SOFTIE 17

“It’s an examination, not research! Why won’t you listen! Hey, quickly pull the Team Leader outside!”

They barely managed to kick him out despite his stubborn resistance.

“I won’t let him lay a finger on you.”

It was just that Lee Taeho was an excessive madman; everyone else was faithful to their roles and had suffered alongside Yeonwoo.

“I hope it’s confirmed as a Guide. Then you won’t have to live off medicine anymore.”

Yeonwoo smiled slightly. It was because he could feel her sincerity.

“Softy, can you stay here quietly with this person?”

The examination was essential. He was just worried that Softy, who hated being away from him, might refuse. Softy’s gaze passed Yeonwoo and landed on Kim Yoojung. She smiled and greeted Softy.

“I’m not going to do anything bad.”

“Can you behave for the examination? I’ll be waiting right outside the door. I’ll come in as soon as it’s over.”

It was hard to walk away, but he had no intention of hiding Softy indefinitely. Eventually, people would be curious about who his Guide was, and many would approach.

Contact with people was inevitable. At the very least, these staff members felt sorry for Yeonwoo, so they would treat Softy with kindness.

Softy instinctively knew that Yeonwoo was leaving him behind. He grabbed Yeonwoo’s clothes and shook his head, but there was no helping it.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be listening to everything from outside.”

Even from outside the door, Yeonwoo could hear everything happening inside the examination room. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have left him.

“Noona, I’m counting on you.”

Yeonwoo handed Softy over to Kim Yoojung. Immediately, Softy began to wail as if protesting, How could you hand me over to this person? Yeonwoo looked down at Softy with troubled eyes, then kissed his soft forehead and spoke.

“You can be patient, right?”

Softy’s whole body trembled, and then he suddenly extended a tentacle to pull Yeonwoo’s face closer.

“Hm? You want me to do it again?”

“Kkyu!”

Did he like the kiss? It’s not like I’m even giving him Guiding. Yeonwoo burst into laughter for a moment. He couldn’t help but smile at the cute display of affection.

“If you behave and be patient, I’ll do it.”

Softy nodded his head vigorously. After Yeonwoo closed the door and left, Kim Yoojung, who was holding the slime in her arms, called out to him awkwardly.

“Um… Softy? Or Softy the Guide?”

She cycled through various titles before settling comfortably on ‘Softy’.

“Now, Softy. Just go up over there and stay still while I attach this. It won’t take that long.”

Softy moved according to her words. After bouncing over to the machine and climbing on top of it by himself, Softy stared intently at Kim Yoojung as if asking why she wasn’t attaching it yet. She was surprised by Softy’s obedient attitude but moved diligently.

“Starting now.”

A blue light began to scan Softy. Before investigating Softy’s internal wavelengths, they checked the species of the magic beast and whether it emitted substances toxic to humans.

“Hmm, it’s a slime, alright. No toxic components are particularly visible among the substances making up the body.”

“Is the wavelength energy definitely that of a Guide?”

Softy ignored the people around him and only stared intently at the door Yeonwoo had exited.

It’s different from before. That person said he would come back. It’s different from that time I was left behind. As I thought, it was because I acted scary back then. I have to wait quietly, quietly, just like Yeonwoo said.

It was then. A staff member called out to the others in a loud voice.

“L—look at this!”

“What is it?”

Kim Yoojung was the first to rush to the staff member. Her mouth fell open. The results displayed on the screen were shocking. Clustered around the computer screen in disbelief, the staff compared the wavelength Softy was emitting to other Guides and were terrified by the sheer volume that defied comparison.

It was a graph distinctly different from any other Guide. The graph was so high it practically hit the ceiling.

“Ha… Yeonwoo-ya. You’re saved. You’re really saved.”

There was a reason that child had brought this creature back no matter what. No, perhaps she should have recognized it from the moment he said it had Guided him.

“Sunbae… is this perhaps…”

“Yeah, it’s S-rank.”

At Kim Yoojung’s words, shocked gazes turned toward Softy. Softy only thought about finishing quickly so he could get his kiss from Yeonwoo. And outside the door, Yeonwoo was leaning against it, listening to everything inside.

‘S-rank.’

Yeonwoo had expected Softy’s rank to be high, but this surpassed his imagination. S-rank Guides were especially rare and precious—even more so than Espers. Since one Guide can Guide multiple Espers, just how many Espers could an S-rank Guide handle?

“So that’s why the rampage stopped.”

He had learned a new fact. However, he couldn’t be happy at all about the fact that his Guide was an outstanding one. S-rank. Because that title isn’t given to just anyone, it carries a heavy burden. Yeonwoo had been the same.

“I’ll have to work even harder.”

Yeonwoo murmured quietly. The Guide Association will be desperate to take Softy away. I can’t let that happen. I’ll confirm him as a Guide quickly, finish the matching rate test, and then register Softy as my pair Guide.

One cannot recklessly demand Guiding from a Guide who has a pair. Furthermore, I am by Softy’s side. No Esper with half a brain would dare approach Softy to demand Guiding from an S-rank Guide.

Just as Yeonwoo’s gaze was about to sink into a cold chill, numerous footsteps were heard from not far away.

“They’ve finally made it all the way here.”

Those people don’t know just how much Yeonwoo knows. Even stories told in secret eventually pass through human mouths. And those words reached Yeonwoo’s ears.

The Department of Supernatural Abilities thinks of nothing but filling their own bellies using Espers and Guides, or pleading hardship to the public to increase the subsidies coming from the state. However, factions always exist.

Split into the Esper and Guide departments, the two were in a constant state of competition.

And the one pushing the Esper department was Shin Yoosung’s father, Shin Witaek. Since his son was an S-rank Esper, his actions were strictly for profit, helping him secure a high position to reap the benefits. His argument was that while an Esper cannot exist without a Guide, it is ultimately the Esper who clears the Gates.

‘Will they be happy that I returned alive? Or will they think of me as a nuisance?’

Several people appeared in front of Yeonwoo. Quite a crowd. Not just executives, but even the Minister had come. Ma Seongtae, who was standing at the very front, approached Yeonwoo.

“Yeonwoo-ya, these people are…”

“I know. I’ve seen them a few times. What business brings you all the way here? Or knowing that I rampaged, are you finally here to put me in isolation?”

There was no reason they would have walked all the way here without reaching some kind of conclusion. No one stepped forward; instead, they cleared their throats and gauged Yeonwoo’s reaction.

It was truly funny. Why were they gauging his reaction when they were going to do whatever they wanted anyway?

Since many of them were neither Espers nor Guides, he had hated those gazes since he was a child—staring at him as if he were some strange creature.

“Ahem, I heard the news that you found a Guide. I heard your contamination level has dropped significantly. There is no reason for us to put someone like you in isolation.”

“Is that so. Since the Association President must have told you, you couldn’t have failed to hear that my Guide is a magic beast. May I assume that you recognize that child as my Guide?”

“That is not it!”

A man shouted loudly. Startled by the high volume that escaped him instinctively, he stepped back. Yeonwoo’s chilling gaze was a bonus.

You won’t recognize my kid as a Guide?

“Wouldn’t we need verification? That’s why we’ve come in person. Since such an extraordinary thing as a magic beast being a Guide has happened, we couldn’t agree among ourselves. We decided to see and verify it for ourselves. So, where is that magic beast?”

“It is undergoing an examination inside.”

“Then we shall go in.”

The crowd tried to open the door and enter. At that moment, Yeonwoo blocked the way. When they couldn’t approach the door, all gazes turned toward him simultaneously. Yeonwoo’s gaze passed the executives and landed on the Espers behind them.

These are people who use Espers as bodyguards because they cherish their own lives so much. What would be the reason for bringing Espers to a place like this? It served as proof that if push came to shove, a bloodbath could break out.