GP | Chapter 1.5

Just as his mouth opened and closed, ready to say something, the man’s voice rang out.

“You’re Yoon Seoh, the Guide assigned to me?”

“Ah… yes, that’s right.”

There was no hostility in the voice, which sounded quite refreshing. Seoh had expected a few things because he supposedly hated Guides, but none of those expectations had included such a normal conversation. The first meeting was better than he had expected, so Seoh quietly felt relieved. Then Song Taejoon suddenly burst into laughter.

He had his arms folded, but he bent at the waist, his shoulders shaking. The sound of his laughter rang sharply through the living room. It was not an ugly sight, but Seoh had no idea why he was laughing and just stared with round eyes.

After laughing to his heart’s content, Song Taejoon spoke to Seoh, the smile still lingering on his face.

“So… you really came.”

Had he not expected him to come after all? Thinking back, assigning an exclusive Guide was unusual.

The Guide Center never assigned exclusives to Espers. They generally did not rematch an Esper they had already met once, in order to prevent Guides and Espers from getting close. That was why this was Seoh’s first time seeing Song Taejoon in person.

Still, since they were meeting like this, Seoh decided to introduce himself.

“Pleased to meet you. A-rank Guide Yoon Seo…”

“A-rank Guide Yoon Seoh. I know. You’re famous enough that no Esper doesn’t know you.”

“…What?”

Song Taejoon cut him off halfway and smiled faintly. His smile was so bright it almost looked like he was welcoming Seoh. But Seoh sensed that something was off. After living amid other people’s malice for so long, he had become highly sensitive to the atmosphere.

And his intuition proved right, as always.

“A Guide who’s desperate to sleep with Espers. That makes you a Guide who’s both grateful and endlessly easy. That’s you, Yoon Seoh.”

“…”

“In other words… should I call you a male whore?”

Every one of the words he tossed out with a cheerful smile was aggressive. Seoh pressed his lips together and said nothing. He had thought, against all odds, that the first meeting was not so bad, and felt relieved, but of course it would not go that easily.

His face was smiling, but there was disgust all over those blue eyes. Why had he only noticed it now? Seoh slowly lowered his gaze and looked away.

“And yet, for someone so openly thirsty, you look… pretty ordinary.”

Song Taejoon looked Seoh up and down, then snorted. So this was the famous A-rank Guide? The Guide Center had long since put Espers beneath Guides, but this bastard seemed to live in a different world.

A plain brown straight hairstyle, a thin frame, and beyond his large eyes, there were few traits one could even call appealing. On top of that, his downcast gaze made him look all the more gloomy.

A guy like that was out there guiding Espers and spreading his legs for them? So this was the so-called male whore. Song Taejoon had thought he might be someone impressive, but he was really just a person who treated his body carelessly in exchange for guiding.

If this was the kind of person the Guide Center had sent as his exclusive Guide, then he could see clearly enough how much the director must have wanted to mock him. That he was no different from the other Espers, just a regular Esper who would clearly die without a Guide. That he should not strut around relying on rank alone, and instead bow his head beneath their feet.

People said there had been a time when the relationship between Guides and Espers was good, but that was already a story from the past. Now it had become an era in which Espers had to kneel beneath the feet of Guides.

At first, Espers had supposedly supported the idea of Guides using their influence to gain power, seeing it as the only way to repay them. But at some point, things had started to go wrong. No, it would be more correct to say that the Guides had changed.

They had started using guiding as a weapon to handle Espers however they pleased.

At first, only a handful of cases had existed. It was only after the current Guide Center director took office that it accelerated.

A man who grasped Espers’ lifelines and rose to the top. That man was Kang Heejoo, the director of the Guide Center.

Most Espers had no choice but to accept the situation, but Song Taejoon was not one of them. If you want to live, just obey, they said. It was even more vicious than the slavery system that had vanished long ago. Song Taejoon sincerely despised this atmosphere, and Kang Heejoo who had created it. And he despised Guides who thought the same way.

Looking down at Seoh, who had neatly lowered his eyes, Song Taejoon curved his lips into a deep smile.

Sending him the famous male whore Yoon Seoh probably meant they wanted him to go to hell. He did not have a good reputation among Guides, and even Espers looked down on Yoon Seoh in a strange, subtle way. He did not guide for the sake of Espers, but only used them to satisfy his own lust.

And that person was his exclusive Guide. It could not get worse. They had said they would send him an A-rank Guide who would match him well, yet they had sent Yoon Seoh instead. Their intention was far too obvious.

But they had brought even a Guide like that for two reasons.

First, to prevent the rampage of an S-rank Esper, a valuable asset no matter what. Second, because the fact that the Guide Center had provided an exclusive Guide at all was meaningful in itself.

Since this could be called the beginning of a small change, Park Sungmin, the Esper Center director, had not let the opportunity slip. He was taking the first step toward improving Esper human rights and relations with Guides.

Lost in thought, Song Taejoon picked up his phone at the sound of a call. The screen showed exactly who he had expected, Park Sungmin.

He stared at the buzzing phone for a while, then pressed the answer button just before it would have switched to voicemail. His voice was full of annoyance when he spoke.

“What.”

– What do you mean what? Has your exclusive Guide arrived?

“Yes. He was sleeping on the sofa.”

At that, Yoon Seoh was the one who looked startled. The hand on his knee curled into a fist, showing how tense he was. Song Taejoon furrowed his brow slightly and watched him.

He looked timid, not at all like his reputation. He had not lunged at Song Taejoon the moment they met. That was unexpected too. If that was the real him, it would actually be better, but given his notoriety for spreading his body around, Song Taejoon did not trust it. If this was an act, he wished Seoh would just give it up early.

– Really? Is he awake now?

“Yes.”

– Then tell him to guide you a bit. You know you overdid it today. I keep telling you to use your strength in moderation, so why are you always going overboard? You’re making me worry.

“That way it ends faster.”

– Stirring things up like that doesn’t make the case end any faster. Please listen, Taejoon.

“Well… now I have an exclusive Guide, so doesn’t that make it fine?”

– Don’t keep tormenting the Guide like you have until now. Be good to him. He’s your exclusive. And an A-rank, too.

“I’ll handle it myself. I accepted the exclusive Guide on the condition that you wouldn’t interfere, didn’t I? Keep your promise.”

– Taejoon.

“Or should I kick him out right now?”

Unlike the blunt tone he had used until then, he did not bother hiding the cheerful edge in his voice when he said kick him out. Seoh lifted his downcast eyes and looked at Song Taejoon. But the gaze that met his was dry as dust.

“I could send him to a different Esper too.”

– That was the condition from the start. You know I can’t send him to another Esper, so why are you saying that?

“I know. Why send an exclusive Guide to me of all people, and that famous one, too… Was it because I’m just some ‘Esper’ who can’t refuse?”

– You know exactly what situation you’re in, so why are you being such a brat? Don’t tell me you’re saying that while Seoh Guide is standing right in front of you?

“Of course not.”

Song Taejoon smiled vaguely, the corners of his lips curling. Seoh swallowed dryly and looked away.

“Anyway, I’m going to rest now, so I’ll hang up.”

– Get guided. Properly. You hear me?

“Yes.”

He answered so well for someone who had no intention of doing it.

After ending the annoying check-in call, Taejoon looked Seoh over once more. For someone who looked ordinary, his skin was pale and looked soft enough to touch. If he had to pick one thing that matched his taste, that was it. Thinking that, he suddenly found it absurd and gave a short laugh.

Even in situations like this, an Esper’s instincts still surfaced without fail. There was no such thing as an Esper who could not recognize a Guide. They were the only ones who could make him comfortable, after all. So of course he looked at him almost as if he were licking him with his eyes.

Taejoon thought that instinct was not exactly a good thing, either, and deliberately glared harder at him.

“…”

At that sharp look, Seoh could not bring himself to go closer. He had thought, the moment they met, that he should guide him right away. As expected, he seemed to hate Guides just as the rumors said.

Still, he could not give up guiding. The pain that had already begun would soon gnaw through his entire body at an accelerating rate. He had to drain the energy as fast as possible.

Seoh shut his eyes tightly, then opened them and stood. Watching him, Song Taejoon crossed his arms with a chill in his gaze.

Seoh slowly walked toward him, but when he was about two steps away, he stopped in place. Even getting this close, the pressure was formidable. It was not only because he was a powerful Esper. The difference in build was oppressive too.

Taller by a whole head, with a chest twice as thick. Broad shoulders, long legs, thighs packed with muscle. He felt almost like a different species.

One flick of that hand could be fatal to Seoh. Even knowing that, Seoh had no choice. He had already decided to come here, so he had to guide him no matter what.

“Uh, how… should I do guiding from now on?”

“…”

“I know you dislike it, but I still have to guide you…”

Before he could finish, Song Taejoon passed Seoh and sat down on the sofa. Then he leaned back against the cushions and looked up at the massive aquarium. Seoh was no longer worth his attention.

Turning around to face Taejoon, Seoh tried to approach him again. But the moment he moved, a cold gaze warned him. He froze in place, and only then did a smile appear on Song Taejoon’s face.