← The Guide Who Hides Their Power is an Otter
“What is it.”
-Thank you for your hard work, Director. I’m calling to report on Esper Park Gang-u, who has been admitted to Ward B-11, regarding measures to be taken.
“Why.”
-It’s about the loss of consciousness during his return to the Center.
Loss of consciousness? Heisha pricked up his ears and leaned his whole body in.
“His condition.”
-He has regained consciousness, but he’s not in good shape. The rampage waves won’t settle, so we’re supplementing with additional medication.
“Where is Park Gang-u now?”
-He strongly expressed his wish to go home, so for now he was discharged and sent home. We did tell him he must come in tomorrow without fail.
“Tomorrow morning? Report back when he comes in.”
-Yes, understood.
“Good work.”
The call ended, and Heisha slid his body back into place and stroked the leather sofa again.
‘They say he’s in bad shape, holding out on medication? He needs guiding.’
They wouldn’t report every ability user’s admission and discharge to him like this. It seemed to be reported because it concerned Park Gang-u, and that left him uneasy again.
‘Why?’
The more he retraced it, the more questions bred questions. Even when Heisha first came here, they knew he was talent enough to fully guide an S-rank, yet they’d made him C-rank and hidden him away so he couldn’t clash with Park Gang-u. And even though he could easily guide several A-ranks, they were letting him rot.
“Can I go now?”
“No more deploying from now on.”
“Why are you doing this again? I didn’t do anything, just stood there like a doll.”
“Meeting Park Gang-u is forbidden too.”
“Even my parents wouldn’t say something like that.”
Was there a deliberate reason for this? But he still didn’t know the relationship between Park Gang-u and the Director, and maybe he was getting ahead of himself.
Still, something kept nagging at him.
Heisha rose from the sofa and smiled.
“I’ll get going.”
“Did you hear what I just said?”
“Yes, yes. For now.”
If he did it quietly and secretly, no one would know. Heisha bowed his head and left the office.
Being admitted to a hospital and then discharged was, either way, a sign his body wasn’t well. He closed the office door behind him and hurried toward the elevator.
As if luck was with him, the elevator stopped right away. Heisha got on, pressed the button, and stood a little apart, when the two people behind him whispered.
“Haven’t you heard anything from the kids who deployed recently?”
“What. Something about a plastic bag attacking. Isn’t that absurd?”
“Apparently it’s true?”
At the words that hit home, Heisha flinched, then peeked at them sidelong.
“Ah. It’s true. They chased the plastic bag and suddenly collapsed.”
“Espers? Guides?”
“How would a guide run like that? But that attack, they said it was kind of similar to guiding.”
“They get guided and deployed and rolled around so much, they just thought it felt like guiding. Does that even make sense? The kids aren’t in their right minds, so they go around saying anything.”
“No. It’s not just one or two of them saying it, that’s why I’m saying it.”
The two stopped talking and met Heisha’s eyes.
“Hello.”
When Heisha greeted them awkwardly, the two returned the greeting with their eyes, exchanged glances, then quickly came up to Heisha and spoke.
“Did you hear what we said? What do you think, Guide Heisha. It’s believable, isn’t it?”
“You have to say things that make sense for people to believe them. Guide Heisha. It’s a strange rumor, so don’t mind it.”
Hehe. Heisha deliberately smiled as he answered.
“Come on. How would a plastic bag run and attack?”
“Right? See. I told you it’s just a rumor.”
“No, the kids who deployed told me themselves? And they’re not kids who’d lie.”
“I told you. The Center rolls them around so much the kids aren’t in their right minds.”
“Ah. This is frustrating!”
Watching the two bicker, Heisha shrank back and edged away. He wished they’d arrive quickly.
Why do espers live so high up, anyway. Then suddenly, something Heisha was curious about came to mind, and he squeezed in between the two, who looked ready to fight.
“Um, I have something to ask.”
“Wait, just stay still for a second. Do you think I’m just running my mouth making things up? It’s because you always run your mouth like that that these baseless rumors keep spreading. Shut that mouth of yours.”
“Huh?”
“Um….”
As the red numbers climbed, his heart grew impatient.
“What do people eat here when they’re sick?”
“Porridge.”
“Porridge, my foot. You have to eat rice.”
“Now I’ve heard everything. The guy who ate porridge for three days when he was sick is saying you should eat rice.”
“Rice was better than porridge. If someone had taken care of me, I’d have eaten rice, not porridge.”
“Koreans eat porridge when they’re sick.”
“No. When you’re sick, you eat rice.”
It seemed the two men’s comedy routine, or fight, would never end, so Heisha nodded and got off at the elevator as it stopped with a ding.
Whatever the truth was, they were people who would fight. Heisha briefly debated whether to buy porridge or rice. He picked up his phone and searched a portal site. People did eat rice too, but the prevailing story was that since you’re sick and digestion is poor, you eat porridge.
‘I shouldn’t have asked.’
He started to worry he’d thrown fuel on their fight.
“Still, it’s nice they have a friend to fight with.”
Either way, he decided on porridge. Heisha called a delivery place inside the Center and ordered porridge. They explained several kinds, but he chose the safe plain white porridge. Since he’d been to Park Gang-u’s home as a sea otter, he found it easily.
Ding-dong.
He pressed the doorbell and blinked in front of the door. He waited a long while, but not a sound came.
“Why isn’t he coming out?”
Ding-dong. He pressed it once more and waited obediently for him to come out. As expected, no one came out and there was no answer.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
‘Still not coming out?’
When he pressed the doorbell in rapid succession, the sound rang out bizarrely. Then the front door flew open irritably.
“…What is it.”
“Park Gang-u!”
Heisha blurted the name out in delight, then, seeing the fiercely hardened face, shut his mouth and opened it again.
“Esper….”
“He asked you a question.”
Seeing Park Gang-u ask so fiercely, Heisha shrank a little, then smiled with his eyes.
“I came to visit a sick person.”
“I’m fine.”
“They say Koreans eat porridge, so I ordered some.”
“Take that and go back, or whatever.”
“No.”
He’s so cold. When I’m Hei he’s so good to me, he’s practically the Count of Asura.
“I’ll just watch you eat the porridge and go.”
“I said I’m fine.”
Flushed cheeks and ears, damp hair, a strangely hunched body, eyes that weren’t narrowed yet sunken overall. Staring at Park Gang-u as he spoke firmly, Heisha suddenly reached out an arm.
“You have a fever.”
He had been acting like he would get angry, but at the cool touch on his forehead he meekly lowered his eyes.
“May I come in? When the porridge arrives, I’ll just give it to you and go.”
When Heisha asked again with maximum politeness, Park Gang-u silently stepped aside. Going inside, he saw the bathroom door was open.
“Were you showering?”
He nodded. Looking thoroughly softened, he seemed a little like a child. In the bathtub, he could hear water still running.
“How could you shower with a fever?”
“Because I’m hot.”
He had once been taught what happens to an esper who doesn’t receive guiding. He’d heard that in the stage right before a rampage, the body becomes a ball of fire. And that mentally, too, they become sensitive or erratic, sometimes not knowing what they’re saying.
“Shall I dry your hair?”
He’d never dried anyone else’s hair, but it was just a matter of blowing air with a dryer. Park Gang-u firmly shook his head, went to the bed, and flopped face-down onto it. Thinking of how he must have soaked in the bathtub not knowing what to do with his hot body, Heisha felt a little sorry for him.
“Are you very unwell?”
Now there was no answer at all. With his body in this state, it was impressive he’d even opened the front door.
Ding.
An alert popped up on his phone. True to Korea’s title as the land of delivery, the porridge had already arrived at the door.
“Do you want to eat the porridge?”
“…….”
“If porridge isn’t appealing, shall I make you rice instead?”
The only dish he could make was about an omelet rice. But Park Gang-u didn’t answer. Heisha instinctively went into the bathroom and turned off the water filling the tub. Then he approached Park Gang-u and checked his condition.
Hearing his wheezing breaths, it seemed he had fallen asleep. Heisha raised a hand and waved it in front of his face, but there was no movement at all.
“Don’t mind me, just sleep.”
It wasn’t something to say to someone already asleep, but he said it for politeness’ sake anyway. Heisha brought the porridge left at the door, divided it into a bowl, set it on a tray, and placed it on the dining table.
“‘Are you okay?’”
He asked again to confirm he was asleep. Hearing only even breathing, Heisha drew the curtains in the living room and, without the slightest hesitation, turned into a sea otter.
Pop!
He transformed neatly, but diligently gathered his clothes, strewn about, into one place.
Ready!
Heisha hopped up onto the bed and quietly gazed at Park Gang-u’s face. Objectively, it was a truly handsome face. Should he say it overflowed with Eastern beauty? He was a person lacking nothing, so why was he alone? He wasn’t hiding an ability like Heisha, nor did he go around acting dim on purpose.
‘Why hadn’t he received guiding?’
For someone trying to protect the country and its people, it was far too reckless. If he didn’t receive guiding, he would rampage, and rampaging meant death. An esper wouldn’t go on deployments not knowing that.
He’d also given the nuance of refusing when the Director offered to match him a pair guide. And yet the attitude of the Director, who wouldn’t match him with Heisha, the one likely to fit him best, was ominous too.
‘I need to look into this.’
If he couldn’t figure this out, in the end he wouldn’t be able to pair with him. The Director would cite the contract and refuse, and if Park Gang-u refused the pair in this state, he’d have even less to say. Even if the heavens ordained it or sent it down, if the person himself refused, it would all come to nothing.
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