[ Korean Paranormal Management Center ]
Yeo Hanseo-nim is designated as an "EGI Test Subject."
Please be sure to carry out the inspection according to the schedule below in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.
━━━━━
When he received the message, his heart didn't really sink...
He already knew how to pass the Esper detection test without being exposed.
To be precise, he knew about an incident that would become public knowledge several years in the future.
"Controversy is erupting over the revelation that Neurophasol, a common ingredient in painkillers, temporarily suppresses Esper energy. This discovery came to light when an Esper who had taken large doses of Neurophasol-containing painkillers temporarily lost their abilities. Medical experts theorize that Neurophasol interferes with neurotransmitters, causing a temporary and drastic reduction in Esper energy..."
Basically, taking large doses of Neurophasol-based painkillers could suppress Esper energy.
The revelation of this fact led to the suspension of production and sales of all pharmaceutical products containing Neurophasol. However, in this current timeline, that wouldn't happen until several years later.
Fortunately, it's still just an ordinary painkiller that you can get without a prescription.
Hanseo took eight Neurophasol pills that he bought from the pharmacy before the test, and he got the result he wanted.
Esper Aptitude Test: Unsuitable
Guide Aptitude Test: Suitable (B-Grade)
The side effects—nausea, headache, and mild shortness of breath—was a price worth paying for the outcome. He hated being sick, though, so he didn't want to do it again.
In any case, he couldn't let the hard-earned result he had achieved go to waste just to deal with a guy like this.
'But this is as much mercy as I'm willing to show.'
Hanseo concealed his fierce glinting eyes as he boarded the elevator with Park Jintae, descending to the underground parking garage.
"Hanseo, I meant what I said earlier. If you become my exclusive Guide, I can give you anything you want. I'm a man with more than enough resources to make it happen."
"Ah, yes. I see."
With no other passengers in the elevator, Hanseo was trapped with Park Jintae's nonsense. He responded with empty eyes and perfunctory agreement.
Park Jintae had good reason to be so confident.
As soon as his Guide training session ended, Hanseo went gone home and looked up Park Jintae online. He could be summarized in a single sentence:
Third-generation chaebol heir and A-Class Esper.
A-Class Espers were relatively rare, so most of them were well-known. Among them, Park Jintae seems to have a penchant for attention, frequently showing his face in public.
The internet was full of comments about how handsome Park Jintae was, and perhaps because of this, he even has his own fan club, just like Gu Jei.
Though Gu Jei's fan club had far more members. That was only natural.
Park Jintae was undeniably good-looking, but to Hanseo, he came across as overly sleazy.
As Park Jintae continued to boast about himself, Hanseo tuned him out, mentally sketching the face of his ideal type.
First of all, the proportions of his eyes, nose, and mouth are all wrong. And eyes with subtle double eyelids that are long and narrow are definitely more striking. His jawline should be sharper and more masculine, too. His lips are too thin. They need a more defined Cupid's bow...
"Esper Gu Jei?"
The startled voice came not from Hanseo, but from Park Jintae.
Hanseo wore an equally bewildered expression.
The moment they stepped out of the elevator, the doors of the adjacent elevator opened, and Gu Jei emerged.
"......"
A man with slightly wavy black hair turned his head indifferently.
Park Jintae, who considered himself quite tall, suddenly looked small next to Gu Jei.
Gu Jei stared down at Park Jintae for a moment before speaking, a beat too late.
"Esper... Park Jintae. It's been a while."
'You just forgot his name, didn't you?'
Hanseo's eyes, narrowed with suspicion, widened instantly as Gu Jei's gaze shifted to him.
"Yeo Hanseo is here too."
"Ah, yes."
Hanseo was surprised. He didn't expected Gu Jei to acknowledge him. Weren't they supposed to keep that day's event a secret?
As Hanseo stared at Gu Jei in a daze, Park Jintae asked with a tone tinged with displeasure, "You two know each other?"
Hanseo expected Gu Jei to give a vague answer, but what followed surprised him.
"Yes, we're acquaintances."
"...Acquaintances?" Park Jintae's face twisted in disbelief. His gaze toward Gu Jei was filled with suspicion and hostility, as if Gu Jei was trying to steal his Guide.
But Hanseo didn't notice Park Jintae's reaction. From the moment Gu Jei appeared, all his attention focused solely on him. Gu Jei even threw Hanseo an unexpected question:
"Yeo Hanseo, is that dinner appointment we made still valid?"
'What dinner appointment?'
If his memory served him correctly, he never made such a promise with Gu Jei.
Is this guy out of his mind? His stability... 75%? It's gone up again.
Gu Jei's complexion seemed even worse than before, and it wasn't just his imagination. How long had it been since his last Guiding session? Sensing Hanseo's gaze, Gu Jei subtly turned his wrist to hide the watch.
"If it's not too late, I'd like to treat you to dinner."
"...Now?"
"Yes."
"Great!" Hanseo replied without hesitation.
He didn't even have time to consider that he had rejected Park Jintae's dinner invitation less than ten minutes ago.
Gu Jei was offering to buy him dinner? There was no reason to refuse.
He was also curious about Gu Jei's motives.
"Let's go. My car is over there."
Hanseo trailed closely behind Gu Jei as he walked ahead, completely unaware of the expression Park Jintae was wearing as he watched them leave.
After confirming that Yeo Hanseo was in the passenger seat, Gu Jei turned his head toward the source of irritation that had been bothering him since earlier.
"......!"
Park Jintae flinched as their eyes met. His distorted face was twisted with fury, as if he had been robbed of his Guide. But the moment passed quickly. Soon, Park Jintae lowered his head like a whipped dog and scurried away.
Gu Jei, who watched the scene with indifference, opened the driver's door. As soon as he settled into his seat and closed the door, a cheerful voice greeted him.
"How have you been?"
There was only one answer Gu Jei could give, and he was never one for beating around the bush.
"I haven't been well."
"......"
The moment he emerged from the Gate, Gu Jei had desperately sought ways to avoid the unwanted marriage. He tried Guiding sessions with Guides who had decent compatibility scores and even took more sedatives than usual.
The results were disastrous. Whether it was because he had already reached his limit, as Pyo Myeongho had warned, or because his body had somehow changed after receiving Guiding from Yeo Hanseo, no matter what he tried, his energy waves refused to stabilize.
Clutching at straws, he received Guiding at the center. After learning that his levels didn't drop by even 0.1%, he was on his way back when he spotted Yeo Hanseo.
He desperately wanted to ignore him, but the fact that he was clinging to that notorious piece of trash made it impossible.
Gu Jei cut straight to the point.
"Mr. Yeo Hanseo."
"Yes?"
"Stay away from Esper Park Jintae. That's why I called you here."
Taken aback by the abruptness, Yeo Hanseo blinked in confusion. Then he started spouting nonsense.
"Esper Park Jintae has been so kind to me. He's a good person..."
'Of course he's been kind. You're his Guide.'
The memory of Park Jintae's greedy gaze as he looked at Yeo Hanseo flashed through his mind.
An Esper's obsession with their Guide was now widely accepted as a natural instinct. Gu Jei, having never experienced such feelings himself, struggled to comprehend them. But since everyone else seemed to feel this way, he assumed it must be true for others.
Even so, there were lines that should never be crossed. Park Jintae—though Gu Jei couldn't immediately recall the man's name, he vividly remembered his behavior. Park Jintae was clearly no good person, a scoundrel whose reputation that even the slow-to-catch-on Gu Jei had heard about it.
"Esper Park Jintae has a history of stalking Guides. The severity of his crimes led to disciplinary action. If his target had been a civilian instead of a Guide, he'd still be in prison."
In this country, awakened individuals held a special status. They were the only ones capable of handling the mysterious disasters known as Gates, yet the outside world often treated them as disasters themselves.
The government attempted to quell public fear of those awakened by severely punishing crimes committed by awakened individuals against civilians. However, crimes committed among awakened individuals were often overlooked unless they were particularly serious. This was because the authorities sought to avoid weakening their forces by imprisoning awakened individuals whenever possible.
A decade ago, before the Guide Protection Act existed, Park Jintae, armed with money and connections, likely wouldn't have faced even a disciplinary action.
"So keep a distance from Esper Park Jintae. Shouldn't you protect yourself?"
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