Declaration of Extra Strike

The first night at the dormitory was the worst. I tossed and turned several times on my back on the uncomfortable mattress.

Unanswered questions followed one after another. Why did I open my eyes in Joo Ho-hyun’s body when I was clearly dead, and what happened to Joo Ho-hyun?

‘But those skills were mine.’

What should I do in the future? My head was full of thoughts and I couldn’t sleep at all.

The thoughts that came to my mind died down when dawn broke, and I, who had barely slept, woke up to the sound of knocking on the door.

Knock, knock.

When I opened my eyes and turned my head to the side, I saw Han Seo-jin, who was leaning on the doorway, looking down at me. A deep, cracked voice burst out.

“…..What the.”

“You know that there is an official guide training from today, right?”

He pulled the blanket over his head as if he didn’t want to hear it. Above his head, Han Seo-jin’s voice fell.

“The education officer will be coming to pick you up soon, so get ready quickly.”

***

Learning was not fun.

It was something I already knew, something I didn’t need to know, and something I didn’t understand even after listening to it.

I let my chin rest and looked at the hospital building B in the distance before drifting off into other thoughts.  For example, the thought of wanting to go to Yeon Seung-yeon’s lab and play.

The lesson that started in the morning did not end until evening. The sun was already setting when I left the building. Just in time, the car I got used to seeing, stopped in front of me.

“Han Seo-jin!”

Looking at Han Seo-jin, who seems a little happy as he gets out of his car, he must be tired of lessons.

“Why were you so late? I was waiting for you for so long…”

“I saw you just coming out of the building. Stop talking nonsense and get on.”

“This lame guy…..”

As I approached the back door and reached out, a ridiculous question was asked.

“What are you doing?”

Han Seo-jin, who was about to open the door and ride, was looking at me with his eyebrows raised.

“You told me to ride it”

“Ha…………. That’s the back seat.”

Han Seo-jin, who sighed deeply, motioned his chin at me.

“Get on the side.”

“On the side?”

I’ve never been in a passenger seat. I felt awkward because I’ve only been in the back seat with Tae Je-heon so far. Contrary to my initial belief, I found myself liking the spacious and comfortable seat of the passenger seat quite a lot.

When I opened the window, a cool wind came in and tickled my hair. As I slightly stuck out my head and faced the wind, Han Seo-jin’s voice spoke.

“Today, Seong Woo hyung collapsed.”

“Who is he?”

“Didn’t you read the team chart?”

“No.”

“Go and read it.”

“He’s our team’s main guide. Ye Sung Woo.”

When I heard about the main guide, a blurry face of a man came upon my mind.

‘Why did he collapse?”

“He said he was overworked to guide.…. Ga-in noona seems to be tired, too.”

Han Seo-jin, who was looking forward, glanced at me.

“They’re going to put pressure on you. There are many people who are still thinking about it at the accommodation.”

“Why are the other two hyung and noona, but I am addressed as you.”

“How is this important now……………! Sigh…………?”

Han Seo-jin, who had closed his eyes tightly, sighed deeply. I let the words enter from one ear and gave a shaky nod.

“What, you want me to be a guide too, right? So that they don’t overdo it?”

“……that’s what the situation is. I know it’s still too much for you.”

“Okay. What should I do?”

“You haven’t learned the guiding practice yet, have you?”

“Yeah. I heard I’m learning it from you.”

In fact, I didn’t even take the theory class properly. I’m sure it was about some sort of skill…

“Let’s practice today.”

Han Seo-jin stopped the car in front of the mansion and turned off the engine. The car, which was built in one corner of the spacious garden, was dark on all sides as light did not reach when the engine was turned off. Looking around the inside of the car in a daze, I asked,

“Right now? In here?”

“I have to see how much guidance you can do. It’ll be a problem if the guide escapes because he can’t control, it will affect the team members negatively.”

I didn’t understand anything Han Seo-jin said, but it doesn’t matter. 

Despite the fact that I knew nothing about the field, I nodded with joy.

“Well, that’s how it normally works. I just have to shout out the skill? Guiding!”

“……give me your hand.”

“My hand?”

Han Seo-jin, who took off his gloves, reached out to me.

“Hands.”

I tilted my head as I put my hand on his palm. Han Seo-jin smiled and turned his head.

“Pfft”

“What? You told me to.”

“It’s nothing. You just looked like a dog.”

Is he crazy?

I couldn’t say anything and looked at the personification of the swearing spirit in front of me. Han Seo-jin, who tried to cover up his expression, but could not completely erase his laughter, said while looking at the hand he held.

“Take it easy.”

The palm of my hand clasped tightly.

I thought you’d need a hand but I didn’t think you’d actually hold one.

While panicking for a moment, Han Seo-jin turned the angle of his big hand and even put my fingers between his!

“…..Oh.”

“What the heck are you doing?”

“This is Guiding.”

“Do we have to… do it like this? No way, you’re lying.”

When I narrowed my eyes in doubt, Han Seo-jin’s mouth collapsed and a smirk leaked out.

“As expected of you. Don’t joke around with me, you punk.………Ugh.”

Han Seo-jin held his hand tighter and quickly pushed it toward me. Surprised by the stronger force than I thought, I grabbed a chair and stopped leaning toward the driver’s seat. Han Seo-jin’s lips slowly opened while I remained still, releasing a calm voice.

“I’m not joking.”

“What?”

“At the start of the Guiding…………. We have to be in touch with each other.”

Han Seo-jin said as he raised his hand. The flustered gaze did not appear to lie.

I was dissatisfied with everything from one to ten, but what can I do? I sat down with my back stuck to my seat, leaving the hand that I immediately wanted to take out to Han Seo-jin.

“So what, how do I do it? Do I have to use my skills?”

“Didn’t you say you took a theory class today?””

“…I was bored so I took a nap.”

Han Seo-jin was silent for a moment.

“······ Guiding is a passive skill, so if you are in contact with Esper, it will be activated naturally. It’s probably open now. What you have to do is control the amount.”

“Passive?”

There were two types of skills: active and passive. If the active skill was something I recognized and used on a trial basis, the passive skill was always on, whether I wanted it to be or not. Therefore, it could only be controlled by special methods such as magical tools and special equipment.

But for the Guiding to be passive…………. I didn’t even think about it.

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“Focus and feel it.”

“I feel it, shi-”

I looked at my hand that was still held tightly by him. It felt like my fingers were cringing, itchy like an ant crawling around it, but I don’t think it was because of the skill, but because I was holding hands with a boy.

I closed my eyes to Han Seo-jin’s words and focused on the side I was in contact with. Silence descended upon the car as the sound of our mutual breaths tickled my ears.

I was originally in the production line. In manufacturing and production circles, recipes and formulas were set, and in addition, problems, processes, answers and results were generally determined because they were fields where results were derived according to their skills and career. In short, to feel this vague energy and sense was called < Gem’s disease >.

Even if I tried to concentrate and get the hang of it, there was no result for a long time. Han Seo-jin’s hand tightened a little more forcefully when I wriggled as I felt my fingers were getting stiff.

“……don’t fiddle.”

“Hyung should be concentrating, not procrastinating.”

I tried to feel what energy was conveyed through Han Seo-jin’s bruise. But the slightly cool body temperature of the hand that was held together, or the soft touch. It was of no use, except for making useless impressions such as him having large hands and long fingers.

Now that I think of it, his hands are big. I’ll probably be taller, right? Hang on, isn’t this Joo Ho-hyun’s body? No way my height is shorter, right? There was a measuring instrument. I should’ve measured it.’

“You’re thinking about something else right now.”

I opened my eyes in surprise at Han Seo-jin’s words. As soon as I looked back, I felt the gaze that stuck with me even before I had been looking. His eyes had turned golden. As soon as I found out that he had used his ability, my face turned red as I shouted.

“Did you just read my mind? You said you couldn’t read it!”

“I know even if I don’t read it. I can see it all on my face.”

“You can’t see it.”

What can you even see? As I grumbled and groped the cheek with my ungrabbed hand, Han Seo-jin asked.

“Don’t you feel anything?”

“Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t know what it is, so I have no idea. What should I do if this keeps on like this?”

If I become a guide who can’t guide, will I be kicked out of the center? That would be better. As I hid my inner feelings and blurred the end of my words, Han Seo-jin had also become serious.

“Hyung is a radiation guide, so you’re less burdened, but if you don’t get the hang of it in the first place…………….”

Han Seo-jin, who had been agonizing for a while, looked up at me.

“Then let’s try this.”

“How?”

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not that you can’t use your skills. I’ve already been guided since a while ago.” 

“Oh! It’s passive, that’s right. Then, I don’t need to practice…”

“…”

“No?”

Han Seo-jin shook his head quietly when I spoke with my eyes shining on the new fact.

“You can’t.”

“Why?”

“Guides can never satisfy them unless they are higher than Esper. Esper always needs a guide and if the Guide can’t control guiding…”

At that moment, my whole body’s energy was forced out by something. The difference in power was so violent that everything flashed white in my eyes. I jerked my body at the sensation of an intangible hand holding my heart and restraining my breathing.

“Gasp!”

When I raised my weak hand that had lost its strength and hit Han Seo-jin, my strength was lifted back in an instant. Immediately, I grabbed his caught hand and bit it.

“…ck. What did you just do to me?”

A short curse word was spat out from Han Seo-jin’s mouth, who asked with caution, maintaining  a calm expression.

“You just got Guiding.”

My pupils shook as I gawked at Han Seo-jin. This shit is Guiding?

“Guiding, which is made up of only simple contact, is no less than a joke for Esper. Esper will want everything the guide has…….”

Han Seo-jin lowered his gaze. Black eyes were scared and stuck in my arms across my chest as if protecting them. I bit my lip in shame.

“Guides must be protected so that they are not taken away.”

“That’s what Guiding is. That’s why hyung needs to learn how to control guiding.”

Words with no light meaning were deeply embedded in my mind.