Chapter Text
Esper Guide Contract Agency. Also known as EGCA, is currently the top-most agency for many known Espers and Guides, specialising in providing partners with high compatibility.
[Compatibility] is how much an Esper and a Guide are suitable for each other, which enhances their skills and results in a higher success rate in closing a rift.
Guides and Esper believe to have a stable work environment and personal life too once they have a fixed partner. Or at least that’s for high rankers, since a lot of low-class guides end up in guiding offices with a minimum pay.
But today, Yoo Joonghyuk, 33, recently employed, learned that being a little too good can backstab oneself.
“I’m sorry, I mistook Mr. Yoo as an Esper” The polite lady spoke, a little surprised after she learned Yoo Joonghyuk was a guide. Not an Esper.
He gets that a lot. But instead of repeating this same sentence, he hummed in response.
Perhaps it’s ‘cause he’s tall. Or that fact that he looks a little stern, just like the interviewer told him. He still isn’t sure if those reasons were enough to assume him as an Esper.
Perhaps－
“It’s just that you look so handsome and cold like those Espers.” The lady joked light heartedly.
That can be a possible reason too, right?
But maybe the biggest reason of all was the fact that, despite being an ungraded high ranker, he was still not partnered up.
It was like a cliché powerscaling novel.
The difference is that a powerscaling protagonist lives a life where everyone looks up to him. For Yoo Joonghyuk, he was rather displeased.
He had a hunch that the authorities and higher-ups did not want to “restrict” his powers, and hence forced him to give guidance to different levels of Espers, day and night.
Maybe employment is not so good as he thought, but one could say he was suffering from too much success.
He wished to oppose and take some action, but unfortunately for him, he was not aware of any regulations that the authorities had broken. Guides can demand, but it’s not an obligation that high rankers must be partnered with.
The string of thoughts snapped when he stopped behind the lady. Another woman was standing in front of the door. The previous guide smiled at him before leaving, making Joonghyuk’s attention shift to the woman in front of the door.
She looked professional and kind. Joonghyuk had a hunch she might be a guide too. But he didn’t want to guess, just like how he was judged.
“It’s nice to meet the infamous Yoo Joonghyuk.” The woman said as Joonghyuk looked confused.
“Infamous…” he muttered, but was loud enough for the woman to hear.
“I apologise for not introducing myself first. I am Yoo Sangah, Team leader of Unit 6. I am a guide, and for some time, you will be under my care, so no need to be formal.” Yoo Sangah pressed her thumb on the verification window while introducing. The door opened, Sangah taking the lead.
“Yoo Joonghyuk.” The taller man muttered but couldn’t help asking. “What exactly do you mean by infamous?”
“Aren’t you? I heard there were long debates when you first gave your test and had an amazing amount of guiding skills.” Sangah teased, but was it really that bad?
In the end, he silently agreed to their contract. “It was natural. I have less experience in battlefields, however.” Probably because he was walking around like a power bank.
Sangah observed Joonghyuk before giving a gentle smile. One that was meant to give reassurance. “Don’t worry. I was the one who hired you for the Unit 6 mission.”
Joonghyuk raised his brow, as if questioning Sangah’s decisions. But she wasn’t looking regretful at all. Is it okay to trust a stranger who doesn’t even have a rank? Isn’t he an enigma to most?
Sangah, however, didn’t look like she ran away from risks. For some reason, it did provide Joonghyuk a tiny bit of reassurance.
“Now, I will give you a brief of what you’re hired for.” Yoo Sangah’s tone became serious as she passed some documents to Yoo Joonghyuk.
“There is a rift opening by the Han river every week and then closes by itself in three days. When it opens again, a lot of waste from the rift comes out.”
“For the first 6 months, it was seen to be a harmless rift which only needed to be closed because of the waste. However, a few months ago, the unit that went inside the rift got trapped there.” Sangah explained while stopping in front of a door at the end of the hallway.
“Next week, their bodies were found. As a waste. After clear misjudgment and carelessness, when the rift was explored, it indeed had monsters. High level ones at that.”
Joonghyuk’s eyes stopped on the headline before he spoke, “So we need to close that rift.”
“Indeed. But more importantly, a lot of material can be useful for researchers. Our goal is to find as much evidence and research materials as we can and then successfully close the rift.” Sangah explained, finishing her brief of the mission.
It was a much complicated mission for someone who barely went on field missions and was an unranked guide. It’s not like Joonghyuk didn’t trust his own combat abilities, but it was clear that Sangah knew a newbie shouldn’t be on this mission.
He did think the person in front of him was a risk-taker, but didn’t expect this much of a bold move.
“My apologies for such a hasty and brief explanation. We will discuss all of it later.” She smiled, but it instantly faded when a loud explosion came from inside the room.
Noticing how the loud noise was muffled, it was probably a soundproof room. Was.
Yoo Sangah, despite hiding it with a smile, had clear frustration on her face. “Joonghyuk-ssi. I fear that currently, there are greater problems than the rift.”
Did they imprison a monster inside…?
“Don’t worry, it’s not a monster.” Yoo Sangah answered Yoo Joonghyuk’s unasked question before opening the door. “What’s all this commotion-?!”
Both frowned and covered their nose as the smoke rose when the door was opened. There was the smell of something burning and dust, as if an actual explosion had taken place here.
If it’s not a monster, what even is it…?
His attention was taken by a loud shout as violet flames flashed from inside the smog.
“You squid bastard…How dare you?!”
“Sooyoung-ssi!”
Yoo Sangah shouted and moved ahead. However, the flames were already engulfing a certain part of the room. Yoo Joonghyuk reacted fast, pulling Yoo Sangah behind.
As the smog dispersed, the poor condition of the room looked as if a storm had gone by. Yoo Sangah looked tired and moved away from the cramped space.
“I apologise again, Joonghyuk-ssi. Thank you for protecting me.” Sangah looked absolutely apologetic, making Joonghyuk wonder if she was even at fault for apologising in the first place.
Her attitude, however, changes as she walks over to the huge hole in the wall. Joonghyuk followed her, removing the rubble from the ground.
“Sooyoung-ssi. Dokja-ssi. I thought you said you would wait patiently!”
Joonghyuk moved slowly behind Sangah, peeking inside the giant hole in the wall, connecting to another room. Hearing Sangah’s words, the two figures paused.
A bobbed-haired woman was pulling the tie of the man below her, both pausing and looking at Yoo Sangah with a surprised look on their face.
“Sangah-ssi, it was her-”
“Him!”
The man pushed to the ground looked pissed, glaring at the woman over him.
Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t even be confused before he turned to Yoo Sangah, who was already fuming with rage, despite the professional smile on her face.
She turned to Joonghyuk with the same smile. “Joonghyuk-ssi, can I get a minute?”
Without another second, he moved back, shutting the door of the room which already had a broken wall, so it didn’t help with any privacy.
He did it for professionalism, maybe.
－－－
‘She’s really mad.’ Yoo Joonghyuk thought while sitting outside on the coach. He could hear a few arguments, but those were soon swallowed by Yoo Sangah’s scoldings.
[Ba~aht…]
Joonghyuk alerted and looked up, only to see a flying furball in the air. “A Supplemental Guide…?”
They were rare. When guides and espers were still a new concept, there were these new species. Professionally, they are called supplemental or additional Guides, as their work is that.
But some people call them spirits. When a Guide or sometimes Esper is very high rank, they have one. Otherwise, they are reared in laboratories.
“It's rare to see one…” Joonghyuk muttered and unconsciously poked the furball, to which it retracted, letting out a squeal.
[Baat-!]
“Biyoo!” Joonghyuk flinched, seeing three figures coming out of the room. He saw the furball moving away from his side, straight towards the man in the suit. “You were out for too long.”
The man patted the small creature while Yoo Sangah moved forward.
“Sorry for the wait. Without further ado, let me introduce you to these two.” She pointed at the two, what you can say, troublemakers.
“This is Esper Han Sooyoung of Unit-A and Esper Kim Dokja of Unit-S. And these two will be your partners for the mission.”
“He doesn’t look like an Esper.”
“Shut up, Han Sooyoung.” Kim Dokja retorted at Han Sooyoung’s remark, still patting Biyoo.
They are really bad at first impressions. One would question if this is a professional meeting or not. Though Joonghyuk felt like he was not the one to judge.
Without wasting time, he too introduced himself. “Yoo Joonghyuk. Guide and am currently under no unit.” As soon as he said, he could see the familiar surprise on the faces of the two.
“I know, I don’t look like a Guide, but I am an unranked one.” He quickly added.
“No way. I thought they were lying when they were saying ‘Unranked’. ” Han Sooyoung muttered. She looked at Dokja before pulling him back, crouching down.
“Isn’t he too handsome? He’s much of an ‘Esper’ than you.”
“The hell you mean? Anyone can look anyway, don’t judge a book by its cover.” Dokja hissed back.
“Don’t talk behind your colleague's back!” Yoo Sangah fumed again. It was not really behind his back; they were right in front of him.
Also, they are loud enough for him to hear.
“I get that a lot. But I have never gone on a field mission.” Kim Dokja frowned while listening to Yoo Joonghyuk’s words.
“Sangah-ssi, isn't it unfair to send someone on such a dangerous mission as their first?” Sangah sighed, pulling out a document.
“I did negotiate, however, you two are partially at fault.” Sangah sighed while showing a report, which both Sooyoung and Dokja ignored.
Yoo Joonghyuk moved forward to see the report. It was a health check-up report.
“Whoever this is doesn’t take responsibility or regular guidance,” Joonghyuk muttered and noticed the two Espers flinching.
“So I will explain in brief. Joonghyuk-ssi has an amazing guiding wavelength. You can guide even two A-rankers at the same time. This will be hard, but you have to give these two guidance, since they don’t have a partner.” Yoo Sangah explained while seeing another report, which had an uneven Esper wavelength.
Espers, especially high-ranking ones, need guiding regularly. If they don’t, there are many chances of them breaking their own self, and even causing damage in case they go berserk.
“How careless.” The two Espers flinched again at Joonghyuk’s remark.
“Hey…stop saying that. No guide was able to give so much guidance.” Han Sooyoung frowned.
“That’s why I am asking if it’s okay to give a burden of two Espers onto one guide,” Dokja said, but Yoo Sangah didn’t flinch. She smiled, looking at the three.
“I believe in Joonghyuk-ssi. So you all should be ready for your one-week training so that you can get used to each other.” With a pause, she added, “And please, cooperate. It’s not for Joonghyuk-ssi, just so you know.”
Two people pouted but didn’t reply.
Partner…So he’s not the only one without a fixed partner despite the high rank. (He’s not even ranked to begin with)