SOG Ch 55

Snapping back to his senses, Jae-chan made an effort to regain his composure as he nodded in understanding.

“Because of that mission, I’ve scheduled the rematching evaluation for March.”

Once again, Woo-jin surprised him with his words.

Pair Espers and guides needed to undergo rematching evaluations once a year, and in the case of Woo-jin, the evaluation process took quite a while. To avoid discomfort, they had to coordinate and agree on a suitable date well in advance.

However, Woo-jin always hesitated to meet with him no matter the circumstances. Because of that, the usual practice was for Jae-chan to unilaterally make the reservation for the rematching evaluation. So, hearing Woo-jin bring up the rematching evaluation after such a long time was quite unexpected.

Woo-jin’s reaction warmed Jae-chan’s heart as he was starting to see him as a normal person(?). He wanted to say something in return.

“I’ll bring another Guide with me on that day.”

He shared one idea that had come to his mind.

“I said that within half a year, I would introduce you to a Guide with a high matching rate.”

It had been promised in October, so there was still time until the deadline in April, but it seemed preferable to move it up to March.

The lingering regret over the fact that Woo-jin and Nam Hae-sol had eventually met seemed to have washed away completely. In his eagerness to please the other person, Jae-chan spoke with a slightly excited voice.

“It was the Guide from earlier. Guide Nam Hae-sol.”

He observed Woo-jin’s expression, but the other man was only looking at their hands that were joined for guiding. His composed blinking, along with his cool gaze and calm demeanor, made it nearly impossible to read his thoughts from his inscrutable expression.

And yet, there was a look of surprise overlaid on his face. Seon Jae-chan understood that it was because he recognized Guide Nam Hae-sol.

It was rare for him to gaze so piercingly at someone. Woo-jin’s unwavering attention on Nam Hae-sol seemed to imply that the two of them were fated to be connected.

‘I was supposed to support him anyway.’

Although a certain corner of his heart felt a bit heavy, he let out a relieved sigh. If Woo-jin could eventually find happiness, that would be enough. Thinking that way brought a small sense of happiness to him as well.

‘I’ll have to train Nam Hae-sol first.’

Lost in his thoughts, Jae-chan was more immersed in guiding as he adjusted Nam Hae-sol’s guiding training schedule in a Spartan way in his head. It was important to increase Woo-jin’s stability in guiding to a level close to 100 as he headed to the conflict zone.

Even if he only ate eel rice bowls for several days due to his declining energy, Jae-chan had to Guide him until it was finished. He tightly held Woo-jin’s hand and further stabilized their guiding resonance with sincerity. The sincerity of his feelings slightly touched Woo-jin’s heart. Woo-jin’s gaze dropped to the delicate tip of his Guide’s nose.

Seon Jae-chan felt the gaze but never raised his head to control his emotions.

*

During the month that Woo-jin was carrying out his long-term mission in the conflict zone District Z, Jae-chan had made up his mind to help Nam Hae-sol grow.

Nam Hae-sol had made significant achievements in the past. Since she was also involved in the Black Swan incident and shared some part of the turmoil, Jae-chan hoped that she would follow a path similar to her past. This would also aid in building her career as a guide.

‘She should originally have been assigned to Team 5…’

He had to solve this first. Hae-sol needs to be a part of Team 5, so she can follow up on her past more easily.

Due to this, he had to go through a slightly troublesome process. The atmosphere among the apprentices was not good, and Jae-chan clearly realized this. He had sensed it since the day in early February when Nam Hae-sol had suddenly approached him to apologize.

“Um… Sunbae. I’m sorry for the first day.”

He looked at Nam Hae-sol in bewilderment, wondering what this meant.

“I was just so happy… That’s why I was acting that way because I was happy to see you. It wasn’t about showing off in front of my classmates or anything like that.”

I won’t do it again. I’m sorry. Her face was troubled, and her hair seemed to be caught in her mouth as she spoke.

Jae-chan lightly tapped her right cheek, indicating that she had hair in her mouth. At the same time, he wondered why she was acting like this. The embarrassed Nam Hae-sol was fixing her hair, but her face turned redder as she fumbled.

While pretending to look elsewhere, Jae-chan asked, “Who said that?”

He glanced at Nam Hae-sol. Someone had definitely said something like that to her. It didn’t seem likely that Nam Hae-sol had come up with it on her own.

Her pupils flickered between their conversations.

Jae-chan’s gaze at her became more contemplative. Then, beyond the door to the office where they were sitting, he spotted three apprentices from Team 2 who were about to come in but paused upon seeing them.

Oh well.

Since Nam Hae-sol didn’t really have anyone to talk to, it was obvious that someone must have said such things to her.

It was a pitiful situation. Among the three apprentices, it seemed unlikely that any of them would stay in District 1 until next year, but the only one who would pass the evaluation, Nam Hae-sol, was being treated like a favorite.

Anyway, granting privileges to Nam Hae-sol in such a delicate situation would only worsen the atmosphere.

So, Jae-chan leveraged his connections. He arranged for each apprentice to visit different teams through a draw, as a means of improving the atmosphere.

So, around March, it was Nam Hae-sol’s turn to choose the last order.

Kururureung.

It happened to be a day when thunderstorms were rolling through.

At the end of February, the sky was a deep gray, occasionally flashing like a fluorescent light about to go out, and thunder rumbled in the distance. The spring that had been close for a few days seemed completely overshadowed by the chilly air. Even the path leading from the administrative building to the guiding integration system research building, which had been bustling with spring, seemed to be shouting for the spring to disappear due to the cold wind blowing through.

Wrapped tightly in a padded coat, Nam Hae-sol had her black hair, which she usually tied low in a high bun, whether due to the strong wind or a special determination. Looking down at her, who seemed 3 cm taller than usual, Seon Jae-chan asked,

“What would you like to drink?”

They were passing through wet and bumpy cobblestone blocks, turning into an alley that led to a well-known cafe chain within the center. Nam Hae-sol, who had been holding her umbrella tightly to prevent it from flipping inside out, shook her head. Jae-chan also didn’t want to stay out in the cold wind any longer than necessary. He quickly ordered a vanilla latte to-go using the touch panel.

“What about your knee? Is it okay now?”

Leading the apprentice back to the main road, Jae-chan asked again. After stumbling in the emergency guiding center, Nam Hae-sol had limped on her right leg for a while. It was due to a large bruise on her knee.

“Yes! It’s perfectly fine now!”

Shouting over the howling wind, she replied.

“Good to hear. By the way, if you find Team 5 appealing after this visitation, do you have any thoughts about moving to Team 5?”

Jae-chan subtly threw out the question.

Actually, Jae-chan had wanted to persuade Team Leader Lim Jeong-wook to put Nam Hae-sol directly into Team 5, but there was a possibility that she might be content with her time in Team 2. Despite the fact that her fellow apprentices seemed to dislike her, Hae-sol always had a bright expression without showing any signs of difficulty.

“Oh no! I like Team 2!”

Unexpectedly, the apprentice expressed her opinion strongly.

Seon Jae-chan nodded. In that case, there was only one way. “On the day of the incident,” he had to send Nam Hae-sol from Team 2 to Team 5. Just like he had done in the past during the Red-level typhoon.

Somehow, the stormy wind felt like it was foretelling this. Jae-chan clicked his tongue and continued walking.

“Could it be… are you sending me to Team 5 through this visiting tour?”

Hastily catching up, Nam Hae-sol asked.

“No, we’re just going to get our attendance marked. It’s good to know some people here and there.”

That way, Team 5’s Team Leader Lim Jeong-wook would be more likely to accept Hae-sol when she’s sent there later.

Jae-chan inwardly shrugged his shoulders. Amidst the sound of the drizzling rain, he asked.

“Did you volunteer for Team 2?”

He had taken on the role of an enthusiastic senior and inquired about the circumstances that led Nam Hae-sol to join Team 2 through interactions with the Human Resources Department. The HR staff had informed him that Nam Hae-sol had received an A-level designation, achieved excellent results in the national guiding exam, and had received many commendations during her temporary assignment in District 4. Therefore, she had been directly assigned to the guiding Team 2, which she had hoped for.

“Yes.”

Nam Hae-sol replied a little shyly.

By the time they reached the Guiding Engineering Research Institute, the rain had finally lessened to a drizzle. A signboard reading ‘579th Year, 1st Quarter Psychic Center Guiding Volunteer Service’ was dripping water steadily. The two of them passed through the entrance of the wet new building and entered the lobby.

As they were about to take off their umbrellas, an employee from the Operations Department approached them.

“Are you the Guide for Team 5?”

He roughly checked the two guides’ badges.

“Due to the heavy rain, the volunteer location has been moved indoors. It’s on the 4th floor. Uh, did you come here for guiding?”

The employee from the Operations Department left for the one that came after them. Jae-chan and Nam Hae-sol took the elevator up to the 4th floor.

The large practice room with state-of-the-art facilities was bustling with people there for free guiding – Esper individuals from outside the center, guides, and staff from the Operations Department preparing for an event.

“Jae-chan, long time no see!”

Jae-chan was greeted warmly as usual by Team Leader Lim Jeong-wook.