Gates opened at all hours, monsters of unknown origin popped out, and people used superpowers, so in a world like this, even a Regression wouldn’t be strange.
If he had gone through a Regression, then he….
Just then, the door opened and a nurse entered.
So Won quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at the nurse.
“Patient Lee So Won, congratulations on awakening as an A-rank Guide.”
Whether he had Regressed or was dreaming, So Won was still an A-rank Guide.
“Your condition seemed poor, so we moved you to the Guide Association overnight and ran tests, but there was nothing seriously wrong. Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”
“I think I’m fine.”
“You can be discharged right away, but since you’re already at the Guide Association, it would be convenient to get a Wavelength Test before you go. Would you like to take the test and then go home?”
“Yes.”
So Won silently followed the nurse to the Wavelength Test room.
Because it was a test he had taken 8 years ago, his memory of it was hazy.
When he arrived at the test room and saw the large machine and the researchers, it seemed as if a vague memory was coming back.
When he lay down in the seat following the staff member’s guidance, the machine moved around on its own and began the test.
Cold metal touched his body and then pulled away, and the researchers attached something to his body as well.
As he underwent the Wavelength Test, So Won tried to recall a little of the past.
So Won, who had awakened as a Guide at 22 years old, was quite late compared to ordinary Guides, who awakened in their teens.
Even among the few Guides, A-rank was only about 3%, so it was extremely rare.
When one awakened as a Guide, they took a Wavelength Test like this, then compared Matching Rates with the Espers in the database to decide who to pair with.
So Won had been matched with S-rank Esper Kang Tae Woo, but most Guides were matched with Espers of the same rank.
Would he be matched with Tae Woo again this time?
So Won thought quietly.
8 years ago, the Matching Rate between Tae Woo and So Won was 65%. Maybe this time a different result would come out.
If Tae Woo and he were not matched… he thought he might be happy.
‘Be happy.’
Startled by the voice that sounded like an auditory hallucination, So Won flinched.
At the same time as he recalled Tae Woo’s last words, guilt pressed down on So Won.
The scene of the operating room came to mind – the cold hand, the faint gaze, and himself wailing in the pool of blood.
Having thought even briefly of a future without Tae Woo, So Won felt endlessly ashamed of his own ugly heart.
When he headed toward death, when So Won watched him grow cold and struggled under guilt, even after regretting it like that…. he wanted to hide anywhere from his own ugly selfishness.
So Won had to apologize to Tae Woo.
Even if Tae Woo did not remember him. Perhaps this dream, this Regression, was for that purpose.
Beep.
The Wavelength Test ended with a short mechanical beep.
The researchers removed the machine attached to So Won’s body and told him he could go home.
But So Won did not move and hesitated as if he had something to say.
Seeing So Won like that, the researcher tilted his head.
Kang Tae Woo.
So Won shut his eyes tightly.
Only now could he accept that Tae Woo’s death had been entirely his responsibility.
Now it was his turn to take responsibility for him.
Having finally made up his mind, So Won opened his mouth.
“I would like to designate an Esper and take a Matching Rate test.”
“Ah, is there someone you know? In that case, after mutual consent, we first conduct the Matching Rate test for you.”
“Please run a matching test with S-rank Esper Kang Tae Woo.”
“Pardon? Kang Tae Woo?”
The researcher asked again in great surprise. S-rank Esper Kang Tae Woo – he wanted to request a matching test with a monster like that?
In any case, a newly awakened Guide was required to undergo a Matching Rate test with Kang Tae Woo, who still had no Guide.
But while the researcher had seen cases of people begging not to be tested with Kang Tae Woo for fear they might be matched with him, he had never even imagined hearing someone say they wanted to be tested with him first.
The researcher looked over the Guide before him.
He was an adult, but he looked young, and with his round eyes and kind, innocent appearance, he seemed like he would be eaten alive the moment he stood before that monster.
So Won, who had been watching the researcher’s wavering pupils, nodded.
So Won had expected this kind of reaction as well.
But he could not sit still and wait until a week later for the results.
Kang Tae Woo was probably still suffering even now, and So Won had to help him escape that pain as soon as possible.
So Won made up his mind.
He would treat the monster Kang Tae Woo as the human Kang Tae Woo.
He would not avoid him and would faithfully perform Guiding.
Even if Tae Woo died, he would make sure it was not with those curse-like dark red blood vessels covering his entire body, but at least so he could die looking like a presentable person.
“First… I will contact Esper Kang Tae Woo, and if he agrees, we will run the matching test as first priority and then contact you.”
The researcher reluctantly accepted So Won’s firm attitude, but even as he spoke, he was not sure he was doing the right thing.
He merely bowed his head and watched So Won’s back as he left the test room.
After the test ended, So Won returned home with his family to the house where he had lived.
The house, which he had returned to after a long time, was exactly the same as the house in his memories from 8 years ago.
Even the small details in every corner were so identical that he once again realized this was not a dream.
After always staying in Kang Tae Woo’s large house and staring at empty space, looking at the small house full of odds and ends made a corner of his heart feel at ease.
The surprise party held in the evening was so exactly like So Won’s memories that it was uncanny.
Chocolate cake sweet enough to make his mouth ache, slippery seaweed soup, and the noisy sound of firecrackers.
It was a combination that did not go together at all.
But this combination made So Won laugh for the first time in a long while.
So Won spent the evening chatting and laughing noisily with his family.
Just like today 8 years ago, when he had not yet known he would be matched with Kang Tae Woo.
After the confusing day ended, So Won lay on the small bed in the dark room, blinking as he held back sleep.
He was afraid that if he fell asleep like this, he would return to the day Tae Woo died.
Even now, whenever he closed his eyes, he seemed to see the operating room covered in blood.
The sight of Tae Woo soaked in blood and the feeling of a faint wavelength that seemed ready to snap at any moment tormented So Won.
When would the matching test results come out?
So Won roughly guessed.
Last time it had taken a week.
It seemed to have taken quite a while because they had compared him with all the A-rank Espers, but in the end he had been matched with Kang Tae Woo.
This time they would test his match with Kang Tae Woo first, so if it was fast, would it not take about two days?
So Won suddenly became worried.
Even though he had grown somewhat accustomed to Tae Woo after seeing him for 8 years, So Won still trembled whenever he faced Tae Woo.
At his first meeting with Tae Woo, he had no confidence that he would not tremble at all.
What would Tae Woo think when he saw him?
Since he had never conversed with him, he could not dare to predict his thoughts.
That night, Tae Woo appeared in his dream.
He was dying, but So Won’s body was frozen stiff and would not move.
His dark, deep eyes stared at So Won.
When he closed his eyes weakly, a high-pitched mechanical ringing echoed.
The mechanical ringing soon became a ringtone.
So Won’s eyes flew open with his face deeply scrunched up.
It felt as if he had fallen into deep, dark water and been pulled out.
So Won thrashed on the blanket for a moment, unable to come to his senses, then responded to the continuously ringing phone and answered in a daze.
“Hello?”
-Is this Guide Lee So Won?
“Yes.”
-The results of the matching examination with Esper Kang Tae Woo have come out. This is… um….
As soon as Kang Tae Woo’s name came up, So Won shot up and knelt.
No, already?
He had taken the Wavelength Test and applied for a designated match yesterday afternoon, but he had never expected the results to come out the next morning.
65 percent, 65 percent.
So Won repeated the number from his memory.
What if they were not matched?
Anxiety crept up and pulled at So Won.
A 100% Matching Rate came out.
It is our first time seeing 100% too… so we ran the test again, but it kept coming out the same…. Just in case, I think you should come to the Association and undergo a Guiding test with Esper Kang Tae Woo.
“100 percent?”
So Won’s eyes went wide. Not 65% but 100%?
Leaving aside that the result was different from the past, 100% was an impossible number.
The highest Matching Rate record so far had been between a B-rank Esper and Guide in America, and even that had not exceeded 95%.
Besides, in a relationship with a rank difference, the Matching Rate could not be high.
It seemed there was probably an error in this test.
So Won, somewhat convinced, calmed his startled heart.
“When and where should I go?”
Esper Kang Tae Woo is always at Headquarters, so you may come to the Esper Association Headquarters at any time, Guide.
“Thank you.”
Either way, it was a relief.
So Won, who had briefly worried about what he would do if he was not matched with Tae Woo, felt greatly relieved.
After finishing the call, So Won checked the time. 10 AM.
Even using the fastest public transportation, it took at least 20 minutes to reach the Esper Association Headquarters.
In order to arrive before lunchtime, So Won hurriedly began preparing to go out.
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