Episode 10: Guiding—What Is It, and How Do You Do It? (7)

“Huh? Oh, yes, well… I guess that’s what I was getting at. It’s not the kind of thing you usually get for free, but as you know, I’m a bit lacking in resources… Ha ha…”

“Even if I did charge for it, pocket change wouldn’t be much use to me. First, though… how are you feeling right now?”

“I’m completely fine! Honestly, I could probably run home from here in thirty minutes, no problem!”

“You said your house is an hour and a half away on foot. You think you can run that?”

“…Okay, I was just exaggerating a little. I didn’t expect you to know my exact address, Baek Ju-yul…”

So-dam, feeling sheepish, admitted her bluff while sneaking a glance at Ju-yul, whose expression had returned to its usual, unreadable state.

He ignored her awkwardness, clearly lost in thought as he carefully considered how to approach the conversation. His lips moved a few times before he finally settled on a straightforward question.

“Guide Maeng So-da…. Do you know what abilities you gain when you become a Guide?”

“It’s not ‘So-da,’ it’s ‘So-dam.’ And, um… isn’t it purification? You absorb the contaminated energy from the Esper, purify it within your body, and then return the energy.”

“At least you still remember the basics. I was worried I’d have to start from square one.”

“…”

‘If he weren’t the male lead, I’d have punched him by now…’

So-dam clenched her fists tightly behind her back. If she were even a little more capable, and if Ju-yul were just a little less powerful, that punch would’ve landed right where it belonged by now.

But, of course, that was a fantasy that would never come true. So instead, she forced herself to smile, settling the conflict within herself with a grin.

Meanwhile, her real thoughts screamed something entirely different.

‘I swear, after today, I’m never going anywhere near Baek Ju-yul again. What kind of attitude is that toward someone you were sleeping with ‘ten minutes ago’? Ha! I’d rather live my whole life scraping by on a pitiful salary and drowning in debt!’

No matter how revered Ju-yul was as an SSS-class Esper, praised as a once-in-a-millennium talent, his ice-based abilities didn’t include reading people’s thoughts. Thanks to that, So-dam could silently vent her frustrations, while Ju-yul continued his lecture in peace.

“Anyway… the reason you collapsed before we, uh, got intimate is that you skipped one of the three steps of Guiding. I don’t need to spell out which one, do I?”

“The purification step, where I clear out the contaminated energy…”

“Exactly. Since that part was blocked, the energy stayed trapped in your body instead of returning to me. And after two consecutive days of Guiding, your body couldn’t handle the overload. My ice-based power just made the effects worse.”

“Oh! So if I return the trapped energy, will my body go back to normal?”

“Not a chance.”

“…”

Ju-yul’s blunt, cold response left So-dam feeling thoroughly embarrassed, and she bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything else.

So-dam bit her lip in embarrassment at Ju-yul’s cold response.

‘Did I really deserve such a harsh look for asking a dumb question? He really knows how to make someone feel awkward.’

Ju-yul, however, wasn’t bothered by her silence and continued speaking without pause.

“The reason you’re feeling this way isn’t because you’re holding onto my energy. It’s because the leftover contamination from the unpurified energy is still in your body.”

“Then how do I get rid of that? Do I just, like, expel it or something?”

“…”

“Okay, okay! I’ll shut up. Just please stop looking at me like that.”

Before they’d started the Guiding session, Ju-yul had been all about how precious his time was, giving her the side-eye for arriving late. She thought she was just spicing up the conversation a bit to keep things from getting too dull, but apparently, her commentary wasn’t to his taste. Now, instead of snarky responses, he just glared at her coldly. It was enough to make So-dam’s true feelings slip out.

The mix of 20% humor and 80% genuine frustration finally seemed to soften the cold glint in his blue topaz eyes.

“I’ve never heard of a Guide needing to expel contamination from their body separately. If that happened, it would cause an uproar in the academic world.”

“…”

“Anyway, the purification process is simple. Just imagine the energy you’re taking in becoming clean, and you’ll get the hang of it. That’s what I’ve been told, anyway. Since I’m an Esper, I wouldn’t know firsthand. You’ll have to figure out that ‘feeling’ for yourself.”

“…”

“And as an F-class Guide, you’ll likely hit your limit just by holding my hand for five minutes. That was about the time limit yesterday. If you do a Guiding session through direct contact, like we did earlier, you can last longer, but considering you passed out, it doesn’t seem like it’s helping much. That’s it for the explanation. Any other questions?”

‘Seriously? He tells me to shut up and then asks for questions a minute later? The nerve of this guy…’

Without realizing it, So-dam’s bottom lip pouted as she grumbled internally. She thought she could just pretend she had no more questions and let the conversation pass quietly.

However, what she momentarily forgot was Ju-yul’s perfectionism—a trait emphasized repeatedly in the original novel.

“If you have no more questions, we should do a bit of Guiding practice. If it’s just a light session, your current condition should allow for it. We’ve got about 10 minutes left, so there’s plenty of time.”

“…I-I have a question! A question!”

Ju-yul’s lips curled ever so slightly in amusement as he saw how quickly So-dam responded, as if the woman who had been struggling to even sit up five minutes ago was a different person.

But So-dam, busy wracking her brain for a decent question, didn’t notice the subtle change in his expression. Grabbing her head in mock desperation, she suddenly perked up and, with a brightness Ju-yul hadn’t seen before, blurted out her question.

“I heard you’re going out tomorrow for a monster subjugation! What kind of monster is it? It must be something really powerful if all the Espers and Guides from the Association are mobilized to stop it, right?”

“…What does that have to do with what I just explained?”

“Uh, well… I was just curious how well the Esper I guided will be able to use the energy?”

“Put your hand on your heart and tell me you really believe that’s a reasonable question.”

So-dam, maintaining eye contact with Ju-yul’s exasperated face, boldly placed her hand on her chest and answered without a second of hesitation.

“Of course. My racing heart is telling the truth. Knowing more will give me extra motivation to work harder at Guiding.”

“…”

From the moment So-dam asked her absurd question, it was as if she’d put up a thick shield of shamelessness. Without changing her expression, she rattled off one implausible excuse after another, earning her a brief, dismissive glance from Ju-yul as he propped his chin on his hand and muttered casually.

“I don’t know all the details yet. The risk level in that area is unusually high compared to the current reports of monster activity, so we’re going to check it out.”

“Ohh, so you don’t know exactly what’s happening, but just in case, you’re sending in the ultimate weapon for a reconnaissance mission.”

“If something serious had happened already, I wouldn’t have spent this much time here with you.”

“Well… fair enough.”

“Any place with monsters is dangerous, but the coastline is especially unpredictable. Even if entry is restricted, there’s no telling when a sea creature might ride the currents into a populated area.”

“That makes sense. Even if it’s a huge monster, it could dive into the depths, and we wouldn’t know it’s moving… Wait, are you saying you’re headed to the coast?”

“Why else would I mention the coast?”

“Holy shit…”

At So-dam’s sudden outburst, Ju-yul’s brow furrowed again, but this time, she didn’t have the presence of mind to notice.

‘How could I forget? This is the incident where Baek Ju-yul nearly loses control!’

It was like a massive iron weight had just crashed down on her head. Of course, as the main character of the novel, Ju-yul had many more monster subjugations in his future.

But there was only ‘one’ that took place on the coast in the summer—the Leviathan subjugation, the event that solidified Ju-yul’s deep hatred for F-class Guides.

‘Technically, it wasn’t entirely his fault. It was that idiotic Guide, Maeng-so, who messed up the operation, right? On top of fighting a dangerous monster, the media had swarmed the area for coverage, adding even more pressure on him. But I’ve handled things differently, and I’m still alive, so does that mean I’m off the hook?’

It didn’t take long for the tension in So-dam’s face to melt away into a more relaxed expression.

‘Exactly. Whatever happens, it’s not my problem. The novel will be what it is, but I’ve survived, and that’s all that matters.’

With her self-justification solidified, So-dam felt a sense of relief, as if she’d just chugged a bottle of cold medicine. Wearing a peaceful, Buddha-like smile, she turned her head, only to see something that shook her newfound calm to its core.

‘…What the—? Is this heaven? Is that an angel?’

If Ju-yul hadn’t quickly grabbed So-dam’s arm before she could slap herself in the face, she’d have surely left her cheek swollen and bruised.

But honestly, So-dam couldn’t help it. The way Ju-yul was looking at her—his posture relaxed, his hand resting gently, and his face softened by what seemed like genuine concern—was almost too much. Sure, it was probably just a normal human reaction to someone who appeared suddenly dazed, but still…

‘With a face like that, anyone would mistake it for something more. Ju-yul, you really don’t know how dangerous this is, do you?’

What finally grounded So-dam’s spiraling thoughts was Ju-yul’s voice, tinged with exasperation.

“Maeng So-dam, what’s wrong with you? Did talking about monsters make you lose your mind?”