The rumor that Yu-geon and I had canceled our pairing spread across the entire A Branch within a day. I returned to my usual duties, guiding other Espers, while Yu-geon had halted all assignments to focus solely on stabilizing his energy.
“Hey, it’s wild today. Baek Yu-geon has had 18 people go into his capsule.”
“No way. Why does the number keep going up?”
“His matching rates are low across the board, and with his energy fluctuating, he probably isn’t able to get what he needs.”
“Isn’t he at risk of a meltdown?”
“They wouldn’t let an S-Class Esper get to that point.”
Due to the high risk of a primary meltdown, the center had assigned over five guides to Yu-geon at a time, a very unusual protocol that turned into a hot topic. However, stabilizing his energy proved challenging after such a prolonged gap without guiding.
“He’s always been against anything above a second-level guiding, but at this rate, he might have to.”
“Does that mean he’ll be able to manage with those 18 people?”
“If diagnostics matched them, he should be able to.”
“He must’ve saved a country in his past life.”
“Forget that; he’s probably about to save a nation in this one.”
“Maybe I should try having a meltdown too.”
“Dream on. Even at stage two, they wouldn’t match us up like that.”
“Reality check, please.”
Anytime the awakened gathered, all they talked about was how many guides Yu-geon had now or if he was going to finally accept a second-level guiding soon. His situation was the only thing I heard about, no matter where I went.
‘If it’s that tough, he could just come to me once.’
Originally, I would have managed him through this, given a transition period. The situation escalated solely because he stubbornly refused my guiding even in an emergency. I’d even messaged him to suggest guiding, but he replied, insisting he’d be fine. But judging by the rumors, he was anything but fine.
Yet, since that day in the elevator, things had been awkward, making it difficult for me to bring it up again.
Even for me, at this point, a long stretch of second-level guiding would be necessary to pull him up to a stable level.
‘If that situation arises, it’ll be painfully awkward.’
Despite his previous casual demeanor, I found myself unusually conscious of him since entertaining the notion that he might actually like me.
Meanwhile, a few days ago, I’d been summoned to the disciplinary committee. The five members bombarded me with questions about the incident.
“What was the reason for forcibly opening the capsule?”
“It was personal.”
“And the reason for using radiated guiding without permission?”
“That, too, was personal.”
“Guide Gu Sa-weol, we’re in a difficult position if you answer like this.”
“I understand that my actions violated center regulations and negatively impacted the image of A Branch. I am prepared to accept any consequences.”
“So, even though it involved Esper Baek Yu-geon, you, of all people, should have known better. Why did you do it?”
As I accepted their judgment without resistance, the committee members looked almost taken aback. I’d anticipated that they wouldn’t impose a severe punishment due to my level.
“While your verbal and physical altercation with a colleague is a concern, it has been excluded from the proceedings due to the victim’s agreement.”
“What? Guide Baek Song-yi agreed to this?”
“Yes. The committee reviewed the situation thoroughly, and therefore, we are issuing you a minor punishment: a three-month pay cut and probation for abuse of authority and defamation regarding the forced capsule entry.”
“…Understood.”
“Please be mindful of your words and actions for the next month. The three-month pay cut is minor, but the center head has indicated this is a serious infraction and will be monitoring you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The result was a bit more lenient than I’d expected. It felt like they were letting me off too easily.
The head of the committee mentioned that the center head was aware of the “incident” involving Guide Baek Song-yi and me, which only added to my confusion. It wasn’t long before Baek Song-yi herself showed up for her formal introduction to A Branch, and my questions were answered.
“Hello, Guide Gu Sa-weol!”
“I thought I told you to avoid showing your face to me.”
“I apologize for back then! Please forgive me!”
Assigned to Alpha Team, Baek Song-yi came to see me the moment she arrived—and promptly kneeled in the middle of the office.
“What are you doing?” I frowned, utterly baffled by her sudden theatrics. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was scheming with that innocent look on her face.
“I was shortsighted back then. I made a mistake by flaunting my family name, dismissing the hierarchy and disrupting the chain of command. I’ve learned a valuable lesson that in this field, nothing surpasses rank and level. I recognize my lack of maturity and have been reflecting deeply on my errors. Please, forgive me!”
Her words flowed as smoothly as a rehearsed speech, and her swift change in demeanor was almost comical. As I attempted to brush past her with an exasperated look, she quickly grabbed my wrist.
“Does this mean you forgive me?”
“Enough, just stand up. Do you realize this behavior is even more disrespectful?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Another mistake on my part!”
Song-yi scrambled to her feet, hastily dusting off her knees. But just as I moved to leave, she added another plea.
“If you truly forgive me, could you perhaps clarify things with the center head?”
“Clarify?”
“Well, the center head believes I’m the reason you canceled your pairing with Baek Yu-geon…”
So that’s it. The illustrious Baek family’s center head had scolded her, and she’d adjusted her attitude accordingly.
“Oh, but don’t think I’m apologizing just because of that. I genuinely regret what happened that day.”
As my expression hardened, she quickly explained, her voice filled with excuses. Yet, something didn’t sit right. Despite my S-Class rank, I couldn’t understand why the center head would side with me over one of their own family members.
But it wasn’t as though I could go to the center head and demand an explanation. After the incident, I didn’t have the nerve to approach him myself.
“I’ll let him know if the chance arises.”
As it became clear I wouldn’t be resolving her misunderstanding right away, Song-yi looked visibly deflated. Though her expression was woeful, perhaps because I was clearly annoyed, she didn’t push the matter further.
While I would have preferred her to remain out of sight, she began clinging to me excessively after that.
“Guide Gu Sa-weol, I accidentally bought two coffees. Would you care for one?”
“By the way, what brand and shade of lipstick do you use?”
“Are you wearing contacts? I’ve never seen eyes like yours before. They’re beautiful, like a galaxy.”
“Not feeling hungry? My family’s butler made a special salad; would you like some?”
“Come on, you can drop the formal speech with me. Can I call you ‘unnie’?”
“My mom’s a big fan! Could I get an autograph for her?”
“Guide Gu Sa-weol, Guide Gu Sa-weol! Unnie! Where are you headed?”
“Please don’t follow me.”
“I’ll come along anyway!”
I quickened my pace, hoping to shake her off, but her hurried footsteps echoed behind me, unwilling to lose track.
Desperate, I ducked into the emergency stairwell to escape her, and that’s when someone else came to mind.
‘He used to be like this too.’
Baek Yu-geon. Song-yi was like a female version of him. Her behavior now was eerily similar to how he had acted when he first joined the center. Did the Baek family carry some obsessive gene?
Come to think of it, Han-gyeol had also harbored feelings for me for years, silently watching from afar.
At this point, it was hard not to entertain the possibility.
Recently, I’d taken it upon myself to post in a Cremon community. I couldn’t rely solely on Emily to look for antibiotics, so I decided to gather information myself.
[Seeking information on a missing researcher in Region B.]
If any members have details, please respond via comment or chat.
However, it seemed Cremons were as guarded as ever, as I received no replies or chats, even after three days.
“This is getting ridiculous.”
After a moment’s thought, I tried a different approach.
[Rumor has it the missing researcher in Region B was spotted in Region D, and they’re supposedly a physical Esper.]
Heard they’ve even completed an antibiotic?
I only knew they might be in Region C, but I posted misleading information, hinting I knew more. I also added a baseless rumor about the antibiotics. After all, people are often indifferent until they see something they “know” presented differently—then, they’re eager to correct it.
As I expected, the post quickly filled with comments.
└ tes : Who’s this random acting like they know something?
└ sef : No one believes this, right? Haha.
└ Blood : Get your facts straight. It’s Region C, not D, and they’re a mental Esper, not physical. No confirmation on antibiotics yet.
└ 342 : This is accurate, lol.
└ sef : How do you know? A friend?
└ Blood : Cute little newbie lol.
└ uef : Weren’t they physical?
└ Blood : Nope, definitely mental.
└ tes : I’m at ease.
I approached the user with the most-liked comment, messaging them about discussing this further over the phone.
Graciously, they agreed, and I called them on an internet line after work.
“Hello.”
– “Is this Gu-gu?”
“Yes, hello. Thank you for agreeing to talk, Blood… King.”
– “Hello! This is Blood King.”
Saying his username aloud was a bit mortifying, but he seemed entirely unbothered.
