DPGR 28

A few dozen minutes earlier.

Early in the morning, Dojin met with the Esper Director and heard something he hadn’t expected—rumors about Jiho circulating within the Center.

Whispers that his matching rate was fabricated, that he had once been the prized possession of an illegal facility’s boss, or that he’d betrayed the very person he had worked with in that place. Some were even more outrageous—claims that Dojin had been a client at the illegal facility, and that he had personally shut it down to monopolize Jiho, who’d caught his eye there.

These stories tied directly into the claim about the matching rate being falsified.

“Rumors like these usually spread quickly… and disappear just as fast. But still, Captain Baek, I thought you ought to know.”

Back in his office, Dojin massaged his throbbing temple as the director’s words replayed in his mind.

He had already noticed the disturbance Jiho’s sudden appearance as an S-rank Guide had caused among the other Guides. He knew some of the looks directed at Jiho were laced with malice.

But he hadn’t realized rumors like that were spreading beneath the surface.

Just as the Esper Director had said, these would likely be forgotten soon.

But what if Jiho heard them before they faded?

“…Haa.”

A sigh slipped from Dojin’s lips. The other espers, lounging around the office and preparing for their morning training like always, looked over at his expression.

“Captain, you okay?”

“Did you get scolded up there?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Aw, come on! Kijoon knows the mood in this room better than anyone. What’s up? Did the Director chew you out again?”

“I said it’s nothing. Just finish prepping for training—”

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence.

Suddenly, rapid footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. They drew closer and closer, until the door was flung open without so much as a knock.

“S-Something happened!”

“Guide Choi Geonwoo?”

“In the Guide quarters—huff—Guide Sena, she—”

Everyone inside the office immediately stood up at the name Sena.

Yulchan’s face, in particular, went completely pale.

It wasn’t the first time she’d gotten into trouble, so the reaction was only natural.

Dojin stood as well, unease creeping into his features.

“And Guide Jiho? Why are you here alone, Guide Choi?”

He had assumed Jiho was currently paired with Geonwoo for guidance training.

So why was Jiho absent—and why had Geonwoo come running with news of Sena’s incident?

“That’s… haah… Guide Jiho’s there too…”

Dojin’s face twisted instantly.

He told the breathless Geonwoo to stay put and rushed out of the team office.

Dojin never ran in the hallways—not even when things were urgent. Which made this moment all the more unusual.

Later, after the situation had been dealt with.

Back in the team office, Dojin gently laid Jiho down on the sofa.

As he looked for the first-aid kit, the other team members continued to fume, venting their fury at the Guide Director and the offending guides.

“Ugh, I knew those bastards were gonna cause trouble eventually! Captain, weren’t they the ones you turned down?”

“Kijoon’s more pissed at the Guide Director than anyone! That guy’s supposed to protect Guides, and all he does is play politics.”

“Seriously, I’ve totally lost respect for him.”

Even the normally quiet Yulchan had his lips pressed tightly in disapproval.

Sena, who was practically still in his arms, raised a clenched fist once again.

“That’s why you shouldn’t have stopped me! Ugh, damn it! I should’ve decked that smug Guide Director too!”

“Sena, please…”

Yulchan tightened his arms around her to keep her from jumping up again.

Meanwhile, Jihye and Kijoon continued their grumbling.

“Hey! Didn’t she say she had a recording? Let’s just sue the hell out of them. We’ve got evidence!”

“Come on, Choi Kijoon, a lawsuit? Let’s just leak it to the press—it’ll make a bigger splash!”

“Oh! That’s genius! You know any media outlets?”

“Yeah, a few. What do you think, Captain? Want me to spread it around?”

This was a scandal involving an S-rank Guide—someone who already had the public’s attention.

The fact that such a valuable figure was being harassed inside the Center, and that the Guide Direy did nothing to stop it… If the truth got out, it’d explode.

But Dojin didn’t agree with Jihye’s suggestion.

He closed the cabinet after retrieving the first-aid kit and walked over to the table. Placing the box down, he sighed and rubbed between his brows.

“No. No press, no lawsuit. That’s not going to work.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“You’re not just letting this go, are you? Come on…!”

“That’s not it.”

He raised his head and looked at Sena, who was still fuming. Then he asked in a flat tone:

“There’s no actual recording, is there?”

Jihye, Kijoon, and Yulchan all turned to Sena in shock. They’d believed her without question until now.

Sena answered confidently.

“Of course not!”

The distance alone had made it impossible to record anything. And Sena wasn’t the type to calmly gather evidence—she was the type to rush in and throw punches first.

And yet, she’d stood there bluffing with that kind of lie…

Yulchan gaped.

“Lee Sena!”

“What! What about it!”

“You—you made that up?!”

“What else was I supposed to do?! They lied first! Saying he must have a huge energy tank, so dealing with a few espers would be a breeze? Ha! Can you believe that?!”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

They had gotten caught up in their anger and thirst for payback, but this wasn’t just about them.

“…Guide Jiho. Are you okay?”

Geonwoo, who had quietly been watching from the side, finally stepped forward and checked Jiho’s expression. The other espers followed his lead.

They were worried.

Worried about Jiho, who had heard those vile words right to his face.

The physical injuries could be treated—that was easy. A bit of medicine, and they’d heal.

But wounds of the heart don’t heal so easily. Because they’re invisible, it’s hard to gauge how deep they go—and even harder to tell if they’re healing at all.

That was why Jiho’s teammates were worried.

His heart, already covered in scars—what if another scratch had been added to it?

And yet, Jiho, who was the recipient of all their concerned gazes, didn’t seem affected in the slightest.

He simply mouthed the words “I’m fine” with blood-caked lips.

That only made their gazes turn even more sorrowful.

“Hey!”

Snapping in frustration, Sena hopped off Yulchan’s lap and strode over to Jiho.

Caught off guard, Yulchan scrambled to his feet, trying to stop her, but it was useless.

Sena confronted Jiho with a sharp voice.

“Are you stupid or something?”

“S-Se—Sena!”

Startled, Yulchan wrapped his arms around her waist, but even dangling in the air, Sena didn’t let up.

“They were spewing all kinds of crap, and you just sat there listening? Seriously?”

“Shh, shh! Lee Sena! Please!”

“If your limbs work, you should’ve beaten them to a pulp—or if you don’t have the guts, you could’ve just walked away! What kind of idiot just sits there?!”

She continued to explode with anger, her voice rising with each word.

Jiho’s eyes grew wide as he stared at her, mouth slightly agape.

That voice… Just like back then. It really is her.

Jiho’s eyes sparkled as the memories from before his regression surged back.

Back before the regression.

It was right after he’d been rescued from the facility and had just started working as an unpaired guide.

Back then, Jiho couldn’t speak and had a gloomy disposition. He couldn’t integrate with the members of Unpaired Guide Team 1.

They avoided him, saying he was creepy, and once espers started seeking him out exclusively, the ostracizing became outright.

That day had been one of those days.

After guiding three espers with grabby hands, Jiho had poured the last of his guiding energy into yet another one who came right after.

Because he didn’t know how to control the output, he always ended up totally drained after seeing just a few espers.

And of course, that day came with guiding side effects.

His condition had been a bit off, and the aftermath hit harder than usual.

He lost his vision—for several hours.

Since it wasn’t a visible injury, the members of Team 1, unaware, decided to leave him out of that evening’s guide seminar out of spite.

Left behind for no reason, Jiho wandered the empty hallways, trying to find them.

Blind, he fumbled along the walls, unable to call out to anyone because he still couldn’t speak.

Then suddenly—his foot caught on something, and he fell hard onto the floor.

He groaned, trying to lift himself up, but his ankle must’ve twisted; even sitting up was difficult.

He’d been sitting there for a long while when—

“Hey, you.”

A voice rang out in front of him. High-pitched and sharp—like a kid’s voice.

“Looks like those guides are bullying you. Are you stupid? Why are you just taking it?”

“…”

“Oh. You can’t talk?”

“…”

“Why do you keep staring off like that? Wait—don’t tell me you can’t see either?”

“…”

“Ugh… you’re so frustrating.”

Muttering under her breath, the girl grabbed his arm and helped him up. Then she guided him all the way back to Team 1’s office so he wouldn’t fall again.

The whole way there, she nagged him nonstop—saying if someone bullies you, you should punch them back, and if you can’t talk, just flip them off instead.

“I’m going to keep my eyes on you! Don’t just sit there like a doormat again, got it?!”

Faced with her shrill warning, Jiho could only nod meekly.

Of course, he hadn’t been able to act like she said.

Still, trivial as it might have seemed, that moment had marked the first time—aside from Dojin—that someone showed him kindness.

Naturally, it was etched into Jiho as something special.

Later, he tried to find her to return the favor somehow, but he hadn’t known a thing about her.

Not her face, not her name—not even whether she was an esper, a guide, or just a regular employee at the Center.

Still, he’d always thought: if fate allowed, maybe they’d meet again someday.

And then, as time turned back and past met present—

“…I’m Lee Sena. So Yulchan’s pair.”

He met that past connection once more, in the training room he’d followed Dojin into.

…Found you.

Jiho’s eyes sparkled.