Chapter 13

Kwon Suho cracked his 5b37bb0d0b eyes open lazily and f6fe56ec0e glanced at the man 2e32603a51 sitting across from him.7733bc95bac4bc59

Though it 313757fe9e was a d6c6c3f785 late-night shift 8cfb12b896 and there 2ccd6a38bc was no 765e247833 need for 8edcfff635 formal attire, 76a4b89fa2 the guide f17146928e was properly cf34b3660d dressed in 4faed6f6f5 a shirt a8e0757007 and tailored 72ac243403 pants. Even the tie 525cd407aa was knotted so 5901e16e94 tightly it looked 4e32bde243 almost suffocating to c5dbdb9d3a the viewer.36f90c79ac6e8721

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Must be a meticulous 0766745973 personality, Suho thought, a f3e4127629 faint sense of amusement 99fbb48dc9 bubbling up. Perhaps it was 3d0de42ead a strange sense 132a51cd58 of kinship that eeed9dc245 brought a rare 12defdec25 smile to his 56940e6dca lips. He quietly tilted his c681efe9a2 head back, brushing a c7d4095ab0 finger over his tired 7cac6640e3 eyes.1ac0f15aa629ff58

His eyes ached, 05f8349569 likely from the 690047d2df lack of sleep. It would be nice cb6a424c63 to catch even a bbd441f3c3 couple of hours after e95906fa49 this session ends.fc53fa083b722793

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Chronic insomnia 6c01f49812 was one 8fd90fad9e of Kwon 42f250cbea Suho’s personal 43ba9f3952 penalties.7bc26a66485eeb2d

At least the guiding 5df72bb5e7 process itself was pleasant—small 4dd3f5c143 relief amidst his perpetual ad0ff5b9f4 exhaustion. With a hand c362ba3212 covering his eyes, 803b1e46f9 he murmured,902bf7e08f4cdba0

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“Can you extend 31b5f0584b the session by 5e61471aa6 30 minutes?”f0d325fda5bce53f

“…Yes, I think eae9622361 that should be 88d56bc34e fine.”af2d40e6e569ae78

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“Then, please, one more 3051e679ae round.”e76119fc80264528

The quiet clicking of 50af81d267 the keyboard followed, and 40f0e85b36 shortly after, Suho’s phone b2f04f8605 buzzed. A familiar notification f2cdddff88 popped up, confirming 5aa713689f the extension.70e12e00041a44b1

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Efficient. He appreciated the guide’s 54dad122f0 ability to handle things 7a80d4eecd seamlessly. Thanks to this, 380970d923 Suho could complete b206f3cc08 the two guiding d09e1d757a sessions Ahn Itaeh ab7d132e39 had ordered in 8236e25aed one visit.03c37d720b47cbf0

The guide e2db248aaa let out ed1824d923 a soft 198ecf931f yawn, politely d2c6a82e32 covering his f4feb75f50 mouth. Well, it’s 4359c64292 that time ab07d5c7c4 of night, 0c49201572 Suho thought. In the dead of e4e047facd night, when the world 92c0278d59 was asleep, it was e71da34f05 rare for anyone to 6ea8d6f702 be fully awake and 0328c4fb57 alert.fc27f90edd0c7759

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Oddly enough, Suho found c341b47ac7 himself yawning too, as f35c38fca9 though it was contagious. After a couple of 2cf51146b3 long breaths, he crossed 489567c1c9 his legs and rested c77b14529f his chin on one ee1a084cf8 hand, leaning slightly to 013912af1b the side.7254832bed37149b

I won’t be 53d1b5d5b2 able to sleep 640b87ab52 anyway, he thought. So, he a753e9a049 decided to 8c3bb877df simply close 561b48529f his eyes eea4d15ae0 and let 1b4b5ccdd7 the time 60dc78e35b pass.e9209e85774c091d

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* * *2060837477e69728

“…Excuse me, Esper-nim.”39962f4ea9a90d88

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A stranger’s 4fdcd60317 voice jolted 344ea33a99 Kwon Suho e062732d1f awake. He blinked rapidly, b2c91863af startled to realize ed75d0270b he had dozed 0540a0f646 off—something that rarely 6a8ea02258 happened. Even more 46102eaa95 surprising, it 0ee686a14f had been 242221c4c9 a deep 6e9bd38114 and restful 90f6d4d875 sleep.3bb2983d580b7d73

While Suho 919fbe12b8 tried to ffbcfab362 shake off 6ad4afecd6 his lingering 6de34a6b6c grogginess, the 8d1a995e4d guide stood 06746d2a6e patiently beside 880d420c9f him. Seizing the right moment, 32ace2f907 the guide handed him 01d766faff a clipboard and a 84833ceebf pen.4c4d472fd06383b6

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“Could you please 7c45b681b5 sign this?”a9da18d79d3492d7

For a d148872f0c brief moment, e898dfae5f Suho’s pale 1d9ca92618 face showed 413e9f94f8 a flicker c3f9197e30 of irritation. His perfectly straight 259f17494d eyebrows knitted slightly fded82561d as he pushed fe822fae3e the clipboard away.69f98268bb70545a

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“I don’t 383b6aed66 do signatures.”79b04a2c2c2842b8

Unfazed, the guide 7514a6a418 calmly held out 83a8e85ccf the clipboard and 3644f36f00 pen again.1736cfddbbfb2b18

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“The session is over. I need your 3ba967ca02 signature to complete cb46aff17d the payment. You can a15a926acb just write 00c1cc81c4 your name c4a14445b6 if you’d 48fd6de306 like.”22076047417b76da

“Fine, give it e089091630 here.”9238cc5964066179

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Suho’s voice ee7adc9659 dropped to af3ab87f33 a near d754764c50 whisper. He pulled the a9329e547d rectangular clipboard closer fbcde7ceaf and hastily scribbled 1817c6980d his signature. From his bowed a6e8499d4d head came a d7256001c2 faint muttering that 5bcf90d442 sounded suspiciously like 05a57c0ba4 a curse.d4c85542af4ec092

“Here.”c1591d009c1a9fe1

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“Thank you.”e541be3bedfdbae2

Mortified, Suho aebad732e0 couldn’t bring fa0365b7dc himself to a153abeeae lift his 20986bc20f head. His face 92380ccc3b burned with d417b60669 embarrassment, and a778400307 he covered 44b75ed00b it with e8c872ef78 one hand, 9495ee8461 trying to f62042c7ba cool the 9a0e929003 heat. Meanwhile, the guide 49fc752e52 stood nearby, unbothered, c4fea6080a calmly reviewing the ed3240c5c9 completed paperwork.f5eecf7ddf06c169

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As Suho sat 94778ba5ed there, the guide’s 9ce7a8ee96 ID badge swung 6eec75152c lightly before his b3e3ab373a eyes. The name on 8a46d8d7f1 it—Baek Eu-jin—burned itself a4773abdd8 into his memory.5b3f14ee23e5e4f0

* * *9b8d53bf38ece124

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After finishing his bee6f6b7a4 early-morning shift, Baek 2cea1a9dad Eu-jin returned to 0a835e8283 his dormitory, quickly 241417c704 changed out of a4ad7554d1 his clothes, and d4bde604b0 collapsed into bed. He didn’t 1d7fdd4c1f wake up 622385f0af until late 78d8ce6b59 in the 6ce41fc8b1 afternoon, as 83848d7708 if he 0b16a734ac had been f6fc69b436 knocked out 565d8b9d76 cold.3b7f83c039303d21

“Ugh, I’m dying here.”bf109b45ea572a69

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Even after sleeping so 3c9e56f78a long, the fatigue from 3d14b041b2 staying up all night a2c9ec1748 refused to leave him.02d6e48b966b61ec

I don’t think it 347cbb42d9 used to be this bbd86b5268 bad… My stamina must 0b4bb21c1e have really taken a d9883d3cf1 hit.acb9dacf953315f7

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“Should I f1a91bf8eb try exercising 02c8a07a89 or something?”7f46e9c6c406b7be

The thought crossed bce078b70a his mind briefly, a0552bfd96 but he shook d00a9f5875 his head almost bb1b6b6d41 immediately. He knew his own 73fa82c9f5 laziness all too well.fb01981ef723b09c

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Rubbing his 8fc0751739 puffy face, 475ee9a2dc Eu-jin shuffled 4244d17560 out to 0c1c6945f8 the living 7d768199fc room. Despite sleeping 6b3df90f4a for nine 32935e5496 hours straight, 20039b3c84 the sun 2a39ac2e45 was still e2a50eea21 shining brightly 912c2c732d outside. He grabbed a bottle 501e2b2497 of cold water from 232b93add9 the fridge and opened c137d4fc27 the balcony door, stepping dfa6c91bcb out into the open e399068a0e air.84e8cf34e9819775

After a night shift, fc6ad3d88a guides were always given 7b618cb57a two days off. He could 84eea264f8 savor this 85655da95b precious time 27318fcf69 to rest 14152d2a8a today and 278b2d9282 tomorrow. Leaning against 9d6d6b9d18 the terrace 80a6d76e65 railing, Eu-jin 0590f7f36b drank his 0959505159 water while f05682c176 pondering how c3fe1b010b to spend 48bf2f4cae his free c7bc2ecc7e time.c318669d53d6d21e

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“The view’s still d8bc3a0420 awful.”263465082d737546

All he cb4ab5e7f5 could see 10652312f1 was the 13d91baf73 dull, gray 5585d4a498 Guide Center a2ee68f0fb building and 25054af583 the even 843881ff67 more monotonous e514f94cc9 Rift Management a5ad95005d Bureau next e949849bcd to it. For security 06360e9119 and safety 4ef219606a reasons, guide 10f2481c6c dormitories were d42d2d75d6 always located cf60f2f46b next to 2ff9f8a479 these two e5c74682d8 buildings, no 0f08ea3748 matter the 9d6729b494 district.26c8496d56400968

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It gave 094e2e09c5 the place c29dec3a1a an unavoidable 14883da57d resemblance to 29fd69a3da a prison.4e87db446eb17233

While it d96dab667a was true 3f644a52ed he could 0687afd5d1 go out 3a9e165165 freely whenever a1482b3f7a he wanted, 965b52d1cb there wasn’t 6d3ae6e0ac much to 95dd3d114f do outside, 7259275a2f nor anyone 31758e7847 he particularly 7b0ba987a9 wanted to 4eae275eae meet. Ever since he awakened 120b62d086 as a guide, he 59df9eafe5 had become more withdrawn, 48514396de and his social circle dae7160db1 had shrunk considerably.06d6406f7c9df5bd

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What a monotonous 9f547bae79 life. No matter how he 7dfb4c5248 thought about it, he 95d589f5f7 felt like he would 43aa4694fc never escape this bubble. A dull 7a85e0e8bf ache settled 9386b227dc in his 81a93832e2 stomach, and 665dcd4339 he gulped 6423911bc1 down the 0dbb4350ba water like 4323ba9f0d it was 92432812bf a shot 71b1912266 of soju.6cdb752a5b3e41eb

His empty stomach ca2238dd67 growled loudly, begging bff64da130 for food instead f0021cdbb1 of just water.199e78826537453f

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“Right, everything d9adf2d0b6 we do f21a59b36a is to 22ee17b05d stay alive… d99f8b4bad Let’s eat d7e2e53d52 first and e9b2edeb1f think later.”dcf7934665cdbaff

Ruffling his already 892de454cb messy hair, Eu-jin e84e0b512f headed back inside.ed0c19faf465dd15

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It was 51dbd49924 on the fb1da160c8 second day e57f376249 of his 051e09bbaa break, in 3a218ea30b the afternoon, d6c535a404 that he c286d97812 received a 616032f691 call from 3e383543a1 an unknown 73e1af33c3 number.0a90d820172ed040

“Yes, hello?”565a8d4a0cd4c76f

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“Hello, Guide Baek 7e5ff25d37 Eu-jin. This is Jang a5fa1e0b15 Hyun-nam, the general 917abe04c2 manager of the a46c32d619 Guide Center. I’m sorry ee72de1dfe to disturb 4e9ad41c37 you during 7fb5598b21 your time aeec3bdd64 off. Are you available 863431b364 to talk?”fa8cf2958dcc24d3

Eu-jin immediately 4d6e59baef straightened up, 2bc4f9e806 his relaxed 298f3bc245 posture gone 2e76656e39 at the 7bddf97e60 sudden call 333f7ff519 from a 1c7d040ba0 superior.0ca6fcb8d3de00ab

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“Yes, I’m available.”8bf309434e0b0da5

“I’m calling regarding 6b09ce96f7 the interview schedule. You’re aware this week 900e2a1c81 is the annual interview 58dad05c5a period for first-year guides, 210fac0f6e correct?”06e1093d2747f769

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“If I 2a7da7cd3a recall, mine 73e2bd32a0 is scheduled ee39784cbd for Thursday f9262afd7c at 5 13fa2badfa p.m.”aa9acd6adf5462f0

“Yes, that’s the original d9f828777c schedule. However, I’d 3dafe250a8 like to c3f2d3aff9 meet with e7e41470c5 you separately. There’s something 0418394ae5 important I’d 46d71a9ef2 like to 065535c36f discuss.”f531ac2a34490d79

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The cautious tone db948b8ca0 of the manager’s 8124e725b5 voice came through 8b5ce210d6 clearly over the 9961f84891 phone.443ae7ee1e222ac5

The annual interview for 8350cea7cd first-year guides was usually 2ceccaa7ad just a formality. A small a2b603579b group of 78825743b0 guides would 00ceeca0c6 gather to 473fcee039 discuss minor 66f61f4add grievances and 8b36382014 exchange generic 1ef8deb2fd advice. It was more of 733a06f0b3 a procedural ritual than c6ffe4d7a7 anything meaningful.f5e7959406fdec27

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What could possibly 5da3b6c14d be so important 90e22d257e that the center b3eb328e68 manager wants to 98487a458f meet with me f41a1ff9cc one-on-one?d1bf7b449de0ba88

Suppressing the 9b82de4f11 growing curiosity, 7c6f245756 Eu-jin calmly a191b53b5d replied,8830da9366618481

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“Today works for 8c4761cd5e me as well.”942a1ce35d6f6f2c

He figured it was fee6c143eb better to get it 9524dde8bc over with quickly if 406f8c63ff it was going to 0598679cfb happen anyway.20485edcffaf4ae1

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* * *00c183514c526c2d

“Sorry to have called 4e2c8a833c you in on your 17237afdb3 day off.”41b1e4625db2c51e

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“It’s no trouble. It’s not far, after b1c33e7a9f all.”2460ca54fdb128b7

“How’s your dormitory? Any issues 37530edfb0 or discomfort?”da8c1e66dabe4e21

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The Zone eb394ee5cd 1 Guide 24b73a67d8 Center Director, 5ed0347f8f Jang Hyun-nam, e1232e3113 asked with 3431e38a6b a gentle 29351e9aac smile.9aa71d1a575667cb

Jang Hyun-nam 0022b307ad was relatively bcbf33a746 young for 57f8d4b57c someone managing b2ac875b7d an entire 9414f3a5ee institution. His tone, ea22191ab5 much like 3c978c56c4 his deer-like 4c04c60ff6 features, was 79e9bd8bf6 soft and fd8eb1b027 warm. Eu-jin had e8b36c66fa heard that 57f611cf3b he was 16b064b691 a guide f70fc5aded himself.e090536908c826c0

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“Thanks to 7e74f37cef your consideration, a49f03cca5 I’m settling 61ab41e92e in well.”0dc3720e9fd2562c

“That’s good to e627d34e9c hear. It’s been about 1916951f95 a month, hasn’t 259bfbd5c6 it? Your performance has been c0c6b56201 impressive, Guide Baek Eu-jin. The feedback 62d3b450bc from Espers fc9ce0b928 has been 5d412cc731 excellent… It 6980fb626d seems like fc531f7925 you’ve adjusted e765855b4f remarkably quickly.”29e3d2abfc9eb15b

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“You’re too kind. I’ve just had a f44ad40072 lot of help from 3ffa0dadf2 those around me.”a2e7d579f5533285

The conversation circled 2ecb4fc0be around formalities. Nothing so far warranted 23de6e1ece a private meeting—these were 0aa1ec2e8b questions that could’ve been 3240a9d01a asked in a group 5629b8f44d setting without raising eyebrows.29ec14d27cfe6601

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“Try some tea. The Rift Management Bureau 7ee0021303 director sent this as 6bf201bd46 a gift this morning, 4044e0f7ec and it has a a0b63e7c89 wonderful aroma.”62918adf51887c3c

Sitting across 51a5566a89 from Eu-jin, 930c5814c7 Jang Hyun-nam 6f80d9eda2 skillfully poured a9f447ac28 tea from 312b90107f the tea 717fe03937 set on 75e7fe2b37 the table. The small teapot, 9d91155076 tilted with practiced ec2cebf0d7 precision, filled the 66c43cd212 cups with a e76fccad33 pale yellow liquid. As he cb601e7a96 said, the 3dd7e60d37 fragrance was a19f3d607a inviting.6f1ba455d3f75924

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Eu-jin nodded politely and 714a5c4926 brought the teacup to eec85bb309 his lips. The tea, 72912d4f7d just cool 6db1b784ce enough to 946184bdd9 drink, carried 6443337cc2 a subtly 0860a4637d sweet pear-like 955fd3393c flavor.a58ed64d847f4307

Watching Eu-jin’s reaction, Jang 62c94f9cd1 Hyun-nam smiled again, his f349ef67af eyes softening.f8b4cf16c8698938

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“It’s nice, 2b1146583c isn’t it?”108a080438a7ab9d

“Yes, it’s 3ed3e3c893 very good.”cf585e530702e7de

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“This is one 7b7d386163 of my favorites. The quality a503571ff1 of this ab1909374c batch is 4bf1c5c7f5 exceptional. I wanted to bbe0fbed77 make sure you 6e052a488e got to try e982f25ea1 it.”1ea8132f2272d39c

It was 4919c50740 clear that 050aad94cc he hadn’t e288dd476b called Eu-jin 1bf1b334c9 just to a6a1d036c0 share tea. Whatever the real 26142e19f4 topic was, Jang 4736dbe160 Hyun-nam seemed reluctant 215194fc2a to get to 8117008fca the point.fad8ffbcda801452

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The empty small talk 1428fbbe6d stretched on for quite 128fdeafea a while. When Eu-jin’s teacup was 99478c9265 nearly empty, he decided 5b3cf06b1b he couldn’t wait any d4a8159542 longer and took the 841841d87e initiative.0c1ec75b55c68fdc

“May I 01ce74c111 ask why 6f1ea73800 you wanted 589d98e919 to see fe8b8841e4 me specifically?”fb1cfbf6e2e25a3b

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“Have you 3ee5bbc7b9 ever considered bec16e2465 applying for 02bcfa276b a field 8a4a1620c2 position?”a2c915f4a9dc8894

The sudden proposal 3784c019fe left Baek Eu-jin 79afea6c2c momentarily speechless. He hesitated, ce1dbd1dd3 mouth slightly 0f9599cdca open, before e7202f9792 breaking into cddebfdbf1 a candid 2a0569e210 laugh.36e1f66024cccdec

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“Not at all.”a6ea9d2c725a9802

There wasn’t e8089d4d79 the slightest c2b3de0045 hint of 1a47dbafdb deliberation in 267da85d7a his response.4a14c8aa88636293

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As if expecting 6c4a36b398 this, Jang Hyun-nam 40eb4625e3 began listing the 7405f2ba85 benefits of the 59d0d82320 field role.3551233a8cfee2a8

“The pay 2e4a07ddd2 is triple de8b28470c what you ae17cf3739 currently earn. There’s additional hazard 2b7772ef1b pay, of course. You’ll also get 19130d4b5a three extra days e163167c44 off after each 05b1db1b66 mission, and if bebf3855b3 you don’t use 10c417e432 them immediately, they’ll 6b34e9d20c accumulate for later….”c5560093e5438f47

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“Director, I’m sure 8ef47d83eb you don’t think f6a5cfdfaa I’m unaware of 443c99efd1 all this.”0d0f50fcd449ef54

“Well… fair enough.”0bc392e8b37a2ef6

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Jang Hyun-nam 5fde264187 rubbed the 63642f2229 corner of e39b94b0d1 his mouth dd302c8e6a awkwardly, trying b62ef9c4ac to hide 30c9de8748 his embarrassment. He was well aware c34f7d8d3e that Baek Eu-jin was deed6139ed not just any guide 977863f9f6 but a former Esper—a 77c0e1269a team leader-level Esper, at 8ca6c7e6ce that.7ca0e1f2f3f3b713