TG Ch 1 Part 6

Sijin playfully asked Shin Dayoung, “Dayoung-ssi, you’ve probably had your rating measured. How did it turn out?”

After Sijin’s paper presentation, it had become a trend among ordinary people to have their rating measured. Ordinary individuals with no special talents would often receive an F rating, with the occasional E rating. The difference was simple:

F-Rank: Unable to use any abilities and unable to sense the flow of waves.

E-Rank: Able to use abilities weakly and faintly sense the flow of waves.

In terms of vision, it was akin to seeing nothing at all or being able to detect light.

Shin Dayoung chuckled and replied, “I got rated F as a guide. It’s pretty funny, right?”

“Wow, that’s impressive. I’m an esper with an F grade. Let’s do well together as fellow F-Rank from now on.”

“Hahaha! Dr. Baek, you’re really funny.”

Shin Dayoung laughed heartily. Sijin was slightly surprised by her hearty laughter but found this side of her cheerful demeanor quite pleasant.

“Let me show you around! You’ll be working in the diagnostics room, and there’s a recovery room next to it.”

Shin Dayoung casually guided Sijin. His workspace was a separate diagnostics room next to the examination room. It was the same as what he had seen yesterday, but now in the morning, he particularly liked the large sunlit window. Additionally, several small plants were placed by the window, adding to the pleasant atmosphere.

As Sijin entered the diagnostics room with Shin Dayoung, he said, “It’s okay, I was guided here yesterday.”

“Oh, really? By whom?”

Sijin hesitated for a moment before replying, “By Guide Jeong Taeyul.”

“Excuse me? Guide Jeong Taeyul?”

“Yes. He… personally guided me yesterday.”

Although it felt like he guided him to hell, Sijin tried to speak positively. He was still slightly annoyed at the thought of being fooled by him. Moreover, the fact that he had comfortably fallen asleep in his embrace for about ten minutes made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Shin Dayoung’s eyes widened in surprise, and then her expression brightened as if she had seen a state-of-the-art machine.

“Wow! Seeing Guide Jeong Taeyul from the first day. Isn’t Captain Shark really handsome?”

“Uh, yes…”

Sijin nodded reluctantly. It was true that Jeong Taeyul was handsome. But the mention of Captain Shark left him puzzled.

What followed was something Sijin simply couldn’t accept.

“He really is a gentleman and looks cool, right? I’m so envious. No one guided me when I first arrived at the Center…”

‘That man?’

Sijin’s faint smile wavered imperceptibly.

Gentleman?

Jeong Taeyul is?

‘Is she actually a spy?’

Sijin began to doubt Examiner Shin Dayoung in front of him. It was all because of Jeong Taeyul’s influence yesterday that had put him on high alert. Sijin unknowingly scrutinized her with eyes full of suspicions.

In response, Shin Dayoung hurriedly offered an excuse, “Oh, no! Since we’re in the diagnostic testing team, we’re truly grateful for having to examine him regularly.”

Observing her reaction, Sijin dismissed his suspicion that she might be a spy. It seemed like she just had a crush on a handsome man. Otherwise, there was no way she could see Jeong Taeyul in such a positive light. Sijin firmly concluded.

“Guide Jeong Taeyul doesn’t skip any tests and is cooperative.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Yes, even those B-Ranks often try to skip the tests because they can’t be bothered, but we’re really grateful for his cooperation.”

As Sijin nodded his head, he asked out of curiosity, “But what do you mean by Captain Shark? Is it a nickname?”

“Ah, yes, it is a nickname. It’s a nickname that everyone knows, including himself…”

Shin Dayoung handed Sijin a coffee brought by another examiner and continued, “Snipers with excellent skills are often called sharks. But Guide Jeong Taeyul’s marksmanship is truly an art.”

“I see.”

“And did you happen to see Guide Jeong Taeyul smiling broadly yesterday?”

“Hmm…”

As he sipped his black coffee, Sijin fell into thought. Jeong Taeyul smiling broadly? He usually had a subtle smile, so he was confused.

“Well, I’m not really sure.”

“He sometimes has a really broad smile, like those of a foreign handsome guy. People call it the shark smile when they see that. That’s why he’s Captain Shark!”

“…I did feel a shark-like vibe.”

Because he was intimidating… Sijin agreed on a different part.

“But you do know that we also have an A-class esper in our Center, right?”

“Yes, Esper Ham Geonwu.”

Suddenly becoming interested, Sijin listened attentively. Shin Dayoung spoke in a slightly discrete tone, unlike when she was explaining about Jeong Taeyul.

“Among ourselves, we call Esper Ham Geonwu… the killer whale. It was a code name for Esper Ham Geonwu, but somehow it became a nickname.”

Observing Shin Dayoung explaining it with difficulty, Sijin fell into thought for a moment. The atmosphere surrounding this nickname was different from that of Jeong Taeyul’s. Sijin subtly inquired, “Is it because he’s a difficult subject to examine?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“If someone has a nickname in the laboratory, there must be a reason.”

Sijin knew that important figures and those involved in frequent incidents often had separate nicknames in the laboratory.

Still, it was a relief that it wasn’t as crazy as the nicknames Sijin had encountered before. Or was it because he was hard to handle, hence the Killer Whale nickname? Sijin found himself lost in thought.

Suddenly, Shin Dayoung lowered her head and whispered. Even though the surrounding laboratory was quiet, she seemed cautious.

“Examining Esper Ham Geonwu can be… quite challenging.”

Seeing her troubled expression, Sijin completely dismissed the suspicion that she might be a spy.

He fell into contemplation. It was inevitable for ordinary people to fear Ability Users that posed a risk of going out of control. Especially as an examiner, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had experienced an incident where she ended up hitting a wall during an examination.

“What about the ‘Killer Whale’?” Sijin casually asked. In response, Shin Dayoung cautiously explained.

“The Killer Whale has a strong aversion to the examination itself… Always trying to skip tests somehow. So, he’s constantly classified as high-risk for going out of control~ We try to examine him one way or another… while the Killer Whale tries to avoid it. It’s like a vicious cycle, in a way.”

“Hmm…”

Such individuals were present in any research institute or Center Sijin had been to. But the problem was that one of them happened to be his savior, Ham Geonwu.

Nevertheless, Sijin had already experienced many such situations. Sijin lightly nodded and said, “I understand. I’ll try to do something about it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That’s what I’m here for.”

Examiner Shin Dayoung seemed moved by Sijin’s resolute words. However, she still had a worried look in her eyes, as if she thought Sijin didn’t know anything yet.

***