Episode 2
Yeongwon, a huge fan of cute, fluffy Romance Fantasy novels, hated plots where the main character suffered.
The worst was that frustrating ‘choking on a sweet potato’ section when a refreshing ‘cider shower’ payoff wasn’t promised.
The protagonist should always have a ‘cider’ planned to clear that throat choked up with ‘sweet potato’ frustration.
‘But me… I wasn’t the main character of this novel…’
‘Plus, this isn’t some cute, fluffy romance fantasy world, either.’
‘Looks like I didn’t have a plan after all…’
She didn’t have the funds for an escape plan—not even ten thousand won.
Even if she somehow managed to run away, she couldn’t even buy a meal outside.
The only good thing was that she was an extra who was underestimated (but happened to gain an SSS-rank) and was hiding her power.
That would help with a long-term strategy.
But staying like this would perfectly fit the character the bad guys assigned her: ‘the foolish pushover.’
‘Nope, can’t let that happen.’
Honestly, she could think of a few ways to get the criminals around her arrested.
But after that, she doubted that Shim Yeongwon’s life would stay comfortable and peaceful.
In a world where even an idiotic B-rank Guide was worth over 3 billion won, what the heck would happen if she were found out to be SSS-rank? She wasn’t keen on becoming a test subject before she even fully grasped the world’s setting.
And even if she could somehow pretend to be a B-rank Guide, this ‘Non-Selective Guide’ status was a problem.
‘Non-Selective,’ huh?
No matter how she thought about it, that keyword was miles away from an extra chilling on a bed and living the good life.
It somehow brought to mind a freckled blonde girl and a black-haired, pretty boy who followed her up a tower, suffering like crazy.
‘No thanks for that kind of suffering. Please keep it and don’t hand it to me.’
So, after staying up all night, holding her head and agonizing—the first time she hadn’t slept well since transmigrating—a scenario suddenly popped into her head.
Yeongwon quickly pulled up the Status Window and checked the S-rank Esper rankings
‘Kim, Mr. Kim…’
Her gaze stopped at the 3rd rank. Esper Kim Yeohyeon.
[Republic of Korea S-Rank Esper Ranking 3rd / 8 people]
The only ‘Kim’ among the 8 S-rank Rankers.
Yeongwon didn’t have the photographic memory to instantly memorize all 8 S-rank Rankers’ names and features that were listed in the early part of the novel.
‘Honestly, a good number of readers probably can’t even remember the protagonist’s name after reading just 10 chapters.
But…’
But she distinctly remembered that the Esper who went berserk was a ‘Kim.’
Berserk.
That meant the disaster that happened when an Esper’s power vessel was empty.
Reading the worst-case berserk scene described in the prologue, her train of thought followed a domino effect: clatter, clatter, clatter.
Only Kim, huh? Does having only one ‘Kim’ out of eight people even fit South Korea’s statistics? The name is gender-neutral; is it a girl or a boy? Oh, he’s nearly 190 cm tall, so probably a guy.
Back then, she could only let her mind wander like that, thinking it was just a novel, but now it was different.
Dong.
‘Huh…?’
Kim Yeohyeon. When her finger passed over the name, an information window popped up.
‘What the—There are sub-tabs?’
[Esper Kim Yeohyeon, Title ‘Eternal Devotee’]
Tapping the tab brought up new information along with a photo.
A photo of his upper body, dressed in a black turtleneck and a black suit jacket.
‘His shoulders are no joke.’
His superior, world-class physique was clearly visible. It felt like a combination of the best parts of an athlete and a fashion model.
‘A nearly 190 cm monster.’
As a monster… judging by his frame and clothes, he had the vibe of a chaste, decadent vampire or the sole, elite successor of a pure-blood werewolf chief.
However, a black mask covered most of his face, rising from his neck, so his facial features were obscured.
Since the mask not only covered his nose like a surgical mask but also diagonally covered one of his eyes, he probably only had one eye’s vision clear.
Even looking closely, the covered side didn’t have even a tiny hole.
‘I don’t remember that detail in the prologue… Is he blind in one eye?’
And then, secondary details from the prologue that she had forgotten until now, right after the car accident, started flooding back.
Esper Kim Yeohyeon had scars all over his body from burns because of his power that messed with physical quantities, including temperature.
He was an Esper that every Guide refused, so the Center transferred Guides to him every three months, promising 300 million won after taxes.
The Guide chosen for the three-month exclusive assignment couldn’t set a foot outside of Esper Kim Yeohyeon’s 200-pyeong, Han River-view penthouse for the entire period.
Also, Esper Kim Yeohyeon was such a chaste type that he hated physical contact beyond just holding hands, even for Guiding.
This cemented that the Ranker who went berserk in Myeongdong was Esper Kim Yeohyeon.
And all the above information led Yeongwon to a beautiful conclusion, glowing with an elegant light.
‘Ooh… Sweet deal.’
Yeongwon’s eyes also shone brightly.
He needs a Guide, and she is the world’s only SSS-rank Guide.
Couldn’t a deal be struck where she helps him avoid the danger of going berserk, and he keeps her secret buried and provides her with money, peace, and security?
Thinking it over, it seemed like a rational contract where both parties had nothing to lose.
Yeongwon tapped the photo of Esper Kim Yeohyeon, which had no form to knock on, as if flipping a page. There were no more photos to see.
Was it because his whole body was covered in burns that the Guides refused him? Was it too gross?
Honestly, Yeongwon thought she wouldn’t feel any repulsion if Esper Kim Yeohyeon just wore clothes like that.
His physique was just too blessed, you know.
Besides, how many times in her life had she been unable to avoid gross things?
Even if she happened to see him briefly without the mask, well.
She had a strong stomach, so she wasn’t worried at all. She truly wouldn’t be bothered, without even needing to fake composure.
When it came to enduring terrible scenes and pain, she was confident she’d rank number one across both this world and her original world before transmigrating. She wasn’t exactly proud of that fact, though.
But for goodness’ sake, just passively observing something that only looked gross, without any pain involved?
‘Okay, I’ll make a deal with Esper Kim Yeohyeon.’
Plop.
In the early morning, nearing dawn, Yeongwon nestled the back of her head into the soft pillow and started finalizing her plan.
‘But exactly where and how should I meet him?’
Yeongwon pulled up the Status Window. There surely seemed to be a function she could use for this.
[Ranker Chat]
[Republic of Korea High Rankers (S~A100) ★Veterans★ Chat – Anonymous Allowed]
Only Rankers who were S-rank or within the top 100 of A-rank could join, but if you belonged to that tier, either Esper or a Guide, you could participate anonymously. As an SSS-rank, she definitely had access.
[SSS-Rank Guide Shim Yeongwon, meets participation criteria]
[Participate Anonymously? Y/N]
‘If I join anonymously, they won’t know who I am, right?’
‘But if someone suddenly asks who the anonymous person is, it might be awkward…’
The nickname ‘★Veterans★’ made Yeongwon a little more nervous.
After a brief hesitation, Yeongwon pressed Y. A hologram popped up.
[Anonymous8 joins the conversation / Total participants 24]
And Yeongwon faced a torrent of chat messages pouring in at a frantic pace.
The brief hesitation she had was meaningless; no one paid any attention to Anonymous8.
[Baek Yul(ES2): Ah these f*ckers I’ll just wipe ’em all out]
[Lee Changgyeol(EA7): Stop drinking and go home]
[Kang Hwayeon(GS3): I have been discharged now. How are the rest of you?]
[Lee Changgyeol(EA7): I’m fine too. Hyun isn’t picking up calls, but he went home, so I figure no news is good news.]
[Kang Hwayeon(GS3): That’s a relief. I was worried. Please get some rest. I’m going to rest some more, too.]
[Jin Najin(GS5): I’m discharged too! Totally fine, don’t worry lol]
Yeongwon quietly blinked, watching the endless stream of chat.
Two or three topics of conversation were proceeding haphazardly.
Considering the time, the activity level was immense.
E and G seemed to distinguish Esper/Guide, the next letter was the rank, and the number after that seemed to be the ranking.
Quite a few people had joined the chat room anonymously, but those typing messages were mostly using their real names.
[Jin Najin(GS5): To celebrate being discharged, I’m gonna run a frontline Guiding session. Any Gangseo Dungeon parties? Prefer Yeouido area]
[Baek Yul(ES2): Me! Me!]
[Jin Najin(GS5): No drunks, thanks -_- You, who’s an old man inside wearing a girl’s avatar, are NOPE-ly rejected ^-^]
[Kim Jiseol(EA19): Najin Noona♡ , I’m rushing over now!! >ㅅ<]
[Kim Jiseol(EA19): Where should I go♡ , hehe]
[Baek Yul(ES2): T_T]
[Baek Yul(ES2): ㅠㅠ]
Yeongwon quietly watched their chat and decided to keep communicating with Esper Kim Yeohyeon through the Ranker Chat as a backup plan for now.
It seemed possible to attempt a private chat with a Ranker, but too much information would be exposed, so it was better to be careful for the time being.
Immediately announcing that she was an SSS-rank Ranker after being judged as a Non-Selective B-rank Guide would likely be a mistake, essentially opening up her hidden card for nothing.
Besides, a suitable way to set up the ‘cider’ had just popped into her head. If she can’t avoid the ‘sweet potato’ period until then, why not just happily feast on it?
Yum yum.
She hated being stuck in a frustrating plot, but the sweet potatoes themselves were delicious.
Sweet, healthy, and a national health food rich in fiber, potassium, and beta-carotene!
Yeongwon blankly stared at the ceiling and decided she needed to eat candied sweet potatoes for lunch today. So, before falling asleep, she took out a sketchbook and diligently drew candied sweet potatoes.
Hopefully, the doctor would relay her wishes to the caregiver coming in the morning.
Slip.
‘Sorry.’
That afternoon, Yeongwon quietly snagged the caregiver’s phone while she was taking a nap.
Then, she muffled her footsteps and slipped into the bathroom.
Click.
How long had it been since she had a phone in her hands?
As a true citizen of the proud Republic of Korea, which boasted the world’s number one mobile communication speed, it was surprising that her mind and body were still intact after not using a smartphone for over a week.
Yeongwon quickly swiped and unlocked it.
She had already figured out the unlock pattern by watching over the caregiver’s shoulder.
First, she started searching to grasp recent issues.
She needed to know important general knowledge and check if there were any potential risks to her plan.
Tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.
Yeongwon rapidly crossed off items on her list of things to search for.
The current president’s name was different; the one before, and the one before that, were also different. the names of the political parties were all unfamiliar, and the names of celebrities were mostly different, too.
But the general arc of human history before the 21st century aligned broadly. Though rare, there seem to be historical figures whose names haven’t changed.
Also, familiar national platforms like the yellow messenger app and the green search engine were still there. Even if the authors’ names seem subtly different, there are countless similar classics in novels, plays, and movies.
‘Is the concept that even if the individuals who made history are somewhat different, the railroad tracks of history that humanity follows are already laid out?’
Of course, there was a point in time where history branched off completely.
Precisely at the start of the 21st century, the year 2001.
Yeongwon also searched for the Awakened.
[Esper]
The definition that appeared at the very top: ‘A superpowered person who uses the power of the vessel.’
[Guide]
Similarly, the top search result definition: ‘One who fills the Esper’s vessel.’
Yeongwon skimmed the other important information and looked for more keywords.
[Human trafficking]
[Guide trafficking]
[Mafia]
[Gangsters]
[Crime rate in the Republic of Korea]
As expected. The Republic of Korea, a country of proud public safety.
The country with the highest proportion of S-rank and A-rank Awakened in the world. The percentage of Awakened who voluntarily affiliated with the Center was absolutely overwhelming.
‘…Slightly embarrassing, but the K-patch in this modern fantasy novel, written by the author while gulping down that national pride juice, manages this difficult feat again.’
Tap-tap-tap-tap.
Yeongwon didn’t stop searching.
[Arrest rate]
[Center]
[Reporting Guide human trafficking]
Q. A plausible situation of guiding human trafficking has been spotted. What should I do?
A. You can report it to the Awakened Reporting Center. The reporting number is XXXX, no area code needed.
Finally, Yeongwon entered the phone number, hoping her plan would go smoothly.
Yes, this is the Awakened Reporting Center.
“I’d like to make a tip-off,” Yeongwon whispered.
Please speak.
Yeongwon carefully checked for any noise outside.
“Uh… Near the Banpo Awakened Convalescent Hospital, I think the time is…”
Very thankfully, in the 21st-century Republic of Korea, here or there, all you needed was a phone to mess with crime organizations.
Moreover, from what she gathered while searching, guiding human trafficking was the crime that the governments in this world were most desperate to eradicate, so the chance of them dismissing it as a false report and not showing up seemed extremely low.
“Yes, yes. The handover location was said to be an isolated dock.”
The person on the other end of the phone was very kind and thoughtful, and the conversation proceeded without a hitch.
But of course, the problems wouldn’t end there.
The real problem would come next.
Click.
Yeongwon ended the call and deleted the call history, search history, and some cookies.
After that, Yeongwon faced a somewhat unfamiliar Shim Yeongwon in the mirror. Her long hair flowed down, touching her elbow.
She had never grown her hair long enough to reach her bra hook before.
‘It doesn’t look bad. Though washing and drying it is a nightmare.’
What hadn’t changed was her eyes, which looked subtly mixed with gray, and her skin, which was so pale that the blue veins were visible.
Yeongwon touched her hair with a hardened expression. She thought it had gotten much darker, but maybe because the bathroom light was bright, the color was faint.
It reminded her of her teenage years when she was misunderstood as dying her roots every day.
Swoosh.
Yeongwon shook off the unnecessary thoughts and opened the closed door.
