Well, still—Siwoo is Siwoo.Raon pushed down the brief flicker of fear that had surfaced and looked at Siwoo, who was still visibly angry. He let out a small laugh.Handling a situation that could escalate into a diplomatic issue was more urgent right now. Raon stepped in front of Siwoo, blocking him.“If he gives his word that he won’t lay a hand on my body without permission again, then I will no longer bring this up.”“……”“It would be better for your side as well if you return to the Union without complications, wouldn’t it?”Raon coaxed politely, yet his tone carried a faint arrogance. For Mikhail, who believed in high-rank Esper supremacy, accepting a Guide’s terms at all was humiliation.“Mikhail. Promise. Now.”“Tch. Fine.”Only after Jamie warned him in a low tone did Mikhail finally nod. In the end, he had accepted the words of an Esper (Jamie) rather than the Guide (Raon). Again.Honestly—what an incurable bastard.In Raon’s mind, Mikhail had now been categorized alongside Seo Dojin: a person who would never change no matter what anyone did to him. No wonder those two got along so well.Raon snorted and turned away.“This way.”Jamie continued to glance nervously at Raon the entire walk to the Center, and Mikhail behaved only because of Siwoo. So guiding them around was unexpectedly easy.“Would you happen to be able to meet Park Dasom a bit earlier? I know you must be tired after just arriving, but…”“No, it’s fine. As you know, the private jet is quite comfortable.”“That’s good. To be honest, Dasom’s training has had many difficulties.”Perhaps due to Mikhail’s earlier behavior, Jamie was even more willing to cooperate with Raon. At least that part worked out well.Dasom still couldn’t properly distinguish between healing and guiding. In the Gate, it had been instinctive and situational, but now, no matter how hard she trained, she couldn’t use healing properly. The Center’s other healer Espers had lower ranks and couldn’t provide the necessary training support.“Dasom.”“Yes, Team Leader.”Inside the Esper training hall, Dasom—who had been drooping her shoulders alone—turned at his call. When she noticed the unfamiliar foreigners standing behind Raon, her eyes widened in surprise.“Say hello. This is Jamie Windsor, the A-rank healer Esper who will be supporting your training from now on.”“Ah, hello! I’m Park Dasom!”Though Raon had told her in advance, actually facing foreign Espers she rarely saw made Dasom stiffen with nerves. Watching her bow at a perfect ninety-degree angle, Raon bit back a laugh.“Nice to meet you, Dasom. Please call me Jamie. Or you can say Jay if that’s easier.”“Yes, Jay Esper!”Dasom nodded energetically, clearly already full of motivation.She had awakened as a globally rare S-rank healer Esper, yet had remained discouraged because she couldn’t use her ability properly. Even if her mentor was a foreigner, the fact that someone was here to teach her clearly filled her with hope.Raon watched her with quiet pride. It seemed safe to entrust the rest of the training to Jamie.“When the session ends, please let me know.”“Yes, Team Leader Raon.”Leaving the training hall, Raon headed toward the Director’s Office. Mikhail, who had no need to follow Jamie around inside the Center, immediately went to the guest accommodations. Which suited Raon perfectly fine—having him out of sight was comfortable.“It’s me, Director.”“Come in.”“Yes.”Raon opened the door at the quiet answer. As always, Jang Seokhyeon greeted him with a tired expression.“As you instructed, I have brought A-rank healer Esper Jamie Windsor and S-rank Esper Mikhail Hamilton to the Center. Jamie Windsor is currently assisting Park Dasom with training.”“And Mikhail Hamilton?”“He said he was tired and went to his quarters.”“…I see.”Raon finished the report and nodded.But Seokhyeon did not respond. Not even the usual polite remark like Good work or You may go.Raon blinked. If there was more to discuss, he would normally state it. Seokhyeon’s expression was worse than usual. Maybe there was bad news?If it were a Gate issue… he would have mentioned it immediately.If signs of another Gate had appeared already, there was no reason for Seokhyeon to delay telling him.Unable to guess anything, Raon simply waited. Finally, Seokhyeon spoke.“That isn’t the only thing you should be reporting.”“…What?”Even hearing it, Raon couldn’t make sense of what he meant.Reporting? Was this still about Jamie and Mikhail? There wasn’t anything else to—“…?”Something suddenly flashed across his mind.He means Mikhail reverse guided me?Raon’s expression stiffened as he recalled that repulsive sensation. His voice came out unpleasantly flat.“Are you referring to the fact that Mikhail reverse guided me without consent?”“Yes.”“Oh.”Raon had intentionally chosen not to report it, hoping it would be treated as if it hadn’t happened.But there had been plenty of staff present. Of course the Director would hear. Choosing to ignore it didn’t make it not exist.Raon exhaled quietly. Still—if he explained, Seokhyeon would drop it.“Mikhail behaved rudely, but it wasn’t serious.”“A high-rank Esper forced reverse guiding on a Guide without consent—and you say it wasn’t serious?”“Well, he’s not domestic, and he’s S-rank, and he’s with the Union. It’s better to let it go.”Raon said lightly.Seokhyeon’s eyebrow twitched sharply.“That is exactly the problem!”“…!”Seokhyeon slammed his hand on the desk, voice rising. Raon flinched—he had never heard him raise his voice like this.“If another Guide had been subjected to that, they would be furious! Why are you so indifferent when you’re the one harmed? Why?!”“Um…”Raon processed the words. Then imagined Mikhail doing that to Dasom or to Hamin.Oh. I would have killed him.There was no hesitation in the thought.He couldn’t kill an S-rank Esper himself—but he certainly wouldn’t have stopped Siwoo from doing it.His eyes sharpened.“Director. If this escalates into a diplomatic issue, it gets complicated.”But logically, letting it go was the better choice. Raon had lived his entire life assessing his own harm with cold practicality. It was habit.“Good grief…”Seokhyeon rubbed his forehead. He too was the type to make the same decision—if it were about himself.Raon recognized the resemblance and let out a faint laugh.“Since I am the Center Director, I cannot let this slide. The Union will receive an official protest.”“Do you really need to go ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) that far?”“Yes.”The answer was final.“I’ll have him destroyed.”“……”Sir. That is not your character type at all.Raon stared, thrown.Then remembered: to Jang Seokhyeon, Guide rights were absolute. He never tolerated injustice against Guides. That was why every Guide in the Center respected him.Raon had simply forgotten he counted as one of them too.He had kept a distance from Seokhyeon, convinced the man disliked him—as in his first life.But now, he realized he had long since been pulled back inside Seokhyeon’s protective boundary.Recalling Haedam’s words, Raon cleared his throat quietly, embarrassed.

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