TGIC Ch 14

Chapter 14

Hearing his apology left me with mixed feelings.

His response was off the mark, but the fact that Vasily had apologized and even reflected on his own mistake was truly shocking. Vasily, apologizing? And he even thought about what exactly he did wrong before coming?

He added that he had asked others for advice and asked me to praise him.

“Is that person… still alive, I wonder…”

“Hm? What did you say?”

“…Nothing at all.”

I had mumbled it under my breath, but he still heard. S-rank hearing really is terrifying. I made a mental note to be careful when badmouthing Vasily in the future. I’m not his exclusive guide anymore, so provoking him could very well cost me my life.

“Will you accept my apology?”

“Well… It wasn’t exactly the right answer, but I’ll let it slide this time.”

Whether the person Vasily consulted is still in one piece is questionable, but seeing how far Vasily went, I couldn’t ignore his apology entirely. I nodded reluctantly, and he smiled softly.

Can people really change? Seeing Vasily with a faint smile left me feeling a little confused.

Either way, it was time to leave. I had a lot to say, but since I’d only slipped out briefly in the morning, I had to hurry back. I checked the time and got up.

“Leaving already?”

“Yes. So, could you please open the door?”

“It’s been a while since we met—won’t you guide me?”

“I’m a civil servant affiliated with the Association. If I don’t return to work, I’ll get fired.”

“Hm…”

The moment I flatly refused, Vasily tilted his head as if contemplating something and then spoke.

“I’ll apply for a designated guiding session. That solves the problem, right?”

“…”

“I’ll only take an hour’s worth so I don’t overdo it like last time.”

I stayed silent. That left me with no excuse to back out. And it wasn’t like Vasily would open the door so easily, anyway.

I glanced at the clock and hesitated. An hour—just barely manageable without medication. It should be fine… right?

“Alright.”

In the end, I accepted his offer.

Vasily tapped away on his smartphone and showed me the screen.

[Temporary guiding session request completed. : Guide Kwon Gidam]

Any excuse to flee had now vanished entirely.

After showing me the application screen, Vasily calmly spread his arms and waited for me, just like he did whenever he received guiding.

That faint smile still made me uneasy. Though there was no malicious intent visible on his face, the memory of how he once tried to kill an Esper without hesitation made it difficult to fully let my guard down.

I set an alarm to go off in one hour and quietly sat beside him.

“I’ll begin the guiding session now.”

Carefully, I wrapped my arms around him. Without showing that I was nervous, I brought my arms around his body, and the familiar chill seeped into me.

Right, I just need to endure until the alarm goes off. Once the session ends, Vasily won’t have any more excuses to hold me here and will have to let me go.

Still, I was worried about the suppressor chip that would go into overload after the guiding. Just thinking about having to take that unsettling red pill as soon as I returned to the office made me uncomfortable.

“…”

Vasily quietly received the guiding like a docile cat. Unlike before the regression, when he threw a fit every time, he was now placing himself entirely in my care with impeccable obedience. He was so well-behaved, I felt like the Association should hang a picture of him in the hallway as the model Esper of the month.

If only all the other Espers who came for temporary guiding were like this.

He smelled nice, didn’t fidget to get closer, didn’t chatter pointlessly… Vasily was like a tame sheep while being guided. I started to feel like the one I was holding might not be a dangerous beast, but a giant cat instead.

But then…

“…Esper Vasily.”

It hadn’t been long since I had that thought when Vasily started pressing down on me with force. Feeling the weight increase on my shoulder, I quietly called his name.

What is he trying to do? If Vasily suddenly lost control and tried to pounce, I’d have no way to resist. This was a private room—if anything happened, help would come too late. I regretted walking into Vasily’s private quarters so carelessly.

After holding back for a while, I finally spoke up, tense.

“What are you doing? If you don’t follow the safety protocol, I’ll have to stop the temporary guiding sess—”

“Hm…”

That’s when I heard it. Steady breathing by my ear. I fell silent without meaning to.

Soft breaths. I could hear Vasily’s calm exhalations right next to me. It was real. Vasily was leaning on me with his entire body relaxed.

No way—was he asleep?

“Esper Vasily?”

No response.

“Are you seriously sleeping right now?”

“…”

Was he really asleep?

Hearing the rhythmic breathing in my ear, I was stunned. I stayed tense, suspecting he was faking it, but Vasily had truly fallen asleep, comfortably resting in my arms.

A storm of confusion swept through me. I was so flustered that I froze completely, unable to react at all.

– Beep beep.

At that moment, my smartphone buzzed with the alarm. I snatched it up instinctively and turned it off.

‘…Did he wake up?’

I checked the now-quiet phone and cautiously looked at Vasily. Thankfully, he still seemed to be asleep, nestled against me, breathing softly.

But my suspicion only deepened. How could someone as hypersensitive as Vasily not wake up to the alarm? I was convinced he had to be faking it this time—but no, he was genuinely sleeping. Even letting out a peaceful little snore.

I think this is the first time I’ve seen Vasily completely let his guard down in front of me. For someone who used to be so defensive, to do this all of a sudden?

I was so thrown off that I couldn’t decide what to do next, when I heard the soft dripping of water nearby. Turning my head toward the sound, I saw water dripping from the melted ice that had once frozen the doorknob solid.

Now’s my chance.

I carefully laid Vasily down on the sofa and slipped out of the private room. Worried he might wake up and chase after me, I kept glancing back. But everything in the direction of his room remained quiet—he must really have been fast asleep.

Come to think of it, when was the last time I saw him sleeping? Probably after that gate incident, when I had guided him for three days straight. I might’ve caught a glimpse then when he briefly nodded off.

My mind was a complete mess. I returned to the Guide Association, but even in the afternoon, Vasily didn’t come looking for me.

His sleeping face wouldn’t leave my head. Was he still sleeping, or had he woken up and decided not to look for me? I spent the entire afternoon guiding other Espers, but the confusion still wouldn’t settle.

Thankfully, no more flower bouquets were delivered starting the next day. One problem off my plate, at least, so I started my day as usual.

Today, Vasily didn’t show up. No rude clients either. Even the number of assigned Espers was low. Lucky me. Since it was Friday, I started planning a relaxing evening at home with a movie and a beer, waiting eagerly for the end of the workday. Just thinking about resting all weekend made me feel great.

– Creak.

Blending in with the rush of people heading home, I was walking toward the subway when a familiar car suddenly stopped right next to me.

A sleek foreign car, black and gleaming like obsidian. I knew it instantly…

‘That’s the one Vasily always drives.’

Damn it… No wonder my luck had been so good today…!

The window began to lower. Before I could even see Vasily’s face, I quickly broke into a run, heading straight for the subway entrance.

Tap tap tap!

It was Friday evening rush hour. Public servants from both the Esper and Guide Associations were flooding into the subway. Once I made it inside, Vasily, who hated crowds, would give up on chasing me.

On the other hand, until I made it into the subway, he definitely wouldn’t stop.

Click, tap.

I heard the car door open and someone get out behind me. But I was already almost at the subway entrance. With this many people around, there was no way even Vasily could catch me now. He couldn’t possibly—

“…!”

Suddenly, an ice wall shot up in front of me. I tried to stop, but my legs had too much momentum to halt right away.

“Ugh!”

I barely managed to raise my arms and protect my face before slamming into it. My arm throbbed in pain. That ice was ridiculously solid. I’d crashed into it at full speed, but there wasn’t even a hairline crack.

I tried to dart around the wall, but as soon as I changed direction, another ice wall shot up. I turned again—same result. In an instant, the walls of ice had closed in like prison bars, trapping me.

Everyone on their way home stopped to stare. Dozens, hundreds of eyes all fixated on me. I was just an ordinary citizen trying to live a quiet life—this level of attention was overwhelming. I think I even saw a few teammates in the distance…

…Goddamn it.