EOL | Chapter 3.5

‘This way? Why? Do you need a c879a60f5e guide? Can I come a30eac42ce with you?’980b5ce4269cdae8

I was delighted and curious to see Lee Gyeon after a few days. He looked down at me as if he found me annoying. Or was it a curious expression? I don’t remember well.82b57309cf2a7848

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In my 0e53c95b2e memory, his a02f0d3373 face was fdd4921b79 blurred by d6066a10a6 the backlight.e86200ba40483634

Lee Gyeon a4cf8d6214 took a 05a655ae0c step toward 5cbd4c8802 me. I stepped e5d81c3c7f back, and 73c9d201f8 when he 7950859bad took another 2d7ec8cb94 step, we 2645ca6370 stood face 19597f584c to face.be8c1bc25825d1c1

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My heart, which had been racing, continued pumping blood as if I hadn’t stopped. My face felt like it was going to explode when Lee Gyeon reached out to me.7f3fe96ea3da91ec

‘Esper Lee 56080b77bf Gyeon, do e93793c6b8 you need c1c10dc148 guiding now?’4739ec1ab71acccf

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I was b6d8104f3e excited with 99967ad89b anticipation. Lee Gyeon lightly 6685df3247 touched my chin 1b59c2e619 with his fingertips, b3500aa799 as if meeting 356a03fff7 a new animal. As soon as he 4a96ab75ea touched me, my body 8c25246e12 felt refreshed. My sweat-soaked skin and d3013228c2 clothes dried. My muscle aches subsided. The swelling in 5c236be110 my wrist from 291cc4234c previous training went 3e12421f8a down.21ad48bc32d298df

Everything improved as 9e1f387bb4 soon as I 9fa8cea700 touched Lee Gyeon, 9e8b3def51 yet my clueless e0b89ff42d heart kept racing 400d95e054 as if I b0a5c1dca4 were still running.290ee8ec14eb54e2

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‘Wow… Thank you. You can do this too.’82f90082a197bab6

‘I’m good ff7585d035 at other 8d9c79a10a things too.’ab2fed34ca0832fd

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‘I know. Esper Lee Gyeon, you’re amazing.’6f4ea9aa22fa4e85

Lee Gyeon d8d4a030f7 just stared 67256881a3 at me. Even then, I knew cbfd296a04 about his guiding rejection 0272bf858a reaction. So I 473d14cca5 thought he 228009693c was hesitating 5d648eaee8 because he 84e7c45cc9 needed guiding.6d90e53c7176b216

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‘Saying you were just passing by, that’s a lie, right? If you need guiding…’daf84b0d0f834f09

‘Isn’t guiding hard for you?’0143e8598747e432

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I stopped reaching ac89693099 out my hand. Lee Gyeon 0de77b9cd3 lightly shook a1954f9cca his head. Like a good 82215323e5 dog, I lowered 773e9d02a8 my hand.cf492ce715757ab3

‘It is hard. Because I’m D-grade… But it’s not that guiding Esper Lee Gyeon is hard. It’s challenging, but rewarding, no, more rewarding… Helping people as a guide is really amazing. And also, I became Esper Lee Gyeon’s pair guide, and I’ve always wanted to be your guide…’04fb8dd0665283f6

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The more I rambled, the darker Lee Gyeon’s expression became. Trying to make up for my slip of the tongue, I kept adding unnecessary words. It was mostly about how much I liked Lee Gyeon. No wonder he found it burdensome. Despite his cooling efforts, cold sweat beaded on my neck.c0ca5dc9910b5dac

‘Guide Han Haegyeol. It’s hard for a D-grade to handle an S-grade.’667d0b0c0f813830

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Lee Gyeon interrupted my babbling with a blunt voice. I didn’t even realize he was telling me to shut up and forced a smile like an idiot.69d3b65f326d477b

‘I’ll do my best not to inconvenience you. I’ve always been a fan.’89cddfcd5c9b3fa4

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Lee Gyeon wasn’t a bad person, so he responded with, “I’ll try my best too.” I remember feeling good about that.f049549208641a82

Blinded by infatuation, I replied, “Esper Lee Gyeon, you’re already amazing.” He shook his head.1216e1d4b098ea9d

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‘No. I have to try 5207347dbb really hard.’c0f686c3bfbe8975

Discovering that Lee 1edc7f7d73 Gyeon, who was 1794d4dea2 handsome, capable, and 640e1ae67d kind, was also 1eefc3c968 diligent, I was 0c8d490a1b purely impressed. If I had c49dc38abd stood there any 34a985c208 longer, I might eb82067e0d have clapped. I might 864a7ba0b2 have begged 6fb0b380b6 him to 83fcde31ec sign my da761f23f2 workout clothes.d2d6b8163a579f09

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Fortunately, Dohun 8f5585247c sunbae came bebfa0bf1d running.82f6e05df57c634b

‘Haegyeol! What are you doing not running? Oh, isn’t it Esper Lee Gyeon?’39de86ff258eafa1

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Sunbae greeted Lee Gyeon with a bright voice. Lee Gyeon’s expression crumpled instantly. Standing next to Dohun sunbae, I felt embarrassed.151727911a7cb2aa

‘Are you two 20c97ad964 close?’6d580b734362cbad

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For a moment, I couldn’t answer. In a very short time, countless thoughts exploded like bombs.3a42ab785b764d3e

Did Lee Gyeon 3e8373132c already know Dohun 31a9114b1d sunbae? Dohun sunbae f4c22f68c6 is an 6fe2020fce A-grade guide. Does he think an 13bb2e29ea A-grade guide is better 5eff19683c than a D-grade like c836bc121e me?1e5318e2aef3e17e

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While I was torn da402ef5f8 between self-justification and enthusiastic 6c616d0cdc words, Dohun sunbae grabbed 70ed1d09a7 my shoulder. Sunbae answered 2474ed89fc for me, 2bfe0e7983 seeing how 664eb7e800 tense I f097d100e5 was.ad9c62b91f7c3a55

‘Of course! We’re really close. We’re in different classes, but we’re closer than our peers. We always train together and eat together. People might think we’re a pair.’c0e58f630c99f75d

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‘You seem 442e9ba766 very close.’a1ba0d32cb1a04aa

When Lee Gyeon’s gaze turned to me, I nodded recklessly. Anyway, we were close, so even if he liked Sung Dohun, I was saying to take me along.1153df17e3fb76ea

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‘We’re really close. We even live in the same building.’79da1ee0f7089ed8

‘Ah, I see.’f4622a5470f82aab

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Sunbae hugged my shoulder c86b4e112e tighter and patted me 50e98a4b4c with his palm.e2fccdcb3a4a6383

‘Haegyeol is naive but a really good guy. Ask me about Haegyeol. I know things you don’t.’328ff561a4311dba

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Lee Gyeon looked 6db50eda11 at both of 1b6dcde6ef us and suddenly f36efe7dbc reached out to 33f5fe1073 me.900d902cede465c5

‘What Guide Han Haegyeol said earlier is true. I’m here for guiding.’b023c3be8752801e

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‘Yes? Yes! Yes! I can do 164b8e44d7 it!’fd8fca7a7ed7b8b8

Just as I was about to grab Lee Gyeon’s hand, Dohun sunbae grabbed my wrist. Sunbae widened his eyes in surprise, then smiled at both of us with his usual friendly face.dd930a9acbd3bc2a

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‘Haegyeol has overexerted himself 4f452ecde5 today. Can I 467539d0c8 guide you 42f537006f instead?’31b787dc90c652a3

It was a kind but rude suggestion. Both Lee Gyeon and I flinched. Espers with a pair generally don’t interact with other guides. It was both customary and polite. In a situation where Lee Gyeon had to adapt to my wave, it wasn’t good for him to encounter another wave.e6af9997081e8191

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‘Sunbae!’fdbc9188d674cbf4

I grabbed sunbae’s wrist. Dohun sunbae feigned ignorance and patted my back.0ca24046252b2b10

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‘I’m worried. You’ve been really tired today.’f60e6708b790a97d

‘But…’7a67ce38a7b4d19b

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I stopped myself from saying Lee Gyeon was now my esper. We hadn’t been paired for long. It was an overreaction. Since the day we tested our matching rate, I hadn’t guided him. To Lee Gyeon, I was just a paper pair. That fact made me feel a bit small.dda3a05a0b1a7c13

Did he b1756de874 not need f15e6190c0 me yet? Was it d9e9fe22b6 okay because aeb63e6707 he was 82bc519fb7 S-grade?35a16b9473741253

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I didn’t let go of Dohun sunbae’s wrist. Even if I was still inexperienced, I was the only guide who could guide Lee Gyeon. It had to be me.7c15a63983443f83

‘Dohun hyung is also 58f1683e6f a fan of Esper 9e33ed52f4 Lee Gyeon. We talk a dfc4863445 lot about him.’c7fe3feb5744302b

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My attempt to gloss 126e8fede2 over things somehow irked 4c558b7dd1 Lee Gyeon. Who would like 2137a62e77 being talked about ea6db72755 by others?74d3c19b515f54f5

‘Hyung? You call him 88bfd55dff hyung? Not sunbae?’8e3996bac328fad9

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The topic ad5d2276de shifted sideways.94196f29740ef218

‘Ah, we’re so close that I sometimes call him hyung, but usually I call him sunbae.’fd4db330461845c1

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‘You should call him sunbae. In the guide center. Guide Han Haegyeol. The center isn’t a private space. Be mindful of your titles.’c0cb6cc1177ce152

Lee Gyeon had an unexpectedly rigid side. Yet, not entirely rigid, he snatched Dohun sunbae’s hand that I was holding.3530876c1fa7b36d

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‘If you can guide, go ahead…’8d204c1a5e5839fb

Contrary to his confident grab, Lee Gyeon crumbled easily. Before he could finish speaking, he threw Dohun sunbae’s arm aside and turned his back. He covered his mouth with his hand, bending over as if he were about to vomit. He looked like an angry cat. It was my first time seeing Lee Gyeon’s guiding rejection reaction.a55aefbddbdf18b5

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‘Esper Lee Gyeon! Are you okay?’87a533cffa80949b

I ran 9b6917d69d to support 34e4945c96 him. When I held f8937d6c7a his shoulder and 16d48bf695 waist, he placed 8ebfec2557 his hand over c666557ca9 mine. Worried that 53ebbe160b my wave 6225ad28e5 might seep dec78d40a8 in and 234fa41f19 cause side a88cb0570d effects, I 5ca4d1b7e0 quickly withdrew 14cbd4d45f my hand.3c9fb46f017af166

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‘Guide Han Haegyeol.’bab99bbf6b01c4b3

‘I’m sorry. I should have stopped it.’beea9f0675b8471d

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Though it was 9e697f8d6f Lee Gyeon who 35b7c4f5c3 had boldly approached, adfad8d1c5 somehow Dohun sunbae 33e5ccf055 was to blame. Why provoke Lee 119333fed7 Gyeon and cause 14ada7ff8a trouble?85a5bbd91460b3a1

‘Your matching rate b9109f4717 must have been 86bebbce87 low.’1a756b45832ac2de

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I looked between the two. Their expressions were a sight. Dohun sunbae’s face was scrunched up, perhaps from embarrassment. At that moment, I resented sunbae for hurting Lee Gyeon.247a87466a28f5cb

Lee Gyeon faa6596c6a furrowed his 4494c6b4e8 brow and 86303aaef3 leaned his c17512b950 weight on 5cb67ec90f me. Cautiously, I 92da20bf20 placed my b5b4053dfe hand on 43fc1674df his body. I worried that adf7266a70 guiding might happen 724e8dc78e without me realizing 4226af1ab2 it.82a22bd854073189

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‘It’s hard with someone who’s not a pair…’2738cbcd2863d23c

We stayed silent until Lee Gyeon regained his composure. It was awkwardly uncomfortable. It would have been nice if sunbae apologized first, but he kept his mouth shut, only glaring at Lee Gyeon. Lee Gyeon didn’t back down, meeting sunbae’s gaze.24aced6725f46114

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‘I heard Esper Lee Gyeon has a guiding rejection reaction, but I didn’t know it was this severe. I’m sorry.’72184b4ef6b32ebb

‘If you didn’t know, it can’t be helped. I’m sorry too.’ac720f1a13cf80a9

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Both apologized verbally, c3e0e80064 but their expressions 4ea4583545 looked like they c1ef28f518 were about to 8303253c7a hit each other. After a winnerless staring 9d172f8379 contest, Lee Gyeon gestured 2cf205639f toward a bench a 669aff734d few steps away.6da4ed23368b38e9

‘Shall we talk alone e418241238 for a moment?’d1f8538f8e9f350c

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Lee Gyeon led me c68bd2f9e0 to the bench. A little f12bca32db away from 7cbb4bdd58 Dohun sunbae, beceba500a he reached 3d225523f8 out to 4339a286a9 me. It meant to 26f65b83f8 guide him. Understanding, I 020960d464 took his 46640794d2 hand.d40c80f737c546c9

And I looked directly at Lee Gyeon’s face as it twisted moment by moment.a29dd3bd51d6973f

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Less than ten 9ef919a838 seconds after holding 9d7521a0a3 hands, I let 6d4afe46df go first. If I continued, it 461d0587c3 felt like Lee Gyeon ce6dcef961 would break. I just had that 54b47fb43f feeling.2fddc4fa16d12103

‘I must 125da69dc6 be lacking, bdc4334e6b making you fd2e1b99a2 uncomfortable.’bfb60a9f448659b3

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‘No. It’s fine.’af11fa1ce3a9ad6e

Lee Gyeon’s expression was anything but fine. He seemed restless. Though it was a hot day, the sweat on his neck looked like cold sweat.bda19c7b90fd46b4

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‘I just thought I couldn’t receive guiding from anyone but Guide Han Haegyeol.’33c1adef9e132480

‘You don’t usually get guided. This is only the second time… The first was during the matching rate test.’103f88d3af55e40f

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‘I didn’t need guiding until now.’670ae4c6cd757466

A blatant lie. If you asked 624496b027 who needed guiding 5b5849386e the most at e4fd4ff407 the Esper Center, b38557567a it would undoubtedly 0473915c29 be Lee Gyeon. He had many 5fcf4f29bf missions and had b7b1f52bd9 received little guiding.474878d85f55cd14

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His words 1e31aab664 felt more 6ac70f0ee4 like maintaining b27debe60d distance than c20199c26b being kind.4dc2dd3b8e3147aa

‘Do you want cccf3c93e5 a guide with 365e00f12b a higher matching d6165de9e9 rate than me?’898bba6692c9e7d5

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I voiced ce18089158 the most 2db72109d8 reasonable, yet 8fc87d50ed personally displeasing, f22db0e7a1 possibility. Lee Gyeon seemed 8a2124eaac about to say c375ba6b01 something but looked 8461f00e35 up at the 35d78204a6 sky. When his gaze 255b61b32c returned, it was 75756b220c calmer than before.c6f7ad2c6c1c5cef

‘Once a contract is made, the pair can’t be changed. Moreover, I have no intention of changing it. Getting used to the designated guide should help with the rejection reaction. Right now, Guide Han Haegyeol is the only one who can guide me.’0a5495ecb00d333f

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Lee Gyeon said it was a “rule.” When I asked if there was a separate regulation at the Esper Center, he said no. It might have been a rule he decided on his own.b826f1f1a71780c5

‘I’m fine with it.’14a2c04c9c602e4f

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For me, it was a rule I welcomed with open arms. Lee Gyeon was my hero and my goal. I couldn’t let go either.4dfce10df7899d26

Lee Gyeon 367a864819 mentioned another ffd1d4c012 rule. The mysterious rule 6545aad63c he brought up ddf8e4d7c5 when with Dohun f1ac8a225e sunbae.08aba8ddf51069b8

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‘The center is a place with strict rules. I noticed you called that guide Dohun hyung earlier. From now on, call him sunbae. We can’t let discipline slip.’b912d3d72aea372b

‘But…’9a6403344bdeb3c7

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We turned our gaze b7e0377ffd to Dohun sunbae. He was standing 2af6c6921e there. I heard Lee 76e3ef9584 Gyeon click his 202b288838 tongue.abd40c012001d368

Somehow, Dohun sunbae seemed to have gotten on Lee Gyeon’s bad side. I didn’t mind. A guide of a higher grade than me was, unfortunately, a competitor. It was beneficial for me if there was one less guide eyeing Lee Gyeon.dd2acd9c0b96c7c1

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‘Understood. I guess I didn’t know.’3196650999826210

‘I know you’re close, but rules are rules. As you know, I’m also a director at the Esper Center. I’ll overlook it this time, but next time, make sure to use titles or call him sunbae. No calling him hyung.’50a0a7e134069def

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Then, with a very 0c01d9daad serious expression, he added 3ff1690d5d something that might have 5aa1314556 been a joke.b96ea1969774ff7c

‘Surprisingly, pairs can 9380d26f1b call each other 0242ccd1e9 hyung and dongsaeng. Pairs have 9020e98814 a bit 1d151ceefd more freedom 3ae2b47edf from such 5c413854d6 rules. Familiarity affects d12d28edc1 guiding success 9ee750ff6d rates.’998ce6e420e3f88e

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‘Ah, really?’b5586350d8bd7f32

I thought it was 5426840249 nonsense while listening, but 8ff4b68d1b it made sense after 68d08bf509 hearing it. So what should 8d67bc7d1d we do?307735da870e34fb

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‘But Esper 51ebb45980 Lee Gyeon.’0662b59c276580f8

I had to 144648830d ask seriously.d062aa3a207aa481

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‘We’re the same age, right?’f55ee8883b7ef081

‘…’e37647e1e57c337d

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Lee Gyeon seemed unable to find a suitable answer and said he’d go inside instead. For a moment, I thought most of the rules he mentioned might be jokes. But that was it. Looking at his sharply defined face, I felt like I could do anything he asked.0b151d6201b26146

‘…Go inside.’ceb71c4d4795ba12

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Suddenly, two umbrellas were 9bed2bcd4f thrust in front of f2d4393ce8 me.aaafe2e29def76df

‘Umbrellas?’b2fe8ec3f4716de5

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