GTLTGIDES chapter 3

‘Ah, damn it. I can’t see his face.’

Despite all the glancing, the brim of the hat covered the boy’s face.

I know why he’s wearing that. It’s not by choice but by force.

Even though I understand, it’s frustrating. I want to see his face…

“Here, please ring these up.”

“Sure.”

I grabbed a bunch of snacks and dumped them on the counter.

• Beep. Beep. Beep.

The boy scanned the barcodes diligently. Standing there, I grew increasingly anxious and prayed silently.

‘Please! Just look up once!’

I hoped he would look up at least once to check the monitor to see if he was scanning correctly, but he showed no sign of doing so.

A true professional part-timer, I guess.

“Would you like a bag?”

“Oh, yes! Please bag them.”

“There’s an additional charge of 50 won for the bag, is that okay?”

“That’s fine!”

Hearing his voice was the only consolation.

But just hearing his voice wasn’t enough, so I had to resort to my last tactic.

“Oh my gosh, what is that?”

“…Pardon?”

Startled by my sudden loud voice, the boy looked up.

He followed my gaze, found nothing, and looked back at me with a puzzled expression.

Only after meeting his translucent gray-blue eyes did I smile in satisfaction.

“Sorry. I must have mistaken a flying plastic bag for something else.”

“Oh, okay…”

“I’ll pay with this.”

“Alright.”

As I handed over my card and showed the screen, the boy looked down again.

Thankfully, because I was probably blushing furiously from excitement.

‘Damn, I must be crazy! He’s too cute!’

I took the bag and practically ran out of the convenience store.

The boy working at the convenience store, he is the protagonist of “The Genius Guide’s Melancholy”

At the beginning of the story, he’s a small and cute 19-year-old boy, Ye Eunsoo.

“The Genius Guide’s Melancholy” starts with 20-year-old Ye Eunsoo.

Specifically, it begins when the Bureau rescues 20-year-old Ye Eunsoo.

In the story, this event is called:

“The Illegal Confinement of a Minor Unregistered Guide Incident.”

The son of a prominent foreign family discovered a gifted orphan at a very young age, declared him dead officially, and used him as his private guide until he was caught.

The boy was then rescued, and the kidnapper was exiled.

Eunsoo had such exceptional talent that even a brief touch or without any contact, he could make Espers feel euphoric and maximize their abilities, like being on drugs.

The kidnapper wanted to monopolize this ability.

This incident brought significant attention to minor and unregistered guides, leading to law revisions. But, I don’t care about the horse barn story after losing the cow.

Anyway, because of that damn trash, Eunsoo grew up without receiving the love he deserved during his most precious years. This leads to complications with the story’s main characters later on.

The only consolation is that, despite being an R-rated tragic BL novel, there’s no mention of Eunsoo suffering sexual abuse during his confinement.

‘Though after becoming an adult and an official guide, he will face a lot…’

It’s not called a regretful tragic R-rated BL novel for nothing. There’s a relentless parade of coercive scenes. Sweet scenes only appear much later, after Eunsoo’s second awakening.

Eunsoo, having already endured much hardship at a young age, accepts it all with indifference.

If he had suffered more emotionally, I wouldn’t be able to re-read the story as often, no matter how much I loved him.

Anyway, the Eunsoo of the current world where I am is 19 years old.

Still in his confinement period.

Why is he working part-time at a convenience store if he’s confined?

This convenience store is a sort of safe house Eunsoo secured through some deal with his captor.

The captor allowed him to work here because Eunsoo claimed his guiding senses were dulling from lack of human interaction.

So he could work here with restrictions like not removing his hat, staying in view of the CCTV, speaking minimally, and avoiding physical contact.

These activities eventually catch the attention of the ‘Special A Team,’ and he gets rescued in the winter of his 19th year.

This was Eunsoo’s divine move.

‘I wish I could get him out earlier than in the original story…’

19 years old. The last year of his teens. A beautiful age full of dreams.

Eunsoo will eventually connect with wealthy Espers and travel the world, leading a happy life.

But there are things he could only do at this age.

Our precious Eunsoo studied hard even while confined, but he couldn’t take the college entrance exam.

Such a waste.

I sat at the table outside the convenience store, sipping coffee milk through a straw.

‘But the evidence needed for his rescue won’t appear until later… If he gets harmed because of me…’

I don’t want to mess up the protagonist’s life by doing something reckless as an extra with only six months to live.

‘Hah, if only I were a B-class Esper instead of a B-class Guide… I might have tried something…’

I hung my head low.

Blaming the environment again.

I’m ashamed of myself for making excuses.

• Ding!

“Huh?”

The terminal beeped. A message arrived.

[R: I’ll give you 10 minutes.]

‘This jerk…’

No explanation of why or where to go.

According to ‘Yang Heewoon’s’ memories, this guy always does this.

What can I do?

I’ll have to find him myself.

There was a way.

I opened the dedicated app shared among team members to check his terminal’s GPS.

‘He gives me 10 minutes, assuming I know where to go?’

10 minutes. I’d have to get up immediately, take the car, and catch the elevator with perfect timing.

‘I’ll let it slide for Eunsoo’s sake.’

If I’m even a minute late, I’ll hear 10 minutes of nagging.

I got up from my seat. I could take the half-finished milk with me and clean up the table for Eunsoo.

‘See you later, Ye Eunsoo.’

Knowing he wouldn’t see, I waved toward him from outside the store.

“Damn it, I’m out of tissues!”

I hadn’t received any reports about gates opening or illegal espers causing trouble recently.

As expected, the reason ‘R,’ or ‘Rex Hamilton,’ called me was trivial.

“Don’t you have hands or feet? You could just go get some from the supply room.”

“I don’t know where it is.”

“It’s right in front when you enter the supply room. It’s obvious.”

“Forget it! You’re getting 300,000 won (around 220 USD) for doing this, which isn’t bad.”

“……”

I couldn’t refute that.

300,000 won per call.

It’s not a bad deal for wasting a bit of time.

‘Even so, it doesn’t make sense that such a bulky person would call someone else just because they don’t want to go to the supply room.’

Rex Hamilton.

He’s the leader of the ‘Special A Team’ composed of S-rank espers and is in charge of close combat.

With a height of nearly 2 meters, broad shoulders, and a muscular build, he stands out with his bright red hair and blue eyes. He’s eye-catching from his size to his color.

He may seem a bit dumb, as if his brain is filled with muscles, but that’s part of his charm.

His easygoing and straightforward personality makes him popular with both men and women.

‘It’s probably because people don’t know his true nature that they like him.’

The truth seen up close is a harsh reality.

Though it was fine when reading about him in books, where Eunsoo seemed to handle him calmly and even counterattack at times, facing him directly makes me, well… want to go home.

“If you’re done with your request, I’ll be leaving now.”

“Since you’re here, guide me out as well.”

“No, thanks.”

“Oh, why not?”

“If you want a kiss, go outside and find someone to hunt. I’m not interested.”

However, guiding is different.

The payment jumps to 500,000 won (around 360 USD), but if it’s not necessary, I’d rather avoid it.

‘Damn, that kitchen freak. Always wanting a kiss when I see him.’

The term ‘kitchen freak’ is a shortened version of ‘a person crazy about kisses.’

It’s a nickname I gave Rex while re-reading ‘The Genius Guide’s Melancholy,’ or ‘GG’ for short.

I love all the characters in this cherished work, but since I can’t love Rex completely as my favorite, I use this nickname with a mix of affection and resentment.

In other words, this guy will do the same to Eunsoo in the future.

As if he needs to give something to keep his mouth occupied, just like putting a pacifier in a baby’s mouth.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Ugh…!”

He grabbed my shoulder and then my collar.

My thin body was lifted like a stuffed toy in Rex’s arms. Not just lifted, but suspended in mid-air.

I desperately tried to stand on my toes, but it was futile. My legs were flailing about.

“Ugh, ugh.”

As my neck was constricted, painful groans escaped, and my lips instinctively parted.

As if waiting for that moment, Rex’s lips covered mine, almost devouring them.

With no chance to resist, I had no choice but to accept Rex’s intrusion.

Only after our tongues met was I able to stand on my own feet.

“Focus?”