Chapter 2 : A Guide That Rolled In Unexpectedly (2)

Episode 2. A Guide That Rolled In Unexpectedly (2)

Jisung gently patted the man’s back, his arms still locked tightly around him. As Jisung’s hand moved soothingly across his back, the grip around him loosened slightly. Jisung let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He didn’t understand what he was doing with a complete stranger, but the man’s expression, teetering on the edge of tears, tugged at his heart.

“Um, we should probably evacuate…”

Jisung spoke softly, trying to calm the trembling man.

“…It’s dangerous here.”

Honestly, the man who fell from the sky unharmed seemed more dangerous, but he showed no signs of aggression. Carefully, Jisung placed his hands on the man’s shoulders and tried to push him away. But the man didn’t budge, no matter how hard Jisung strained. He pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and shouted,

“Look at me!”

The man slowly raised his head. Jisung cupped his face in his hands, their eyes meeting. The man’s sharp, upturned eyes reminded him of a wildcat.

“The terrorist alarm is still going off. It’s dangerous here. Let’s go to the bomb shelter, okay?”

Jisung spoke as if soothing a child. The man stared at him for a moment, then slowly nodded.

‘Finally!’

Jisung wanted to pump his fists in the air. He would have, if not for the desperate cries that suddenly reached his ears.

“Hyunwoo!”

He turned to see two people running towards them. Their eyes widened when they saw the man, and they rushed forward.

“Hyunwoo! Thank goodness, you’re safe… Are you alright? You were hit in a vital spot and…”

The young man trailed off, his blue eyes darting between Jisung and the man. He had light blond hair and looked mixed-race. His bewildered expression made Jisung realize he was still holding the man’s face in his hands. He quickly dropped them, an embarrassed smile on his face.

“Ha… ha…”

As Jisung’s hands fell away, the man, Hyunwoo, brought his own hand to his cheek, as if Jisung’s touch still lingered. Hyunwoo stared at Jisung’s nervously fidgeting hands, then reached out and took one.

“More.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t take your hand away. Touch me more.”

“What?”

Jisung and the young man exchanged bewildered glances. Jisung shook his head vehemently. The blond man, seeing Jisung’s frantic head shaking, also began to nod, as if malfunctioning.

The other man, with brown hair, watched from behind, glancing around nervously despite the fact that they were alone. He took a step back, as if trying to disassociate himself from the scene.

“Aaargh!”

Jisung, his head spinning from all the shaking, finally snapped. He jumped to his feet.

“Your… your friends are here, so I’ll be going now…”

Desperately wanting to escape the bizarre situation, Jisung tried to make a quick exit. But Hyunwoo grabbed his wrist.

“W-what…?”

“Where are you going?”

“To the shelter…”

“Stay here.”

“But… there’s a terrorist attack, the alarm is going off…”

‘And why is he so calm?’

Hyunwoo listened patiently, then stood up.

“If that’s the case, it’s safest by my side.”

“But…”

Seeing Jisung’s dubious expression, Hyunwoo brushed off his dust and blood-covered clothes. As he did, a pattern began to emerge on the fabric.

Jisung, who had been struggling to free his wrist, gave up and watched. His indifferent expression morphed into one of surprise as the pattern became clearer.

“Huh?”

He gasped.

“Now you understand? It’s safest next to me. Stay here.”

Embroidered on Hyunwoo’s left arm was the clear emblem ‘ES,’ the mark of a South Korean National Defense Esper. Jisung’s eyes widened.

“An… Esper?”

The blond man nodded slowly.

Jisung stared at Hyunwoo, blinking in surprise. ‘Esper’ was a term for those who possessed extraordinary abilities, similar to superpowers. People had begun developing these abilities spontaneously, for reasons unknown. They possessed superior physical abilities and longer lifespans compared to ordinary humans.

‘That explains why he’s fine after falling from the sky.’

It was the first time Jisung had seen an Esper up close. Espers were all affiliated with the ES Center and rarely left unless on a mission or during a terrorist attack. Encounters were rare.

“Ah, so that’s why your wounds healed so quickly?”

Remembering the rapidly closing wound, Jisung felt a sense of satisfaction at having the mystery solved. But his satisfaction was short-lived. He saw the horrified expression on the blond man’s face and instantly clamped his mouth shut, a chill running down his spine.

‘Isn’t that normal for an Esper?’

Jisung’s eyes darted around nervously. The young man hurriedly examined Hyunwoo. The small scratch on his face from before the mission, and the injuries he’d sustained from the enemy attack, were all gone.

“A Guide?”

The young man murmured in disbelief, staring at Jisung. Understanding dawned on Jisung, and he shook his head even more frantically than before.

“No, but…”

Before the young man could say anything else, Jisung shook his head again, denying everything.

“But what if…?”

Shake.

“Even so…!”

Shake. Jisung shook his head so hard he felt dizzy.

‘I think I’m going to be sick…’

He put a hand to his head, sighing.

‘A Guide? Don’t tell me I’m one of those short-lived…’

Even though Jisung didn’t know much about Espers, he knew what they did. They dealt with terrorist organizations and rogue Espers who hadn’t joined the ES Center. And Guides… Guides were there to prevent Espers from losing control.

Espers accumulated fatigue every time they used their abilities. That’s why they needed Guides, who had the ability to alleviate that fatigue. Without proper guiding, Espers risked losing control. And the higher the Esper’s level, the greater the risk and the more devastating the consequences. An S-Rank Esper losing control could wipe out an entire city.

Jisung shuddered, remembering a news report about a Guide who died alongside the Esper they were supposed to be protecting.

‘I’m not a Guide. Absolutely not!’

His life motto was ‘Live long and prosper.’ He preferred a long, uneventful life to a short, heroic one. Being an Esper, or even a Guide, was the worst-case scenario.

“I’m not, I’m really not…”

He backed away, then stopped as a strong hand grabbed his arm.

“I said I wasn’t…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. Hyunwoo pulled him into a protective embrace. Before Jisung could question the action, he saw large objects rising into the air.

‘What… what is that?’

He stared in horror, his mind screaming. Buses, chunks of buildings—all sorts of debris floated upwards, then arced towards him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

A hollow laugh escaped his lips. He’d always avoided danger, yet here he was, about to die a ridiculous death because of someone else’s malice. The debris rained down on him. He squeezed his eyes shut, the deafening roar of the impacts filling his ears.

‘I don’t want to die! Someone, save me!’

Terror washed over him, followed by a surge of resentment. It wasn’t fair. He clutched Hyunwoo’s shirt. A soft chuckle sounded above him. Who could laugh at a time like this? He opened his eyes and met Hyunwoo’s gaze.

“Didn’t I say? It’s safest by my side.”

“Huh?”

The roaring stopped. Jisung looked up. His jaw dropped. The debris hung suspended in mid-air, as if time had frozen. He stared at Hyunwoo, speechless. Hyunwoo grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as if seeking praise. Jisung slowly released his grip on Hyunwoo’s shirt.

A chill ran down his spine. He felt like prey caught in a trap.