TGIC Ch 61

Chapter 61

“Did you take that medicine again?”

Vasily furrowed his brow.

Come to think of it, Vasily still didn’t know exactly what that medicine was. He probably just thought it was some suspicious drug made with monster blood.

Since it was something I’d have to take every time I guided from now on, it was better to clear up the misunderstanding in advance.

“I told you before that it was cold medicine, but it’s actually a painkiller. Every time I guide, I get a severe headache… so I’ve had no choice but to take it.”

“……”

Vasily stared coldly at the pill. I swallowed nervously and quietly cupped it in my palm to hide it. If I kept letting it stay under his gaze, I felt like it would freeze over completely and become unusable.

“They say it has monster blood in it… aren’t you afraid?”

“Since nothing has happened so far, I think it’s fine.”

“If it’s a painkiller, there must be other options.”

“No other medicine works besides this one.”

Vasily slowly approached me. I flinched at the sight of him reaching out, tensing up, but his hand went toward my neck.

“It’s because of this, right?”

“……”

“As I thought, I really don’t like it…”

He gripped my neck. His cool fingers gently rubbed the area where the suppression chip was implanted. I froze in place with a shudder, then immediately swatted his hand away.

“If I feel any adverse effects, I’ll stop taking it right away, so there’s no need to worry.”

For a moment, I thought he was going to choke me. I tried to sound calm, but cold sweat was running down my back.

“Alright. Let’s revisit the matter once the test results for the drug’s components come out.”

Vasily still seemed displeased. If anything strange turned up in the results, he’d probably ban the medication immediately.

Surely he wasn’t going to tell me to just endure the pain without anything. He was capable of such a thing, which made me uneasy. I should probably hide a few pills around the house, just in case.

“Are you going to sleep here again tonight?”

“Yes. You’re the one who said there wasn’t a room I could use, Esper Vasily.”

“You can sleep in my room.”

“I’d rather not. I’ll keep sleeping on the sofa.”

“You really are stubborn sometimes.”

Vasily chuckled lightly and went back into the room.

So he came out just to check if I’d run away. It would’ve been better if he’d just stayed asleep. Of all times, he had to wake up right when I was taking the medicine…

Once he disappeared from view, I collapsed onto the sofa. Since I’d slept so long during the guiding session with Vasily, I probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again tonight.

“Ugh…”

As soon as I opened my eyes on the sofa, a strained groan escaped my lips. No matter how expensive or well-made the sofa was, it wasn’t a bed—my back ached from sleeping there.

I wanted to sleep more, but it was Monday. I washed up and began changing clothes, when I suddenly felt an unknown gaze crawling down my spine, making me shiver.

Whipping around, I saw Vasily leaning against the doorway, watching me change with a relaxed posture. I had no idea when he’d come out of the room.

“…What are you doing over there?”

“Hmm… watching?”

“Sigh…”

At least I had only taken off my shirt.

Unlike me, who was just starting to change, Vasily had already finished getting ready for work. As always, he wore a three-piece suit with perfectly styled hair. His glowing appearance made it hard to believe he was an esper who had gone without a guide for so long.

Ignoring him, I grabbed my clothes and headed toward a nearby room.

“So there is an unused room after all.”

When I opened the door, I found an empty room furnished only with the basics.

There was a bed with clean sheets and an empty wardrobe. It was in good enough condition to use right away, so why had I been staying in the living room all this time? Starting today, I was going to sleep here no matter what Vasily said.

I changed clothes and returned to the living room. Vasily, who must have been waiting for me to come out, approached and asked upon seeing me ready for work,

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, let’s head out.”

As we left the house together, Vasily seemed in a particularly good mood today. There was no need to ask why. It was probably because he finally had a guide.

In contrast, I couldn’t hide my troubled expression. Starting today, hell would begin.

From now on, I had to follow Vasily to every meeting, official event, and gate raid. As expected of an S-rank esper, his schedule was packed. I could say goodbye to getting off work on time. The only comforting thought was that I no longer had to enter gates.

Lost in my gloom, I didn’t even notice we’d reached the association building. Before we passed by the Guide Association, I spoke to Vasily.

“Please drop me off in front of the Guide Association. I’ll just greet the team and head to your personal office.”

“Alright. You’ll be quick, right?”

“It won’t take long.”

I thought he’d refuse, but surprisingly, he nodded without protest. I had expected him to insist on following me, worried I might run away.

“See you soon.”

He waved as if to say, “Have a good time,” and I got out of the car.

On my way to work at the Guide Association—today would probably be the last time I commuted among all the other office workers. Standing in the elevator crammed with people, I already felt a sense of nostalgia for this moment.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, the familiar smell of coffee greeted me.

I’d only worked here for a few months, but it seemed I’d grown attached to the place. Now that I was actually leaving, my heart felt a bit uneasy.

“Good morning.”

“Ah, Gidam-ssi! Good morning!”

When I arrived at the office, Jo Wooyeon and the team members greeted me warmly.

They acted as if everything were normal. Thanks to having asked in advance that no word about me becoming Vasily’s guide be spread, and with no news article having broken, no one seemed to know what had happened over the weekend.

I hesitated, then cautiously opened my mouth.

“Um… today is my last day at work.”

“What? You still have a week left before your transfer, don’t you?”

“Something came up, and I’ll be guiding Esper Vasily for the time being.”

I confessed honestly.

Eventually, people would hear rumors or see us on-site during gate operations. Since we were once teammates, it was better to say it upfront than to let it leak later and make things awkward.

As soon as I finished speaking, the previously quiet office instantly erupted in chatter.

“I knew it! So you finally signed an exclusive contract with Esper Vasily?”

“It’s not an official contract—we’ve agreed to pair up temporarily until Esper Vasily finds a permanent guide.”

“Still, that’s amazing! Becoming the guide of an S-rank esper!”

Gasps of surprise and admiration echoed from all directions.

An S-rank esper and a C-rank guide. To others, we must’ve looked like a once-in-a-lifetime pair. It was no wonder—they had watched Vasily relentlessly pursue me, and besides, pairing up with such a wide rank gap was incredibly rare.

After tidying up the desk I’d used and saying goodbye to my teammates, I left the Guide Association.

“Sigh…”

I let out a deep sigh on a now-quiet street, the morning rush having passed.

Now, I had officially become Vasily’s guide. I had braced myself for this ever since he discovered the suppression chip, but I hadn’t expected it to really come to this.

…Should I try running away again?

This might be my last chance while Vasily wasn’t by my side. Unlike the first time I tried to escape, it wasn’t the middle of the night, so if I could just get to the airport, I might be able to get on a flight and flee.

But the problem was Vasily. He was meticulous in everything—there was no way he’d send me off alone without making arrangements.

He’d probably already taken measures to block my departure. He had done the same thing before the regression, too.

In fact, this might be exactly what he wanted. If I got caught trying to escape, every clause in our contract would be nullified, and I’d be bound to be his guide for life.

Fine. I’ll hang in there a little longer. We had a contract now, so he wouldn’t be able to make unreasonable demands.

Knowing Vasily, he wouldn’t be able to hold back for long and would eventually try to push the boundaries. I just had to quietly wait for that moment.

Resolving myself, I opened the door to Vasily’s personal office—only to find it empty.

“Esper Vasily?”

In place of a reply, only silence returned.

I had expected him to be waiting in the office, but he had already gone somewhere.

Maybe he stepped out for a meeting. I entered the personal office alone, thinking I could enjoy a brief moment of peace while he was gone. As I threw myself onto the sofa, my eyes landed on some documents sitting on the table.