DPGR 35

Jiho rubbed his eyes with his hand and parted his lips slightly.

What’s the reading?

Dojin managed to decipher the shape of his lips and showed him the watch.

[Baek Dojin Esper’s Guiding Rating: 58%]

This time, there were no warning signs or messages that appeared.

But Jiho furrowed his brow at the number displayed. Was it because he had used the bare minimum amount of guiding energy? It wasn’t as efficient as he had expected.

Of course, Dojin seemed satisfied with this result.

Jiho, still holding onto Dojin’s hand, tightened his grip.

—We need to do more.

Dojin shook his head firmly.

“No, this is enough.”

However, when Jiho opened his mouth again, Dojin smiled softly and cupped Jiho’s cheek.

With his calloused thumb, he gently rubbed Jiho’s eye area.

“Aren’t you tired?”

As he had said, Jiho’s eyelids were heavy.

He had traveled quite a distance today, and guiding in such an unfamiliar manner had left him feeling exhausted. It was no wonder that sleep was starting to take over.

But…

Jiho hesitated, and Dojin, as if reading his thoughts, nodded knowingly.

“We can finish it next time. Let’s stop here for today. I’m tired too.”

He said this with a face that didn’t look tired in the slightest. Jiho realized that Dojin was lying for his sake, but with his eyelids weighing like lead, he couldn’t keep them open long enough to protest.

“Hmmm…”

“Rest, it’s fine. Sleep.”

Jiho let out a soft snort, feeling guilty. Dojin, who seemed to interpret it as a little pout, released Jiho’s hand and gently supported his head, laying him back down onto the sofa.

With careful, affectionate hands, he pushed the hair away from Jiho’s forehead.

Jiho, silently promising to give Dojin even better guiding next time, drifted off to sleep.

As he felt Dojin’s fingers caress his cheek and forehead, a small smile curled at Jiho’s lips.

***

The next morning, Jiho blinked, staring blankly at the familiar ceiling of the bedroom.

“Hmm…”

He was sure he had fallen asleep on the sofa. It seemed Dojin had moved him here while he was asleep.

Still half-dazed, Jiho stretched like a content cat and slowly made his way into the living room.

Normally, Dojin would be there, preparing breakfast to greet Jiho, but he was nowhere to be found.

Where did he go this time?

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Jiho glanced around. The door to the dressing room was slightly ajar, and Dojin peeked his head out, giving Jiho a silent greeting with his eyes.

“…?”

Before Jiho could even tilt his head in confusion, Dojin stepped back into the dressing room, leaving the door slightly open.

As Jiho approached, he could hear Dojin’s voice, as though he was on the phone with someone.

Must be an important call.

Jiho assumed so and moved back into the living room, sitting on the sofa.

To his surprise, the TV, which was usually turned off, was on for some reason, catching his attention.

…?

On the screen were familiar places and familiar faces.

Jiho grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

“Uh…”

It was breaking news, and the voice of the announcer filled the air.

The camera showed the front of the Awakening Center’s Guide wing. The Guide Director was being dragged out by some rough-looking people, surrounded by reporters.

“Uh…?”

The announcer’s voice continued, explaining that the Guide Director had been accused of embezzling government funds.

Additionally, it was revealed that he had taken bribes from Espers and used them to exploit the guides.

On the TV, reporters were shoving microphones in the face of the Guide Director, who was being led out.

Do you admit to the accusations? There are ledgers that have been found; are you aware of these details? You’ve been using guides for personal gain. Do you have anything to say to the victims? Which Espers are involved in this case?

The reporters’ questions piled up, one after the other.

The Guide Director, with his head lowered in shame, tried to explain that there had been a misunderstanding, promising to clear things up.

Jiho watched the scene with wide eyes when—

“It looks like things were dealt with faster than expected.”

Suddenly, Jiho looked up and saw Dojin standing in front of the TV.

Seeing Jiho’s surprised expression, Dojin let out a small laugh.

“I asked my teacher to handle this just yesterday, but I didn’t expect it to be resolved so quickly.”

Jiho blinked in disbelief.

—Did… did your grandfather do this?

When Jiho said “grandfather,” he was referring to Dojin’s mentor, Kwak Jiheon.

Apparently, Dojin liked the informal title because his smile grew even wider.

“Yes, it was my ‘grandfather’ who did it. Well, technically, it was the Esper Director who handled it, but…”

With that, Dojin waved the phone he was holding, clearly indicating that it was thanks to his connections.

It seemed like the call from earlier had been from the Esper Director.

Dojin, although looking a bit tired, wore a refreshed expression. When Jiho looked at him with concern, Dojin smoothly shifted his gaze and changed the subject.

“Shall we have breakfast first? I’ll explain everything while we eat.”

“As you saw in the news earlier, the Guide Wing is likely in chaos. For now, it would be best for you to report to the Esper Wing and continue all your training there.”

While they ate, Dojin gave Jiho various explanations.

Jiho sat quietly, listening to him, before suddenly jumping up and rushing into the living room.

A short while later, Jiho returned with a notebook and pencil, scribbling down questions on a piece of paper.

[What will happen to the Guide Director?]

“Hmm… I suppose he’ll pay the price for his wrongdoings.”

It seemed that the amount of embezzled funds by the Guide Director wasn’t small. According to Dojin, he had siphoned off various funds, including welfare development funds for guides, environmental improvement subsidies, and financial support funds.

Dojin explained it with a smile, his face looking quite pleased.

Although he mentioned that the Guide Director would pay the price for his actions, it seemed like Dojin was implying that if the punishment wasn’t satisfactory, he’d step in to handle it himself.

Jiho thought to himself that he must never commit mistakes, especially criminal ones, in front of Dojin.

From what Jiho had seen, Dojin was a great ally, but he could also be quite frightening when he was on the opposing side.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Dojin narrowed his eyes and asked. Jiho quickly shook his head and shuddered.

No! No!

Dojin tilted his head in confusion, but Jiho kept his lips tightly sealed and avoided his gaze.

I’ll have to be more obedient from now on, Jiho thought, making a silent vow.

Dojin’s prediction about the chaos in the Guide Wing was slightly off. When you looked at the entire scope of the “Center,” how could only the Guide Wing be in turmoil?

“…Looks like things are just as complicated here. Let’s head to the office first.”

Nodding, Dojin arrived at the Esper Wing and looked around at the disarray inside, his face showing a bit of discomfort.

Thinking about it, some of the bribery cases involving the Guide Director had implicated a few Espers, so an internal investigation was underway to identify which Espers had paid bribes and used guides for personal purposes.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Dojin decided to go straight to his office with Jiho.

However, it wasn’t exactly quiet there either.

“Hey! Captain! Captain!”

“What’s going on? The Guide Director? Did you do it, Captain? Huh?”

“Did you really use the Esper Director like that?”

As soon as Dojin opened the door to the team leader’s office, questions bombarded him. It was Kijoon, Yulchan, and Jihye in order.

Dojin, startled, gently patted Jiho, who had hidden behind him, and sighed.

“Why is everyone gathered in my office?”

“It’s the most comfortable place!”

“There’s a break room, you know.”

“Eh, honestly, Captain likes us being here more!”

Kijoon playfully slapped Dojin’s shoulder. Dojin looked at him, dumbfounded.

“Me?”

Pretending not to hear Dojin’s question, Kijoon stamped his feet and urged Dojin to answer.

“So, what really happened? Huh? Huh?”

“What?”

“Ah, come on! The Guide Director’s situation!”

“That…”

Dojin opened his mouth, looking troubled. However, before he could continue, the direct phone line in the office rang loudly.

“Hold on a second.”

Dojin excused himself from the curious team members, answering the phone on the desk.

“Yes, this is Baek Dojin. Oh, yes, Esper Director.”

As soon as the words “Esper Director” were mentioned, the team members immediately fell silent. Dojin responded, “Yes, yes. I just arrived. I’ll head up soon,” before hanging up the phone.

“Esper Director called?”

“Yeah. I need to visit the Center Director’s office.”

He glanced at Jiho, unsure whether to leave him behind or take him with him.

Fortunately, Geonwoo, who had been sitting relatively quietly compared to the others, solved Dojin’s dilemma.

“I think Guide Jiho should practice with me. Is that okay?”

“Oh, Guide Choi Geonwoo, can I leave him in your hands?”

“Of course. Just let us use the space.”

“You can use the Alpha Team training room.”

Geonwoo nodded, and Dojin approached Jiho, patting his hair gently.

“I’ll be right back. For now, go to the training room with Choi Geonwoo.”

“…”

Jiho seemed like he wanted to go with Dojin, but after a moment of hesitation, he nodded obediently, likely realizing he wouldn’t fit in the situation.

His eyes lingered on Sena, who was half-reclining on the sofa.

Sena, noticing Jiho’s gaze, flinched, her eyes widening slightly.

“What? What are you looking at?”