for a guide to hold their head up high than walk around looking defeated. She’s A-Class, she can afford to act like that.”
“But you’re S-Class, unni,” Su-ha said, sounding displeased. Even though we were all friendly and spoke casually, this was still the center.
The center was a state organization, made up of awakened beings authorized to use force for the protection of the nation and its people. Everything was carefully regulated by rank and strict rules.
That’s why, even though there had been tension between Su-ha and me due to my pairing with Yu-geon, she had never directly confronted me about it. The hierarchy between us was clear, even if no one said anything.
“Maybe Branch C just has a terrible hierarchy. What can you do?”
I said softly, though my use of harsher language seemed to make everyone a bit uncomfortable.
I returned to my desk and typed in the security team’s ID and password. Moments later, the center’s CCTV footage filled my monitor.
I had acquired the login info through some clever persuasion of a cognitive Esper. I scanned the footage at my leisure, as if watching a movie.
“Oh, look at that. Are they dating? This is hilarious.”
I chuckled out loud, noticing a guide and an Esper, who usually didn’t get along, kissing by the emergency exit stairwell.
Hearing me laugh so unusually in the office, my teammates began to whisper behind me.
“Looks like Guide Baek Song-i is going to get herself in some trouble soon.”
***
After reviewing the center’s CCTV all morning, I still hadn’t found any trace of Yu-geon. It occurred to me that he might know I was watching, so I decided to check the blind spots where the cameras didn’t reach.
The first place I checked was the bathrooms. With the help of a male awakened colleague, I even checked the men’s restroom, but Yu-geon wasn’t there. I also checked storage rooms and the archives, but found no sign of him.
Next, I headed for the capsules. If someone is in the middle of guiding, a red light appears next to the door, and the capsule locks automatically.
Since I couldn’t wait around for potentially hours, I used my center access card, which had my guide information encoded, to force the doors open and check one by one.
“What are you doing!?”
“My apologies.”
As expected, the majority of the capsules were being used for… inappropriate activities. I quickly closed the door after confirming that Yu-geon wasn’t inside, unwilling to look at the parade of bare skin any longer.
The center allowed S-Class guides to force capsule openings, granting us the authority to intervene in case of inappropriate situations. Since guides have far lower physical abilities than Espers, incidents of forced guiding and other problems were not uncommon.
Being the only S-Class guide in Branch A, I held the highest rank among guides. But using my authority for personal reasons, like I was doing today, could get me into trouble, even if I was an S-Class.
Still, I was determined to find Yu-geon today, no matter what.
“Ah!”
“No luck here either.”
After checking the last capsule, I let out a sigh. As I turned to leave, I saw a familiar silhouette entering the capsule waiting room.
“Wow, is it normal to just open capsules like that? This is so interesting. Have you ever seen anything like this?”
It was Song-i. She directed her words at someone beside her, but her eyes were on me. Her tone was unmistakably snide, as if she were deliberately provoking me.
We had crossed paths several times before today. I had overheard her mutter something about how I was “doing all kinds of unnecessary things” as she passed me near the bathrooms while I waited for a male Esper to check the men’s room. I was sure she had said it loudly enough for me to hear on purpose.
She must have come here after hearing I was searching the capsules. Her presence was becoming a nuisance.
“Branch A seems so disorganized. I bet the director doesn’t know about this. Should I report it to him?”
“By all means, Guide Baek Song-i, we’d be most grateful if you did.”
The general manager, who stood beside her, nodded so enthusiastically that it seemed he would swallow rocks if she asked. They were quite the pair, I thought, as I tried to walk past them.
“Gu Sa-weol, Guide.”
“Me?”
Song-i called out to me directly this time.
“Yes. Are you sure it’s fine for me to report this to the chairman?”
It seemed she was addressing me rather than the general manager. Why didn’t she just say it sooner?
“Sure. Do whatever you want.”
I gave a half-hearted reply, uninterested in stopping her, and started to leave again. But then she grabbed my arm. I looked down at her hand gripping my arm before glaring back up at her.
“What is it?”
“Do you always act so recklessly?”
“I don’t always act this way. It’s just that I have an urgent matter today.”
I didn’t deny Song-i’s words. I didn’t want to resort to such drastic actions either, but the situation called for it. The fact that she was here as a guest in Branch A on the final day of the grace period and witnessed everything was unfortunate.
Between Yu-geon destroying a commemorative statue while running from Espers yesterday and my forcefully opening the capsules, these events could definitely damage the reputation of Branch A, often referred to as the Central Headquarters. But I knew how urgent and desperate the situation was, enough to justify these actions.
I glanced around. Perhaps it was close to quitting time, or maybe rumors of me forcefully opening capsules had spread, as awakened individuals who had been guiding began emerging from their capsules, curious about the commotion.
“Gu Sa-weol, Guide. Regardless of how urgent it is, using your authority to force open capsules for personal reasons is a clear violation of regulations. The authority was not granted for this purpose!”
The general manager addressed me sternly, occasionally glancing at Song-i as if seeking approval, like a dog eager to please its master.
“I’ll accept any disciplinary action that follows. For now, please step aside.”
“What?!”
The general manager couldn’t hide his frustration as I ignored him and tried to move past. Nearby awakened Espers, who weren’t particularly fond of him, chuckled at his distress.
Turning red with embarrassment under the mocking gazes of onlookers, the general manager pointed angrily at me, shouting.
“Do you really think this will just end with a simple disciplinary action? Gu Sa-weol, are you really that out of touch with the gravity of your situation?”
“That’s why I’m asking for the disciplinary committee to handle it appropriately. Now, step aside, please.”
“No! I won’t let you pass!”
He stood firmly in front of me, hands on his hips, blocking my way. Time was running out. The administrative staff would be leaving soon, and I had to find Yu-geon before then. As I was contemplating how to get past him, Song-i suddenly interjected.
“You’re looking for Baek Yu-geon, right?”
I turned my gaze to her.
“Everyone’s saying that Baek Yu-geon can’t come to the center because of you. He’s running away because he doesn’t want to cancel the pair. Isn’t it sad? He gets ditched right after you start dating Han-gyeol oppa.”
Song-i’s comment stirred murmurs among the onlookers. A crowd had formed around us, some even pulling out their phones to record, treating this as an entertaining spectacle.
“Get your facts straight. I’m not dating Captain.”
I decided not to avoid the confrontation anymore and responded directly. Her blatant fabrication had crossed a line, and it was no longer something I could just brush off.
“Don’t lie. I’ve heard from Branch A Espers that they’ve seen you two going into the dorm together. Don’t you know it’s bad manners to get close to another Esper while you’re paired?”
“Baek Yu-geon agreed to it.”
“Sure he did. I’ve also heard that Han-gyeol oppa pressured him, saying that as long as he’s the one dating you, everything’s fine. What would you do if he didn’t agree?”
What was this nonsense? I frowned at this entirely new accusation.
“Where did you hear that?”
“I heard it directly from my aunt. You didn’t know Han-gyeol oppa had told his family? You must be out of the loop.”
I felt uneasy. I hadn’t heard any of this, and it was hard to believe that Han-gyeol would do something like that without telling me.
He had only recently confessed his feelings to me, and it was far too soon for him to be involving his family or pushing any kind of relationship narrative.
It didn’t add up.
