HG | Chapter 2

Standing under cold water for too long to cool his head eventually took its toll. Hakyung didn’t even have the energy to be disappointed in his pathetic state anymore. His head felt foggy. His vision was blurry, and he still felt like he was wandering in dreams and memories.

It was always like this when it came to the time he had just awakened as a guide. Just recalling it vividly brought back the feelings, sensations, expressions of the other person, and even the air around him from that day. After that, it was hard to get a grip on himself for a while, as if suffering from the aftereffects of awakening.

The summer when he was fifteen, realizing he was looking at his father with strange eyes.

Back then, the fact that his rank was F didn’t matter. The thought that he had to be apart from him filled his mind. Sure, maybe he could be my esper. But that didn’t mean he could entangle with his father with bare skin.

It was fortunate that he had stopped his activities as an esper. It’s a shame he couldn’t witness those amazing feats firsthand, but if he had been active, the situation would have been much more complicated.

‘I might have rushed at him once.’

After all, that’s how guides are made. Beings who constantly want to touch their espers.

Otherwise, they slowly mutate and eventually overload, becoming monsters who lose their sanity. Guiding someone else is just a temporary fix; it doesn’t solve the fundamental problem. Like a person who goes crazy if they don’t receive attention from their lover.

He knew in his head. Just as espers are named for their abilities, guides also have phenomena that naturally follow because they possess abilities.

He knew it very well, but understanding it in his head and accepting it in his heart were two different things.

‘Besides….’

Hakyung raised his hand to cover his tired eyes.

Who could have predicted? That his shameless heart would grow even more from there.

Of course, at first, he was just busy suppressing the desire to ‘have sex with his father.’ But as he grew, another question quietly crept in.

What if, by some chance, he did have sex with his father? Would that be enough?

‘…No.’

With a clear answer, his desire changed its nature.

He wanted to sleep with his father. Not just once, but multiple times. He wanted to continue the relationship repeatedly. And when he was with him, he didn’t want him to pay attention to anyone else. He wanted him to pour all his attention, desire, and affection on him.

The thought of him tenderly caressing and whispering love to another woman or man made flames rise inside him.

Hakyung, burdened with those flames, had tears welling up in his eyes. It was better when he only had the desire to be entangled with him….

‘I probably… no, definitely.’

He was in love with his father in a romantic way.

***

“…Hakyung.”

“……”

“Im Hakyung.”

“…Huh, huh?”

“What are you thinking so deeply about? Class is over. Let’s go.”

When he came to his senses, only he and Cha Hyunseo were left in the lecture hall. Cha Hyunseo, like most of his classmates, was someone he had known since middle and high school. The difference was, they could at least be called friends.

Hakyung ran his hand down his face and stood up.

“…I’m screwed.”

“What is?”

Unaware of his troubles, Hyunseo asked cheerfully.

“I don’t remember anything from the class.”

It was a three-hour major class. Meaning he had spent all three hours thinking only about his father.

Cha Hyunseo ruffled Hakyung’s hair as if he were petting a puppy.

“I thought so. I’ll lend you my ID.”

“…Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Thanks. I’ll buy you a meal.”

Hakyung smiled bashfully as he pressed down his tousled hair. Hyunseo, looking down at him, suddenly lifted his head to the air. His lips pouted as if he was contemplating something.

“Hmm… never mind. Just do me a favor next time.”

“A favor? Is there something you need from me?”

The question was reasonable. Unlike Hakyung, Hyunseo had proven his abilities early on and started dispatch work as an esper from the first semester of his freshman year. Though he had just become a college student, he was part of the Korean Awakener Management Association, supporting when dungeons opened.

Since they had to rely on machines if they didn’t have a ‘wavelength-matching’ guide, there was a societal tendency to discourage young espers from being active. If they overloaded and destroyed a city, it would be a disaster. In other words, espers with excellent energy control were actively employed.

Cha Hyunseo had confidently passed the dozens of criteria set by the Awakener Management Association at the end of his senior year and started his activities in February this year. Upon entering university, he received an ID that allowed him to access recorded lectures anytime and anywhere in case he couldn’t attend classes, and this was the ID he was offering to lend.

“Well, who knows? Maybe there will be something. Meals are too mundane.”

“…Okay.”

Hakyung agreed, not knowing if that day would come. The fact that he was a bright guy without anything hidden inside also contributed to his quick decision.

The two left the lecture hall and moved to the student cafeteria. They had to eat, after all, to handle the next class.

“Hey, Cha Hyunseo. When did you get here? It’s hard to see you around.”

“Oh? It’s Hyunseo!”

“Did you come straight from the field? You’re in uniform? Wow, looking cool – genius esper!”

The path to the student cafeteria was lively. Even aside from his classmates, there was no one who didn’t know him. It was a scene befitting someone who could make friends with anyone, young or old, after just five minutes of conversation.

Thanks to that, his handsome face was filled with smiles. Haha, hello! Yes, the genius esper is here! While he was busy greeting back, Hakyung was lost in other thoughts.

As soon as they sat down with food in front of them, he asked.

“Cha Hyunseo. Did you… grow taller?”

“Hmm? Ah! Yeah, 1 centimeter. To be exact, 1.3 centimeters. It doesn’t really show, so I forgot about it too.”

“What was your height again?”

Hakyung stammered without realizing it.

“Me? 188.4. Now 189.7.”

His expression was innocent as he answered. He was definitely not thinking much about it again. Hakyung stirred the stew with a sullen heart.

That height should have been mine….

“Ha…. Hakyung, are you jealous because I’m tall? Huh? Our little one, are you jealous of your big brother?”

“Ah, stop it.”

As if he hadn’t wasted his years, Cha Hyunseo saw right through Hakyung’s mind. The guy, who seemed like he would always wear a bright and innocent expression like a big, cheerful dog, suddenly wrinkled his nose and chuckled mischievously. Then he roughly ruffled Hakyung’s hair again.

When Hakyung pushed his hand away with a small irritation, he spoke with laughter-filled eyes.

“Don’t be jealous. I actually like you just the way you are.”

“…This dwarf-like appearance?”

“Yeah. When I hug you, you fit right into my arms.”

Pause.

Hakyung couldn’t find words and froze. A strange tension rose for a moment.

Cha Hyunseo’s eyes smiled even deeper.

“Our Hakyung should only be pretty for me, but you’re so excessively pretty that it’s a big problem. If you grow taller here….”

“……”

“I won’t be as popular as I am now, right? Haha!”

“Ah….”

This guy, seriously.

His cheerful laughter completely dispelled the strange atmosphere from a moment ago. His refreshing features with a bright smile looked very refreshing on the surface. It was a face that could appear in an ion drink commercial. Even that was frustrating now.

‘I forgot.’

The guy who would play sly tricks with a golden retriever-like face.

The harassment committed by Han Hee-gyeom’s group was so vile that it overshadowed it, but he wasn’t entirely innocent either. His clear eyes and kind face were just powerful. However, he was definitely the same inside and out. He was the only one who stood by Hakyung when he was openly ostracized.

The guy propped his chin with the hand that should have been holding a spoon. He asked Hakyung, who had started eating, in a low voice.

“Hakyung, did your heart flutter?”

“Ugh!”

Hakyung, who had a big cough, quickly turned his head and coughed. This, this crazy guy. He coughed so hard that tears welled up. Instead of answering, Hakyung showed his middle finger. Anyway, these espers, whether this guy or that guy, were all out of their minds.

“Wh, while eating, cough! It’s too much to joke like that….”

Today’s menu is kimchi stew.

He grumbled as he wiped his tears. It seemed like having a peaceful lunch was out of the question. Resentment naturally rose.

“You don’t have to attend the next class, so you can do this-.”

“This time, it’s not a joke.”

“……?”

Hakyung’s eyes filled with suspicion. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Cha Hyunseo gently touched Hakyung’s hand, as if calming a cat with its fur bristling in caution.

“What if it’s not a joke, Hakyung?”

“……”

“What if I said I want to pair with you?”

His eyes, now devoid of laughter.

Hakyung felt like he was standing in front of a truth he shouldn’t know.

“Then, would you be my guide?”

***

So, today’s classes were definitely a bust.

“Damn, you bastard! Can’t you do it properly?”

“……”

Just 30 minutes. That’s how long it took for the atmosphere around Hakyung to change from laughter to curses.

‘Think about it.’

The guy said that and left. Leaving Hakyung alone among these terrible espers.

It was already a time when his self-esteem was being chipped away during guiding practice. Hakyung looked at his partner, who was seething. The guy was red-faced, contemplating whether to punch Hakyung or not.

“Sorry.”

In this world, lack of ability is a sin. Having a low rank, and therefore being unable to skillfully cover an esper’s wavelength due to his constitution, was a sin. No matter how unjust he felt, a guide who couldn’t guide was a sinner.

Hakyung fiddled with the machine placed between them with gloomy eyes. A long, thin cylindrical machine. It was a ‘balance controller.’

Espers and guides would prick their hands with the needles on each side, inject the liquid in the cylinder, and when they held the end of the cylinder, the original wavelength would be disrupted, and guiding would begin. While the wavelengths fluctuated, it momentarily controlled them to match, creating guiding efficacy or increasing efficiency. The injected liquid lowered tension and had a mood-enhancing effect similar to drugs, so it was also called ‘balance high.’

And currently, the latest ‘balance controller’ worked up to D-rank guides. Below that, it was ineffective due to insufficient energy.

It was truly a lack of ability.

Hakyung no longer fretted over this situation, which was partly his fault and partly not. Five years was too long for someone to not change and endure.

‘Wow…. An F-rank guide can’t guide even with a high. Can you even call that a guide?’

‘Isn’t it a scam that he got in here?’

‘Right. He can’t prove he can guide, so how is it different from an ordinary person getting special treatment?’

‘Huh, damn. Must have good connections.’

Even back then, when guiding didn’t work, it wasn’t going to work now.

At that time, even D-rank wasn’t fully covered. The current version was the result of several improvements. In other words, even with an invention hailed as revolutionary, Hakyung had no choice but to sit quietly like a borrowed barley sack during guiding time.

A guide, but unable to guide.

The remarkable thing about the ‘balance controller’ was not just that it allowed guiding with mismatched wavelengths. It introduced non-contact guiding to a world where guiding was only possible through contact. It opened the possibility of radiation guiding for the first time.

Even with such an amazing device, people couldn’t understand a guide who couldn’t guide. Hakyung couldn’t understand himself, so how could others?

Though he had transferred to the school in a rush, life was not easy. It was a harshness that seemed to scold his complacency.

“…Sorry.”

Even as a college student, it still felt like being in high school. The lack of ability was the same then and now.

“Sigh, damn. Let’s just quit. I’m saying this out of genuine concern, but don’t even think about going into esper support like the Awakener Management Association or the military. Unless you’re trying to assassinate all the decent espers.”

The esper partner for this session eventually stormed out. And yet, a kind warning, how thoughtful.

Hakyung remained alone in the guiding booth, waiting. It was a familiar situation.

Familiar, but,

‘Why do I feel so down….’

‘Do you want to be my guide?’

Was it because of the guy who suddenly dropped a bomb and left?

Ironically, right after receiving that proposal, Hakyung seriously considered it. Should he really do it? Would it help him escape from this tiresome self-deprecation?

It was a proposal from someone who had seen all his pathetic sides. Since he knew enough, he probably wouldn’t criticize him for not being able to guide. But….

‘Hakyung… you have to speak for me to know.’

The golden haze he realized the moment he saw it. His father…, ‘my esper’s’ wavelength.

Could he choose another path knowing that? That was the problem. Even if it was a wavelength he had to watch for a lifetime… still.

‘How can I not know….’

Knowing that my esper is right next to me.

‘If it’s him, I can… guide.’

I could do it. If I just tried with ‘Im Cheonghyeon.’ Since seeing an esper’s wavelength as a guide meant that. It wasn’t a lie, as it was something taught in school.

According to the words of a current guide teacher, a guide can ‘sense’ the wavelength of someone they can guide, and ‘visualization’ is a stage beyond mere sensing or resonance.

‘If the criterion for distinguishing an esper’s ability is ‘energy,’ then what is the criterion for distinguishing a guide’s ability? It’s ‘range and depth.’ In other words, the higher the rank, the more they can cover wavelengths that don’t match their own, and in the opposite case, they must match their original wavelength as closely as possible to guide. And assuming they meet an esper they can heal, all guides sense the esper’s wavelength. Naturally, the better it matches, the more intensely and deeply they feel it.’

In short, it meant how far from their original wavelength they could guide was the key.

‘On the other hand, ‘depth’ is a bit different. This energy cohesion, expressed as ‘depth,’ is closer to the question of ‘how far can you restore the other person.’ If range is a concept of numbers, depth is the influence on individuals. The interesting thing is that this trait operates independently of rank. You might be able to guide many people but only barely keep them alive, or you might only be able to guide two or three people but restore them to the best condition from head to toe. The guide ranking system we know is strictly speaking a neat division of influence on ‘range.’ This is roughly countable, and therefore easy to set standards for.’

Range and depth. Listening to the explanation, Hakyung categorized the former as ‘sensing’ and the latter as ‘resonance.’ How many espers he could feel and how perfectly he could heal them.

As far as Hakyung knew, there was only one guide who had reached the pinnacle of both traits. Korea’s first S-rank guide.

‘It seems I’m the only one finding this interesting. Let me tell you a story you’ll find interesting. Earlier, I said you can feel the wavelength of an esper you can guide, right?’

‘Yes!’

‘Have you ever thought about what would happen when you meet the one person who absorbs all your abilities, body, and soul as a guide?’

‘No!’

The teacher smiled faintly. The slightly crookedly raised corner of her mouth, backlit, remained in Hakyung’s memory for a long time.

‘The wavelength will ‘appear.’ Not only surpassing rank but also range and depth, sensing and resonance, allowing you to instantly recognize and guide the other person.’

She shrugged her shoulders as she spoke.

‘If they’re such a special person, wouldn’t marking be possible too?’

***

He finished the remaining classes and spent the early evening doing assignments. Of course, he also caught up on the missed class using the ID Cha Hyunseo had given him.

I’m going down to Busan soon. The ID is 451201695. The password is ‘imhakyeongnaegeo’ in English.

How about it? Doesn’t it seem like a password that would never get hacked?

There was a brief incident, but let’s skip that.

Then, before it was even 10 o’clock, he fell asleep as if he had fainted. Distracted by classes and Cha Hyunseo, he had forgotten, but his condition was not normal.

Hakyung, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly regained consciousness due to an unexpected heat.

“Ugh….”

Hot…. His bedding was damp from sweat.

‘Huh…? Damp?’

He mumbled in a daze, not fully awake. When you sweat from a fever, does your lower body usually get soaked as if you spilled something?

It wasn’t just a sticky level; it was as if he had spilled something….

It was when an ominous premonition crept in between his increasingly clear consciousness.

Gush.

With a loud thud of his heart, something leaked below. To be precise, it ‘spilled out.’

Hakyung, as if possessed, brought his hand down. Not to his groin, but lower. Past his genitals and scrotum, to the smooth perineum, to the tightly clenched hole.

It should have been tightly clenched….

“Ah… ah….”

What is this?

What is thiswhat is thiswhat is thiswhat is thiswhat is thiswhat is this….

The slippery fluid on his fingertips. Something transparent and sticky, different in texture from semen. Hakyung instinctively realized that the slippery fluid wetting beneath his buttocks was this fluid. And the reason he suddenly leaked fluid from his hole.

‘My body… is changing.’

Five years since he awakened at fifteen. Hakyung had never ‘touched’ an esper with a matching wavelength. Meaning the guiding energy had only accumulated in his body.

And now, at twenty.

The physical mutation had begun.