Since I'm Born in a Guideverse - Chapter 6

Yoon Hamin was unconscious during the rampage. 

So it’s unlikely he was aware of my presence. 

But could it be that the words Yoon Hamin just stated, as if addressed at me, were misunderstood?

Nonetheless, he is staring at me too intently.

“Huh? Aren’t you leaving?”

While Yoon Hamin and I were stuck in a meaningless look, a chatty man hit the elevator’s open button and inquired.

“Oh, I’m getting off.”

Only then did I move my gaze away from Yoon Hamin and exit the elevator.

Their voices trailed behind me.

“Hey, Yoon Hamin, you didn’t even press the floor button, what were you doing? How come you took the elevator today?”

Yoon Hamin responded to the man’s intriguing question just before the door closed.

“A change of mood.”

It appears that some people currently use elevator rides to modify their mood.

The huge living room was the first thing I saw as I entered my assigned room. 

The balcony was the same size as the living room.

There is one bathroom and three rooms.

The huge living room startled me once, and the master bedroom, which was double the size of a college dormitory room, surprised me twice.

The lodging was designed in the style of an apartment. 

When I joined the center, it was my first time living in an apartment-like area, having previously solely lived in mansions and dorms.

I took out my phone to check the time after thoroughly inspecting the rooms.

8:30 PM.

Mrs. Seo had 30 minutes left before the drama she was watching ended.

I sat calmly, waiting for 9 p.m., but I couldn’t stand the boredom any longer, so I got on the computer and looked up Yoon Hamin.

[Yoon Hamin, Esper Psychokinesis/Telekinesis, 20 years old, 187cm]

The profile at the top was short and to the point. 

It mentioned his age, which was a year younger than mine, among other things. 

I instantly scrolled down to check for stories and comments on him.

//Yoon Hamin, the Esper, detonates the street together with creatures unleashed from the Gate…//

//S-class Esper Yoon Hamin, who is uncontrollable even by the Center, goes into a rage…//

//Yoon Hamin, who pays for the rampage’s damages, the nation or the Center?//

It makes no difference whether it is the Center’s or the nation’s responsibility. 

While reading today’s articles, I grumbled to myself. 

I clicked on one of the headlines to read the comments as well.

-This man just wrecked my just-purchased Lamborghini, dang it.

-Who cares if he’s S-class? Always arrives late, after everyone has passed out.

-Wow, but he’s incredibly attractive.

-What’s the point of being attractive if it’s widely assumed that he’s gay?

There were other comments.

-What difference does it make whether an Esper or a Guide is gay or not…

I loved the comment by accident. 

How do I reverse this? 

When I clicked again, it vanished.

-Anyway, it doesn’t matter whether Espers or Guides are men or women, it’s just…

Let’s put an end to this.

I started searching for a guy, and other than compliments on his nice appearance, I couldn’t find anything positive. 

Among the curse-filled remarks, the one regarding Yoon Hamin being gay stayed weirdly in my memory.

That is most likely not a rumor.

It was 9:10 p.m. when I was scanning the comments with a casual expression.

It should be okay to call now without fear of her becoming enraged.

I instantly dialed my mother’s number.

-Oh, my daughter. You called earlier than I had anticipated.

“Yeah, being alone in my room is boring. Oh, yes, Mom.”

On the other end, I could hear the sound of water. 

She’s probably doing the dishes.

“You asked mefor a firsthand account of Yoon Hamin.”

-Oh, you’ve already met him? Is he really that attractive in person?”

Her voice was full of wonder.

I reacted with a solemn expression.

“He did appear to be attractive. But he appeared sleepy.”

Or should I say he appeared sluggish?

-That’s what you call languid, daughter. Remember the novel’s narrative that I showed you in your freshman year of high school? I wrote about a languid male lead there. Hohoho.”

Her laughing and talking were both ridiculous.

Mom continued with a proud voice and a giggling tone.

-Just stay for a few months. You’ll soon be sorry you didn’t listen to me when I advised you not to lie.

I didn’t completely ignore her. 

I laughed at her warning not to lie.

Is it safe to assume that guys will now throng around Yoon Hamin?

I wasn’t sure if I needed to see it in person, but it was unavoidable. 

Or perhaps I won’t have to deal with him at all now.

– I’m telling you because you might have forgotten again, but the female protagonist’s name is Yoon Eunha.

Yoon Eunha.

That’s a lovely name.

However, both the male and female leads share the surname Yoon.

-I’m not sure when she’ll appear… I may have forgotten since you destroyed the notepad in which I had written it.

Laughter ensued.

As my mother stated, I had thrown away the notebook when I initially received it because I thought it was useless.

 And it was completely needless.

It wasn’t out of rebellion or any other distorted emotion; I simply thought it was pointless to keep it and threw it away when cleaning my room. 

My thoughts haven’t altered even after joining the Center.

I honestly wouldn’t have paid attention to this story if it hadn’t been told by my mother. 

I’d have ignored it or become preoccupied.

– What I remember now is… when Yoon Eunha, who became an S-class Guide later, joined the Center, many high-ranking Espers and Guides had already fallen for Yoon Hamin…

Mom abruptly began telling me the plot of her manuscript without my permission. 

Her voice sounded lively as if she were recounting the narrative of a morning drama.

– On the contrary, as soon as Yoon Eunha joined the Center, she was severely bullied by the Espers.

“…Why?”

– Because she’s a Guide…?

Even as she talked, her voice rose slightly at the end, as if she didn’t completely grasp what she was saying.

True, Esper’s mistreatment of Guides has long been a source of contention at the Human Rights Commission. 

We even had class discussions about it.

– That’s just how the world in this story works.

World…

– Ian, I believe you’ll handle it well without me having to tell you, but just so you know, if you get beaten up by an Esper, I won’t let either of you off easily.

Gulp.

My laughter faded, replaced by a dry voice swallowing reflexively.

The prospect of being chastised by Mom for being bullied by Espers made me nervous. 

Her remarks implied that even if I pulverize someone and am summoned to the disciplinary committee, I should never be hit.

In other words, someone tormenting me was a bigger source of rage for my mother than if I committed a crime and was imprisoned.

“No, I’ll try.”

-Right, I didn’t bring you up to be a wimp. You understand?

“Yeah, yeah… I understand, so…”

How could I have missed it?

Weakness leads to failure.

Suddenly, our family slogan popped into my head.

– Anyway, this female lead suddenly gets entangled with the male lead, and the reason is that their matching rate is incredibly high!

The story didn’t appear to be done yet, as Mom continued to tell the love story between the two characters.

This helped to relax my stiff muscles, but it didn’t pique my curiosity.

“I see.”

Mom didn’t stop despite my weak response and kept going.

– Hoho, you know, Espers and Guides, because of their nature, end up doing, ohohoho, those kinds of things?

Even though Mom didn’t say it specifically, her laughter made it seem insignificant.

But, because I value my life so much, I swallowed the words I wanted to speak.

– Usually, when the matching rate is high, they don’t need to engage in sexual activities for guiding to be smooth, but those two, because of Yoon Hamin, end up having to form an intimate relationship.

Is this actually a conversation between a parent and a child?

“Uh…”

‘Stubbornly refusing to be guided, and only accepting it after falling unconscious.’

I suddenly remembered what the man in the elevator stated earlier. 

If his words are genuine, Yoon Hamin has been defying guidance…

But, according to my mother, the female character and Yoon Hamin end up getting physically intimate in the story.

“So, does Yoon Hamin’s refusal to be guided get resolved after meeting the female lead?”

-The finer details and what happens next… well, maybe I’m getting old, but I can’t remember very well. I’ll notify you if it comes back to me.

“No, it’s fine. To be honest, I’m not that interested.”

I swiftly interjected, realizing that the talk was coming to an end.

-I know. But if you get intrigued or have questions later, just give me a call.

Her tone indicated that she expected me to get intrigued at some point. 

At the time, I completely ignored her comment of ‘because of Yoon Hamin.’

– …Ian, even if it’s not out of curiosity, if something happens, call me, okay?

Mom said something unusually warm before hanging up, which almost made my heart feel warm.

– Except when my drama is on.

I chose to disregard her last remark in order to keep the sentiment.

Suddenly, I realized that if anything bad happened to me, it would most likely be because I was eaten by a monster while guiding or carried away by a Gate.

Calling mom, much alone any type of interaction, would be out of the question in such a situation.