TG Ch 8 Part 5

Sijin, who had thought something serious had happened, relaxed and looked at them.

“What’s wrong? You scared me… Why did you knock so fiercely?”

“……”

Despite Sijin’s casual tone, neither of them answered. Instead, Jeong Taeyul scanned Sijin and Kwon Jiwon with his characteristically sharp eyes. Because of the video call, Kwon Jiwon had been leaning against the desk, and Sijin had been nestled close to him. Realizing this belatedly, Sijin moved away from his friend.

Ham Geonwu finally spoke, a venomous smile on his face, “We heard you being… very friendly.”

“U-Uh… I showed you a picture of the baby last time, right? This is my friend I told you about.”

Sijin forced a smile. But the two A-ranks were not only expressionless but also radiating a chilling aura. Judging by the atmosphere, they looked like they could kill a monster with their glares alone.

‘Do they not like the new examiner…?’

The bright smile on Sijin’s face slowly faded.

Ham Geonwu, unable to hide his characteristically heavy aura, even glared at Kwon Jiwon with sharp, hawk-like eyes. And Jeong Taeyul and Ham Geonwu, who usually bickered so much, were now communicating with glances and small hand signals. The gestures were so fast that Sijin, watching from right in front of them, couldn’t follow.

Sijin, his eyes darting back and forth, finally regained his composure.

“What’s wrong with you two…!”

Sijin grabbed the backs of their hands to stop them. Then, to alleviate the awkward atmosphere, he introduced them.

“Hmm, Jiwon, let’s start with introductions. This is Esper Ham Geonwu and Guide Jeong Taeyul.”

“……”

“……”

“They both look nice, right? Kids, this is the promotion examiner who will conduct your S-rank test. Say hello.”

Sijin kindly introduced them to each other.

But an awkward silence filled the examination room.

“Kids…?”

The smile on Sijin’s face gradually disappeared. Jeong Taeyul and Ham Geonwu’s faces now seemed menacing.

Then, Jeong Taeyul abruptly asked, “Didn’t you say he was married?”

“Uh… Yes, he is.”

Sijin, unsure why he was asking that, stood there awkwardly and nodded. Ham Geonwu’s expression hardened even further, and Jeong Taeyul’s face became even more devoid of expression. His lack of expression felt colder and more intimidating.

“Right… They look really nice.”

Kwon Jiwon, who had been observing the situation, finally spoke, sounding somewhat resigned. His now expressionless face showed traces of his former tiger examiner persona.

An awkward expression spread across Sijin’s face at the unexpected situation.

“Hmm, they’re usually not like this…”

Sijin said with an uneasy smile.

Actually, they were usually like this. Even Sijin himself had been intimidated by both of them when they first met. He had forgotten that because they had become closer.

Still, he had thought they would at least be polite to Kwon Jiwon, an S-rank promotion examiner, but he hadn’t expected them to be openly hostile.

Sijin stood between the two ability users and tried to appease them.

“Why are you both acting like this… He’s an examiner who came all the way here.”

“Are we supposed to be nice to everyone who comes from far away?”

“Geonwu…!”

Sijin scolded him sternly. But both of them turned their heads away like rebellious teenagers, ignoring him. Sijin felt sorry for his friend.

Kwon Jiwon, observing the scene, took control of the situation.

“Well, we can do introductions later. Let’s just do the basic promotion examination~. We should finish before dinner.”

“Oh, r-right. I’ll help.”

Sijin forced a smile. Then, with a pointed look at Ham Geonwu and Jeong Taeyul, he urged them to proceed with the examination.

That day, Sijin didn’t know how much he trembled throughout the examination.

He felt like he was watching over wild beasts that might pounce on Kwon Jiwon at any moment. He could feel what it meant to kill someone with a look, even though the killing intent wasn’t directed at him.

In the end, Sijin voluntarily doubled his workload. He couldn’t help it with the ability users’ menacing aura. And by the time they finally finished the basic promotion examination, Sijin was utterly exhausted.

***

Late into the evening, Ham Geonwu and Jeong Taeyul returned after completing their basic promotion examinations. Sijin stayed in the examination room with Kwon Jiwon to review the measurement results.

Alone with his friend, Sijin spoke hesitantly, “Um, Jiwon. You were surprised by the kids earlier, weren’t you? I’m sorry.”

“Huh? No, it’s fine as long as they completed the examination properly.”

“Still…”

Kwon Jiwon brushed off Sijin’s apology. Perhaps because of his happy marriage, the tiger examiner had softened considerably. Sijin was grateful for that.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Kwon Jiwon said wearily, “It’s not like it’s the first time ability users have been wary of examiners. But they did give me some unexpected advice.”

“What?”

“Well, what did Ham Geonwu say… He suddenly told me to cherish my family.”

“……?”

That wasn’t like Geonwu. Sijin found it odd. Had his preference for married men finally reversed?

Still, it wasn’t right for him to speak to an examiner that way. Sijin decided to give the two A-ranks, who had been rude to Kwon Jiwon all day, a piece of his mind.

Then, Kwon Jiwon gestured to Sijin and said, “Dr. Baek, come and take a look at the measurement results.”

Kwon Jiwon was examining the total wave measurement device he had brought from the central center. It was expensive equipment worth several billion won, used to measure the total amount of waves an ability user held in their heart. Sijin jokingly called it the “Mana Measurement Device”.

“Wow… they’re bringing the wave measurement device directly now.”

“Yeah. Amazing, right? But it’s a bit heavy.”

Kwon Jiwon said, showing Sijin the results sheet first. Sijin thanked him for his hard work and looked at the sheet.

And as soon as he saw the results, Sijin’s eyes widened.

[Ability User Total Wave Measurement Results]

[Esper Ham Geonwu: +25,721] [S-]

[Guide Jeong Taeyul: -21,197] [A+]

“As expected, both of them are close to S-rank in wave capacity…”

“Ham Geonwu, especially, is naturally gifted.”

“If he gets good scores in other categories this time, he’ll get an S-rank, right?”

“Well… Let’s see the control results first.”

Kwon Jiwon operated the pad next to him. The basic test they conducted today also included a ‘Wave Control Test’.

‘Wave Control’ measured how precisely an ability user could handle their ability and was one of the promotion test subjects. Precise control was necessary to protect loved ones and effectively defeat monsters.

[Wave Control Test Results]

[Esper Ham Geonwu: 257/300 points] [A]

[Guide Jeong Taeyul: 291/300 points] [S+]

“Huh…? Wait, Jeong Taeyul has S-rank control??”

“Yeah. I was really surprised when I first saw it.”

Kwon Jiwon said, glancing at the results sheet. He tapped on Jeong Taeyul’s score and said, “He has the highest control among all ability users in our country, including S-ranks.”

“That’s impossible, he’s only twenty-eight…!”

Sijin couldn’t hide his astonishment.

Wave control, like firearm proficiency, was a category that required constant practice to improve. That was why Ham Geonwu practiced every day by flipping coins. With high control, he would be able to launch hundreds of coins like bullets.

But Jeong Taeyul, at only twenty-eight, had S-rank control. 291 points was a score Sijin had never seen before.

“So Ham Geonwu is talented, and Jeong Taeyul is hardworking. Does he only live to practice? What the…”

“I don’t know… With this level of control, he could probably handle even the waves of a hamster… Oh.”

Sijin suddenly remembered the days he’d been tormented by Jeong Taeyul.

‘He has such good control, and yet he made me faint with a kiss?’

Could it have been intentional, not a mistake? Feeling annoyed, Sijin clenched his fists pettily, trembling with indignation.

But at the same time, he was relieved that he had only fainted. If things had gone wrong, he might have been in a coma for days, having all his waves drained by Jeong Taeyul.

Then, Kwon Jiwon playfully asked, “Do you want to be measured too?”

“Me? Can it measure readings for ordinary people?”

“Yeah. It can measure total wave capacity.”

Kwon Jiwon chuckled and led Sijin over. Sijin willingly attached the examination equipment to his body. It was good for an examiner to experience the equipment firsthand.

Sijin unbuttoned his shirt down to his chest. To measure the total wave capacity, a patch had to be attached to the center of his chest. Kwon Jiwon helped him by attaching patches to the back of his neck and the center of his chest.

And after a complicated procedure, the meager test results came out.

[Ability User Total Wave Measurement Results]

[(Unknown) +37] [FF]

“…37? Is the machine broken?”

“Pfft… What? Why did we get Baek Sijin’s physical age?”

“No way… Really? My waves are that insignificant?”

Sijin looked at the results again in disbelief. Some people possessed massive energy levels in the tens of thousands, and yet he only had 37… Kwon Jiwon laughed heartily next to the dumbfounded Sijin.

“Kekekeke… 37, he says.”

“Don’t laugh…”

“With this much difference, it would take 100 days of guiding to calm someone down.”

“Don’t compare me to them…”

Sijin replied glumly. He was already feeling down because of it, and the comparison made him feel even more dejected.

Sijin listlessly put away the examination equipment and buttoned his shirt again.

“I shouldn’t have done the test…”

“What, are you bothered by it?”

“I’m… not. I’ll go to the cafe and get some coffee. Do you want any dessert?”

Sijin put on his white windbreaker and asked casually.

But Kwon Jiwon just stared at him without answering. Then, while putting away the equipment, he said casually, “Hey, Mr. Baek Sijin.”

“Huh?”

“Guiding isn’t everything for an ability user.”

“……”

“Go for a walk. I’ll finish up here.”

“…Okay.”

Sijin quietly expressed his gratitude.

“Thanks.”

Then he quietly left the examination room.

He had told Jeong Taeyul that guiding wasn’t everything, and yet he himself was bothered by the fact that he was different from ability users. It was ironic.

***