SOFTIE 37

Whether his pain had subsided or not, Lee Taeho watched Softy with casual nonchalance.

“You should have stayed lying down.”

If he had, Yeonwoo would have let it slide. But once again, unable to overcome that curiosity of his, Lee Taeho was clinging to Softy. Yeonwoo grimaced, but Lee Taeho had absolutely no intention of backing off.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“Looks like something happened with Seo Yeonwoo and that Guide?”

“More importantly, could that magical beast actually get that big?”

It wasn’t as if the research wing was devoid of people, or Espers and Guides. They often visited for things like matching rates or check-ups, just like Yeonwoo. The crowd had grown larger than before. Several gazes landed on Softy.

“For now, follow me inside.”

When Yeonwoo held out his hand, Softy took it and followed. Since Lee Taeho required no such consideration, Yeonwoo simply grabbed him by the gown and dragged him along toward the examination room.

“You’re finally letting me in!”

Even while being treated like a piece of luggage, Lee Taeho’s eyes sparkled brilliantly. Receiving that gaze, Softy thoroughly ignored him and looked only at Yeonwoo’s back.

As the person in charge of Yeonwoo, Lee Taeho was exceptionally skilled—developing medications and magic tools to suppress abilities—but as mentioned, his character was a bit problematic. If an organism that was unique or strange in his eyes caught his attention, he viewed it as an experimental subject. At one time, Yeonwoo had been the same. That was simply why he hadn’t wanted Softy to cross paths with him.

When Yeonwoo eventually brought Lee Taeho inside, Kim Yoojung clicked her tongue at the sight of him, clearly fed up. He was still sending fervent glances toward Softy. They say there’s a thin line between a genius and a nutcase, and he was the perfect example of that.

“Now then, what else can you do?”

[Go away. I can’t see Yeonwoo.]

“Show me more! How do you do guiding? Guiding! Is your structure the same as a human’s?”

Lee Taeho was shouting for him to show more while blocking Softy’s path. Kim Yoojung shook her head.

“Is this really okay?”

“If I kept refusing to show him, I think he really would have kidnapped Softy. He’s not connected to the higher-ups, so it’s fine. Even those people can’t handle that man, so he’s a headache for them too.”

Recalling how Lee Taeho wouldn’t even spare a glance for anything that didn’t pique his interest, Kim Yoojung nodded with an “Ah.” He certainly wasn’t someone under the orders of the higher-ups. If it weren’t for that brilliant mind of his, he would have been demoted long ago.

“The chart! Where is the chart?”

“It’s right here.”

Lee Taeho snatched the data from Kim Yoojung. His eyes glittered as he looked over the charts for Softy and Yeonwoo that he hadn’t seen yet. No matter how much Yeonwoo disliked him, his skill alone was worth acknowledging. That was why he remained the person in charge.

One never knows. He might discover something about my condition.

While looking at the chart, Lee Taeho frowned and looked back and forth between Yeonwoo and Softy, who was held in his arms. Seeing him become serious after his frantic behavior made Yeonwoo think how nice it would be if he were always like that.

“Are you receiving guiding consistently?”

“Yes.”

“Really? Hmm, your condition is…”

As if that was all he had been curious about, Lee Taeho began rummaging through various data again. Yeonwoo answered Lee Taeho’s questions in between, wanting him to provide an accurate diagnosis.

“You’ve stopped the medication and you’re receiving guiding. If you receive guiding consistently, the numbers should be able to drop to Green, but the rising width is unusual. There is a problem, indeed. Then again, there’s never been a time when there wasn’t a problem.”

“Do you know what the problem is?”

“First of all, it’s not a side effect of the medication. You aren’t taking the pills, and the guiding is working well. No matter how much it’s radiation guiding, considering the time spent being guided and the matching rate, it’s strange that you haven’t crossed the threshold of Green. Hmm, what’s predictable here is that your body has grown accustomed to an abnormal state. Your psychology probably influenced that.”

“My psychological state?”

Yeonwoo looked at him in surprise upon hearing such an unexpected statement.

“To be honest, your numbers were at a level where it wouldn’t have been strange if you’d gone into a rampage years ago, but you didn’t. Do you think that’s something Espers can usually do? They can’t. When it’s time to rampage, an Esper rampages. But you didn’t. It’s a result that came out because you subconsciously thought you must never rampage. Well, it’s what’s commonly called willpower. Oh, for the record, you’re the weird one. Other cases are rare to find.”

Hearing that he was strange from a person he considered strange didn’t feel particularly pleasant.

“And then your body got used to it. Since your body has maintained a high pollution level for a long time, it considers that normal and just fluctuates within that range. There are no abnormalities in the tests, so it’s certain.”

“Are you sure? There are no abnormalities in the test results, but saying it’s the psychological state…”

Kim Yoojung countered Lee Taeho, but he was firm.

“You know there are cases where an Esper’s psychological state affects their numbers. Yeonwoo is one of those cases. I’ve seen this guy for so long; I’m certain. Your numbers often go up even when you aren’t using your abilities, right?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“Stop lying. I saw your numbers go up every time you lost your temper with my own two eyes. Everyone here knows. It might have been partly because you were sensitive due to the side effects, but it changes when your mood fluctuates.”

Yeonwoo remained silent. It wasn’t a lie. Because of his senses being sharpened by the side effects, he would often overreact to things he could have let pass gently.

It was like that just a moment ago.

Knowing that, Softy would subconsciously try to soothe his mood through guiding.

“Can I just keep receiving guiding until my body gets used to it?”

“No, you have to break through the limit your body remembers. It seems you’ve become complacent after living with high numbers for over ten years, but that is not normal.”

“How do I do that?”

“First, lighten the load on your shoulders.”

Am I someone who can put down the load resting on my shoulders? Me?

“Since getting a Guide, things have become more comfortable than before.”

“No, the numbers don’t lie. If you were mentally healthy, the guiding would have already made you Green. Because you’re still anxious, your body still can’t break free.”

A hollow laugh escaped Yeonwoo at Lee Taeho’s definitive words.

“Shall we take an example? You. You don’t really dwell on the pollution level numbers, do you? Even 60% is on the high side, but you just brush it off, thinking, ‘this is enough,’ right?”

Yeonwoo’s shoulders flinched.

“I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t dwell on the pollution level. You’re the kind of human who would insist on going to a Gate even with that high pollution level.”

That was just because there was no one else to go but me. It was just something I did because it was a job I had to do. There were many things to say in rebuttal, but Lee Taeho’s words were right.

He knew Softy was trying hard to guide him. However, Yeonwoo didn’t want to overwork Softy. Guiding also consumes physical strength and energy. The longer the guiding lasts and the more energy is passed over, the more it affects the Guide’s body.

My Pair Guide that I finally found. I can’t stand to see him collapse from overexertion. Softy puts on a nonchalant face, but there’s no telling how hard it is on the inside. What if he’s struggling to guide me for no reason?

“Ah, saying it like that, it’s not anxiety. It’s that you weren’t accepting the guiding. You know that if an Esper has no intention of receiving guiding, the efficiency drops, right?”

He would have preferred the conclusion that it was an anxious psychological state. To think I wasn’t accepting the guiding Softy provides. It was a conclusion Yeonwoo could never accept.

“I have acknowledged Softy as my Guide. The matching rate came out high, too. There’s no way the guiding efficiency wouldn’t come out.”

“You said he’s been maintaining 60% like a ghost? Then you’re the one who rejected it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I’m telling you, you did.”

“I did not.”

While those around them were watching the repeated bickering, Lee Taeho hit his palm with his fist as if he’d realized something and said:

“It’s the magical beast side that’s rejecting it then!”

“There’s no way Softy would reject me!”

Yeonwoo gave a firm, tight hug to Softy, who had come to his side at some point. This was the kid who clung to him every time just to stay close. There was no way he would reject him.

[That’s right, I don’t reject Yeonwoo.]

“…”

[I like Yeonwoo. I like him so much.]

“…I know.”

Yeonwoo stared fixedly at Softy. It was a sincere statement. However, there was a question that arose occasionally.

Softy had appeared before his eyes one day as if he had suddenly dropped from the sky.