Chapter 3

“You’ll understand better once you read the contract.”

Jang Jun-ho pushed a stack of documents toward him.

Then, pen in hand, he began explaining each clause line by line.

“…….”

But Hee-beom couldn’t focus at all.

Because I-young was sitting right next to him.

This was Jang Jun-ho’s private office, and the square table had six chairs in total.

Yet, for some reason, I-young had deliberately chosen the seat right beside him.

And as if that wasn’t enough—

He had completely turned his body toward Hee-beom and muttered,

“Wow… my Guide is seriously handsome….”

Was he unaware that people could hear him?

Or was he saying it on purpose?

If it was the former, he was a little dense.

If it was the latter, he was kind of insane.

Either way, Hee-beom wanted nothing to do with him.

Irritated, he pulled his hoodie down even lower—but I-young’s eyes never stopped boring into his face.

And to make things worse…

“I-young, stop floating. You’re making me dizzy.”

I-young kept drifting upward in his seat.

With the chair still underneath him.

Most of the time, he hovered about a hand’s width above the ground—but when it got bad, his knees hit the table.

Did he think he was a balloon or something?

“Sorry! But I just can’t contain my excitement!”

He finally descended back to the floor—

Slowly.

So eerily quiet and controlled that even when his chair legs touched the ground, there wasn’t a single sound.

“Still, this is no way to behave in front of someone you just met.”

“…….”

I-young pouted, his lower lip jutting out before he pulled it back in.

He clearly didn’t like being scolded.

He looked exactly like a sulking five-year-old.

Did he actually have something wrong with him?

Hee-beom side-eyed him.

Their gazes met—

And I-young smiled. Brightly. Cheerfully.

Hee-beom immediately turned away.

“Alright, Mr. Hee-beom. Let’s go over Clause 3 again. After signing the contract, the Guide must reside in the KESPA dormitory for a year and—”

“But, Director.”

I-young cut him off.

Jang Jun-ho let out a long sigh and gave him a sideways glance.

“What now?”

“Can I hold my Guide’s hand?”

“No.”

“Why not? He’s my Guide.”

“Not yet, he isn’t.”

“Tch….”

I-young pulled his chin in and made a childish sound.

Then, he stared longingly at Hee-beom’s hand resting on the table.

If he weren’t so good-looking, his behavior would’ve been downright creepy.

“You’re saying I’m this guy’s Guide? What does that even mean…?”

As he spoke, Hee-beom moved his hand under the table.

I-young kept repeating “my Guide, my Guide” since earlier, but Hee-beom had no clue what that was supposed to mean.

At his question, Jang Jun-ho scratched his cheek.

“Ah, well… Sorry to put it this way, but we actually ran a Guide matching test using your blood in advance. This has been a major issue within the association lately.”

“…….”

“But—”

“But you and I have a 97% match! 97%!”

I-young cut Jang Jun-ho off again.

His voice shot straight up, clear and direct.

Hee-beom’s expression instantly soured.

I-young’s voice was downright unpleasant.

It left an echo in the air, lingering unnaturally—almost like a child’s voice.

Brimming with excitement, I-young floated up from his chair again, the legs lifting with him.

Jang Jun-ho held up a palm in his direction, signaling him to calm down.

“As you probably know, I-young has never had a Pair Guide before. But now, finally—someone with a match rate over 90% has appeared. Naturally, he’s excited. I hope you understand.”

One of Hee-beom’s eyebrows arched slightly.

97% match rate. Pair Guide.

The unfamiliar words hit his eardrums like foreign noise.

“So, this Pair Guide thing… You’re saying that’s me?”

“Yes. It’s you, Mr. Hee-beom.”

“…….”

Hee-beom’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

He was still struggling to process the fact that he had become a Guide at all—

And now, he was being tied to this strange creature beside him under the ridiculously corny label of “Pair.”

He just wanted to get up and walk out the door.

“Alright, let’s go back to the contract.”

Jang Jun-ho continued his explanation.

He told Hee-beom to ask questions anytime, but Hee-beom didn’t say a word.

Eventually, the pen in Jang Jun-ho’s hand reached the final clause.

“Clause 10 is the most important—it’s about money.”

“…….”

“Unlike Espers, Guides can’t be paid per mission. Instead, they receive a daily wage. As an A-Class Guide, your daily wage is 7 million won. A 3.3% tax will be deducted automatically.”

“Wait a second. You’re saying I’m an A-Class Guide?”

“Yes, A-Class. That puts you in the top 0.8% of all Guides. Out of 1,000 Guides, you’re ranked 8th.”

“…….”

Hee-beom’s broad chest rose slightly, then fell.

A-Class.

That was unexpected.

At best, he had assumed he’d be somewhere in the C or D range—some common, unremarkable classification.

But A-Class was 0.8%.

Not even 1%.

Before he could stop himself, Hee-beom glanced sideways at I-young.

And Jang Jun-ho, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, immediately caught that look.

“I-young is S-Class, so he isn’t ranked using percentages. There are fewer than five S-Class Espers in the world, so it would be meaningless to compare.”

He grinned proudly—like a father introducing his eldest son.

It didn’t matter.

I-young, meanwhile, hadn’t stopped staring at Hee-beom’s face even once.

Every now and then, he’d even sneak glances under the table—at Hee-beom’s hidden hand—and lick his lips.

He looked exactly like a Pomeranian staring at a chew toy, right before drool started dripping from its mouth.

“Anyway, on average, Guides work about seven times a month. Of course, it depends on how often their Pair Esper enters a Gate, but generally, that’s the case.”

“No. You’re my Guide, so you might be working over twenty times a month.”

For once, I-young’s voice was calm and normal as he spoke.

Jang Jun-ho nodded.

“That’s correct. Since I-young handles most of Korea’s Gates, your work frequency will be higher.”

“…….”

“So, with a daily wage of 7 million won, if you end up guiding twenty times a month, your salary would be 1.4 billion won per month. Of course, that’s before taxes. That brings your annual salary to 16.8 billion won—also before taxes.”

“…….”

“Espers receive a hazard allowance, but unfortunately, since Guides don’t enter Gates as often, they don’t qualify for one.”

“…….”

“Still, since you’re A-Class, your salary is already on the higher end.”

“…….”

“And that’s not all. Once you’re officially introduced as I-young’s Pair Guide, you’ll become famous—like an influencer. You’ll even get sponsorships. The extra income will be massive.”

“…….”

“Plus, Mr. Hee-beom, you’re extremely handsome. You’ll have fans in no time.”

Jang Jun-ho smiled as he spoke.

“Yeah, yeah. Because he’s handsome.”

I-young, who had been resting his chin on both hands while openly staring at Hee-beom, nodded so enthusiastically that his bangs fluttered.

And then—

He floated up again.

At this point, he felt less like a human and more like a helium balloon.

“…….”

Meanwhile, Hee-beom remained silent.

Despite being the main person involved in all of this, he was saying the least.

Seeing his expression, Jang Jun-ho spoke in a reassuring tone.

“Ah, and just so you know, the association doesn’t interfere with any of that side income. Plenty of ability users sign independent contracts with entertainment agencies.”

“…….”

“It’s a pretty good deal, don’t you think?”

Jang Jun-ho looked at him with an expression that practically screamed—”Your life just got set, kid.”

He pushed the contract forward.

Then, clicking the back of his pen, he placed it on top of the document.

“Just sign at the bottom.”

“…….”

“Your bank account setup, medical check-up, and dormitory assignment will all be processed soon.”

“Dormitory? No way. It’s too far. Can’t you assign me to the Research Wing instead?”

“Not yet, I-young. You’ll have to wait.”

“Until when?”

I-young tapped his heels rapidly against the floor.

Jang Jun-ho scolded him, telling him to act his age.

As the two exchanged words Hee-beom had zero interest in, he simply stared at the contract.

A long silence stretched between them—

And then—

Hee-beom placed his hand on the document.

With a slow, deliberate motion—

He pushed it away.

“I’m not doing this. I’m not going to be a Guide.”