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Chapter 15
The higher-ups were absolutely delighted. Through generations of systematic training, Espers of the present era were far stronger than those of earlier generations. Gate breaches had become rare. Of course, that was a good thing—but it also meant there was no way to promote what actually happened beyond the dimensional gates.
First, modern equipment didn’t function properly inside the gates. Second, the scenes inside were far too horrific. No matter how strong an Esper’s regenerative abilities were, they couldn’t exactly broadcast images of Espers being flung around, torn apart, or pierced through to the entire nation.
Then, at just the right moment, Lim Jiseo delivered a performance that was perfect—no, even beautiful. Beneath the setting sun, a defensive wall of transparently frozen waves shimmered. Even the droplets of water that bounced back froze midair, gently shattering while reflecting the light. Even her long hair, fluttering in the fierce wind raised by her teammates, seemed to be on the Public Relations Department’s side.
For a while, there was even talk of using it as the official promotional image of the Awakened Management Agency. That plan was scrapped only because of Jiseo’s firm refusal.
In any case, it had been the hardest year since Jiseo awakened. Being a rookie was tough enough, but even kids she passed on the street recognized her and asked for autographs. Still, thanks to that, business boomed. Apparently, even the local specialty dishes were from El—X—ne’s parents’ fried chicken shop.
The one who rescued Jiseo from that unwanted fame was Kwon Yul. General Kwon Yul of the Goyang Moonfield—and an S-rank at that. His dazzling name completely overshadowed hers.
That year, the Public Relations Department of the Awakened Management Agency was genuinely happy. With gate response capabilities having stabilized, public opinion—once saying the agency just ate up taxes without doing anything—flipped overnight, and that favorable view continued even now.
Anyway, after three years had passed and things seemed to have finally calmed down, Baek Dohyeok dragged it all back into the spotlight.
What kind of grudge do you have against me?! I said I’d give you 20% upfront!
Jiseo felt wronged and depressed.
And that misfortune continued at home as well.
Knock, knock-knock—
“🎵 Do you wanna build a snowman~ 🎵”
“Shut up.”
It was her older sister, Yeonseo, knocking on the bathroom door every ten seconds while Jiseo was showering. She claimed to be swamped with work, yet somehow found time to come home solely to tease her younger sister.
Jiseo honestly couldn’t believe that this woman—almost thirty, first in her class upon admission and graduation, a doctor no less—was so earnest when it came to tormenting her little sister.
Jiseo yanked the door open. Because of that damn snowman song, she’d only roughly dried off, her hair wrapped in a towel. She glared at Yeonseo, who just grinned shamelessly.
“Ohhh, Lim Jiseo—wreck an S-rank guide’s supercar and steal his heart, huh—mmph!”
Before Yeonseo could go on about Baek Dohyeok, Jiseo clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her straight into the room. Luckily, it was the fried chicken shop’s regular day off. Their parents were happily setting the table, excited about having dinner with both daughters for once. Worried the noise might carry, Jiseo locked the door first.
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That Baek Dohyeok owns a Bugatti.”
“Oh please. I can tell just by looking. Dr. Choi from pediatrics asked me if this wasn’t my sister’s story. I mean, seriously—an S-rank guide? There’s no way you’d have two chaebol men in your life. Obviously, you crashed into Baek Dohyeok’s car, he fell for you at first sight, and since he can’t pair with another Esper, he played the media first using your story. Right? Right?! So you two are imprinting? Don’t tell me marriage—ma-marriage?! Then buy me a hospital in a prime Gangnam location. Jiseo—no, Sister Jiseo!”
The faster she talked, the more she accelerated—zero to a hundred like a Lamborghini.
At first, Yeonseo excitedly rattled off her theories about the two of them, but as she went on, she somehow grew more obsequious. Clinging tightly to Jiseo’s back—despite not even being a physical-enhancement type—Yeonseo showered her cheek with kisses and whined.
“A hospital! A hospital!”
“Ugh, gross. We’re not imprinting, not pairing, not getting married. We’re strangers. Got it?”
Jiseo plopped Yeonseo onto the bed and mimed zipping her mouth shut, signaling her not to say a word to their parents. A hospital in Gangnam—yeah right. If anything, she was figuring out how much she owed that man.
Yeonseo, following her gray-eyed little sister—only showing her Esper side at times like this—mimicked zipping her lips, then muttered spitefully.
“Still, it’s true that he likes you. He’s as handsome as an actor.”
“Do you only date men for their looks?”
“Then what else is there? You can know ten fathoms of water but not one fathom of a human heart. The only thing you can see is a face, Lim Jiseo. And it’s not just a face—he’s rich, and on top of that, a guide. Isn’t that amazing? If he asks you out, just date him. And if he starts flaunting his money later, just toss him straight into a gate.”
“Why do you keep telling me to kill people? Be glad you didn’t awaken. With that temper, if you’d become an Esper, you’d be in an Awakened detention facility already. You know visitors aren’t even allowed there? Mom and Dad would’ve gone bald stuffing your prison account with fried chicken money.”
“Hey, you think I’d get caught? And if it were me, I’d have imprinted with Baek Dohyeok already. The day after imprinting, I’d make a national address: He’s mine, so don’t even make eye contact.”
“Ah, stop!”
Suspecting that her sister had gone a bit crazy after spending over ten years studying nonstop without dating, Jiseo opened the door.
“Let’s just eat.”
“Food, food! Mom! Did you make mushroom pancakes?”
“Yeah, and japchae too—the kind you like.”
“Wow, Mrs. Hyun is the best, the best!”
At the wafting smell of food, Yeonseo sprang up and ran to their parents, wiggling her hips and acting cute. Watching her, Jiseo thought that in their family, Yeonseo had both the strength of a lion and perfect aegyo—doing double the work in her stead. She lifted the table, laden enough to break its legs, and carried it into the living room.
“Wow, wow—look at that strength, Esper Lim! Mom and Dad must be so proud. Two kids: one with brains and beauty, the other a brute. What a bumper harvest of children. Amazing, insane—Let it go~”
As Yeonseo grabbed a mushroom pancake with her hand and even started singing an old animated movie theme song, Dad gently scolded her.
“You’re a doctor, yet you talk like a child. What is that, Yeonseo?”
“Eh, I don’t know, don’t care. Hey, Lim Jiseo, since the family’s drinking together for once, go get soju and glasses.”
Jiseo did as told, bringing back a bottle of soju and four glasses. As she poured for her mom first, her mom suddenly said as if she’d just remembered something.
“Oh right, Jiseo. That Baek Dongjin—or whatever? That handsome guide. He’s your fan, right? I heard he was on the news earlier.”
“Yeah, I got so many messages too. Wow—someone that impressive being a fan of yours. Our daughter is amazing.”
“Mom, it’s not Baek Dongjin, it’s Baek Dohyeok. And Dad, you think that’s all?”
Yeonseo, who had been making a fuss, shut her mouth under Jiseo’s sharp glare.
“……”
Though Jiseo was technically the lowest in the household hierarchy, that was only because she was the youngest and chose to yield. Yeonseo knew very well that when her sister got angry, she was genuinely terrifying. Lowering her eyes, she quietly held out her glass. Jiseo filled it to the brim with soju.
The next day, as soon as Jiseo arrived at work, she was summoned to the Director’s office again. This time, she could guess the reason. She did briefly think about the simulation training room she’d destroyed—but if a director-level official was calling her in, it had to be something more serious.
Namely, something involving an S-rank guide from one of Korea’s top conglomerate families.
“You called for me?”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Director Choi Youngmuk’s expression was strange. The moment he saw her, he scanned Jiseo from head to toe, as if thinking, Just what exactly are you up to?
Yet he didn’t look displeased. Jiseo figured that the man sitting comfortably in the office had probably tried to strike another deal involving her.
“Good afternoon, Vice President.”
“Jiseo.”
Dohyeok smiled brightly, as if he were genuinely happy to see her. Jiseo stepped two paces inside and waited quietly.
She stood there blankly until the director said, “What are you doing? Sit.” Only then did she sit down, sighing inwardly. She’d been seated in this exact arrangement just a month ago—yet so much had happened since then.
“Guide Baek Dohyeok says he’ll provide radiation guiding after clearing A-rank or higher gates. That’s a big deal.”
“…Congratulations?”
The title had changed—from Vice President to Guide. It seemed he’d finally reached a compromise between his reluctance to work as a guide and public opinion.
The period right after clearing a gate was as tense as the battle itself. Espers, having used enormous amounts of their abilities, were extremely unstable—adrenaline still surging, the aftermath of combat lingering, injuries unresolved.
If they were to encounter radiation guiding from an S-rank guide immediately upon exit, countless risk factors would be subdued.
“Aren’t you curious what condition I set for this?”
Jiseo slowly blinked. Her dense eyelashes drooped tiredly, then lifted again. Exhausted by Dohyeok’s repeated demands—demands she couldn’t read—Jiseo was simply weary. Someone who so persistently provoked her, someone unaccustomed to the spotlight and determined to refuse it, was nothing but tiring.
“Well… is it me?”
