Guide Me If You Dare-Chapter 174: THE LONG STORY

"WE’VE ALREADY terminated Guide Mo Hanjin’s contract with Esper Lee Sarang."

Moon Noa sipped his black tea while listening to Kim Munhee.

He was at the chief’s office at the National Guide Bureau HQ for an unofficial meeting.

Of course, he didn’t come alone.

Leehan and Yang Dal-sik stood behind Moon Noa.

On the other hand, Bambi and Ryu Sungbin stood on either of Kim Munhee’s side.

"The National Guide Burea will take responsibility for everything," Kim Munhee said firmly. "Just give Guide Mo Hanjin back to us."

"It’s too late for that, Chief Kim," Moon Noa said, placing his teacup on the table quietly. "I already sent Guide Mo Hanji to Japan."

Naturally, Kim Munhee, Bambi, and Ryu Sungbin all looked shocked.

"Moon Noa!" Kim Munhee yelled, dropping all formalities. "That’s illegal! Guide Mo Hanjin belongs to the National Guide Bureau! And he’s one of South Korea’s top Guides! Sending him to Japan is equivalent to betraying our country, you bastard!"

"Is it now?" Moon Noa asked, smiling. "Mo Hanjin is Japanese, though?"

Kim Munhee was instantly rendered speechless.

Bambi tried to remain calm, but he failed.

Only Ryu Sungbin managed to keep a poker face.

Moon Noa wasn’t bluffing, though.

It’s hard to protect Guide Mo Hanjin here since most Korean Espers are under the Bureau’s protection. But they don’t have that kind of influence on Japan. So, Haru can keep Guide Mo Hanjin safe there.

Yes, Moon Noa reached out to Haru again.

I feel like crap for doing that, but Haruharu is the only person I can trust with this matter.

"Mori Jinichi— that’s Mo Hanjin’s birth name," Moon Noa continued. "His Japanese mother left Japan after a huge fight with her horrible father. She flew to Korea with her son. After marrying a Korean man, her new husband adopted Mori Jinichi and named him Mo Hanjin. Even his mother changed her name to hide from Mo Hanjin’s grandfather."

It wasn’t easy to dig up that information.

I had to pay a fortune, and that’s saying a lot since I don’t bat an eye even if I spend a few billion won in a day.

It helped that he finally got to take a peek at Mo Hanjin’s memories.

Thanks to that, I knew what information to look for.

"Mo Hanjin’s grandfather is General Mori Kakuji— the general of the Japanese Awakened Army who tried to invade Korea five years ago."

Yep.

Korea and Japan already had a bad history even before the apocalypse.

But it got worse five years ago when the Japanese Imperial Family sent the Japanese Awakened Army to invade Korea.

That was probably the shortest attempt to invade a country in history, though.

Japan underestimated Ki Gayoon and Ryu Sungbin.

Moreover, Haru single-handedly came to stop his fellow Japanese Espers.

That was how I met Haruharu.

Back then, Haru sided with South Korea and helped the Top 5 Espers (and Ki Gayoon who fought independently from the government) drive away the Japanese Awakened Army.

And that’s why Haru is loved here in South Korea.

"General Mori is still alive, but he’s imprisoned because the Japanese Imperial Family shifted all the blame on him when Prince Haru and our Espers won the war," Moon Noa said. "So, our fellow countrymen will understand if they find out that the Esper Association sent Mo Hanjin to Japan."

Kim Munhee glared at Moon Noa. "You’re going to fabricate fake evidence that Guide Mo Hanjin has been actively communicating to General Mori all this time? To make it look like Guide Mo Hanjin is a spy? You’re going to make him a traitor?!"

"If you don’t want the public to think that Guide Mo Hanjin is a spy, then stop asking us to give him back to the Bureau," Moon Noa said firmly. "If the public starts suspecting Guide Mo Hanjin, then they will start suspecting the National Guide Bureau’s credibility, too. Can you handle that, Chief Kim?"

Kim Munhee grabbed the first thing she could— a huge water tumbler— and threw it at Moon Noa.

Of course, he wasn’t hit.

Leehan caught the tumbler with his hand before it could even hit Moon Noa in the face.

If the chief was reacting violently, then it meant they had no counterattack.

"Munhee Noona, don’t worry too much~" Moon Noa said playfully when he realized he had already won. "The fabricated evidence that I have won’t see the light as long as you give up on Guide Mo Hanjin."

"Is that all you want?" Kim Munhee asked through gritted teeth. "You must have put a lot of money and effort into digging up Guide Mo Hanjin’s past. Don’t tell me, asking us to give up taking back Guide Mo Hanjin is your only goal? That can’t be."

"Why can’t it be my only goal, Noona?"

"Because you’re greedy, you sly fox."

Oh, hearing someone call me ’sly fox’ again is refreshing. Yoonyoon became a little polite towards me ever since he started dating Yuyu~

"I heard President Cheol Kang is back in the country," Moon Noa said, leaning against the chair, his legs crossed— placing his hands on top of his knee. "I bet you’ll summon Guide Noh Yuno soon."

"Guide Noh Yuno is aware of that," Bambi said calmly, but his eyes were full of disgust and irritation while looking at Moon Noa. "And Guide Noh Yuno agreed to cooperate. We need him to help us find his fellow E-Class Guides, after all."

"Oh, I know that. I didn’t bring up President Cheol Kang for that."

"Then why?"

Moon Noa turned to Ryu Sungbin, smiling. "Binbin, what do you think about fighting Yoonyoon in an official match two weeks from now?"

***

"WE BOTH lost Lee Sarang and Mo Hanjin!"

Kim Jaeha flinched when Matthew threw a bottle at him.

Thankfully, he managed to tilt his head at the right time to avoid getting hit in the face.

But the sharp wind that carried the bottle gave him a cut on the cheek— causing it to bleed instantly.

It stings...

To be fair, the cut on his cheek was the least painful of all the injuries that Kim Jaeha suffered after Matthew beat him to a pulp earlier.

His face was still swollen, and his body was covered in bruises.

This Matthew Hyung is strange...

The Matthew that Kim Jaeha met when Bambi recruited him was grumpy— but never violent.

Well, Hyung could be a little aggressive during our Intimate Guiding Sessions...

But, recently, Matthew kept physically abusing Kim Jaeha.

This is not the Hyung I know...

"Kim Jaeha, take off your clothes and come here."

What?

Kim Jaeha raised his head to look at Matthew who was sitting on the bed, half-naked.

He couldn’t see the Esper clearly because he couldn’t open his other eye— it was swollen after he took a punch in the face earlier.

"I-I don’t have the energy to guide you today, Hyung..."

Kim Jaeha flinched when Matthew glared at him.

"I’m already in a bad mood, so don’t make this day worse for me!"

Kim Jaeha was surprised when a strong gust of wind carried him— dropping him straight on Matthew’s lap.

Argh!

And then Matthew immediately kissed Kim Jaeha— Matthew’s hand slipping under Kim Jaeha’s pants, the Esper’s fingers filling his hole in a painful way.

I hate this...

Kim Jaeha’s skin crawled because of Matthew’s kisses and touch, and he hated that he was Guiding such a person.

No, I can’t let an Esper use me this way.

At that moment, Kim Jaeha remembered Noh Yuno.

Reverse Guiding— a technique to repel an Esper.

Yuno Hyung taught us the basics of Reverse Guiding...

Kim Jaeha hadn’t practiced it yet, but it was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Hence, he gathered all the corrupted Mana that he had absorbed from Matthew— and then he sent all of that back straight to Matthew’s Core.

"Argh!"

The next thing Kim Jaeha knew, he was already sent flying. He hit a wall, causing the back of his head to bleed.

Now he felt like fainting.

I’m really going to die at this rate...

"How dare you...!" Matthew yelled angrily while clutching his chest tight. "What did you do to me?!"

"I-I quit..." Kim Jaeha said in a shaking voice, his entire body trembling. However, he still forced himself to stand up. He had to lean against the wall, though. Otherwise, his knees would have collapsed again. "I don’t want to be your Guide anymore, Hyung."

"Then die," Matthew said, his eyes glowing red. "I have no need of a rebellious brat like you."

Kim Jaeha gasped when Matthew clenched his hand.

And then an invisible force wrapped itself around Kim Jaeha’s throat, strangling him.

No, it was more like the air was being sucked out of his body.

I can’t breathe...

"Stop that, you lunatic!"

The door suddenly burst open, then Rebecca entered the room and threw something at Matthew.

Kim Jaeha didn’t see what it was, but the force strangling him disappeared.

He could breathe again, but he could feel his consciousness fading away.

"Rebecca, no!"

It was Jin Sooin, blocking Matthew who was about to attack Rebecca.

Noona...

Kim Jaeha didn’t get to see what happened next because he already lost consciousness.

***

WHEN Kim Jaeha gained consciousness, he found himself in what seemed like a dark alleyway.

And he was surrounded by garbage bins.

Was I thrown away...?

"Kim Jaeha, this is going to hurt."

Sooin Noona?

Kim Jaeha wasn’t sure because his vision was blurry, but he thought he heard Jin Sooin’s voice.

"I’m sorry— but you have to carry this thing."

Kim Jaeha was confused, but he didn’t get the chance to ask because Jin Sooin placed something cold on his chest— making him scream in pain.

It’s cold, but it burns!

Kim Jaeha screamed in pain until he passed out.

***

KWON HOJUN was recruited by the manager of the HoneyMoon Convenience Store.

Since he decided to quit school because he was dumb, he started looking for part-time jobs. He was confident in his strength and stamina, so he thought being a part-timer in a convenience store wouldn’t be so bad.

While he was on his way to HoneyMoon Convenience Store for his job interview, he thought he heard a voice in the alleyway on his right side.

Of course, he was determined to ignore that.

Yuno Hyung told me to stop being nosy or else I’d die first in a horror movie.

"Kid, come here."

Hmm?

Kwon Hojun felt a shiver down his spine when he heard that low and deep voice, but he couldn’t see anything around him.

A strange gust of wind pushed him into the alleyway, though.

He felt goosebumps all over his body.

It was a ghost, wasn’t it?

Kwon Hojun was frozen in fear, but he gathered his remaining strength to run.

However...

"H-Help..."

Huh?

There was a person at the corner of the alleyway, and they seemed like they needed help.

That snapped Kwon Hojun back to his senses.

He immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket, and then used the light of the screen to check on the stranger.

Dammit.

This kid was beaten to a pulp.

But, despite his swollen face, he still recognized the stranger after staring at him for a couple of seconds.

Kim Jaeha-ssi?

Kwon Hojun immediately called the first person who entered his mind.

Luckily, Noh Yuno picked up the call right away.

"Hyung, I’m sorry for calling this early," Kwon Hojun said urgently. "But can you help me?"

<"What’s wrong, Hojun-ah? Where are you? I’ll come and get you ASAP.">

"Uhm, it’s a long story. But I’m currently with that famous Guide who’s the same age as me? The Exclusive Guide of that Esper who uses wind?"

<"Kim Jaeha? You’re with Kim Jaeha?">

"Yes, and I think he’s dying, Hyung."

<"Send me your location.">

"I’m actually near HoneyMoon, Hyung."

<"Oh, then I’ll send Haerin Noona there to help you. She’s our manager. Stick to her and listen to whatever she says.">

"Okay, Hyung. What else should I do?"

<"Wait for me— I’m coming there to get you."> ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

"Okay, Hyung. Take care."

After that, Kwon Hojun ended the call.

He then carefully put a finger under Kim Jaeha’s nose to make sure that he was still breathing.

Oh, he’s still alive.

Kwon Hojun was about to withdraw his hand, but Kim Jaeha suddenly grabbed his arm.

Aw!

That stings!

Kwon Hojun felt a strange bolt of electricity when Kim Jaeha touched him.

What was that?

***

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