TG Ch 1 Part 3

At that moment, someone in the training facility lifted a giant chunk of ice using telekinesis. Sijin’s gaze naturally shifted towards that direction.

‘If it’s telekinesis, could it be…?’

A spark of vitality began to flicker in Sijin’s eyes. Among rare telekinetic Ability Users, there would likely be only one Esper who could control telekinesis so freely.

The staff beside him explained naturally, “Esper Ham Geonwu. A-Rank Esper from Team Alpha.”

“It seems like he has grown well.”

“Pardon?”

The staff asked in confusion. Sijin looked at Ham Geonwu in the training facility and said, “When I saw him a long time ago, he was just like me. No, maybe even smaller…”

“It seems like you two know each other.”

“Not really.”

Sijin quietly smiled and added, “I remember Esper Ham Geonwu, who saved me ten years ago.”

Sijin thought back to the time when Ham Geonwu, still showing traces of youth, reached out to him in the darkness. He may not have recognized him at first glance due to his growth, but the old memories seemed to linger on his face.

“At that time, he was just a high school student… He has certainly grown up impressively. I never thought he would become such an amazing A-Rank Esper.”

Sijin smiled as if he was proud of himself. Although there was a high possibility that Ham Geonwu had forgotten about him as an ordinary person, Sijin hadn’t forgotten. How could he forget someone who had saved his life?

Moreover, now as a diagnostic examiner, he could do his best to help him. Sijin felt proud.

Then, a soft voice was heard from the side. “I heard that Dr. Baek volunteered to work at F12 Center.”

“Yes.”

“Is it because of Ham Geonwu?”

At the question, Sijin looked up. The handsome staff member quietly smiled down at him. Since Sijin had nothing to hide, he nodded honestly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why?”

At the question, Sijin chuckled slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Because Esper Ham Geonwu is my benefactor. Well… to be honest, it may sound grandiose, but I just wanted to repay him a little for his kindness by volunteering.”

Sijin said as he walked. Then, as he walked out of the training facility, he suddenly asked something that came to mind.

“But, by any chance, has Esper Ham Geonwu been matched with anyone?”

“No.”

“Then who is the Guide with the highest matching rate? Are they perhaps in a romantic relationship?”

“Haha… Why do you ask?”

The staff member, lowering his gaze, chuckled and asked in a discrete manner. Following suit, Sijin also whispered softly.

“I’m just cautious because of the bond between espers and guides.”

“Oh, you mean the bond. It’s more like an obsession. Ability Users tend to have an unusually high possessiveness when the compatibility rate exceeds 60%. It’s quite fascinating.”

“I wouldn’t call it obsession… but I am worried. If my favorable feelings towards Esper Ham Geonwu are revealed…”

Sijin tilted his head in embarrassment. The handsome staff member nodded as if understanding.

“Indeed. Guides can be quite possessive.”

“…..”

“It’s better to at least see what abilities the Esper is using, right? If you annoy a Guide, you’d be scared to think about how they might manipulate the energy in your body. Isn’t that right? In the mental field, right?”

“Well… that’s kind of discriminatory.”

“Pardon?”

The staff tilted his gaze and asked. Sijin hesitated whether he should point out the discriminatory remark, but as a staff member working at the Ability Center, it didn’t seem right to let such discriminatory remarks slide.

“First of all, it’s not accurate to say that Guides are in the mental field. It’s not surprising for Ability Users to have any particular traits.”

“Is that so?”

The staff asked curiously. Sijin wondered if he really needed to explain this, but he started explaining patiently.

“It’s just a difference between being born with positive energy in your body and being an Esper, or being born with negative energy and being a Guide. Other than that, there’s no difference from ordinary people.”

“…..”

“They are just people born with abilities, nothing more. Emotions based on matching rates are not an obsession but simply an instinct to maintain a bond. …It’s better to be careful with your words in front of Ability Users.”

The staff had no response to Sijin’s advice.

However, as Sijin learned more about Ability Users, he realized that they were not to be feared.

Esper, born with strong positive energy, harnessing the power of nature freely.

Guide, born with strong negative energy, reading the energy of nature and moving freely.

And ‘Guiding’ is simply an act of harmonizing the opposing energies of positive and negative to calm the body.

Humanity has walked a foolish history over this simple fact. The gaze that feared and rejected the minority still lingered in society. It was a pity.

The staff, who had been silent for a moment, spoke up.

“…I didn’t know well. Thank you for informing me.”

“No problem. I was also afraid until I knew the truth.”

Sijin spoke encouragingly. It was a natural instinct to feel fear of the unknown.

The staff looked at Sijin silently for a moment, then unfolded a pad and explained.

“There is one Guide with a matching rate of 70% for Esper Ham Geonwu. He is the captain of the same Alpha Team, an A-Rank Guide.”

The staff kindly smiled and handed the pad to Sijin. After a few taps, basic information along with a photo appeared.

[(C) Alpha Team – Jeong Taeyul]

[A-Rank Guide – Not Imprinted]

[191cm 87kg 28y]

“Ham Geonwu and he have been friends for 10 years, so their matching rate is quite high. It’s 70% as I mentioned.”

“It’s relatively high, but… for friends of 10 years, it’s actually quite low.”

Sijin murmured as he looked at the pad.

Matching rates were primarily innate, but it tends to naturally increase when espers and guides spend a long time sharing wavelengths. In addition, there were cases where the matching rate changed based on intimacy, making maintaining a sense of connection between espers and guides a basic team task.

“Still, Jeong Taeyul has the highest matching rate. Oh, Dr. Baek will interact with Jeong Taeyul the most. The Alpha Team participates in the most missions and has the most to discuss.”

“I see…”

Sijin glanced further down at the information about Jeong Taeyul shown by the staff, feeling disappointed when he confirmed that it was not accessible due to security levels. Meanwhile, the staff continued to explain kindly.

“Jeong Taeyul not only has good performance but is also popular at the Center. And he also looks handsome, right?”

“Well, yes…”

Sijin, who wasn’t particularly interested in appearances, responded casually.

He briefly looked at the photo of Jeong Taeyul. A man smiling like a fashion model was seen. His refined and attractive face seemed more suited for an actor than a captain of an Ability Unit.

As Sijin looked at the photo, the staff’s explanation continued.

“Jeong Taeyul has a good personality. If you just cut off personal interest in Ham Geonwu, you’ll get along well.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to hide it well.”

“Cut it off. What do you think?”

“…What?”

Suddenly, the staff’s tone changed abruptly. The once friendly voice now lowered significantly.

Flustered, Sijin looked up. Strangely, the staff’s face bore a subtle smirk.

‘No, wait…’

Sijin, sensing something amiss, felt a shiver run down his spine. His face started to pale.

At the same time, the man coldly chuckled.

“Doctor.”

“You can’t be…”

Sijin nervously opened his mouth. Then, he alternated his gaze between the pad and the staff.

The face in the photo and the man in front of him looked strikingly similar.

“Did you deceive me?”

The staff tilted his head slightly and took off his glasses.

He ran his hand through the brown hair that had been swept over his forehead, tousling it casually. Then, he slyly smiled as if he had never shown a friendly smile.

‘It can’t be…’

In an instant, the man’s appearance in the photo overlapped with the man in front of him. Sijin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“I did mention it earlier, didn’t I?” the real Jeong Taeyul said. Sijin was completely taken aback in front of him.

He said he was from the administration staff, so why was the busy Alpha team captain personally greeting him?

And for Jeong Taeyul to hear directly from himself that he had an interest in Ham Geonwu. Sijin felt despair from day one.