TG Ch 1 Part 11

Jeong Taeyul had come for compatibility testing with the new esper. Consequently, Sijin lowered his voice slightly.

“The efficiency must be high due to the A-Rank Guide.”

Sijin quickly understood yesterday’s situation. A C-Rank Esper and an A-Rank Guide. With such a gap, it was like lighting someone on fire then throwing them onto an iceberg to cool off.

Sijin let out a small sigh. He felt unusually tense this morning, which seemed to resonate with Seo Gyuho as Seo Gyuho’s whispers became faster.

“What should I do? Did he hear me cursing? Can he tell that I’m nervous now? Is he here to torment me? Am I sweating too much? Can he hear us talking from outside?”

“Calm down. He can’t hear us unless you shout.”

“I’m really glad. I thought I was going to die. I thought he would train me until I threw up again.”

“You become more talkative when nervous.” Sijin gently smiled as he tapped Seo Gyuho’s arm. Then he told him to get dressed while starting to organize the test results.

Meanwhile, Jeong Taeyul continued observing them casually from behind the tempered glass. He seemed focused solely on Sijin, disregarding Seo Gyuho entirely. Sensing his hostile gaze, Sijin silently sighed.

‘At least, he won’t be able to make me train until I puke.’

Sijin felt relieved for being just an ordinary person. Ability Users faced penalties if they harmed civilians.

‘At least, he won’t be able to make me train until I puke.’

Sijin felt relieved for being just an ordinary person. Ability Users faced penalties if they harmed civilians.

At that moment, Seo Gyuho emerged wearing his black combat uniform and nervously asked:

“Dr. Baek… Are you going to reprimand him as you mentioned earlier?”

“I’ll use my authority to its fullest extent.”

Sijin reassured Seo Gyuho, keeping in mind his duty to protect the weak under the shield of law. Seo Gyuho, slightly relieved, leaned closer and whispered quietly:

“I wish I had power like Dr. Baek.”

“It’s not as impressive once you have it… Aim for becoming an S-Rank esper instead.” Sijin patted Seo Gyuho on the back while advising him to work hard. He needed powerful Espers on his side since he was already noticed by an A-Rank guide. It was a somewhat disheartening reality.

***

Before the compatibility rate test, there was a simple examination required. Firstly, Jeong Taeyul conducted a basic wave check to confirm if Seo Gyuho’s energy inside his body was stable.

Meanwhile, Sijin started nagging him immediately:

“What would’ve happened if he truly lost control during training? You shouldn’t push hard with training before completing the basic tests.”

Despite his stern words, Jeong Taeyul smiled as if unaffected. Seeing this calm smile, Sijin furrowed his brow in confusion.

Jeong Taeyul glanced at him quizzically before turning his attention to the side. There stood Seo Gyuho, hands clasped behind his back and maintaining a firm posture.

“Did you say something?”

“Not at all!”

“I just helped the esteemed fire attribute esper train as much as he desired.”

Seo Gyuho looked somewhere in the air and swallowed nervously, his anxiety evident on his face. Seeing this, Sijin called across the table to Jeong Taeyul.

“Guide Jeong Taeyul, please look here.”

“Yes.”

Sijin’s patience began wearing thin at how relaxed Jeong Taeyul remained despite being scolded.

“First, let’s measure your basic wave value.”

Sijin started with the examination. They sat facing each other across the table. Sijin placed Jeong Taeyul’s right arm on the surface. He had him hold a silver metallic sphere about the size of his fist while wrapping a black pad around his muscular forearm. This equipment was used for a simple measurement of one’s base wave value.

“The measurement takes about a minute. Please don’t talk during this time.”

“Understood.”

Sijin spoke the usual words as he held Jeong Taeyul’s arm. His white hands touched his moderately tanned skin. Jeong Taeyul quietly looked down at their contact.

Soon, Sijin started the measurement by operating the device.

“Guide Jeong Taeyul.”

In the meantime, Sijin calmly addressed him. He met his pale brown eyes gazing softly back at him. To avoid being captivated by that languid gaze, Sijin quickly continued speaking:

“No matter how confident you are in your abilities, caution is essential. Regardless of him being a fire attribute Esper, training an Esper who just arrived at the center without undergoing basic tests could lead to trouble. What if their wave frequency was unstable? Yesterday, there could’ve been a serious incident involving an Ability User losing control.”

“……”

The corners of Jeong Taeyul’s lips slowly curled up as if he was challenging him to continue. His eyebrows arched with amusement, and his bulging arm muscles occasionally twitched beneath visible veins. Despite feeling threatened by this display, Sijin didn’t stop nagging him.

“In the future, newly recruited or Ability Users who haven’t been assessed for over a month will be prohibited from training or missions without exception. For now, I’ve placed a temporary ban on six members, including Esper Ham Geonwu.”

“……”

“I’m informing you first as the Alpha Team captain. Remember, this isn’t a suggestion.”

“…Wow.”

“Don’t speak!” Jeong Taeyul had spoken before the measurement was complete, which instantly infuriated Sijin. However, Jeong Taeyul stared at him, unperturbed, mumbling:

“You’re ordering me now.”

“Ha.”

Obviously, if it wasn’t advice, then it was a command. Without waiting for a response, Sijin irritably reset the machine. In reality, speaking during basic measurements had only a minor impact on the results, but Sijin never let such things slide. If one allowed small infractions to pass unchecked, people would eventually disregard more significant issues as well.

However, Jeong Taeyul remained unruffled despite the reset.

“The captains might strongly resist if you unilaterally make this decision, Doctor. Do you think that will lower their danger levels?”

“At least we’ll prevent cases of unexpected explosions due to ignorance.”

Sijin’s firm stance made Jeong Taeyul chuckle, as if he understood his predicament.

In truth, Jeong Taeyul was used to this type of situation. The captain of the Ability Users team and the diagnostic examination team were always at odds with each other. The examination team frequently banned missions to reduce the danger levels, causing inconvenience for captains as their active members decreased. With fewer people on-site, injury rates increased or overall performance suffered, leading to inevitable resistance from the captains.

‘I must stand my ground, no matter how difficult.’

Sijin internally resolved himself, aware of this dynamic. Knowing Jeong Taeyul’s nature, even if he agreed with Sijin’s assessment, he would likely challenge his stance just because it was his opinion. In a short span, Sijin mentally prepared dozens of counterarguments.

“I understand.”

“…Pardon?”

“I understand. Let’s ban Ham Geonwu from participating.”

Unexpectedly, Jeong Taeyul readily agreed and nodded without any fuss. Sijin was taken aback by this turn of events.

‘Why is he smiling? Is it to show me that he’s being lenient? Or does he plan to confront them later?’

Despite his charming smile, Sijin’s suspicions only grew stronger. He also worried if Seo Gyuho might face repercussions later.

“Seo Gyuho, go ahead to Lab 2.”

“Yes, sir.”

Contrary to Sijin’s expectations, Jeong Taeyul didn’t pick a fight with Seo Gyuho. Instead, he dismissed him first, sensing Seo Gyuho’s discomfort. Seo Gyuho hastily left, looking relieved. It seemed Jeong Taeyul had a surprisingly straightforward and clean-cut personality, contrary to what he anticipated.

‘Well… that’s good.’

Sijin felt slightly relieved witnessing this scene. He then gripped Jeong Taeyul’s muscular arm again to continue his examination.

“Hmm, okay… I’ll perform the test once more. This time, please don’t speak.”

Before he could begin, Jeong Taeyul abruptly asked:

“Why were you tied up by Ham Geonwu yesterday?”

“……”

“And why did you take his ID card?”

Sijin paused while holding onto Jeong Taeyul’s arm. It seemed this might have been the conversation topic Jeong Taeyul had initially wanted.

‘When exactly did he see us?’

They were in an isolated spot. Sijin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“What were the two of you discussing that… even Ham Geonwu keeps it a secret from me?”

“That… it’s nothing important.”

“Really?” Jeong Taeyul crossed his legs and leaned back casually. The power dynamic between them shifted as they sat across from each other at the table. Based on their body language alone, it seemed like Jeong Taeyul was now Sijin’s superior.

“Well then, please share this ‘nothing important’ with me.”