Chapter 7

Haon slowly opened his eyes. The lingering pain from the edge of his memory still seemed to be present. Whether it was the electricity flowing through or his muscles reacting in shock, his body felt sore, as if he had a cold.

There was a thick IV needle stuck in the back of his left hand.

“Ugh… it hurts.”

Due to the intense pain that felt heavy throughout his body, Haon couldn’t focus on his surroundings. While he understood it was an unfamiliar place, he lacked the energy to confirm where he was. With eyes open but devoid of strength, he naturally fell back asleep. Haon repeated this cycle of waking up and sleeping several times.

“Ugh… where is this?”

After lying down for a while, Haon struggled to sit up. The unfamiliar space turned out to be a neat room. Haon carefully opened the door and came out, while pushing the IV holder.

“Are you awake?”

As soon as he opened the door, Haon’s expression crumpled like a piece of paper. It was because Cha Yugeon was sitting on the living room sofa.

Seeing him, the situation just before he fainted unfolded in Haon’s mind. Everything was because of that guy. Thinking about it made his anger rise.

“You fainted. Why is a weakling like you causing so much ruckus without knowing anything?”

“Why are you arguing about whether someone faints or not?”

As soon as his consciousness returned, Haon faced Cha Yugeon, and he immediately started a fight. If it were up to him, he would have liked to grab the guy by the collar, but unfortunately, Haon currently had no strength to even lift his finger.

Even if he had the energy, it would take considerable courage to grab the neck of a true S-class esper.

Whether Cha Yugeon knew Haon’s feelings or not, he sighed as if annoyed and raised his voice.

“Because of you! I… No, forget it.”

“What the hell… If you want to say something, just say it.”

“I said forget it.”

“You really do have a talent to piss off all kinds of people.”

Haon took a deep breath because Cha Yugeon was doing one of the two things that infuriated Koreans the most, stop talking in mid-sentence.

“Anyway, what I’m saying… I’m going.”

“Wait, at least tell me where this is before you go.”

“What do you mean where? It’s your dorm.”

Without the energy to get irritated by Cha Yugeon’s attitude, Haon looked around in surprise. The place seemed much larger and had better facilities than the lodging he used during his A-class esper days.

As Haon was puzzled about what was happening, one thought popped into his mind, and his expression quickly hardened.

It must be because he manifested as an S-class guide. That’s why he was moved to a better room.

Life at the center was strictly determined by esper grades. Higher-classed espers received better treatment, while lower-classed ones noticeably got less. Haon reminisced about the past when he, as an A-class esper, enjoyed privileges that gradually decreased as his class dropped.

Cha Yugeon, oblivious to these feelings, walked towards the exit without a word and soon disappeared completely.

Of course, Haon was just grateful that the guy left without saying much. Instead of fighting with that guy in his current state, it was better to be alone in a strange place.

Haon dragged the IV holder and sat on the sofa. Of course, he didn’t just sit anywhere. He chose a seat as far away as possible from where Cha Yugeon had been sitting.

“Ugh, this is embarrassing.”

As he tried to sit still, his face turned a burning red and he felt embarrassed. Of all the people, he fainted in front of Cha Yugeon in an unsightly way. Anyway, what an unfortunate situation, nothing seemed to go well for him these day.

As he nervously leaned back against the backrest, his carelessly packed luggage caught the corner of his eye. Haon glared at his luggage and lamented his inability to escape.

Earlier, frustrated by Cha Yugeon and the irritating situation, Haon had attempted to pack and leave the Center. Frankly, he have to admit that was not very wise.

The Center was a difficult place to enter, but leaving was even harder. Once an esper entered the Center, leaving was not something that could be done on a whim.

Espers were dangerous beings to coexist with ordinary people in a society without safety measures. Of course, in the case of a guide, they were not that dangerous, but considering the problems that could arise in the absence of a guide, he also could not be freely released into society.

Therefore, Haon’s earlier actions were foolish. Knowing that the center wouldn’t let him leave easily, he stubbornly showed arrogance. But at that moment, he was so angry and confused that he couldn’t think of any other option than leaving the center.

“Ugh, it hurts…”

If his body had been less painful, he might have repeated the reckless act. But now, the pain was too much. He couldn’t even think of doing it again.

“Let’s think about it later… for now, let’s recover and then consider how to leave. Or at the very least, ask to change my assigned esper.”

It wasn’t that he was scared off by the electric shock he got earlier… He just… well, thinking about various options was a good thing. Haon rationalized his current inaction.

-Beep. Beep. Beep. Emergency situation. Emergency situation. Prepare for dispatch. Prepare for dispatch.

That’s when it happened. A loud siren sound was heard from the speakers installed in the accommodation, followed by an announcement announcing an emergency situation. Startled for a moment by the unexpected situation, Haon, who had been on numerous missions, found that his body reacted faster than his mind.

Unconsciously standing up, Haon quickly pulled out the IV needle from his hand. Because the needle had been pulled out carelessly, blood that was dripping down the back of his hand, but Haon did not care at all.

“…Wait. Where should I go…?”

Haon was no longer an esper. He had to deal with the emergency situation as a guide. However, as this was his first dispatch as a guide, he felt lost about where to go and what to do.

In the midst of standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room, someone suddenly appeared before Haon.

“Uwaa! You surprised me!”

Haon, who had stepped back in surprise at the sudden appearance of the large figure, calmed his startled heart when he recognized the familiar face.

“Director Han, what’s going on?”

“Sorry for startling you, Mr. Park Haon. It’s an emergency situation, and since it’s your first dispatch as a guide, I used teleportation to move quickly as there are a lot to explain.”

Teleportation was one of Director Han’s abilities. Although Haon hadn’t personally witnessed his other abilities, teleportation was his main power.

“I’m going on a dispatch…? As a guide?”

“Yes, there have been multiple monster sightings, including werewolves, in Yeongdeungpo-gu.”

“Oh… in such a situation, I’m still going…?”

“Because Mr. Cha Yugeon should be the one dispatched.”

“…”

As soon as Cha Yugeon’s name was mentioned by Director Han, Haon’s face stiffened. At the same time, memories of the last mission they went on together flashed before him.

His inability to fulfill his role as an esper, the disdain Cha Yugeon showed towards him for causing trouble – these memories were so painful for Haon. They were memories he didn’t want to relive.

But now, as a partner in the field of missions, both as an esper and a guide, Haon found the prospect daunting.

Moreover, he knew almost nothing about guiding. He had been guided before, but he had never guided anyone himself. In such a situation, being suddenly dispatched on a mission was unreasonable.

“But Director Han, I don’t know how to guide. I’ve never done it…”

‘I don’t even want to guide that Cha Yugeon.’

Swallowing the words that were almost slipped out, Haon looked at Director Han with pleading eyes, hoping for the mission order to be revoked.

However, Director Han showed no sign of wavering.

“That’s why I’m here. Guiding should not be difficult for Mr. Park Haon, considering you manifested as an S-class guide. First, let’s move.”

“Wha, Wait!”

Without giving Haon a chance to respond, Director Han grabbed his wrist and used teleportation. Haon felt a strange sensation, as if being sucked into a bathtub drain, and in an instant, he disappeared into thin air. The living room where the two had been standing became an empty space in the blink of an eye.