DPGR 24

“With this, the two of you are officially a pair. Guide Seo Jiho, train hard from now on. And Esper Baek Dojin… well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing, but make sure to protect your pair guide out in the field.”

The director had seen it happen too many times: espers broken after losing their pair guides on the frontlines.

There were a few who had followed their guides in death. But most didn’t die—they lost their minds, and with it, their control.

And when espers went berserk, others died. Fellow espers injured or killed in the chaos—it was all too common.

But if someone like Dojin, an S-rank and a multi-ability esper, were to go berserk… it wouldn’t just be a few casualties. It’d be everyone.

No matter what, Dojin had to be kept from losing control. And the only way to do that was to keep Jiho safe.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good. And if it comes to it, just die instead.”

The Esper Director said it half-jokingly. Dojin took it as such, letting out a quiet chuckle.

But Jiho—still unable to distinguish between a joke and serious talk—reacted very differently.

“……!”

Die? He wanted Dojin to die?

Startled, Jiho threw his arms around Dojin’s waist from behind, clinging tightly. Then, like a furious little bird, he glared up at the Esper Director with puffed-up cheeks and fiery eyes.

“Guide J-Jiho?!”

Dojin was flustered, hastily trying to pry Jiho off him. The Esper Director let out a laugh, raising a brow in amusement.

“Well, look at that.”

Feisty little thing.

Dojin glanced at the director, worried. But the man didn’t seem displeased by Jiho’s glare—in fact, quite the opposite.

“Thought he was all skin and bones, but he’s not so weak after all.”

“……”

“All right, all right. I admit it—I misspoke.”

In the end, the Esper Director raised both hands in surrender. Dojin calmed the still-huffing Jiho and stood up.

“I apologize, sir.”

“No, no. Seems my joke was a bit much for a kid.”

“……”

“Best get going before he burns a hole in my face with that stare.”

The Esper Director’s booming laugh followed them as Dojin led the stubbornly-attached Jiho out of the director’s office.

Click—

The door shut. Left alone, the director finally let out the laughter he’d been holding back.

Looked like Baek Dojin had finally met his match.

“Good for you, really.”

His laughter lingered long after they were gone.

“I’m not going to die. So don’t worry.”

Once they left the director’s office, Dojin found himself floundering as he tried to console Jiho, whose expression had morphed into a teary pout.

Where was the person who had been so bold, glaring daggers at the Esper Director moments ago?

Now, with the threat gone, Jiho looked like he might cry, lips trembling like a child trying very hard to be brave.

The members of Alpha Team, who had been waiting outside, quickly got the gist of the situation from Dojin and jumped in to help distract and cheer Jiho up.

“Wanna go check out the Alpha Team’s training room? Or the captain’s office?”

“O-oh! I’ve got a whole stash of snacks in there! Wanna have some treats? Candy? Cookies?”

“Or we could hit the cafeteria! Captain’s card’s on the table!”

Luckily, mention of the captain’s office caught Jiho’s attention. The team, seeing their opening, went overboard with their antics, leading Jiho off with exaggerated fanfare.

Dojin let out a quiet sigh of relief.

One second he’s timid, the next he’s brave. Super sensitive, then completely simple-minded.

Young people these days, he thought, shaking his head in disbelief. But he couldn’t help the slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

‘What even am I…’

The way Jiho had panicked at the idea of him dying and clung to him like that—

Even back during his military days, even after becoming an esper and joining the Center, Dojin had always lived with death at his back.

He’d accepted the idea that he might die at any moment.

But seeing Jiho clinging to him like that…

‘Guess I don’t want to die after all.’

For the first time, he felt a real will to live. All because of a single guide—he now found himself overflowing with a desire to survive.

‘I never thought a guide would get to me like this.’

Dojin glanced down at Jiho, who was holding his hand and walking beside him. As if sensing the gaze, Jiho looked up at him.

Dojin ruffled the curls on Jiho’s head, which bounced gently with each step, and made a quiet vow to himself.

No matter what happens—

I won’t die.

And no matter what happens—

I’ll protect this guide.

A small, nameless emotion quietly took root in his heart.

***

A S-Rank Guide Appears on This Tiny Peninsula

The news spread like wildfire: one of the rarest beings on Earth—an S-rank guide—had emerged in South Korea.

There were only two in the entire world, and now a third had appeared, right here.

It started with online articles and message boards.

—“Wait, what’s this article going around??? Says an S-rank guide appeared. Is it real???”

—(link)

—“Apparently a new S-rank guide just showed up. Thought it was clickbait, but now more articles are popping up.”

—“Lmao why would an S-rank guide show up in Korea. Let’s be real here.”

—“(shook) There’s literally articles out though?”

—“Did someone hack all the news sites or something?”

— “(seriously) Dude no, even major news channels are reporting it now;;;;”

—“What am I even witnessing right now??”

—“What’s going on in Korea? ¿¿S-rank guide?? Just like that?? In Korea??”

—“This is nuts. First we got an S-rank multi-ability esper on this cramped little peninsula, and now we’ve got an S-rank guide too.”

—“God I’ve never felt more patriotic lmaooooo”

—“This sounds like a rejected webnovel plot. Too much suspension of disbelief.”

—“So my brother’s an esper, and apparently this new S-rank guide? Used to be in one of those shady illegal guiding facilities that got busted recently.”

—“Wait… seriously?”

—“Bro please, every Korean forum thread has someone claiming their cousin’s a guide or their uncle’s an esper. Feels like half the population is in the biz.”

—“(no joke) But my cousin actually is a guide and she said the same thing.”

—“Yeah yeah and my brother is the Esper Director lol”

While some genuine info did leak out, it didn’t stay in the spotlight for long—

Because right after, a massive headline dropped and drowned out everything else:

“Unprecedented Compatibility Rate Between S-Rank Esper and S-Rank Guide”

“Third S-Rank Guide Emerges in South Korea”

According to the Korean Guide Center……(abridged)…

The Center officially announced that the newly emerged S-rank guide had signed a pair contract with an S-rank esper.

Their compatibility rate? 99.99%—a full 8% higher than the previous record holders, the famed U.S. pair, Derek & Susan.

The article didn’t name the esper. But it wasn’t hard for the public to figure out.

There was only one S-rank esper in Korea who didn’t have a pair guide: Baek Dojin.

Dojin had long enjoyed sky-high favor with the public.

A rare case who Awakened late, at age 30. One of only three S-rank espers in the country. The only multi-ability esper in the world.

Everything about him had the makings of a protagonist.

Even his past in special forces added to his appeal.

People liked him—no, loved him—and closely followed his story.

And those in the know were well aware: Despite his fame, he’d long struggled without a compatible guide.

So when news broke that he’d finally formed a pair contract—And not just with any guide, but an S-rank one—And with a compatibility rate of 99.99%—His fans exploded with joy.

—“Even straw sandals come in pairs. We really thought Baek Dojin would be alone forever, but he had a match all along lol. 99.99%?? That’s divine intervention right there.”

—“Exactly lololol I’m so relieved he won’t be suffering from guide deprivation anymore… Why am I crying rn…”

—“Baek Dojin’s whole narrative is insane. Special ops, Awakens at 30 as an S-rank, turns out to be the only multi in the world, then spends 3 years guide-less and struggling… and finally finds his perfect match—and it’s an S-rank guide, no less.”

—“This is straight up romance movie material. 99.99%? That’s not a match, that’s a soulmate. Please let these two be happy.”

—“Is this the S-rank guide??”

Someone dug up a photo that had circulated earlier during a Baek Dojin sighting.

It showed him shopping at a big-box store—

And next to him, a mystery individual presumed to be his guide.

—“The person next to him is wearing this black coat, right? I looked it up—that’s the same coat Baek Dojin used to wear all the time last year.” (Photo of Dojin in the same coat on his way to work)

—“Apparently that coat was a gift from designer Baek Dohi. Zoom in, and the button details match exactly.”

—“Whoa, the second button is even hanging by a thread—same exact coat.”

—“There was a café sighting too, said he wasn’t alone. Wasn’t it the same day?”

—“Yeah yeah. Went to the mart together then hit the café.”

—“Sounds like a date.”

—“That is a date.”

The photos of Dojin, which had already made rounds once before, began circulating again—now with added attention on the unknown person beside him.

People obsessed over the blurry shots, editing and enhancing them to get a better look at the presumed S-rank guide.

The fact that no official info had been released about the guide only fueled the intrigue.

Forums lit up with speculation: Gender? Age? Background?

But the truth was, Jiho was bundled up so tightly in Dojin’s coat, not even a silhouette was clear.

Worse still, in every photo, Dojin stood practically glued to Jiho’s side, blocking his face with his own body.

There was really only one conclusion to be drawn from the images:

—“Okay but… Baek Dojin is super protective of his guide.”