Beyond The Control

Chapter 27

There are quite a few advantages to being affiliated with a large guild. First, there are no delays in salary or incentives, and training and care are very systematic. I’ve also heard that you receive relatively higher evaluations when transferring to other guilds.

Apart from the things mentioned, there was one more overwhelming advantage that our guild had for me. That was the insane quality of the in-house cafeteria.

Being able to enjoy hotel buffet-level meals three times a day for free was reason enough to be loyal to the guild. Today’s lunch menu was just as amazing. As I filled my tray to the brim with appetizing dishes, Kim Young-joo was already in the midst of a feeding frenzy.

Not to be outdone, I too started eating aggressively. My mood was still sour, but I couldn’t understand why my appetite remained so good. Still, thinking that eating was all I could do, I shoved food into my mouth.

There was only one reason for my sour mood. The fact that I ultimately couldn’t accompany them on the 4th raid. It was three days ago when I peeked out the window right after Gitae left and saw Choi Young-sun actually boarding the bus.

There’s no doubt about how impressive an 80 percent matching rate is. According to Team Leader Joo, it had only happened once in the 12 years since the guild was established.

And because even a 5 percent difference in matching rate can make a noticeable difference in efficiency for an Esper, a 10 percent difference was like heaven and earth.

But what added to my concern was that the matching rate with Choi Young-sun was also quite high. Although it fell slightly short of the 70 percent standard for pair contracts, it was a figure that was tacitly accepted if both parties desired it. Also, the fact that Choi Young-sun was A-rank was equally worrying.

In short, it meant that each of them had one more outstanding point.

Song Ji-hyeok had already expressed his intention to choose an A-rank guide. Whether his mind had changed or if he would ultimately choose Choi Young-sun as he initially thought was entirely up to Song Ji-hyeok.

‘By now, he must have received Choi Young-sun’s guiding at least twice.’

I know well that accepting things as they are when you can’t change or resolve them with your own will is good for mental health. In fact, I’m trying to live with that mindset.

The same goes for matching rates. A high matching rate is given by chance like winning the lottery, not through my efforts, but thinking of it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that’s hard to come by twice, I couldn’t help but want to hold onto it.

“…Hyeon.”

“……”

“Hey, Lee Su-hyeon!”

I snapped back to reality at the sound of a clap. I saw Kim Young-joo with her hands outstretched in front of my face.

“What are you thinking about so deeply while eating?”

“…Nothing.”

I resumed eating while trying to brush it off as if nothing was wrong. But Kim Young-joo didn’t let it slide. Having gone through thick and thin together for a long time, we knew each other well, and she seemed to realize that I don’t usually space out during meals. Soon, I heard her ask carefully.

“Are you thinking about Esper Song Ji-hyeok?”

The tone was a bit strange, but it wasn’t entirely wrong, so I admitted it honestly.

“…Yeah.”

“Don’t worry. For guiding, matching rate is the most…”

Kim Young-joo, who was earnestly trying to comfort me, suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Her expression twisted slightly, and then she gently nudged my leg under the table with her foot and gave a slight nod towards the back.

Wondering what it was, I turned around to see an unwelcome face. The fact that our eyes met immediately suggested that I was probably the target. Sure enough, Team Leader Kim Kwang-in’s footsteps stopped in front of the table where I was sitting.

Like it or not, he was still our senior, so we both bowed our heads slightly in greeting.

“Hello, sir.”

“Hello.”

Instead of acknowledging our greeting, Team Leader Kim Kwang-in glanced at my tray and started a petty argument.

“You seem to be getting more than your salary’s worth just from eating in the cafeteria.”

It was clearly a statement meant to hurt my pride. But unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong opponent. His intentions were so transparent that I felt like playing along instead.

“I think so too. Have you eaten a lot, Team Leader?”

“That’s none of your business… By the way, your stomach must be burning.”

“No, I’m perfectly fine. If my stomach was burning, I wouldn’t be able to eat this much, as you said.”

Thinking that you can’t spit on a smiling face, I gave him a big grin. Kim Kwang-in frowned in displeasure and launched another verbal attack.

“I heard the newbies were excluded from the 4th raid? Must be quite disappointing.”

“Ah, it’s fine. We weren’t excluded, it’s just that the initially agreed-upon period has expired.”

“If Song Ji-hyeok was satisfied with your guiding, he would have immediately presented you with a contract. But seeing as he sought out Guide Choi Young-sun, isn’t that as good as excluding you?”

This comment momentarily angered me, but knowing that the first person to lose their temper would be the loser here, I quickly regained my composure. And although it was quite a strong attack, there was room for rebuttal.

“That was also in the contract conditions. We agreed that he would first receive my guiding, and then also receive Guide Choi Young-sun’s guiding. As I’m also an Esper, I fully understood and mutually agreed to this.”

“What Esper? You should say half-Esper properly.”

“Yes, I am indeed a half-Esper.”

“It’s good that you know your place.”

“Of course. I learned from our Team Leader that understanding oneself is the most basic principle for ability users.”

Seeing an opportunity, I mentioned our Team Leader, and Kim Kwang-in’s face noticeably flushed red and blue. It was common knowledge that Kim Kwang-in alone harbored a one-sided rivalry with our Team Leader, who had joined around the same time.

Meanwhile, Kim Young-joo looked like she was dying trying to hold back her laughter. Her lips were so tightly pressed together that the skin above her chin was wrinkled like a walnut. Seeing her like that, I too barely managed to suppress my laughter.

“…Are you laughing?”

“No, sir.”

“Let’s see if you can still laugh like that in a few days.”

I didn’t say that people who say “we’ll see” are never scary, fearing I might get a smack on the back of the head from the extremely angry Team Leader. As he left, Kim Young-joo burst into laughter, looking relieved. She shook her head as an added gesture.

“Ugh, he’s so childish I can’t bear to watch. No wonder he’s already got the face of a greedy old man in his forties with that kind of mentality.”

Then Kim Young-joo leaned on the chair next to her and continued with a sigh.

“It must be nice to have connections. Even such a person’s arm bends inwards that much.”

“What do you mean?”

“That crazy Team Leader’s niece is Choi Young-sun.”

“What, really?”

My eyes widened at this news I was hearing for the first time.

“I thought everyone knew through the grapevine, didn’t you know?”

“…No. This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

I had been wondering why he came all the way here to stir things up. As Kim Young-joo said, I guess even someone with such a nasty personality bends their arm inwards.

I’m really envious.

“Don’t worry about it too much. If he picks on you again, crush him with your words like you did today.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her gesture of drawing her thumb across her throat.

I take back what I said about being envious. I have team members who are as close as family.

***

“Good work everyone. Gather the trash in one place, and get plenty of rest because we need to move early tomorrow.”

“Good work.”

“Rest well.”

As the meal ended with everyone sitting in a circle with their backs to the tents, the team members started to leave one by one. Song Ji-hyeok also stood up and was about to head towards the back tent when someone urgently called out to him.

“Excuse me, Esper Song Ji-hyeok.”

Turning his head, he saw Choi Young-sun standing there. Her appearance was visibly disheveled. The dignified and neat look she had when boarding the transport bus in the morning was nowhere to be seen.

Someone who didn’t know might think she had performed some great feat, but that wasn’t the case at all. The woman in front of him had spent the entire day hiding behind Kim Gitae, receiving his ironclad protection.

Foolishly, Song Ji-hyeok only realized this obvious fact after entering the dungeon. Because Lee Su-hyeon hadn’t done that. Even though he seemed to be just watching blankly while others fought, he would immediately step in when needed, and his insight in particular seemed extraordinary even to Song Ji-hyeok, who was still unfamiliar with the field.

He had thought Choi Young-sun would be even more helpful since she was of a higher rank, but that was a ridiculous misunderstanding. The woman in front of him was a regular guide. With zero combat ability. That’s why she doesn’t leave the guild office unless it’s a special situation.

And thinking about it that way, the fact that she didn’t tremble in fear or scream seemed like she had done her job well enough… Crucially, he was the one who had requested this first, and Choi Young-sun had agreed without complaint. Of course, she did so because it was beneficial to her, but thinking that what’s good for both is good, he decided to treat her well for now. After all, she could potentially become his pair guide if her guiding compatibility was even slightly better than Lee Su-hyeon’s.