SOG Ch 39

Looking closer, the wavelength stability didn’t seem to have dropped much, but Jae-chan still asked. As usual when on a mission, the eyes that were sunken like a dark curtain stared at him with a long silence.

“Only real guiding.”

When faced with silence, Jae-chan added an explanation. Thanks to his accumulated experience up until the age of twenty-seven, he didn’t feel any pressure from Go Woo-jin at this point, but he kept adding explanations.

“I’ll just hold your hand.”

It still stung him because of what he’d done to Woo-jin thus far. It was time to figure out how to effectively communicate his purely guiding intentions.

“You’ve got a call.”

Woo-jin spoke briefly. It was a voice that seemed to be stained with the smoky soot of the protest scene.

Only then did Jae-chan feel the vibration inside his jacket pocket. Watching Woo-jin take a step back, he accepted the phone call.

– Hello, Guide Seon Jae-chan, this is the Emergency Guiding Center. Where are you now?

As soon as he picked up, a chattering voice came through.

“Yes? I’m at the memorial hall.”

– It will take about 10 minutes. This is a higher-up request. Please come directly to the Emergency Guiding Center.

Then it cut off.

Seon Jae-chan raised his eyebrows at the screen that had been turned off. Normally, in case of an emergency, the off-duty Guides in the center would be called, so this was a very unusual situation.

Besides, it was a request from the higher-up.

Jae-chan rummaged through the message box, looking for a message that could serve as a hint, but it was empty. Frustration slowly crept in. It was due to the fact that the enjoyment of visiting Go Woo-jin had disappeared. It takes a long time to guide Woo-jin because he is an S-class Esper, but there’s an emergency call right now.

He was frowning at the empty message box at the time. Go Woo-jin approached after only watching the group of protesters who had suddenly gone silent.

Long fingers wrapped around Jae-chan’s dangling wrist. Jae-chan froze and then pulled away.

“…?”

His wrists were gently held, leaving a little space between his skin. “Woo Jin-ah,” he called out, feeling the warm body temperature. He was wondering what the situation was.

“It’s a call from the Emergency Guiding Center.”

Go Woo-jin slowed down his walking speed and only turned his head slightly. It seemed that he overheard the call.

“…Yeah.”

The steps of two people with different strides became aligned. When Go Woo-jin noticed Seon Jae-chan nodding in affirmation, he returned his gaze forward and immediately requested a ride to the nearest working office. He swept a hand through his disheveled hair and spoke in a slightly sooty voice.

“You said you’d guide me. Let’s go together.”

*

An official car driven by a Working Bureau engineer had just passed through the 8-lane boulevard connecting the Center and the Capitol.

Following the ceremony, traffic on the roads slowed, but there was no need to worry because the Esper-Guide Central Management Headquarters was close to the Capitol. Even if the road was crowded, they’d be there in 10 minutes because it was such a short distance.

However, that short time feels longer than ever…

Seon Jae-chan glanced sideways. Go Woo-jin was sitting with an oblique gaze outside the car window in a city area with high-rise buildings.

‘To think he asked for guiding first.’

It was the first time in years.

Even when Woo-jin had been forced to come to him when he was at his limit, he had rarely asked for guiding himself, and even less so since Nam Hae-sol had appeared.

Has there been a change of heart? Had he started to like him even a little bit?

‘…What like, he’s just doing it because he needs some guiding.’

Jae-chan clicked his tongue and looked out the window again. He sank low into the back seat. Go Woo-jin had liked his guiding since the first time they met when they were 14 years old. He was the one who used it as a threat and gradually began to control and restrain Woo-jin’s surroundings. 

In other words, it was only when Jae-chan stopped being a jerk that Woo-jin started asking for the guiding he needed.

He shouldn’t have been mistaken. Jae-chan wiped the wrist that had been gripped a moment ago with a shallow sigh. His heart skipped a beat when Woo-jin’s large hand wrapped around his wrist and the back of his hand at the same time, but it must have been minor contact to him. It was probably just one of the favors he show to normal people.

Let’s not give meaning to it. It was him who will become unhappy when he began to place meaning on trivial favors.

“We’ve arrived.”

The official car passed the entrance of the Central Administration Headquarters and stopped in front of came to a stop in front of the Emergency Guiding Center. The two men stepped out of the car and greeted the staff at the desk.

The area in front of the Emergency Guidance Center appeared to be deserted. Seon Jae-chan led the way while brushing the back of his head. Woo-jin followed in silence. It was time to walk through the deck and into the front door. Seon  Jae-chan’s eyes widened as he saw the automatic door with the words ‘Emergency Guiding Center’ opened.

Off-duty Guides gathered and stood in the emergency center for some reason. They chattered and exchanged awkward glances as soon as he entered. They tried not to show it, but the awkwardness was palpable.

“Guide Seon Jae-chan. Welcome.”

Through the strange atmosphere, a middle-aged man with gray hair approached. He’s the director of the emergency guiding center, and he rarely leaves his office over there.

“There was someone looking for a Guide Seon, so I contacted you immediately. Oh, you’re here with Esper Go Woo-jin?”

“It will be difficult to get guiding right now,” the director, who was in his fifties, muttered. It was at this point that he wondered what the director meant. Three people stepped out of the office door behind the center desk.

Seon Jae-chan’s eyes trembled when he found the person at the front of the group.

“Jae-chan.”

The other person called him in a very friendly manner.

A military uniform with star-studded rectangular epaulets, the Union flag, and a plethora of badges. On his chest, three reddish plum blossoms with golden arrow marks bloomed, indicating that he was a general officer.

His unwavering smile deepened beneath the perfectly swept hair that wasn’t a strand out of place. Esper Seon Min-yeol was once known as the “Shield of the Unified People.”

Jae-chan’s father came over and patted his son on the shoulder.

*

Jae-chan couldn’t figure out what was going on. His father was supposed to be at a dinner reception for the president’s family, and he didn’t know why his father was looking for him.

Taking advantage of the lack of response, his father changed his attention. The place he approached with delight was Go Woo-jin, who had been watching the situation from behind.

“You. Long time no see.”

His father shook hands with a confident smile. Woo-jin, who had exchanged a firm handshake, was also smiling. Just like when he saw Woo-jin smiling at Seon Eun-soo, Jae-chan was once again gripped by the idea of ​​unfairness. Woo-jin never smiled at him even after his regression.

Ah. What kind of stupid idea do you have?

It wasn’t the time to think about these things. Jae-chan had time to think about the situation thanks to his father, who was always looking out for Go Woo-jin as if he were a member of the Seon family.

Seon Jae-chan’s eyes scanned the surroundings. It was to see if there were any hints that could help him understand the situation.

First, there were the two men who had accompanied his father. Their expressions were dissatisfied at being kept waiting. One of them was a familiar figure. He was the Esper who had escaped the emergency guiding center the day before.

Heo Moon-gi, whose face had thinned the day before, lifted his chin vigorously as their gazes met. Jae-chan wondered why he was like that, but unlike his father, Seon Jae-chan did not lose his smile. It was when Heo Moon-gi frowned upon seeing that despicable appearance.

After finishing his greeting with Go Woo-jin, Esper Seon Min-yeol turned to him.

“Jae-chan. Say hello. This is Heo Gyu-sik, Team Leader of Esper Team 4.”

His father introduced him to the last person, who Jae-chan didn’t know who he was. It was only then that Jae-chan realized the middle-aged man with the dissatisfied expression was Heo Moon-gi’s father. 

‘Hey. I’m Heo Moon-gi, Esper Heo Gyu-sik’s son, who is now the leader of Team 4 of the Esper Team.’

Jae-chan remembered hearing that from Heo Moon-gi. It turned out that there was a bit of a father-son resemblance.

Heo Gyu-sik, a man with a stout physique, was a man he had no memory of. Given that the future team leader of Esper Team 4 with whom Seon Jae-chan is familiar was a different person, Heo Gyu-sik in front of him appeared to be quickly stepping down from the team leader position.

Then why did this situation happen?

Jae-chan’s eyes sank as he found several connections. He hid his thoughts and bowed his head straight.

“Hello. I’m Seon Jae-chan from Guide Team 2.”

“You’re the one who accused the promising Esper as a bastard, right?”

The voice crackled like a ping-pong ball thrown against a wall. Team leader Heo Gyu-sik was radiating the violent Esper wavelength. The threatening behavior made some of the Guides uncomfortable, but Jae-chan didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you sure that the accused Esper is Esper Heo Moon-gi?”