"He really pulled every stunt there was."
Truly, it was so mortifying he couldn't hold his head up in public. Eugene writhed alone in the office.
In the novel's world, whatever Eugene Langford did hadn't mattered at all. It wasn't him doing it, and it wasn't his body anyway. But of all places, for Eugene Langford to have gone around wreaking havoc with his body here. Every time he faced that karma, it was so infuriating and mortifying he couldn't stand it.
Whew, let's calm down.
The water had already been spilled anyway. Since he couldn't enter a gate and obtain an item to turn back time, there was nothing he could do but pour all his effort into clearing away the karma. Getting angry on his own was only a loss for himself.
Quickly accepting reality, Eugene examined the pad screen again. The guiding schedule was set for the afternoon, so fortunately he still had time.
"...Come to think of it, there was a TV in the office too."
For lunch he simply ate a sandwich he'd asked Ha-young for. After hearing that banquet hall story, his desire to go to the cafeteria had vanished. He now understood the gazes that had watched him like a monkey at the zoo.
Bored, Eugene turned on the TV that had been in the office. Since returning here and busying himself adjusting to reality, he hadn't looked into how things were going in the outside world. In that sense, the TV was a splendid convenience of civilization.
...Association President Kwon Seung-hyeok met with an awakener group today and heard their opinions on a bill soon to be introduced. The bill to be introduced in the National Assembly this time strengthens the human rights and rights of awakeners...
The moment he turned on the screen, a familiar person's face appeared. Eugene stopped moving, remote in hand.
Kwon Seung-hyeok. The president of the Awakener Association, to which both guides and espers belonged, and the adoptive father who had taken Eugene in. When Eugene, an orphan, showed outstanding skill as a guide, he'd adopted him.
He wasn't an affectionate or good father, but the relationship wasn't bad. Kwon Seung-hyeok was a man who pursued practical benefit and profit, and Eugene, for his part, had wanted sturdy backing and support from him rather than affection. So the two maintained a relationship that was good in its own way.
Up until Eugene Langford entered this body, that is.
But now, he couldn't even guess how much the relationship had deteriorated. Until he'd entered the Center, he'd kept up steady contact with Kwon Seung-hyeok, but looking at his phone, there wasn't even a record of a recent call with him. Kwon Seung-hyeok had surely been disappointed in him — failing to fulfill his duties as a guide at the Center and acting like a thug.
Still, I'll have to reach out to him before long.
Kwon Seung-hyeok held such immense power that giving up out of fear wasn't an option. If multiple gates opened in this world too, as the system had said, his support would be absolutely necessary.
I seem to be marked in the military as well.
Eugene looked down at the pad screen with a troubled face. Ha-young had been handling all the work, so Eugene Langford probably hadn't known, but the inbox was full of complaint emails from the military. With the guide team leader leaving the assigned esper team without guiding, they must have been on edge too.
Mediating between the estranged military and himself was beyond the Guide Center alone. But if the Association President — who oversaw all awakeners — stepped in, it was a different story. Broadly speaking, military-affiliated espers also belonged to the Awakener Association.
In terms of raw power alone, the Association ranked above the military. Eugene recalled the standing of his adoptive father, Kwon Seung-hyeok, and nodded to himself.
Well, for now let me do the guiding and try to win the espers over.
Having finished the sandwich and dusted off his hands, Eugene rose from his seat. He stared fixedly at Kwon Seung-hyeok's face still showing on the screen, then turned around.
Eugene entered the guiding room right on schedule. Today's guiding appointment was Lee Si-yoon first, not Min Jae-ha. Min Jae-ha had a schedule with the other team members.
"Lee Si-yoon?"
"..."
Entering the guiding room, Eugene was first startled by the dim interior, and startled a second time by the fact that someone was seated inside. Looking closely, it was a face he knew. It was Lee Si-yoon himself, the very one who'd set the guiding appointment.
Lee Si-yoon, who'd been blankly staring at the desk, raised his head. Eugene blinked, flustered.
They said he's the team's youngest, but he looks really young.
Lee Si-yoon was an S-rank esper with a mind-based ability, just turned 21. Scanning the childishly slight shoulders and youthful face, Eugene tilted his head.
Why won't he answer? Then Eugene noticed the device around Lee Si-yoon's neck and inwardly winced.
High-rank mind-based espers like Lee Si-yoon were typically subjected to measures to keep them from abusing their abilities. The device on his neck was surely restricting Lee Si-yoon's speech as well. It was written in the profile that the device released only when a superior permitted conversation, or inside a gate.
"It's fine, you can speak."
"..."
When Eugene permitted it, there was a click — the sound of the device releasing. But Lee Si-yoon still only stared fixedly at him with glassy eyes. Slowly sitting down across from him, Eugene felt troubled.
If he won't talk, I can't tell what their relationship was like.
Of course, Eugene Langford — a bastard impartial to everyone — had surely been cruel to Lee Si-yoon too. That was why he'd kept his expression hard from the moment he entered the guiding room, but seeing Lee Si-yoon's dazed face, his resolve gradually drained away.
"Lee Si-yoon?"
When he called the name once more, Lee Si-yoon slowly closed his eyes and opened them again. Eugene stared at the small, white face, blanched pale, as if frustrated.
"...id it."
"What?"
Barely opening his mouth, Lee Si-yoon murmured something in a small voice. But even that was hard to hear, so Eugene frowned. Letting out a small sigh, Lee Si-yoon parted his lips again.
"I said it already..."
"..."
When exactly did you say anything?
Eugene felt like arguing. But since it might look like he was getting angry at a child, he bit it back hard. And he barely managed to recall the fact that Lee Si-yoon was an esper who could wield every mind-based ability.
Did he send it by telepathy?
Occasionally, espers with excellent mind-based abilities found it more comfortable to communicate by telepathy rather than speaking. There'd been a character like that in the novel's world too. Though Eugene Langford, who hated telepathy, had treated that esper all the more viciously for it.
Did he send it on purpose to needle me, or what?
It seemed Lee Si-yoon, too, was on bad terms with Eugene Langford. He'd expected as much, of course.
"I told you not to send telepathy."
"..."
"Are you ignoring what I said?"
So he showed his displeasure, but Lee Si-yoon didn't budge an inch. The way he paid no mind at all to whatever was said was so indifferent it was maddening.
Eugene Langford probably threw quite a fit about it. And Lee Si-yoon, who insisted on telepathy regardless, was quite formidable himself. Swallowing a sigh inwardly, Eugene opened his mouth again.
"You knew what today's appointment was when you came, right? Hold out your hand so I can guide you."
"..."
But whatever the case, all he had to do was guide Lee Si-yoon and bring down his contamination level.
Espers with mind-based abilities tended to have low contamination levels even without receiving guiding. That was because they could cast a suggestion on themselves as if they'd received guiding. So one might think mind-based espers didn't need guides, but the higher the rank, the faster the contamination level rose when the ability was used. So for Lee Si-yoon, an S-rank esper, the speed at which his contamination level rose from using his ability was a bit faster than lowering it by suggestion.
His situation was better than the other espers', but Lee Si-yoon too was on the high side when it came to the numbers alone. He didn't know how much time remained until the final multiple gates opened, but to lower his contamination level to 20% or below, he'd have to guide him steadily from now on.
Eugene wiggled his hand toward Lee Si-yoon. But he still didn't stir a muscle, only staring fixedly at Eugene's palm.
Ha, guiding is really hard.
Lee Si-yoon was yet another type entirely different from the other espers. Baek Do-hoon looked cold and level but had a hot-tempered streak; Kang Tae-jun was the same inside and out, and simple. And Min Jae-ha was polite and warm in his manner but a guy who did nothing but observe others sinisterly.
But Lee Si-yoon was so quiet and silent it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. It got easier to deal with someone if they showed even a little reaction, but with him not talking and only staring, Eugene was at a loss for how to respond.
Every single one of them is anything but easy.
Eugene thought inwardly and shook his head from side to side. He'd figured he'd become a veteran, thoroughly worn down by S-rank espers in the novel's world, but it seemed that had been an arrogant thought.
"...Okay."
Then at last Lee Si-yoon slowly moved his hand. Even just taking his hand to guide him was an eternity. Eugene bit back the sigh threatening to escape.
In any case, now that he'd taken his hand, all he had to do was guide. Then this time would end too. Eugene repeated inwardly and concentrated the guiding energy into his hand.
Still, his body's in a bit better shape than the others.
Being a mind-based esper, his contamination level was tolerable, as expected. So he could guide him relatively smoothly.
Shall I do about this much today? Watching the watch and confirming the numbers had dropped sufficiently, Eugene was about to let go of Lee Si-yoon's hand when—
"What's Langford?"
"...What?"
Eugene startled for an instant and stared at Lee Si-yoon.
