Chapter 7 : A Binding Commitment

‘[It’s over. You may get up.]’

Lee So Won’s drifting mind, lulled by Kang Tae Woo’s warmth, crashed back to reality.
Startled by the speaker’s voice, So Won jolted upright.
The emergency cot creaked pitifully under the sudden movement.

So Won panicked.
Moments ago, too scared to hold Tae Woo’s hand, yet now sprawled atop him, listening to his heartbeat and inhaling his scent like a creep.
Finding comfort in his embrace felt alien, as if bewitched.

“Guide Lee So Won, my apologies for the late introduction. I’m Esper Kang Tae Woo’s doctor.”

The doctor entered the guiding room, offering a handshake.
So Won grasped the hand dazedly, shaken briskly.
The face seemed familiar—seen a few times over the eight years as Tae Woo’s guide.

“What’s the matching rate?”

So Won asked, suppressing the question for too long.
It must have dropped to 65%.
Greedily, So Won hoped for a slight increase to better help Tae Woo.
But a fixed matching rate changing? Unheard of.

The doctor laughed brightly.

“100% is confirmed.”

“What?”

So Won’s eyes widened, questioning their ears.
The doctor handed over a fresh printout.
Guiding Test Report: Esper Kang Tae Woo, Guide Lee So Won, Matching Rate 100.000%.
So Won’s disbelief showed, scanning the document slowly, double-checking.

Hoping for a slight increase was one thing, but this?
So Won faltered.
Reflecting, the guiding felt different—waves clearer, more abundant.
Tae Woo’s fainting likely tied to the heightened rate.
But why it increased? Inexplicable.

“A high matching rate isn’t bad. It’s great for Esper Kang Tae Woo and for you, Guide Lee So Won.”

Maybe…
The doctor swallowed the last word, smiling.
He wasn’t lying.
It was good for So Won.
With such a high rate to an S-grade esper, an A-grade guide would receive S-grade treatment—plus global attention.
But only if So Won could endure the monster Kang Tae Woo.

Murmuring, “Is that so…?” So Won seemed dazed.
The doctor nodded vigorously.
Even with confirmation, So Won looked stunned.

Tae Woo, still unconscious, was moved to his private room.
So Won headed to the Guide Registration Department.
Holding a number ticket, waiting, So Won stared at the report.
Submitting it and signing the consent form would bind So Won to Tae Woo for life.
Despite regret and guilt over his death, facing this moment, So Won wanted to flee.
Running now might delay becoming his guide.

A voice calling So Won’s number interrupted.
So Won didn’t move.
Like a child knowingly doing wrong, their heart raced.
The staff called again.
Pretending not to have heard, So Won stood calmly.
Tae Woo’s voice—‘[Be happy.]’—echoed like a hallucination.

At the desk, So Won handed over the doctor’s papers.
The staff, seeing Kang Tae Woo’s name and 100%, faltered briefly but resumed professionalism, offering a consent form.

So Won filled it out silently.
In the past, So Won had raged here, unable to accept the assigned esper, signing under duress.
Meeting Tae Woo revealed he was worse than imagined.

Recalling that, So Won felt shame and pity.
Lost in thought, So Won completed the form.

The staff reviewed it and spoke.

“A-grade Guide Lee So Won, matched at 100% with S-grade Esper Kang Tae Woo… As he currently lacks a guide, per the Guide Duty Act, you must provide guiding until a higher-matched guide appears.”

The staff glanced at So Won, reciting the manual.

“Per the Guide Duty Act, guides matched with A-grade or higher espers must cohabitate and provide guiding. You may agree on a residence or use a state-provided safe house. Please review and follow the Guide Duty Act handbook.”

Cohabitation…

The house, familiar from eight years, held only bad memories.
Returning there wasn’t appealing.
But it was mandatory, and frequent guiding required proximity.
Besides, Tae Woo rarely stayed there.

A safe house was an option, but So Won disliked the CCTV surveillance.
The past So Won might have chosen it or delayed, naively thinking avoidance could skip cohabitation.
It defaulted to Tae Woo’s house.

Cohabitation needed to start within a month, but So Won planned to move sooner.
Reluctant yet eager to return, So Won felt that there, Tae Woo’s death might feel unreal.

The staff handed the final document—consent to be Tae Woo’s dedicated guide.
So Won signed without hesitation.
Officially Tae Woo’s guide, So Won felt bittersweet yet relieved.

The heart felt lighter.
Meeting the living, breathing Tae Woo of eight years ago, feeling his warmth, made the past seem a dream.
Yet the surgical room’s vivid image lingered with closed eyes.
If that was the dream and this is reality, I’d prefer it.

So Won sat on a lobby chair seen earlier, resting.
With tasks done, tension drained, leaving So Won limp.
Becoming his guide again brought regret and resolve—an ambiguous mix.

Tae Woo, somewhere in this building, came to mind.
In this life, he’ll be happy. With a guide, receiving guiding, becoming human.

“Son, the test results are out already?”

So Won flinched.

Home, So Won’s mother greeted with an unusual tone.
Rushing out that morning, mentioning the results, had caused this.
Even So Won’s father, usually at work, sat on the sofa, smiling.

Facing their bright faces, So Won hesitated to reveal the esper.
Kang Tae Woo’s reputation—one of three S-grade espers in Korea, a monster with horrific side effects—was known to them.
They’d surely cry hearing So Won matched with him.

Lying or dodging didn’t suit So Won.
Poor at deception, they’d be caught.
Cautiously, So Won spoke.

“I matched with Kang Tae Woo.”

Crash!
So Won’s mother, preparing a cool drink for her A-grade guide son, dropped a glass.
Startled by the sharp sound, So Won looked.
The glass didn’t break, and she was unharmed, but her face was shocked.

“What? Why would an S-grade esper match with an A-grade guide? Has the Esper Association lost it?”

“No, the matching rate was really high. It’s confirmed.”

So Won nearly mentioned the rate but stopped.
The unrealistic number would spark disbelief, claims of a machine error.

“There must be an error! Go back and retest!”

As expected, So Won’s parents fiercely opposed Tae Woo’s guide role.
Unlike the joyful A-grade guide celebration, they were upset.
Facing their anger was tough for So Won.

“I’ve already submitted the consent to be his dedicated guide… I don’t plan to retract it.”

So Won spoke calmly, gauging their reactions.