* * *
“Team Leader Yoonchae!”
“Ah! Team Leader Raon—!”
Yoonchae flinched and quickly pulled his hand away from Hamin’s shoulder at the sound of Raon’s voice.
Raon eyed that hand coldly and spoke.
“Is this how we do things now?”
“No, wait, listen. It’s not what you think—”
“Do you want to receive an official complaint through the Center?”
“…Sorry.”
At the mention of the Center, Yoonchae quickly apologized and studied Raon’s expression.
Raon sighed.
“Sigh… You know better than this. You’re not some rookie.”
“You know how bad things are for the combat team lately. We’re under pressure too.”
“But we’re all entering the same gate anyway. It was tough for us last time, too, when we were separated from the combat team.”
Raon recalled the last mission in the Violet Gate.
Everything had turned out okay in the end, but only because of the knowledge he’d brought back with him after returning in time.
Even then, this gate was riddled with unpredictable variables.
Originally, only psychic attacks had occurred inside the tower, but now monsters had stormed in and the tower had collapsed. It had been dangerously close.
Who knew what else might happen next?
This latest mission had proven that Siwoo and Yeojoon alone weren’t enough to guard the guide team.
Letting Hamin go was not an option.
Raon’s expression turned colder.
“You’ve probably already heard, but Seodojin was seriously injured this time. We don’t know when he’ll be back.”
“But it’s not like Team Leader Seodojin is the only one in the combat team.”
“I mean, yeah, but…”
Yoonchae looked uneasy.
He and Dojin didn’t get along well—they clashed constantly—but he couldn’t deny that Dojin was the strongest S-class Esper in Korea.
That alone made his absence nerve-wracking.
“The current combat team has enough members. Besides, soon—”
“Huh?”
“Hmm, never mind. We have training now, so we’ll be off.”
“Ah… sure.”
Raon almost let a spoiler slip and quickly bowed before turning away.
Hamin followed, looking flustered.
“Team Leader, I really did refuse him properly. But Team Leader Yoonchae kept…”
“I know, so don’t bother making excuses.”
“O-okay…”
He’d only said that because he trusted Hamin would never willingly switch to the combat team.
But because his tone had been a bit curt, Hamin looked deflated.
Raon walked beside him a moment and added:
“If Team Leader Yoonchae—or any other team leader—tries to approach again, make sure to tell me right away.”
“Okay, I will!”
Hearing the gentler tone, Hamin’s eyes sparkled, realizing Raon wasn’t angry with him.
Raon almost reached out to ruffle his hair but restrained himself and headed into the training hall.
“Team Leader, you’re here!”
“Welcome, Team Leader!”
Yeojoon and Dasom, already present, greeted Raon with bright smiles.
Dasom being early was no surprise—but Yeojoon?
Showing up on time the day after vacation?
Raon looked at him suspiciously.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm, it’s nothing.”
“I don’t usually come late, you know?”
“Did I say otherwise?”
When Yeojoon—more diligent than he looked—started whining, Taehyuk smacked his back.
Raon chuckled at the familiar sight.
“Thanks for your hard work, Guide Taehyuk.”
“Not at all.”
Raon suspected it wasn’t Yeojoon’s diligence but Taehyuk’s efforts that made the difference.
He felt a quiet sympathy for him.
“Did everyone have a good vacation?”
“Yes!”
“Then we should be ready to train even harder now, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“…”
Raon had expected grumbling, so he was briefly stunned.
Contrary to his expectations, his well-rested team was fired up with enthusiasm.
Truly insane.
“As you all know, Guides Dasom and Hamin have reawakened as S-class Espers. So they won’t be participating in guide training anymore.”
“What?”
“From now on, they’ll focus exclusively on Esper training.”
Dasom and Hamin, both originally B-grade guides, hadn’t been key combat power for the guide team anyway.
Including himself, there were still A-grade guides like Juwon and Taehyuk, so they had more than enough.
“And Dasom—no, Esper Dasom. Come here for a moment.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Raon called Dasom over.
The latter looked a bit nervous, understandably so.
Raon spoke first.
“Esper Dasom, are you able to clearly distinguish between healing and guiding?”
“…Not really, to be honest.”
Dasom lowered his head and answered in a small voice.
He’d probably tried using his powers alone during the break and realized the issue.
Raon nodded.
“That’s completely normal. Especially since you reawakened as an Esper after already working as a guide. It’s bound to be confusing.”
Multi-ability users weren’t supposed to appear this early.
Originally, they began to awaken one by one as Korea slid toward ruin under the Irregular Gates.
As if humanity were preparing for a last stand.
In the previous timeline, Dasom had been trained separately by a foreign A-grade healer Esper dispatched as a special envoy.
At the time, the situation in Korea had become a global concern.
Espers from around the world had been dispatched to help suppress the Black Gate.
Although it was still early, there was a high chance the Union, which had shown interest in Dasom, would dispatch an A-rank healer Esper again, just like before.
Even if the conversation hadn’t started yet, Raon was planning to request it himself.
“For now, he’s training with Esper Hamin on the Esper side. I’ll take care of the rest step by step.”
“Okay!”
At Raon’s words, Dasom’s face brightened instantly, and he nodded enthusiastically.
Having shared life-and-death moments together in the gate, Raon could feel the strong trust in Dasom’s eyes.
Waving him off, Raon sent Dasom toward Siwoo.
“The training ground feels a bit empty.”
“Well, two of them went over there.”
Raon turned his head toward Taehyuk and Juwon, who looked disappointed.
It couldn’t be helped that the number of people decreased with Dasom and Hamin gone.
Seeing the suddenly sparse training ground, Raon gave a wry smile as well.
“Um, Team Leader.”
“What is it?”
Just before training began, Juwon approached hesitantly.
Raon looked at him curiously.
To be honest, things between him and Juwon hadn’t been great.
Not as bad as when he played the role of the villain before regression, but there were still moments of awkwardness.
Of course, Raon held no particular grudge against Juwon.
In fact, he considered it natural that Juwon disliked the selfish and arrogant version of him from before.
Besides, since joining the team, Juwon had silently fulfilled his duties without complaint, so Raon had no reason to be dissatisfied.
Still, he couldn’t guess what Juwon was truly thinking.
Maybe he’d kept quiet all this time for the sake of the team, while quietly harboring resentment.
Subconsciously tense, Raon waited for Juwon to speak.
“I’ve actually been misunderstanding you all this time, Team Leader.”
“Sorry?”
“I thought you used to, well, bully Guide Hamin a little. But now I know that’s not true.”
“Wait.”
No, I really did bully him. Like, badly.
Raon raised his hand to correct Juwon’s distorted memory, but Juwon, cheeks slightly flushed, spoke faster.
“From now on, I won’t doubt you. I’ll follow you, Team Leader. I look forward to working with you.”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
Raon had a lot to say, but unfortunately, this wasn’t a situation where he could offer excuses.
It’s not like he could say, “My attitude changed because the system disappeared after I regressed.”
Caught off guard, Raon shook hands with Juwon and began training under Taehyuk’s awed, emotional gaze.
‘Well… I guess it’s good our relationship improved.’
Juwon was the most capable guide in the country after Raon and Seokhyeon.
If Raon ever returned to his former villainous role due to the system, the next to lead the guide team would undoubtedly be Juwon.
Quietly, Raon had already been considering him a successor.
“Let’s start with a light jog.”
“Okay!”
Thinking calmly to himself, Raon made the suggestion to Juwon and Taehyuk.
Maybe because he had rested for too long, his stamina had dropped.
The only one still full of energy was muscle-bound Taehyuk.
After several laps around the training field, Raon wiped off his sweat and took a drink.
Beep beep beep.
“Hm?”
At that moment, a notification came from his watch.
The sender was Seokhyeon.
Feeling like this is it, Raon turned toward Juwon and Taehyuk.
“I’m going to check in with the director real quick, so keep training on your own.”
“Understood.”
Leaving things to the two reliable teammates, Raon headed to the director’s office.
As if he’d been expected, he was able to enter without any formalities.
“I’m here.”
“Good.”
Seokhyeon looked up and met Raon’s gaze.
He used to have darker circles under his eyes, but somehow he looked healthier now.
“Take a seat.”
“Yes, what did you call me for?”
“First, about your request to live with Esper Yoon Siwoo.”
“What about it?”
Raon looked at him with slight confusion.
He was sure the cohabitation request between bonded pairs would be accepted without issue.
Was there a problem?
Furrowing his brow at the ominous feeling, Raon waited for Seokhyeon to speak.
* * *
