Chapter 1 : The Weight of Duty

At twenty-two, in the summer, I awakened as a guide.

Lee So Won awakened as an A-grade guide, among the rare 3% of guides.
Young, reckless, and naive, So Won was dazed by the flood of national benefits.
Money filled the bank account without effort.
No need for job hunting, and even the long-dreaded military service was excused.
So Won was certain of matching with an ideal female esper.

‘[You have been matched with S-grade esper Kang Tae Woo.]’

But the day the results arrived, everything shattered.

S-grade esper Kang Tae Woo.
His body, riddled with dark red veins, suffered horrific side effects from unguided power.
One of only three S-grade espers in the nation, he was labeled a monster.
His physical enhancement ability granted steel-like resilience and immense strength, fighting bare-handed.

Awakened at ten, Tae Woo had less than 5% compatibility with every guide.
Surviving on mechanical guiding, he was an esper teetering on the edge of rampage.
Unable to control his strength, he once nearly killed someone by accident.
Yet, with So Won, he achieved an unprecedented 65% compatibility.

So Won rushed to the agency, sobbing and pleading to switch espers.
The staff gazed at So Won with pity, but their only response was:
Under the Guide Mandate, So Won must guide Tae Woo.

From then on, So Won’s life became a nightmare.

The first meeting with Kang Tae Woo was worse than any online image.

Standing over two meters tall, his massive frame was daunting.
The most terrifying feature was the dark red veins covering his body.
Bulging, they seemed to twitch, like something from a horror film.
When So Won met Tae Woo’s beast-like stare, fainting felt imminent.

The body shook uncontrollably.
Legs buckled, only steadied by a staff member’s grip.
Tae Woo, observing, calmly turned away.

Per the Guide Mandate, So Won had to live with Tae Woo.
Yet, every encounter sent So Won fleeing in terror.
So Won stopped eating, hid in a room, or fled to the parents’ house.
The Esper Association’s warnings forced a return each time.
Depression consumed So Won, sparking concern from others.

Tae Woo pitied So Won.
His emotions, dulled to nothing, still recognized So Won’s fear.
A small, fragile guide, terrified of the monster he was.
Understanding this, Tae Woo avoided contact, minimized guiding, and relied on machines to endure.

Eight years passed.

So Won still found Tae Woo terrifying, though slightly more familiar.
Their routine solidified: no interaction beyond contact guiding.
In eight years, they exchanged no words.

Tae Woo’s condition worsened daily.
Veins spread across his entire face.
The house held five guiding machines, though he was often at the Esper Center.
Guilt began to weigh on So Won, but guiding Tae Woo remained impossible.
Frozen like ice at his sight, So Won was paralyzed.
Seeing this, Tae Woo frowned and left.
Their distance only grew.

Tonight, a gate opened in Incheon.

Without warning, a gate erupted in the city’s core, shaking the nation.
The government declared an emergency.
Stronger monsters poured out, reducing the area to ruins.
Rated S-grade, it was the nation’s largest gate ever.

Three S-grade espers, including Tae Woo, headed to the gate hours ago.
Under the Guide Mandate, So Won waited at the Esper Association to guide Tae Woo post-mission.

So Won sat in the waiting room with other guides, awaiting the gate’s closure.
Stiff from hours of sitting, So Won heard the TV announce the gate’s closure.
Relieved sighs echoed among the guides.

So Won envied those who could worry for their espers.
For So Won, the gate’s closure meant facing Tae Woo—a terrifying prospect, especially in his weakened state.

“[Guide Lee So Won?]”

A breathless staff member called out.
So Won, trembling among the guides, looked up.

“[Esper Kang Tae Woo is critical. Please guide him now…]”

The staff’s expression was grim.
Yet, So Won felt no worry for Tae Woo—only dread of meeting him.

The staff’s hurried steps guided So Won forward.

The stench of blood thickened.
Strangely, So Won’s heart began to quiver with unease.

They reached a surgical room.
Opening the door, So Won flinched at the overwhelming blood smell.
The scene was unthinkable.

A massive figure lay on the bed, soaked in crimson, too tattered to recognize as Tae Woo.
Doctors stood frozen, circling the bed.
Blood dripped, pooling at So Won’s feet.

Is all this blood from Tae Woo?

The scene felt surreal.
Tae Woo’s condition was dire.
His unbreakable skin had a gaping hole in the abdomen, blood gushing relentlessly.
Unhealed wounds bled steadily.
His survival seemed impossible.

As doctors stood helpless, So Won knelt in the blood, grasping Tae Woo’s hand.
It was cold, hard, not human.
The chaotic waves that once overwhelmed So Won were unnaturally calm.
Only then did So Won grasp the reality.

Tae Woo, senses fading, felt warmth in his hand.
Sensing his guide, he struggled to open his eyes.
The guide, once frozen in fear, now stared, tears falling.
Eight years ago, So Won had chubby cheeks and round eyes, briefly thought cute.
Now, much thinner.

This innocent guide suffered because of me.
They’d be happy without me.
A monster like me made them miserable.
Tae Woo forced out a long-held apology.

“I’m sorry.”

His voice, cracked and faint, was the first So Won heard.
Meeting his dimming gaze, So Won’s heart sank.
Guilt crushed So Won.
Clutching his hand, So Won could only sob.

Cough.

A heavy cough brought dark blood from Tae Woo’s mouth, staining his face.
His eyes seemed to drift, unfocused.
So Won panicked.
He’s dying.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Don’t die… please, I’m sorry…”

Words spilled out, but only repeated apologies emerged.
This isn’t right.

S-grade esper.
Monster.
Unbreakable steel skin.

So Won never imagined Tae Woo could die.
Resenting a life tied to him, So Won had blamed him.

But the truth?

So Won never guided him properly, saw him as a monster, not a person.
Tae Woo endured ** excruciating pain** rather than demand guiding, quietly leaving when So Won froze.

So Won realized the truth.
The real monster was So Won.
The worst person was So Won.