IGWKE Episode 12

Episode 12

Moreover, Yoon-ui’s range of daily activities was extremely limited. His current residence was a government-provided housing unit right next to the base, and due to the nature of his duties, he was on constant standby with restrictions on leaving the designated area, rarely venturing more than 5 kilometers from his workplace. He had never even received a cup of coffee from a civilian who hadn’t signed a security agreement, so he lacked common sense, street smarts, and social skills.

He wasn’t an unusual case—most Espers were like that. It was common for them to be trained in the military from a young age, starting their service as soon as they became adults. Even afterward, they typically remained on standby 24/7, unable to freely interact with civilians due to security concerns.

As a result, after discharge, the first challenge they usually faced was adapting to civilian life. As Woo-joo had mentioned, it was so difficult for them to adjust that those who didn’t fall victim to scams after leaving the service were considered the exceptions.

Joo-min, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, shook her head with a serious expression.

“No way. In my opinion, if you leave, you’ll get scammed and starve to death, no matter what you do.”

It was a harsh assessment. Yoon-ui, who could tolerate many things but not having his abilities underestimated, protested against Joo-min’s judgment.

“Why? I might adapt surprisingly well!”

“No, listen. Instead of trying to do anything, you should just leverage that face of yours and marry a woman who will take care of you. You have no social skills to earn a living outside of collecting your government paycheck. Just get married, be a good homemaker, and live quietly. That’s the only way you’ll survive outside.”

“You’re really being blunt here, aren’t you?”

“Hey. It’s not blunt, it’s a compliment.”

Joo-min maintained a serious tone.

“I hate to admit it, but you’re actually good-looking.”

“I’m not unaware of that, you know.”

Yoon-ui didn’t deny his appearance. Though he had little experience interacting with civilians, it didn’t mean he lacked a basic understanding of beauty standards. It was an objective fact that he was handsome—anyone with two eyes and a mirror at home could see that.

“But honestly, my guiding ability is a more objective measure of my worth than my face….”

“So, what I’m saying is, if you want to make a living with just your guiding ability, you need to stay here. Outside, the only talent you can rely on is your face.”

Joo-min explained Yoon-ui’s strengths—his appearance—in a kind but firm tone.

Although he didn’t quite reach 180cm, his height of 179cm was still far from short. He had a slender body type that women preferred, with long legs that made him look particularly good in uniform. On top of that, he had naturally fair and firm skin, making him well-equipped with all the basics for an attractive man. His facial features were large and well-proportioned, making him more than worthy of being called handsome.

The only downside was that his large, slightly upturned eyes gave him a sharp, almost fierce look, which was unfortunately accentuated by his personality, creating a major flaw in his otherwise perfect appearance.

When he didn’t smile, his expression appeared cold, and whenever he spoke, his bluntness drove people away. Guides who were initially drawn to his looks or Espers who mistook the comfort of stable guiding for affection would usually run away in less than a month.

But that was in the past. After being demoted following an incident, rumors had spread, and now no one in the organization approached Yoon-ui just because of his appearance. With a sigh of pity, Joo-min patted Yoon-ui on the shoulder.

“If only you could be more gentle and pleasant, someone might have taken care of you.”

“Mind your own business.”

“You’ll adapt so well outside with that charming attitude of yours.”

Yoon-ui narrowed his eyes, sensing that everyone silently agreed with Joo-min. It seemed that all his worries had been met with nothing but criticism of his personality.

However, opening up about his concerns wasn’t entirely in vain. Despite teasing him with a pointed tongue click, Joo-min offered a fairly decent suggestion.

“What about switching to an administrative position?”

Switching to an administrative role meant leaving his current status as a Ministry of National Defense employee seconded to the Central Crisis Management Headquarters and officially transferring to an administrative position within the headquarters. It was a path he had never considered.

But,

“…It doesn’t sound too bad.”

Once the idea was brought up, it started to seem like the most reasonable option among his career choices.

First of all, nothing about his current working environment or the people he worked with would change, and he wouldn’t have to move out of his current housing. Although his affiliation would change, he would remain a government employee, so he wouldn’t have to worry about his future livelihood. His career would still be recognized, and the workload might even decrease.

Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Yoon-ui wondered to himself. It seemed like such a good option.

And yet, despite how reasonable and appealing this option was, he didn’t feel strongly drawn to it. Was it because he had never considered leaving the Ministry of National Defense? Did it feel like he was running away from the organization?

With these complex thoughts swirling in his mind, Yoon-ui absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair and checked the time. It was 4 a.m.—the time during a night shift when one was most awake and instant ramen tasted the best.

“Is it a bit heavy? But the water dispenser’s hot water can’t boil three cups at once.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Jung-woo had already filled a large kettle with water and placed it on Heon-ju’s palm. Despite his large build, Heon-ju had such a gentle nature. Even though he must have been tired from finishing his night training, he calmly held the kettle as Jung-woo had placed it, using his hands to carefully emit flames from underneath to boil the water. Seeing this, Yoon-ui clicked his tongue.

“They’re using an S-class Esper as a gas burner.”

“It’s part of his training. Controlling the size and intensity of the flames for a specific area. It’s all about maintaining consistent power. I did similar things in my training too.”

“If Joo-min catches you doing this, she’ll really break you.”

Even as he said this, Yoon-ui helped Jung-woo by opening the instant ramen cups. He added that ramen definitely tasted better when cooked with boiling water rather than lukewarm water from the dispenser.

When he jokingly said that thanks to Heon-ju, they no longer had to eat undercooked ramen, Heon-ju blushed and responded with a bit of playful charm.

“If you want, Sunbae, I can boil ten cups of ramen for you.”

He was truly a junior that Jung-woo could learn a lot from. As a sign of encouragement, Yoon-ui gave him a light pat on the back, though it caused the flames to flare up wildly, slightly scorching the plastic handle of the kettle. Still, it was almost perfect.

Young Espers were often clumsy with their control. Watching the flames flare up from this massive “baby chick,” Yoon-ui chuckled. As long as his juniors could make good ramen, it didn’t matter if an S-class Esper with fire abilities occasionally let loose. His own future was the real problem. When he thought about what to do next, even the ramen broth didn’t go down smoothly.

Though, to be honest, the noodles went down just fine. After skillfully finishing every bit of the ramen, Yoon-ui sighed as he looked at his juniors who were still eating with their faces practically buried in the cups.

It was pointless to consult these young ones about his worries, but sitting around agonizing by himself wasn’t good for his health either, so he casually poked at the not-so-cute juniors who were enjoying their ramen.

“Jung-woo.”

“Don’t talk to me while I’m eating.”

“When your senior speaks to you, at least look up and acknowledge it.”

Jung-woo briefly lifted his head just enough to reveal the top of his head, giving a look that seemed to say, “Satisfied?” before quickly ducking back down. What could Yoon-ui say to a head that showed not even a trace of respect for his senior?

Still, with such shallow human connections, there wasn’t anyone else he could share these lingering thoughts with. So, Yoon-ui had no choice but to voice his concerns to the disrespectful top of Jung-woo’s head.

“Hey. Just hypothetically speaking, what would you think if I said I was moving to an administrative role?”

“I wouldn’t think anything at all.”

“You should try thinking once in a while.”

As expected, Jung-woo’s reaction was as predictable as ever. Knowing what he was like, Yoon-ui wasn’t even disappointed. Surprisingly, it was Heon-ju, who had been quietly and diligently sipping his ramen broth, who reacted. Startled, Heon-ju put down his cup of ramen and looked at Yoon-ui.

“What do you mean by moving to an administrative role?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. No more guiding, just doing administrative work at the center.”

“Is it even possible for a guide to stop guiding?”

Oh. When Heon-ju opens his eyes wide, his double eyelids disappear. Yoon-ui chuckled at Heon-ju’s surprised expression. His already large eyes grew even bigger, and his dark, moist pupils seemed to be shouting out exactly what he was feeling and thinking. His face was so expressive and honest with his emotions.

Softened by Heon-ju’s cute reaction, Yoon-ui felt compelled to explain things in more detail to this young Esper.

“I don’t do dedicated guiding much these days, do I? Plus, I’m non-combat. A guide who doesn’t guide isn’t much different from an administrative staff member. Just an admin who can do some guiding. Surprisingly, there are quite a few cases like that.”

“Oh… So not all guides go out in the field or work in the guiding room?”

“Exactly. If that were the case, why would Jung-woo and I be here?”

It seemed like Heon-ju really knew nothing about the organization’s structure. Seeing the innocent confusion on the young Esper’s face, Yoon-ui grabbed some paper and a pen and quickly sketched out an organizational chart. He started by drawing two centers and two departments, then used circles to group each center and department together.

“Okay, so our Central Crisis Management Headquarters is a mix of different government departments. Here, the places labeled as ‘centers’ are where the Ministry of National Defense Espers primarily work. Over here are the administrative departments of the headquarters. But there are also administrative staff in the centers, and Espers in the headquarters’ administrative departments, like Jung-woo and me. This is called secondment.”

When it came to explaining the organization’s structure, there was no better instructor than Yoon-ui. He briefly explained the complementary relationship between the two groups—the centers and the administrative departments—and how the secondment system worked.