“Guide Lee Hamin may only be B-rank, but he has the highest compatibility rate with Esper Seo Dojin, the Alpha Team leader. He also served with me in Alpha-1, so our teamwork should be smooth.”“Mm, yes—Guide Lee Hamin and Team Leader Seo Dojin’s matching rate is ninety-five percent, isn’t it?”“That’s correct.”The team leaders and military officials already knew about the pair’s history, so they nodded in agreement. At least that part raised no objections.“And Guide Park Dasom—why was she selected?”“She’s also B-rank, but she maintained excellent grades throughout her training and scored high on the physical tests. Most of all, her determination was exceptional.”This time, murmurs of doubt spread around the room.“Even so, a B-rank guide with no notably high matching rate seems questionable.”“There are A-ranks available—why does it have to be Guide Park Dasom?”Several glances turned toward Director Seokhyeon and his assistant Haedam. Raon shook his head immediately.“The Director should not be assigned to the team. If something were to happen inside a Gate, the entire Center would be thrown into chaos. The same goes for his assistant, Guide Jang Haedam.”It was a reasonable-sounding explanation meant to block both of them from joining the field team. Even so, the military representatives immediately pushed back.“In a situation like this, excluding an A-rank guide for such a reason is rather self-serving, don’t you think?”“Exactly. Just because he’s the Director doesn’t mean he should get special treatment.”Sensing an opening, the officers shifted their criticism from Raon to the entire Center. Seokhyeon’s expression froze over.“I’d advise you to refrain from criticizing the Center based on assumptions.”“Ahem… yes, of course.”The officers fell silent under his icy tone.The Center and the military really are entangled in a mess.Originally, guides had been under the military’s jurisdiction. But decades of exploitation sparked civilian outrage and a wave of withdrawals from the registry, forcing the Center to split off as an independent organization.Its Director had to be a current guide, and while cooperation with the military was mandatory, its legal autonomy was guaranteed. Even the highest-ranking officers couldn’t easily order the Director around.Unless the Association Chairman himself showed up.The Chairman of the Ability Association—the military’s Supreme Commander. Only he could stand as Seokhyeon’s equal, and there was no chance he’d attend a meeting like this.He’ll just read the report, not walk in person.Watching the officers grumble, Raon thought privately.“Still, if the guide team fails to perform in another irregular Gate, it could be a serious issue.”“Exactly. We should re-evaluate the team composition now.”The officers again latched onto the point to press Raon. He stifled a sigh and was about to respond when—“Why not try trusting them for once?”“…!”The familiar voice came from an unexpected direction. Raon turned his head.“It’s the first time we’ve ever formed a guide unit for Gate deployment. If we criticize them too harshly now, won’t it only discourage them?”It was Inho, the former leader of Alpha-2. Raon stared at him in surprise.“Besides, Han Raon is the only S-class guide in the country. Even if there are flaws due to B-ranks, he can compensate for them.”Then Yunchae, leader of Alpha-3, spoke up to support him as well. It was so unexpected that Raon almost laughed.Ah. I see how it is.Dojin’s brow twitched. Alpha Team had been forged by force, not unity—Inho and Dojin were barely on speaking terms, and Yunchae didn’t seem fond of him either. An unintended rift, but one that worked in Raon’s favor.“Thank you, Team Leaders. We’ll do our best.”Raon smiled gratefully at them. With two active team leaders backing him, the military delegates had no more room to argue.The meeting wrapped up soon after.“My apologies,” Seokhyeon said as they left. “I tried to deflect as much as I could, but a senior staff session was beyond my reach.”“No need to apologize. I know you did your best.”Raon smiled warmly.“Once we show results in the next Gate, their complaints will die out on their own.”“Then I’ll count on you.”“Yes, sir.”With that, he took his leave. The other team leaders had already dispersed.He’d hoped to exchange a few words and form connections, but no matter—there’d be other opportunities. He headed back to the training grounds.“How’s everyone holding up?”“Good, Team Leader!”The guides were no longer just running laps but doing strength training as well. Thanks to Tae-hyuk—who was unusually muscular for a guide—the weight workouts were going smoothly.“I think we can start firearms training soon.”“We’re finally doing shooting practice?”Dasom’s eyes lit up. She was, surprisingly, the most eager trainee of the group. Raon answered with a wry smile.“Yes. All the conditioning and strength work was to stabilize your grip for that.”“I can’t wait!”“Mm.”While the others looked tired at the news of extra training, Dasom was practically beaming. Raon watched her for a moment before turning away.“And Guide Hamin.”“Yes, Team Leader.”“Can we have a short meeting after training?”“Ah… y-yes.”Hamin looked startled but nodded quickly, his expression uneasy.“It’s just a chat. Don’t worry.”“Understood.”He returned to his exercise, and Raon joined the others until the session ended. By then, the sun was already setting.“Hyung.”“Siwoo—go ahead and get dinner first.”“Why?”When Siwoo approached, Raon explained that he had to talk with Hamin.“Something wrong with him?”“Not really. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ He just seems a bit drained.”“You don’t have to worry about everyone that much.”Siwoo frowned, clearly annoyed. Raon just laughed and patted his shoulder.“I’ll be quick.”“Fine. But come soon.”“Got it.”His puffed-up cheeks were so childishly cute that Raon was still smiling to himself as he headed for the meeting room.Creak.“Ah—Team Leader.”“Yeah.”Hamin was already waiting and leapt to his feet the moment Raon entered. Raon smoothed his expression.“Um… may I ask why you called me?”Hamin asked cautiously, his face tense. Raon met his eyes.“Has something been bothering you lately?”“Bothering me?”Hamin’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit. Then he quickly shook his head.“No, nothing in particular.”“Then are you still guiding Team Leader Seo Dojin?”“Ah.”The moment Dojin’s name came up, Hamin’s face clouded over.So there is something.Raon felt his stomach tighten as he pressed gently.“It’s fine—speak freely.”“Well, um…” Hamin hesitated, lips moving soundlessly for a moment before he finally forced himself to answer.“Actually, Team Leader Seo Dojin has been refusing my guiding sessions.”“Seo Dojin has?”“Yes. He’s been avoiding them ever since the Gate mission ended.”“…Huh.”Raon’s brows drew together. Dojin turning down Hamin’s guiding was unheard of. Ever since learning their ninety-five-percent match rate, he’d never passed up an opportunity.Is this because of what happened in the irregular Gate?Back then, Hamin had collapsed before he could finish guiding Dojin. Could he really be holding that against him?If so, it was beyond foolish. Who else could possibly guide him that well?So that’s why he kept trying to pair with me.Recalling Dojin’s forceful behavior, Raon let out a quiet sigh. Hamin’s shoulders twitched at the sound.“You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll speak to the Director about this.”“I’m sorry… it must be my fault for not being good enough.”“It isn’t your fault.”Watching him practically sink into his seat made Raon’s chest ache.Why did guides always carry the guilt for Espers’ selfishness?Guides sometimes refused sessions for personal reasons—but an Esper refusing his own guide? That was pure arrogance.“And don’t force yourself to guide Seo Dojin anymore. If he doesn’t request it, ignore him.”“What? But…”Hamin looked flustered by the firm tone. Raon shook his head.

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