Title: Esper Cha Jae-woo Finds a Guide
After 18 Years... 97.8% Matching Rate]
Author: Anonymous
oo Title says it all.
You can check out the article (link) here.
[Comments]
Holy sht, Cha Jae-woo finally got a
Guide?
Wow, his rampages were fcking
terrifying. This is great news.
Wait, what? 97.8%? Is that even possible?
LFirst meeting, too.
L Isn't that basically impossible?
LMaybe the journalist made a mistake?
Maybe it's supposed to be 9.78%.
L That would actually make more sense.
LEither the journalist or the matching
rate device fcked up.*
LIt's basically 100% though lol. Insane.
- If this is real, isn't Cha Jae-woo basically
invincible now?
LLOLOLOLOL true.
L Like, who's even gonna dare squeak in
front of Cha Jae-woo now?
LAh, but someone said in the replies it's
a D-Rank. So maybe not invincible after all.
Why does the article title sound like he
reunited with a long-lost family member?
LHonestly, it's that level. If his matching
rate was even 30%, it would've been a huge
deal.
But did you guys even read the article?
It's a D-Rank.
L A D-Rank?
L A D-Rank for an S-Rank Esper?
LWTF, isn't that basically useless then?
L Agreed.
L Why would it be useless though? Isn't a
high matching rate still a good thing?
Even with a high matching rate, if
there's too much of a rank gap, the Guide
probably can't even handle a few sessions.
L The Guide would need medical
treatment after guiding him lol.
L Guides are ranked based on their
mana. If he's D-Rank, that means he has
almost no mana. And you expect him to
guide an S-Rank Esper? His mana would
drain the moment they touch, and he'd
probably just collapse.
L Ah, I see. Thanks for explaining!
- What's the point of a high matching rate
if he's a one-time-use Guide anyway?
LLOLOLOL. Come on, maybe he can
survive two or three uses at least haha.
LWTF LOL.
L? Don't you think it's kinda messed up
to call a person "one-time-use" or
whatever?
L Ugh.
LWhat's the point of knowing how to
type if you don't have a brain?
-l got all excited reading the title, thinking I
could skip my Guide evaluation, but... a D-
Rank? Seriously?
L Same here.
LThirded.
L Fourth. I was so happy thinking he
wouldn't need one anymore with that
97.8%.
LYou guys know if Cha Jae-woo didn't
find a Guide, he would've gone berserk and
died, right? Youre all being so selfish lol.
L True. And it's not just Cha Jae-woo who
would've died. Haven't you heard people
say he's basically a walking nuclear bomb?
-Don't exaggerate. "Nuclear bomb,"
seriously?
L LMAO. Look at all these fake saints
acting virtuous. Bet they'd freak out too if
they found out they had to guide him
themselves.
L Exactly lol. Who the hell actually wants
to be a Guide? Even now, there are constant
posts saying it's basically like selling your
body, and yet now everyone's acting all high
and mighty.
L66 (Agree)
- Man, I feel bad for the Guide. This is like
getting struck by lightning out of a clear
sky. No way a D-Rank can handle Cha Jae-
woo... Judging by the article, it seems like
they just plan to stick him next to him
regardless.
- But Cha Jae-woo's never matched over
20% with any Guide before, right? I feel like
he might actually treasure this one. Maybe
he'll just get guided a little at a time.
L From what I know, the Guide is the one
who has to control the flow during guiding
sessions. The Esper just passively receives
whatever the Guide gives. So if a D-Rank
can't control it properly, it's game over.
L Even if Cha Jae-woo wants to go easy,
if the Guide can't manage it, it's
meaningless.
L Not to derail, but doesn't it just sound
weird imagining Cha Jae-woo "treasuring"
something?
LSame lol. Cha Jae-woo and
"treasuring" don't even belong in the same
sentence.
- Either way, if that D-Rank wants to
survive, they better practice control fast.
But is that even easy?
L No clue. Never done it myself. Got any
Guide friends? Maybe ask them.
L Fck, might as wel ask if they have
Esper friends instead.
[Title: "But seriously, if Cha Jae-woo goes
berserk, is it really nuclear-bomb level?"]
Author: Anonymous
Heard rumors that half the planet could be
wiped out if he rampages.
Imean, that's gotta be exaggerated, right?
But seriously, how bad would it be?
[Comments]
- You do realize that if an Esper goes
berserk, they basically die, right? And you're
still asking about the "power level"?
L (Author) Yeah, obviously I know that.
But it's still nerve-wracking, so I'm just
asking.
L lol you just sound like you're treating
him like a weapon instead of a person.
L (Author) I don't know where you're
getting that from my post. If you're not
gonna actually answer the question, can
you not leave rude comments?
- Considering that rampage scales with
the Esper's stats, Cha Jae-woo would
definitely cause massive damage if he went
berserk. But half the planet? That's pushing
it.
- Probably could wipe out an entire
country, though.
L (Author) An entire country??
L Didn't Cha Jae-woo destroy a Gate all
by himself during his first rampage?
LHe did. But we don't know how hard
that Gate was.
L Dude was ten years old at the time.
Regardless of difficulty, it says a lot about
his raw stats. Even among S-Ranks, no one
can beat him.
L Sorry, but what's a "first rampage"? I'm
not really into Esper stuff, so this is my first
time hearing about it.
LWhen an Esper first awakens, they lose
their sanity and attack everything around
them. That's called the first rampage.
Second rampage happens when they burn
through all their power. First rampage
usually causes a lot of civilian casualties.
L So when Cha Jae-woo awakened, did
he hurt a lot of people too?
L Nope. He rampaged inside a Gate, so
civilians weren't harmed.
L Pure luck. If he had lost it outside the
Gate, it would've been a massacre.
L He survived because he was an Esper
-and because he was Cha Jae-woo.
Otherwise, yeah, it would've been a
disaster.
L still, it was Cha Jae-woo. That's what
matters.
L Personally, I don't think he'd wipe out
an entire country. Maybe just destroy a
whole region.
L (Author) Even one region sounds
terrifying. Should I temporarily move out of
town or something?
- Whether it's half the planet or not, the
authorities would definitely "handle" it
before that happens.
L Handle it...?
LYou mean... kill him?
L Yup. Exactly. That's standard
procedure. If an Esper's about to go
berserk, and especially if they're burning
out, they're usually put down beforehand to
prevent disaster.
L Not like anyone's asking for a reminder.
Even if there are precedents, talking about
killing someone like it's a given feels gross.
People already criticize it as a human rights
İssue.
L Yeah, but it's still reality. Besides, once
they go berserk, they become mass
murderers. It's preventative, not punitive.
There's no other option once it reaches that
point.
This place is full of psychos.
L Do you even see Espers as people?
- If Cha Jae-woo really did blow up a
country, he'd probably flee overseas.
L (Author) If it were me, I'd run too. Don't
act like you wouldn't.
- Every time stuff like this comes up, I feel
like people just lose their damn minds
about Espers. They're human too, you
know.
- Without Espers, we'd all be dead from
monsters spilling out of the Gates. You
know that, right? Wild how people still talk
sht.*
LMaybe if there were no Espers, Gates
wouldn't exist either.
L Lmao what kind of fantasy BS is that.
L You in some cult or something?
- Honestly, people are way harsher toward
Cha Jae-woo specifically. Other Espers
don't get trashed this hard.
LYeah. Especially after he stopped
entering Gates, it got worse.
LJust because there were rumors he
might go berserk again, everyone lost their
minds.
L Damned if he does, damned if he
doesn't. He goes into a Gate? Problem. He
doesn't? Still a problem.
[Title: Rumor Has It the D-Rank Guide Is a
Guy]
Author: Anonymous
He's apparently only twenty-three years old
and still a college student.
[Comments]
L Man, twenty-three and a college student?
He had his whole future ahead of him, and
now it's wrecked like this.
LWhy are you acting like the D-Rank's
already dead?
L Because at this rate, he might be soon
Stop posting unconfirmed information.
L 22 Let's stop being the breeding
ground for baseless rumors.
L33 Delete the post. It's against the
community rules.
-I feel so bad for the Guide. Isn't his entire
personal info gonna get leaked at this rate?
His social life is screwed.
LOnce you register as a Guide, you
pretty much can't do any other job anyway,
right?
L Work isn't the only part of social life.
Would he even be able to walk around in
public with his face showing?
***
[Kim Geon-ung: (link)]
[Kim Geon-ung: Didn't they promise not to
release any personal information?]
[Kim Geon-ung: What the hell is this? Feels
like the whole country knows already.]
Lim Haeyul stared at the messages Kim
Geon-ung had sent for a long while without
replying. He didn't even dare click on the
link. There was no need. Cha Jae-woo had
already shown him most of the articles.
The contract had been changed. Not once,
but twice. It was hard to believe this was
reality. But it was already done.
Cha Jae-woo had even shown him the
falsified contract. Even though Lim Haeyul
knew he hadn't sealed it, that he had signed
properly with a pen, he couldn't bring
himself to say it.
".Wow."
Instead of protesting, he had simply
nodded, helplessly staring at Cha Jae-woo's
smiling face. Of course. Undoing the
contract? That was never going to happen.
Even though he was well aware it wasn't the
document he had originally signed, nodding
had been the only choice left to him.
"...I'm seriously screwed."
Because Cha Jae-woo was so-so, so,
overwhelmingly terrifying that even saying
it a hundred times wouldn't be enough.
Even though he was smiling, if Lim Haeyul
so much as said one word in disagreement,
it felt like he would be killed on the spot.
Sure, he was the only Guide with a 98%
matching rate for Cha Jae-woo.
He probably wouldn't actually kill him. But in
that moment, it felt like his life was on the
line. All Lim Haeyul could do was clamp his
mouth shut and nod.
"Should I just terminate the contract?"
Even though Cha Jae-woo had already left
the room a while ago, Lim Haeyul could still
vividly hear his voice as if he were right
there.
He yanked the blanket up to his chin,
shivering under it. Despite it being the peak
of summer, with the air conditioner blasting
at full power, he was curling up under the
covers like it was winter.
"T'Il let you terminate it."
But Cha Jae-woo's face hadn't looked like
he was letting him go at all. That indifferent
expression from their first meeting had
completely vanished-his eyes had
practically sparkled.
So Lim Haeyul hadn't answered.
Cha Jae-woo hadn't seemed to mind.
"Instead, let's make a new contract together."
"He's a complete con artist.."
Lim Haeyul muttered, pulling the blanket all
the way over his head.
Calling him a con artist wasn't even the half
of it. He was just a lunatic. A lunatic who
had used his power to blackmail him. Lim
Haeyul had practically walked straight into
a madman's lair. There was no other way to
describe it.
"TIl even pay the penalty fee for you, so let's
make a personal contract instead."
That sly, slow-rising smirk. That soft,
coaxing voice, as if he were seducing him.
Almost like he had been hypnotized, Lim
Haeyul had accepted the contract Cha Jae-
woo offered. Even though he knew he had
no choice, he still carefully read through it
line by line.
The new contract stated that Lim Haeyul
would become Cha Jae-woo's exclusive
Guide, that he would consistently receive
training and practice for guiding control,
and that he would have to maintain a daily
minimum level of guiding.
Honestly, it was surprising. The fact that it
even included a clause about practicing
control. Maybe because it hadn't been long
since he collapsed just by touching Cha
Jae-woo-less than a few hours, in fact.
Compared to the contract Jang Gijun had
presented, the one Cha Jae-woo brought
almost looked more reasonable.
Especially when he saw the signing bonus-
500 million won. Lim Haeyul almost had his
eyeballs pop out. And on top of that, the
monthly payments had increased, too.
For a brief moment, he thought, Is this my
lucky break? But almost immediately, he
forced himself to coolly scan for the
penalty clauses.
He had just been sucker-punched hard. It
was only natural to be suspicious.
But to his disbelief, there were no penalty
clauses whatsoever. It was baffling. Was
this just about rewriting the contract for the
sake of adding the training clause? Even
creating a penalty clause that hadn't
existed before?
It made no sense.
"For the Guide who's gonna save my life, this
much is the least I can do,"
And throughout it all, Cha Jae-woo had
remained unfailingly kind to him.
Of course, Lim Haeyul knew that even while
smiling, Cha Jae-woo was threatening him.
If he said no, Cha Jae-woo would probably
just forcefully grab his thumb and press it
onto the paper himself.
That's why he didnt refuse. There was no
way to escape this contract anyway.
Maybe that's why..'
He had overlooked the most important fact.
The real issue had been how Cha Jae-woo
had casually brushed aside a contract that
offered him no real benefit whatsoever. Lim
Haeyul was now paying dearly for stamping
that contract without a second thought.
What.. What is this ?!
There was a critical flaw in the contract Cha
Jae-woo had handed him.
The promise he had made with Guide
Association President Jang-the one
stipulating that Lim Haeyul's identity as Cha
Jae-woo's high-match Guide must never be
revealed-was missing from this new
contract.
The moment Lim Haeyul stamped his seal,
Cha Jae-woo immediately shoved an article
at him like he had been waiting for it.
Dazed, Lim Haeyul accepted the phone and
almost passed out when he saw his own
face splashed across the screen.
And the article's contents were even worse.
It detailed where he lived, which university
he attended, how old he was-everything.
"Even if the contract didn't include the
confidentiality clause..."
"It's not published yet."
"Huh2 What?"
"This article. It's not out yet."
"T-then when...?"
"Hmm. When should I post it?"
The slow, smiling curve of Cha Jae-woo's
lips told him everything. Lim Haeyul finally
understood why there hadn't been any
penalty clause in the contract.
Even without an explanation, it was
obvious: If he refused to guide or tried to
run away, that article would be released to
the world. It was a fresh, brutal kind of
blackmail. So much so that paying a
penalty fee would have honestly felt like the
kinder option.
"Haah.."
'Surely, he wouldn't actually go that far?
At first, Lim Haeyul had naively tried to
reassure himself. Surely, he wouldn't
destroy someone's life like that. But that
had been a grave miscalculation.
He had completely overlooked the fact that
Cha Jae-woo's own life depended on this
guiding, too.
Cha Jae-woo was the kind of man who
would absolutely follow through if he said
he would. Lim Haeyul realized this the
moment he saw the careful way Cha Jae-
woo had sprinkled enough details into the
online sphere-not mentioning his name
outright, but dropping enough hints that
anyone could figure it out.
It became clear that Cha Jae-woo could
expose him at any moment if he wanted.
As expected, the seeds Cha Jae-woo had
scattered spread rapidly. The link Kim
Geon-ung sent must have been one of
them.
Lim Haeyul buried his face in his hands and
shook his legs helplessly.
You insane bastard. How could you not see
this coming?
And why hadn't he spoken up?
He should have shouted it in Cha Jae-woo's
face:
I signed the contract! I didn't stamp it! You
must have forged my seal while I was
unconscious! How could you force me to
rewrite such a ridiculous contract?!
[I'm screwed.]
No matter how much he flailed and kicked
into the air on the bed, nothing changed.
His stomach twisted in knots. After firing
off a message to Kim Geon-ung, Lim
Haeyul collapsed onto the bed.
The luxury of the room, the ridiculously
expensive mattress-none of it brought him
any comfort. Well.. even so, sleep came
frighteningly fast.
Too much had happened. He had even
fainted, after all. It was only natural that
exhaustion overwhelmed him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, muttering
excuses to himself as if that would make
the crushing fatigue feel less pathetic.
It was true.
He really had lost everything.
It felt like he might cry.