The guiding room fell into silence.Siwoo was still glaring at Raon, breathing hard.Raon had blurted out the apology without even thinking, startled by his outburst—but now he had no idea what to do next.Maybe because he’d spent five years acting out the role of an insolent villain without ever showing real remorse, even this situation felt alien to him.“…Siwoo.”He forced down the awkwardness and started to move, meaning to resume guiding him, when Siwoo’s wrist device emitted a sharp beep-beep.A summons.Siwoo glanced at the display with cool eyes, then silently walked out of the room.Click.“…Phew.”Left alone, Raon let out a long breath.He’d never seen Siwoo so openly upset before.When Raon refused to guide him, Siwoo had never reacted like that.But now—after being properly guided for once—he’d lashed out in anger.Maybe that was only natural.Espers and guides weren’t equals. Siwoo had never been in a position to confront his assigned guide.And after years of being neglected, ignored—suddenly getting hit with an intense guiding session out of nowhere must’ve felt like a new form of cruelty.Raon looked down at his own palm, remembering Siwoo’s cold, trembling hand.“…Who knows when the system will come back.”Once it did, he’d have to become Han Raon again—the real villain, cold and dismissive toward Siwoo.Before that happened, he needed to fix Siwoo’s body, even just a little.But if Siwoo kept reacting like this, guiding him again would be nearly impossible.What should he do?Raon’s brow furrowed deeply in thought.***The Center was quiet after the espers left for their mission.It was still the calm period before major Gate activity began—a peace that would shatter in about a year.Beep-beep, beep-beep-beep.“….”Raon looked down at the device on his wrist.A familiar name flashed on the screen.Jang Seokhyeon.Director of the Guiding Center.Raon sighed faintly and made his way to the director’s office.Knock knock.“This is Han Raon.”“Come in.”He opened the door at the curt voice.Inside stood a man with a cold, composed expression—sleek black hair combed perfectly back, silver-rimmed glasses, black leather gloves.Exactly as Raon remembered him.Raon bowed politely.“Good morning, sir.”“Skip the greeting.”Seokhyeon’s tone was chilly, his pale face tightening ever so slightly.But even that felt strange to Raon now—because this man, the germophobic, misanthropic Director Jang, would die in a year, when the Black Gate appeared.Raon was seeing him again for the first time in two years.“I heard you went into a guiding room with Yoon Siwoo.”“Ah.”“Did you actually guide him?”Seokhyeon looked skeptical, his sharp eyes narrowing.Raon shrugged.“What else would a guide be doing in a guiding room?”“You don’t usually do your job, that’s why I’m asking.”Seokhyeon took off his glasses and sighed heavily, irritation clear in his face.Though not an S-rank like Raon, Seokhyeon had once been Alpha-1’s exclusive guide as well.Unlike Raon, who avoided anything strenuous, Seokhyeon had worked on the front lines.A veteran guide.Because of his severe germophobia, he never did direct-contact guiding, but even as an A-rank, his ability was exceptional—his radiative guiding alone could reduce corruption levels in multiple espers at once.That reputation had earned him the position of Center Director.Perhaps because of that, he’d always despised Raon—a fellow Alpha-1 guide who shirked responsibility and mismanaged his espers.Well, it’s not like Han Raon had any allies in this place anyway, Raon thought dryly.He would’ve hated that selfish bastard too.“So what are you scheming this time?” Seokhyeon said.“I’d rather not have you pulling any stunts that worsen the espers’ condition.”His distrust was obvious in his eyes.Alpha-1, home to most of Korea’s S-rank espers, was one of the nation’s most critical assets.No matter how troublesome Han Raon was, they couldn’t just remove him—S-rank guides were too rare.Even with a lower match rate, an S-rank’s light contact could significantly reduce an esper’s corruption level.That was the only reason Seokhyeon tolerated him.Even when Raon spent his days trailing after Seo Dojin,the other Alpha-1 members still benefited from his mere presence—a drop of water for those dying of thirst.With the severe shortage of guides, that alone was reason enough to keep him.“Especially Yoon Siwoo—he’s the esper with the highest match rate with you.You ignored him for years, and now suddenly you decide to guide him?”“….”No one trusted Han Raon anymore.Everyone saw his change in behavior not as improvement but as a warning sign.And they were right to be wary.Han Raon had spent years chasing after Dojin while neglecting the others.For Seokhyeon, who managed Alpha-1’s Red Gate operations, any more instability was unacceptable.“As I said, sir, there’s nothing wrong with a guide guiding his assigned esper.I was just doing my job.”“Hah… you’re impossible.”Seokhyeon rubbed his brow with pale fingers, sighing again.“Whatever you’re plotting, I don’t want any more complaints from the espers.”“There won’t be, sir.”“You say that…”He clicked his tongue, clearly unconvinced.He was probably living on antacids, thanks to Raon’s constant troublemaking.Raon watched him quietly as the man adjusted his glasses again.He felt a faint pang of guilt.But time was short—he couldn’t afford # Nоvеlight # to waste it.The system could reappear at any moment.He had to lower Siwoo’s contamination level now, no matter what it took.“I’ll form a pair with Yoon Siwoo.”“…Excuse me?”Seokhyeon tilted his head, as if he’d misheard.Raon repeated calmly,“I said I’ll pair with Siwoo.”“Yoon Siwoo… what with him?”“A pairing.”“….”Seokhyeon blinked, repeating the words under his breath several times.When Raon gave the same answer again, comprehension finally dawned—along with disbelief.Even Raon found his stunned face amusing.“Didn’t you once say you’d rather jump off the Han River Bridge than pair with Yoon Siwoo?”“…I did.”Not me—the real Han Raon.Raon swallowed the words before they escaped.He didn’t know when the system might return, so it was safer not to say anything that couldn’t be explained later.Instead, he just kept his expression shamelessly calm.“If I pair with Yoon Siwoo, I’ll have fewer reasons to run into Team Leader Seo Dojin.”“True, though Lee Hamin’s practically his exclusive guide these days.”“Exactly.”Seokhyeon still looked doubtful.Given Raon’s obsessive interference between Dojin and Hamin, it was natural he didn’t believe this sudden change of heart.But Raon didn’t have time to prove it gradually.“If you don’t like it, forget it,” he said lightly.“Wait.”Seokhyeon might not trust his motives,but he couldn’t afford to turn down the offer either—especially not when Siwoo’s condition was probably near collapse.Even from their brief session, Raon had felt how bad it was.“We’ll draw up a contract—so you can’t back out later.”“Fine by me.”It was just a piece of paper anyway.Once the system came back and he had to act as the “real” Han Raon again, it’d mean nothing.For now, the only thing that mattered was forming the pair safely.He’d think about the rest later.“I’ll notify Yoon Siwoo.”“Thank you, sir.”Raon bowed politely and left the office.For the first time, things actually seemed to be going smoothly.…Or so he thought.Bang!“…”Raon stared at the door that had just slammed open, blank disbelief crossing his face.

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