DPGR 22

—It’ll be fine.

Jiho’s lips moved, mouthing the words. That it would be okay. That he was willing to test with the other espers too.

It wasn’t something Dojin wanted to hear. So he pretended not to understand.

But Jiho fished around in his coat pocket and pulled out a pink notebook and a pencil. He removed the protective cap from the tip and quickly scribbled something down.

[I’ll do it. It’s okay.]

Dojin could no longer play dumb. For the first time, he regretted ever giving Jiho that notebook and pencil.

“…Fine.”

He spoke at last, sounding like he had no other choice. The researchers looked relieved, and the espers who had been sulking now perked up with barely hidden anticipation, each hoping their turn might come.

“But.”

Dojin frowned as he looked around. There was no way he’d hand Jiho over to these nameless hyenas.

If Jiho had to do the compatibility tests with other espers, it would be with ones Dojin could trust.

“We’ll proceed with the Alpha Team espers.”

“P-pardon?”

“I won’t permit anyone outside my team.”

“Permit,” he said—as if Jiho were already his.

But the atmosphere around him was so threatening that no one dared to object.

“R-right, then. We’ll call the Alpha Team espers.”

One of the researchers bolted out the door, and Dojin sat down on one of the waiting room chairs, pulling Jiho close beside him.

He looked every bit like a predator guarding his young, eyes watchful.

Tch. Pretending not to care about guides before this…

Wasn’t he always laughing and carefree? Look at him flipping the switch when it’s about a guide…

The espers who had been secretly holding onto hope realized their chances had vanished and silently cursed Dojin under their breath.

Of course, Dojin could guess exactly what they were thinking. But he didn’t care one bit.

The compatibility testing with the Alpha Team members was carried out quickly.

Upon hearing about Jiho and Dojin’s result, the team had dropped everything and rushed over.

“Kyaa! Captain! Captain! Our kijoonie’s here!”

“Shut up! What the hell is going on?!”

“Whoa! Guide Jiho! It’s been a while!”

Kijoon, Jihye, and Yulchan entered one after another. The last one to appear gave Jiho a polite nod before approaching Dojin to get the details.

That must be the Alpha Team’s vice-captain, Jiho thought, observing him silently.

Then, stepping forward, he gave small bows to the excited trio bouncing around him.

In the meantime, a researcher, now finished setting up the equipment, shyly approached to begin the test.

“I’ll go first! Pick me!”

Kijoon shot his hand into the air in response to the researcher’s question about who wanted to go first. His cutesy tone didn’t match his large frame, and the researcher grimaced slightly.

“Uh, right… this way, then…”

“Kyaa! Let’s go, Guide Jiho!”

Kijoon jerked his head to motion Jiho into the testing room and slipped inside. Jiho hesitated, glancing back at Dojin.

“…Go ahead.”

Dojin’s expression was far from pleased. Even though he trusted his team, they were still espers—and he couldn’t help but worry.

Jiho gently patted Dojin’s shoulder a few times, then slowly made his way into the room.

The test room was small. Beyond the glass wall, the researcher repeated the instructions from earlier.

Stand face to face. Relax. Hold hands with an open mind.

“Guide Jiho. You okay?”

Kijoon glanced at Jiho’s tense face and asked gently. Jiho nodded, then immediately shook his head.

The idea of guiding another esper while Dojin waited outside that door made his stomach twist.

It wasn’t because it was Kijoon in particular. It just didn’t feel right.

Seeing this, Gijun rolled his eyes playfully, then said:

“Don’t worry too much.”

“…?”

“Honestly, I’m already trying to win over another guide. Even if we score 100% compatibility, I’m not planning to pair with anyone but him.”

Jiho’s eyes widened. He hadn’t known Gijun liked someone.

“Our vice-captain has a really steady wave pattern, so he tends to match well with almost all guides. That’s why he’s never been obsessed with high percentages. And Jihye’s already crazy about her pair guide. Yulchan too—he’s got his own. So, no one here’s going to be eyeing you like the others out there.”

As he finished, Kijoon held out his hand.

Jiho looked at it for a moment before slowly taking it.

…I think I understand now why Baek Dojin trusts his team.

None of them had said it outright, but they were all rooting for him and Dojin.

“Alright, please begin the guiding.”

The researcher’s voice came through the glass, prompting them to start. Jiho closed his eyes and began focusing.

It’s okay. I can do this.

He had always adjusted his wave to others. This was the first time he was deliberately distorting it.

What if I mess up?

If I show high compatibility with the others too, the Center won’t just leave me as Dojin’s pair guide…

That worry lingered quietly in the back of his mind—but for now, he chose to trust himself.

“Hoo…”

A quiet sigh slipped past his lips. At the same time, guiding energy flowed through the hand he was holding.

Twisting the wave pattern was tricky, but not impossible.

“Ugh, oww…”

But because he was guiding with a mismatched wave, it was painful for the esper.

“Ah, stings…”

Kijoon groaned, twisting this way and that. It was similar—but not quite the same—as how Dojin had reacted during Jiho’s earlier guiding.

Jiho felt sorry for him, but he couldn’t help it.

If it really hurts, Kijoon will let go first.

The test lasted a time that felt both short and long.

Ding—

A chime signaled the end of the test, and the researcher instructed them to come out. Kijoon shook out the hand Jiho had been holding and groaned.

“Ugh, that really stings.”

“……”

“N-no, don’t apologize! This is a good thing, actually. It means our compatibility is terrible.”

He quickly comforted Jiho, who was mouthing an apology. And he was right—the pain clearly meant that their wave patterns didn’t match at all.

Jiho knew that too. Though he still felt bad, he couldn’t help but feel relieved inside.

Next was a compatibility test with the vice-captain, Sehun. The result was the same: a complete miss.

After two back-to-back scores below 10%, further testing would’ve been pointless.

“Wow… guess that seals it, huh.”

“Congrats, Captain!”

“I’ve never seen anything this extreme before.”

The Alpha Team members looked at their result sheets with awe. Their compatibility with Jiho had bottomed out, but since that was exactly what they’d hoped for, the mood was celebratory.

“Th-thank you all for your cooperation,”

The researcher bowed slightly, glancing at Dojin, unable to ignore the results.

Dojin, now with a visibly softer expression than before, nodded as he kept Jiho close.

“Yes… well…”

Even as he responded, his gaze never left Jiho. His eyes sparkled with something new.

It had already been hard to believe their 99.99% compatibility—but now Jiho was practically unable to guide anyone else.

‘My guide…’

There was no other way to put it: he had been granted by the heavens.

While Dojin was momentarily lost in that thought, the researcher continued explaining and requesting things from the pair.

“As Esper Baek Dojin knows, this kind of result is extremely rare. We’ll need to report this case to the World Esper Organization. But to do that, we’ll need Guide Jiho’s official registration.”

Since they’d planned from the start to complete Jiho’s guide registration after compatibility testing, it wasn’t a difficult request.

Jiho clutched at Dojin’s jacket. Dojin covered his hand with his own and nodded.

“Understood. Let’s proceed with the registration right away.”

There was no real reason for it, but the researcher personally escorted Dojin and Jiho to the grade evaluation room.

As a researcher—after seeing a 99.99% result, she wanted to oversee this case through to the end.

“This way…”

She gestured toward the evaluation equipment. Dojin gently patted Jiho’s back and explained kindly.

“This is where they measure your grade. It’ll be over quickly.”

Knowing Jiho had already been evaluated as temporarily AA-grade, Dojin didn’t look particularly expectant.

The Alpha Team, who had trailed along behind them, didn’t seem too concerned either.

“Oh, so this is what the guide grading room looks like? Esper ones are more like gyms.”

“Yeah, this is cool.”

They stretched their necks to look around like kids on a field trip, curiously observing everything.

Dojin smiled faintly to himself. He knew their playful fuss was meant to ease Jiho’s nerves.

“Okay, we’ll begin the measurement.”

As Jiho stepped into the equipment, the researcher handed him two handles. The lid closed, and the machine began to hum and vibrate with a low rumble.

“Please hold the handles tightly and release your guiding energy at full capacity. You’ll need to maintain it for one minute.”

The researcher’s voice flowed into the chamber through the internal speaker. Jiho gripped the handles and hesitated.

How should I do this…?

What grade should I show?