Survive With the Max Level Guide

Until I fully recovered, my brother had seemed intent on staying by my side, tending to me while taking a break from work—but all of a sudden, he claimed an urgent long-term mission had come up and left.

That mission was probably just an excuse. He said he was going to get a wave inspection, and then bolted right afterward. If that’s the case, there’s really only one reason.

If the association figures out that my brother’s condition improved over the past couple of days because of me, they’ll definitely start digging to find out who gave him such effective guiding.

Guiding that works on an S-rank Esper?

They’d lose their damn minds.

My brother must’ve anticipated that. So before heading to the association, he probably went somewhere he could overload his ability, deliberately messing up his wave signature.

And once he’s back… if he faced me again in that state, maybe he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back this time. That’s probably why he avoided me.

In the end, he gave me time to mentally and physically prepare myself.

He must’ve been torn up inside, branding himself a shameless bastard, fighting an internal war the whole time.

I can almost picture how hard he pushed himself, how much agony he put himself through.

Funny thing is…

While he was out there tormenting himself, I was sitting here getting butterflies, excited for what’s to come.

…It’s so weird. I hate being in pain—but still.

Just imagining what might happen once he comes back and we take it all the way… it made the heat rising in my already feverish body surge even hotter. I kicked off the covers and stumbled down from the bed, then went to open the window.

A gust of winter air rushed in. The sharp wind lashed at my skin like tiny needles.

Still, the ventilation helped. The moment the cold air hit, the stifling sensations in my chest eased up. Even the vivid, erotic images that had been playing in my head scattered, leaving my mind a little clearer.

I stared up at the cloudless sky for a while, then leaned on the windowsill with my elbow propped up, resting my chin on my hand. Eventually, I lowered my gaze and began admiring the garden below.

“……?”

That’s when my eyes locked with a man’s—he was standing just beneath the window. I had no idea how long he’d been there. His buzz cut and broad, imposing frame, along with his outfit, suggested he was one of our family’s security staff… but I’d never seen him before.

“……!”

No—wait. That wasn’t right.

He wasn’t a stranger.

“Good afternoon, sir.”

The man, looking a bit hesitant, bowed his head politely.

“My name is Shim Tae-seong. I’ve been assigned to your personal security detail starting today.”

Shim Tae-seong.

I’d seen his photo before—he was one of the potential guiding targets.

But what the hell was he doing here…?

My mind went blank. I’d never imagined we’d meet like this, out of nowhere.

Ding!

As if to keep me from panicking, a system window popped up with an explanation. It was information I had already checked before.

[List of Espers at Risk of Going Berserk

Shim Tae-seong: S-rank, Teleporter, 28 years old]

[Preferred Sexual Keywords by Esper
Shim Tae-seong: Outdoors, Oral, Half-nude
*Common keyword: More than five hours]

Despite his innocent, handsome looks, this guy had some seriously intense preferences. Outdoors, huh. That definitely adds an edge of thrill.

“Ah. Yes, hello.” I belatedly returned the greeting, loosening my posture and blinking my wide eyes.

“Sorry. I was staring. You were unfamiliar, that’s all.”

“It’s no problem.”

“You’re assigned as my bodyguard…? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

No matter how powerful the Cha family’s influence was, assigning an S-rank Esper as a bodyguard was no small feat. And it wasn’t even for someone like my mother, who held significant social status and had countless enemies—he’d been assigned to me.

This had to be my brother’s doing.

He must have decided it was time to raise my protection level.

Impressive, my brother. Just when did he manage to scout and deploy such a heavyweight?

“Rather than just standing around, would you like to come in and have some tea?”

“I’m all right, young master.”

“Well, we’ll be spending a lot of time together from now on, won’t we? It’s just me and the housekeeper at home right now, so you really don’t need to feel pressured… Oh, unless I’m the one making you uncomfortable.”

My voice trailed off at the end, tinged with a hint of dejection. Shim Tae-seong flinched.

He hesitated for a moment.

“……That would be neglecting my duties.”

His answer was stiff, professional—but there was also a subtle note of apology in his refusal. I tilted my head as if I didn’t quite get it.

“You mean… having tea?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… You’ve been assigned to protect me, right? Then wouldn’t staying closer to me help you do your job more effectively?”

I leaned a little farther out the window, letting a subtle glint shine in my eyes.

I want to know what kind of person you are.

I didn’t bother hiding that thought—it was written all over my face.

Shim Tae-seong didn’t argue.

“Understood. But it’s dangerous, so please step back.”

“Okay.”

As I watched him finally start walking toward the house, I turned as well to head downstairs.

From the looks of it, he seemed to be the type who struggled when faced with someone direct or sincere.

***

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

The housekeeper had set out light refreshments for us.

Soon, only Shim Tae-seong and I remained in the living room—he sat with perfectly straight posture.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

“Yes, sir.”

The teacup looked oddly dainty in those bear-like hands of his. His sheer size was imposing on its own, but the soft droop at the corners of his eyes somewhat balanced out his intimidating appearance.

“I didn’t originally have a dedicated bodyguard, you know.”

I took a sip of tea before continuing.

“Usually, different guards would just rotate shifts whenever I had to go out.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. I’m fine with it, but my brother’s always been really protective of the family… Shim-kyungho-won-nim, you were personally picked by him, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Shim Tae-seong gently set down his cup.

“I was contacted by the team leader yesterday and assigned here.”

“Team leader?”

The title rolled off his tongue so naturally that I blinked in surprise. He nodded.

“There was a time when I served under him.”

“Ah.”

So he must’ve left the team at some point in the past for whatever reason. I was curious about the details, of course—but bombarding him with questions right off the bat would only make me look nosy and suspicious. Timing is everything. The less you rush, the quicker the opportunity comes.

“So that means… you came right away, then.”

“I work by taking short-term security contracts, and it just so happened my previous one had ended.”

“Wow. Talk about perfect timing.”

It seemed he had a solid connection with my brother too.

“Actually, something happened to me recently… I think that’s why my brother’s gotten more sensitive about my safety.”

There were several Espers who’d pounce the moment it was revealed that an S-rank Guide existed. But if, in response, my brother suddenly expanded my security detail on a massive scale, that would only stir up rumors and suspicion. Which meant he wouldn’t be bringing in any other guards beyond Shim Tae-seong going forward.

Not that he really needed to—Shim Tae-seong alone was more than enough of a force to be reckoned with.

“I’ve been feeling kind of conflicted about it all… I was resting alone in my room when I saw you. I thought maybe chatting with someone else might help clear my head a bit.”

My tone made it clear I couldn’t share the details. He was someone I’d just met, and I had a promise to keep with my brother.

I added a wry smile to soften it.

“I guess I was being too pushy, huh?”

“I didn’t feel that way.”

Shim Tae-seong studied my face closely.

“But young master, you don’t look well. You seem to have a fever. Perhaps it would be best if you went back upstairs to rest…”

“At this level, it’s really nothing.”

Of course, I knew better than anyone what kind of shape I was in. My cheeks were probably flushed, my breathing unsteady. Naturally so—I wasn’t fully recovered yet.

We ended up chatting for about thirty minutes. It was mostly me carrying the conversation while Shim Tae-seong responded in brief, reserved replies. Still, he never looked annoyed and listened earnestly, no matter the topic. He struck me as someone diligent and sincere, whether on or off duty.

I quietly admired him as I observed him more closely.

Shim Tae-seong had clearly endured his own share of suffering from a lack of proper guiding—yet he’d learned how to hide it flawlessly.

Well, then again… so had my brother.

Compared to him, though—with his naturally fierce aura—this man felt a little gentler, even approachable.

And just when I’d let my guard down, his lie came flying in.

“What?”

I blinked in a daze.

“You’re… not an Esper?”

“Correct.”

What kind of utter bullshit is that.

Shim Tae-seong gazed at me as if wondering whether something was wrong—completely unaware of how dumbfounded I felt.

That was one hell of a performance.

My head throbbed as I tried to think.

According to the information I’d looked up after awakening as a Guide, the manifestation process for Espers was nothing like that of Guides. For Espers, it was flashy and intense—their powers erupted uncontrollably at first, like an explosion. There was no way any conscious, self-aware being could fail to realize they’d become an Esper or what kind of power they had.

And there was no way the system would’ve gotten that wrong.

Which meant…

That man was definitely lying.

Why?

Why would he live hiding the fact that he’s an Esper?

Is there some kind of backstory? A reason he’s kept it secret? …Wait. Hold on.

Let’s set that aside for now.

The more I think about it, something doesn’t add up. Espers can instantly tell if someone is a Guide just by brushing against their skin. So why would my brother—who’s gone to such lengths to keep my identity as a Guide hidden from the world—assign an Esper to be my close-proximity bodyguard?

It felt like I’d just been smacked in the back of the head.

My brother had deliberately recruited Shim Tae-seong, someone he recognized as strong, precisely because he wasn’t listed as an Esper.