AAGULT Ch 59

Chapter 59

That’s right. After the doctor left, the investigator assigned to the “Baek Beomwoo case” came in and asked a few light questions.

Had he ever met Baek Beomwoo in person, what kind of plans Baek had, what his usual movements were, what abilities he had… There were things Jaeha knew and things he didn’t, but he kept his mouth shut and didn’t answer anything.

His mind hadn’t reached any conclusions yet. He wasn’t even sure when the boss was coming to get him. No matter how much guilt he carried about working for a criminal, he couldn’t bring himself to betray him.

The Association President, who was quietly watching Jaeha’s lips press together again, spoke in an unsurprised, matter-of-fact tone.

“Take your time to think about it. There’s no rush. I heard you’re willing to cooperate in developing the antidote, is that correct?”

“…Yes. I’ll cooperate with that.”

Jaeha had already been informed of the “Baek Beomwoo case” by the investigator who had visited earlier. Thirteen espers and five guides affiliated with the Association had completely lost their abilities. Half of them had died, and the other half were left with disabilities.

The only case in which abilities weren’t entirely lost was Jaeha’s.

So, when they asked if they could study his case to develop an antidote, Jaeha immediately agreed.

In his mind, this didn’t constitute betrayal of the boss, and it might even help the people who had lost their abilities. Maybe—just a little—there was a sense of atonement in his heart for the crimes his boss had committed.

At the same time, those previously confusing words from that meeting floated back into his mind.

“Keep distributing that. How many within the Association so far?”

“Currently, 13 espers and 5 guides in the Association. Including unaffiliated individuals, 32 espers and 12 guides.”

So that was what they were talking about.

Why was the boss trying to strip espers and guides of their powers…? He couldn’t make sense of it. Then again, Jaeha had rarely been able to understand him in the first place.

“I also heard that you’ll need to receive guiding on a consistent basis. Don’t worry—we’ll provide you with a guide.”

That continued explanation pulled Jaeha out of his thoughts. He remembered the doctor’s recommendation that he receive guiding frequently and regularly. He also thought of Aiden, who had quietly toyed with his hand while they discussed it.

“…Guide Yei Aiden…”

So when the President mentioned “providing a guide,” it sounded to Jaeha like he meant someone else would be sent. He instinctively repeated it back—and in that moment, reality hit him.

“…”

There was no way they’d assign an S-class guide to an F-class esper. Especially someone as busy as him…

He realized how entitled and arrogant he had been to even think of such a thing. It was terribly, unbearably humiliating… No matter how kindly Aiden viewed him, no matter how much he wanted to maintain a relationship, Jaeha had no right to expect that. If he had any shame, he shouldn’t wish for more.

It had only been a few months since he had knelt to beg for leftover guiding from the boss. Now here he was, growing so complacent that he actually considered receiving guiding from the one and only S-class guide in Korea as a given.

Thankfully, the Association President seemed to pick up on Jaeha’s realization and shame. Instead of criticizing or explaining, he simply gave a faint smile that conveyed understanding, and Jaeha found a sliver of comfort in that.

“If you return to A-class, I’ll do my best to officially pair you with Guide Yei Aiden.”

“…What?”

“Well, even without my help, it seems that’s where things are headed…”

The Association President thought of the madman under his command. Personally, he believed that if they became a pair, it would be Jaeha—not Aiden—who’d suffer and be wasted. But as the Association President, he had to consider the practical cost-benefit. In that regard, he couldn’t afford to officially pair the current Jaeha with Aiden.

If Guide Yei Aiden chose to see Jaeha personally and conduct guiding on his own, that was a different matter. But now that Song Jaeha had fallen under the Association’s influence, the unofficial honey trap strategy had come to an end. There was no reason to allocate any more elite resources like Aiden.

The President looked at Jaeha, who—dressed in patient clothes—appeared even paler than before. His hands were clasped as he looked down, seemingly deep in thought. He had a fairly solid build, so even a little weight loss was noticeable. His features had sharpened, but since the President already knew the kindness within, he felt no wariness toward the young man.

“Why…”

“Why?”

“Why are you going so far… to support me?”

“Hm.”

And then the President was struck by how different Song Jaeha was from other espers. Even after experiencing the guiding of Yei Aiden—a guide of incomparable skill—he was willing to let it go so easily. He must have already tasted it, and yet. Most espers would find other guiding intolerable after that. Especially a mental-type, whose waveforms were notoriously difficult to manage.

Crossing his arms, the President leaned back slowly in his chair, thinking for a moment before speaking—seemingly out of the blue.

“You know, Yei Aiden once ingested that same substance.”

“What…”

“The suppressant you took in large quantities.”

“…!”

Jaeha jerked his head up at those words. Thud. The shock hit him like a massive hammer. If Aiden was harmed because of him…

“Guide Yei Aiden… Is he okay…? Is he alright?”

“I asked him the same thing. Are you really okay? Are you sure you don’t need treatment?”

“…”

“And then he answered me.”

Jaeha tensed and pressed his lips tightly together. Without realizing it, he clutched the bedsheet so hard his fingers turned pale. The heart monitor beside him beeped, signaling a spike in his heart rate. The President glanced at it and thought, He’s got a tender heart, before continuing.

“‘If you drop a single drop of water on a torch, the water will evaporate.’”

“…”

“‘But what happens if you drop a torch into the sea, Mr. President?’”

“Ah…”

He understood the meaning in an instant. His body relaxed slightly. It had scared him far more than being told he was now F-class. But thank god, Aiden was okay.

The President chuckled as he recalled the moment, then continued more casually.

“The difference in rankings is greater than you think. It’s not just a scale from 1% to 100% divided into a few levels. It’s based on the distribution and rarity of abilities.”

“Is that so…”

“If I had to use an analogy, a pyramid would be more accurate. About 67% of all espers are F-class. The next 20% are E-class, only about 12% are D-class. B-class and above make up less than 0.5%. S-class? They’re truly exceptional—fewer than 0.1%. There are only 13 in the entire world. It’s no wonder.”

“…”

Jaeha recalled how Aiden had subdued Eunyul without even making physical contact—just a single moment of guiding. He had never seen a guide use guiding as a weapon before. So that was what being S-class meant. Jaeha looked at the President, who had just explained how rare and precious Aiden was. That only made everything more confusing.

“Then someone like me…”

He was even less suitable for Aiden. Even if he rose back to A-class, he wasn’t qualified to be matched with someone like that.

“Your case is different. You’ve been ingesting that substance over a long period, and a large dose was administered in a short time. Even a top-tier A-class couldn’t withstand that.”

“…”

“And from the Association’s perspective, it’s better to keep Yei Aiden in Korea. Up until now, we couldn’t track or control him, so we just left him be. But if he’s taken a liking to you, you should consider that a good thing.”

“…”

Jaeha remembered the news about Aiden he’d seen before meeting him—always about some overseas business trip or deployment. Could he really be the reason Aiden stayed? Wasn’t that tying him down?

Seeing Jaeha visibly sinking into his thoughts, the President picked up on it instantly and spoke again.

“Do you know how rare mental-type espers are?”

“…”

Jaeha glanced around, then silently shook his head.

Mental-type espers. Opinions about them varied widely. The espers who dominated the media were almost always combat-types. They were the ones actually going into gates and fighting monsters.

As such, mental-types were often considered timid, cowardly, the kind who hid behind combat-types even when they did enter gates. In fact, most people assumed they rarely entered gates at all.

It was common knowledge among Association-affiliated espers and guides due to their training, but the President knew Jaeha had been raised in an extremely closed-off environment, so he willingly began to explain.

“In terms of ratios, about 95% of espers are combat-type. Mental-types make up just 2%, and the remaining 3% are unique types. That makes mental-types rarer than even the undefined unique ones.”

Here, “combat-type” included not just those with physical abilities, but anyone with powers suited for battle—those who manipulated fire or electricity, or who used telekinesis.

Thinking of how rare Eunyul’s unique type was, it shocked Jaeha to learn that mental-types were even rarer.

He simply blinked dumbly, so the President continued.

“In the history of South Korea, only five mental-type espers—including you—have ever ranked B-class or higher.”