“Honestly, if either of you had any decency, you’d consider pairing with me. I’m C-Class, so my mind control wouldn’t even work on you two.”
“Why would we need that?” I replied dismissively.
“Just drop it already.”
“Sa-weol, you can’t treat me this way. Do you know how much I’ve done for you…!”
“If you keep whining, I won’t guide you anymore.”
“Oh! Have mercy on this humble soul!”
Ji-han quickly clasped his hands in a mock apology, familiar with his usual attempts at nonsensical logic. I clicked my tongue and returned to check the next schedule on the roster.
Another Bravo Team Esper in the afternoon? Were they coordinating to send them my way?
“Who’s that over there?”
Ji-soo, munching on snacks, pointed to a man entering the Alpha Team office, someone I hadn’t seen before.
“Sir!”
Song-yi’s face lit up when she spotted him, rushing over with a bright smile.
“How have you been?”
The man greeted her at eye level, bending slightly to match her height. He had ashy brown hair and striking blue eyes. His defined eye sockets and slender bone structure gave him an elegant, almost delicate appearance, though his frame didn’t seem fragile.
With his pale skin and silver-rimmed glasses, he exuded a refined, almost ethereal charm, as if he were sculpted from stone.
“Apologies for the late introduction. I’m Ian, assigned from Branch C to A as Guide Baek Song-yi’s pair.”
“What? He’s Song-yi’s pair?”
“I told you, I have a pair!” Song-yi said proudly, hanging onto Ian’s arm.
His voice was as warm and smooth as his appearance.
“Wow, he doesn’t look Korean,” Ji-soo commented, eyeing him.
“I’m French-Korean,” Ian replied with a slight smile.
“But you speak Korean so well.”
“I grew up here, so I am indeed Korean.”
“Oh, I see. Really good-looking. I thought Song-yi was exaggerating.”
“Why does no one believe me?”
Ji-soo moved closer, openly scrutinizing him, even jokingly asking if she could check if his glasses had lenses. Ian chuckled good-naturedly in response.
“Hello, I’m Ji-han Kang, a C-Class Mental Esper who was recently rejected by Guide Baek Song-yi. I wasn’t aware you actually existed. What a rare treat in such a humble setting.”
Ji-han greeted him with his usual lighthearted demeanor, though a spark of challenge flickered in his gaze. Perhaps he felt a bit humiliated, now that Song-yi’s actual pair had appeared.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ian, C-Class Intellect Esper. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Ian replied, effortlessly deflecting Ji-han’s guarded look with a gentle smile. His soft tone and kind eyes suggested no displeasure, despite the fact that Ji-han had been pursuing his guide.
“Hello, I’m Han-na Park, B-Class Esper.”
“A pleasure.”
“Since you’re an intellect Esper, will you be joining Echo Team here?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Ian exchanged introductions with each of the Alpha Team members, his captivating presence drawing more people into the room. Despite the crowd’s attention, he maintained a warm, easy smile.
I debated whether to greet him. He wasn’t part of my team, and going out of my way seemed unnecessary. But then our eyes met through the crowd, and he noticed my ID badge.
“Guide Gu Sa-weol, right?”
Ian smiled brightly and extended his hand for a handshake.
‘Isn’t he an Esper? And a handshake as a first greeting?’
Most Espers avoided handshakes, as emotions could inadvertently seep into their energy wavelengths. While guides could manage and control this, Espers risked revealing their feelings. The only exception had been Yu-geon, back when he was still unfamiliar with Esper norms.
“Yes, that’s me,” I replied, accepting his hand. There was no reason for me to refuse. Either he was skilled at controlling his energy, or he was unusually steady—his emotions didn’t bleed into his wavelength at all.
Out of habit, I briefly assessed his energy. Despite his bright appearance, his wavelength was unsettlingly calm and dark, even ominous. It reminded me of a similar energy I’d encountered before… but where?
Lost in thought, I was brought back as Ian gave my hand a slight shake, breaking my concentration.
“Pleased to meet you,” he said with a deeper smile, as though he sensed I’d been reading his energy. There was something mysteriously captivating about him.
“Would you mind if we talked briefly, if you have the time?”
‘Why would he want to speak with me right after meeting?’
Judging by the reactions around us, others found his request odd, too, and turned to Song-yi for her response. Her face grew increasingly rigid as she walked over.
“Sir, if there’s something you need to tell Guide Gu Sa-weol, you can just let me know, and I’ll pass it on…”
“It’s related to an assignment. If it’s inconvenient for me to speak directly to a member of your team, I understand.”
“No, it’s fine. If it’s work-related, I can’t object.”
“Thank you for your understanding,” Ian replied with a polite bow, though Song-yi’s face showed clear discomfort as she watched Ian approach me.
“What’s the assignment?” I asked, unsure why I’d be involved with an intellect Esper on any mission. He seemed hesitant to explain in front of the group, then leaned in close enough for only me to hear.
“You were attacked recently, weren’t you?”
“The incident where a Cremon… attacked a guide?”
“Yes. I have something to share about that incident.”
The moment he said it, my heart pounded wildly. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but my pulse refused to settle.
‘Has something happened?’
As far as I knew, there had been no other guide attacks since that day, the day Yu-geon discovered I was a Cremon. Since Han-gyeol had taken charge of the investigation, I’d been left in the dark about how things had progressed.
I briefly considered asking Han-gyeol about it, but then decided against it, choosing instead to stand up right away. I had a feeling Han-gyeol might try to exclude me from this mission too. If something was happening, it was better to know in advance than to be kept in the dark.
“I’ve reserved Room A031. Let’s move there.”
I booked the meeting room and promptly led Ian to it.
* * *
Ian took a seat as soon as we entered. Out of habit, I almost closed the blinds, but I left them open. Given that he was an Esper I’d just met, a little caution seemed wise.
“Go ahead.”
“Guide Gu Sa-weol. I understand you recently canceled your pairing. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask why you canceled it?”
“Is there a reason why my pairing is relevant to the mission?”
“…Perhaps I should clarify the purpose of my visit first.”
Seeing my guarded response, Ian pulled out a chair, inviting me to sit. Though his overdone courtesy made me wary, I sat down, sensing the conversation would take a while.
“The upper management assigned Echo Team from Branch C to investigate why Cremons have been attacking guides.”
Each team in the center has distinct roles, and Echo Team, comprising many intellect Espers, focuses on research.
“Whenever there’s an incident involving Cremons, we conduct preliminary tests using animal models. This time, we replicated Cremon and guide attributes using genetically modified mice, injecting them with gene markers from both types. The results were… fascinating.”
As always, center researchers conducted animal trials before any human testing.
Even though Ian hadn’t shared the experiment’s outcome yet, I felt like I already knew it. Emily had hinted at something similar before.
“The nuclei in the Cremon-model mice shrank upon consuming the blood of guide-model mice. The higher the guide’s rank, the smaller the nucleus became.”
“…”
Hearing it from him, though, held a weight I hadn’t expected. The experiments had confirmed the rumors. I struggled to maintain a calm expression.
“And one hypothesis emerged from this. If a Cremon’s nucleus could shrink from consuming a guide’s blood, how far could that shrinkage go…”
But the next words shattered any composure I had left.
“Could it disappear entirely?”
The shock hit me so hard I bit my tongue. Pain shot through me like an electric shock, and my left eyelid twitched.
“Is this something you already knew?”
I could feel Ian’s gaze on me, and a prickling tension crawled up my neck. I focused, trying to control my thoughts and determine the reaction that would look natural—one that would portray me solely as a victim.
“No… Is it really true that drinking guide blood can shrink the nucleus?”
“It’s just a theory. We haven’t been able to test it on animals with S-Class genes, let alone higher ranks.”
“And if the nucleus were to disappear entirely… what would happen?”
“Well, since a creature can regenerate indefinitely as long as its nucleus is intact…”
I responded in as level a voice as possible, realizing that if the attacker saw me as valuable, I needed to be on guard.
“They likely wouldn’t die.”
It felt as though a sharp blade was pressing into my chest. He had a rough idea that eliminating the nucleus could grant immortality.
“Of course, it’s merely hypothetical,” he said with a light laugh, as though he hadn’t just suggested something so severe.
I replied, my tone deliberately serious, “That’s impossible. I’ve never heard of a Cremon with such an ability.”
“It’s hard to say what’s impossible just because you haven’t heard of it. My theory is that the attacker, knowing this, has been systematically targeting guides, gradually increasing in rank from D-Class all the way to S-Class—namely, you, Guide Gu Sa-weol.”
He was implying the attacker knew the full extent of these possibilities. I fell silent, watching Ian carefully.
“That’s why, given your recent cancellation of the pairing, I wanted to advise you to stay vigilant. The incident in Zone A17 was the first known failed attack, meaning the perpetrator might still be pursuing you. You can’t afford to be unprepared.”
