The Guide Is Fixing His Regrets

“I’ll be right back.”

So-Won headed outside with an unmistakable smile as if telling him not to worry. Tae-Woo, who was watching the scene, hurriedly raised himself.

“I’ll come with you.”

So-Won nodded and waited for Tae-Woo, approaching him with a wide stride. So-Won’s eyes turned to the black ring hanging around Tae-Woo’s neck. Knowing its identity, the shining black ring seemed to strangle him.

They arrived in front of the doctor’s lab. When he knocked and went inside, the doctor in charge, was working hard on something. The doctor looked at Tae-Woo and So-Won, who came without any notice.

“We still have a long way to go for regular checkups. What are you two doing here?”

“I stopped by for a minute because I had something to ask.”

“Oh, hold on a moment, please.”

The doctor nodded and arranged what he was doing. Meanwhile, So-Won looked around the lab. It was always neat, but today it felt messy with something piled up.

“You look busy.”

Perhaps it was related to the cluttered laboratory, but the doctor in charge seemed emaciated with dark circles under his eyes in a few days. He looked tired, but the doctor answered with a bright smile as if he were happy.

“Yes! I’m busy with no time to eat because I will present my findings to Esper researchers worldwide soon. Ah, but guide Lee So-Won is always welcome! You came because you need something?”

“Yes. The bomb on Tae-Woo’s neck…”

The doctor in charge, who seemed to chatter excitedly whatever he asked, suddenly hardened. His eyes were shaking quickly, and soon a cold sweat flowed. And he began to pour out words as quickly as if the play button had been pressed.

“Well, you don’t have to worry too much about that. It is said that it explodes when the congestion begins, but the figures are set separately, so it only explodes if it is at a deep level. There was a risk that Kang Tae-Woo Esper would explode a few times, but he has never gone that far!”

“No, it’s not that….”

“As long as guide Lee So-Won has guided him. Oh, no, just holding his hand once in a while! It’s safe, never to explode!”

So-Won’s face darkened while listening to the doctor in charge.

What would have happened if the bomb on Tae-Woo’s neck exploded eight years later when he didn’t hold his hand? Was that included in the reason why he didn’t come home often?

So-Won thought he could apologize to Tae-Woo if he tried to be Tae-Woo’s guide once again. However, the moment he regressed and remembered the future, the more he learned something he didn’t know, the more he felt guilty. So-Won pressed down on his painful chest.

The doctor in charge looked at So-Won’s face, which was getting darker. Is this not it? He knew that So-Won would say he would be unable to guide from now on because he feared the bomb. In the worst case, he thought So-Won came to consult because he wanted to quit being a dedicated guide.

So he tried to persuade him somehow, but the atmosphere was weird.

So-Won’s mouth slowly opened.

“You said Tae-Woo’s condition was getting much better last time, right?”

“Yes… it is.”

“Then, is it okay to release the bomb on his neck?”

“Ah!”

The doctor in charge realized something. So-Won didn’t come to quit, but he came because he was worried about Kang Tae-Woo! For a moment, he felt embarrassed that he evaluated So-Won like everyone else.

The doctor’s eyes were on Tae-Woo. Tae-Woo’s face was getting better day by day. The gradual disappearance of the veins on his face was unmistakable proof that his condition had improved. The doctor in charge explained, recalling the last test of Tae-Woo.

“According to Kang Tae-Woo Esper’s figures, it should be okay. A few days ago, his condition deteriorated rapidly, but it’s like a shock caused by sudden excessive use of his ability, so I think I can get approval if he does well. If you report now, the top will have a meeting and let you know the results within next week.”

Next week. So-Won shook his head. He couldn’t wait that long for an uncertain outcome.

“I want to solve it right now. Can’t we do something about it?”

“Today…”

The doctor in charge swept his chin as if he were in trouble. The doctor in charge, who had been pondering something for quite some time, opened his mouth with a face of little certainty.

“First of all, I’ll make a request.”

Having said so, the doctor in charge started calling somewhere. He couldn’t hear the conversation on the phone. So-Won looked at the reaction or expression of the person in charge with his face hardened and a little nervous. The phone was cut off unexpectedly quickly. But the doctor called someone again.

After that happened several times, So-Won didn’t relax but became increasingly anxious. What if it gets rejected? Then, So-Won was not confident of facing Tae-Woo’s face. It wasn’t because he was afraid of the bomb, but when he saw the black ring, he felt like tears would come from guilt.

“Lee So-Won, you don’t have to do this. You can quit being my dedicated guide if you want.”

Tae-Woo, who had been sitting quietly all along, spoke. Then the doctor in charge, who was continuing the conversation on the phone, stopped and looked at Tae-Woo with a surprised face. The doctor in charge’s eyes shook and doubted his ears. He gave a desperate look to So-Won.

“I don’t want to.”

However, after hearing So-Won’s answer, he smiled relievedly, apologized to the caller, and continued the call. He didn’t say anything, and So-Won continued listening to the doctor.

The doctor’s last words cut off the phone, “I see.”

“He says he’ll visit soon. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Esper Kang Tae-Woo, the last time I checked, you were last week, so I need to re-record the wavelength figure.

Tae-Woo nodded and got up from his seat. So-Won knew that the test would not take long because he had followed Tae-Woo several times, sat still and waited for them to return to the lab together.

The five-minute opening of the door again felt as long as five hours. So-Won, who had been worrying about him alone, came into the lab.

Recognizing more than two footsteps, he turned his head and checked the door. An association employee stood behind Tae-Woo and the doctor in charge. He seemed to have met nearby on his way back from the examination.

“Hello, guide Lee So-Won. I’m from Esper Management.”

They were empty-handed when they were supposed to come to release the bomb from Tae-Woo’s neck. So-Won was greatly disappointed when he confirmed the employee’s outfit. He stood there without the intention to sit as if he had no plan to stay long.

“I heard the guide wants to remove Kang Tae-Woo’s safety device. I’m afraid it’s difficult right now.”

“However, Kang Tae-Woo’s condition is still… It’s a little….”

The employee looked at Tae-Woo and swallowed the worse. So-Won’s mood subsided greatly when he saw the veins on the back of his hand and the disgust in his expression as if he had seen something gross for a moment. That’s probably why So-Won’s blunt tone came out of his mouth.

“But it’s too much to give a bomb to a living person. You won’t even announce that what’s on Tae-Woo’s neck is a bomb….”

“What?”

The employee was embarrassed for a moment. If the association came out like this, they would face backlash.

“How many association officials know that the thing on Kang Tae-Woo’s neck is a bomb? No one else seemed to know.”

Perhaps only a few senior members of the Esper Association are aware of this. If everyone knew, the information would have leaked earlier, and people would have been busy running away just after hearing that Tae-Woo appeared nearby. Although he was not handed a business card, it was highly likely that the staff in front of him held a fairly high position at the Esper Association.

“What happens if you report this to a human rights committee or something?”

That remark left the association staff visibly embarrassed. It was as expected.

Of course, he didn’t mean to report or tell anyone. It was not what So-Won wanted for Tae-Woo. He didn’t want him to be more feared by others. However, the employee in front of him did not know So-Won’s idea. He must have been worried that So-Won might report.

“And if you’re worried about a runaway, shouldn’t you let Tae-Woo rest instead of calling him to the gate weekly? Why did you ask him to come to D-class gate last time….”

It was ridiculous then, but now that he thinks about it, it was even more so with a bomb hanging around his neck to kill him if he goes wild. So-Won was really curious about whose idea it was to call Tae-Woo when they didn’t even need him.

“Now, he is not going to any gate until you release that.”

It was not discussed at all with Tae-Woo, but So-Won said so. This was something he meant. So-Won would stop Tae-Woo from going to the gate even if he forced him to until they removed the bomb from Tae-Woo’s neck.

So-Won already thought of several ways.

————
Finally, So-Won said what should be said.