Churu for the Angry Guide

46

Jihan was still applauding even as he stood in front of the door. He kept cheering endlessly, even whistling, saying that an amazing guide had arrived. It seemed he had already forgotten his promise not to upset Siwoo’s mood.

“Shut up and get out quickly!”

Although Siwoo got angry, he didn’t seem genuinely upset, so Jihan continued to make a fuss for a bit longer.

“You’re a guiding genius, a genius! Our Han Siwoo guide is so cool!”

“I said get out!”

Pretending to open the door, Jihan gave a thumbs up again and said thanks for coming. This was sincere.

Siwoo just threw punches in the air without responding further. In fact, he was feeling a bit elated because his test results were high.

A 7% increase.

He had been worried that it might come out lower than expected, but fortunately, it was measured much higher. Judging from Jihan’s exaggerated reaction, it seemed this wasn’t a rare occurrence.

I guess I really did well. Maybe not a genius… but still.

Just as Jihan was about to open the door, the doorknob turned first. At the same time, Siwoo’s relaxed expression stiffened.

“Move.”

Geonho, who filled the gap between the wide-open door, gestured with his chin at Jihan. Jihan, who had been blocking the door, looked at Geonho with a surprised expression.

“You’re getting tested first?”

“If you’re done, get out.”

Geonho pushed Jihan out with his telekinesis and entered the examination room. His steps were heavy as he took one step at a time. He walked looking at the empty wall, not at Siwoo.

“The guide just got discharged. Don’t be too scary.”

Jihan smiled, undaunted by Geonho’s cold glare. Eventually, Geonho pushed him completely out of the examination room and slammed the door shut.

Siwoo’s shoulders flinched at the loud ‘bang’ of the door closing.

Geonho sat down in the chair opposite Siwoo with an indifferent face. Siwoo instinctively lowered his head at Geonho’s presence, which filled his entire field of vision.

He thought he would be the last to be tested. Siwoo had expected Seojun to come in second. He wasn’t prepared to face Geonho yet.

Still, feeling like he should say something, he forced himself to open his mouth. Kang Geonho, sitting with his head turned to the side, didn’t seem to have any intention of talking.

“Um…”

Just as Siwoo was about to make a sound, the green button signaling the start of guiding was pressed down. The button was pushed without anyone touching it. Geonho had pressed it with his telekinesis.

A loud machine sound rang out, just like when he was with Jihan. Siwoo lowered his gaze and focused on the guidance voice, biting his inner lip.

Siwoo clenched his fist upon hearing the expected matching rate with Geonho for the first time. It was lower than average.

So that’s why nothing happened when our bodies touched. Siwoo remembered that even when sleeping in the same bed with Geonho, guiding had never been drained. On the contrary, with Jihan and the leader, even small contacts immediately drained his energy.

“Aren’t you going to do it?”

Siwoo’s eyes widened. He seemed surprised that Geonho was speaking to him.

“I asked if you’re not going to do the guiding.”

Geonho nodded towards the clock. Already a minute had passed.

“Ah, um…”

Siwoo quickly gathered his thoughts and took a long breath.

To concentrate, he gently closed his eyes and carefully approached Geonho’s wavelength. Knowing that he was having difficulties with guiding, Siwoo didn’t unleash it recklessly from the start.

Siwoo remembered how he had struggled while using the guiding machine. He was an Esper who felt aversion even to expensive machines. So he had to approach even more cautiously.

“…”

Guiding proceeded in a suffocating silence. Geonho slowly turned his head forward, sensing the guide’s energy approaching slowly.

He stared intently at Siwoo’s face with closed eyes. He examined every corner of his face, which somehow seemed thinner, and briefly checked his arm as well. He couldn’t remember if it was the left or right side where the needle had been inserted. In any case, it looked fine now.

Geonho fixed his gaze back on the pale white face. The hair and long eyelashes were all so white that it was almost painful to look at.

He rubbed his sore eyes for no reason and chewed on the inside of his cheek.

The irritation rising from within and the indescribable emotions made his head spin. It was even more so when facing the guide in person.

Geonho took a deep breath through his nose. Perhaps because Siwoo had his eyes closed, he looked no different from when he was lying in the hospital room.

He still looked like a sick patient. It seemed like he needed to gain at least 30kg more.

Just then, Siwoo suddenly opened his eyes.

Geonho flinched upon seeing the clear sky-blue eyes and turned his head away a beat late. Siwoo blinked and stared intently at Geonho’s profile.

“Can’t you… feel the guiding?”

The faintly leaked voice was a bit cracked. His voice trembled as he strained his body. He seemed very flustered by the unfamiliar situation.

Geonho’s wavelength was completely unreadable. He didn’t show any reaction to his guiding either.

“I just sent out more, don’t you know?”

A rough breath mixed with the trembling voice. Siwoo, with flushed cheeks, waited for Geonho’s answer while emitting guiding even more strongly.

However, Geonho’s wavelength, which should have clearly reacted to the guiding, remained calm. Despite being more sensitively tangled than Jihan’s, it didn’t absorb the guiding at all.

It was like a person dying of thirst refusing a cool glass of ice water right in front of them. What could be the problem?

“Tell me how it feels.”

Siwoo leaned his upper body forward towards the table. Even biting his lips couldn’t stop his quickened breaths from escaping. His body temperature was gradually rising as he put more strength into the guiding.

However, no matter how hard he tried, Geonho’s wavelength wouldn’t accept him. It even felt like he was pouring guiding onto a wall rather than an Esper.

“I don’t know.”

Siwoo’s gaze fell to the floor at Geonho’s low voice.

Until the full 10 minutes passed, Siwoo couldn’t get even slightly closer to Geonho’s wavelength. Geonho’s aversion to guiding was more extreme than expected. Maybe it was even more so because it was Siwoo.

The machine sound signaling the end of guiding rang out. Still, Siwoo couldn’t easily withdraw his guiding and clung to it persistently.

It feels like it might work if I just try a little more. Unable to let go of his regret, he moved his lips and cautiously observed Geonho’s reaction. He refused to make eye contact with Siwoo until the end. He kept looking at the side wall.

Soon, Siwoo withdrew his guiding and rubbed his heated face. The guiding that had worked well with Yoo Jihan didn’t work at all. It seems he was just lucky at first. Of course.

“It’s always like this.”

Siwoo raised his head. Geonho’s voice, which had briefly brushed past, disappeared so quickly that it almost seemed like an illusion.

He wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard and ask again, but just then the guidance voice started again.

Siwoo’s tense Adam’s apple moved rapidly. He wanted to ask if they could try just one more time before hearing the results.

A deep silence fell. The stunned Siwoo looked at Geonho, wondering if he had heard wrong. Everyone watching the situation in the examination room was also surprised.

It had dropped by 9% from the expected matching rate, which was already considered low. There was a reason why radiant guiding didn’t work. It would be difficult to stabilize the wavelength even with contact guiding at such a low rate.

Unlike the surprised Siwoo, Geonho’s expression didn’t change at all. His attitude was as if he had expected such a result.

“I’m not receiving guiding anyway.”

He got up from his seat and made eye contact with Siwoo for the first time. He looked down at Siwoo with his hands deep in his pockets.

Siwoo bit his cracked lower lip. Are you really not going to receive guiding, he asked with his gaze. But no answer came.

Geonho left the room without looking back. Leaving the door wide open.