* * *
Until now, Wonho had never once asked for a guide’s name during a compatibility test.
In the past, they had introduced themselves without prompting, and as he grew older, there was no need for him to ask, nor for them to answer.
After all, they were people he would never meet again.
“Choi Yoonseo. And you, or rather, Mr. Esper?”
The woman—no, Choi Yoonseo—answered his question with a bright smile.
The shy demeanor she had displayed upon entering the compatibility test room had vanished entirely, but Wonho didn’t mind.
He had no reason to care whether Yoonseo had harbored feelings for the Esper she had tested with before him, Na Hyunjoon.
“…Wonho.”
“That’s a beautiful name. Wonho…!”
Hearing his name spoken by someone else had never felt so strange before.
This was the first encounter between Wonho and Choi Yoonseo.
That day, Wonho firmly believed that Yoonseo would become his guide.
Their compatibility rate was 92%.
He had never seen a number like that before.
He hadn’t even realized such a figure was possible for him.
The idea filled him with anticipation.
It wasn’t just about having a guide—it was the fact that he would be able to see Yoonseo from now on that excited him.
But Yoonseo would soon throw him into despair.
If only she had never existed. If only he had never felt this way.
If only he had lost control without knowing…
“I’m sorry… I know you must be struggling because I said I couldn’t pair with you, Wonho….”
Wonho stared at Yoonseo as tears streamed down her face.
Just two weeks ago, she had made him feel exhilarated.
But now, Yoonseo was standing before him, saying she couldn’t pair with him—because she had chosen another man.
For those two weeks, Wonho had sought Yoonseo out as much as possible.
Not necessarily to be noticed, but simply because being near her made him feel refreshed, even without direct guiding.
He often found himself standing in front of the training center where she was being educated before he even realized it.
It would have been ideal if they could pair immediately, but all guides had to undergo two weeks of training before signing a pairing contract.
Only after that could they be officially assigned to the Esper with the highest compatibility.
During that period, guiding was prohibited outside of training.
But Wonho didn’t mind.
He thought, as long as he waited those two weeks, Yoonseo would inevitably become his guide.
Yet Yoonseo shattered that belief.
Over those two weeks, she had occasionally asked about another Esper’s well-being or mentioned seeing him, but Wonho hadn’t paid it much attention.
Na Hyunjoon’s looks were often praised as divine, even outside the center.
As an Esper, Wonho was considered handsome as well, but he had a reputation for having a difficult personality.
Meanwhile, Na Hyunjoon was even nicknamed “angel.”
Knowing his actual personality, Wonho found the nickname absurd.
But he had dismissed it, thinking it was none of his business.
He hadn’t even considered the possibility of Yoonseo falling for Na Hyunjoon.
Not when their compatibility was only 72%.
While they could pair, Wonho’s overwhelming compatibility should have made it a non-issue.
But today, after her meeting with the guiding department head, Yoonseo was sobbing like her world had collapsed.
Wonho, too, had received a call from the guiding department.
The center couldn’t force anyone into a pairing anymore. In the past, maybe.
But now, with the Ability Users’ Rights Commission in place, that was no longer possible.
“Why can’t you pair with me?”
“…I like him. Esper Na Hyunjoon. I fell for him at first sight. We’re friends, right? You understand, don’t you?”
No.
The words stuck in Wonho’s throat.
He didn’t understand.
Like? What did that even mean?
He had never known that emotion.
And even if he had, he couldn’t comprehend how a guide could ignore compatibility to pair with someone else simply because of their feelings.
Compatibility wasn’t just about resonance—it was about how well their souls aligned.
It affected not just the Esper, but the guide as well.
He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Yoonseo was meant to be his pair.
But as he watched her sob, he couldn’t bring himself to force her.
In the end, the center reached an agreement: Yoonseo would become Na Hyunjoon’s pair, but until Wonho found another guide, she would still provide him with guiding.
She was relieved—happy even—that she got to be with the man she liked while still being able to keep her friendship with Wonho.
Whether Wonho would ever see another 92% compatibility rate again was uncertain.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Except for Yoonseo, no other guide had ever been able to provide him with guiding.
It had been that way in the past, and it would remain that way in the future.
Just like that, Wonho’s world collapsed.
[Guiding Request: Wonho (E) -> Choi Yoonseo (G) = Pending]
[Guiding Request: Wonho (E) -> Choi Yoonseo (G) = Rejected]
Wonho silently stared at the text on his tablet.
It had taken less than a second for the word “Pending” to change to “Rejected.”
Yoonseo had declined the request the moment he sent it.
A guide with a pair Esper could only provide direct-contact guiding.
In other words, the only thing he was allowed to do was hold her hand.
And yet, even that was enough.
It felt like discovering an oasis in the middle of an endless desert.
A year passed like that.
Unlike the initial agreement, Choi Yoonseo gradually began to reject guiding.
Every time, she would come to Wonho in tears, crying that Na Hyunjoon misunderstood her relationship with Wonho, that every time she was mistaken for something more than a friend, she wanted to die….
In the end, Wonho realized it—if he disappeared, both Choi Yoonseo and the world would be at peace.
With that thought, he set out alone, entering a gate to find a place to die.
When he stepped inside, his rampage index was already at 96 percent—an unstable level where losing control at any moment wouldn’t be surprising.
He had long since stopped bothering with suppressors.
Jin Seyoung nagged at him daily, but he didn’t care.
Ever since he had learned how good guiding felt, even the guiding machines and medication disgusted him, to the point that he could no longer use them to lower his levels.
“…A desert.”
Meeting Choi Yoonseo had felt like discovering an oasis in the middle of a desert.
And yet, ironically, the place he chose to die was a desert.
It hit him then—his life had truly been nothing but a wasteland.
Standing in the middle of that desolate landscape, Wonho unleashed his abilities recklessly, waiting for the rampage to take over.
The violent waves of energy surging from his body gradually began to tighten around his throat.
That was, until a strange man appeared.
From the moment his energy started running wild, his memories became hazy.
The power he had been suppressing with sheer will flooded free, consuming everything.
Or perhaps it already had.
But then—something impossible began to reach him.
A searing breath.
A sweet scent.
And something hot and sticky, pouring through his entire body, melting every last wave of his energy.
He had entered the gate alone.
No one else was supposed to be here.
But in the midst of his rampage, he had no room for such thoughts.
All that mattered was the overwhelming energy flowing through him.
* * *
