Ghost Apple

There are only a few ways for an unregistered Esper to find a Guide.

One could purchase information about unregistered Guides from information brokers like Kim Hye-seong and try to approach them directly, or seek out the small handful of desperate “Guiding sellers” who trade their services for scraps of money, always looking over their shoulder in fear of being caught by the Association’s crackdown.

If money wasn’t an issue, anyone would naturally choose the former.

Everyone was required to undergo a mandatory ability test conducted by the government around the age of ten. Even children weren’t exempt—avoiding the test was a serious offense and was strictly punished regardless of age.

Naturally, anyone who avoided that test, or managed to escape after being raised under the Association’s control, was immediately labeled a criminal and put on a wanted list.

This applied not only to Espers but also to Guides. There was no way for someone on the run to live a normal life, let alone hold a decent job. They all knew what would happen if they were ever caught—every aspect of their life would be seized and micromanaged by the Association.

But the alternative, becoming a “Guiding seller,” was terrifying in its own way. The thought of being exposed to a wide range of Esper abilities was horrifying. Worse still was the shame of having to sell one’s body under the guise of “Guiding” to a multitude of strangers.

Those unregistered Guides who refused to go down that path clung to their pride just to survive. For that very reason, they couldn’t help but look down on the Guiding sellers who shamelessly sold their skills—and even their bodies.

The same was true for many Espers.

When Cha Han-gyeom and Song Jae-woo first started the Guiding business, they had to deal with more than a few problematic clients. Without exception, those clients tried to dominate Han-gyeom using their abilities, treating him like a filthy insect beneath their feet, mocking him with eyes full of scorn.

Of course, before Song Jae-woo could even rush in after sensing the situation through the barrier, Han-gyeom had already taken care of everything on his own. After a few such incidents, their client base naturally shifted to a select few with better manners—those who came to genuinely appreciate Han-gyeom’s Guiding, which always delivered maximum results in the shortest time.

At any rate, a significant portion of Espers held deep disdain for the Guiding business.

That’s why Espers who had good-paying underground jobs or came from wealthy families would first seek out information brokers for their Guiding needs—to pay generously and formally contract a personal Guide who would care for them and them alone.

But the man who seemed to own this mansion…

He probably couldn’t find anyone who matched, no matter how hard he looked!

It was inevitable.

An Imprinted Esper could only accept Guiding from the specific Guide with whom they shared that imprint.Whether it was a pure, untainted Guide or a seasoned seller who’d tried every method in the book—it wouldn’t matter how many times they tried Guiding him. It simply wouldn’t work.

The only one who ever worked was Han-gyeom. And for good reason.

The mark the man bore clearly belonged to Han-gyeom—his one and only Imprinter.

As his mind cooled, a single question remained.

How the hell does Seo Won have my Imprinter’s mark?

His first and only Imprinter had clearly been consumed by Black Veins, transformed into a monster, and exploded with all his power before crumbling to ash. That mark—the imprint he had engraved—should have completely vanished along with him.

Han-gyeom clenched both fists as the memory of that scattering black ash resurfaced. His nails dug into his palms, leaving a sharp, stinging pain.

But even so, his trembling hands wouldn’t stop. He interlocked his fingers tightly, holding them together in an effort to steady himself.

“Got a smoke?”

“Yeah, I got one.”

At Han-gyeom’s question, Jae-woo quickly rummaged through the pocket of his outer coat. Though he brought cigarettes to Han-gyeom every morning, there were times Han-gyeom needed one urgently—even during a client session. So despite not being a smoker himself, Jae-woo always carried a pack of cigarettes and a disposable lighter just in case.

Just as Jae-woo placed a cigarette between Han-gyeom’s lips and raised the lighter to light it—

“You’ve got some nerve smoking that crap.”

A cold, irritable voice cut through the air.

With no sign of his presence beforehand, both of them flinched and turned their heads. Seo Won was leaning casually against the doorframe, and neither of them had noticed when he’d gotten there.

“Ah—!”

Jae-woo’s face twisted in fear, clearly shaken by whatever that man had done to him before. It made sense—Seo Won didn’t exactly leave a good impression on Han-gyeom either. The sudden abduction, the icy stare, and…

“Useless.”

Recalling Seo Won’s frigid tone, Han-gyeom bit down hard on the filter of his cigarette.

He glared at Seo Won, who was now approaching in his crisp white shirt.

“Where’s the real body?”

At Han-gyeom’s question, a flicker of intrigue passed through Seo Won’s eyes.

“Sharp one, aren’t you?”

“Of course. Whether it’s you or me—if we’d met face to face, we’d both have felt it.”

No matter how perfectly crafted a doppelgänger may be, it could never replicate an Imprint. Had this been the real Seo Won, the mark etched into Han-gyeom’s back would’ve resonated without question. That tingling, soul-deep resonance—warm and jarring all at once—was unmistakable. The sensation of reuniting with one’s Imprinter after a long time… it would’ve stirred even the most desolate emotions in Han-gyeom. There was no way he wouldn’t have noticed.

Seo Won’s clone looked down at Han-gyeom with half-lidded eyes. Maybe it was just the literal downward angle of his gaze—or perhaps it was the actual arrogance behind it—but the pressure pouring from those eyes was suffocating.

“Get up.”

Seo Won’s clone reached for the cigarette still hanging from Han-gyeom’s lips and yanked it out without hesitation. With one hand, he snapped it clean in half and tossed it aside like trash.

“If you ever light up that shit in front of me again, I won’t just break your cigarette. I’ll break your fingers too.”

The one who recoiled in fear from the deadly threat wasn’t Han-gyeom—it was Song Jae-woo. And yet, despite trembling, Jae-woo stepped in front of Han-gyeom protectively, shielding him with his back and glaring at Seo Won’s clone as best he could.

Whether Han-gyeom noticed Jae-woo’s fear or not, he simply tilted his head and gave a crooked smirk.

“Sounds like you’re saying it’s fine as long as I don’t smoke in front of you.”

“Even if I catch you smoking somewhere else, I’ll count it as ‘in front of me.’”

“Got it. I’ll make sure not to get caught, then.”

At Han-gyeom’s unyielding reply, Seo Won’s clone stared at him in silence for a beat before abruptly turning his head toward the hallway—clearly signaling for him to follow.

Han-gyeom didn’t hesitate. He stepped down from the bed at once. A wave of dizziness hit him for a moment, causing him to stumble, but Jae-woo was quick to support him.

“Hyung, are you sure you’re okay?”

“It was just a brief spell of dizziness. I’m fine.”

“No, not that….”

Jae-woo whispered, casting a wary glance at the wide-open door.

“I don’t know what the hell’s going on here, but that guy’s definitely dangerous. Why do you even need to meet with someone like him? Let’s just get out of here, okay?”

This time, he nodded toward the window. He was probably suggesting they escape that way. And with his barrier ability, forcing open the security grates wouldn’t be impossible.

But even if they jumped out the window, then what?

From what Han-gyeom had observed, the place was absurdly well-guarded. There were a lot of people stationed outside—and some of them seemed to be Espers.

If the security team had been made up of just regular people, Jae-woo’s barrier might’ve been enough to push through. But considering the ambush they’d suffered earlier, there was no way only one or two Espers were involved.

Neutralizing Espers was Han-gyeom’s specialty, so it wasn’t like he didn’t have any options. But if they were up against ordinary people not affected by Guiding, and those people came at them with brute force, they’d be easily overpowered.

If only I could figure out who’s an Esper and who’s not, we might actually have a shot at escaping…

From a rough estimate, there were at least twenty guards on the premises.

But there wasn’t time to separate Espers from non-Espers, and honestly, Han-gyeom didn’t have the will to fight his way out of here in the first place.

A deep shadow fell over his gaze.

“I have to meet him.”

The only one who could answer how Seo Won possessed his Imprinter’s mark… was Seo Won himself. And if he needed Han-gyeom’s Guiding, then as long as he stayed cooperative, he might not be that hard to talk to.

Han-gyeom gently pushed Jae-woo’s supporting arm aside and stepped ahead toward the door. Jae-woo trailed behind him in hurried, anxious steps, voicing his concerns again and again, but Han-gyeom didn’t slow down.

He caught up with Seo Won’s clone standing at the end of the hallway and followed him upstairs to the office.

The moment Seo Won’s clone opened the door, Han-gyeom felt the imprint on his back stir faintly.

Like a lost lover crying out in longing—subtle, mournful, trembling.

Seo Won must have felt it too. Seated behind the office desk, he placed a hand over his left chest and stared silently in Han-gyeom’s direction.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, just staring at each other in complete silence.

Seo Won placed a contract in front of Cha Han-gyeom.

“From now on, you’ll be my exclusive Guide.”

The paper was densely filled with complex legal jargon, designating Seo Won as Party A and Cha Han-gyeom as Party B.

“You’ll provide Guiding whenever and wherever I want. No right to refuse.”

Jae-woo’s face twisted in protest before Han-gyeom’s even had a chance to react.

“Your primary area of activity will be restricted to this mansion. Outside of it, you’re to remain within a 100-meter radius of me at all times—unless I give explicit permission otherwise.”

“How the hell can you expect someone to sign that kind of slave contract…!”

“Signing bonus: one billion won.”

“Hrk!”

The sound of the word billion was immediately followed by a choked gasp.