What are people's earliest memories?
Perhaps it's the memory of falling asleep to a lullaby, holding their parents' hands on the way to kindergarten, or seeing their younger sibling for the first time... Something like that, probably.
But for Hanseo, Baekgu(109)'s first memories were far removed from such things.
The smell of disinfectant, the hard steel beds, screams, pleading voices, expressionless researchers.
And the endless disposal of children.
Disposed of if they didn't manifest as Guides, disposed of if they couldn't endure the experiments, disposed of if their compatibility rates didn't improve.
They grew accustomed to seeing a child who had slept beside them disappear the next day. The remaining children took solace in the fact that they hadn't been discarded and desperately tried to prove their worth.
In this way, a child who knew neither how to interact with others nor how to read came to wield Guiding Energy more skillfully than even seasoned Guides.
"It was useless in my past life, but it's proving quite beneficial in this one."
Emission Guiding involves projecting Guiding Energy externally to guide Espers. The concept sounds simple, but the actual execution is quite challenging. This is especially true for novice Guides with limited experience, who often struggle to grasp the technique.
During his Guide training, Hanseo deliberately feigned clumsiness, yet even then, the instructor praised his natural aptitude. After all, Guiding was as instinctive to Hanseo as breathing. No matter how poorly he pretended to perform, the difference between his simulated incompetence and genuine skill would have been obvious.
Regardless of the method—Emission Guiding or Contact Guiding—Guiding in any form remained Hanseo's greatest strength.
Though there is one method I haven't tried.
Well, since there was no chance of that happening with Gu Jie, it shouldn't be a problem.
Hanseo drew out energy steadily without hesitation. The invisible, intangible energy began filling the small room. He carefully gathered the drawn-out energy, preventing it from dispersing, and directed it towards Gu Jie.
Hanseo approached the bed where Gu Jei lay. Even with Emission Guiding, the closer the Guide and Esper were, the more effective the process became. It was a principle easily explained by thinking of the Guide as a diffuser.
The sedative was so potent that Gu Jei didn't open his eyes even when Hanseo stood right beside him. Yet, despite his motionless body, the readings on the watch screen continued to fluctuate.
"......"
And Pyo Myeongho was watching this scene unfold as well.
Ordinary people, living lives far removed from the Awakened, tend to either excessively romanticize or denigrate Guiding. Some romanticize the relationship between Espers and Guides, while others condemn Guiding as obscene.
From Pyo Myeongho's perspective as someone directly involved, Guiding was unequivocally a medical procedure. This held true even for penetrative Guiding, which could only be described as sex. It was not a physical or emotional exchange, but rather an act solely aimed at saving a person's life.
Therefore, Pyo Myeongho observed Yeo Hanseo's Guiding with an utterly detached gaze. As a guardian, it was only natural to closely monitor a doctor treating his patient. Moreover, Yeo Hanseo was a novice Guide, having Awakened only recently. Even with a high compatibility rate, there were reservations about entrusting him completely.
Pyo Myeongho watched the Guiding with hawk-like intensity, fearing that any clumsy attempt might provoke Gu Jei and trigger a disaster. Yet it didn't take long for the wariness and suspicion etched on his face to give way to a different light.
The number, which had been fixed at 86%, began to change rapidly. 85%... 83%... 79%... As the percentage dropped, color returned to Gu Jei's previously pale face. It was a miraculous sight, like a plaster statue transforming into a living being.
Pyo Myeongho couldn't help but marvel.
This is what a 98% matching rate Guide looks like.
It's like the panacea from martial arts novels—the universal cure every Esper desperately craves.
Pyo Myeongho watched Gu Jei's condition rapidly improve, comparing it to the miraculous recovery scenes in the martial arts novels he used to be obsessed with. How could something he had longed for for so long come so easily? Just as his joy began to morph into a strange sense of emptiness, Gu Jei's eyelids slowly fluttered open.
"Jei..."
He was about to call out in relief when the next moment unfolded with lightning speed.
"Ugh!"
A pained groan erupted from Yeo Hanseo's lips. Gu Jei had reached out to grab the Guide standing beside him. Yeo Hanseo's reflexes were sharp; he jerked backward almost simultaneously, but couldn't completely evade the attack.
A hand as large as his frame seized Hanseo's slender wrist.
Crack.
The sound was like a branch snapping.
"Aaaah...!"
"Jei!"
Pyo Myeongho, who had always assumed Yeo Hanseo would be the one to cause trouble, turned ashen white at the sight of his nephew causing the accident. Emergency button—where is it? His hands trembled slightly as he felt along the wall, searching for the button that would release a powerful anaesthetic gas the moment it was pressed.
Despite his trembling hand, Pyo Myeongho's mind raced to understand the situation. He quickly noticed that Gu Jei's eyes were unfocused. Astonishingly, Gu Jei was still unconscious.
Could it be... an overload? But the readings on his watch were far lower than when he had first emerged from the gate.
It's not an overload. Then why...?
Amidst the struggle, Pyo Myeongho noticed Yeo Hanseo, still thrashing, striking Gu Jei's arm with his free hand. Regrettably, against an Esper of Gu Jei's caliber, such an attack was little more than a tickle.
Pyo Myeongho's gaze fell upon Gu Jei, who was gripping Hanseo's broken wrist tightly, like a snake seizing its prey. His grip seemed to convey an unwavering determination to not let go.
Suddenly, Pyo Myeongho realized: Gu Jei's actions weren't driven by aggression. It was...
"Gu Jei! Snap out of it!"
At that moment, his fingertips brushed against a hidden button. Just as he was about to press it, Gu Jei's eyes suddenly focused.
".....?"
A flicker of confusion crossed the man's face, as if he couldn't comprehend the situation. A bewildered voice escaped his parted lips.
"...Yeo Hanseo?"
"Ugh..."
As soon as his hand was released, Yeo Hanseo groaned softly and collapsed to the floor. Pyo Myeongho hurriedly removed his hand from the button and rushed over to check on him. Even to an untrained eye, Yeo Hanseo's wrist looked severely injured—it would have been strange if it wasn't broken.
Gu Jei's gaze swept across the scene: Yeo Hanseo slumped on the floor, Pyo Myeongho hovering over him, and the isolation room. Finally grasping the situation, he frowned and got off the bed.
Kneeling beside Hanseo, Gu Jei examined the injured wrist and murmured an apology.
"I'm sorry. Because of the sedative... I thought it was a dream."
Despite the apology, Yeo Hanseo's face paled even further. Clutching his trembling, possibly broken wrist, he seemed to be thinking, He tried to kill me in his dream? He appeared to firmly believe that Gu Jei had attacked him.
But Pyo Myeongho knew that wasn't true.
Espers instinctively felt goodwill toward Guides, as if they recognized them as the beings who could alleviate their suffering and allow them to survive. Unless in an uncontrollable state known as Overload or Rampage, an Esper would never attack a Guide, even unconsciously.
When an Esper's goodwill took an unhealthy turn, problems like stalking or confinement could arise. But the root of these actions remained goodwill. Unless it was someone like their parents' sworn enemy, no Esper genuinely wanted to harm their Guide.
Gu Jei was no exception. What he did to Yeo Hanseo in his unconscious state wasn't an attack, but rather what a drowning person might do to their rescuer:
Clutching desperately, begging to be saved.
But he couldn't defend the person who had caused the injury while the injured person lay before him. Pyo Myeongho forcefully suppressed his urge to make excuses for Gu Jei.
"We need to get him to a hospital immediately."
However, his outstretched hand toward Yeo Hanseo froze in mid-air, never reaching its target. Seeing Gu Jei's hesitation, Pyo Myeongho took the initiative.
"I'll carry him!"
Normally, Gu Jei would have used his telekinetic powers, but even he would struggle to control his abilities after being injected with a sedative strong enough to tranquilize an elephant. Pyo Myeongho carefully lifted Yeo Hanseo into his arms and began to run.
"Hanseo, just hang on a little longer!"
Then, a small, faint voice came from within his embrace.
"...Foot."
"Foot? Does your foot hurt too?"
Did he injure it when he fell earlier? Pyo Myeongho clicked his tongue in frustration and sprinted even faster.
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