HLSEBT - 62

As Yoon Tae-ha approached, the girl close to Choi Anna nudged her shoulder. Recognizing the partner of the man she had been actively chatting with, Choi Anna greeted her with a bright smile.

“Seong-ha! Hi!”

“Buzz off.”

At those two concise words delivered instead of a greeting, Cheon Geon-young’s eyes widened in shock.

He wasn’t the only one surprised. Choi Anna looked as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her while she was sleeping.

Had this girl just greeted her in some foreign language they didn’t know?

Everyone stared up at Yoon Tae-ha, who stood leaning casually with one leg crossed over the other in a rebellious stance.

Seeing no further need for words, Yoon Tae-ha flicked her chin toward Choi Anna, signaling her to leave.

Choi Anna, finally regaining her composure, stammered out a response.

“S-Seong-ha, I heard you’re partnering with Hee-sung? Can you introduce us? I’ve been curious about your partner.”

“Anna, buzz off. My legs hurt.”

Wasn’t this girl completely insane?

Choi Anna, wearing a pretty ribbon instead of a tie, fluttered it as she stood up. Yoon Tae-ha pointed at the guide presumed to be Choi Anna’s partner.

“Take care. Have fun at your meeting.”

She waved goodbye, but Choi Anna glared at her fiercely.

Choi Anna’s friends shot her looks as if she were an uncivilized barbarian before scurrying away.

After sending off the trembling orchid-like girls, Yoon Tae-ha unfolded the seat next to Cheon Geon-young and sat down.

Cheon Geon-young hadn’t taken his eyes off her from the moment she appeared, his gaze filled with awe. Dimples had been etched into his cheeks since earlier.

“Wow.”

What was there to “wow” about? She shrugged indifferently. Cheon Geon-young wore an expression of disbelief that such a provocative girl could be his partner.

“Is this an act?”

“Not particularly.”

“It’s too natural.”

“Why were you still sitting here? If someone bothers you, you should know how to kick them out.”

Handing her a pamphlet packed with explanations about the evaluations, Cheon Geon-young spoke matter-of-factly.

“I was worried you’d sit next to another guide.”

Yoon Tae-ha chuckled dryly as she accepted the pamphlet.

“Did you think I was the kind of idiot who can’t find their seat?”

“Up until a moment ago, people like that were bothering me. There were more than you’d think.”

“Were you bullied? What a shame. Should I go take revenge for you?”

She answered with exaggerated intonation, mimicking how she’d spoken to Song Joon-tae.

Cheon Geon-young glanced at her once and smiled in satisfaction. Without a word, Yoon Tae-ha opened the pamphlet.

“Were you serious about telling her to buzz off?”

As students gradually filled the seats and Yoon Tae-ha finished reading the pamphlet, Cheon Geon-young casually asked. She scanned the sparsely seated crowd around them and replied softly.

“I don’t really like making enemies.”

“You blatantly picked a fight just now.”

“Unless someone messes with my guide.”

Her decisive tone sliced through the space between them, lodging somewhere deep.

Cheon Geon-young couldn’t hide his surprise at her referring to him as “my guide.” Yoon Tae-ha found his reaction puzzling.

Even a five-year-old just starting to watch TV knew that espers disliked other espers getting too close to their guides.

“You...”

“...seem to sometimes forget I’m an esper.”

Yoon Tae-ha wanted guidance. She understood the risks of being tied to someone through it, yet...

The allure of guidance was intoxicating enough to make her willing to bear everything. It was sweet rain for the parched and a mystical cure for festering wounds.

“If there really were espers I couldn’t stand...”

From afar, she felt Choi Anna glaring at her so intensely it made her scalp prickle. Yoon Tae-ha stole a quick glance at Cheon Geon-young’s profile.

His features, sharp and refined, justified Choi Anna’s murderous intent.

“That person wouldn’t even be able to appear before us.”

She wrapped up her chilling implication. It might have been too much, but it was a topic they needed to address sooner or later.

Hearing her fierce warning, Cheon Geon-young leaned slightly toward her. At the same time, faint whispers from the orchid girls reached their ears, but there was no time to pay attention to such trivialities.

Their breaths were far too close.

“That’s my favorite thing you’ve ever said.”

He was delighted by words an esper shouldn’t say in front of their guide.

“Attention, everyone.”

The raspy voice of the Introduction to Special Abilities teacher, serving as the MC, drew her gaze away from him.

The MC stood on a makeshift stage three meters high, holding a microphone.

“Students with powers who have grown up so quickly. Pay attention. The days when you could chatter freely and remain adorable are over...”

Most of the seats were filled. Hong Eun-soo was seated about five rows below them, next to Hwang Seong-bin.

“Over there, Block E. Save your love quarrels for the dorms. Focus. Focus!”

Beeeeep. As students covered their ears, G-class’s homeroom teacher waved his hand below the stage. Though the space was vast, the noise was somewhat subdued.

“I assume each of you has already received explanations about the notices from your homeroom teachers, so let’s move on to the main point.”

“...”

“The person sitting next to you is your evaluation partner, chosen by you and submitted to the school. I don’t need to emphasize the word ‘directly,’ do I?”

Close friends exchanged fist bumps to solidify their resolve.

Watching Hong Eun-soo enthusiastically suggest it to Hwang Seong-bin first, Yoon Tae-ha inwardly marveled.

“This evaluation will allow you to experience the thrill of team battles. We’ve prepared thoroughly. Most importantly, our medical staff includes the best healers, stitchers, and surgeons in the country, so rest assured.”

Words only possible at a specialized school flowed effortlessly.

“My introduction was long. Now, let’s reveal the matchups for the first round.”

At his signal, a massive hologram screen appeared in the center of the dome. Yoon Tae-ha and Cheon Geon-young focused intently.

Even after G-class’s homeroom teacher’s power faded, the interior of the dome remained eerily silent.

Some students clasped their partners’ hands tightly. Since espers were listed alphabetically from Class A and guides from Class Z, the espers’ names appeared first.

“To ensure the fairest matches, ARC’s artificial intelligence considered your grades, recent training results, and other factors.”

Everyone ignored the explanation, frantically searching for their own names.

First, second, third...

As their opponents appeared, some students despaired while others high-fived their partners in celebration.

“There’s a subtle effect of improving relationships,” Yoon Tae-ha remarked.

Cheon Geon-young nodded in agreement.

“The bond between espers and guides will definitely improve.”

“Exactly.”

Their names appeared on the ninth page. Cheers erupted as many names from G-class and T-class appeared.

“This is the highlight.”

“Look for Woo-ju. Check which punk our Joo-han is paired with...”

Amid the commotion, Yoon Tae-ha spotted their names.

G-class’s Jeong Seong-ha and T-class’s Kwon Hee-sung.

The two names were written side by side. Though they were fake names, seeing someone’s name next to hers stirred strange emotions.

“Who’s Kwon Hee-sung’s partner?”

“Who’s the name next to the transfer student? Where are they sitting?”

While discussions about the transfer student’s partner buzzed around, the names of Yoon Tae-ha and Cheon Geon-young’s first-round opponents appeared. Nearby espers whispered to their guides.

“G-class is facing G-class. Aren’t they usually kept apart?”

“That’s for Group A. I’ve seen two teams from Class A face each other already.”

“Are they deliberately ruining the atmosphere? Especially with Kang Jin-ho already in a foul mood...”

The esper who glanced up at them quickly turned away after meeting Cheon Geon-young’s icy gaze.

Yoon Tae-ha was busy observing Kang Jin-ho’s reaction from a diagonal seat.

Kang Jin-ho’s hand was wrapped in bandages like a mummy, and he was ignoring Yeo Pil-joon’s chatter.

“How’s Yeo Pil-joon?”

Cheon Geon-young answered calmly.

“Average at shooting. Above average at martial arts.”

He was conserving his words, just as Kwon Hee-sung would.

“What about you?”

Yoon Tae-ha teased playfully. Come to think of it, she had only ever heard that her partner was good at shooting.

Ironically, she had never seen Cheon Geon-young fire a gun. He had handed her a pistol on the subway and left immediately.

“Are you testing me right now?”

“Do you handle a gun well?”

His alluring smile responded to her provocation.

________________________________________

Once the matchups for the first evaluation round were announced, a different energy surged through the shelter.

Students were busy reserving training grounds with their partners. Many buried themselves in libraries, downloading and studying all available information about potential fracture scenarios.

Late at night, as students fervently prepared for the evaluations, Kang Jin-ho headed somewhere, clearly displeased with the excited atmosphere.

He arrived at the cafeteria warehouse, slightly removed from the main dining hall. From behind a large trash bin next to a broken streetlamp, a familiar voice called out.

“Over here!”

After confirming the area was free of CCTV, Kang Jin-ho approached. A middle-aged man in a worn hiking jacket beckoned him closer.

“The information?”

“Damn, you’re impatient. Everyone upstairs is on your side. What’s got you so scared?”

“Give me the info first, asshole.”

Goh Myeong-seong, responsible for the shelter’s meals, clicked his tongue and pulled a storage device from a zipped inner pocket.