Survive With the Max Level Guide

I figured he must’ve had a lot on his mind while watching me sleep. I could tell just by his question—that open-ended, conflicted question—that his thoughts were running deep. I looked at him in silence.

He clearly believed that his youngest brother, who had lived as an ordinary civilian, would struggle with the responsibility of guiding and taking care of his Esper brother. Even if he’d made up his mind to accept me, he was still worried that it might cause psychological strain. Those kinds of thoughts had taken up permanent residence in his head.

That must be why he looked like he was ready to accept whatever decision I made.

“Why do you keep making me repeat myself, Hyung?”

I raised my hand and grabbed his arm.

“I told you—it wasn’t something I blurted out on impulse.”

“It’s a big decision for you, too.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

Hyung fell silent.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that I wasn’t going to change my mind. His thick eyebrows wavered slightly. The tension in his dark eyes softened, now filled with nothing but warmth as they looked at me.

Thinking back, his love had always been blindly unconditional. That’s what his feelings for me had always been. And now… they’d only deepened.

Of course, I couldn’t afford to act like I was totally fine with everything. I forced a smile to hide my concerns about the future, and joked awkwardly.

“Just admit it already. I’m old enough to take responsibility for my own life.”

“. . . Yeah.”

Hyung answered in a low voice, clearly aware I was just pretending to be okay.

A heavy guilt. Concern for me. And on the flip side, a helpless kind of joy that came from being chosen by me.

All those conflicting emotions colored his face. He might’ve looked expressionless at a glance, but watching him up close, I could see them all too clearly. 

Soon, his large hand gently moved to release mine.

“Don’t touch me until your condition’s fully stabilized.”

“I’m really fine.”

“Still. Be careful.”

“Hyung, I need to get used to it too.”

He needed to stop treating me like I was made of glass. That kind of fragility wasn’t going to help anyone.

“Sure, maybe this much doesn’t do much for you yet, but…”

“What?”

Hyung frowned.

That was the look he gave when someone said something utterly ridiculous.

“You don’t get it. Just touching you like this—do you even realize what that does to me?”

He tightened his grip slightly, adding controlled pressure to our joined hands. I looked down at them, then slowly lifted my gaze to meet his.

Those eyes took in all of me—completely and without restraint. And beyond them… I glimpsed the desire lurking underneath.

Maybe Espers really are beings meant to devour their Guides. When I recalled that overwhelming sensation—my mind nearly consumed—it felt like an apt description.

“What does it feel like?”

I asked in a small voice. Hyung paused, choosing his words carefully.

“Like I’ve come up out of the water.”

“Out of the water?”

“I thought I’d been breathing this whole time, but turns out I wasn’t.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

What kind of pain strangles you so tightly that you can’t even breathe? And how had he managed to live his life normally while enduring that? Just holding hands like this, and suddenly he feels like he can breathe again… How much agony must he have been in?

Realizing it went far, far beyond anything I’d imagined, the respect I held for hyung swelled to something even deeper.

“You saved my life, Eun-soo.”

He confessed with quiet gravity.

“But honestly, just your existence alone has always helped me.”

“…Come on, hyung. Why are you suddenly dropping that on me out of nowhere?”

I couldn’t hold back the emotion that surged in my chest. My eyes gradually turned red, tears welling up with no filter.

“What have I ever done for your life?”

“You made it through safely. You grew up okay.”

He answered without the slightest hesitation.

“And that alone… was my anchor.”

“…Hyung.”

Overwhelmed by his raw, heartfelt emotions, I lowered my head.

Familiar fingers hesitated, then slowly reached out. And finally, they reverently brushed the corner of my eye. The tears clung to his skin.

I wiped the rest away myself, then looked up again.

“Me too.”

I looked him straight in the eye.

“My goal now is to make sure you never have to live in pain again.”

“……!”

“I’ll go to the Association.”

Anyone who manifests as a Guide is required to visit the Guide Association and register. I’d heard they run a series of tests and offer formal training as well.

“I’ll head there this afternoon, take care of the paperwork, and officially become your Guide.”

This was for hyung—the one who gave me more love than I deserved. Sure, I was afraid of how the world might view two brothers guiding each other. But someone that precious came first.

What people might whisper behind our backs didn’t matter. What mattered was hyung.

With that resolve in my eyes, I looked at him—

…Only to find something was off.

His expression had gone rigid, like he’d just remembered something horrific. And unlike before, he suddenly grabbed both my shoulders—hard, with a grip far stronger than before.

“No.”

“Hyung?”

“Absolutely not.”

Even his breathing became erratic.

“Don’t let anyone know that you’re a Guide.”

“What?”

I blinked in disbelief, completely thrown off.

“What are you talking about, Hyung?”

“…You know how rare Guides are.”

Hyung spoke in a voice sunken with dread. I nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Even C-rank Guides are considered rare. A-rank and S-rank? They basically don’t exist. But there are plenty of Espers who need them.”

Yeah, I’d seen that online too.

“That’s why the stronger the Esper, the more likely they are to think of themselves as cursed.”

“I mean… yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

Hyung probably felt that way too.

I felt a wave of sympathy and gently held the hands that were gripping my shoulders. His tense facial muscles relaxed ever so slightly. His grip eased, just a little.

But his voice remained heavy as he went on.

“That’s the problem. If Espers—especially those starved for Guiding like I was—find out about you…”

He paused for a beat.

“They’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on you.”

It was a chilling warning. A deliberate invocation of every horrifying possibility imaginable.

“Oh.”

But unfortunately for Hyung, instead of fear, I felt something else entirely—satisfaction.

Because my Hyung was being more honest than I expected.

This was someone who hid his pain for years just so he wouldn’t worry me. And now he was laying bare a truth that could terrify me?

This was it.

He was trying to control me.

He wanted me to stay anxious, to hide my identity as a Guide from the world, to remain his and his alone—his private Guide, known only to him.

If I registered as a Guide with the Association, there was a good chance that information could leak. In a world gone mad over Espers and Guides, they wouldn’t just sit quietly while the only S-rank Guide served a single S-rank Esper. Hyung was warning me that this could even lead to threats—kidnapping, coercion, worse.

But still… I don’t know.

It feels a little extreme to assume things would definitely play out inhumanely. What if I just followed the Association’s orders and guided other Espers too? There’s a chance I’d be matched with them, protected by the government, and live in peace.

Of course, it’s clear that Hyung ultimately wants what’s best for me. But now, it’s no longer just brotherly concern in his heart.

There’s something else. A possessiveness—one that belongs to him as an Esper.

Maybe part of the reason Hyung said all that was to isolate me—to make sure I stayed his, and only his.

And honestly? I kind of liked that.

“Still, Hyung. Legally, that’s—”

“Cha Eun-soo.”

He cut me off, brow furrowing again.

“I’m saying you’ll be in danger.”

“I get that. But I still can’t go along with it.”

I shook my head firmly.

“Anyone who awakens as a Guide has to report it to the Association. No exceptions. And if you don’t, the penalties are pretty serious.”

“That’s if you get caught. And even then, the Guide doesn’t get punished. Only the ones who helped cover it up.”

“Which is exactly the problem. You’re a public official. If you’re caught hiding this, you’ll be hit with aggravated charges. How can you even consider that?”

Sure, with the power our family holds, they could probably sweep it all under the rug. But my absurdly rare rank was the issue. Once my existence got out, the media would go ballistic. It was obvious the public backlash would be brutal—and it’d drag down the entire Chahwa Group’s reputation.

Hyung would face penalties worse than just being suspended. And I’d rather die than watch that happen.

“You…”

Hyung raked a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated.

“What you should be worried about right now is yourself, Eun-soo. Stop thinking about me and start protecting yourself.”

“Why are you saying it like that?”

I looked at him, hurt in my eyes.

“Your safety is my safety. We’re family. And…!”

I opened and closed my mouth, struggling to get the next words out.

“…I’m your Guide now, too. If you’re my Esper, then aren’t we basically one and the same?”

His eyes trembled like he’d taken a critical hit. His ears even looked like they were turning red. Happiness flooded him, helplessly, uncontrollably. At the same time, I could see him mentally scrambling, trying to come up with a new angle to convince me.

Adorable.

But I wasn’t changing my mind.

Once I became known, I’d have an easier time finding my targets.

No way Espers could resist seeking out an S-rank Guide.