* * *
‘Still… Siwoo is Siwoo,’ Raon thought, pushing away the small flicker of fear he’d just felt.
Watching Siwoo, who was still visibly angry, Raon let out a soft laugh.
Right now, defusing this situation—one that could escalate into a diplomatic issue—was more important.
Raon stepped in front of the fuming Siwoo.
“If you can promise not to touch me again without permission, I won’t pursue this matter any further.”
“…”
“Returning to the Union without further complications would be in your best interest, wouldn’t it?”
Raon spoke calmly, even coaxingly, but his tone carried a faint arrogance.
For Mikhail, an Esper supremacist, accepting a Guide’s proposal was nothing short of humiliation.
“Mikhail. Promise him.”
“…Tch. Fine.”
Only after Jamie spoke in a low warning did Mikhail reluctantly nod.
Once again, it was as if he had accepted an Esper’s suggestion—not the Guide’s.
‘What an insufferable bastard.’
In Raon’s eyes, Mikhail had become just like Dojin—stubborn and impossible to change, no matter what.
No wonder the two of them got along so well.
Raon snorted and turned away.
Then, in a bored tone, he said:
“This way, please.”
Throughout the walk to the Center, Jamie remained cautious, frequently glancing at Raon.
Mikhail was quiet only because of Siwoo’s presence.
As a result, the actual guiding process went smoothly.
“Esper Jamie, would you be able to meet with Esper Dasom a bit earlier than planned? I know you must be tired from your trip…”
“Oh, not at all. The private jet was extremely comfortable.”
“That’s a relief. To be honest, there’ve been a lot of issues with Dasom’s training.”
Maybe because of Mikhail, Jamie responded even more cooperatively to Raon’s request.
At least something was going right.
Dasom still struggled to distinguish between healing and guiding.
At the gate, it had been a crisis, so he might’ve used healing instinctively.
But now, no matter how much he trained, he couldn’t use it properly.
The other healer Espers at the center were too low-ranked to be of much help.
“Esper Dasom.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Dasom, who had been standing alone in the Esper training room with his shoulders slumped, turned at the sound of Raon’s voice.
When he spotted the unfamiliar foreigners behind Raon, his eyes widened in surprise.
“Say hello. This is A-rank healer Esper Jamie Windsor, who’ll be helping you with training from now on.”
“Ah, hello! I’m Park Dasom!”
Raon had told him in advance, but seeing foreign Espers in person—something rare for him—made Dasom visibly tense.
He bowed at a sharp 90-degree angle, making Raon stifle a laugh.
“Nice to meet you, Esper Dasom. Just call me Jamie. Or Jay, if that’s easier.”
“Yes, Esper Jay!”
Dasom nodded energetically. His eagerness was already obvious.
He had awakened as a rare S-rank healer Esper, but the inability to use his power properly had left him discouraged.
Even though Jamie was a stranger, the thought of someone guiding him filled him with anticipation.
Raon looked at Dasom with pride—he was handling the new situation with grace.
It seemed safe to leave the training in Jamie’s hands now.
“Let me know once the session is over.”
“Yes, Team Leader Raon.”
Leaving the training room behind, Raon walked toward the director’s office.
Mikhail had already taken off to his assigned quarters—he didn’t need to guard Jamie inside the center. Raon didn’t mind.
It was more comfortable with Mikhail out of sight anyway.
“It’s me, Director.”
“Come in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Raon opened the door to the director’s office at the low reply.
As always, Seokhyeon greeted him with a tired face.
“As requested, I brought A-rank healer Esper Jamie Windsor and S-rank Esper Mikhail Hamilton to the Center. Jamie is currently assisting with Esper Dasom’s training.”
“What about Mikhail Hamilton?”
“He said he was tired and went to his room.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
Raon finished his report and nodded.
But Seokhyeon didn’t respond further.
Normally, this would be when he’d say something like “Good work,” or “You can head back now,”—at least a token gesture.
But nothing came.
Raon blinked in confusion.
Was there something else?
He tilted his head slightly as he watched Seokhyeon.
Now that he looked closer, the director’s expression seemed worse than usual.
Had something unpleasant happened?
‘A gate…? If it were gate-related, he would’ve said so already.’
It was too early for signs of another gate.
Still, Seokhyeon wasn’t the type to keep that kind of information to himself.
No matter how hard he thought, Raon couldn’t figure it out.
He just stood there, uncertain—until finally, Seokhyeon spoke again.
“There’s more to your report than that, isn’t there?”
“…Pardon?”
Even after hearing the director’s quiet words, Raon still couldn’t figure out what he meant.
More to report?
Was he still talking about Jamie and Mikhail?
There really wasn’t anything else—
“…?”
Then, something flickered through Raon’s mind.
‘Don’t tell me he means Mikhail trying to reverse-guide me…?’
Recalling the unpleasant incident, Raon involuntarily frowned and asked in a displeased tone.
“Are you referring to Mikhail Esper reverse-guiding me?”
“Yes.”
“Ah.”
Raon, who had deliberately not reported it to Seokhyeon to brush it under the rug, opened his mouth blankly.
Come to think of it, there were quite a few aides from the Center present at the time—it would’ve been stranger if it hadn’t reached Seokhyeon’s ears.
Just because Raon tried to hide it didn’t mean it never happened.
Realizing that too late, Raon let out a quiet sigh.
Still, he figured if he explained the circumstances, Seokhyeon wouldn’t push it further.
“Mikhail Esper did behave rather rudely, but it wasn’t anything serious.”
“You’re talking about the Esper reverse-guiding a Guide without consent?”
“Well, he’s not even a domestic Esper, and he’s an S-Rank on top of that, a Union Esper. Wouldn’t it be better to just let it go peacefully?”
Raon spoke with a casual tone.
At that, Seokhyeon’s thin eyebrows twisted in irritation.
“That’s exactly the problem with you!”
“…!”
Bang!
Seokhyeon slammed his hand on the desk and shouted.
He’d never raised his voice like that before—Raon was genuinely startled.
“If another Guide had gone through that, you’d be furious! So why are you so indifferent when it happens to you, huh?”
“Uh…”
Raon, flustered, mulled over Seokhyeon’s words.
He briefly imagined Mikhail doing that sort of thing to one of the Guides on his own team.
Especially to little chick-like Dasom or Hamin.
‘Yeah, I would’ve killed him.’
There was no need to think it over—Raon came to that conclusion instantly and muttered internally with calm finality.
He couldn’t kill an S-Rank Esper himself, but he definitely wouldn’t have stopped Siwoo from doing it.
Raon’s eyes flashed dangerously.
“Hmm, calm down. If this turns into an international issue, it’ll just be a hassle.”
Still, no matter how he looked at it, letting this slide was the best option.
If it had happened to someone else, he would’ve chased the bastard to the ends of the galaxy for revenge.
But when it came to himself, he’d always been colder and more calculating.
That’s just how he’d always lived.
“Phew… seriously.”
Seokhyeon let out a long sigh and shook his head.
He probably understood immediately because he was the same type.
Watching him, Raon smiled faintly, knowing Seokhyeon would’ve made the exact same choice in his shoes.
“But now that I, the Director, know about it, there’s no brushing it off. The Union will get a formal complaint.”
“Do you really have to go that far?”
“Yes.”
Seokhyeon responded firmly, as if he’d already reached that conclusion.
Then, under his breath, he muttered with gritted teeth:
“I’m going to kill him.”
“…”
Wait. That’s not even your character.
Raon stared at Seokhyeon, who had blurted out what he was truly thinking, unable to hide his confusion.
But come to think of it, Seokhyeon had always been like this—prioritizing the rights of Guides above everything else, refusing to accept any injustice.
That’s why all the Guides at the Center respected and followed him.
What felt strange was realizing that he, too, was included among the people Seokhyeon protected.
Maybe because he’d been so immersed in the role of “villain Han Raon,” he’d intentionally kept his attitude toward Seokhyeon distant even after returning.
After all, in his past life, he’d only ever seen Seokhyeon disapproving of or displeased with him.
So even after the system disappeared and the situation changed, Raon had purposely kept his attitude the same.
But now, it seemed he was within Seokhyeon’s boundaries after all.
Remembering Haedam’s words from before, Raon cleared his throat awkwardly.
* * *
