TGIC Ch 54

Chapter 54

Although I’m currently classified as a C-rank guide due to the suppressant chip’s side effects, I’m originally an S-rank guide. If I go abroad and join a foreign association, even Vasily won’t be able to touch me.

If I were to contract with another S-rank Esper, it would be even harder for him to interfere. Adjusting to life overseas might be difficult at first, but the treatment I’d receive there would be better than in Korea, so it wouldn’t be a problem.

I headed straight to the Guide Association, placed my resignation letter on the team leader’s desk, and then made my way to the airport. The team leader would probably see my resignation on Monday after the weekend, but I didn’t have the time to hand it over in person.

Just in case, I arrived at the airport wearing a mask and a hat.

I checked the flight schedules to find the soonest departure. However, since I had taken a late-night bus and arrived at dawn, most of the flights had already finished boarding.

“A 7 a.m. flight to Vancouver, huh…”

I found a flight that would allow immediate entry, but the wait was longer than expected, which was a drawback.

Surely Vasily wouldn’t come after me, right? I had confirmed he was asleep before leaving, so there wasn’t any immediate danger—but there was no telling when he might wake up and come looking.

I prayed, recalling how Vasily never woke up easily once he fell asleep. Please, let him sleep soundly until morning.

Fortunately, there were no problems until sunrise. At the scheduled time, I completed the baggage check and boarded the flight to Vancouver, waiting for takeoff.

Haah… Sitting in business class and looking up at the bright sky, I finally started to relax.

Settling down in an unfamiliar country would be tough, but it was still better than staying by Vasily’s side. Thankfully, I had occasionally traveled abroad with Vasily, so I had a decent sense of how foreign associations operated.

Once I landed in Vancouver, I would go to the nearest association, get the suppressant chip removed, and undergo a rank evaluation. I would also request personal protection…

Sitting in business class, I felt at ease and took off my mask and hat, closing my eyes. But gradually, I could sense a commotion spreading through the cabin.

Was there a problem with the plane?

Feeling something was off, I looked around. The other passengers were murmuring amongst themselves.

Then, someone stepped onto the plane.

That familiar silhouette—it could only be…

“It’s Esper Vasily!”

At someone’s shout, the plane was instantly thrown into an uproar. Those who recognized him looked at Vasily with eyes full of admiration. Amid all this, the only one frozen with a pale face—me—was quickly spotted by Vasily, who smiled and approached.

“H-How did you…?”

“I came to find my runaway guide.”

Vasily pulled me to my feet. I tried to resist by staying seated, but he forcibly stood me up.

“Sorry for the disturbance. This person is my guide.”

“What are you talking about…! Why would I be your guide?!”

“If you don’t come quietly, I’ll freeze you and take you.”

Vasily whispered this threat under his breath. But this time, I wasn’t planning to back down.

“I… I don’t want to go.”

“……”

“Then go ahead and freeze me.”

What I said was half a gamble. Vasily wouldn’t want to damage a guide he had only just acquired. No matter how much I rejected or resisted him, I doubted he would actually freeze me.

As I expected, a subtle flicker crossed Vasily’s expression. His face turned cold, and he looked down at me with eyes that had lost all trace of amusement. The atmosphere was chilling enough to freeze me in place.

A frosty air radiated from him.

“In that case, let me change my approach. How about I freeze one person on this plane each time Guide Kwon Gidam tries to stall?”

“……!”

“Let’s start with…”

As if he truly intended to act on those words, Vasily’s gaze shifted toward the seated passengers. Horrified, I jumped in front of him.

“Wait…!”

Vasily was the kind of madman who would do exactly what he said. If I didn’t stop him, he might really start freezing the very passengers who were now looking at him with sparkling eyes. If that happened, the cabin would descend into chaos in an instant. And it would be all because I said I wouldn’t go with him.

Grabbing him in desperation, I spoke.

“I’ll go.”

“Smart choice.”

Seeing how he answered as if he’d known I would, I bit down hard on my lip. He had clearly realized that if he endangered others, I wouldn’t be able to say no.

I stood up like the walking dead and followed him off the plane.

“E-Esper Vasily, this is going too far…”

As we disembarked, security staff stood helplessly at the front, unsure of what to do. He must have forced his way through the checkpoint. So that’s what all the commotion was about. Brushing past the staff, Vasily said,

“Don’t worry. I’m done with my business here.”

“……”

We passed through the departure terminal again and exited the building. Traces of Vasily’s chaos were still visible—frozen walkways, massive chunks of ice. Airport staff were blocking off the area and shooing away people trying to take photos. Despite having turned the airport upside down, Vasily exited the building without accepting any responsibility.

“……”

Seated in Vasily’s car, I bowed my head, lips pressed tightly together. My fists trembled in my lap.

In the dreadful silence, it was Vasily who finally spoke first.

“Were you really trying to escape overseas?”

“……”

“Why… I thought I treated you decently.”

I kept my mouth shut, refusing to respond.

“You’re not going to answer?”

“……”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re back now, after all.”

Vasily’s lips remained curled in a smile, as if he were in a great mood. On the other hand, I looked like I was on the verge of death.

At his private quarters, we sat across from each other on the sofa. On the table lay the resignation letter I had placed on the team leader’s desk, neatly retrieved.

I sat there, so tense my fingertips were trembling. Vasily, meanwhile, observed me leisurely, almost as if enjoying the view. In front of me sat a cup of warm water he’d handed me, perhaps to help me relax, but I couldn’t even swallow a sip.

Vasily rummaged through my bag and pulled out the pill packet, then, without a word, poured the contents onto the table.

Clatter. The red capsules, packaged in aluminum, tumbled out in a cascade. The sight startled me, and Vasily lifted the corner of his lips in amusement.

“I wondered why you were so wary of me. I thought we were meeting for the first time. So this is the reason…”

Vasily picked up one of the pills and rolled it between his fingers. The red capsule tumbled around in his pale white hand.

“First things first, we need to get rid of that thing in your neck. I’ve already contacted my personal physician—they’re preparing for the surgery now. Once I get the call, we’ll head out.”

“……”

“On Monday, we’ll run the compatibility test again and publish the results. Who would’ve thought my guide was in this tiny country? Coming to Korea was the right move after all.”

Vasily went on listing future plans. For once, he looked absolutely elated. And why wouldn’t he be? He’d just discovered that the guide who could withstand his wave transmissions also had a high compatibility rate. It must feel like every problem in his life had just been solved.

But.

“I refuse.”

Even now, in this situation, I couldn’t bring myself to accept it quietly. I wasn’t ready to give up fighting back.

Seeing that I still refused to become his guide, Vasily finally opened his mouth.

“Guide Kwon Gidam doesn’t have a choice… what now?”

A faint note of irritation crept into Vasily’s voice, as if his patience was starting to wear thin.

“If you forcibly designate me as your exclusive guide, then I’ll have no choice but to become one.”

“Smart of you to realize that.”

“But I will continue to try to escape, just like I did today. Is that really what you want?”

“……”

After a brief silence, he asked again.

“What is it that you want?”

Vasily crossed his legs and tilted his head, as if to say, “Let’s hear it.”

“Let’s write up a contract.”

I needed at least some kind of insurance. There was no telling if Vasily might drag me into a gate again or treat me like some expendable tool.

“A contract? Are you joking?”

Clearly, he didn’t like the idea. For a moment, his expression turned cold, like he’d dropped his mask.

But he quickly smoothed his face over and tilted his head in a crooked, almost mocking pose.

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

Seeing that I wouldn’t back down, Vasily finally relented, one step.

“First, I will never enter a gate.”

“……”

I swallowed nervously and watched for Vasily’s reaction. It seemed this wasn’t the condition he’d been expecting, and he asked back, puzzled,

“Why would you even bring that up? Isn’t it normal for guides not to enter gates?”

That’s only because you’re the one who ignored that rule!

Barely holding back the urge to snap, I answered.

“Just to be sure. I want it in writing.”

“Fine. What’s next?”