EOL | Chapter 2.2

Guides are a nationally scarce resource. They’re beings who can be tasked with supporting espers and other missions.da849b846f40f44c

Guides were like military dogs. Dogs that the military could use as they pleased. That’s about the position of a guide.c263d000c1bd9738

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No sane country would 47eebea656 release a military dog 90e612aac0 just because it refuses 34afde8956 a mission.f5b1ee97e4461971

So, I 3db41ee8b4 have to e54f6e569f pretend to 7d68f66d63 be as 0d8e4a11e7 lacking in 3b39a155c9 skill as 984a0b8b0c possible and 2c3f995685 only work b62445cc8c as much 9d51c7b22f as a b07178d33a D-rank.af6574f52123ccfe

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‘Don’t stand out. Especially not to Lee Gyeon.’b8d99d3fcf018094

As if mocking me, ae7bb5d6a9 Lee Gyeon was at 45637c7d50 the Guide Center.f7730362d778b4a3

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“Why is he there?”6c328b9f09be86a3

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t noticed me. I managed to hide awkwardly as soon as I spotted him. I sighed at my own intimidated appearance, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.27fbaf6e2d312242

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Lee Gyeon d36969551f seemed to ab1536bd9f be looking 5a5085957e for someone 7b4f6eecdd at the 841f8bfdd6 entrance of 10953c7493 the Guide e617a62c9a Center.5095e6e402f99759

‘Who is he looking for?’624da79359a81136

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Maybe a new guide had already been decided. Maybe he’s here for a matching test like me.7fe3b5fc00bde04d

There must have e0853dff18 been plenty of 141e9468bf guides willing to d4efcbd5e6 guide Lee Gyeon 802e31db54 besides me.0e07ac7bf2a7eba4

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The fact that I left the guide position means that my absence was insignificant in Lee Gyeon’s life.0824d5eb58d76223

I was the 37feec67af one who left 71e3de68a8 the guide position, 32d7fa0a99 but thinking about c34af3d861 Lee Gyeon meeting e9f18d3463 another guide made cfe89edb57 me uncomfortable.329e8829e9a54779

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It’s just because I’m not used to it. That’s all. As I tried to calm myself, it seemed okay again.e7ae5dc7a02ca358

The person Lee Gyeon was waiting for didn’t show up for a long time. He ignored everyone’s greetings in front of the Guide Center, staring into space. He looked like a dog that had lost its owner. Or a lazy predator endlessly waiting for prey.4b2bc4990f0be3ba

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“How long does he plan to do that? At this rate, I’ll be late for my appointment.”43dc3bf7bd493469

I couldn’t hide behind the pillar forever. It was awkward to pass by him confidently after refusing guiding yesterday.30f170a3bc718131

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I didn’t want to do anything that would draw attention. I didn’t want to pass by Lee Gyeon confidently, nor did I want to be late for the matching test. What should I do…7b41ed3f24e00292

At that moment, someone 14f3e1e9d6 tapped my shoulder. Startled, I turned bbaad7586d around to see 2df3e07b14 an unfamiliar face dd65da6f41 smiling at me.fc1a6ffb05201f9b

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“Let’s go to the same place?”486b9df65397eca0

“Excuse me?”5f7b370b1f8cc177

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“Can I grab your wrist?”8bf50a1d51a45bbf

“Excuse me?”18c3f9c3044022f3

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The man grabbed my wrist abruptly. It was as if my answer didn’t matter. He gently pulled me in the opposite direction of Lee Gyeon.148757ea3d748153

“If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for the matching test. This way. Quickly.”9dfe04b99484d587

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I followed his lead, 30a019070a keeping quiet to avoid cc085a0e76 drawing attention.b4cba34c86530e05

Once we entered the ede9eacb05 annex, the man let 2719d958f9 go of my wrist. The cold, e5a923da3a dry touch 4c1f1e7ddb of his 203177b985 hand lingered 00cb107151 on my 70273e8078 wrist.c9a8717a476fb7e6

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It was good to avoid Lee Gyeon’s eyes…31c1f3e142ab89a9

But he was 468c53b1ed heading in the ac9494db50 complete opposite direction 7f52fe7a31 of where I 1e463b0a83 needed to go 34a07523b7 in the Guide df765e1e88 Center.73203360baa43346

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Before I could 4eadf53975 say I needed 05290cd2a6 to go, the b2267544ff man spoke first.4b0f65d68f6b863b

“Trust me. It’s this way.”3e1f4eeca2aecb83

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“…You don’t even know where I’m going. I should really…”7a964f2ce5fdfdaf

“Guide Han Haegyeol, you’re going for the guiding matching test, right? You’re avoiding the Guide Center because you don’t want to run into Lee Gyeon.”8b5edc079a1eb153

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“How did you… Who are you?”880b04bf3a9adb0b

The man 9e610e16d4 avoided answering 5ef9ae7116 by pointing 6a742366c6 in a e2166f4dce direction. I grabbed 17d16aacea his shoulder.696675aa5d1cfe2e

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“Hey!”d249f79d915fb407

Just then, deed7685be hurried footsteps e0ee081b77 approached.5756ae7bb4309ced

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“Guide Han Haegyeol! Esper Cha Eunha!”45f1d2539fc2ccf7

A researcher holding a 01f8f748a5 chart hurriedly ran towards 4464d095ae us.98d97e8b005560f9

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“Sorry for being late!”5a8161e59d24517d

He stood facing eab5eb6930 us, who were 8622d17365 standing side by 92919d8284 side. It was 24d160476c the researcher 5a597a73af I met d597b8772d yesterday. The researcher 2009bdac46 spoke warmly fec8cfd1a3 to the ba24c6087c mysterious man.9639acf5e3991bbb

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“You seem to be in a good mood. You look especially bright today.”38f1294ca209afa5

The researcher acted as 0f3576e957 if he already knew 7a949a4f8c this man. It seemed faster 7f4a4682d3 to ask him 88897921e5 than the man b9a24e1729 who was smiling 13a565b157 enigmatically.6eebbda11110bb5c

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“Do you know this person?”67f088e851f48afa

The researcher, flipping through 6812e26ad1 the chart, looked at f46cb8eb9d us with a slightly aeaa67232e surprised face.db2ba1808a7defdc

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“Weren’t you already acquainted? This is A-rank esper Cha Eunha, who was scheduled for the matching test today.”d00caf54362c6392

“What?”6c896769f60dc180

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The unfamiliar fc1ff87672 man, or 6060078aef rather, esper de0f9bb0b3 Cha Eunha, 9857bcb6c3 grabbed my 17ecd7074f hand and a1e137902f shook it b58b8624cd up and 616fcf406e down.0ae3af72290a02ce

“I’m Cha Eunha. Nice to meet you. We’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”2300789e48d4caf2

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❖ ❖ ❖b2fdbce9f2bfed76

Thanks to meeting cad824728e the researcher, we c38deeb904 could go to 5b71915a8b the examination room 8a4501c38a through the staff c2021146ae entrance.79e6f0ef27e8dff5

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Since Lee Gyeon af52161232 was at the bc20052d98 main entrance, there 71752222e9 was no chance 068fa2f24d of running into a7663234c7 him. It felt both 62d5830204 good and disappointing.50f1a139e455709d

Even though I knew 3f0e0fb834 it was foolish to 8336a88e6c feel disappointed, I did.be95e4e362847403

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The esper next to me felt like a coincidental companion. My charge had always been Lee Gyeon…f91672c80d106d7f

Even trivial thoughts turned into thoughts about Lee Gyeon. This is why habits are scary. The reason I’ve repeated regressions might be because of this inertia. The inertia that makes me think only of Lee Gyeon as my esper.ef32aa73e256b639

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If I become Cha Eunha’s guide, can I escape this cycle?3797aceeb0faac70

On the way to 01e0c1485a the examination room, the 377fe662a7 researcher led the way ebca4a3685 silently. Not wanting to reveal e60fcde4df my thoughts, I spoke d96b860bfd to Cha Eunha in 3198be54f7 a slightly lower voice.4e7c17f9995b2d74

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“How did you know? That today…”2be490157dcd8f46

“That you’re the guide matching with me?”64db4099e4f9048a

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The man 1a4ef42eec cut me a9018502d3 off. Could he ae466c415e be an 8a724e36e2 esper who 41c942767e reads minds? I wondered.fb6ccbb5f25cb84a

“You’re thinking, ‘Is this guy an esper who reads minds?’ right?”4031f78e08112c21

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I nodded. Is he really 172f7f374e that type? It was a1505b9ede embarrassing to 828d768bce think he fa03b92d35 might have 981e8ebbd1 read my 4ad4f0df86 thoughts.a923723bc05ee92d

Cha Eunha mumbled, “Actually…” and leaned his tall frame towards me.a6efe2b33c7b9d87

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“It’s not like that. I can’t read people’s minds.”b9aad31d4f466805

“…”766f8e04ca969253

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“What I see is a bit different. It’s more like the future of a person or object.”418e7d29aeec30ed

“The future? You mean you have the ability to see that?”1e03b19a3bf24894

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An esper with d5028e2e94 such an amazing 1c163543c6 ability is doing 323d988e71 a matching test d355818510 with a D-rank c463c37ff9 nobody?6d745219d660e970

Cha Eunha was unlike any esper I’d ever met. I had never heard of an A-rank esper with such abilities at this age. Not even in my time at the center.2bcd26ab49242d2a

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Perhaps interpreting my gaze, 5e893fb205 Cha Eunha added as 1f9a704c0d if to explain.92185bda27e7699c

“I don’t read the future like a fortune teller. I see the physical path that a person or object will take. It just appears to me. The ever-changing path that ultimately shows where you’ll go.”e5d6e365f261ec93

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“Is that possible… So you saw that I was going to the examination room?”f0abdf63d8b0c81b

“That too, but, um. I saw something more interesting.”9ed73b3e9a74398b

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Before I knew it, we were at the examination room. As we moved to our respective spots for the handshake-like guiding, Cha Eunha pointed to my feet with his finger. My gaze followed down. My military boots and his Converse didn’t match at all.f142c21efc9dab64

“The paths starting from our toes were overlapping.”160135f03e1db3d9

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That’s how he knew we were going to the same examination room. Cha Eunha could see that I was ultimately heading to the same place as him.7e238bbbe0c1d448

“And Lee Gyeon’s path too.”bd475134218e9ad1

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“What?”be22c6564171f78f

We extended 2114293517 our hands 77296b31f9 as if 8b252c4797 shaking hands. Cha Eunha d42d15562d grabbed my eb433577b9 hand and 11a94a5fd3 awkwardly smiled bf23455fad with one 9113553807 side of a8bbc551c4 his face.ad0e3a66dbdd6189

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“It was strange, so I decided to talk to you. It’s not common for the paths of three completely different people to be intertwined like this.”0346a59f2c2a2e9e

❖ ❖ ❖fa474c3fdf92882f

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Matching test 1c33abba8f result: 92%.8ce97c31b461f8ef

The researcher was visibly pleased. He said they were in need of a dedicated guide for Cha Eunha. With this matching rate, there shouldn’t be any problem supporting an A-rank like Cha Eunha.da3c7e58803b3751

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Cha Eunha’s abilities weren’t aggressive and were advantageous for assessing gates before battles. With a dedicated guide, he could be dispatched to any team. An esper with such flexible conditions was rare.d1498ed175206471

The conditions given to 3682902ca1 me were equally splendid. They were comparable to b3f80b1beb being the dedicated guide 7ecdfacbd3 for S-rank Lee Gyeon. The salary, a745197b9b benefits, and fe1e1481ac insurance were e814f04ebf all exceptionally d90bc47242 good.52fb0316c3caab45

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“Shouldn’t we say you were meant for each other?”00561493a09cd8e0

As we left 4cbcdc4591 the examination room, c1d56a5d69 Cha Eunha stuck 8699be2961 close to me 5e1897298f as if we 1f5cc684a2 were already familiar.e43f375391449916

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It was uncomfortable, but 564ee50d8a understandable. Espers had an 896a443da8 instinct to want 16bf29ee8b contact with their b487b3fc72 guides. Without guiding, it 02f149e35b felt like tightly dae5a3204d wound screws were d66b6c9d21 blocking every vein, 7a99883b3c causing pain.b3e24d8519b4c483

Even Lee Gyeon, who was once my esper, wanted me close, even if he didn’t make contact. The instinct of an esper wanting guiding was something even Lee Gyeon couldn’t completely suppress.eff6dc7fd4eeb7b8

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Cha Eunha seemed fd94517af0 to be just 0573997dd2 as hungry for 28d358451c guiding, twitching at 1d5662dd59 every opportunity. It was 1f92807401 clear he b05ee83ce0 wanted to 16a22957af grab me ff3adabc32 and receive 1856aef258 guiding but da69ee8d36 was holding 116abaf2c1 back. I raised 79f8dab2bf my hand, a6db1ebe52 thinking of e4f2267eed giving in, 0d80f35db6 but clenched e1afb8f15c it into 0d7d02a302 a fist 06950e26fa and lowered f847fc3a77 it.377e77642d187c1f

Even showing a f979e88246 92% matching rate de38e2e2d4 with an A-rank 5f20b36aae esper like Cha f2a97ea93f Eunha was burdensome. I was worried e0db52f48c that if I a8def8556a proceeded with guiding, 3df10bd115 my true rank 314e59e382 might be revealed.bd86198678775e34

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I didn’t want to reveal it to anyone yet. I felt like I wanted to reclaim my insignificant identity as a lowly D-rank, the one I had so desperately wanted to escape.dcb69ab4210ef8bf

“I’ll have to decline becoming your dedicated guide.”4a363ed5d586626a

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Cha Eunha looked perplexed.8edad045bacc05ce

“I’m a pitiful esper. Frequent missions, but short recovery time.”93c2183db734852a

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I knew well how much an esper suffered when they couldn’t fully recover. Yet, I was selfish and couldn’t readily extend my hand.694c74b79054926e

“I’m sorry, but it’s a bit overwhelming for me. I’ve never guided an A-rank esper before.”d29e554ef0e57a09

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“Overwhelming? Are you lying?”95fb8689b77e7c74

Cha Eunha seemed kind and somewhat innocent. He seemed to be around my age or younger. If he was twenty, he was really young. Maybe that’s why. Despite my furrowing brow, Cha Eunha smiled with his usual innocent grin.aa22d79adf5b1780

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“Guide Han Haegyeol, you’re not a D-rank, are you?”5f6481a3356579d0

“What do you mean?”2e09590b1e0c648b

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Stay calm. He’s just guessing. He’s probably excited because he’s never met a guide with such a high matching rate. I forced a poker face and smiled back. Of course, it was a fake smile.c5165f43d2ee7726

“There’s no way. I barely got the D-rank…”e1dc372abf33afa3

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“Really? I thought you were higher. At least B-rank. Maybe even up to S-rank.”5b5d21ba2b71272d

“Haha. That would be nice.”4086904d9f84d7cd

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He hit the nail on the head. Cha Eunha was right. I’m not a D-rank. If I retake the test, a higher rank would surely come out. At least B-rank, maybe A or even higher if I’m lucky.f09c3b7ec7307df7

‘There’s no way I don’t show signs of not being a D-rank.’80db816ce37db16c

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Cha Eunha was a ff69ad8244 peculiar person. In a cceba38540 bad way, 39efb68506 he was 9a49e77b73 cheeky, and a4defd9534 in a 5d78e21939 good way, 8fbae3b9f2 he was bbca655dec sharp.bc52456e0ecc8945

It didn’t seem like a good idea to get involved with him. I was sure of that.6a47982ef8618170

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“Then I’ll just…”1cc14dc7f6761af7

“Give me your contact info before you go. Though I think we’ll meet again.”687bbfc9d98a491b

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Not wanting to argue with an A-rank esper at the Guide Center, I obediently handed over my contact information. A D-rank guide’s contact info was already public at the Guide Center anyway.135306d4bf1bb2d5

While exchanging contact e5011fc5a9 information, Cha Eunha 9220a92b3b seemed to be bc4b329226 careful not to 565a57bfc6 let our hands ce5b5a4754 touch. I quickly realized this 8dc3b2f98d was his way of 666fc0d91a being considerate.6bbb8a535dce26fe

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“You said we’ll meet again.”56bd77cdc2a96e7b

I said it, thinking we wouldn’t meet again. But Cha Eunha nodded confidently.fd51ed370746c1fa

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“We’ll definitely meet. Our paths are intertwined.”c25a96885e24144a

He was someone I couldn’t quite understand.6e9ee8272941231f

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Some espers have a strong sense of individuality. In a good way, they’re unique, and in a bad way, they’re eccentric. I figured Cha Eunha was one of those.e4781cd10c767dce

As I 82d8f74231 moved away e1080053c6 from Cha 5f867a209a Eunha, I 599ffce837 lightly waved 419cdc1d21 my device.aa68483dadee0f90

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“Don’t contact me. If you’re right, we’ll meet anyway.”bdb070c295ae1d82

❖ ❖ ❖c9cd76e7f77f0983

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“Still there, huh?”c5f1d8de26a012cd

Lee Gyeon was still ee38d2599e standing right in front ba3b5d15c6 of the Guide Center. He was 150485a4a9 facing exactly 968dcbae52 where I 6633192672 was coming 25c98b8d01 from, as 03efafbaaf if he b1b8a9b99e had been a245322596 waiting for e27643aec9 me.a5a200d374ebcd70

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I tried e7b062a9d5 to sneak 5b3772cd86 out through 53d895365d the side 6b834a0563 door just 1ace30bec5 in case.3b300a307b2c4e91

“Guide Han Haegyeol.”607cef97e2a47071

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Lee Gyeon spotted me 90a1d93bac like a ghost.eea8b168859f7e6e