FG | Chapter 6.2

Jessica pulled up another video. It was a Korean news report, showing Seon Jiyeol running towards Yeo Eundo to guide him. As soon as Seon Jiyeol made contact, Yeo Eundo collapsed.

“He was stabilized purely through guiding, without any physical suppression.”

Jessica swiped through the tablet to another page in the research paper. It contained a comparison of Yeo Eundo’s AD levels—one recorded at the peak of his rampage, and the other measured immediately after guiding.

“And this was Yeo Eundo’s AD level at the time.”

[0]

Vincent’s eyes widened in disbelief. He snatched the tablet and stared at the numbers.

His AD had skyrocketed to 278—yet here, it was recorded as 0.

Still fixated on the screen, Vincent opened his mouth. His voice held the faintest tremor.

“The Guide. Who’s the Guide?”

“The first and only S-class Guide in South Korea—Seon Jiyeol.”

“…Jess.”

“Yes?”

“Get everything ready.”

Vincent’s voice brimmed with excitement, unable to contain the surge of anticipation.

“We’re going to South Korea. Right now.”

»જ⁀➴

Under the leadership of the Korean Esper Association, a National Security Council meeting was convened, bringing together high-ranking officials from various administrative departments. It was a rare and extraordinary sight to see so many top figures gathered in one place.

They were all staring at the same thing—a video of Yeo Eundo effortlessly sending South Korea’s most elite S-class Espers flying with overwhelming power.

When the video ended, silence filled the room. The suffocating stillness was broken by Yoon Cheolmin, the chairman of the Gate Safety Committee’s Audit Department.

“Esper Yeo Eundo is a disaster in and of himself. That power must be restrained.”

One of the Esper Association representatives immediately pushed back.

“Esper Yeo Eundo is South Korea’s representative Esper. Thanks to him, national security has been upheld, and now you’re talking about restraints? Do you even hear yourself?”

“So the Esper Association is just going to stand by and watch? Esper Yeo Eundo’s rampage caused damages exceeding 70 billion won! How is this any different from an Alpha-grade Gate Break exploding in the middle of the city?”

“Wasn’t this originally the Gate Safety Committee’s fault for failing to detect the honey trap?”

“Don’t try to twist the argument! There isn’t a single organization in the world capable of detecting a honey trap!”

“You’re the one twisting things first! How many times has your side misidentified a Gate? Every single raid, it’s double Gates, unexpected level surges! All you do is stare at monitors and type on keyboards, what do you even know about the field?!”

“Typing on keyboards? Watch your mouth!”

“Then listen properly when someone talks!”

“What? Listen?!”

As the shouting match escalated, fists were about to start flying.

Thud.

With a single fist slammed onto the table, a loud crack rang out. The solid table split cleanly in half.

The two who had been bickering like rabid dogs suddenly shut their mouths as if nothing had happened.

At the end of the shattered table, an elderly man with white hair—like the rings of a tree—sat quietly.

He was Baek Jesung, the highest-ranking executive of the Esper Association and a retired S-class Esper.

Though he wore a gentle smile, the pressure emanating from him was no less than that of an active Esper.

Then, Baek Jesung spoke.

“The Esper Association acknowledges its failure in preventing the damages caused by Esper Yeo Eundo’s rampage and will prioritize recovery efforts.”

Other Esper Association executives shifted in their seats, clearly startled. Before they could voice their thoughts, Baek Jesung lifted his hand lightly to stop them and continued.

“However, the cause of the rampage lies in the overload of abilities from an abnormal Gate, so it cannot be pinned solely on one side. Therefore, as a countermeasure, the Esper Association intends to move beyond the limitations of domestic administration and establish international Esper agreements.”

Murmurs spread through the gathered officials.

One of the high-ranking officials objected.

“To apply for United Nations membership, a country must have at least 20 S-class Espers and 10 S-class Guides. That’s simply impossible for us.”

Even meeting the qualifications wasn’t enough—there were plenty of nations that got rejected at the paperwork stage. South Korea wasn’t even in a position to submit an application.

“Look at Japan. They have 34 S-class Espers and 24 S-class Guides, yet they were still denied membership. Even China, which has twice that number, was rejected.”

Japan and China had raised accusations of racial discrimination over these rejections, but the United Nations remained silent.

As a result, Japan took the lead in forming the SEP¹—an alliance of Espers. The SEP included Japan, China, Switzerland, Norway, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, Germany, Singapore, and Chile, making up a total of ten countries. But South Korea wasn’t even accepted there.

With only 8 S-class Espers and 1 S-class Guide, South Korea’s situation was dire.

“We couldn’t even get approval from SEP, and you’re talking about the United Nations? We’ll just become a laughingstock.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. It was a harsh reality, but undeniable.

Then, Baek Jesung, who had been listening quietly, suddenly smiled.

“When did I ever say we were aiming for the United Nations?”

The room stirred like waves crashing onto the shore.

»જ⁀➴

The Association issued a summons order to Yeo Eundo. It had only been about four days since his last visit to the Center.

The atmosphere at the Center was noticeably different from when he had visited alone not long ago. Every Esper and Guide in the building followed him with their eyes as he passed. Their gazes were filled with mixed emotions, yet one thing remained consistent—wherever Yeo Eundo walked, a path naturally opened before him, as if reenacting the miracle of Moses parting the sea.

I stole a glance at him.

He stood out effortlessly, simply because of his striking appearance. The attention on him felt burdensome, so I deliberately slowed my pace, intending to put some distance between us. But Yeo Eundo, as if sensing it immediately, came to a stop and turned back.

“Guide-nim?”

With that small action alone, the attention that had been solely on him instantly shifted to me. Even though I wasn’t actively trying to listen, the whispers from our surroundings reached my ears.

“Guide? Did Yeo Eundo just call that person his Guide?”

“Who is that? I’ve never seen them before.”

“What about Guide Seon Jiyeol?”

Unwanted attention made me quicken my pace, stepping past Yeo Eundo and taking the lead. However, even after putting some distance between us, I didn’t hear any footsteps following. Puzzled, I turned back.

Yeo Eundo met my gaze and smiled brightly before catching up and sticking right beside me. Strangely enough, the murmurs and prying eyes that had followed us earlier seemed to have vanished.

Before reaching our destination—the conference room—I asked him,

“Esper Yeo Eundo, what’s your AD level right now?”

“189.”

That was high enough to be near a critical threshold.

It was honestly impressive how Yeo Eundo hadn’t shown a single sign of discomfort despite his AD reaching this level. While I had intentionally avoided direct contact, it was also his fault for recklessly using healing abilities inefficiently.

Every morning, as if it were a ritual, he would cast healing on me the moment he woke up. Thanks to that, I no longer suffered from morning low blood pressure, and any bruises or muscle aches vanished completely before I even started my day.

As a result, his AD level had climbed to 189.

I glanced around, checking for any onlookers, then held out my hand. His face immediately brightened, and without hesitation, he grasped my hand as if he had been waiting for it.

Even though we were only holding hands without actively guiding, the numbers on the monitor dropped rapidly.

171… 152…

When the number reached 145, I let go and recorded the data on my tablet. Yeo Eundo, who had been curiously peeking at the screen, leaned in.

“Let’s go inside now.”

Since the monitoring session was restricted to authorized personnel only, I planned to wait outside.

“Okay~”

Even though I had spoken in an uncharacteristically cold tone, Yeo Eundo grinned and—without warning—grabbed my hand again.

“Wait—!”

Before I could stop him, Yeo Eundo threw open the conference room doors and strode inside.

Everyone inside turned their heads at once. Their expressions were nothing short of utter disbelief.

The stares piercing me now were on a whole other level. It wasn’t just the high-ranking officials—Gu Seungjae was there, and worst of all, Seon Jiyeol as well.

‘This reckless idiot!’

Being dragged along by Yeo Eundo, I felt a cold sweat break out as I faced the suffocating silence in the room.

The awkward atmosphere was broken when the meeting moderator hastily spoke up.

“N-Now that everyone is here, let’s begin the meeting.”

The lights dimmed, and the projector screen lit up. That helped take some attention off of me, but I still felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.

‘This is terrifying.’

The moment I sat down next to Yeo Eundo, I felt Seon Jiyeol’s intense gaze on me. It wasn’t just sharp—it was downright menacing, filled with barely restrained fury. With that level of hostility, if he had been born an Esper instead of a Guide, he would undoubtedly be S-class.

I knew how much Seon Jiyeol valued Yeo Eundo, so I swallowed a sigh.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

‘Why am I the one taking the blame?!’

This was all because of that little rascal, Yeo Eundo.

I shot him a glare, demanding to know how he planned to take responsibility for this mess. Noticing my stare, his eyes narrowed.

Then, he curled his lips into a sly smile, and for a moment, I froze. If it weren’t for the gasps and stifled breaths—“Hup,” “Huek,” “Hng”—echoing around the room, I might have been left gaping like an idiot too.

The person sitting in front of me seemed to sense something was off and glanced around before muttering quietly, avoiding Yeo Eundo’s gaze.

“Just look ahead.”

But Yeo Eundo just stared at the side of my face, unwavering. Unable to bear his persistent gaze, I mercilessly pinched the back of his hand under the desk. His skin was so firm and tough, like rubber, that my own fingers hurt more than his hand did.

I didn’t let it show and firmly ordered, “Eyes forward.”

“Yes, sirrrr.”

Only then did Yeo Eundo draw out his reply and finally look ahead. At that, I saw the shoulders of the people nearby flinch involuntarily.

The early part of the meeting was fairly standard.

It was a discussion about the government’s policies on handling the increasing number of honey trap incidents in recent Gates.

‘Yeah, they’ve definitely been happening more often.’