Eugene stared at the system window with grave eyes.
He'd seen a quest with this exact same content before. It was back when he'd transmigrated into the world of the original novel. It matched the content of the main quest he'd received then, down to the last word.
The only difference was the espers he was currently in charge of. Back then, the names of the novel's protagonists had been written there, but now they'd been swapped for the names of the espers he was in charge of in the real world.
Why am I receiving a quest even though the transmigration is over?
And if it was the same quest as back then, didn't that mean something similar would happen here?
The calamity in the novel's world had been severe. S-rank gates that were hard to close even when S-rank espers swarmed in had opened in double and triple layers — it had been hell itself.
If he hadn't lowered the espers' contamination levels before the main receiver awakened, countless people would have died, just as in the original. The original's ending had been even more horrific. The world had gone right to the brink of destruction before the protagonists finally managed to close the last gate.
At first he'd only done the guiding to keep the espers from killing him, but it had ultimately led to saving the world as a result. Thanks to that, he'd earned a wish from the system and returned to his original world — a fairly profitable bargain, all told.
"I have to do that whole thing again?"
But even so, the multiple gates that had brought the world to the edge of annihilation in the original were by no means to be underestimated. It had been a grueling battle even when the S-rank espers — whose contamination levels Eugene's guiding had dropped to an average below 20% — gave it their all. The same went for Eugene, who'd poured guiding into them to the very limit.
Even back then he'd wondered whether he'd die guiding at this rate, and now he had to go through the same thing here. Eugene pressed a hand firmly against his throbbing head.
"How did it come to this, seriously..."
He'd found it strange that the system hadn't disappeared and stayed in place. It seemed the events that had unfolded in the novel's world were going to happen here just the same.
Is this a predetermined future? Or is it because I, having been chosen by the system, returned to this world and got caught up in its influence?
He couldn't know the reason yet. For now, though, there was nothing to do but carry out the quest the system had set. He couldn't just sit still and die, after all.
"All right, let's give it a shot. I've done it once, why not twice?"
As it happened, he'd already guided two of his assigned espers yesterday. If he kept guiding his assigned espers smoothly like this and improved his relationships with them, he'd be able to handle the quest. And then he could prevent the world's destruction too.
Thinking as positively as he could, Eugene nodded. Then he closed the system window and left the bedroom.
Grrrooowl...
The moment he stepped out from washing up, an enormous sound came from his stomach. He'd been so stressed yesterday that he'd starved all day, and now the aftermath came surging in belatedly. Quest, assigned espers, whatever — he felt like he'd die of hunger.
I should hit the cafeteria first.
Thanks to the unsettling dream, he'd woken early and still had time before work. Eugene decided to stop by the cafeteria before heading to the office. He called up the cafeteria's location, listed on the lobby directory, in his head.
Good, they serve breakfast too.
The Guide Center could turn into an impregnable fortress at a moment's notice, so pretty much anything could be handled inside it. He'd heard you could even order like hotel room service if you wanted, but having just returned, he didn't yet know how to have food sent to the room, so eating at the cafeteria seemed the reasonable choice.
But why is everyone staring like this?
From the moment he stepped into the cafeteria, he felt the gazes, blatant. People who'd casually turned their heads blinked upon seeing him. And later they openly looked him up and down. As if they were seeing something they shouldn't.
Eugene Langford... probably wouldn't have come to a crowded cafeteria like this.
Eugene Langford had stood at the very pinnacle even among nobles. He was a grand aristocrat who called even the space where he dined at his mansion a "dining room," spreading out a lavish feast on that enormous table where only a select few sat to eat. A man like that wouldn't have deigned to eat elbow-to-elbow with people he called monkeys.
"Isn't that Kwon Eugene?"
"What's he doing in the cafeteria?"
"Don't tell me he came here to actually eat?"
"..."
Hearing the people around him whispering, it was just as he'd expected. Merely coming to the cafeteria like this was apparently enough to send a ripple through the Center. With a troubled heart, Eugene picked up a plate.
It was as if he'd become an animal in a cage. People's gazes and voices poked at his cheeks and ears. Striving to stay composed, Eugene loaded food onto his plate.
Breakfast was buffet-style, where you took as much as you wanted and ate. Eugene loaded up salad, fruit, and toast, and sat down at an empty seat.
If there was one small mercy, it was that it was breakfast time, so there were few people. To sleep in more in the morning, it was better to skip a meal or make do with something quick. But from lunch on, the crowds would double — and he was a little worried about whether he could withstand stares like these then.
"Huh? Aren't you Team Leader Kwon?"
"...?"
Just then, someone approached Eugene, who was sitting alone at a spacious table.
He'd deliberately taken a quiet seat where there were no people. He'd figured others would feel uncomfortable if he were nearby. And yet someone was purposely coming over and acknowledging him.
Min... Jae-ha?
Looking at the man beaming at him with a plate in hand, Eugene recalled his name. Having gone through all the profiles of his assigned espers that Ha-young had given him yesterday, he could tell who this person was. The profiles came with ID photos attached, if only as a formality.
What's this? Was he on good terms with Eugene Langford?
He'd assumed all the espers of Alpha-1 Team disliked him for having been tormented by Eugene Langford. Baek Do-hoon the team leader had been that way, and so had Kang Tae-jun. So he'd naturally figured he was on the worst terms with the other espers too.
"I think this is the first time I've seen you in the cafeteria."
"Ah, yes. Well..."
"Mind if I sit next to you?"
"What?"
Eugene blinked his eyes wide, startled. Then he looked at Min Jae-ha's face. The genial-looking face seemed even warmer and more affable than in the profile photo.
"Hm, sure. Have a seat."
"Okay."
When the flustered Eugene nodded, Min Jae-ha sat down beside him.
Well, this actually works out.
He had to do the guiding today anyway. Getting a little familiar beforehand would be good. Eugene ate his food, stealing glances at Min Jae-ha beside him.
"Seems you'll be eating in the cafeteria now."
"Ah."
He'd been wondering what to bring up, and just then Min Jae-ha spoke first. Eugene nodded right away.
"Yes, looks that way."
"I eat in the cafeteria a lot too. That's great."
"..."
Min Jae-ha seemed to be a far more sociable person than he'd thought. To approach someone everyone avoided, like himself, without any hesitation and say things like this.
But is this kid for real?
He couldn't help feeling suspicious. Eugene narrowed his eyes. He couldn't figure out Min Jae-ha's intentions at all.
There's no way Eugene Langford was kind to this one alone.
Eugene Langford was a bastard who was impartial to everyone. If the looks pleased him, esper or civilian, he'd try to trample and possess them; if the looks weren't to his taste, he'd trample them for being an eyesore. In short, Eugene Langford had acted like a thug toward everyone.
And yet he was being this friendly? Eugene couldn't for the life of him think Min Jae-ha had good intentions. He kept a firm grip on his suspicion as he slowly continued his meal.
"Seems you like raisins. I can't really eat the ones they put in the salad."
"Yeah, sort of..."
Min Jae-ha's trivial chatter continued. Eugene played along halfheartedly from beside him. The exchange was too clichéd for him to keep up his suspicion. The same went for Min Jae-ha's genial manner.
Is this just how he naturally is? As time passed, Eugene's tension eased little by little. Besides, keeping his guard up on edge when nothing was even happening was tiring.
Baek Do-hoon and Kang Tae-jun had openly bared their hostility, so there'd been no helping it, but if Min Jae-ha was different, then he didn't have to be so on edge — which was actually a good thing, wasn't it? Having been thoroughly worn down by the other espers just yesterday, Eugene gradually tried to think in a direction favorable to himself.
"Ah, and by the way."
"What is it now?"
It was right when Eugene had loosened his grip on his tension a little. Min Jae-ha opened his mouth again. Starting to get sick of his chatter, Eugene asked with a furrowed brow. At that, Min Jae-ha grinned and continued.
"Why are you speaking politely to me? You always used casual speech."
"..."
The fork of the salad-eating Eugene came to a dead stop. Pausing his motion for a moment, Eugene moved his hand again. And striving to appear nonchalant, he answered.
"Did I? I don't remember well."
"You don't remember?"
"No."
Damn, I let my guard down. Eugene muttered a curse inwardly.
With the Center Director and Baek Do-hoon, using polite speech hadn't made them suspect him. No matter how much of a thug Eugene Langford was, he wasn't thoughtless enough to speak crudely to people who ranked as superiors in this world.
But it seemed his attitude toward everyone else was different. Yesterday, hadn't Kang Tae-jun failed to find it strange when Eugene had inadvertently spoken politely?
So even though Min Jae-ha, unlike Kang Tae-jun, showed polite manners, he should have been careful. This time it was a clear blunder on his part. Eugene slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze on Min Jae-ha.
