DMG Chapter 2 (Part 3)
by BreeAfter a while, the 9th team Guide let go of Kang I-won’s hand and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
“Hmm… I’m sorry, but this is about all I can do. We need to guide our own team members, too…”
The 9th team Guide spoke with an apologetic tone, trailing off. Choi Soo-bin waved it off.
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“Sorry? This is more than enough. Thank you so much. You’ve done a great job.”
Choi Soo-bin expressed her gratitude on Kang I-won’s behalf, as he was focused on his regeneration. The 9th team Guide nodded and returned to his team.
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Although the regeneration speed had increased, a terrible hunger set in. Kang I-won muttered:
“I’m hungry.”
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“Eat this.”
Choi Soo-bin peeled the skin off a hot dog lying nearby and placed it in Kang I-won’s mouth. He silently chewed the hot dog. After giving him five in total, Choi Soo-bin stood up to help with the cleanup.
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Even though the regeneration speed had increased, Kang I-won was still far from fully recovered. Thanks to that, he could leave the cleanup to others and focus on his rest while his body continued to heal.
After washing off the blood and changing his clothes, he appeared almost completely restored, as if he hadn’t even been through the battle.
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Kang I-won got to his feet. Choi Soo-bin, who had approached in the meantime, said:
“Heo Do-gyeong is at the center right now. If you go there, you can get guiding immediately.”
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“I figured you’d say that.”
Kang I-won had received temporary guiding from the 9th team’s Guide, which had calmed the waves somewhat, but his condition was still unstable. Especially after pushing himself to the limit like today, it was better to receive extra guiding to stabilize the waves, even if they were already somewhat under control.
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Han Kang-jin, having nearly finished cleaning up the scene, approached Kang I-won.
“Are you okay?”
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“Yeah.”
“Good job. I know it’s your day off, but you’ve had a tough time. I’ll make sure to give you another day off soon, so just let me know when you want it.”
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“Okay.”
“You’re going to the center to receive guiding, right? We’re almost done here, so just wait a bit. We can go together when you’re ready….”
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Beep-beep—beep-beep—
Han Kang-jin’s words were cut off as his device loudly rang. Red light. An emergency call. Choi Soo-bin sighed as she checked the device.
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“Damn it. Team Leader, this is nearby, so we’ll have to go. There are seven summoned monsters.”
“…I’ll discuss it with Team 9 first. I was going to go with you, but you’ll have to go back alone. Do you think you can manage?”
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“Yeah. I’ve finished regenerating. I’m fine.”
Kang I-won raised his trembling hand, clenched it into a fist, and lowered it again.
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“…I’ll be fine after I get some guiding.”
“Good. Go ahead and get properly guided, and I’ll talk with Team 9 first.”
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Han Kang-jin walked away to speak with Team 9’s leader. Kang I-won, who had only just managed to sit up, lay back down to rest a little longer.
The deep wounds had already regenerated, leaving no trace behind. But the pain still lingered, casting a long shadow. Kang I-won closed his eyes briefly, letting the overwhelming exhaustion take over.
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“…Food!”
Through his foggy mind, he heard a familiar voice. It felt like someone was shaking his body. Slowly, his consciousness, which had sunk into the floor, started to rise again.
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“I-won, senior! If you’re tired, you should go into the center and sleep!”
It was Kim Young-ho, the youngest member of Team 5. He must have dozed off for a moment. Kang I-won, his body numbed by pain, lifted himself and looked around. It seemed the other Espers had moved on to another location, leaving Kim Young-ho behind.
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“Why didn’t you leave?”
“I haven’t received guiding yet either. I was supposed to get it after Team Leader finished, but then the emergency call came up. So I followed right away.”
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“You should have stayed and gotten it.”
“Hey, you can’t say that. Anyway, Team Leader says you should head back to the center first. They’ll take the 9th team’s vehicle, so you should just take a car.”
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“I’ll drive.”
“No, I’ll drive. I haven’t really done anything today.”
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“Alright.”
Kang I-won nodded without rejecting the offer.
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The two of them quickly left the store and got into the car parked on one side. As soon as Kang I-won sat in the passenger seat, the exhaustion hit him again. He rubbed the back of his neck and said,
“Young-ho, I’m sorry, but I’m going to rest my eyes for a bit. I’m really tired.”
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“Okay! I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”
“Thanks.”
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Kang I-won immediately closed his eyes. Kim Young-ho, sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced at him briefly as he fell asleep.
His skin was so pale it almost seemed blue, and his body was covered in blood, with his clothes torn in several places. If anyone saw Kang I-won asleep like that, they’d surely mistake him for a corpse.
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Kim Young-ho started the engine.
Kang I-won was truly an admirable senior. He had no abilities related to combat but still managed to become an A-rank Esper solely because of his regeneration powers. That in itself was worthy of respect.
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Moreover, there was much to learn from him.
He had a deep understanding of monsters and gates, and yet he constantly studied newly updated information and kept up with grueling training routines that others would find exhausting. He was consistent in everything he did. In many ways, he was highly respectable.
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But when he saw Kang I-won throw himself into battle, taking blows from monsters without hesitation, he often wondered if he was even human. There were times when he thought, “Does he really have to go that far?”
When he first saw him in that state, he was horrified. Even now, months later, he had yet to get used to it.
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The sharp, bloody scent quickly filled the car. Kim Young-ho cracked the window slightly to air it out.
To Kim Young-ho, Kang I-won was a respectable senior, but at the same time, he felt like an enigmatic, unknowable creature. Seeing him, despite suffering a fatal wound, brush it off and get back on his feet with ease was almost chilling.
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In many ways, he was a complicated and difficult person. Honestly, if they weren’t on the same team, he wouldn’t have wanted to interact with him much.
“I don’t get why Soo-bin Senior hangs out with him…”
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Kim Young-ho murmured in a small voice as the wheels of the car rolled smoothly.
After arriving at the center and parking the car, Kim Young-ho woke Kang I-won up. In the short time he’d been asleep, Kang I-won had fallen into a deep sleep, slowly rousing himself.
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Kim Young-ho urged him to go ahead and get guiding, while he would stay behind to write a report. He headed inside first.
Left alone, Kang I-won used his device to request guiding. He attached a brief message: “Is 30 minutes possible?” After waiting for a moment, an automatic response message arrived.
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[Guide Heo Do-gyeong has accepted the guiding request.]
After confirming the response message, Kang I-won immediately headed to the shower room, his body still caked with dried blood.
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There was no way he could go into the guiding room looking like this. It would be a miracle if he wasn’t kicked out.
He probably had a very high chance of being thrown out. Heo Do-gyeong hated anything dirty. Kang I-won recalled how the guide had always discarded his gloves after their sessions, even if it was just a small amount of dirt.
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After taking a shower and changing clothes, Kang I-won looked almost the same as usual, aside from being a little paler than normal.
Having dried his hair and taken care of himself, Kang I-won left the shower room, his empty stomach temporarily soothed by some jelly, and made his way to the guiding room.
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He opened the door to the guiding room and entered, where Heo Do-gyeong was sitting, as usual, impeccably dressed and crossing his legs, checking his pad. Kang I-won sat across from him. Heo Do-gyeong asked:
“Is Han Kang-jin still at the scene?”
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“Yes.”
“What about the others?”
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“Yeah.”
Kang I-won answered Heo Do-gyeong’s question without much thought. Heo Do-gyeong then stared at him intently and asked in a relaxed tone,
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“Did you come back from the scene alone? I saw Han Kang-jin running off to guide you when you made the emergency call.”
“I came back with Young-ho. The others had another emergency call to deal with.”
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“Ah, I see.”
Heo Do-gyeong uncrossed his legs and extended his hand, gloved in leather.
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“Shall we proceed with the guiding quickly?”
Kang I-won immediately took his hand. Heo Do-gyeong let out a soft murmur, releasing some of his energy.
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“I don’t think you’re quite ready for guiding yet.”
Thanks to the efforts of the 9th team’s Guide, Kang I-won had stabilized somewhat. If anyone looked closely, they would have noticed that his condition wasn’t quite normal. However, Heo Do-gyeong, without noticing this, half-heartedly provided guiding, skimming over the surface.
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Despite being half-hearted, Heo Do-gyeong was an S-rank Guide with a high matching rate. At this level, it was nearly impossible not to sense Kang I-won’s condition, but Heo Do-gyeong didn’t fully grasp it.
Of course, this wasn’t just Heo Do-gyeong’s problem.
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Many Espers and Guides believed that guiding was a one-way process, but in reality, it was a two-way exchange. The Guide releases their energy, while the Esper exposes their weaknesses.
Even for an Esper, it wasn’t easy to fully trust a Guide from the start. As a result, there were those who were sensitive to the guiding process.
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These individuals instinctively guarded themselves against the Guide and unconsciously hid their core. The reason was to prevent the Guide from fully understanding their condition.
Even if the Esper hid their core, the Guide wouldn’t notice. They wouldn’t even be aware of its existence, so there was nothing to detect.
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While an Esper’s energy and core were distinct, the Guide could only feel the outer energy waves. The core of the Esper was like the inner core, wrapped by the energy waves that acted as the outer shell. Because the Guide could only perceive the outer surface, they couldn’t sense the existence of the core.
Although the Guide couldn’t directly sense the core, they still subconsciously registered its presence, which meant that both stabilizing the energy waves and restoring the core damaged by them happened simultaneously.
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However, when the Esper hid their core, only the energy waves were stabilized. The core was hidden, and the Guide’s unconscious mind didn’t register it. As a result, the Guide’s energy only affected the surface, stabilizing the waves, but not restoring the core.
With time, as trust built between the Guide and the Esper, the boundary would naturally break down. The Guide would then be able to fully understand the Esper’s condition.
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This often happened when long-term matches between Espers and Guides resulted in higher matching rates. In such cases, the Esper, who had been cautious and guarded, eventually let their guard down and trusted their Guide, fully exposing their weaknesses and entrusting themselves to the Guide’s care.
Kang I-won didn’t harbor a deep distrust of Guides.
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However, to maintain a consistent state of minimal guiding, he had intentionally limited the amount of guiding he received, and due to his nature, he had gradually become instinctively inclined to hide his true condition.
One side of him concealed, while the other didn’t even consider looking deeply into it, which made it completely natural that Heo Do-gyeong didn’t notice Kang I-won’s true state.
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Nevertheless, despite this, Heo Do-gyeong’s guiding was incredibly effective.
Even though Heo Do-gyeong couldn’t perceive the core that Kang I-won held, the energy flowing into Kang I-won’s body helped stabilize the chaotic energy waves, and in the process, the remaining energy naturally flowed inward, slowly restoring his battered core.
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It wasn’t a direct result, so it was like adding a few layers of bandages to a crumbling structure. Still, the high matching rate made even that much possible—if the matching rate had been low, it probably wouldn’t have had any effect.
While Heo Do-gyeong was guiding him, Kang I-won asked, noticing the intense gaze directed at him.
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“Is there something you want to say?”
“No, I was just reminded of someone I used to know.”
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Heo Do-gyeong seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before speaking again.
“No, thinking about it, I do have something I want to say to you, Kang I-won.”
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“Go ahead.”
“You know I’m from Seoul, right? I’ve met all sorts of people there. Being an S-rank Guide, I had a lot of attention, of course.”
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“Yes.”
“Especially when the matching rate is even slightly higher, I’ve seen all sorts of advances… it’s quite ridiculous how low it can go…”
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Heo Do-gyeong’s eyes narrowed, the shift in his expression unmistakable.
“Honestly, it’s just disgusting to watch.”
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“……”
“I understand what they’re hoping for, but I’ve never once responded to those advances. I don’t plan on doing so either. They cling to you, talking about destiny or whatever, but frankly, it feels absolutely disgusting.”
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Kang I-won couldn’t understand why Heo Do-gyeong was saying this to him. As he remained silent, listening attentively, Heo Do-gyeong continued without hesitation.
“Do you know that unwanted advances from an Esper are considered one-sided violence to a Guide? They talk about destiny, but from a Guide’s perspective, it’s just like being struck out of the blue.”
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This kind of situation was always problematic whenever a Guide and an Esper were involved.
The emotional dynamics between a Guide and an Esper were never equal. From the start, they couldn’t be. An Esper can’t survive without a Guide, but a Guide can live perfectly well without an Esper.
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In fact, an Esper can even be seen as an obstacle in the Guide’s life.
“Even though the Esper keeps talking about destiny and fate, it doesn’t really resonate with the Guide. The way we feel about it is completely different.”
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“That’s probably true.”
An Esper feels a deep sense of stability from a Guide with a high matching rate. They latch onto that sense of security, and it quickly turns into affection. It’s a survival instinct that every Esper has.
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However, all the emotions an Esper feels are one-sided.
Many Espers deny the emotional gap and cling to the belief that the Guide must feel the same way they do. They impose their feelings and hope that the other shares the same sentiment.
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Even though forcing it doesn’t work, many Espers try to force an imprint.
The Guide has no way of protecting themselves from these Espers.
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Thus, the Esper’s one-sided advances are, to a Guide, no different from violence. Heo Do-gyeong twisted his lips into a wry smile.
“Why do they never seem to understand, even when I’ve said it a thousand times?”
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Kang I-won didn’t particularly want to make excuses for all of this, but from an Esper’s perspective, he decided to add a word of defense.
“Well, I guess it’s a matter of survival.”
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In exchange for their special abilities, an Esper becomes a half-being who cannot survive without a Guide. No Esper ever wanted that.
Every Esper lives with the risk of going berserk as long as they lack guiding. A berserker state is synonymous with death. How many people in the world wish for death? They cling to the Guide who can save them because they want to live.
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A Guide is the lifeline of an Esper.
“Do you think that’s an excuse?”
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“Of course not.”
It was impossible to justify oppressing others just to survive. Yet, there was nothing else to say.
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A brief silence settled between the two. Heo Do-gyeong hid his distorted expression, and soon after, his hand withdrew, leaving his face looking as calm as usual.
“That wasn’t what I intended to say… I got a bit emotional, and my words went off track. I apologize. I wasn’t trying to lecture you, Kang I-won.”
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“It’s fine.”
“I’ll probably be heading back to Seoul soon. It’s more comfortable for me there.”
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Kang I-won had already guessed as much and nodded. Heo Do-gyeong continued.
“I hope there won’t be any misunderstandings or awkwardness between us before that. After all, I’ve been demoted after making a mess, and I’d like to leave quietly while I’m here. You understand what I mean, right?”
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“Yes.”
Kang I-won recalled the rumors about Heo Do-gyeong. The Guide who had subdued an Esper. According to Soo-bin, the Esper, Woo Young-seon, who had been subdued by the Guide, had only recently managed to escape from the hospital ward.
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Kang I-won nodded. He didn’t know how Heo Do-gyeong had done it, but if something like that happened here, it would certainly cause quite a stir.
He was about to keep nodding when he suddenly paused. Why was he saying that to me? What did he mean by “no misunderstandings or awkwardness”? A brief question arose in Kang I-won’s mind.
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As these questions surfaced in his mind, Heo Do-gyeong seemed satisfied, nodding his head.
“I’m glad you’re easy to talk to, Kang I-won.”
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With a smooth smile, Heo Do-gyeong concluded the guiding. At the same time, the warmth that had filled his palm slowly faded.
“Alright, you can go now.”
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Heo Do-gyeong pointed to the door with his gloved hand, signaling for Kang I-won to leave. At the firm tone, Kang I-won stood up without thinking and left the guiding room.
As the door closed behind him, Kang I-won stood in the hallway, suddenly struck by a realization and opening his mouth.
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“…Wait, was he warning me not to make a move on him?”
The words about how Esper’s unwanted advances were violence, how he had warned about not causing any emotional rifts, and not to make advances.
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Thinking it over, it became clear that it was a warning.
Kang I-won stared at the now-closed guiding room door with a feeling of injustice. He swore he hadn’t made any advances. He hadn’t even thought about it. He had no idea what had led to that misunderstanding.
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Should he clear things up now? Standing in the hallway, troubled, Kang I-won sighed deeply.
It wasn’t worth making a fuss and possibly deepening the misunderstanding. As he had said, Heo Do-gyeong would be leaving soon anyway. There was no real need to clear things up.
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Turning away, Kang I-won left the guiding room behind. His stomach, which had been barely satisfied with hot dogs and jelly, now once again growled with hunger. His feet, lacking a clear destination, led him toward the cafeteria.
* * *
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“I’m sorry for the trouble, Guide Heo Do-gyeong.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s an emergency, what else can we do? The priority is to deal with the monster first.”
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Heo Do-gyeong resumed the interrupted guiding. Perhaps because he had just used his abilities, the energy waves were now fluctuating more than before. After a long stretch of silence while receiving the guiding, Han Kang-jin cautiously asked,
“I didn’t get a chance to check since I rushed in for the guiding … Did Kang I-won receive guiding?”
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“Yes.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
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Heo Do-gyeong glanced briefly at Han Kang-jin. Even though Heo Do-gyeong was often harsh with Espers, his evaluation of Han Kang-jin was generally quite favorable. He was a good person, took care of his team, and was straightforward.
Still, Heo Do-gyeong didn’t understand why he would keep an eye on someone like Kang I-won. After a moment of thought, still holding a mistaken impression of Kang I-won, Heo Do-gyeong hesitated and added a few words after a brief silence.
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“I checked, but he wasn’t quite at a level to receive guiding yet.”
At Heo Do-gyeong’s words, Han Kang-jin responded nonchalantly.
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“Ah, that? He probably received some guiding earlier.”
“…Excuse me?”
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Heo Do-gyeong’s response was delayed by the unexpected comment.
Why would an Esper who uses a regenerative ability need guiding on the field? Heo Do-gyeong frowned as he tried to process the thought. Han Kang-jin, sensing Heo Do-gyeong’s confusion, waved his free hand dismissively to correct his assumptions.
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“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I-won is different from other regenerating Espers. He doesn’t know how to take care of himself. Today, he struggled trying to hold the monster alone. It was a flying-type, so it almost caused a real headache, but thanks to I-won, it got resolved smoothly without much trouble.”
“Is that so?”
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“Yes. I know there are some real troublemakers among regenerative Espers. I’ve seen and heard about them. But I-won isn’t one of those types, so I hope you won’t misunderstand him.”
“…Of course. I don’t misunderstand.”
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Heo Do-gyeong, already having misunderstood for a while, responded with a polite smile.
After that, the guiding continued in silence. Once Han Kang-jin had left, Heo Do-gyeong remained alone in the guiding room, tapping his pad.
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His expression was peculiar as he glanced at Kang I-won’s records displayed on the screen.
Heo Do-gyeong continued to ponder, tapping his fingers on the pad for quite some time. His thoughts were tangled and complicated.
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