As Han Shinyul carried him into the Center, Yu Huiyeong found that, unlike the quiet outside, the inside of the building was packed with people.
"Seriously, every last one of these bastards has lost their damn minds...."
Some of them were openly making out where everyone could see. Even more shocking, the people clinging to each other were the same sex, and despite kissing passionately and groping each other all over, nobody around them paid the slightest bit of attention.
Huiyeong stared wide-eyed at the two bodies pressed tightly together. Shinyul immediately secured his small body with telekinesis and covered Huiyeong's eyes with one large hand.
"Princess, are you going to keep looking at other people? I get jealous pretty easily."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Hearing the two of them, one of the employees cautiously approached and whispered,
"When people are kissing or being physically intimate inside the Center, it's usually because an Esper and a Guide are in the middle of Guiding. It's considered rude to stare, so it's good manners to pretend you didn't see."
"No, if they're embarrassed enough to care, then why the hell are they suckin' face out in broad daylight?"
"It's not that they're embarrassed..."
The employee trailed off. The problem was simply the instincts of Matching Espers. Besides, Han Shinyul wasn't going to let him look anyway.
Even with his vision blocked, Huiyeong fluttered his eyelashes.
Damn... these kids are weird.
"Today we'll just register you as a Guide and schedule your training. Then you can go home and rest. You're tired, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Hurry it up before this old man croaks."
Having given up trying to climb down after sensing the threat around his ankles, Huiyeong let his little feet dangle as he answered listlessly. His voice was soft and youthful, yet he stubbornly kept referring to himself as an old man. The employees couldn't help laughing.
Shinyul's eyes immediately turned cold.
Temper like that...
Understanding the warning, the employees all took several steps backward.
The others who had visited Huiyeong's hospital room finally arrived, hurriedly flipping through documents as they rushed over. Based on the power of attorney Huiyeong had signed without even reading, they'd already finished issuing all of his identification papers.
When an employee handed Huiyeong his ID and other documents, Shinyul intercepted them halfway and firmly placed them into Huiyeong's hands.
"What's this? Oh, this kid's ID? How old is he? Didn't he just get born yesterday?"
"Our Princess is twenty-one. Just became an adult. A little baby."
Since Huiyeong barely remembered his own age anymore, he couldn't tell how old someone was just by looking at their birth year. He tilted his head in confusion.
The moment Shinyul told him his age, Huiyeong looked like he was about to faint.
While Huiyeong was busy being completely floored by his own age, everyone else efficiently finished the Guide registration, immediately registered the pair, configured both the Pair Watch and cellphone, and handed everything over to Shinyul.
Ding.
A clear electronic chime rang out as Shinyul's status appeared.
"Whoa, his Guiding value is already eighty-eight percent? Isn't that the highest we've ever seen?"
"Guiding drugs can't raise it above eighty percent. Now you know why he's been glued to him like his life depends on it."
"The Matching rate must be ridiculously high if even this little physical contact raises it that quickly. If they make mucous membrane contact, it'll hit one hundred percent instantly."
"That's exactly why we begged Mr. Huiyeong so desperately."
"I'm proud of myself."
Unable to hear the employees whispering among themselves, Huiyeong simply watched as Shinyul gently lowered him to the floor and carefully fastened the watch around his wrist with a warm smile.
"What's this?"
"Mmm. It's like our wedding ring."
"Doesn't acting all lovey-dovey like that wear you out? It's practically a talent."
He grumbled while looking down at the watch around his slender wrist.
Even though he hadn't done anything, this damn body had already run out of strength. His head was spinning.
Shinyul took the phone back and busily adjusted one setting after another while Huiyeong quietly watched. The dizziness only grew worse.
"Mr. Huiyeong, why don't you go home and rest today? We'll start your training schedule in about two days. Does that sound alright?"
"Sure, sure. This old man's got no clue about that stuff anyway."
"Understood. We'll arrange everything for you."
The people nearby wore puzzled expressions as they watched everyone speak to the young man as though he were some elderly gentleman.
The murmuring all around echoed painfully inside Huiyeong's head, making him increasingly irritable.
Just as he was about to ask whether they could finally leave, a booming shout suddenly rose above the crowd.
"Hey, Han Shinyul! Damn, there you are, you bastard! I get that you've got your own circumstances, but disappearing for weeks without showing your damn face is pushing it, don't you think? Do you have any idea how much crap I've had to clean up because of you? If you're a decent human being, you could at least explain what's going on or answer your damn phone. And don't you dare tell me again you don't have my number. Huh?"
"Esper Kang Jihyeok, wait just a moment... There was an official notice. Didn't you see it?"
"Like hell I had time to read a notice! I barely have time to eat! No, more importantly, you know damn well if one of us disappears the rest of the S-ranks get worked like dogs. Maybe it'd be different if there were a lot of us, but there's only four! You couldn't even be bothered to send one damn message?"
The muscular man practically exploded as he shouted. His booming voice matched his massive physique, filling the entire lobby.
Shinyul acted as though he couldn't hear a word. Having finished setting up the phone, he smiled brightly and placed it into Huiyeong's hand.
Holding it, Huiyeong muttered,
"Jesus... this bastard sure talks a fucking lot...."
His small, thin voice disappeared beneath Jihyeok's shouting.
His head had already been spinning, and now this loudmouth had shown up screaming his lungs out.
He felt like he was about to collapse.
Unable to contain his rising anger, Huiyeong scowled and snapped.
"You fucking asshole! Hey! You do a little extra work and now you're gonna whine and bitch? Throwing one hell of a tantrum, aren't you? Huh? Who's the one with no damn manners? You brat never shuts the fuck up and you've got zero respect. Damn you!"
The more he cursed, the angrier he became. Falling back into old habits, Huiyeong lashed out with a kick.
He darted forward in an instant.
Smack!
His skinny leg struck Jihyeok's thick calf.
Jihyeok, however, barely felt anything.
Still chirping angrily, Huiyeong suddenly staggered backward from the impact of his own kick.
His vision blurred.
Holy shit...
So people really can knock themselves unconscious just from hitting somebody....
***
"Mr. Huiyeong! Mr. Huiyeong!"
"What? What? I didn't do anything!"
The instant Huiyeong lost consciousness and collapsed, Shinyul caught his frail body before it hit the ground.
The moment he saw Huiyeong lying there with his eyes peacefully closed, his face pale as paper while breathing weakly, Shinyul's expression instantly turned ice cold.
"W-Wait, seriously, it wasn't me! He hit me first! Since when does the guy doing the hitting pass out?!"
"Shinyul, calm down! Calm down!"
"No, wait, Shinyul! Ugh...!"
Jihyeok's body was suddenly hurled through the air and slammed straight into the wall.
The Center was built from special materials precisely because fights between Espers weren't uncommon, making it incredibly sturdy.
Even so, the full-force collision from an S-rank ability made the entire building tremble with a deep rumble.
"Shinyul, Kang Jihyeok really is trash, so stop getting mad. Your Guide collapsed—you should be taking care of him."
A woman with short hair calmly walked through the gathering crowd. Striding forward on long legs, she grabbed Jihyeok—who had slumped against the wall—and dragged him back by one leg.
As expected of an Esper with physical enhancement abilities, Jihyeok was completely unharmed.
The only thing covering his face was utter injustice.
"Why the hell am I trash?! I didn't even say anything wrong! That Guide... Guide? He's a Guide?"
"Yep. Which means you're the trash who knocked out Han Shinyul's Guide—the first one he's had in twenty-six years."
"I... I didn't know...."
"There was an announcement. You didn't read it. That's your fault."
The short-haired Esper, Chaeyun, spoke gently while flicking her hair back.
Among all the S-ranks, she alone possessed a calm, gentle temperament, making her the employees' favorite.
The moment Jihyeok heard her, the bronze color drained completely from his face.
"I... I didn't have time to read the announcement.... Fine. I'm trash. Shinyul... are you gonna kill me?"
"Yeah."
"Please don't."
Shinyul's expression remained icy.
Huiyeong collapsing had made him furious.
But what angered him even more was the fact that his Guide had gotten angry because of another Esper.
The employees were different. They were part of Shinyul's assigned team, so naturally they interacted with Huiyeong often.
But another Esper?
He hated that.
The only Esper allowed to make Yu Huiyeong laugh...
...or make him angry...
...should be himself.
As Shinyul's golden eyes flickered once more, the Center's announcement system echoed throughout the building.
-Attention. Due to a disturbance between Espers on the first floor of Headquarters, the building experienced temporary shaking. No structural abnormalities have been detected. All employees are requested to return to their duties. The Espers responsible for the disturbance are to report immediately to the fifth floor of the Center. Once again...
"They're calling you up. Shinyul, hurry and get out of here. Jihyeok will clean this up."
"Yeah. I'll explain everything and take the punishment myself. Just let this one go."
"Obviously. This is one hundred percent your fault. How dare an Esper attack a Guide."
At Chaeyun's words, the employees hurriedly agreed and tried to calm Shinyul.
"That's right, Shinyul. You need to take care of Mr. Huiyeong. He's already not feeling well. Let him rest. It's way too noisy here. We'll take you home. Let's go."
"Yeah. Kang Jihyeok and I will handle things here. If you cause another incident, we won't be able to cover for you. Right now it's completely Jihyeok's fault, but if you keep acting up, you'll be summoned immediately."
Shinyul let out a slow sigh.
Still obviously displeased, he allowed the employees to practically drag him away.
Just before disappearing...
His golden eyes flashed.
Bang!
Jihyeok's head was driven straight into the floor.
"...Fuck. Good thing I still had my ability active. If I'd only been B-rank, that would've killed me...."
"That's what you get for messing with someone else's Guide."
"I didn't touch him.... He suddenly charged at me like a Chihuahua. What the hell was I supposed to do? I didn't even use my ability when Han Shinyul's Matching Guide kicked me."
Despite the way he'd come in yelling, Jihyeok was actually a fairly easygoing person.
He had a hot temper and got angry quickly, but he admitted when he was wrong, apologized readily, and never held grudges.
This time, it really had been nothing more than a tragic misunderstanding mixed with crushing overwork.
Anyone would feel wronged.
But what could he do?
In any conflict between a Guide and an Esper, if the Guide so much as shed a tear, then regardless of how it started...
...the Esper was automatically at fault.
That was true even between a matched pair.
So knocking out another Esper's Guide—
Han Shinyul's Matching Guide, no less—
left Jihyeok with absolutely no defense.
"Quit whining and get up. They keep repeating the announcement. I'll go with you."
"...Ha... Go easy on me, Sis. Han Shinyul seriously meant to bury me. Even with my ability fully reinforcing my body, my head's still ringing."
"That was him going easy on you. Just apologize to Shinyul later. You should've been grateful in the first place that he'd been handling a workload equal to ours without a Guide."
"...You always know exactly how to leave a guy speechless."
With a grunt, Jihyeok climbed back to his feet.
Chaeyun quietly looked toward the doorway where Shinyul and Huiyeong had disappeared.
"Guiding... does it really feel that good? When I'm being Guided, it feels like I can't breathe and I'm going to die. But if I don't receive Guiding, it feels like I'll stop breathing altogether. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
The hollow, wandering voice seemed to echo beside her ears.
She remembered once again how Shinyul had cradled his Guide like the world's greatest treasure.
"So? Is it nice?"
"Does it look nice to you?"
"Not you."
Chaeyun let out a quiet chuckle and turned on her heel.