Chapter 39
Chapter 39
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Candy and the Shy Esper
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Is this how it's usually done? But Han Se-young said her trainee days were pretty relaxed. Maybe it's different because this is practical training for C-rank and above...
While I was lost deep in thought, the boy—whose trembling had mostly subsided—crouched on the floor with his face buried in his arms.
He didn't look like some pitiful pill bug, curled up into a tight ball. I tilted my head at the sight.
It was unexpected. I'd figured once he calmed down, he'd kick the door open and storm out.
'Why would someone with contact trauma even enter a guiding room in the first place?'
Ah, well, he does seem to be in rough shape. If he doesn't get guiding soon, he'll probably end up getting carted off on a stretcher.
But why sit on the floor when there's a perfectly good sofa right there? Does he prefer the floor...? Fine, if it's his preference, I'll respect it...
After a few rounds of silly back-and-forth in my head, I crouched down to match the boy. Of course, I kept a proper distance.
I thought I'd moved quietly, but his ears perked up as if he'd heard the rustle of my clothes. Then he slowly lifted his head from his arms.
'He looks like a cat.'
The type that scratches if you touch it without permission—fussy, oversensitive, and full of wariness.
"...Do you like strawberry flavor by any chance?"
I fished a candy out of my bag and rolled it across the floor. I often carried sweets around since I had a sweet tooth.
Roll—.
The candy came to a stop right at the feet of the crouched boy.
His gaze landed on the pink stick candy touching his shoe.
He still wasn't saying a word, but it looked like I'd succeeded in piquing his interest.
"..."
I rolled another candy his way. This one had an orange wrapper.
Roll—.
Roll—.
Lemon, melon, blueberry, and grape followed in turn.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The incident resolved itself sometime later, thanks to a phone call from the training supervisor.
They'd come to check since there'd been no word that the session had ended. When no one answered their knock, they'd called me. I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
And for good reason—the room they'd come to...
"...Pardon? Not room 7, but room 17?"
"There was a spacing error in the text, leading to the mix-up."
Sure enough, when I checked the message again, there was a space between the 1 and the 7.
"I assumed everything was fine since the call button never went off. But you were running later than usual, so I reached out. Sorry for the delay in checking, Guide Kim Yu-jeong."
"...Ah."
Right. I vaguely remembered from theory class that guiding rooms have a call button under the sofa for emergencies.
'Guess dozing off in class made me forget...'
Even if I'd remembered, I doubt I would've pressed it. Up until then, I'd assumed they'd come to the right room.
The reverse guiding had been painful at first, but it cleared up quickly. The other guy's panic seemed like the bigger issue, so I'd put it out of mind.
Compared to getting my side pierced in the war back then, it was totally bearable.
"Guide Kim Yu-jeong, um... everything okay on your end?"
The training supervisor lowered their voice cautiously, peering past me.
At the end of their gaze stood the boy, clutching the candies I'd given him like a bouquet in both hands.
The supervisor's face paled as they sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed their radio. Soon after, a man in a suit arrived to collect the boy.
"Iroon Esper, sir—today it's a different room. We'll escort you."
Looks like they got the room wrong too.
The boy stared at me silently, still gripping the stick candies tightly, before vanishing with the suited man.
"Was that kid a trainee too? He seemed really standoffish while we were talking—like he has trouble with people. Must be tough being an esper on top of that."
"Oh, no, he's not a trainee—"
The supervisor paused mid-reply and asked,
"...You talked with Iroon Esper, sir?"
"Yeah, though I did most of the talking..."
He was so quiet, it was less a conversation and more me coaxing and soothing him.
Luckily, I'd briefly cared for war orphans in the past.
I knew better than to approach someone terrified of people too rashly—it never ends well. So I stopped advancing on the kid right away.
Instead, I kept my distance, spinning stories to help him calm down and feel safe.
'Good thing I had the candies.'
Whether he liked them or not, we even managed a few proper exchanges after that.
Though all we covered was names and favorite snacks.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Instead of heading straight home like usual, I stopped by the treatment center for a check-up.
As I was leaving with a clean bill of health, I spotted a few people with trainee badges like mine chatting not far off.
I swear one of them made eye contact with me. It wasn't my imagination—a guy came jogging over with a greeting.
"Oh, hi! You're Guide Kim Yu-jeong, right?"
He had a round, friendly face.
Who was this, and how did he know me? As I looked at him puzzled, he spoke first.
"I'm Cha Jin-seo. We took the same classes!"
"Sorry. I haven't memorized names yet..."
"No worries~ I don't know everyone either. It's just... Guide Kim Yu-jeong, you're kinda famous among the trainees?"
Word must've spread about the girl who lives for clocking out early.
I nodded vaguely, and suddenly Cha Jin-seo let out a small chuckle.
"Ah, you don't know?"
"Huh?"
"You're famous for your skills. You took first in the last midterm evaluation."
"Oh—."
I finished quick, so they let me go early. Punching out ahead of schedule is always the right call.
"Your theory scores were low at first, but you got first last eval too, right? Feels like you were a straight-A student in school. Were you?"
The mention of school days brought back vague high school memories.
Sure, I got possessed not long after starting, but my grades had always been top-tier before that.
Obviously. I'd poured most of my life into studying since elementary school.
"Just average."
"...Makes sense—it's not about book smarts. Oh! Speaking of, what're you planning after training ends, Guide Kim Yu-jeong?"
"Guilds! They pay better than the Center, right?"
One of the trainees with Cha Jin-seo answered. The other two naturally joined in, following his lead.
"What're you saying? You think guilds will contact you? You're only D-rank—no mandatory service for you. Anyway, I'm aiming for Messiah..."
"Hahaha! As if you'd get into Messiah. Save the dreaming for bedtime."
As one trainee's eyes sharpened, Cha Jin-seo joked to lighten the mood.
"Come on~ No one's ever gotten into Messiah straight from training."
"They took a healer recently."
"That was an esper. They've never scouted a guide trainee. Even when they do, it's guides who've finished mandatory service with proven skills."
I might not like Messiah because of Yeon Woo-jin, but everyone knows it's the top guild in the country. Harder to get into than a big corp.
'More importantly, don't I need an offer first?'
Guild contacts only start after two months of the three-month training.
Trainee info stays confidential until then. Evaluations build your record through periodic tests.
Even if you have a dream guild, if they don't contact you, trainees can't choose. Unless you've finished service and apply independently.
"Honestly, you're the top performer right now, Guide Kim Yu-jeong. Got any guilds you wanna join?"
"Hmm... Haven't really thought about it."
"What about contract terms? You must have preferences."
I do. A guild that lets me work cafe shifts by adjusting hours, and doesn't require joining after the contract ends.
"Not really coming to mind."
Of course, no sane guild would agree—suckers don't exist. I knew better than to say it aloud.
It's an investment. What guild would shell out big for a trainee with those terms? If they did, they'd either be swimming in cash or insane.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Whoosh.
Blazing flames engulfed the vast plain, and countless insect-type monsters writhed and crackled as they burned.
The hellish scene made his guildmate glance back at the ability's source.
The man's red hair fluttered like the sweeping inferno.
Seo Yun-ho was an esper with immense lethality and destructive power, stuck at A-rank because he couldn't control it.
"Hey, whatcha doing after work? Heard you got a favorite cafe lately. If it's that good, take me along sometime."
"Try showing up, and you're dead."
The guildmate shrugged lightly at the casual threat that slipped out as easily as breathing.
He hadn't told Seo Yun-ho, but he'd already checked it out.
The desserts made with kua fruit were hyped for fast-healing wounds and great skin. The pie there really did mimic low-grade potions.
"...It's already famous among espers even without you. But they all do takeout 'cause they don't wanna run into you."
The guildmate snickered as he said it.
"How infamous a hothead do you have to be...? Ah, still not as bad as Yeon Woo-jin, though."
"You saying I'm worse than that bastard?"
"No, Yun-ho. Do you really gotta compete with him on that too...?"
Irritated by the guildmate's pitying look, Seo Yun-ho scowled fiercely.