By Zephyria 
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam, so we’re heading to my place now?”
“……I’ll be in your care for a while.”
“Good choice.”
Vasily gave a thin smile.
Even though it was a place where no one lived, the thought of moving into Vasily’s home didn’t put my mind at ease. Surely he wouldn’t barge in at all hours demanding guiding? Hotels or motels had terrible security, so they were out of the question, but at least one of Vasily’s residences would have guaranteed security.
“Want some help moving your things?”
“I’m fine. I don’t have much to pack……”
“Then I’ll stay here and keep watch to see if any suspicious people come to kidnap Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi.”
“Yes. How very reassuring. Thank you.”
Vasily waved playfully. Seeing that, I let out a small chuckle and headed inside.
The cluttered interior, a result of my recent neglect of cleaning, welcomed me. If I had shown Vasily such a small and shabby room, I would have wanted to run away from the sheer embarrassment.
After taking off my shoes and entering the house, I immediately looked for the medicine I had left on the desk.
I swallowed one red pill and waited a moment, feeling my condition gradually improve. My beaten cheek still throbbed, but I regained enough strength to move my body.
I pulled a large bag from the corner and quickly packed my things.
I packed basic necessities, a few sets of clothes, and all the remaining red pills. Since I wasn’t leaving permanently, my luggage was minimal.
Before stepping out the front door, I took one last look around the house. The home I had lived in since before matching with Vasily. When I first woke up here on the day of my regression, it had felt completely foreign. I had only lived here for about a month, and I was just starting to get used to it……
Thinking that I should visit some real estate agents tomorrow to look for a new place, I slung the bag over my shoulder and stepped outside.
I opened the passenger door and got into the car. Vasily seemed to be on the phone with someone, as he was finishing the call just as I climbed in.
The other party was obvious. It had to be the association. He had likely left the cleanup of the building he froze to the association.
“You came out quickly. Is that all your luggage?”
“Yes. There wasn’t much to take.”
As Vasily drove, he asked again if I was truly sure about not going to the hospital, but I simply replied that I was tired and wanted to rest quickly.
We soon arrived at a familiar place. I had known where it was from the moment I heard the address. It was one of the places I had stayed with Vasily in the past. Since it was a familiar house, adapting wouldn’t be a problem.
I took the elevator to the top floor. Vasily gave me the door lock password and then opened the door for me himself.
Perhaps out of consideration for my high level of wariness, Vasily didn’t enter the house and remained standing at the door. I thanked him once more.
“Thank you for coming to save me. I’d like to give you some guiding as a token of my gratitude, but……”
“Save the guiding for later. I don’t have a hobby of receiving guiding from someone who’s half-dead.”
I let out a chuckle at Vasily’s lighthearted response. My thanks were sincere. Even if the reason I was kidnapped was because of Vasily, I hadn’t actually expected him to come rescue me.
“Understood. Then I’ll provide guiding next time.”
I sent Vasily away and entered the house. It was definitely a familiar space, but unlike before the regression, it was empty, giving me a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
I walked quietly toward the room I used to use. A room with nothing but a lonely bed. For some reason, a chill settled in a corner of my heart. As bad memories began to creep up, I headed into the bathroom to wash up.
“Haa……”
After showering, I flopped down onto the bed.
The plush mattress softly embraced my back. Only then did I feel the tension surrounding my body unravel. As I surrendered myself to the bed, it felt as if all the fatigue in the world crashed over me at once.
My whole body throbbed and I was exhausted. I felt like I could fall asleep at any moment. Letting out a weary sigh, I slowly closed my eyes.
* * *
Vrrr.
“Ugh……”
The ringing phone woke me up. I tossed and turned for a long while, finding it hard to get up, until the call eventually disconnected. However, not giving up, the phone began to ring again.
Frowning, I struggled to check the caller ID.
[Vasily]
“What is this so early in the morning……”
To get a call from Vasily the moment I opened my eyes. I wondered if today was going to be an unlucky day.
“Esper Vasily-nim?”
Did you sleep well?
“Yes. Thanks to you, I slept comfortably.”
Tell me immediately if there’s anything uncomfortable. This is my first time taking in a tenant, so I’m not sure what you might need.
Vasily spoke playfully. But surely Vasily didn’t call me just to exchange morning greetings.
“So, why are you calling me so early?”
You’re going to the association today, right?
“Yes. My condition isn’t that bad…… and I don’t think this is enough to take sick leave for, so I plan to go in.”
Considering I had been kidnapped, my body was surprisingly intact, even to my own surprise. Perhaps thanks to sleeping in the plush bed, the cold symptoms had vanished completely. In times like this, even I am surprised by my own resilience.
“Why do you ask?”
Since I live nearby, I thought I’d give Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi a ride on my way to the association.
For once, Vasily was volunteering to do a good deed. I was a bit suspicious about what he was plotting, but since there was no reason to refuse, I nodded.
“……If that’s the case, that’s fine.”
Vasily told me to come down in an hour, so I agreed and hung up.
Only after the call ended did I fully shake off the sleepiness and stretch deeply. A familiar house, a wide empty space, a quiet morning without Vasily. I slowly approached the window and smiled contentedly at the stunning view.
I had planned to look for a house to move into immediately, but if the environment was this pleasant, it might not be so bad to stay here for a while.
After staring out the window for a long time, I went into the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror to wash my face, the cheek I had been hit yesterday had swollen twice as much overnight. It was a face that anyone could tell had been caught up in something violent.
“This is a bit much……”
I rubbed my swollen cheek with a troubled expression. Perhaps it really would have been better to rest today. Seeing my wretched state in the mirror, I belatedly wanted to take sick leave, but I had already told Vasily I would be going to work.
I spent a long time staring into the mirror, pondering ways to hide my cheek, before finally checking the time and hurrying to wash up. Because I had spent too long admiring the view, I felt I would be late if I didn’t prepare quickly. In the end, I gave up on hiding the injury and stepped out.
When I went down to the place Vasily mentioned on time, a familiar foreign car came into view.
“Hello, Esper Vasily-nim.”
“Welcome.”
Vasily, who had greeted me with a smile, suddenly dropped the corners of his mouth as he saw me get into the passenger seat.
His gaze was fixed on one spot. Realizing where he was looking, I awkwardly lowered my head slightly. Of all things, I had been hit on the left cheek, making it perfectly visible from the driver’s seat.
“Are you really sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”
“Yes. Well…… it’ll go down if I apply a cold compress for a bit.”
“Then hold onto this at least.”
Vasily instantaneously created a large chunk of ice in his hand. Since I was already embarrassed to enter my workplace in this state, I gratefully accepted the ice.
As I pressed the cold ice to my cheek, I felt myself wake up instantly. Even though I rubbed it against my cheek for quite a while, the ice showed no sign of melting. As expected, ice created by Vasily’s ability is different. Thanks to this, I think I’ll be able to reduce the swelling at least a little by the time we arrive at the association.
The commute was a bit congested. While waiting at a red light, Vasily suddenly spoke.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam, do you want to be my Guide?”
Vasily suddenly proposed that I become his Guide.
I was completely taken aback and froze on the spot. When I failed to answer for a long time, Vasily added.
“Of course, not as an official Guide, but as a temporary Guide.”
Even if it wasn’t an exclusive assignment, why was he suggesting I be his Guide? No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t understand his proposal. I am a C-Class Guide, and because of the illegal suppression chip, my matching rate is barely 4 percent.
“May I ask why?”
“Because it’s not boring when I’m with Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi.”
……Surely that couldn’t be the only reason he proposed this to me.
It was frustrating to be in a situation where I had to let it slide despite knowing it was a lie. I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern his intentions, but I couldn’t read his thoughts from his usual expressionless face.