* * *
But even if he voiced his thoughts, Yoonseo would probably just get teary-eyed and say, ‘Am I not allowed to worry as his friend?’
And if Yoonseo started crying, that would be a huge headache.
Haebom might not have built relationships with other Guides at the center, but that didn’t mean he was completely clueless about what was going on.
Among the Guides, Yoonseo was highly regarded.
She had bonded with not one, but two S-Class Espers, making her a figure of envy.
Meanwhile, Haebom was seen as an outsider—a newcomer who had rolled in from nowhere.
He didn’t try to befriend the existing Guides, and he even chased after an Esper who had initially wanted nothing to do with him.
So it was only natural that they saw him differently.
“Oh, if I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry… It’s just that Wonho is my friend, and I wanted to get closer to you too, Guide Haebom. I really am sorry.”
“…Sure, whatever.”
Haebom shrugged his shoulders slightly.
Choi Yoonseo, standing in front of him, wore such a sorrowful expression that she almost looked pitiful.
It seemed like she might burst into tears at any moment…
He felt as if he had just tormented a kind person.
But then again, he hadn’t actually done anything to her, and Yoonseo wasn’t some purely good person anyway.
So did it even matter?
“…Can I come by like this sometimes for tea?”
At Yoonseo’s words, Haebom furrowed his brows.
He wasn’t the type to be curious about what went on in other people’s heads, but he couldn’t understand why Yoonseo was making this offer to him.
“I don’t like tea.”
“Oh… Then coffee—”
“I don’t like coffee either. I think it’s better to drink it with someone you like. I’m fine.”
Haebom wasn’t usually the type to reject people so bluntly, but when it came to Choi Yoonseo, it was a different story.
Whether she was a nice person or had some hidden motive—it didn’t matter.
Just like he’d thought earlier, he simply wanted Yoonseo to live her life happily with her boyfriend, Na Hyunjoon.
He had no interest in getting involved. He didn’t want to get closer to her either.
After all, Haebom had a place to return to.
There was no point in building connections here.
He ignored the fact that he had already formed relationships—not just with Wonho, but also with Jin Seyoung and her team.
Even if that weren’t the case, he doubted he’d ever have any reason to form a friendship with Choi Yoonseo.
Her eyes drooped slightly at Haebom’s indirect rejection.
Her expression looked as if a single push would make her cry.
“…I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just wanted to be friends…”
Yoonseo tried hard to hold back her tears, widening her eyes slightly as if that would help.
She even forced a faint smile, as if to show she was fine.
If anyone else had witnessed this scene, they would have thought Haebom was being cruel to her.
But there was no one else around anyway, and even if there were, he didn’t care if they thought that.
Still, one person came to mind.
‘What would Wonho say if he knew…?’
He had never really talked to Wonho about Choi Yoonseo before.
There was no reason to.
But Wonho probably still had lingering feelings for her.
Would he say that there was no reason to be so cold, that making a friend wasn’t such a big deal?
That would probably hurt a little—no, a lot.
Haebom knew better than anyone that just because he had helped Wonho with his guiding, it didn’t mean he had become more important to him than Choi Yoonseo.
After sneaking a few more glances at Haebom, Yoonseo finally gave up and left, saying that next time, they should drink something Haebom actually liked.
He had only just arrived at the center, but he was already exhausted.
As if that weren’t enough, he could feel Wonho’s absence.
He found himself hoping that Wonho would come out of the gate soon.
Haebom rolled his eyes and discreetly scanned the room.
It was his first time in this conference room, and he felt noticeably out of place.
However, it seemed like he was the only one feeling that way.
Today was the regularly scheduled gathering of guides.
His paired Esper, Wonho, had entered a gate, but since he wouldn’t be returning immediately, Haebom had been called in.
‘I just want to go home…’
At least the guide who had trained him acknowledged him with a greeting, so he wasn’t completely alone.
Still, after the brief exchange, he ended up sitting by himself.
Unlike Espers, who mostly moved independently, guides tended to form small groups and stick together.
There were a few who preferred to be alone, and Haebom was one of them.
The biggest reason he chose solitude was that this world wasn’t his to begin with.
The second reason was simply that he had always preferred being alone over being part of a group.
Choi Yoonseo had once said that Wonho had terrible social skills—though he hadn’t put it in such harsh words.
But in reality, it might have been Haebom, not Wonho, who was the socially inept one.
He wasn’t just a little shy—he was extremely so.
“Right?”
“Yeah, apparently Guide Choi Yoonseo said that guy came out of the room yesterday with his eyes all red…”
“Is he crazy? Just because he’s paired with an S-class Esper doesn’t mean he owns him. That spot next to Wonho Esper used to belong to Guide Choi Yoonseo.”
They were whispering among themselves, but their voices weren’t far away, making it impossible for Haebom not to hear.
At that volume, it was practically meant for him to hear.
He let out a small sigh.
He wished the head of the guides would hurry up and start the meeting so this could end already.
Around thirty people had gathered in the large conference room.
They were all guides from the Seoul branch, Haebom included.
It seemed like everyone was present, except for those who were out on field assignments.
The official name of this gathering was the ‘Quarterly Guide Social Meeting.’
Socializing, huh… Haebom had never attended a meeting like this in his life.
He had never voluntarily participated in one, nor had he ever been invited.
He vaguely remembered hearing about it during his training, but he hadn’t paid much attention.
Back then, his mind had been completely occupied with the thought that he needed to guide Wonho.
Thinking about it now made it seem like he had a crush on Wonho or something.
That wasn’t it… was it?
“Ah, Guide Haebom, there you are!”
Just as he was blankly wondering how much longer this meeting would drag on, a familiar voice called out.
Among the guides in the Seoul branch, there were only two people whose voices he recognized—his trainer and Choi Yoonseo.
Since he had already greeted his trainer earlier, it was obvious that the person approaching him now was Choi Yoonseo.
“…Hello.”
“Can I sit next to you? You don’t have anyone sitting with you, right?”
Haebom looked up at her with a reluctant expression.
Of course, there was no one sitting next to him.
His trainer had his own group, so he hadn’t sat with Haebom.
They had only interacted during training, not as friends.
It was expected.
Haebom didn’t mind being alone.
Actually, he preferred it.
He had no desire to form connections with anyone—especially not Choi Yoonseo.
“Guide Haebom?”
When Haebom just stared at her without responding, Choi Yoonseo called his name again.
* * *
