Churu for the Angry Guide

8

The desk of Kang Taebeom, the leader of the Baekya Guild, was once again piled high with documents today. Since field missions had decreased, he spent most of his time in his private office.

His spacious office also had a desk for his secretary. The secretary only used that desk when Taebeom wasn’t in a sensitive mood.

Let’s see, Kang Taebeom’s condition today is…

The secretary glanced up discreetly at Taebeom, who was sitting with his back to the window. His face was barely visible behind the large computer screen. He was perfectly concealing his wavelength, so it was impossible to read his energy.

However, judging by how slowly he was turning the document pages compared to usual, he didn’t seem to be in a good state. Having spent a long time with him, the secretary could uncannily gauge Kang Taebeom’s condition.

Okay, I’ll have to do the rest of the work at the café.

He closed his laptop and stood up, moving as quietly as possible. True to his Esper nature, his hands were so quick in tidying up the desk that they were barely visible.

“I’ll be—”

Just as he was about to say he’d be leaving, a mail notification came on the secretary’s phone. Since only work notifications were turned on, he had no choice but to sit back down and open his laptop.

“Oh.”

The secretary’s expression brightened as he checked the email. After rapidly clicking the mouse buttons, he walked lightly to the printer. It seemed good news had arrived.

“A new guide profile has arrived!”

The secretary handed Taebeom the freshly printed, warm paper from the printer. It had been a while since they’d received a profile of a guide who had passed the matching rate suitability test. The secretary’s face was visibly welcoming.

“It’s a guide from overseas. He’s a bit older, but has plenty of experience to match.”

However, Taebeom’s reaction upon receiving the paper was merely dry.

He read the guide’s profile, filled with dense credentials, with an indifferent face. The guide had been affiliated with a famous guild overseas and had experience not only in field guiding but also in directly eliminating monsters.

Age 36. A rare A+ grade guide who was also a fox beastkin.

“Wow, his muscle mass is almost on par with an Esper? He’s tall and good-looking too.”

The secretary, standing beside Taebeom, chattered as he read the guide’s profile together. He couldn’t help but whistle when he saw the matching rate analysis with the team members.

“Both Geonho and Jihan Esper have over 70% matching rates, and the expected absorption rate is amazing. This should be enough even for the maknae…”

The secretary trailed off and tilted his head with an “Eh?” The most important person was missing from the matching rate analysis.

“There must have been an issue in the data transfer process. I’ll ask them to send it again.”

“I told them to leave me out.”

The secretary’s eyes widened as he immediately checked his phone. He looked at Taebeom with an expression that seemed to ask if he had heard correctly.

“Why exclude the leader? Are you not going to receive guiding?”

Taebeom continued reading the profile, ignoring the secretary. Having worked in a famous guild, the guide was flawless. Above all, his matching rate with the team members was high, so even if there were slight flaws, it was at a level that could be overlooked.

“Tell him to start work as soon as he arrives at the center.”

“But we don’t know what the matching rate with you is.”

“I know.”

Taebeom, picking up the file he had been reading again, nodded towards the door with his chin. It meant for the secretary to leave.

“How could you know? We need to do the test.”

However, the secretary, stubbornly standing his ground, let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t tell me you really asked them to leave you out on purpose?”

The secretary rubbed his face as he watched Taebeom casually flipping through documents. Judging by that reaction, it seemed he really didn’t intend to do the matching rate test from now on.

“I understand what you’re thinking, leader, but this isn’t right.”

A guild’s dedicated guide needed to have an above-average matching rate with all the Espers in the guild.

However, Kang Taebeom, the leader of the Baekya Guild, had significantly low matching rates with almost all guides in the country. So far, all the dedicated guides who had worked with the Baekya Guild found guiding the leader the most difficult.

It was because of his ability.

Taebeom was the only mental Esper in the country. He had the special ability to control others’ minds. The rarer an Esper’s ability, the more sensitive their wavelength, making guiding difficult.

His average matching rate was 29%, far below the average of other Espers.

Whether rumors had spread about how difficult it was to guide him, the number of volunteers for the Baekya Guild’s dedicated guide position had gradually decreased.

It was clear that he had excluded himself from the test for this reason. The secretary took a long sigh and hardened his expression to say something to Taebeom.

“Get out.”

Taebeom’s order came before the secretary could open his mouth. Hearing this, he hesitated for a moment but didn’t back down.

“I’m sure we can find someone overseas. Your wavelength is at its most dangerous right now. How long are you going to rely on drugs and machines?”

The secretary clenched his fist as he finished speaking in a serious tone. His sturdy face even showed a trace of pity.

“Was ‘get out’ difficult to understand?”

However, Taebeom didn’t budge. As he stood up from his chair, the tense secretary hurriedly fled towards the door. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been grabbed by the nape and dragged out for standing his ground until the end.

“What if you lose control? It won’t just be you who explodes!”

The secretary shouted one last time before flinging the door open as if escaping.

“Aah!”

He was about to run out, fearing the consequences, but let out an even louder scream. Something huge was blocking the doorway.

“Why are you screaming?”

Geonho, standing in front of the door, frowned while cleaning his ear. The secretary, clutching his startled chest at the sight of him, burst out in anger.

“If you’re here, why don’t you come in instead of standing there without knocking!”

“I was about to.”

“Ha, I thought a gate had opened.”

It seems he thought a gate had appeared because something large suddenly filled his vision. Occasionally, some sensitive Espers would make such misunderstandings when there was a loud noise or their view was blocked.

“What nonsense.”

Geonho clicked his tongue and slowly entered the office.

In fact, he had arrived 10 minutes earlier but couldn’t bring himself to open the door and just stood there. If the secretary hadn’t opened the door, he might have stood there for over an hour. Though Jihan would have probably opened the door for him before that.

Jihan, who had come along with Geonho, patted the surprised secretary’s shoulder. He just observed the situation without intervening in the conversation.

“Why are you here?”

Taebeom spoke while keeping his eyes on the pile of documents, having sat back down. With the window behind him casting a shadow on his face, his expression looked even darker.

“Are you busy?”

Geonho took slow steps, lingering around the storage cabinet rather than Taebeom’s desk. However, his gaze was fixed on Taebeom. He hadn’t taken his eyes off his hyung since entering the room.

Taebeom was Geonho’s older brother.

“Just state your business.”

Taebeom finally met Geonho’s gaze as he put down the documents. Even without frowning, his sharp eyes looked angry.

He always had this look in his eyes when looking at his younger brother. A gaze that suggested something was displeasing and uncomfortable.

“…If you’re busy, I can come back later.”

Geonho averted his gaze slightly, hands in his pockets. Jihan, observing the situation, let out a sigh mixed with laughter. He didn’t seem inclined to help at all.

Suddenly, Taebeom stood up. The secretary, who had been watching the situation, hid behind Jihan. He thought Taebeom was going to throw him out.

“What’s this?”

However, Taebeom was looking at Geonho, not the secretary. His sharp gaze was directed at Geonho’s face.

“W-what?”

As Taebeom approached him, Geonho stuttered in confusion. He even rubbed his face, wondering if something was on it.

“When did you last receive guiding?”

Taebeom roughly grabbed Geonho’s chin. Geonho’s expression stiffened at the fiercely lowered voice.

“…Yesterday.”

Geonho mumbled faintly, looking down at the floor. Only then did he remember the wound on the bridge of his nose.

If he had been in a normal state, such a minor scratch should have disappeared long ago. No, it shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.

“It just happened, so that’s why. It’ll disappear soon.”

“Kang Geonho.”

Taebeom’s low voice carried a warning. The air seemed to sink just from his short utterance.

“Answer properly.”

Taebeom glared at the bright red wound on the bridge of Geonho’s nose. It looked like a scratch from a small nail.

In fact, it was a tiny mark that could hardly be called a wound for an Esper, but Taebeom reacted sensitively. For a top-tier Esper to have a wound remaining was evidence that he hadn’t received guiding.

“…I received it four days ago.”

Geonho finally confessed the truth. He had lied out of habit, even knowing it wouldn’t work.

“Go get it right now and report back.”

Taebeom pushed Geonho towards the door and returned to his seat. Geonho lowered his head, stepping back as much as his brother had pushed him.

“I’ll report. Let’s go now.”

Jihan waved his hand lightly and left with Geonho. The secretary also gathered his laptop and immediately left the office.

This was always the team atmosphere of the Baekya Guild.

* * *

Jihan teleported to the front of the guiding room door.

He didn’t enter the guiding room right away, instead checking Geonho’s condition. His already fierce expression looked even more frightening as he became dejected. Poor guy.

“Try bringing it up again next time. Or send it to a shelter quickly.”

He advised, patting Geonho’s slumped shoulders. In fact, Jihan had expected that Geonho wouldn’t be able to bring it up.

“If you’re not confident about raising it, it’s better to send it away quickly. Before you get attached.”

Geonho silently rubbed his stiff neck, tense from the confrontation. Seeing this, it seemed unnecessary to hear his answer. Jihan grabbed the guiding room doorknob, saying he would send it away himself.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

At this, Geonho opened the door with telekinesis and muttered fiercely. As if he had absolutely no intention of sending the cat away.

Nyaaaoong―!

Just then, a white ball of fur leaped at Geonho’s face as he entered the room. Geonho could have easily dodged it but deliberately didn’t move.

The clearly angry cat slammed its body hard into Geonho’s face. It was loud enough to make a ‘slap!’ sound.

Nyaaang!

The cat clung tightly to Geonho’s face, meowing loudly.

It seemed to be saying, “Why did you come only now?”