Churu for the Angry Guide

1

Inside an old guide dormitory filled with cramped single beds. The loud sound of a TV echoed through the narrow room with poor soundproofing.

Since it was a time when everyone was busy working, no one was bothered by the leisurely TV noise. Siwoo was the only one left alone in the dorm, enjoying some free time.

He was savoring his freedom, watching TV as he pleased, something he couldn’t do at other times. The only moment he could choose the channel was when he was alone. Otherwise, it was his roommates’ turn.

“Baekya Guild?”

The pointed ears atop his snow-white hair perked up. Even Siwoo, who was generally uninterested in worldly affairs, had heard this guild name countless times. It was impossible not to know about them, as they were often mentioned among guides.

Baekya Guild. They were the top-ranked guild in the country and the representative guild that brought peace to South Korea, which had been saturated with gates. It was said that after their formation, they achieved incredible results in the shortest time, and all guild members were considered geniuses. This was all Siwoo knew about them.

Han Siwoo, who joined the center this year, was a complete novice who had only manifested as a guide half a year ago. Before his manifestation, he had been too busy making ends meet to pay attention to news about ability users. He had thought such things were unrelated to him.

Until just last year, he had been living in a gosiwon, juggling various part-time jobs. Then, at the beginning of this year, when he turned twenty-four, he awakened as a guide, like a New Year’s gift, opening up a lifelong career path.

Although he hadn’t started full-fledged work yet for various reasons, Siwoo believed that once he found the right guild, he would never have to worry about starving again. He looked forward to the day when he would become an official dedicated guide and receive a hefty salary, just like his peers who had already joined guilds.

Grumble.

Until then, he had to endure a hungry life. While his peers managed to live comfortably on the small stipend given to newcomers, Siwoo couldn’t. He had to use that meager stipend to pay the rent he hadn’t been able to fully clear before leaving. Siwoo had always lived a life strapped for cash. Then and now.

Growl. Grumble.

“Be quiet, will you?”

He frowned, tapping his stomach with his tail, which was demanding food despite not working. He had been lying down deliberately to avoid feeling hungrier, but his stomach kept growling.

With this month’s stipend already depleted, he needed to be even more frugal. Determined to hold out until dinner and then buy a triangle kimbap, he pulled out a small bag of snacks he had stored under his pillow.

And then, the MC’s question that followed stimulated Siwoo’s heightened senses.

“What the…”

A curse involuntarily escaped his lips at the MC’s low-level question singling out a specific beastkin. Knowing full well the intention behind that question made him even more upset.

Tap, tap, tap. The long white tail protruding through the hole in his pants struck the floor mercilessly. Siwoo, being a cat beastkin, showed his displeasure through his tail first. This was one of the typical characteristics of beastkin.

Crunch. He glared at the screen while chewing on the stale chips he had been rationing for three days. He imagined the salty potato chips were that low-class MC and chewed them into tiny pieces before swallowing.

“What kind of broadcast is saying such things! What’s that host’s name!”

Just as he was about to dash towards the TV, scratching his snow-white ears as fiercely as his tail…

The tail that had been fiercely striking the floor suddenly paused. After mulling over the MC’s words, Siwoo bit his thin lower lip and just glared. He couldn’t think of anything to rebut.

Siwoo unconsciously looked around the empty room and slightly wrapped his tail around his leg.

At that moment, the screen switched to a close-up shot of the guest seat.

A man with an eye smile as gentle as his voice answered. Sitting closest to the MC, he was captured on screen more often due to his good reactions. He was also eloquent, so the MC mainly directed questions to him.

The host, who had flipped a cue card, looked intently at the man as she continued the conversation. Infected by the man’s eye smile, she too grinned, narrowing her sharp eyes.

The man chuckled, genuinely looking amused. At this, the MC spoke even more enthusiastically.

The gently smiling man’s face came fully into Siwoo’s view.

The white tail wrapped around his leg moved slowly, as if sweeping dust. Siwoo watched the light brown-haired man intently, wagging his tail. If it weren’t for him, he would have changed the channel long ago.

“Yoo Jihan, Esper.”

He memorized the name that appeared in the caption, resting his chin on his hand. It was a name that suited his appearance. Even his sly smile didn’t seem excessive due to his looks. Moreover, compared to his quieter colleagues, he seemed quite comfortable with broadcasting. It almost seemed a waste for someone with that face and talent to be an Esper.

Speaking of which, why do they all look like that?

Siwoo’s clear sky-blue eyes, which had been fixed on Esper Yoo Jihan, scanned across the guest seats.

“Are they famous for their looks or what?”

He muttered unconsciously as he looked over the Espers sitting in a row on the long sofa. Each one of them had an extraordinary appearance. It almost felt like watching an interview with actors rather than Espers.

While all three would be startling to see in person due to their looks, that Yoo Jihan guy had the best impression. The other two had such fierce expressions that it overshadowed their handsome features.

Moreover, the youngest sitting next to Yoo Jihan had a threateningly large build. He was introduced as the youngest but tallest in the guild. Even though Yoo Jihan himself had a physique that wouldn’t be out of place anywhere, the youngest’s body was the most prominent.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, his intimidating physique seemed to shrink, creating a harmless atmosphere.

He looked like he wouldn’t bat an eye even if someone died, yet here he was stammering and blushing. Watching this, the corners of Siwoo’s mouth twitched upwards.

“What’s he on about.”

Despite his grumbling tone, Siwoo didn’t seem to dislike it as he continued to focus on the TV. Ha Seojun, Esper. He should remember that guy’s name too.

Esper Yoo Jihan, who joined the conversation, patted the shoulder of the tomato-faced Esper Ha Seojun. One of Siwoo’s eyebrows rose slightly as he watched the two with interest. The camera had panned to the man sitting alone at a distance. He was introduced as the team leader.

The MC’s voice became noticeably cautious. She pretended to look at her cue cards and didn’t even look at Esper Kang Taebeom.

The man occupying the far end of the long sofa sat rigidly still, like a meticulously crafted statue. While Yoo Jihan ran his hand through his hair and the youngest kept drinking from his water bottle, he never once changed his posture.

<…>

Now that he looked closely, was he really a statue? He showed no reaction to the MC’s question.

“What’s with him.”

He had expected the atmosphere to change if he opened his mouth like the youngest, but sitting silently, he only exuded an oppressive and dark aura.

Siwoo’s interest waned as he observed the man’s grim expression, and he changed the channel. His curiosity about the Baekya Guild evaporated in an instant.

He absolutely detested ill-tempered Espers. Not that he’d ever be involved with such a top-tier guild anyway.

Bzzt.

Rubbing his stomach that had gone from hungry to painful, Siwoo, who had been rationing his snacks, suddenly sat up at the vibration of his phone. Had he finally gotten a job? He hastily brushed off the snack crumbs around his mouth as he saw the Guide Team Leader’s name on the phone screen.

* * *

Deep wrinkles formed between the brows of Team Leader Yoon, who was in charge of training new guides and managing team assignments. He kept sighing, holding his forehead.

Siwoo, sitting across from his desk, deliberately held his chin high, maintaining a nonchalant expression. It was a habit he had developed since childhood to reflexively hide his nervousness.

“Guide Han Siwoo.”

“Yes.”

“What have you been up to?”

The team leader, displeased with Siwoo’s unintimidated demeanor in front of his superior, rubbed his face dry. His chronic headache worsened with the answer that followed.

“Just… resting.”

“Why are you resting when you’re not even working?”

The furrow between Team Leader Yoon’s brows deepened. Although he was treated as a veteran guide in the field, he had been suffering from a headache recently due to one new guide. His disappointment was immeasurable, proportional to how high his expectations had been.

“You’ve already been rejected by eleven teams. Do you even know that?”

“Wasn’t it ten teams?”

“I just got a call. They want to cut you and attach a different guide.”

Siwoo’s large eyes flinched slightly, but soon narrowed again. Team Leader Yoon’s expression became complicated as he looked at him.

Being kicked out of temporarily assigned guilds eleven times? This was a first in all his years of dealing with newcomers. He was now amazed at the stubbornness that refused to yield even after being rejected so many times.

True to his cat beastkin nature, he showed no willingness to compromise with others.

“Why on earth are you refusing to do contact guiding? Let’s at least know the reason.”

“Radiation guiding is enough.”

“That’s just your opinion!”

Shouting in frustration, he grabbed the back of his neck as if his blood pressure was rising. Today too, the problematic new guide who was greatly helping his low blood pressure treatment just glared at the innocent window.

That irritating brat. Overflowing with guiding talent, yet getting kicked out repeatedly for refusing to even hold hands with Espers. There’s no way an Esper would be satisfied with just radiation guiding. Especially in these times when gates are quiet and guides are abundant.

“What are you relying on to be so stubborn? Your face?”

“Just quickly assign me to another guild.”

“I would if there were any!”

The team leader’s voice reached an all-time high in his anger. Startled by the loud voice, Siwoo pulled both feet up onto the chair. Genuinely frightened, he blinked his large eyes with his white ears fully exposed.

The team leader had momentarily forgotten that beastkin, though not as sensitive as Espers, had keen hearing. He cleared his throat, trying to calm his anger. Seeing Siwoo so startled that even his furry ears had popped out made him soften a bit.

“Why are you yelling!”

Scratch that softening. Siwoo, his cheeks flushed red, jumped up from his chair. How dare he be so disrespectful in front of his superior.

“Lower your voice! If you don’t fix that temper, you’ll never join a guild! Do you want to keep twiddling your thumbs forever?!”

“Who yelled first!”

“Watch your language!”

Unable to contain himself any longer, the team leader made a motion as if to throw the documents. Siwoo, hunching his neck, dashed towards the wide-open window. Before his superior could stop him, he leapt out of the window.

“Hey, you fool! This is the fifth floor!”