Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 14

#14. The Helper

“So, the remaining issue is whether we desperately need Do-hyuk Kang, the Esper’s, help right now. What happens if we accept a unilateral imprint?”

“He would at least meet the minimum standards to safely guide radiation.”

“You. Is that why you had him take the compatibility test and even mentioned imprinting? All that talk about verification and trust?”

“Haha… uh…”

“No matter how I think about it, this feels like a trap. Was this intentional?”

“Oh, come on. Of course not. It wasn’t intentional, it’s just how things turned out. For it to be intentional, i’d have to make the Espers storm the Ark and somehow get the Guide to voluntarily contact Do-hyuk. Who in their right mind would do something so crazy? And besides, could something like that even work?”

“Isn’t it true that you pretended to be crazy on purpose? Feeling sorry for Do-hyuk, you deliberately…”

“That’s right. You’re absolutely correct, Guide. I was wrong!”

Jay, who was unusually submissive and prostrated herself, made me feel both disheartened and betrayed at the same time.

But I couldn’t bring myself to get angry. Despite her words, she had undoubtedly calculated all the possible options and chosen the one that would cause me the least harm.

An Esper who is not affiliated with any shelter, effectively independent.

The fact that Kang Do-hyuk, the Esper, has no ties to specific factions or associations with any group is one of his greatest strengths. It’s like a blade without an owner, while all other blades are claimed.

In the end, it’s a matter of potential.

The countless ways to exploit him without hesitation cannot be overlooked.

“You said you used to be the director of an Esper research lab, right? Tell me about your time playing along with Kang Do-hyuk, the Esper.”

At Yeowon’s expectant attitude, Jay couldn’t hide a bitter smile as he recalled the past.

A child maturing too quickly is usually the fault of the parents.

The tragedy of the young Esper who caught the eye of the research lab director began with having guides as parents.

Setting aside the envy and jealousy of other Espers of the same age, the real issue was that the child’s parents weren’t in their right minds.

It’s not that I don’t understand. The guides, who have to deal with Espers day in and day out, are pitiful and the frustration among Espers, forced to share their Guide with ability users from outside shelters, had reached its peak.

Amid all this, the Shelter Noah committee was tirelessly using Guides as a front to generate wealth and power.

Shelter Noah, admired by everyone. Yet, to Jay, its core resembled a powder keg ready to explode at any moment. And life inside a powder keg was bound to be exhausting.

Do-hyuk was just another neglected child, all too common. At the training facility, he was resented by his fellow Espers of the same age. At home, he was constantly bruised from being kicked around by unfamiliar adult Espers.

One might think he was fortunate to at least have a mother who was a Guide, allowing him to receive plenty of guiding. But even his mother treated him like a parasite, leeching off her for guiding.

At times, when she showed the child kindness, it seemed more like her frustration with Espers than a deep hatred for him. However, that wasn’t the proper attitude of a parent.

Still, it wasn’t fair to expect a Guide, who was exploited every moment, to be a kind and caring parent. Jay, at times, watched Do-hyuk, who had followed his father to the Esper Research Institute, with a sense of pity, standing by as a mere observer.

When people hear “Director of the Esper Research Institute,” they tend to think highly of the position, but in reality, it’s just a life dependent on Shelter Noah.

In other words, it’s a role where you must avoid getting involved in matters you can’t take responsibility for if you want to keep your life intact. Because of this, Jay’s pity for Do-hyuk often ended simply with giving him a candy every now and then.

The cheapest and most worthless kind of sympathy.

A hypocrisy with nothing to take responsibility for or lose.

Jay had settled for that as his best option. At the time, it was the best she could do.

And some “best choices” leave an indelible stain, leaving behind a trace.

For Jay, Do-hyuk was that stain. Yet, Ye-won swiftly dismissed Jay’s self-confession.

“Such a cliché.”

“Right, I guess. It’s like the burden of a bored heart. I only realized it after Shelter Noah fell. He was just a little over ten years old, so I naturally thought he’d be dead. I used to regret it sometimes, wondering if I should have done something back then.”

“It’s cliché.”

“Ugh, I know. I do.”

“So, you’re saying you want me to accept the imprint? To ease the burden on your heart?”

“Yeah. Well, something like that.”

“Alright. The unilateral imprinting feels a bit uneasy, but I’ll try to show as much courtesy as possible. That should be fine, right?”

“Oh, are you going to kiss him?”

“..I take back what I just said.”

“Just kidding! It was a joke!”

As Jay quickly pretended to cling, Yeowon brought her down with a few ruthless words.

“Remember that your body is an android, right? You’re heavy. You’ll bruise my skin. If you understand, let go.”

Before Yeowon could finish speaking, Jay quickly returned to his spot and asked with a smile,

“Why did you suddenly change your mind? Is it because he’s useful after all?”

“That’s part of it. But I think it’s more about a sense of kinship? Maybe that’s the reason.”

“Tell me more. You’re not explaining enough.”

A bitter smile appeared on Yeowon’s face at Jay’s urging.

“Your ancestors have been idiots since she was little.”

“Mm?”

“A money-eating hippo. A parasite that devoured the entire family’s foundation and even pulled up the roots. And yet, knowing all of this, she still insisted on living like an idiot, clinging to life in the most foolish way possible. Then… some company started heavily promoting the cryogenic project. They said they’d pay them if she volunteered.”

On Ye-won’s face as she spoke, there was a deep sense of disgust. For a moment, her expression twisted, and the sharpness in her tone was chilling.

What was Earth like in the past? Was it worth living? I’m so jealous that you lived in the peaceful era before the Gates. I should have been born back then.

You had it easy.

Those very words, the ones Jay had once said to Yeowon in the past, came rushing through his mind.

“I hated it. What’s the difference between that and telling me to just die already? But, when my mom begged with tears, I couldn’t help but say yes.”

The reason Yeowon had never once mentioned the life she had lived—Jay now understood it.

“The hopeful lie that I could wake up someday, pretending to believe it as if it were real. I pretended, and then went into the hibernation capsule. The bedsores on my back were really unbearable.”

“…Yeowon.”

“Do you think that’s enough of an explanation?”

Jay had known there was some darkness in her, but this was unexpected. She regretted listening, regretted asking.

Jay, at a loss for words, just nodded slowly. The memories of what she had done to Yeowon long ago made it even harder to respond.

Bedsores… What kind of life had she lived? That paralyzing injection from back then— it worked so well, but now, it seemed she’d never be able to use it again.

***

Since they had decided on imprinting, it was now time for the necessary contact.

It would be great if they succeeded with hand-guiding, but if not, they could just kiss. No need to make a big deal out of it being the first kiss—let’s avoid the embarrassment.

With that very mindset, Yeowon took Do-hyuk’s hand. The discussion had already been concluded, and mutual consent had been confirmed. Now, it was time to guide the Esper so he could successfully complete the imprinting. Yeowon opened the waves wide and asked,

“Is the guiding okay like this? I can feel the waves fluttering, but other than that, I don’t really feel anything.”

It wasn’t fluttering—it was trembling. However, Do-hyuk intentionally refrained from correcting that fact. He was embarrassed by how helplessly and greedily he was absorbing the guiding, unable to keep up.

“It’s fine.”

He said it was fine, but his face was clearly not fine at all.

They had only held hands, but his face was turning red as if it might explode. The incessantly trembling pupils revealed all the confusion, joy, and fear that Kang Do-hyuk, the Esper, was feeling.

If she looked closely enough, it seemed like she could see all the way to the bottom.

However, Yeowon chose not to look too deeply and simply waited.

She didn’t know how long it would take to finish the imprinting, but even if he dragged it out on purpose, she would pretend not to notice. If hand-guiding didn’t work, she’d just move on to the next step without hesitation.

Guiding, that’s no big deal; even if she gave a little extra, it wouldn’t matter. Lips weren’t something that wore out. She had her own goal of extracting data through hand-guiding with the Esper, and even if that wasn’t the case…

“It’s done.”

“…Already?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t expect this.”

At Yeowon’s muttering, Do-hyuk’s expression slowly darkened. The change was so clear that Yeowon was at a loss for words even more. Finally, she heard him say

“Did I… do something wrong…?”

Instead of answering, Ye-won silently scanned Do-hyuk up and down. Thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, and shoulders that were straight and broad. He had the unmistakable impression of a wild stallion, an Esper with a rugged, masculine look.

In short, he looked every bit the part of a man.

It was a huge contrast to see someone like that acting as if he had committed some great sin. The gap between his appearance and behavior was staggering. The problem was, though… it somehow looked cute.

How could that possibly be cute?

He had hands as big as a bear’s paw—how could that be cute? Have I been through something threatening recently, messing with my state of mind? Shouldn’t I feel threatened? The more she questioned herself, the darker Do-hyuk’s expression became, and Ye-won decided to abandon her thoughts midway and say,

“Wrong? There’s no such thing.”

“…”

“Really, there’s nothing like that.”

It seemed that this Esper lacked a bit of confidence. Maybe it was more of an issue with self-esteem. A man’s instinct is to flaunt his strength, but even that wasn’t showing through.

Even though he must have wanted to appear more capable in front of the Guide, he was so consumed by anxiety that he couldn’t even think about it.

Ye-won felt a bit sorry for him. Despite all the talk of solidarity and shared feelings, the real reason for deciding on the imprint was, in fact, no different from Jay’s.

It was because Kang Do Hyuk, the Esper, was pitiful. Because he was useful. It was the arrogance of wondering how one might take responsibility for a life, even if it was just one.

When you strip it all down, that’s the real reason. However, revealing such inner thoughts goes directly against the virtues expected of a member of society.

Ye-won smiled warmly and gently shook their joined hands up and down.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Me too, I look forward to working with you as well.”