17 – TDG 17

Even ​as ​I ​glared ​at him with ​raised ​eyebrows, ​Song ​Hyun-ho ​kept smiling steadfastly.

“At least ​I’m ​betting on it. ​So, Guide Seo ​Joo-won, ​please ​enjoy ​your ​role ​as the hostage.”

‘Enjoy ​what, ​you ​crazy bastard!’

I was ​so flabbergasted I was ​practically speechless.

But ​this plan… ​isn’t it ​too reckless? ​If ​the ​two of them ​fight and, ​by some slim chance, ​Ji-hyuk gets serious and ​loses his cool…

“…….”

…I see.

This ​man actually ​wants ​that to happen.

Song Hyun-ho has probably ​rarely pushed his abilities ​to ​their ​absolute ​limit. ​Much like how ​heroes in ​movies ​accidentally rip out ​faucets ​or smash walls because they ​can’t control ​their ​sudden super-strength, he ​must ​have ​lived ​his ​life always ​being ​careful not ​to accidentally hurt the people around him.

And ​now, there’s an ​opportunity to officially ​unleash his full power ​in a ​fight? There’s no ​way ​he’d refuse.

I wondered ​why he had ​been grinning ​like ​a maniac ​from ​the start… ​At ​first, he ​pretended ​otherwise ​to save face, ​but ​now he ​can’t ​even ​hide ​the fact that he’s dying of excitement.

I thought he was a good person, and I still do, but there’s no escaping that peculiar “nutjob” streak in Song Hyun-ho. Damn Esper species traits…

Head of department Kim Yoo-hwan, what are you going to do about this?

I don’t care if the two of them catch fire and blow up the Center’s training facility… You’re the one who lit the fuse, so you take the responsibility.

Arriving at the 4th floor in the blink of an eye, Song Hyun-ho set me down nearby.

“Aren’t you going to tie me up? What if I run away?”

As I grumbled with a frown, the visit our sitesuperhuman who could cover a hundred meters in [Read on Read BL Novels]two seconds spoke kindly, [unauthorized copy]brimming with consideration.

“Do as you wish, Guide Seo Joo-won. Managing the hostage is also part of my role.”

“…….”

Fuck…

Fuuuuck…! To be humiliated like this again in this wretched training facility…!

Just tie me up already, just do it…!

Anyway, once I’m locked in the ‘hostage zone,’ I can’t leave until the situation is cleared. The only ones who could pull me out were the terrorists, including Song Hyun-ho.

The virtual terrorists seemed to recognize Song Hyun-ho as their leader, surrounding him and focusing their attention only on the outer perimeter.

Boom—! Rat-tat-tat!

Gunshots and explosions began to echo in the distance. Han Ji-hyuk must have reached the 3rd floor.

Giving a short whistle, Song Hyun-ho made a casual suggestion.

“Shall we chat for a bit until Esper Han Ji-hyuk arrives?”

Excuse me? In this situation?

Are you sane?

I wanted to pour out a barrage of criticism, but I didn’t possess a heart strong enough to express my convictions so boldly in front of an Esper with S-rank physical enhancement skills. Not me.

I shot him a wary look and turned my body away sharply.

“…It was Esper Song Hyun-ho’s choice not to look at Ji-hyuk-ssi’s records. Don’t even dream of trying to dig for information.”

Song Hyun-ho gave a short laugh and shrugged as if he hadn’t expected it anyway.

“I’m fine without it. Guide Seo unauthorized copyJoo-won, your feelings [stolen content]for [Read on Read BL Novels]your Esper are truly deep. I can tell you always take your work seriously.”

That’s a huge misunderstanding. It’s not because of professional spirit.

However, I decided to let him think whatever he wanted because correcting him was too much effort.

“I appreciate you thinking so.”

“That’s why dedicated assignments are great.”

Letting out a mysterious smile, he continued.

“However, if he passes this test, won’t your dedicated assignment end?”

The sudden change in topic made me feel strange.

Why is this man concerned about that?

“…That’s likely. However, even after the assignment ends, [visit our site]I plan [unauthorized copy]to stay by his side until the time he needs me.”

I see. Nodding slightly, he added as if he had just remembered something.

“But what if Han Ji-hyuk doesn’t want Guide Seo Joo-won?”

“…….”

“Don’t misunderstand. In this field, it’s better to keep a variety of possibilities in mind.”

Ah.

I think I know what he’s trying to say.

He’s discussing the general habits of Espers.

There are plenty of Espers who lure Guides in with lines like ‘Let’s keep being together’ or ‘I’ll make you my dedicated Guide,’ steal their hearts and bodies, and then discard them once they’ve served their purpose. The pitiful fate of a Guide is that they can’t even protest or express dissatisfaction when that happens. If the Esper denies it, nine times out of ten, the Guide is the only one who ends up mentally broken and quitting.

So, in his own way, Song Hyun-ho was trying [unauthorized copy]to advise Read on Read BL Novelsme, a rookie Guide, [Read on Read BL Novels]not to trust Espers too much.

It was a nice attempt, but he’s speaking without properly looking at my history. I’m already well-acquainted with the bullshit Espers pull from my time in Department 7. And our Ji-hyuk isn’t that kind of guy.

I felt a bit grumpy, but in times like this, keeping my mouth shut was the best policy.

“Thank you for the advice.”

Finally, the time for Jung Ah-yoon’s appearance was drawing near.

Even if the dedicated assignment ends, I’m going to hold onto them until I can link the two together. To make matters worse, even if Ji-hyuk hates it, I’m not letting go.

Just as Kwon Min-wook said, I’ll show everyone in the Center exactly what a Guide obsessed with performance looks like.

After a loud roar, louder than before, shook the building from the floor below, Song Hyun-ho spoke again.

“Guide Seo Joo-won.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve ended up beating around the bush a bit.”

“?”

“What I’m curious about is this: do you have any other plans after you finish your pairing with Esper Han Ji-hyuk?”

“…I don’t know. I don’t have any particular schedule.”

A strange light flickered in Song Hyun-ho’s eyes.

“Then may I make a request?”

“……?”

I wondered if he was joking, but the look Song Hyun-ho gave me was so serious and earnest it gave me chills.

Then, all those mysterious probes from earlier… was he asking me to be his Guide?

…This is baffling. For someone like Song Hyun-ho, there would be a line of Guides wanting to guide him stretching all the way around Seoul, with waiting lists extending to Gyeonggi and Incheon; he could probably get someone to fly in from abroad in a heartbeat. Why on earth does he want a rookie Guide with no experience like me?

“Why me…?”

“You’ve left a very deep impression on me since the first time we met.”

The first time?

I hurriedly retraced my first encounter with him.

It was an incident where several A-rank Espers, intoxicated by their powers immediately after awakening, caused a commotion in the city, and a suppression team was deployed. That day, I had been left alone in the office on guard duty and was called in as a substitute Guide.

…Uh… but no matter how much I think about it, I don’t know… I just did what I was told and came back. In what part of that did I do something impressive…?

Regardless, it was difficult to answer.

Because there was no such thing as ‘after that’ as Song Hyun-ho mentioned.

The reason I work as a Guide is that I was accompanied by the mission to save the protagonist from the villain’s schemes and prevent the scheduled catastrophe. Fortunately, my intentions worked, and I succeeded in riding along with the protagonist’s fate, and the probability of Seoul being blown away dropped to a significantly low number.

That was more than enough for a mere extra.

After a quick retirement, I’m thinking of using my rich father’s connections to open a cafe in the countryside with a nice view.

Running a shop like a hobby and occasionally looking at the honey-dripping couple photos of Hyuk-Yoon that Ah-yoon posts on her Stargram—there would be no greater joy than that.

Kaaa, my life satisfaction would be at its peak.

Having finished these imaginings in two seconds, I spoke with a composed air.

“It’s a great honor that someone like Esper Song Hyun-ho would make such a proposal.”

Song Hyun-ho’s face lit up with delight.

“Then you’ll do it with me?”

Just then, a massive explosion occurred, shaking the building.

K-boom!

The red-hot iron door was blown away like a piece of paper. A swirling vortex of flames, which had been billowing out, instantly compressed into a single point. Han Ji-hyuk appeared, cutting through the red currents surrounding his body.

Rat-tat-tat!

The enemy forces fired their guns simultaneously. Shell casings flew frantically in all directions.

An enemy Esper hiding behind cover summoned wind to divert the bullets and aim for the heart, but they couldn’t penetrate the flame barrier Han Ji-hyuk had deployed.

Soon, with a single, half-hearted wave of Ji-hyuk’s hand, the bullets that had stopped in mid-air flew back to where they had come from.

“Gah!”

“Ugh!”

The remaining lackeys collapsed one by one, and now only one person stood at the entrance.

I was quite surprised by Ji-hyuk’s gaze, which headed straight for me without a moment’s hesitation. Seeing his face, which was utterly savage compared to when he first started the evaluation, a chill instinctively ran down my spine. Is that the face he makes when he takes down enemies?

After slowly scanning me, Ji-hyuk shifted his gaze to Song Hyun-ho. Despite receiving Ji-hyuk’s killing intent in full, Song Hyun-ho did not stop his complacent smile. The gazes of the two men, which looked as if sparks would fly, clashed in the air. Just from two S-rank Espers facing each other, the surrounding temperature seemed to plummet to sub-zero in an instant. Even though it wasn’t a cold season, a chill crept up my arms.

Then, one of the nearby enemy soldiers pointed his gun at me and shouted something. He was probably telling me to surrender if I wanted the hostage to live.

Perhaps because the simulation was so realistic, even though I knew it was fake, I felt my heart shrink as the muzzle wavered before my eyes.

While Ji-hyuk hesitated, it was Song Hyun-ho who leaped forward. His right foot delivered a clean, powerful kick to the terrorist’s chest. Crack. With a heavy impact sound like a stone wall shattering, the man was sent flying into the wall and immediately scattered into a mass of polygons.

Setting aside the shock, it was an incomprehensible situation.

Aren’t they on the same side? Why is he attacking? I looked on in confusion, clutching my pounding heart, but Song Hyun-ho merely gave me a playful wink, folded his tie into his chest pocket, and stepped forward.

Muscles began to bulge beneath the white dress shirt and vest. The bluish smoke [visit our site]rising from unauthorized copyhis thick, expanding spine, pulling the fabric of his unauthorized copyclothes, was his materialized spirit.

Stopping at a moderate distance, Song Hyun-ho had swelled up like an Alaskan moose.

“Hello, Esper Han Ji-hyuk. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

Song Hyun-ho’s smile and Han Ji-hyuk’s expressionless face stood in stark contrast.

Song Hyun-ho, completely unbothered by Han Ji-hyuk’s lack of response, continued in a refined voice.

“I am the last boss of the 4th floor. Seo Joo-won is my hostage. If you wish to save him, you’ll have to kill me.”

I was flabbergasted by his fluent eloquence. Where did you get this script? How do you deliver lines so tastily?

Now that I look at it, it seems he got rid of his subordinate because he would have been a hindrance to his own fight. Even if they aren’t real humans, he’s truly bloodless and heartless. Even a real villain would weep.

I opened my mouth to remind him that this was an aptitude evaluation, but I couldn’t speak as intended.

The flames swirling around Ji-hyuk’s body had erupted [Read on Read BL Novels]into a fierce blaze, completely different unauthorized copyfrom before, soaring toward the ceiling like a tornado.