PARADOX 9

The Center’s Annex Hospital.

Beep— Beep— Beep—

The graph on the ECG monitor was stable.

“He is in a state of reduced consciousness due to a rapid depletion of guiding energy. The problem occurred because so much energy was drawn out all at once, but he should wake up without issue after a good rest.”

Only after hearing the doctor’s words did Gu Jeyi take his eyes off the monitor and look at the man on the bed.

He looked to be about 20 years old. His fair face was as pale as if a vampire had sucked his blood dry.

‘Does that make me the vampire?’

“Jeyi, this can only be described as fate.”

Pyo Myeongho—Gu Jeyi’s maternal uncle and the director of the Center’s research institute—could not hide his excitement.

“Doctor, thank you for your hard work. You may leave now.”

“Ah, yes.”

Once the doctor was sent out, Pyo Myeongho began the conversation in earnest.

“See? Didn’t I tell you? I said if you waited, your Guide would surely appear, Jeyi.”

Gu Jeyi didn’t answer that and changed the subject.

“How was the incident handled?”

“Ah, we reported it as a fire, of course. It’s a relief it was settled before things got too big.”

“What about the other Guide who was there?”

“Guide Chae? He’s in the same hospital. We’re keeping an eye on him after administering a sedative. Goodness, I never saw Guide Chae Naru that way, but isn’t he a truly terrifying person? Trying to secretly guide a sleeping Esper. What on earth was he thinking…”

Pyo Myeongho cursed the Guide who had attempted forced guiding for a while, but Gu Jeyi didn’t think it was entirely the Guide’s fault.

In the first place, the problem was that he had fallen asleep in the guiding room.

The guiding room could be opened and closed with a Guide’s access card. It was he who had chosen the guiding room without a second thought, knowing that fact. He should have been careful, as it wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with such a person.

As a result, his wavelength became tangled due to the rejection symptoms toward the forced guiding energy. His state was already unstable, so it was only natural that an accident occurred when a stone was thrown into it.

‘I should have controlled it more thoroughly.’

While he was reviewing the incident out of habit, Pyo Myeongho broke his train of thought.

“But really, isn’t this a blessing in disguise? Even thinking about it again, it’s truly incredible. How could there be a Guide who matches you right there at that exact moment!”

Changing the subject was useless. Pyo Myeongho was completely immersed in the ‘Guide of Fate’ who had finally appeared for Gu Jeyi.

“Once he wakes up, let’s start with a matching rate test. Surely it’s over 50%, right? No. If he was successful in guiding you while you were in that state, I’d bet on 60, or even 70%.”

“…”

“But this person, is he not a Guide belonging to the Center? Even searching my memory, his face is unfamiliar. Well, if he belonged to the Center, he would have been matched with you long ago. Was what he was wearing earlier a work uniform? Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen those clothes somewhere before.”

“…”

“Anyway, he looks young but he’s truly brave. How did he even think of guiding you when you were on the verge of a rampage? Most Espers or Guides, let alone civilians, would have run away in fear in that situation. What a wonderful young man. Don’t you think so, Jeyi?”

“He isn’t brave, he’s stupid.”

As Gu Jeyi spat those words out coldly, only then did Pyo Myeongho, who had been intoxicated with happiness, realize the shifting atmosphere. Pyo Myeongho asked in a shocked tone.

“Could it be, Jeyi… you aren’t happy?”

Was he happy? Gu Jeyi swallowed a sneer.

If they had met about five years ago, he would have been happy. He might have even jumped around, saying a Guide had finally appeared for him.

But too much time had passed.

Someone might say it has only been five years, but those five years were as agonizingly long as decades or centuries to him.

Gu Jeyi looked down at the man lying on the bed with an expressionless face.

Saying this man was stupid was sincere. Guiding an Esper on the verge of a rampage was on a completely different level than guiding in an ordinary situation. If he had failed, this man would have been the first to be shattered into pieces by the exploding energy.

“…Well, I do think things might get a bit more comfortable. Provided this person cooperates well, of course.”

“Of course he’ll cooperate. Look who you are.”

“That is the problem. The fact that I am Gu Jeyi, and that until now there has been no Guide who matched with me. And that this person lying here is the only Guide who can guide me.”

Fortunately, Pyo Myeongho was merely cheerful, not stupid. If he were, he wouldn’t have become the director of a research institute.

“You mean he could hold your weakness and blackmail you.”

“It’s a common occurrence between Guides and Espers.”

Gu Jeyi clenched and unclenched his hand.

He didn’t remember the moment he received the guiding clearly, but the feeling remained distinct. It was something Gu Jeyi had never experienced before.

Gu Jeyi fell into thought, suppressing the desire to dwell on that memory.

Even without doing a matching rate test, he could tell well enough that this man was a Guide who suited him.

The number displayed on his watch was also proof.

68%.

It was still a high number if one considered it high, but since it hadn’t dropped below 80% for several years, this figure even looked like an error to Gu Jeyi.

However, he could tell just by his physical condition that it wasn’t an error. He no longer heard hallucinations, and his headache had weakened to an incomparable degree. Above all, his body felt light, as if he had taken off a suit of armor he had been wearing for a long time.

This must be why Espers cling to Guides so much. Because they want to obtain this peace even if it means giving up everything they have.

“Jeyi, you haven’t even talked to him properly yet, so there’s no need to think so pessimistically. I know you’ve been burned by many Guides, but there are decent Guides too. Look at this person. He risked his life to guide and save you like this even though he could have died, didn’t he?”

“Indeed. I’m curious why he even went as far as risking his life.”

“That must be a sense of responsibility as a Guide. You know, they learn that kind of thing in Guide training. Responsibility. Devotion to the country. Sacrifice…”

“Is it really because of something like that?”

“Huh? What. Are you asking me?”

Instead of answering Pyo Myeongho, Gu Jeyi said:

“I saw you just open your eyes. Get up.”

“…”

The man who was lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes.

His slightly reddened cheeks fully revealed his embarrassment at being caught pretending to sleep.

“…Well, because the two of you were talking so seriously.”

As the man sat up, Pyo Myeongho flew toward him.

“Oh, my savior. How is your body feeling? You don’t have any discomfort or anything, do you?”

“Ah, I’m okay. Thank you for worrying about me.”

“Worrying is nothing! I’m the one who should be thanking you. You saved Jeyi. If it weren’t for you, savior, something terrible would have happened.”

Gu Jeyi stood to one side with his arms crossed as if it were someone else’s business, watching the man.

When the man’s eyes were closed, he just felt pretty, but once he opened them, his impression seemed much more innocent. It was likely because of his large, round eyes like a cow’s and the drooping corners of his eyes.

His way of speaking was the same.

“It was nothing. I’m just glad Esper Gu Jeyi is safe.”

When the man smiled softly, Pyo Myeongho had a face as if he were facing an angel who had stepped out of a sacred painting. Since they had been in the middle of a conversation about what if this man blackmailed Gu Jeyi, he seemed even more deeply moved because the man appeared to be the exact opposite type.

Then the man looked at Gu Jeyi.

“Um, I did perform emergency guiding, but I couldn’t get your consent due to the situation. If you felt bad about that, I’m sorry.”

He seemed slightly intimidated, as if sensing Gu Jeyi’s unfriendly attitude.

As for Gu Jeyi, he had almost no memory of receiving the guiding, so he couldn’t tell exactly what the man was apologizing for. Since he didn’t particularly want to trace back the memory, he chose silence, and Pyo Myeongho stepped in.

“No, it was an emergency, so of course that can happen. There’s no need to apologize for that. …But by any chance, have we met somewhere? Why do you look so familiar?”

Gu Jeyi saw a slight look of distress cross the man’s face. The suspicion in his heart became a conviction at that moment.

“He will certainly look familiar. Because that person works at the Center.”

“Oh, really? Are you a Guide belonging to the Center? But why have I never seen you?”

“Ah, I’m working as a cleaner at the Center.”

Pyo Myeongho wore a bewildered expression.

“A, a cleaner? Why is a Guide a cleaner?”

“It’s because I officially became a Guide just two days ago. I haven’t even finished completing all the training yet. Gasp, I’m sorry for guiding as I pleased when I’m not even an official Guide yet. At the time, my thoughts didn’t reach that far…”

“No, I told you that you don’t need to apologize. More than that, I thought something was strange. If you were a Guide, there’s no way I wouldn’t know. Wow, what a coincidence. Isn’t it truly amazing, Jeyi?”

Gu Jeyi concluded coldly.

“There’s no way it’s a coincidence.”