"That would definitely be better. Most of the fighting against monsters will happen at the front, anyway.""Agreed. And we have Esper Yoon Siwoo here, after all."Juwon and Taehyeok caught on quickly, nodding as they each added a comment. The other members, influenced by their confidence, began to accept Raon’s reasoning for the lineup.Of course, the Gates coming up won’t be that simple…Raon thought of the ones ahead. Even after this irregular Gate, there would be a flood of high-difficulty Gates surpassing even the Red tier.The only silver lining was that those were Gates he’d personally entered before the rewind. In the original timeline, the emergence of the irregular Gate had caused countless casualties among Espers and Guides, but this time would be different.Even if he’d been forced by the System to play the role of the “villainous Han Raon” and act like an idiot inside those Gates, the experience of having been there himself was still invaluable—he already knew each Gate’s quirks and mechanisms.“Um, excuse me…”“Yes, go ahead, Guide Park Dasom.”At that moment, Dasom, who’d been quiet the whole time, raised her hand timidly. Her face showed clear tension as she asked Raon in a hesitant voice,“Then… may I ask why I was chosen?”Her eyes darted nervously. Minjae at least had the role of communicating with the front line in unexpected situations, but no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t imagine why someone like her would be needed on a special team.So her already timid face sank even further into gloom.At this rate she’ll lose all motivation before she even reawakens inside the Gate.He’d thought it would be enough to bring her in over everyone’s objections. But seeing her so anxious and deflated was something he hadn’t expected. For a moment, Raon was at a loss.What should I say?There were plenty of easy words he could use to comfort her. But against a backdrop of powerful A-ranks, superficial reassurance wasn’t likely to reach someone like Dasom.Just as Raon was hesitating, Hamin—who’d been silent the entire meeting—spoke up.“I’m sure Raon had a reason for choosing Guide Dasom.”His tone was firm, carrying a steady trust in Raon.“A reason?”“Yes. Raon kept believing in me even after I failed the irregular Gate mission—and still selected me for this team.”“Ah…”Dasom, who had stayed behind at the Center during the operation, knew from the shared reports how Hamin had been injured.The upper management had objected to including him on the special team for that very reason, yet Raon had pushed for it anyway.“Raon picked both of us because he needs us. I trust him.”“I… I see.”Hamin, who had once cried and broken down in the hospital, now looked far brighter. Raon smiled faintly, unexpectedly grateful for his help.“Hamin’s right. Guide Park Dasom has consistently maintained excellent grades since her trainee days at the Center. I believe she’ll do well on the special team too.”“T-thank you!”No one had ever paid attention to a B-rank Guide like her after she’d entered the Center, but she had kept doing her work quietly, even when no one asked.“Thank you. I’ll do my best!”Dasom sprang up from her seat, her voice loud and spirited. She was quicker to recover her confidence than Raon had expected.“Ahem. Then let’s wrap up introductions here. I’ll briefly explain the upcoming training schedule and the team’s operational roles.”Raon cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, and continued. He was relieved to see that both Minjae and Dasom now looked far less anxious than before.“Our special team will be deployed first to irregular Gates and other Gates that fall outside standard classifications. Accordingly, we’ll conduct high-intensity joint training alongside those missions…”When Gates had first begun appearing, the world had fallen into chaos—but soon after that period, it became rare for Guides to enter them directly.The team Raon was building, however, would have to enter countless Gates themselves. That meant ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) their training had to match that level of danger.If the System returns and I’m forced out, the team should still be able to function on its own.His goal was to reawaken both Dasom and Hamin as quickly as possible so that, even if the System reactivated and erased his position, the special team would continue to operate effectively.To achieve that, not just he—but all the Guides—would need to endure harsh training. More thorough than in the original timeline.I wonder if everyone will be able to keep up.As he gave the short briefing, Raon glanced around the room. The Espers would be fine, but for the Guides—who had lived relatively cushioned lives until now—it would be grueling.Still, this was all for survival. And since these were the people he had chosen himself, he didn’t expect them to start whining about hardship.“Since this is the first day, let’s stop here. Everyone’s probably still wrapping up duties with your previous teams.”With the formation of the special team, other units were reorganized as well. Unlike Raon’s rear-support team, the forward-combat units were said to be consolidating under Dojin, combining Alpha-1 through Team-3.Starting tomorrow, Raon’s special team would begin separate training.“Get some rest tonight. We start fresh tomorrow.”“Yes, sir!”Raon smiled brightly. The team members, unaware of the hellish training awaiting them, answered with clear, cheerful voices. Maintaining his pleasant smile, Raon saw them off as they left the room.“Phew… should we head back too?”“Yeah.”After the others left, Raon turned to Siwoo. Siwoo nodded with his usual calm expression.Right.Come to think of it, they’d had to stop guiding midway because of the Director’s call. The guiding rooms would be closing soon.Raon hesitated. Since the session had been cut short, they should resume—but there wasn’t an obvious place to continue. They needed enough guiding before another Gate appeared.Should I take him to my quarters?Esper access to Guide quarters was strictly forbidden—to prevent exploitation and ensure privacy under the Guide Rights Law.There was only one exception: a bonded pair. If the Guide permitted it, the paired Esper could enter freely.We’re a pair. There’s nothing wrong with it.Thinking that, Raon naturally offered,“Wanna come over for ramen?”“…Ramen?”Siwoo’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden invitation, and Raon laughed.“Haha, I mean—let’s guide at my place.”“Oh.”“Unless you’d rather do it at yours?”It might be a hassle to move back and forth. But Siwoo didn’t answer. When Raon turned his head, he noticed a faint blush on the Esper’s face.“Can I really go to your place?”“What?”After a moment’s pause, Siwoo asked carefully.Come to think of it, Raon had never invited him there before. Aside from Taegun barging in unannounced once, no one had ever set foot in his quarters.Realizing that made him feel oddly self-conscious, but he answered in a steady tone,“Of course. Why not?”“Oh.”“We’re a bonded pair, after all.”Then he took Siwoo’s hand. He hadn’t even released guiding energy, yet Siwoo immediately reacted—his shoulders flinching at the contact.“Mm? You’re coming, right?”“…Yeah.”Siwoo nodded softly at Raon’s question.***A fleeting thought crossed Raon’s mind: Did I even tidy up before leaving?But the moment he opened the door to his quarters and stepped inside, Siwoo pressed in and kissed him—hard and fast—wiping away any unnecessary thoughts.“Haa… Siwoo, mm—”Raon tried to focus on the guiding energy as he resumed the interrupted mucosal guiding.This was work. It wasn’t about indulging desire; it was to stabilize an Esper. So even if their bodies were pressed together, he wasn’t supposed to feel excessive pleasure.He repeated that to himself over and over—but when Siwoo’s hot tongue slid between his lips, the heat in his body surged back instantly.“Hh—”“Haah, Raon…”Kissing this urgently right in the entryway, without even removing their shoes, was something new even for him. Come to think of it, he’d never had a kiss this intense before.He vaguely thought back to past partners—then winced as Siwoo bit his lip.“Ah—!”“You were thinking of someone else just now.”“W-what? When did I—”Siwoo had caught him instantly, and Raon stammered, feigning ignorance. He figured Siwoo couldn’t possibly know what had crossed his mind, so he decided to bluff it out.“Ahem, let’s just keep guiding.”“What were you thinking about?”“I told you, nothing like that.”Siwoo pressed persistently, but Raon shook his head with stubborn calm. Still, the tension in the air made his whole body stiffen.“Was it another guy you were thinking about?”“Wh—”The sharp question caught Raon off guard. His breath hitched, and words wouldn’t come out.

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