Approximal Guide

Kim Inhak shouted at Moohyuk. Moohyuk stared blankly into space. I frowned, as I started to notice things I hadn’t initially seen due to the dizziness caused by the wave. Moohyuk was wrapped up like a mummy in a white cloth—a restraint suit made from ESP control fibers. It was a suit only used when an Esper ranked A or higher experienced a breakdown. I couldn’t help but feel shocked.“What the hell did these crazy people make Kim Moohyuk wear…?”Even if there was a risk of him going berserk, putting him in a restraint suit… As I stood there in shock, Moohyuk remained lying down, staring at the ceiling without any expression. The restraint suit was secured to the temporary bed with chains, and Kim Moohyuk lay there with his limbs bound, blinking blankly.Yet, as if unconcerned with my shock, Inhak frowned and yelled again.“Do you think Hajung would want to see you acting like this?”At those words, Kim Moohyuk’s body jerked. Not as if startled, but as if his body reacted to some external impact, making the chains securing him jangle loudly. Moohyuk shifted his hollow gaze to Kim Inhak.“Don’t you dare… say that name again—”Beep. Beep. Beeeeeep…After that, I couldn’t hear Moohyuk’s words. Although I could see his lips moving, his words were drowned out by a ringing in my ears. At that moment, Han Byeongeun’s voice shouted my name.-Colonel!Only then did I come to my senses. I realized that the guiding wave I’d sent out had destabilized Moohyuk’s Esper wave, breaking it down.-Keep it together!“…Ah, damn. So loud.”Grumbling, I shook my head. It seemed like Moohyuk’s unique memories had somehow transmitted through the psychic connection between his Esper wave and my guiding wave. It’s theoretically possible. Memory sharing can happen between an Esper and their Guide, especially if they’re imprinted on each other. Though Moohyuk and I weren’t imprinted, we’d been working together for so long. I thought it was plausible and refocused my mind.I began guiding once again, this time feeling close to my limit. My body as Sergeant Kang hadn’t undergone much training, so I was clearly feeling the side effects of pushing its potential. Sighing, I directed another guiding wave towards Kim Moohyuk, only to be overwhelmed by a flood of his intense melancholy—a sticky darkness.“Ugh—”I vaguely heard Byeongeun calling me, but I felt a sense of relief and let myself pass out. The fact that Moohyuk’s emotions were reaching me so strongly meant he was likely out of the most dangerous phase of the pre-breakdown state.I’d anticipated that I’d collapse afterward, given the massive difference between Kim Moohyuk’s Esper rank and my Guide rank. Even though my body as Sergeant Kang had a decent guiding capacity, it was still overwhelming for an untrained Guide to manage an S++-rank Esper showing signs of a breakdown. If the guiding wave hadn’t been grounded in “will,” it would’ve been near impossible.The fact that I held up even this much was an achievement. If Sergeant Kang had been under my direct command, I would have put him through grueling training to refine his guiding skills into a sharp tool. Despite the urgent situation, it was impressive that he could adapt his guiding wave and send it out as required.As I lay there, fully awake but too tired to open my eyes, I let my mind drift. The faint scents of cresol and alcohol suggested I was in the Guide medical ward, so there was no rush to get up.After consulting with the military doctor about my physical condition, I thought maybe I should start exercising if there were no issues with my bones or muscles. This body was frustratingly fragile, tearing like wet paper even with basic movements. I thought of asking Han Byeongeun to design a light rehab protocol to help me train gradually.Suddenly, there was a loud sliding sound—followed by a bang as the door to my hospital room burst open. I thought it was a private room, so maybe it was a doctor or nurse? Curious, I squinted my eyes open just a bit. I saw a familiar face, red with anger, looking down at me, shouting.“I know you’re awake! Open your eyes!”I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I opened my eyes. The person standing over me continued to fume. It was the lead Guide from Team 12, who I’d seen yesterday.I was curious why he’d come here just to be angry, but I didn’t feel like matching his combative energy. At times like this, ignoring them completely can quickly deflate their bluster. So I wriggled my toes nonchalantly. Good, no issues with the peripheral nerves. Now to check my fingers. As I fidgeted, the lead Guide’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, and he finally burst out in anger.“You piece of trash! I bet you fainted after poking your nose where it didn’t belong, or were you putting on another suicide act for attention?”Ah, this is getting loud. It seemed like Sergeant Kang’s hearing was quite sensitive. I squinted up at the Guide, unsure what to call him. I couldn’t very well address him informally, as that’d be insubordination. But I didn’t know his name either, so “hey, mister” wasn’t an option. With some effort, I sat up. Ugh, every muscle ached. Just sitting up felt like a struggle. Once upright, I spoke calmly.“Um, as you know, I have amnesia. Could you tell me your rank and name, Senior Guide?”“…You’re seriously messed up.”Regrettably, Team 12’s lead Guide didn’t seem to buy the lie that Byeongeun and I had concocted. Still, if we were going to bluff, it might as well be convincing, so I put on my best poker face.“You’ve been verbally abusive for a while now. Even if not in the hospital room, the hallway CCTV would have recorded everything. So why are you acting like this?”“See? I told you, he’s putting on an act.”The lead Guide clicked his tongue in disbelief. I ignored him and lay back down.“If you’re not going to tell me your name and rank, please stop cursing at me. Aren’t you here to visit? I didn’t expect a gift, but why did you leave your manners behind too?”The Senior Guide began to tremble in anger. Taking the opportunity, I looked at the name tag on his left chest pocket. If the yellow tag was still a lieutenant’s rank, then… His name was Lee Jungkyu. Not great at remembering names, I repeated it in my head a few times. Right as I felt drowsy again and closed my eyes, Lee Jungkyu shouted.“Hey! Are you really brain-damaged?!”“Yes. I believe I’ve mentioned several times that I have amnesia…”Lee Jungkyu was now glaring at me, visibly trembling with anger. He looked as though he couldn’t control the fury rising within him. I let out a sigh. Apparently, since I’d collapsed, the Guide Ward had contacted Team 12, where I was still technically assigned. I had no idea why Lee Jungkyu rushed over here before anyone else, but with Han Byeongeun, who had intervened yesterday, absent, it seemed he’d seized the chance to confront me.His attempt was well-timed, but he overlooked one thing. Whatever Sergeant Kang’s flaw might be, the “amnesia” card was enough to throw him off-balance.On the other hand, Lee Jungkyu, the chief guide of Team 12, was nearly out of his mind with the desire to humiliate Hajung, who had spun this unbelievable lie about memory loss. He’d expected Hajung to be unable to utter a word when faced with him, but upon entering the hospital room, he was surprised to find him looking utterly at ease. Seeing Hajung—who hadn’t shed a single tear even on the day he’d left the quarters—greeting him with a dry expression, almost like he was dismissing him as no more than an unwanted peddler, made his blood boil.The truth was, Jungkyu hadn’t liked Hajung from the start. From the moment Hajung joined, and more specifically, from the moment he’d had to accept that there was another guide in Team 12 who would be considered his peer, he’d felt nothing but distaste. Moreover, unlike most guides in the center, Kang Hajung had neither attended the prestigious Guide Academy nor followed the typical path. He had awakened as a guide after fainting one day on his way to a part-time job after high school graduation, and he wasn’t part of the so-called “sacred” lineage of guides. Even that fact was a source of frustration.In Jungkyu’s view, guides should maintain a dignified air. Only then would espers, who wield almighty powers, understand their value and treat them with reverence.By contrast, Hajung was an outsider. Guides who had gone through the Esper-Guide Training Academy, the Officer’s School, and the Initial Training Facility before joining the Seoul-Gyeonggi Center for further training referred to themselves as the “sacred guides.” Typically, a guide would manifest powers by the time they reached Officer’s School, but Kang Hajung had not. As such, it was unthinkable to equate himself with someone who had only undergone initial training.And his very name was infuriating. Sharing the name of “Colonel Kang Hajung,” a heroic figure who’d sacrificed his life honorably in the Battle of Haeindang, felt like a desecration of that honor. Unlike Hajung, the legendary Colonel Kang Hajung had followed the proper guide path from the Guide Academy and beyond, an elite guide in every sense.That was why Jungkyu despised Hajung and couldn’t accept being placed on the same team. How could someone like him come into the team and, in no time, earn the title of assistant guide? Jungkyu couldn’t believe it and confided in a friend in the Central Guide Management Division. Apparently, the decision was due to his high guiding volume, which immediately placed him as assistant guide. “Isn’t he using his looks to sleep his way up?” The comment he made with tearful eyes spread rapidly.As a result, rumors surfaced that Hajung, despite his lack of skill, had secured a spot at the top-tier Seoul-Gyeonggi Center by offering favors. And shortly after those rumors, Hajung received a grade-D rating in his evaluation after fainting and experiencing nausea from intense stress. Because guiding, linked to brainwaves, is heavily affected by physical condition, some guides would use bribes to time their evaluations for optimal performance days. However, Hajung was oblivious to such practices.Thus, despite securing the assistant guide position in Team 12, one of the upper-tier teams in the Seoul-Gyeonggi Center, his grade-D rating only fueled the rumors about him.Jungkyu, however, felt wronged. He believed Hajung was shamelessly trying to gain the favor of Kim Moohyuk, the untouchable esper. How could he disregard his own position and pursue Kim Moohyuk, the former partner of the legendary “Colonel Kang Hajung”? And bypassing him, the senior guide, no less? If Kim Moohyuk needed a guide, that should logically be his place, not Hajung’s. After all, Kim Moohyuk was an incredible officer.Kim Moohyuk—an S++ grade, an ESP wielder whose psychokinesis rivaled the force of a nuclear warhead. He was the only esper in the center adept at both close and long-range combat.Five years ago, he’d lost his instructor and partner, the war hero “Colonel Kang Hajung,” and had since managed to operate as a solo team.But over the past few years, Kim Moohyuk had faced several crises of potential runaway. Despite the suicidal risk, he acted as if it didn’t matter that he’d been substituting his guides with drugs. The higher-ups even went so far as to order remote guiding from others while he was unconscious to prevent a runaway. Although such methods might be seen as inhumane, given the risk of losing three provinces of the Korean Peninsula if Kim Moohyuk lost control, it was a necessary decision.The guides in the center agreed that his partner guide position couldn’t remain vacant forever. However distraught he might be over the loss of his former partner, espers couldn’t survive without guidance. But while everyone lay in wait for the right moment, the unpredictable Kang Hajung appeared.Jungkyu regretted not keeping a closer eye on Hajung. Having trouble adjusting to Team 12, Hajung started wandering outside the team. During one of his excursions, he happened to run into Kim Moohyuk, who was returning from a mission. Even back then, Moohyuk was a ticking time bomb. And how did Hajung, the unlikable upstart, react to Moohyuk?“I can guide you! I can guide you right now!”He grabbed Moohyuk and tried to push his guiding energy onto him. Naturally, Moohyuk refused the guiding, and the repelled guiding energy struck back, causing Hajung to collapse on the spot.Until then, Moohyuk had at least received occasional remote guiding, but from that point, he started relying entirely on drugs to fill the void. Using Hajung’s forced guiding attempt as leverage, he later issued strict orders that no one should guide him, even when he was unconscious.Moohyuk must have realized the ambitions lingering in every guide’s mind. He probably foresaw that if left unchecked, he might eventually be chained down by one of them, waiting for the chance to seize him.The guides who were eyeing Kim Moohyuk’s pair position were deeply disheartened. Everyone wanted to be paired with him, especially after seeing how he mourned and grieved deeply over the death of his guide. It wasn’t a crime to desire to become the special person of such a special individual. However, all those quiet desires and waits were discarded like trash by none other than Kang Hajung.Jungkyu had been secretly working with his uncle, who worked in the central division, to arrange a meeting with Moohyuk. He had persuaded him that it was impossible to keep going alone forever, and subtly suggested starting with radiation guiding, hoping to eventually take the pair position. But somehow, Kang Hajung had found out and interfered.“Kim Moohyuk, Lieutenant! I love you!”In the middle of the cafeteria, Kang Hajung confessed his love, even collapsing from it, starting all sorts of antics. Kim Moohyuk, who was already someone who rarely left the training room or dormitory except for missions, was bombarded with this unexpected confession and after that, he became even more reclusive. Rumor had it that his missions had increased.Jungkyu was frantic. He thought victory was near, but everything went wrong because of Kang Hajung. Afterward, Kang Hajung, determined to attract Moohyuk’s attention, seemed ready to do anything, even drink lye. It wasn’t a metaphor, he was seriously willing to go that far. He had even attempted suicide. But none of that mattered—Moohyuk never even visited him in the hospital.Jungkyu was certain it would be the same this time. Once again, Kang Hajung attempted suicide, and once again, he survived. Now, he was just putting on an act of amnesia. Jungkyu found him infuriating. He couldn’t help but hurl verbal abuse at Hajung, who was still lying there with a nonchalant expression.“You’re trash. If you’re going to try to kill yourself, shouldn’t you at least succeed once? How can you keep failing like this? What are you doing if not trying to get attention from others!”I was lying still, wondering when this person would leave, thinking to myself that maybe I was being too harsh. As I tried to sit up again, a severe headache made me clutch my head.With a metallic sound, someone’s memories flooded in. I could feel the guiding or psychic waves of the memories, most likely from Moohyuk’s pre-crash phase, mixed with similar wave frequencies—uncontrollable and chaotic.Through the guiding wave of Sergeant Kang, I could glimpse some of the memories he had.* * *Kang Hajung was twenty years old and was thankful that he had a smooth jawline without any stubble. This was because he had no father to teach him how to shave.His mother had run away long ago, and his father had been beaten to death in a gambling den. The one silver lining was that there was no gambling debt. Though his uncle, Kang Byeongchan, had tried to claim the life insurance money, Hajung was already over twenty, so he didn’t lose everything. Still, his uncle kept slowly nibbling away at Hajung’s money.Hajung had taken the college entrance exam over a year after his father had gone missing, so naturally, he had given up on going to university. If he had known that his father would come back with insurance money, would he have even bothered to take the exam? Those thoughts quickly faded.Hajung thought it wasn’t so bad, even if his uncle was draining him. He was lonely, and he longed for human connection. Then one day, on his way to his part-time job, he collapsed. That was the day Hajung awakened as a guide. He thought that at least he wouldn’t have to worry about food anymore after joining the center. He didn’t realize then that bigger problems were yet to come.The team’s head guide began to ostracize Hajung. Worse still, the espers, who would normally side with the head guide, supported him. Hajung quietly endured the small bullying, like being locked in a dark bathroom or having the food he had bought thrown in the sink. It wasn’t the most unfortunate thing in his life.But the hardest thing to bear was the rumor that he was selling his body.“How the hell did a D-ranked guide like you get into a top 12 team?”A guide from another team slapped Hajung across the face as they argued in the cafeteria. It was over something trivial—Hajung had spilled water on the other’s tray, or something like that. The esper attached to that guide was proudly blaming Hajung. Without even checking the truth, it seemed everyone believed they had the right to attack him. Hajung’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the unknown esper defending their partner.There was no one to stand up for Hajung. On the day before the rank evaluation, the head guide, Jungkyu, had come to give him a pill claiming it would help him relax. After taking it, Hajung’s heart started racing so wildly it caused an error in the machine. He asked if he could take the test again, but the researchers dismissed him. He regretted not insisting more at the time. If he had truly sold his body, his situation should have been better. But the rumors were that Hajung was selling himself, yet he was still living a miserable life. People believed these illogical words without question. It wasn’t that they believed the rumors—they had all come together to create them.That wasn’t the only thing tormenting Hajung.“My nephew, give him back!”Somehow, his uncle had found out about his enlistment and started a one-man protest outside the front gate of the Seoul Center. The sign he was holding had a large photo of Hajung as a child. Where had that photo even come from? Hajung was exhausted.Thankfully, the center head had called Hajung in to offer his condolences and told him they had reached an agreement with his uncle. He was the most adult figure Hajung had met, but unfortunately, he was too busy. At the time, the top-ranked esper, Kim Moohyuk, was showing signs of a meltdown. Hajung once again found himself pushed aside.Hajung thought to himself: I’ll get back at them.His confession to Kim Moohyuk began then. It was no secret that Jungkyu, that filthy-minded man, was eyeing Moohyuk’s pair position. Even the owner of the toast shop in Ipsaedong knew about it. He wanted to hurt Jungkyu’s feelings, just a little bit. He wanted to return a little of the tragedy he had experienced.So, Hajung triggered Kim Moohyuk’s trigger. At that time, Hajung’s depression was quite severe, so he didn’t feel guilty toward Kim Moohyuk. In fact, part of him even hated him. The fact that he was at rock bottom while Kim Moohyuk, despite having such power, looked like he didn’t want to live was irritating.But at the same time, he also admired him. Despite going through such a harsh experience, Kim Moohyuk seemed to live the world with determination. Unlike Hajung, who constantly attempted suicide. That’s why Hajung deliberately clung to Kim Moohyuk, making sure that other guides couldn’t get close, and was rejected even more brutally. Ironically, because of Hajung’s behavior, Kim Moohyuk seemed to be more at ease. It was a funny thing. The weakest person in the center, Hajung, could actually help someone like Kim Moohyuk, who stood at the top of the food chain. Hajung felt a little proud about it.However, that pride was short-lived. Hajung was truly exhausted now.‘This is the last time. I won’t rise again.’Hajung prayed while killing himself for the last time.‘Please, if anyone is listening, please let me die peacefully.’If this world, as it always has, is going to be cruel to me again, and I must live on…“Please let me take revenge. On those bastards.”He muttered without realizing it. A kind of anger, something like frustration, surged from within him. A tear fell down the corner of his eye. As he was muttering, he suddenly cursed, and was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that Lee Jungkyu was staring at him with a horrified expression.“Ah, I see.”A self-mocking voice escaped him. He finally realized how to repay the debt for the body he had taken over. For a long time, he had been uneasy about forcibly occupying someone else’s body, and hadn’t been able to sleep properly because of it.He looked directly at Lee Jungkyu. Grateful that he now had something to do. Lee Jungkyu flinched in surprise, and perhaps not wanting his shock to be seen, he started glaring at Hajung as if he wanted to kill him. Hajung couldn’t help but laugh.At that moment, the door to the hospital room suddenly burst open, and the Esper team from Team 12 rushed into the room. A pack of dogs had come. He sighed, wondering what the commotion was about in a hospital room that should have been quiet. From a brief glimpse of Sergeant Kang’s memory, the Esper team from Team 12 weren’t just villains—they were even worse, more despicable humans. Mediocre evil, blurry moral standards, yet narcissistically convinced of their righteousness. They were the kind of people Hajung absolutely hated. He said, as though he wasn’t welcoming them:“Looks like you’re here to visit, but everyone came empty-handed. Really annoying.”“Hey, Kang Hajung.”Ahn Changhyeon stepped forward. From the first impression, he had been suspicious, and although Sergeant Kang hadn’t noticed, in Ahn Changhyeon’s memory, he had some unpleasant feelings toward Sergeant Kang. It wasn’t that he liked him in a healthy way, but rather a clingy, creepy kind of obsession.There were many Espers like Ahn Changhyeon, who couldn’t be honest about their emotions. They were so narcissistic, with a strong sense of self-love and the pride of being born as an omnipotent Esper, that they couldn’t stand the idea of being ruled by a guide who looked like an ordinary human. In fact, loving someone didn’t mean losing power. Those small-minded types always lacked the kind of manly dignity that made them secure in themselves.Thanks to that, Ahn Changhyeon, without even realizing his own feelings, had started obsessing over Sergeant Kang. If the beginning of Sergeant Kang’s misfortune was Lee Jungkyu, the end of it would be Ahn Changhyeon. If Hajung was going to repay this debt, it seemed that he would have to cut this web of obsession. But the method was the problem. He kept thinking it over when one of the Espers stepped forward, suddenly freezing his expression and growling at Hajung.“Kang Hajung, apologize to Jungkyu.”The Esper was a sergeant, just like Sergeant Kang, yet he was calling Lee Jungkyu by his first name. This was because Lee Jungkyu had instructed his team to treat him more casually, as he was the one guiding them. The Esper seemed proud of that. That’s why he was so loyal to Lee Jungkyu.Sergeant Kang, on the other hand, was lacking in social tact. Naturally. He had just turned twenty, an ordinary person who had lived without knowing anything, suddenly awakened and dragged into the army. What did he know? Furthermore, since his guardians were all absent, it seemed he had missed several health check-ups conducted by the state. As a result, no one had known that he was a guide before his awakening. In the ideal situation, he would have entered the center before his awakening, and Lee Jungkyu could have been at the military academy he bragged about. It was truly a regrettable situation.…But these guys. In the years I was absent, how had they improved the treatment of guides’ rights? How was there still bullying within the center? They were really going to die. It made Hajung grit his teeth in frustration. He couldn’t ignore Sergeant Kang’s final wish, even though he had dreamed of hiding his identity and peacefully leaving the army. If you use someone else’s belongings and don’t pay the price, aren’t you just a thief?Sergeant Kang’s soul had already crossed to the land of rest, and his remains had been cremated in a small urn. Still, Hajung felt he had to repay the debt to Sergeant Kang. Besides, the poor guy had such a pitiful situation… The fact that Kim Moohyuk, who had come from an orphanage and awakened, crossed his mind was a secret.Suddenly, lost in thought, Hajung didn’t even realize the Esper who had been urging him to apologize was getting closer and shouting at him. It wasn’t until he grabbed the back of his head that Hajung finally snapped back to reality and realized, “Ah, these guys haven’t left yet.”“Ugh—”Suddenly, his neck was jerked back, and a moan escaped involuntarily. When he frowned, the Esper sneered at him and said:“Stop messing around and apologize to the lead guide. Someone like you, who has no backing or skill, do you even understand how much Jungkyu tried to make you into a person? Aren’t you grateful for Jungkyu’s efforts?”Are you crazy? It’s been years since Esper’s guide abuse was banned. I couldn’t record any video evidence, but I started considering shouting for the medical staff to witness this scene. However, I soon realized that in a one-to-many situation, no one would believe my words since I was a disliked guide at the center. So, I began thinking of another way.Hmm, it seems like the only option is to make them really angry and take a few hits. I immediately put my plan into action. It’s not that I can’t mock others, it’s just that I choose not to.“By the way, don’t you think it’s embarrassing how you always cling to Jungkyu like a little puppy?”“You… you—”“I mean, even though I don’t remember, I can tell just by looking at it. You did the same thing in front of the dorm last time.”The Esper’s face turned beet red.“Who do you think you’re talking to—”“Well, I didn’t know the rank, but now that I know this man’s name, how am I supposed to address him? I need to know the rank to decide if I should show respect or speak informally.”I said this nonchalantly, despite my hair being grabbed. The faces of the Espers, who had never faced such resistance from Sergeant Kang, immediately froze before they roughly pushed me away. Okay, fine. Bring it on. One hit won’t be so bad. Just a bruise on the temple, and the game will be over. But Lee Jungkyu was pretty skilled.“Stop it, guys. I think it’s my fault for not teaching my juniors properly.”Lee Jungkyu began to cry, squeezing out fake tears with a scrunched face. His acting skills were poor, as no tears actually came out, and he ended up looking like an ugly lemon trying to squeeze juice. I lazily stared at him, but the Espers from Team 12, who loved the ugly lemon, surrounded him and tried to comfort him.“Jungkyu, don’t cry. You shouldn’t be upset over trash like that.”Ah, this is fine, but if you’re going to say lines like that, go do it outside. I’m a patient too, this is really too much. I thought to myself lazily and flopped back down on the bed. Lee Jungkyu ran out of the room crying, and most of Team 12’s Espers chased after him. Can you believe Lee Jungkyu managed to slip out of this situation? I thought I should definitely wear a bio-watch next time to record it.I noticed there was still one Esper left in the room. It was Ahn Changhyeon. He was still standing by my bed.“…What is it?”“Stop and go back to the dorm.”This guy’s a funny stalker. What kind of perverted thing does he want to do by seriously telling me to go back to the dorm? I knew how these kinds of people think. He’s still looking out for me, the outsider in the team, and if I don’t listen, he probably thinks it’s my fault. He’s a pervert and doesn’t even realize it. I yawned, tired of how obvious it was, and responded lazily.“I don’t want to.”“…What?”“I said, I don’t want to. The way you look at people is so creepy that I can’t go back there.”I pouted and rested my head on my hand, acting lively. Ahn Changhyeon’s face turned red at first, but then he started to radiate an aggressive ESP wave to pressure me. I had been waiting for this moment, so I immediately pressed the nurse call button and screamed.“Aaaah! I’m dying! I’m dying!”“What are you doing—?”Ahn Changhyeon seemed startled by the unexpected situation. I could hear the sounds of a doctor and nurse rushing in from a distance. As I heard them, I screamed even louder, pretending to be in agony. I even started to sob, acting like I was about to die. My dramatic antics worked because the doctor quickly rushed into the room. Ahn Changhyeon, startled, hadn’t even stopped his ESP wave.I squeezed out some tears and sobbed dramatically.“Ugh, th-these people suddenly started sending aggressive waves at me… I—ah, my head…”I collapsed dramatically, pressing my forehead, and the doctor yelled at Ahn Changhyeon.“What do you think you’re doing?! Are you crazy?! How can you release an Esper wave in a guide ward?!”“I-I didn’t—”“Get out now! You didn’t even have an appointment to visit this patient! What’s your name and rank? I’m going to report this to your team leader!”Ahn Changhyeon’s face went pale. It was understandable. He was the team leader. If this embarrassing incident got out, it would be a huge scandal. Even though he might have been part of some corrupt practices, the Guide Rights Commission wouldn’t tolerate any Esper attacking or behaving aggressively toward a guide. Even if Sergeant Kang was treated poorly in the center, he still had the title of “guide.”I found it odd that Sergeant Kang hadn’t reported this yet. Maybe he had been mentally gaslit by the team members. “Don’t get sensitive over stuff like this. You’re the weird one,” they might have said. Since most of them were older than him and had higher ranks, he might not have considered reporting it.I felt sympathy for Sergeant Kang but also frustration. Still, it was satisfying to see Ahn Changhyeon dragged out by the security forces. I figured I’d need to lose some weight in case they called me for witness testimony later. I wanted to look as gaunt as possible.For the next few days, things were quiet. The military doctors were doing some tests on me, and I had to stay in the hospital for quite a while. The doctor suggested a re-assessment of my guiding abilities since they seemed abnormal, but I told him I wasn’t feeling well and would need to do it later. Since the doctor had witnessed Ahn Changhyeon’s aggressive actions, he had reinforced my image as a persecuted guide.“I don’t believe the amnesia thing, but I was in a lot of pain when he grabbed my shoulder last time. I was basically kicked out of the dorm and had to go to the guide-only dorm. He said I was punished because I’m a bad person, and there’s no need to blame the team leader. He even told me to try guiding again, saying I wasn’t doing it well, asking if I had sold my body or something.”I had turned Ahn Changhyeon’s desires into reality. Technically, I made it sound like he had acted obsessively toward Sergeant Kang, but that wasn’t an issue since Ahn Changhyeon had been a crazy pervert in my memories. What mattered was that he was a creepy, perverted bad guy, not when or how he acted on it.Fortunately, the doctor, though skeptical, worked with the psychiatry department to document everything. The amnesia diagnosis from Han Byeongeun came in handy. Even if Ahn Changhyeon screamed, “This guy’s just faking it!” in front of the military police, it felt like he was the one acting.It seemed like I had slightly clipped Lee Jungkyu’s wings. I didn’t think I could push further, and I was a bit disappointed. Ahn Changhyeon was a vague kind of crazy, so I didn’t think I could keep him in this state for too long. Even if there was evidence, it would be odd if I, with amnesia, knew about it.But thanks to this, Team 12’s leadership position was vacant. Ahn Changhyeon was being referred to the military ethics committee for disciplinary action. For once, I felt a bit of motivation. To be honest, before meeting Kim Moohyuk, I was like Sergeant Kang—thinking of nothing but dying. I had even thought of a safe retirement, hoping to fake an accident in a remote island storm as a way to kill myself. I had been waiting to meet Seonghan, thinking about the cycle of reincarnation, and when the day came that I couldn’t bear it anymore, I planned to curse the fallen and then scream. That had been my retirement plan.However, after teaching Moohyuk, who became a paired esper, and watching him grow, I was able to live a new life. From that point on, I really became annoyed with the whole situation and began to wish for retirement. I wanted to live in a quiet, peaceful place, burying my regrets, enjoying the sounds of spring coming.Sergeant Kang had his will taken away by someone else. So, even the Sergeant, now in heaven, should understand what that feels like. At least, I wanted to make the people who tormented me suffer at least one smack on the head.The problem is…“Hah, this is tricky.”The problem was that my situation was uncertain. Originally, my plan was a quiet discharge. With my rank, I could retire easily without the paperwork even reaching the central department, as long as it was processed by the center head. Honestly, a D-grade guide is pretty much like a regular civilian. But in order to help with Sergeant Kang’s revenge, I would have to prove my potential to others. I had to crush those who had ignored Sergeant Kang with sheer skill. If that happened, what about my dream of a quiet discharge? Would it also crumble this time?I lay back, swinging my legs back and forth. I had a lot to think about. But soon, my thoughts settled on one conclusion. It had been a while since I felt this sensation in my knees—no pain despite swinging my legs. Could I really ignore Sergeant Kang, who wished for revenge, after he lent me this body?“Should I just grab a rifle now, shoot everyone, and pretend it didn’t happen?”If I hid on a mission site and stole ammunition from the rebel group ‘Accent’, firing it off could lead to a clean death. But executing it would be too risky, and more importantly, I didn’t think such a criminal act of revenge would be what Sergeant Kang wanted.“Hmm… what should I do?”I continued to think while staring at the ceiling of the shared guiding room. Yes, for the past few days, I had been working in the shared guiding room. Thanks to Han Byeongeun’s neat handling of matters and Ahn Changhyeon’s military detention, I had officially been transferred from Team 12 and became independent, joining the shared guiding room.The better part was that after about two years, when my body officially retired, there were fewer people willing to join the shared guiding room because more guides wanted to be part of teams. As a result, I was now ranked second in the organizational hierarchy of the shared guiding room. Not bad for a mid-level rank, right? The Chief of the guiding room was currently on a business trip to Gangwon Center, and judging from the fact that I didn’t remember his name, he was probably from a military academy in Gangwon. I’m not great with names, so I wasn’t entirely sure, but when I asked Han Byeongeun, he confirmed that the Chief wasn’t from a shared guiding academy or military academy like me. I had even seen him getting annoyed once, so next time I should make him do push-ups.Thanks to that, I was stuck in the shared guiding room with nothing to do. I missed the busy days, but this boredom and stillness were starting to make my prefrontal cortex feel soft. I had always lived a busy life, so even this dullness became a sort of joy. These days, after work, the only thing I did was go to the gym; I didn’t have any other plans. For now, I figured I should build some strength, take a few assignments, and earn a bit of bonus pay to top up my bank account.Was payday in 10 days? As I counted the days left until my salary came, I focused on playing Minesweeper, then switched to Freecell. The Chief in Gangwon seemed bored too, as his score was high, and it was frustrating because I had never beaten his record.Today, I was determined to break it. That’s how I spent my days—mostly pondering revenge for Sergeant Kang, but still leading a somewhat dull and uneventful, yet precious life. I thought that peace would last a little longer.Until I had that ridiculous dream.“Wait—”In the dream, I was pushing Moohyuk away. Moohyuk was always impatient.“Colonel, please…”He was good at begging. Whenever I heard him beg, I felt a burning sensation at the back of my neck. How could I be doing this with a kid I had known since he was little? The sense of guilt was overwhelming, and somehow, I didn’t know how, Kim Moohyuk whispered in my ear.“I’m an adult now.”Then, I would laugh and respond like this:“Then, let’s do something only adults can.”Kim Moohyuk frowned at those words, crossing his arms, and threw off his shirt. As my eyes moved over his toned body, Moohyuk took my hand, kissed the inside of my wrist, and looked at me. His gaze was full of things—desire, thirst, desperation. Those similar words poured over me like rain, soaking me.In the dream, I frowned in response. What am I supposed to do? You’re the Esper I raised with such care; shouldn’t I be keeping you from doing this? And knowing exactly what I was thinking, Moohyuk chased me, whispering into my ear.“I’m not a kid anymore.”“Ugh—!”What a crazy dream. I had it again today. How many days has it been now, this absurd, messy dream… especially with a kid? I must have fallen asleep in the guiding room, and since I slept in an uncomfortable position, I ended up having a nightmare.Of course, in the five years that passed, Kim Moohyuk had been promoted from second lieutenant to captain and was now in his late 20s, but to me, he was still a kid. The first time I saw Kim Moohyuk, I was 32. No matter how much older he got, he was still younger than I was when I first saw him. So how could I have such a dream?“Is it frustration…?”With Colonel Kang Hajung’s body, there was no frustration. I was naturally a person with little desire. I always believed in the saying, “A healthy body equals a healthy mind,” so I burned off all the excess through exercise. Even when my knees hurt, I had to do rehab, so training was essential for a soldier. To use a wheelchair or crutches, I had to strengthen my upper body first. Because of that, I generally got angry less, felt sad less, and had less desire.Moreover, I didn’t really understand love. If what I felt for Seonghan was friendship and for Moohyuk was affection and fondness, I knew almost nothing about the clingy love they described in the media or books.The truth is, I…“…Huh?”“That’s too harsh!”Han Byeongeun, who had been on the phone, entered the guiding room, giving me a pitying look as he continued his call.“No, honey. It’s nothing. By the way, did you get the sesame oil? What do we do next?”Looks like I’ll have to run errands for the sister-in-law again… I didn’t realize he was just getting annoyed with me. Sigh… how pitiful.Thankfully, Han Byeongeun’s ridiculous entrance helped calm me down from the excitement caused by the dream. They say even an idiot has a use, and I guess it was true. However, I had no desire to be kind to Han Byeongeun, so I kicked the chair he was sitting on and asked why he was here.Byeongeun gave me an annoyed look and continued the conversation.“Ugh, if you’re going to keep living like a sergeant, you need to calm down a bit. This isn’t the personality of someone with a mid-level rank. Even if you get promoted, I bet your personality will be less messed up than Colonel’s.”“Are you saying that because you’ve been spoiled?”“I’ve never been spoiled like that.”“Alright, just get to the point.”Han Byeongeun sighed at my words and continued.“There’s joint training for the guides today. I overheard it. No one’s going to tell you about it since you’ve been isolated, Colonel.”…That kid. Unfortunately, what he said was true. Sergeant Kang was isolated, and I was already a dead body, so the relationships within the center were probably completely gone. Even when I tried to check the intranet, I couldn’t access it because I didn’t know Sergeant Kang’s password.I submitted Han Byeongeun’s diagnosis to the headquarters’ administration and requested a new intranet password, but there had been no response. Those guys at the Seogyeong Center were slow at processing things, so I wasn’t surprised. I had bought a new phone just a few days ago, so I didn’t even have the chance to register the new number. Come to think of it, Han Byeongeun still hadn’t told me what happened to Kim Moohyuk.“What happened to Moohyuk? He’s in the recovery room now, right? Does he remember anything about me?”“You’re quick to ask. He was on the verge of going berserk, how could he remember you? He’s recovering well, and he’s already gone out on another mission.”“What?!”Wait, this crazy guy, after suffering from guide exhaustion, he’s going back to work? Is he possessed by the ghost of someone who died because they couldn’t work? I couldn’t believe it.“What’s his problem? …Did I wander around like that when I ended up like this?”Han Byeongeun glanced at me as though he found me utterly pathetic. His face was clearly mocking me, and I couldn’t take it. I met his gaze and retorted with an equally disdainful tone.“Colonel, were you fine back then? Do you think a guide who lost their esper would have been able to live normally?”“…But seriously, why am I getting so angry over this.”After tapping Han Byeongeun lightly on the back of the head, I fell into thought. …This situation made it feel like I might just end up discharging without a word. A sigh escaped me. Pushing myself to the limit without caring for my own body felt exactly like what I did right after I sent Ha Seonghan off.But still, why did I have that dream? As I thought about Kim Moohyuk, I couldn’t help but recall the ridiculous dream I had.It was absurd to have such a shameless dream with my own apprentice. It probably had something to do with Moohyuk’s esper resonance, causing some sort of sympathetic effect, and his feelings of longing for me manifested in the dream as lust.It wasn’t because he actually thought of me that way, but rather because our guiding resonances had mixed together after five years, which caused this phenomenon. It was still utterly ridiculous. How could I live with this shame when I’d have to face Kim Moohyuk?As I drowned in such thoughts, Han Byeongeun, claiming that his sister-in-law was waiting for him and that he needed to buy sesame oil, left first, and I was left alone in the guiding room, still deep in thought. I wanted to live quietly for my discharge, but after sneaking a peek into Sergeant Kang’s memories, it kept bothering me. As a “tenant” living in his body, it seemed like the best way to pay my rent was to help fulfill Sergeant Kang’s vengeance. On the other hand, my desire to live quietly and apply for discharge kept fighting with that thought.After some contemplation, I decided to try training to draw up the guiding energy circulating within Sergeant Kang’s body. The training environment wasn’t bad. The only people working in the shared guiding room were the Chief and me. Since the Chief was in Gangwon, I was alone in the room. Moreover, since Sergeant Kang’s guiding energy was unrefined, training with it seemed like it could be an interesting challenge.I was planning to send the guiding energy that had been released the last time I guided Moohyuk all the way to my toes, though it was an exercise that required a lot of stamina. The problem was that Sergeant Kang’s stamina had been drained due to his previous suicide attempts, so I could hardly make any progress and had to lie down on the temporary bed in the guiding room, groaning in pain. My vision blurred, and I had to lie there for a while before getting up again to repeat the process. Though it wasn’t working now, I was sure that I would eventually find a way to merge Sergeant Kang’s guiding energy with my brainwaves.There was no one in the center who could match my guiding control abilities, so once my brainwaves fused with Sergeant Kang’s guiding energy, the purity of the energy would increase even further.“If I do well, maybe I could reach S-grade…”For now, the amount of residual guiding energy in my body was considerable, so if my stamina held out, training should be relatively easy. I decided I would ask Han Byeongeun to prepare a stamina training protocol for Sergeant Kang. Meanwhile, I stabilized the flow of guiding energy inside me.But eventually, even this kind of thing gets boring. I realized that I hadn’t eaten anything all day and had been focusing solely on controlling the guiding energy flow. Normally, Kim Moohyuk would’ve taken care of my meals, and after several years of being used to that, I kept forgetting the small things when living alone. It felt strange, being alone again after having gotten so used to bad habits due to Kim Moohyuk.I clicked my tongue and got up. I decided I needed to eat something before heading to the joint guide training that Han Byeongeun had mentioned. The shared guiding room was located near the medical ward, so it wasn’t too far from the main training facility. It would be a bit tight on time if I stopped by the cafeteria, but since Sergeant Kang’s knees weren’t like my old ones, I figured I could make it work.The ramen at the cafeteria is amazing. I wondered if the cafeteria staff would still make ramen as a side dish if I went now. Thinking that, I headed toward the cafeteria attached to Ipsae-dong.By the time I finished a quick meal and came out, quite a bit of time had passed. After not visiting the cafeteria for a while, the same confusion I’d experienced before returned. Was it the kiosk or the Okhotsk system? Anyway, I found myself fumbling with the machine, trying to press different buttons, and after a while, I finally made the payment. However, instead of the ramen ticket I wanted, I got a stone bowl bibimbap ticket. It was too much trouble to cancel and pay again, so I just took a bite of the bibimbap, realizing that Sergeant Kang’s digestive system wasn’t working properly either. How could someone’s body be in such bad shape? Could this even be called a body? It was a body that was about 30% lacking, so it should be called a “mo” instead.My original body wasn’t exactly in great condition either, but when I was paired with Kim Moohyuk, he made sure I ate a lot of things, so before I died, I was fairly healthy. But Sergeant Kang’s body was way worse. I couldn’t even finish much, leaving most of it, only sipping the broth on the side before leaving. He probably had some gastritis too—maybe he had even attempted poisoning suicide before.Sergeant Kang’s life was so painful that it almost brought tears to my eyes. What did that kid ever do to deserve such harsh treatment? Where was the reason to be bullied like that? Tsk, clicking my tongue, I started walking toward the main training center. Maybe because I didn’t take the cart, the distance between the cafeteria and the training center felt unexpectedly far. After entering the building, I headed toward the largest hall. When I opened the door, I saw a group of guides gathered together.I could feel several guides glancing at me as I entered. From the way they were whispering, it seemed like they were gossiping about Sergeant Kang—or maybe me. Little punks. They weren’t even in elementary school, yet they were still playing this childish game of isolating people. Back in my day… I stopped myself before I became one of those old-timer types.I took a seat in an empty spot and stared ahead. The hall was so large that the face of the person standing on the platform was hard to make out. He was tall and, from what I could tell from a distance, had the black hair that is typical of anyone from East Asia. I couldn’t make out any other distinctive features. Soon, he grabbed the microphone and began speaking.“If everyone is here, please take a seat.”The guides, who had been huddled together, quickly sat down at his command. From how quickly they obeyed, it seemed like the person on stage held some significant authority. As someone who had done joint guide training a long time ago, I started to get a little confused about the procedures. After all, even if the center scheduled joint training, I wasn’t someone who would participate in such things. Before the incident, I was always out on missions, and after the accident, I hadn’t been involved in any joint training as an instructor either.Moreover, putting a guide who’s paired with a high-level esper into joint training rather than individual training was almost a waste of power. This would be the first time I participated in one since I was a second lieutenant with Ha Seonghan when we first joined the center. Thinking about it, I became quite curious. What would this training involve? I crossed my arms and watched the man on stage as he grabbed the microphone again.“Today’s training is simple. You will form teams and deploy your guiding waves to create a large wave that does not interfere with your teammate’s guiding.”At that, several discontented murmurs rose from the crowd. It was to be expected. Telling them to deploy their guiding waves was essentially telling them to perform radiating guiding. Guides usually start by learning how to deploy their waves far to guide espers who are far away.The more difficult part for them, however, was making the wave smaller, not larger. In reality, smaller waves can only guide espers at close range, so it’s far more cost-effective for both the esper and the guide to just hold hands instead.But now, instead of expanding their waves, they were told not to interfere with their teammates’ guiding. This meant that, for the usual guides who spread their waves concentrically like ripples in a pond, they were now being told to shape their waves into spiral waves, a technique that only high-level guides could achieve. Of course, I could do this. After all, the title of “the best guide created by the military” wasn’t given to me for nothing.The problem was with the other guides, not me. The fact that it’s usually possible for A-grade guides to do this was more of a theoretical concept; in reality, even S-grade and higher guides found it difficult to succeed. I wasn’t always able to use this technique well either. I only perfected it after working as a pair with Seonghan for a long time.To the other guides, this must have sounded like being told to pitch with their left arm, even if they were right-handed. While it was theoretically possible, it was practically close to impossible.“Ugh, what the hell… What are we supposed to do?”As expected, complaints began to rise from the crowd. They frowned, murmuring, then turned to look at me, snickering.“Hey, no matter how bad I mess up, I’m still better than that guy. What was his rank again? D-grade?”What the hell? Worry about yourself. I raised an eyebrow as an unfamiliar guide next to me suddenly pulled me into the conversation. The guy sitting across from him also glanced at me and, chuckling, shrugged and replied.“I don’t know. Why would I memorize the ranks of the lowest-tier guys? Hey, wasn’t that guy Jungkyu’s deputy?”Hearing the familiar name, I thought about the chief guide from Team 12, and I made a disinterested expression. That kid didn’t look like much, but he sure seemed to have a lot of connections.At that moment, the man on stage grabbed the microphone again.“Now, the eight of you surrounding me will form a team.”What? The eight people around me? I instinctively glanced around, and my eyes locked with the ones of the same guys who had been looking at me with similar expressions just moments ago. …Oh, great. Why did it have to be them? I’m sure they don’t like me either, but I sure don’t like them. And they were looking at me with the same exact disdain. This mutual dislike was utterly useless for training. But then, as if the man on stage knew we were hesitating, he urged us through the microphone.“Please form your teams quickly. If you don’t, you may end up working overtime tonight.”