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Chapter 34
“Instructor Kim Jinwon, hello!”
Jiseo energetically greeted as she entered the small conference room, mainly used for strategy meetings.
A tall man sitting on the edge of the meeting table gave a slight nod, acknowledging Jiseo’s greeting.
From his black muscle-fit shirt to his techwear and combat boots, it was exactly the same outfit she had last seen—despite it being two years ago.
“What brings you to the Metropolitan Headquarters?”
Jiseo’s face shone unusually brightly. Her long-time idol was right in front of her. Kim Jinwon, who should have been at the Daejeon Awakener Training Center, was here instead.
Kim Jinwon had been Jiseo’s combat instructor when she was a rookie Esper.
He was the one who had commented on Jiseo’s evaluation sheet after the grueling 16-week training, saying, “Grade: C, but heart: S.”
After stepping back from fieldwork, Kim Jinwon now trained newly awakened Espers. Most rookie Espers had passed through his hands, so he wasn’t a special presence just for Jiseo.
Moreover, before the emergence of Chae Yuri and Kwon Yul, Kim Jinwon had been South Korea’s only S-class Esper for a long time, giving him an unmatched status. With natural combat sense and mastery over powerful flames, he was even requested for overseas dispatches, making him a top-tier powerhouse.
“A directive came from above. You’ll be in charge of adaptation training for presumed re-awakened Espers.”
Kim Jinwon’s brief reply wasn’t specifically directed at Jiseo, but it was clear who he meant.
Jiseo asked reluctantly,
“…You mean me?”
Instead of answering, Kim Jinwon handed her an A4 sheet. Seeing Jinwon’s black gloves, which he wore even in midsummer, Jiseo smiled and quickly took the paper.
It had been years since she last saw him, and handing over a training schedule without even a greeting seemed perfectly in character for Kim Jinwon. Jiseo’s surprise grew when she looked at the names of the trainers.
“…Instructor, is this really my schedule?”
“The trainee’s name is at the top right.”
“I saw that already.”
Of course, she had already confirmed that her name, Lim Jiseo, was written there. Thanks to her awakened abilities, she had 2.5 vision in both eyes without surgery, so even tiny text was crystal clear.
What startled her were the names of the training Espers listed for each day.
Chae Yuri, Kwon Yul, Kim Jinwon. The three S-class Espers of South Korea were listed consecutively on the flashy sheet that fluttered in Jiseo’s hands.
Even though Kim Jinwon had stopped tackling gates, seeing Chae Yuri, who mainly handled advanced gates in the southern region, on the list was shocking.
“I’m in charge of the overall training, so direct any questions to me. A guide must accompany you; I’m letting you know in advance.”
Kim Jinwon’s expression was subtle as he spoke. His eyes briefly measured Jiseo’s face, then he looked away and pressed his lips together.
Realizing his part was done, Jiseo bowed.
“I’ll see you during training. Oh, Instructor, it’s really good to see you again after so long.”
“Mm.”
Kim Jinwon nodded, though not particularly pleased.
It felt familiar. At his feet was a worn Boston bag, seemingly indicating he had just arrived in Seoul and, like Jiseo, had received the training schedule without explanation.
Even for someone experiencing the unprecedented phenomenon of re-awakening, he saw his task and left without asking unnecessary questions. That was very Kim Jinwon.
After leaving the conference room, Jiseo sighed while looking at the personal training schedule that had replaced the team training.
It felt like things were escalating too much.
Because nothing had been officially confirmed, the matter of Jiseo’s ranking remained confidential.
Something had definitely happened inside, but since it wasn’t a result of her own will or effort, even Jiseo herself couldn’t fully grasp it.
The researchers and Jiseo were on equal footing in confusion.
Still, it was nice to see Kim Jinwon again.
Jiseo folded the schedule neatly and tucked it into her back pocket, smiling. It was unusual for her to be so excited, but Kim Jinwon had been her hero even before awakening, since their civilian days.
Before awakening, Kim Jinwon had been a batter for the baseball team Sungwon Sabers, which Jiseo and her family supported. He debuted as a high school rookie and immediately achieved outstanding performance, skyrocketing to stardom.
His stylish plays, dedication, superior physique, and good looks made his uniform the top-selling item among Sabers fans.
Then suddenly, news came that Kim Jinwon had awakened. Fans, including Jiseo, were disappointed, but when he received an S-class ranking, everyone cheered again, calling him “Sabers’ fourth batter, Korea’s savior.”
Jiseo and Yeonseo, both lifelong Sabers fans, had been saddened by his sudden retirement, but after re-encountering him as an instructor, Jiseo liked him even more than during his savior days.
Quiet but attentive to junior Espers, with no scandals and a strong sense of duty, Kim Jinwon’s character was exemplary. Jiseo concluded he deserved to be revered as a superstar before and after awakening.
Still so cool… those gloves… Did you really keep using the ones our team collected for you?
It was her hobby to watch pro baseball, and meeting the superstar of her favorite team in a workplace senior-junior relationship was thrilling.
She remembered being thrown around, matched multiple times, having her hair singed by Jinwon’s flame skill—she had experienced it all.
Thinking about having to train under him again gave her goosebumps, albeit for different reasons than before.
Yes, Kim Jinwon was an incredible player and Esper, but meeting him outside the field, with exemplary character, made him even more impressive.
Jiseo couldn’t control her smile at the thought of him—but then her expression stiffened as a man approached at a terrifyingly fast pace.
“Yes. Small Conference Room, 3rd floor of Building 2. Yes, got it… no, found it. Thank you.”
After ending the call, Dohyeok put away his phone and sped up, his intensity resembling a husband who had just caught a cheating wife. Jiseo hesitated. Why the wide-eyed look? And who was the informant she just spoke to? She resolved to find out tomorrow, pressing her lips together.
Dohyeok stopped right in front of her.
“Lim Jiseo.”
“Vice President Baek Dohyeok… What a strange coincidence to meet here at this hour.”
“Breathe. I won’t eat you.”
His eyes suggested otherwise.
“Really, what brings you here?”
“Nothing serious, just tracking someone who broke an appointment and ran off. So why does your face look like that? Like an Esper caught avoiding their guide.”
His tone was light, but his eyes were intense. Jiseo shivered—not like before with Kim Jinwon’s training, but in a different way.
“Why don’t you answer calls, why ignore messages? Did you block me? And I told you to get daily guidance. Why didn’t you call?”
Dohyeok, clearly primed, pressed her relentlessly without even breathing.
His diction was so precise that she felt embarrassed and wanted to run. Did she really need this scolding in a corridor?
About ten days after the mucosal guidance, she had avoided thinking about when to plan the date, even climbing down the wall from the roof to the parking lot to avoid him—but it wasn’t because she felt burdened.
She felt a pang in her conscience.
“…I’m sorry. I’ve been distracted lately. But I did think a lot about it.”
Even after fleeing from a guide during the Esper’s rampage stage, she stood tall—astonishing. If Dohyeok posted this on the guidance board, she would be grilled immediately.
Hearing her had thought a lot, Dohyeok held her right hand, rubbing her back with his thumb. The guiding energy, skillfully applied after ten days, felt dizzyingly sweet and ticklish.
It was like inhaling the first breath after being dragged underwater. Every cell screamed with delight.
“Worried about you.”
Jiseo didn’t pull her hand back, silently receiving the guidance energy. Dohyeok finally relaxed, his voice gentle. Then, lowering his posture, he whispered into her ear:
“I missed you.”
“….”
Usually, one might reply with “Me too,” but Jiseo realized she had never actually missed him—she had just wanted guidance. Even then, she only realized it after being held by him. Dohyeok didn’t expect a reply, and he moved on.
“Anyway, your ponderings probably aren’t decisive, so let’s go. I reserved a restaurant.”
“Without even hearing me…”
“You’d probably have been stuck deciding between things like spicy catfish stew, asking Espers Kim Junho or Choi Minhyuk, then rejecting them. That’s why you asked them.”
“…You’re a ghost. A stalker? Bugged me?”
“Lim Jiseo, 16 years of experience.”
Sixteen years and you’ve barely spoken a word. Jiseo muttered internally.
Her parents said Lim family members were possessed by a ghost who couldn’t die from not eating soup.
Her father and Yeonseo had the exact same taste as a native Korean born in ’58—meat, simple, hearty. Naturally, Jiseo and her mother followed suit.
Soup is nothing to scoff at; Koreans are a soup-loving people. Dohyeok narrowed his eyes subtly as he watched her, thinking of her walking behind him.
“But what were you laughing at in the hallway earlier?”
“Me?”
“Yes, the Esper Lim Jiseo, evading her guide.”
“I wasn’t evading…”
“Answer the question. Jumping from the roof was caught on my car’s black box.”
“…It’s nothing, I just met an old instructor and was happy. And I jumped because the rooftop air felt nice that day…”
Dohyeok stopped abruptly.
Jiseo, nearly running her nose into his back while rambling excuses, asked, “What?” and met his dark, piercing eyes. Anyone else might think she had cursed him.
“Kim Jinwon? You met Kim Jinwon?”
