DM Chapter 8

Chu Jin-ho spoke while pulling a long syringe from the medical cart beside the bed, chattering on. Yoon Min couldn’t focus on his words. The syringe was as thick as her pinky finger, and it looked intimidating.

“You’re not planning to stick that in me, are you?”

“…We need to draw blood.”

“I have a question—why do I have to go through this test?”

“It’s not the full examination yet. This is just preliminary data collection to help with the registration.”

“Whatever it is, why do I need to go through this test?”

Yoon Min’s tone was defiant. Chu Jin-ho seemed momentarily confused by her resistance.

“When I observed you, Ms. Yoon Min, through the wave detector…”

Chu Jin-ho pressed a spot behind his ear, demonstrating.

“I believe you’re an S-grade. And that… that’s truly remarkable. Our country only has 40 Guides in total, and only one of them is S-grade…”

He continued excitedly, his face flushed. The female staff member standing nearby looked at Yoon Min with an expression that clearly showed she wanted to share in the excitement. But Yoon Min cut him off coldly.

“So, whether I’m an S-grade or not, why do I even need to take this test?”

“Pardon?”

“What’s in it for me to become a Guide? Are they going to give me a house in Sector 50? Or provide regular meals and a salary for life? You should start by explaining that, don’t you think?”

Chu Jin-ho stared at her, stunned by her brazen attitude. Yoon Min’s expression was shamelessly defiant as if she were reading aloud her wish list.

After a moment of thought, he tried to gather himself.

In this era, everyone was desperate to be an Esper. Even those who couldn’t become Espers wanted to work in some field related to them, as it was the path to wealth and fame.

Though the general perception of Guides wasn’t great, most people felt a sense of relief once they were identified as one. After all, being a Guide meant they played a necessary role in society, granting them a newfound sense of social duty and the assurance that they wouldn’t be cast aside.

For Yoon Min, this should have been a cause for celebration.

“Of course… You’ll receive housing, meals, and even a salary if you’d like.”

“How much, exactly? You’ll need to specify the contract details so I can decide whether to agree or decline, don’t you think?”

Chu Jin-ho gradually regained his composure, exhaling a short sigh as he rubbed his forehead. He had suspected she might be a bit of a wild card, especially with the way she casually dropped informal speech despite her young appearance, but she was more unconventional than he’d expected.

“To be precise, Ms. Yoon Min, you don’t really have a choice here. Becoming a Guide is an extraordinary opportunity. As long as you’re here, if you manifest as a Guide, you’re required to register, undergo examination, and provide healing for Espers.”

“It’s not like it’s written in law or anything.”

“…”

The government had collapsed. Although the Central Esper Center now controlled society, rendering previous laws obsolete and imposing new, absolute rules, it was clear that dealing with a resistant Guide could be troublesome. Unwilling compliance meant resorting to force—a rarity in cases like these.

Chu Jin-ho’s face grew stern.

‘What kind of curse is this day under?’

It had already been a headache dealing with Na Tae-young’s antics earlier, and now this unprecedented, supposedly S-grade Guide was proving to be a handful.

“Fine. Write up a contract. I need something to hold onto, just like the Center has its rules. I deserve at least one guarantee.”

Eventually, Chu Jin-ho went to a desk in the registration room and hastily drafted a contract on a piece of paper, including clauses about housing, meals, and a monthly salary of two million won. It felt absurdly petty, but when he handed the paper over to Yoon Min, her eyes lit up with excitement, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Now, I’ll draw your blood.”

He took her arm, swabbing it with an alcohol pad, while Yoon Min kept her eyes glued to the paper, nodding absentmindedly. She looked so innocently absorbed. As much as the law was now defunct, so was that piece of paper—a flimsy guardrail at best.

The alcohol pad came away with a dark smudge of grime. This young Guide looked like she’d been through a lot, her appearance speaking to the hardships she’d endured.

Power dictated everything in this world. Rules were just hollow shells, and the real authority lay with the prestigious S-grades and the head of the Center, Jin Dong-han.

A world of pure survival, of might over weakness—a stark reality since the monster outbreaks began.

“Ouch!”

A prick of pain accompanied the blood draw, but Yoon Min quickly forgot about it, focusing her gaze back on the paper.

Housing in Sector 50, meals provided, and a monthly salary of two million won.

Two hundred banknotes—enough to get water and food at the distribution center with just five coins.

Chu Jin-ho was right; this was a winning lottery ticket. Her life had transformed overnight. Suppressing the urge to smile, Yoon Min’s mouth twitched with barely concealed glee.

All that betrayal and disappointment she’d felt toward Lee Hyun now seemed trivial. She should be bowing down to him in gratitude.

Honestly, she didn’t fully understand what being a Guide entailed or what hidden dangers this changed world might hold.

But for someone like Yoon Min, who had scraped by on the streets, wondering if she’d eat that day or die suddenly, these weren’t real concerns. Her focus wasn’t on merely becoming a Guide but on surviving as one.

“It’ll take about thirty minutes for the results to be processed. I’ve told Mr. Lee Hyun to head back to his quarters, so please rest here in the meantime. Would you like something to eat?”

Chu Jin-ho led Yoon Min into a large room attached to the registration area.

“Yes, please.”

She responded instantly.

A little later, a tray was placed in front of her with corn soup, soft white bread, and a few pieces of roasted chicken. Yoon Min’s eyes sparkled as she took in each item.

“If you need more, just let me know. It’s almost dinnertime, and I doubt you’ve had anything to eat all day.”

Chu Jin-ho seemed genuinely kind. Her opinion of him soared.

Nodding eagerly, Yoon Min shoved a piece of chicken into her mouth. It was nothing like the stale, cold rations she was used to, the fermented or rotten meat they distributed at the supply center. She felt a genuine happiness she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Chu Jin-ho quietly watched her eat with gusto before stepping out into the registration room.

“Is she really an S-grade Guide?”

Yoo Jin-ah, the registration room staff member, leaned closer to Chu Jin-ho.

Her eyes sparkled with excessive enthusiasm. No doubt, every employee at the Center was eagerly awaiting the results of Yoon Min’s scan. More than that, it was obvious that the S-grade Espers who had returned from battle would be watching intently. Even though he’d been told to head back to his quarters, Lee Hyun, who had only briefly visited the Esper medical room, hadn’t moved from his seat in the waiting room.

As Chu Jin-ho recalled Yoon Min blissfully stuffing her mouth with chicken, he let out a quiet sigh. Housing, meals, salary—those were the last things she should be worrying about right now.

“According to the wave detector, yes.”

“Wow. This is incredible. I never thought I’d see another S-grade with my own eyes. The competition’s going to be fierce, isn’t it?”

“It’s giving me a headache.”

“I heard a rumor… do you think Lee Hyun was really trying to smuggle her out as a hidden Guide?”

Apparently, the rumor had already spread across the Center within half a day.

“Who knows what’s really going on in his head.”

“It’s a shame she’s a woman, though. With all the S-grade Espers being men, I worry she might have a hard time. She looks so young, too.”

Yoo Jin-ah clicked her tongue. Given the violent tendencies of Espers, her concern wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

Gender wasn’t a major factor in most cases, but male Guides often faced harsher treatment than their female counterparts. Even among A-grade Guides, many had been injured by S-grade Esper Park Se-hyung and were now receiving treatment.

‘Maybe it’ll be different since she’s an S-grade,’ Chu Jin-ho tried to reassure himself.

“Actually, maybe it’s a relief she’s male. That might ease the competition a little. Na Tae-young and Park Se-hyung don’t seem to prefer male Guides, and Lee Hyun flatly rejects Guiding altogether. It’s unlikely he’d suddenly change his mind…”

His voice trailed off as he realized both Na Tae-young and Lee Hyun had reacted a bit differently than usual today.

* * *

“…Ms. Yoon Min.”

Having cleared her plate and stretched out on the bed, sleeping soundly, Yoon Min was roused by Chu Jin-ho’s voice. She sat up, yawning and stretching her stiff body. Her fingers, which had throbbed with pain, now felt fine, though her muscles ached from being shaken by Na Tae-young.

“Ugh.”

As Yoon Min groaned, loosening up her body, Chu Jin-ho looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

“Ms. Yoon Min… are you… a woman?”

The question slipped out, impatiently interrupting her fully waking up.

“…Does that kind of information show up too?”

“…Of course it does.”

“Is it important?”

“Well… more so that…”

Her life as a Guide will likely be even tougher.

Chu Jin-ho held back the words that almost escaped his lips. Scaring her unnecessarily would do no good. It wasn’t his job to prepare her for reality.

“Since the test results are out, please come with me.”

He left the room first. Yoon Min followed, her mind turning over the question of why her gender might matter, growing a bit anxious as she considered the nature of “Guiding.”

‘Too weak to work as a Porter, no physical stamina, prone to pests. Will you sell your body too, girl?’

The old woman’s words from her past echoed in her mind. Selling her body… why was that coming to mind now?

‘No way.’

Guiding was understood as a form of healing. The specifics of how it worked weren’t widely known, but surely the Central Center wouldn’t misuse a Guide’s body so recklessly.

‘That’s just absurd.’

There must be standards, rules, as clean and polished as this very building. She tried to convince herself of this.

When she emerged into the registration room, the female employee stood holding a chart, eyes fixed on a large display screen on the wall. Beside her, Chu Jin-ho was also staring at it, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. Slowly, Yoon Min approached them.

“It’s S-grade. So our suspicions were correct, weren’t they?”

Without looking at her, Chu Jin-ho spoke. Now she noticed the whole wall of the examination room was a large screen. Against a black background, her name, ‘Yoon Min,’ was written in blue, with a complex array of data in indecipherable text next to it. Right below, in vivid red, were the words [Level: S].

The striking red letters pierced her heart sharply.

Maybe a part of her had thought this whole situation was some kind of absurd joke.

“How can this be happening? I’ve spent twenty years just being plain Yoon Min.”

“According to your chart, it seems you awakened around the age of nineteen. That’s why you haven’t fully mastered your abilities. It’s difficult to recognize one’s powers without training. When the Guide search patrol went through the area three years ago, it’s no surprise they missed you.”