* * *
Time flew by, and the day finally arrived for Suhyeon to head to the Association for his “Special” education.
“Well, your core state is stable. I’ve already informed the medical ward, so if anything feels off, run straight there.”
After receiving a checkup and a firm “all clear” from Yihan, Suhyeon headed to the Association with Hajin.
“Suhyeon-gun, you’ve arrived?”
“Suhyeon-ah.”
In the lobby, which was becoming familiar after a few visits, Yihan, the Association President, and two hulking guards in black suits were waiting.
Suhyeon blinked at the presence of the guards.
Noticing his reaction, the President let out a boisterous laugh and slapped one of the guards on the back.
“When Hajin-gun isn’t by your side, you must take them with you everywhere, Suhyeon-gun.”
The guard was so sturdily built that he didn’t even flinch under the President’s heavy hand, merely bowing deeply to Suhyeon.
While it was unfamiliar and a bit overwhelming, Suhyeon still remembered why they had to hurry with the exclusive contract—and what had happened with Do Ye-jun.
‘Better safe than sorry,’ Suhyeon thought, bowing back in greeting.
“I believe it would be fine if I simply stayed by his side at all times,” Hajin grumbled dissatisfiedly, wrapping his arm around Suhyeon’s waist.
“Team Leader, you’re he—oh! Hello!”
Just then, an Esper suddenly materialized in the air of the lobby.
He started to call out to Hajin but froze upon seeing Suhyeon and the President’s group.
Hajin’s face immediately contorted into a scowl.
Suhyeon exchanged a quick nod with the familiar teleportation-type Esper and slowly wiggled out of Hajin’s embrace.
Though Hajin had accompanied him today, he was there to both drop Suhyeon off and clock in for his own work.
“Now, off you go.”
Yihan barked at Hajin, looking inexplicably pleased.
After scanning Yihan with a fierce glare, Hajin lowered his head to look at Suhyeon.
His blue eyes were narrowed as if he truly didn’t want to leave.
“See you later.”
“…I’ll come to pick you up. Call me when you’re finished.”
Only after Suhyeon gave a soft, beaming smile did Hajin mutter back in a voice thick with lingering complaints.
Then—chu.
Before Suhyeon could react, Hajin left a flurry of small kisses around his eyes before turning toward the other Esper.
Suhyeon could feel the gazes of the onlookers, already curious, becoming even more intense.
Hajin had always been physically affectionate, but lately, it felt like the casual kissing had increased.
It left Suhyeon with a soft, fluttering feeling in his chest.
“* * *That guy!!”
Just as Suhyeon was feeling a flush of heat creeping up his ears, Yihan, who had been sputtering, finally exploded the moment Hajin vanished.
His booming shout echoed through the lobby.
People’s gazes were now shamelessly fixed on them.
Embarrassment flooded Suhyeon’s cheeks.
It took ages to calm Yihan down, and quite a bit of time passed before Suhyeon could finally move from the lobby.
“I’ll guide you to the classroom later. For now, come this way.”
After receiving his “Special” ID card, Suhyeon followed Yihan and the President into the elevator he had ridden once before.
Ding.
With a clear chime, the doors opened on the 23rd floor, revealing a quiet hallway.
Yihan and the President walked for a while before stopping in front of a heavy steel door.
Suhyeon followed suit.
When the President punched a code into the keypad, the door slid open silently, revealing the interior.
The fresh, crisp scent of plants tickled his nose.
Suhyeon blinked. Sunlight poured through floor-to-ceiling windows, and small green pots were clustered neatly by the ledge.
The room, decorated in warm white and green tones, felt instantly calming. It was a cozy atmosphere.
Amidst the many plants stood a middle-aged woman.
“Ah, have you arrived?”
The woman, wearing a gentle smile, walked across the room toward Suhyeon as if she had been waiting.
The President grinned and placed an arm around her shoulder.
“This is my wife, Guide Park Soyoung. She’s an A-rank senior Guide who has served the Association for 30 years. She will be helping you with your guiding training.”
‘Guiding training?’
Suhyeon thought he was only attending lectures.
His brief confusion vanished at the President’s next words.
“A Guide who cannot control their guiding energy is forbidden from guiding an Esper. You remember how it went when we tried it the other day, right?”
Suhyeon nodded.
A few days ago, when the President had visited the house, he had suddenly asked Suhyeon to release a guiding wave.
Naturally, Suhyeon hadn’t been able to do it.
Right after he had awakened from his rampage, he’d had a slight sense of what the “energy” was, but as time passed, he had lost that feeling again.
In a way, this training was the logical next step.
“Guiding is meant to be an effortless, instinctive area. You must train until it becomes so. Until then, you are not to perform guiding on Hajin-gun.”
‘I haven’t even caught the feeling yet; how long will it take to handle it effortlessly?’
Suhyeon had a premonition that it would take quite some time before he could truly provide guiding for Hajin.
“You can stay here until your lecture time today. Decide on a specific schedule with my wife. I’ll come to pick you up later. Good luck!”
Whether he noticed Suhyeon’s slight gloom or not, the President laughed heartily and left the room as if his job was done.
“I’ll be back later, Suhyeon-ah. Work hard.”
Yihan followed the President out with a few kind words, and the steel door slid shut as smoothly as it had opened.
Suhyeon was left alone with Park Soyoung.
“Hello, Suhyeon. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Park Soyoung, the Guide who will be assisting with your training.”
She spoke first.
“Ah, I’m Chae Suhyeon.”
She offered a hand with a warm, seasoned smile, and Suhyeon shook it after snapping out of his daze.
Following her gentle invitation, Suhyeon awkwardly took off his coat and sat on the sofa.
The older woman sat opposite him, and a steaming cup of warm tea soon appeared on the table between them.
As he took a sip, a pleasant warmth spread through his body.
Park Soyoung kept a benevolent smile on her lips.
“It is true that a Guide must handle their wave as if it were a part of their own body, but you don’t need to worry too much.”
Had she seen through his gloom? The woman continued as if she were reading his mind.
“While I haven’t seen a case exactly like yours, having difficulty handling a guiding wave is quite common among Guides who awaken somewhat late in life.”
“Imagine suddenly growing a new arm; how many people could use it freely right away?” she added.
It was an analogy that strangely made sense.
“You’ll get the hang of it soon, so don’t worry.”
The woman’s soft voice gradually eased the tension in Suhyeon’s body.
Once Suhyeon had leaned back into the sofa with a more relaxed heart, Park Soyoung smiled.
“Shall we begin then?”
Suhyeon nodded.
The training didn’t require much preparation or physical warming up.
It simply involved sitting comfortably and holding a small device that looked like a circular timer.
She explained it was a machine used to measure guiding levels.
While the actual level during guiding changes based on the compatibility between Esper and Guide, Suhyeon wasn’t even at the stage to worry about that yet.
“First, we’ll start by trying to feel the guiding energy. Would you mind closing your eyes?”
Suhyeon followed the instruction.
With his eyes closed, the room filled with faint classical music felt even more peaceful.
He wondered if the room had been decorated specifically for this purpose.
“The guiding energy is usually gathered in the core, located near the chest—the heart area.”
‘The chest.’
It was the same thing Yihan had said.
To find the sensation he had felt a few times before, Suhyeon’s consciousness slowly sank into his body.
He delved into the pitch-black darkness.
The quiet, calm air helped him focus.
Sinking deeper and deeper inside, Suhyeon searched for the energy.
How much time had passed?
By the time he was focused enough to forget Park Soyoung was even there, his light-brown eyelashes suddenly fluttered.
There was a shimmering energy in his chest.
Suhyeon now clearly recognized the presence of something he had only felt vaguely and sporadically before.
As he caught the trail, it felt as though a veil had been lifted, making the presence undeniable.
A foreign energy he had lived his whole life without feeling—the guiding wave—sat nestled in his chest like a soft cluster.
It drifted alone in the darkness, emitting a faint, ethereal light.
Suhyeon opened his thin eyelids.
After blinking a few times, he looked at the senior Guide.
“Did you find it?”
Suhyeon nodded, almost as if entranced.
* * *
