Zero Point

#012

“Ah, that’s…”

A slightly awkward look flashed across Secretary Kim’s face. But it was only for a moment before she resumed her professional, friendly smile.

“Hunters often crave Guiding intensely or become strongly attached to Guides. That button is for emergencies, such as when a Guide is forced into unwanted contact. If you press it, guards will immediately enter the Guiding room to subdue the hunter.”

“How long does it take for the guards to arrive?”

“No more than 3 minutes at most. This floor with the Guiding rooms also has a duty room for specialized guards. Of course, you don’t need to worry too much about such situations. If it’s confirmed that a hunter has harmed a Guide, they’re immediately expelled from the guild and reported to the Hunter Association.”

So it’s an essential safety measure for Guides.

Eunseok thought, mentally noting the location of the red button that seemed out of place in the cozy space.

“Well then, I’ll set your work hours to start from 10 AM. Good luck with your work today, and I’ll return to the secretariat now.”

Secretary Kim gave a slight bow and turned to leave.

Left alone in the Guiding room, Eunseok looked around the interior.

The desk was perfectly sized for two people to sit facing each other comfortably, and the luxurious leather sofa, which looked new, was the same. As he walked further in, examining various things, Eunseok’s steps halted in front of a wide bed. The bed was neatly made with fluffy white hotel-style bedding.

A bed in the Guiding room.

They surely didn’t put this here for napping… It must be for that purpose.

Eunseok slightly furrowed his brow and tapped the items on the bedside table with his fingertip. The presence of lubricant and tissues, whose purpose was all too obvious, turned his conjecture into certainty.

But why aren’t there any condoms?

Eunseok briefly wondered, then nodded with an “Ah.” The final, advanced stage of Guiding, penetrative sex, was ultimately a form of mucous membrane Guiding. Using a condom would defeat the purpose of the act.

Opening the door next to the bed revealed a clean bathroom with a shower booth. On the bathroom shelf, fresh white towels and shower robes were neatly arranged.

After checking the environment of the Guiding room where he would be working, Eunseok checked the time. The work hours Secretary Kim had mentioned were approaching. Eunseok took a bottle of water from the small mini-fridge, walked to the desk, hesitated for a moment, then took out a white gown from the built-in closet and put it on over his shirt. He sat in the chair and turned on the tablet.

The tablet seemed to be a device specifically for Guides, as it displayed the reservation status under Eunseok’s name. The interface was highly intuitive, requiring no separate instructions to operate.

As he opened the water bottle, took a few sips, and closed it again, the clock on the tablet changed from 9:59 to 10:00. At that moment, his smartwatch, phone, and tablet all began to vibrate with notification sounds simultaneously.

The notifications kept ringing one after another without pause. Three time slot reservation requests appeared on the tablet screen.

A Guiding reservation request has arrived.

[Accept / Decline]

A Guiding reservation request has arrived.

[Accept / Decline]

A Guiding reservation request has arrived.

[Accept / Decline]

The reservation request notifications on the tablet displayed the hunter’s photo, name, rank, and even their Guiding rating. It was a system where he could freely reject if he didn’t like the other party.

All slots filled the moment it turned 10 o’clock. It’s not like they’re ticketing for a concert…

Eunseok muttered to himself, smiling faintly as he checked the information of those requesting reservations.

Moon Bora (A-class): Rating (5.0) | More

Ji Taeuk (A-class): Rating (5.0) | More

Choi Hanseo (S-class): Rating (5.0) | More

As if by prior arrangement, reservation requests from these three people had come in. He had already anticipated that Moon Bora and Ji Taeuk would make Guiding reservations. But he hadn’t expected the Guild Master, Choi Hanseo, to formally request Guiding in this way. Given that his reservation wasn’t first in line, it was clear he had personally put in the request through the app.

“Looks like even the Guild Master doesn’t get special privileges.”

Eunseok confirmed that all three had 5-star ratings and accepted all the requests.

[Today’s reservations are now complete.]

Along with a notification that all of today’s slots were filled, an alert popped up indicating the immediate start of the first time slot. And as if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Eunseok put down the tablet, walked to the door, and opened it to find Moon Bora throwing her hands up in victory.

“First place! First! I was so tense waiting to get your Guiding today, I started frantically tapping the reservation button the moment it turned 59 minutes past. I must have hit it a thousand times in that one minute!”

Moon Bora exclaimed, her face brimming with joy.

“Please come in, noona.”

Eunseok stepped aside to let her in. Moon Bora entered the Guiding room with an excited expression.

As Eunseok closed the door and turned around, he saw Moon Bora’s back as she looked around the Guiding room.

“The layout’s the same as usual.”

Moon Bora muttered after looking around, then plopped down comfortably in the chair in front of the desk.

“Oh… the gown suits you well.”

At Moon Bora’s words, Eunseok slightly adjusted the white gown.

“So, how is it? Your first day at work impression.”

Contrary to the expectation that she would rush to receive Guiding, Moon Bora rested her elbows on the desk, cupped her chin, and asked with smiling eyes.

“It feels awkward.”

Eunseok answered honestly. Moon Bora laughed softly, “Haha,” then picked up the tablet on the desk.

“Let’s see… I’m the glorious first to receive S-class Guiding… Taeuk succeeded too? That guy acted like he wouldn’t try, but he must have pressed the reservation button pretty hard to get the second slot.”

Moon Bora muttered, tapping the tablet without permission, then paused when she saw the name of the third reservation. She clicked her tongue softly.

“With the Guild Master’s personality, there’s no way he was frantically pressing the reservation button. The Head Secretary must have worked hard for this.”

Moon Bora muttered as if it was obvious. Eunseok tried to imagine Choi Hanseo rapidly tapping a phone screen, but like Moon Bora, he couldn’t picture it. It seemed out of character for that man.

“So, anything you’re curious about?”

Moon Bora put the tablet back in its original place and asked with a smile.

“Aren’t you going to receive Guiding?”

“I have you all to myself for two hours anyway. Two hours might not be enough with a C-class or lower Guide, but you’re different.”

“Is there such a big difference depending on the rank?”

“Just like how hunters differ enormously by rank, it’s the same for Guides. Even the difference between an A-class and a C-class Guide… it’s like the difference between 2G and 5G. Or the difference between a trickle of spring water and a gushing waterfall. The gap is huge.”

Moon Bora said, wrinkling her nose. Her expressions were certainly easy to understand.

“So, isn’t there anything you’re curious about? You didn’t receive formal Guide education, and you were a regular person until just recently, so I thought you’d have a lot of questions.”

“Well, I suppose I’ll learn as I go along.”

Eunseok said as he sat down in the chair opposite Moon Bora. After a moment’s thought, he spoke again.

“Could I borrow a bit of your time?”

“Time? As long as it’s resolved within these two hours, I don’t mind anything.”

Moon Bora answered generously.

“If it’s alright with you, there’s something I’d like to practice.”

“What is it?”

“Wide-area Guiding.”

When Eunseok answered, Moon Bora made an “Oh” expression. Then she smiled slightly.

“I thought you had great adaptability since you’ve been so calm about everything. But certainly… you still feel uncomfortable with contact Guiding, right?”

“Well, a handshake is fine.”

Eunseok answered honestly.

It wasn’t that he had no experience with women, but the military was still predominantly male. For Eunseok, who had been in such an environment since becoming an adult, the idea of more than a handshake with a man reeking of masculinity was quite unpleasant. The same was true for women. Just thinking about physical contact with a woman he wasn’t close to made his neck stiffen.

Moon Bora stared at Eunseok for a moment, then nodded as if she understood.

“Unless you awakened at a young age and were educated as an ability user, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable. Even I sometimes think that the world of ability users is like an animal world where only desires and instincts run wild.”

Moon Bora muttered, then leaned back deeply in her chair. She rested her hands comfortably on the armrests and said:

“Practice as much as you want. But in exchange, hold my hand for at least 5 minutes.”

Eunseok nodded, and Moon Bora leaned back in her chair and even closed her eyes, as if saying he could do whatever he wanted.

Wide-area Guiding.

While the book’s complex and detailed explanations felt like grasping at clouds for a novice Guide, it was certainly an appealing method. The fact that it allowed Guiding without physical contact with the other party was attractive in itself.

Of course, there were various other advantages.

Eunseok had signed an exclusive contract with the White Tiger Guild on the condition of entering gates together. But based on his various combat experiences, directly touching skin to Guide team members during battle would be highly inefficient. If he could become proficient in wide-area Guiding, Eunseok could potentially act as a combat force to some extent.

Eunseok fixed his gaze on Moon Bora, who was sitting back with her eyes closed as if resting. Just as an arm moves automatically when one intends to raise it, the energy inside his body began to spread outward according to his will.