CH 25

So-Won kept his mouth shut.

He overslept for two days.

So-Won set up a lot of alarms before going to bed, saying he would wake up early, but when the alarm went off, he ignored them all and slept.

Because of that, only Tae-Woo suffered from the alarm that rang loudly from the morning.

So-Won was originally planning to go to Tae-Woo’s private room together to guide him, and then go to his education in time for the lecture to begin. Somehow, every time So-Won left home, it was a tight time to go to the guide training.

In particular, on the first day, the road was blocked, so both Tae-Woo and So-Won were extremely late.

Even though So-Won knew it, he was not shameless enough to ask Tae-Woo why.

“Suddenly, a gate dispatch schedule has been scheduled.”

“Oh…”

It was a relief that it wasn’t because So-Won overslept every day.

So-Won was relieved for a moment and asked Tae-Woo, wondering.

“Didn’t you just come back from the gate?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. It can’t be helped.”

It’s been a little over a week since Tae-Woo went to the gate.

Aside from being dispatched once every two weeks earlier than others, Tae-Woo hasn’t even gotten very well yet.

Due to the lack of guidance, it was clear that even if Tae-Woo entered the gate now, he would return in a bad condition like last time.

So-Won looked at Tae-Woo as if he was worried.

It was still vivid to see Tae-Woo in pain with swollen blood vessels all over his body after visiting the gate.

It seemed like nothing was wrong but it was scary to endure the pain in such a terrible condition.

Compared to the calm response, So-Won did not even enter the gate and seemed to be making a fuss.

“Sudden dispatch, I guess a pretty dangerous gate opened.”

If Tae-Woo, who is in a bad condition, was called in a hurry, it seemed to be an A-class gate.

So-Won felt the sharp wavelength flowing under his palm and wondered if he should give him a strong guiding before entering the gate.

“It’s not a high-grade gate, but I’m going because there are not enough people.”

The answer from Tae-Woo’s mouth was completely unexpected.

It’s not even a high-grade gate, so what are they calling an S-class Esper, who was dispatched a while ago? That’s also a pinch hitter.

So-Won slightly pinched the bridge of his nose as if he couldn’t understand.

“‘Is it clear?”

“Yes.”

There are a total of three steps in gate navigation.

The first search to clear the gate entrance, the second search to patrol until the middle, and finally, the clear to eliminate all monsters in the gate.

Unless it was a dangerous gate where monsters kept popping out, they usually proceeded with three steps sequentially.

So-Won heard that Espers are reluctant to do the clearing.

As you go deep into the gate, strong monsters come out, and the deep part is several times more toxic than the entrance, making it difficult to treat the wounds suffered while going to the clear.

If seriously injured, even Esper, who has a high self-recovery rate, could have had aftereffects.

The place with the highest death rate for Esper was clearing of the gate.

However, there was a shortage of Esper manpower so they need to call Tae-Woo even though he haven’t rested enough.

So-Won still couldn’t erase his questions, but seeing that Tae-Woo said he would go, So-Won tried to convince him that there would be a good reason.

“I don’t think there’s enough guidance yet… Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

So-Won couldn’t let go of his worries even after hearing Tae-Woo’s answer.

Even if the grade was low, he still needs to clear a gate.

Due to the nature of physical reinforcement, Tae-Woo, who had to fight a close battle to kill monsters in the deep part, had no choice but to be burdened.

So-Won was worried about him because the last gate was also required for them to clear.

“Then can I follow you?”

The guide education was only available after receiving lecture materials, so it was not that regrettable to skip it for about a day.

It was a much better choice to follow Tae-Woo and guide him instead of a lecture So-Won didn’t even listen to.

So-Won could guide even if his body did not touch him, so he would not have bothered his driving.

“We have to go to other areas. Resting at home….”

“It’s okay.”

So-Won replied as he cut Tae-Woo off.

So-Won never thought it would be near Seoul in the first place.

Rather, the farther the distance, the more guidance So-Won could make, so it was  reasonable to follow him.

“You have to wait a long time. You can wait at an Association or center nearby.”

If the gate and Esper were similar in grade, the guide had to wait nearby according to the guide obligation system.

For such a guide, the association and the center have set up a dedicated waiting room.

So-Won went with Tae-Woo only once at the Incheon gate, and he remembered being surprised because the facilities were better than he thought.

In addition, if you were a guide of S-class Esper Kang Tae-Woo, you could use a private waiting room, not a joint waiting room.

“If I wait there, I won’t feel uncomfortable, rather I would be bored.”

Tae-Woo couldn’t make up his mind and was silent.

When he couldn’t answer for a long time, So-Won asked again.

“Can I come with you?”

“All right.” Tae-Woo nodded reluctantly.

When So-Won heard the answer he wanted, he smiled satisfactorily and focused on guiding again.

The start of the day was good.

So-Won did not woke up late this morning, and his hair was neatly done.

So-Won got into the car feeling like going on a picnic.

So-Won knows it’s not, but he felt like he was going on a late vacation because he was going to another region.

“Come to think of it, where are we going?”

“Chungbuk.”

The expectation of So-Won, who was looking forward to the beach, was slightly dampened.

“Chungbuk. What is there in Chungbuk?”

So-Won couldn’t think of anything, so he was a little more discouraged, but the weather was nice.

So-Won wondered what the area would be like since he would only be in the waiting room anyway.

So-Won enjoyed the peaceful moment he felt after a long time while looking at the scenery passing through the window.

Looking outside the clear sky and sunlight, it felt like he was driving because of the good weather.

Even Tae-Woo’s tingling wavelength felt like a pleasant stimulus.

While passing the road and crossing the mountain, there was no conversation between Tae-Woo and So-Won.

There was a long silence, but So-Won didn’t think it was uncomfortable.

So-Won contacted his parents after a long time and left a message that he was on his way to Chungbuk.

Like Tae-Woo, they didn’t reply quickly, so he waited for a while and put down his smartphone.

Looking out the window with excitement for a moment, only boredom remained as So-Won spent an hour sitting still without anything to do.

The view with only mountains and roads has been boring since a while ago.

So-Won, who lost interest, took his eyes off of the road.

So-Won didn’t mean to look at him, but when he turned his eyes, he saw Tae-Woo focusing on driving.

Today, dark red veins were still sticking out on the back of his hand, wearing a black T-shirt that came down to his wrist.

So-Won was guided enough yesterday, but when he saw the blood vessels coming up, he felt like he had to guide him again.

Although he may still be a guide, unlike Tae-Woo, So-Won could not feel the guide without his body touching, making it difficult to believe.

So-Won, who was peeking at Tae-Woo driving, came up with what he heard at first glance in the guide education.

Although So-Won doesn’t remember it completely, he said that the guided tour just before entering the gate was a great help for Esper. It would stabilize an Esper’s nervous mind and allowing him to stay in a smooth state in the gate for longer time.

When So-Won thought of it, the idea of guiding Tae-Woo turned to conviction.

If So-Won didn’t guide Tae-Woo before he left, So-Won thought he would be worried because couldn’t guide Tae-Woo.

So-Won wanted to hold his hand, but when he saw Tae-Woo concentrating on driving, So-Won couldn’t tell him to give him one hand.

So-Won wishes he had thought of it earlier.

So-Won looked disappointed.

The remaining time was not very long.

The car was already running between buildings after exiting the highway, and in the distance, So-Won could see the guide center, the destination of So-Won.

It was only after arriving at the Guide Center that So-Won sneaked out.

“Are you going to the gate right away?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to guide you….. Can’t we go in a little while?”

Tae-Woo checked the time when he saw So-Won slurred the end of his words.

“I think about 10 minutes will be fine.” Tae-Woo did not refuse.

There was still plenty of time, and if So-Won’s request was to guide, there was no reason to refuse it.

So-Won thought it was Tae-Woo himself who should be grateful to hear that So-Won would guide him, but he held out his hand saying thank you.

When Tae-Woo tried to bring the back his hand as usual, So-Won carefully grabbed Tae-Woo’s hand.

A white finger twined around Tae-Woo’s.

So-Won put his hand down in an empty space near the gear only after confirming that the palms were tightly attached.