TDG Ch 17

Even when I raised my eyebrows and glared at him, Song Hyunho simply smiled, unfazed.

“Anyway, I’m betting on this, so please enjoy your role as the hostage, Guide Seo Juwon.”

Enjoy it? What the hell is this lunatic talking about!

Isn’t this way too reckless? What if those two end up fighting and Jihyuk, even for a second, loses control…? In that moment, a sudden realization flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning.

…So that’s it.

This guy actually wants that to happen.

Most likely, Song Hyunho has rarely had the chance to push his abilities to the limit. Just like those movie heroes who can’t control their sudden super strength and end up ripping out faucets or smashing through walls, he must have always lived cautiously, trying not to hurt the people around him by accident.

But now he’s got a chance to go all out officially? No way he’d turn that down.

I thought it was strange how happy he seemed from the start, like he’d just won the lottery… At first, he pretended otherwise to save face, but now he’s not even bothering to hide how giddy he is.

I thought he was a good person, and that hasn’t changed, but clearly Song Hyunho can’t escape his peculiar streak of madness. Damn Esper traits…

What the hell are you going to do about this, Director Kim Yuhwan?

If those two go off and blow up the entire Center training facility, don’t come looking for me. I had nothing to do with it.

In the blink of an eye, Song Hyunho reached the fourth floor and gently set me down nearby.

“You’re not going to tie me up? What if I run away?”

“Please act as you see fit, Guide Seo Juwon. Managing the hostage is part of my role, after all.”

A superhuman who could cover a hundred meters in just one second spoke kindly, full of consideration.

“……”

F**k…

F**k…! Getting humiliated like this again at this damn training facility…!

Just tie me up already, for god’s sake…!

In any case, once I’m confined inside the “hostage zone,” I can’t leave until the scenario is cleared. The only ones who could pull me out were Song Hyunho and the terrorists.

Apparently recognizing Song Hyunho as their leader, the simulated terrorists had surrounded the area, focusing solely on patrolling the perimeter.

Bang—! Tatatatata!

Gunfire and explosions began to ring out in the distance. Han Jihyuk must’ve reached the third floor.

Letting out a short whistle, Song Hyunho casually made a suggestion.

“Shall we chat for a bit until Esper Han Jihyuk arrives?”

I wanted to say no, that it was too much of a hassle, but I wasn’t brave enough to openly express myself in front of an S-rank Esper with a physical enhancement skill.

I glared at him warily, then abruptly turned my back.

“Not reading Jihyuk’s records was your own choice, Esper Song Hyunho. Don’t even think about trying to fish for information.”

Song Hyunho let out a short laugh and shrugged, as if he hadn’t expected much in the first place.

“That’s fine with me. It’s clear you care deeply about your Esper, Guide Seo Juwon. I can see how seriously you take your job.”

He’s got the wrong idea. I’m not concerned about Han Jihyuk because of some sense of duty or professionalism.

But correcting him felt like too much effort, so I just let him think what he wanted.

“Well, thank you for thinking that.”

“That’s the beauty of dedicated partnerships. But if he passes this exam, doesn’t that mean the two of you will no longer be assigned to each other?”

The sudden change in topic made me feel uneasy. It was true, but why was this man even concerned about that?

“…Yes. But even if the assignment ends, I plan to stay by his side as long as he needs me.”

“I see.” He nodded slightly, then added as if the thought had just occurred to him.

“But what if Han Jihyuk doesn’t want Guide Seo Juwon by his side?”

I didn’t respond. He quickly added, “Don’t misunderstand. In this line of work, it’s best to keep a range of possibilities in mind.”

It seemed like Song Hyunho wanted to talk about the general tendencies of Espers.

Espers who say things like ‘Let’s keep working together’ or ‘I’ll make you my exclusive Guide,’ sweet-talk Guides into giving them their all, body and heart, only to discard them once they’ve gotten what they want. And the pitiful fate of a Guide is that even after being treated that way, they can’t even protest or express dissatisfaction. If an Esper flat-out denies it, nine times out of ten, the Guide ends up quitting with a mental breakdown.

So in his own way, Song Hyunho was trying to warn me, a rookie Guide, not to trust Espers too easily.

It was a nice thought, but it was also clear he hadn’t looked into my background properly. I’ve already seen the worst of what those Esper bastards can do while I was in Division 7. And Jihyuk isn’t that kind of rotten bastard anyway. Explaining all that felt tedious, so I decided to just say what he wanted to hear and move on.

“…Thanks for the advice.”

It was about time for Jung Ahyoon to make her appearance.

Even after our dedicated partnership ends, I’m going to hold on to Han Jihyuk no matter what, at least until he’s properly paired with someone else. Even if, by some awful chance, Jihyuk says he doesn’t want me around, I’m still not letting go.

Just as Kwon Minwook said, I’ll show everyone at the Center exactly what kind of Guide a results-obsessed bastard really is.

A loud blast, even stronger than the ones earlier, shook the building from below. Once it faded, Song Hyunho spoke up again.

“Guide Seo Juwon.”

“Yes?”

“I seem to have been dancing around the point for a while now. But what I really wanted to ask is this. After you and Esper Han Jihyuk end your partnership, do you have any plans?”

“Well… I don’t really have any particular schedule.”

A strange gleam flickered in Song Hyunho’s eyes.

“Then… would it be alright if I made a request?”

“…Huh?”

I thought he might be joking, but the look in his eyes as he stared at me was dead serious, and it sent chills down my spine.

Wait. So all those cryptic questions earlier… Was he poking around to ask me to be his Guide?

…This is bewildering. I mean, someone of Song Hyunho’s caliber could probably walk a full lap around Seoul and still have Guides lining up for the chance to work with him. There’d be waitlists stretching into Gyeonggi and Incheon, and if he so much as made a call overseas, someone would probably hop on a plane immediately. Why would someone like him want to make a request like this to a rookie like me, with no prestige or track record?

“To… me?”

“From the moment I first met you, Guide Seo Juwon, you left a deep impression.”

First met?

I quickly tried to recall our first encounter.

It was that incident when a few newly awakened A-rank Espers went wild, high on their own power, and caused a mess in the city. The suppression unit had to be dispatched. I’d been the only one left in the office on standby that day, so I got called in last minute as a fill-in Guide.

But… no matter how hard I tried to remember, nothing stood out. I just did what I was told and went home. So what on earth did I do that was so “impressive”…?

Either way, it was a hard question to answer.

Because honestly, there wasn’t any real “after” to speak of, not from my side.

The reason I became a Guide in the first place was because I had a mission—to stop the looming disaster by saving the protagonist from the schemes of villains. Thankfully, my plan worked, and I succeeded in joining the protagonist on his path, drastically lowering the odds of Seoul going up in flames.

That much was more than enough for someone like me, a mere extra.

After a quick retirement, I was thinking of using my wealthy father’s backing to open a café somewhere in the countryside with a nice view.

Running a small business as a hobby, casually checking Ahyoon’s Stargram posts of her and Hyuk-Yoon’s honey-dripping couple pics. There’s no greater joy in life than that. Just thinking about it gave me maximum life satisfaction.

I finished all of that daydreaming in two seconds flat and leisurely opened my mouth.

“Having someone like Esper Song Hyunho extend such an offer is a real honor.”

Song Hyunho’s face lit up in delight.

“Then, does that mean you’ll work with me?”

At that moment, a massive explosion rocked the entire building.

Boom!

A steel door, glowing red-hot, tore away like a sheet of paper. The swirling pillar of flame that had expanded outward instantly compressed into a single blazing point. Pushing through the red currents surrounding his body, Han Jihyuk appeared.

Tatatatata!

The enemies opened fire all at once. Empty shell casings were scattered endlessly in every direction.

One of the enemy Espers, hiding behind cover, summoned wind to guide the bullets straight toward Jihyuk’s heart. But the wall of flame he conjured easily blocked the attack.

Then, with one lazy wave of his hand, the bullets that had frozen midair reversed course and shot back toward their origin.

“Gah!”

“Urgh!”

One after another, the small fry collapsed, until only one person was left standing at the entrance.

As if he already knew I was here, Jihyuk’s gaze landed squarely on me, without the slightest hesitation. His expression was even colder and sharper than during the test, and I instinctively shrank back. An energy as razor-sharp as a honed blade radiated from his entire body. Had he always looked like that while defeating his enemies?

After confirming that I was unharmed, Jihyuk turned his attention to Song Hyunho. The two S-rank Espers locked eyes in midair, their gazes clashing like sparks. Song Hyunho didn’t flinch in the slightest as he calmly met the ferocious hostility pouring from Jihyuk. That alone showed what a formidable figure Song Hyunho must be.

Just the fact that these two S-ranks were facing off made it feel as though the real battle had already begun. It wasn’t even winter, but a chill crept up my arms.

Within the taut tension, one of the enemy soldiers stepped forward. He pointed a gun at me and shouted something. Probably something like “Surrender if you want the hostage to live.”

Maybe it was because of how terrifyingly realistic the simulation was, but even knowing it was fake, my heart clenched at the sight of the barrel swinging in front of me.

But the one who took him out wasn’t Han Jihyuk.

Startled by the sharp cracking sound, I raised my head to see Song Hyunho’s right foot planted squarely in the terrorist’s chest. The man smashed into a wall and was embedded there; whether that single blow had killed him or not, his body immediately fragmented into polygonal pieces and vanished.

I was too stunned to speak. Aren’t they on the same side? Why attack one of your own? Clutching my racing heart, I looked at him as if demanding an explanation, but Song Hyunho merely winked, then tucked his tie neatly into his chest pocket and stepped forward.

Muscles began to bulge beneath his white dress shirt, stretched taut beneath his vest. Thick shoulders and a broad back expanded powerfully, bluish smoke rising faintly from them like solidified fighting spirit.

Stopping a reasonable distance from Jihyuk, Song Hyunho now resembled a full-grown Alaskan moose. His fearsome form, paired with a gentle, smiling greeting, felt somehow grotesque.

“Hello, Esper Han Jihyuk. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

In contrast, Jihyuk’s face was cold and unreadable. He said nothing.

As if he’d anticipated the silence, Song Hyunho continued without pause in the same composed tone.

“I’m the final boss on the fourth floor. Seo Juwon-ssi is my hostage. If you want to save him, you’ll have to kill me.”

Now that I thought about it, that must be why he got rid of his subordinate earlier—to avoid distractions in his fight. Even if the enemies weren’t real people, still… no mercy, no hesitation. This guy’s colder than an actual villain. Hey, are you sure you’re in the right line of work?

Amid the excessively heated excitement, I opened my mouth to point out that this was a Suitability Evaluation, but before I could get the words out, I couldn’t help but falter.

The flames swirling around Jihyuk began to take on a completely different shape, fiercer and more intense than anything I’d seen before.