Churu for the Angry Guide

12

Geonho rose from the lukewarm bathtub, humming a tune. His body, which had properly absorbed guiding after a long time, was feeling lighter by the moment.

When was the last time his body felt this light? Was it earlier this year? No. Even last year, there were hardly any times when his wavelength was calm.

Geonho chuckled to himself, marveling at the effect of the sleeping pills. It was because he was reminded of the white ball of fur.

“Is it because of him?”

Come to think of it, it seemed like his body had improved more from being with the cat than from guiding. His physical condition often followed his mood.

“It’s thanks to that guy.”

Smiling contentedly, he roughly wiped his body with a towel. Just thinking about the cat made the corners of his mouth lift. He burst out laughing, remembering how it had fallen fast asleep on his bed last night.

Despite looking sensitive, it had fallen asleep as soon as it lay on the bed. Even when he poked its belly, it only twitched its mouth without waking up once.

How adorable it was.

Missing the white face he had just seen, he threw the towel anywhere and went out. Even after watching it all night, he kept wanting to see it more.

“Hey, Geonho.”

Jihan, who encountered Geonho as he opened the bathroom door wide, covered his eyes. He seemed to have just arrived at the guiding room. What a sight to see his colleague’s naked body first thing.

“I told you to put on clothes before coming out.”

“I forgot.”

Geonho put on the clothes he had shed like a snake’s skin in front of the door and looked for water first. He was thirsty after sweating in the bathtub. His steps lightened at the thought of quickly drinking water and then going to see that guy.

“Where’s the cat?”

“In my room. Sleeping.”

“Probably,” he added as he gulped down water. The corners of Jihan’s mouth lifted as he watched him.

“I knew you liked cats, but I didn’t know you’d be this crazy about them.”

“What do you mean, crazy?”

He retorted grumpily, but as soon as he put down the water cup, he hurried to see the cat. Jihan chuckled and followed Geonho with slightly narrowed eyes.

The wavelength he sensed from Geonho had changed a bit. Just yesterday, he had been emitting a sensitive energy, but now it had become much softer.

“Jihan hyung, look at this.”

Geonho, who had entered the room first, waved his hand, telling him to come quickly. Although he could guess what he wanted to show and wasn’t particularly interested, Jihan pretended to be curious.

“What is it?”

“Oh my god. Why is he so cute?”

Jihan, who had been looking at the bed without much expectation, burst out laughing. It was a genuine laugh, not a pretend one.

“It’s lying there like a person.”

Geonho, who had already taken out his phone, was constantly taking pictures. He couldn’t help but take photos of the cat lying flat on its stomach on the bed. Even Jihan was compelled to take pictures.

At the sound of the click from Jihan’s phone, the cat slightly raised its head. It gave them a look as if telling them not to take pictures.

“You should have set it to silent. You woke him up.”

Geonho clicked his tongue and knelt on the floor, stroking the cat’s back. When he told it to sleep more, the cat buried its face in the sheet again. It seemed like it didn’t want to interact with anyone right now.

“Why is that here?”

Jihan, just smiling, took interest in the towel bundle placed next to the cat. From the clumsily wrapped towel, the red Churu and the tail of a toy doll were sticking out.

“Those are his treasures. Don’t touch them.”

Geonho, not interested in the towel bundle, carefully stroked the cat. He was worried because it seemed somehow listless. Did it get upset from being left alone for a while?

“It’s not like it tried to escape with those and failed, right?”

At Jihan’s casually thrown words, the cat flinched and covered its face with both paws. Geonho’s worry grew at the cat’s deep breath that sounded like a sigh.

“If you’re sick somewhere, don’t hold back and tell me.”

Geonho patted the cat’s bottom. He also took out the mouse doll from the towel and tucked it under its arm.

Squeak―.

The cat quietly hugged the mouse doll and buried its face deeply in the sheet. As it seemed to want to be alone, Geonho finally left the room with Jihan.

Hoping it wasn’t sick.

* * *

A week had passed since the cat was brought into the guiding room.

Geonho still cared for the cat like his own child. He slept with it every night and cleaned its litter box frequently.

Jihan occasionally provided treats, and Seojun only ‘pretended’ to like the cat in front of his hyungs.

Except for one big homework left, it was almost a perfect daily life. At least for Geonho.

“Wow, Esper Geonho’s condition is amazing these days.”

The Baekya Guild’s secretary marveled as he watched Geonho striding across the gate site. They were out in Area A13. It was a gate area managed by the Baekya Guild.

All the Espers on site were wearing various protective gear. As it was an area where the highest risk-grade monsters appeared, even seasoned veterans wore heavy protective gear without exception.

Only Geonho was walking around the site without any gear. He had never worn protective gear, saying it was bothersome to have anything on his body. Geonho received all monster attacks bare-bodied.

Kyaaak―!

“Was that an A-grade you just killed? Not C-grade?”

“Wow, he just tore it apart in one go.”

The Espers, stunned by how easily Geonho eliminated monsters, showered him with exclamations. The wide-eyed Espers were those who had not been assigned to Area A13 for long.

Those who had seen Geonho many times before were no longer greatly surprised by any sight. They had seen countless times how he could burst dozens of monsters at once in just a few seconds.

“As expected, SS-grade is different.”

“Of course it’s different. There are only six of them in the whole world.”

“This is insane. One of those six is really in our country?”

“Yeah, man, he’s right there in front of us.”

The newcomers of the monster corpse disposal team were particularly talkative today. Since it was all praise, no one particularly cautioned them.

The Baekya Guild’s secretary just smiled contentedly as he listened to their chatter. Jihan was also with him.

“Even to you, Secretary, Geonho’s condition seems different from usual, right?”

Jihan was closely observing Geonho, who was focused on eliminating monsters. The kid was so fast. The corpse disposal team couldn’t keep up with Geonho’s monster elimination speed.

“Of course. It’s different. First of all, his expression is completely different. Not to mention his wavelength readings.”

The secretary imitated Geonho by pulling up the corners of his own mouth with his hands. These days, Geonho was always smiling to an extent that surprised everyone.

Until a week ago, he had looked like someone who might pick a fight with a smiling person, but now he was grinning at every opportunity.

“It’s really strange. We didn’t even change the guiding machine… Has anything good happened recently?”

“Well…”

Jihan shrugged and wore a light smile. He watched Geonho’s movements, which had become much faster than before, and crossed his arms.

“He says he found a good sleeping pill that suits him well.”

“Sleeping pill?”

“Yes. He says the guiding absorbs well when he takes that before receiving it.”

The secretary listened attentively and made a note to review the components of the medicine.

“There’s nothing else besides that, right?”

The secretary asked persistently today. He had a suspicious expression.

“Why don’t you ask him directly? Why are you bothering poor me?”

Jihan avoided answering with a cheeky smile. The secretary laughed hollowly, wondering who was really pitiful, and continued the conversation.

“You know Esper Geonho is very tight-lipped. When does he ever talk about himself to anyone?”

“Ah, so you’re saying I have a loose mouth?”

“Just appropriately loose. If it weren’t for you, Esper Jihan, our guild wouldn’t have lasted even a year.”

The secretary kept poking Jihan’s side with his elbow, trying to get information somehow. But the only response he got was a smile.

“I hear Esper Geonho hasn’t been coming to the dorm these days.”

“Don’t worry, he’s staying in the guiding room.”

“I know that too. I’m curious about why he’s staying there.”

“I guess he finds it comfortable there.”

The secretary’s sigh deepened at the fruitless conversation. He looked at Geonho in the distance, slicing through a monster’s body.

What on earth had changed?

For the past week, Esper Kang Geonho had been staying in the guiding room except when on missions.

He wasn’t the type to wander around much before either, but it was the first time he had stayed only in the guiding room. He couldn’t have been receiving machine guiding there all the time.

“He’s not even feeding the stray cats these days…”

Lost in thought, the secretary suddenly opened his mouth wide. Could it be?

“Esper Geonho has a girlfriend, right?”

It hit him. He felt it belatedly, to the point where it was laughable that he hadn’t suspected this earlier.

Smiling more, condition at its peak, and staying in one place every day – it meant he was seeing someone.

“Are they staying together in the guiding room?!”

The secretary’s expression became more serious as he thought deeper. Although it was an age appropriate for dating, who the partner was was very important.

“Right? He’s dating, isn’t he?! Who is it? Is it a guide? Please, it has to be a guide!”

Jihan patted the secretary’s shoulder, telling him to calm down, and prepared to leave.

“There’s nothing to worry about. He’ll handle it himself.”

A new gate was forming in the air. Judging by the size of the entrance, it seemed like a large number of monsters would pour out.

Jihan flew up into the sky, leaving the secretary behind. After placing a thin barrier around what looked like a group of newcomers, he also strengthened the barrier around his own body.

He could use dozens of abilities simultaneously.

Jihan, an A-grade Esper, was a special ability holder. His main ability was barriers, but he had also manifested the ability to copy. The copying ability was a precious power that everyone coveted.

“Geonho, want me to put up a barrier for you?”

Jihan approached Geonho, who was already standing in front of the new gate, and asked. He was guarding the entrance, seemingly intending to meet the pouring monsters with his body.

Judging by his gleaming red eyes, he seemed properly excited. His heightened breathing was also filled with aroused heat. Usually, speaking to him at times like this would result in a barrage of curses.

“Get lost, you’re in the way.”

Surprisingly, a gentle response came back. His condition must really be good.

“I was just asking.”

Jihan grinned and disappeared through teleportation. Soon after, the gate entrance opened, and dozens of monsters poured out, bursting each other’s bodies as they rushed out.

Crunch―! Crunch!

But they were crushed by Geonho’s telekinesis before they could even scream. As expected, in just a few seconds.

At the same time, in the Baekya Guild’s guiding room, instead of monsters, fish-shaped cat food pellets were being miserably crushed.

Crunch, crunch!

The sound of crunching hard cat food rang out countless times a day. Siwoo was relieving his accumulated stress through food.