Confinement Constitution Guide

Life in Confinement, Hard Ver. (3)

“When will we start guiding?”

The words that came out of Sa Hae-geon’s mouth after staring at me for a long time were a question about guiding.

“As I said before, the matching test comes first.”

“Why don’t we start with guiding? If we try it, we’ll know if it matches or not.”

“Of course that’s possible. But if our matching rate is less than 20%, it will be painful for both of us. Are you still okay with that?”

“On the contrary, it could be high and comfortable for both of us. Aren’t you thinking too pessimistically, hyung?”

Sa Hae-geon emphasized the word “us” and lowered his gaze. Somehow he had knitting materials in his hand again. He fiddled with the light blue yarn and mumbled in a grumbling voice.

“Trust me just once, hyung. You’ve seen me for a while, haven’t you?”

How brazen. The time Sa Hae-geon and I have known each other was only about three days. It was hardly anything to call “a while”.

“I would never do anything bad to you, hyung. I really mean it. I can even swear on my heart.”

Sa Hae-geon acts as if he knows me very well, but we are still strangers after all. And he’s swearing on his heart?

‘He’s really not in his right mind.’

As my expression gradually cooled, Sa Hae-geon changed his approach and pleaded in an earnest voice.

“Don’t you feel sorry for me, enduring with only wave control drugs and suppressants without guiding until now?”

Not at all. I should answer that it’s your choice so I don’t particularly care, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Didn’t I even genuinely feel sorry for him just two days ago?

“…Okay, I get it. I’ll do the guiding. But if you feel even a bit uncomfortable, don’t hold back and tell me right away. Got it?”

“Of course. How could I dare to deceive you, hyung?”

Seeing Sa Hae-geon’s brightly smiling face, I had complicated feelings. I was happy that he was so delighted by my agreeing to Guide him, but at the same time I was worried he might suffer if our matching rate was low.

Still, I hoped Sa Hae-geon’s first impression of guiding would be a comfortable one if possible. 

“How do we do guiding? Do I just stay still?”

I decided to carefully teach Sa Hae-geon the guiding method, feeling like I was caring for a young animal learning various things from its mother.

“There are many types and stages of guiding. Among them, I prefer to use radiating guiding.”

“Yes. I know, radiating guiding.”

“You ask how to do it when you know about it?”

“…My mistake. I don’t really know what radiating guiding is.”

Although he seemed to know, Sa Hae-geon pretended not to, even avoiding my gaze. It seemed certain he was using some kind of sinister trick. When I stared at him without a word, Sa Hae-geon fiddled with the knitting yarn and confessed.

“I’m sorry. I pretended not to know even though I did because I like hearing your voice explaining it to me, hyung.”

“…Seriously.”

“But I told you honestly, so can’t you keep explaining?”

“No. Do you think I’m some kind of teacher?”

Sa Hae-geon drooped his shoulders at the sight of me shaking my head.

“…I understand. Then Guide me now.”

“I was going to do that anyway. Do you agree to radiating guiding?”

“Yes. I agree. If it’s you, hyung, not only radiating guiding but even more is okay.”

“Sorry, but I’ll decline that.”

Drawing a line with Sa Hae-geon who answered as if he had been waiting, I released my waves. How many days had it been since I last did guiding? Radiating guiding, which had always been familiar and taken for granted, somehow felt new.

Feeling my intangible waves gradually resonating with the waves existing in Sa Hae-geon’s body, I slowly closed my eyes. At the same time, I encountered a very vast and complex mass.

‘…What is this?’

The waves were so tangled that I was completely out of breath every time I tried to Guide. It was a wonder that Sa Hae-geon maintained his daily life without going on a rampage. Was this why he seemed out of his mind when we talked?

To think he had never received guiding even once in this state. Was this really a level that could be endured with wave control drugs and suppressants?

It had been a long time since I faced such completely blocked waves, so I was worried about where to start untangling them. But strangely, I felt it was worth a try for no reason. Instead, I would have to use my time and waves diligently.

‘I’ll have to focus solely on guiding for at least 3 weeks.’

I was planning to stay here for at least a month anyway, so I might as well Guide him while I’m here. If I focus for a couple of hours a day, it seems radiating guiding alone would be enough.

I released more waves than usual and was caressing Sa Hae-geon’s waves, which were no different from a tangled ball of yarn, when it happened.

“…Hyung.”

Sa Hae-geon, who had been quiet the whole time, called me in a watery voice. I unknowingly opened my eyes slightly.

“What should I do? It feels so, so good. Incomparably better than I had vaguely imagined… It feels so good. Is this what guiding is like?”

Sa Hae-geon, who was already dropping teardrops from his moist eyes, came into view. My heart seemed to sink at the sight.

After finishing the guiding and spending time awkwardly, it was soon evening. I ate dinner, which was so well prepared that the table could break, and came to my room to avoid Sa Hae-geon. Cream was still nowhere to be seen, but I wasn’t particularly concerned about that now.

My mind was filled with the conversation I had with Sa Hae-geon.

‘It feels like basking in the warm spring sun while walking on clouds. It’s like having a pleasant dream. Is this what guiding is usually like? Do other people feel this way every day?’

‘Not everyone… But they say it feels like that when the matching rate is high.’

‘Then our matching rate is high. Right?’

‘…Right.’

Sa Hae-geon smiled happily at me readily admitting it. With teardrops hanging from the corners of his eyes. His reddened, moist eyes were pitiful to just look at. But I couldn’t comfort him and tell him to stop crying.

In the first place, it wasn’t that I didn’t know the reason Sa Hae-geon shed tears, and I was also overcome with emotion, resonating with his feelings. And although it was complicated, the emotional resonance during guiding was proof that the matching rate was extremely high after all. Even if it was only theoretically.

In the end, Sa Hae-geon’s claim was correct. Was this really a coincidence?

I stared at the tightly closed door and closed my eyes. My insides were still churning with the fragments of unknown emotions left behind by Sa Hae-geon’s waves.

* * *

In the personal break room of the Dungeon Research Institute. The owner of the place, Chief Researcher Nam In-cheol, was enjoying a rare moment of leisure while sipping hot coffee. After being battered by a whirlwind of work for a week straight, the break time he finally managed to get couldn’t taste any sweeter.

That’s why he had even taken the trouble to come to the personal break room on the fifth floor above, not wanting to be disturbed by anyone during this time. However, with the sound of the tightly closed door swinging open, an unwelcome guest barged in, and the peace of the break room was shattered.

“Nam In-cheol, is it true that an S-grade dungeon will occur?”

“Ah, it’s hot! Wh-what? An Jong-hyeok, how did you get in here?”

“I opened the door. Anyway, I’m asking if it’s true.”

An Jong-hyeok urged Nam In-cheol, the chief researcher of the Dungeon Research Institute, with a stern face. If the news he heard was true, there was no time to hesitate here.

Nam In-cheol, who was touching his coffee-burnt lips with his thumb, looked at An Jong-hyeok with a troubled expression and sighed.

“Aw, geez… I’m sure there’s still an embargo on it, where did you hear that?”

“So it’s true? When do you expect it?”

“We’re expecting it in two months. But it’s not certain. It’s not calculated with a measuring device, but something the Esper Choi Nam-hee saw with her ability. It’s not being picked up by the measuring devices yet.”

Choi Nam-hee was an A-grade Esper with precognition ability. She had prophesied the occurrence of quite significant dungeons and natural disasters, and it was extremely rare for her to be wrong. Out of ten prophecies, nine, and sometimes all ten, would be correct, so her reliability was considerable.

“Shouldn’t you inform the centers and guilds even if not the media if it’s an S-grade dungeon? It’s a scale that requires a joint operation, does it make sense to keep it quiet?”

“Hey, what power do we have? We’re just keeping our mouths shut because the Department of Abilities told us to be quiet for now. And they’re in a mess too because it’s an S-grade dungeon occurring after 10 years. If they’re letting an illegal group set up near the Central Center slide, that says it all.”

“Those incompetent bast*rds…!”

At An Jong-hyeok’s curse, Nam In-cheol shook his head and put down the mug he was holding. An Jong-hyeok, the team leader Esper of the Central Center’s Field Team 1 and a classmate from the Esper Training School, was always boiling with anger, befitting his ability to control flames.

Not only did he have a lot of anger, but he also frequently rushed into things recklessly, to the point where it was a wonder how he got the position of team leader.

“Ah, anyway, keep your mouth shut until the official document comes down. If you go around blabbing, they’ll all suspect me first, so please don’t cause trouble and just stay put!”

“How can I stay put in this situation? Do you not know the situation with our team?”

“…Your team’s situation? Is that something I should know? Is there something important going on?”

“Didn’t you see the press conference the minister held about Chae Do-min being kidnapped?”

“Huh? Press conference? When did they hold that?”

Nam In-cheol jumped up from his seat, flaring up at An Jong-hyeok who was looking at him with a pitiful gaze.

“Hey, I was busy too! I did research for a week without even getting proper sleep! Do you think I’m doing research while playing around? If you knew how fiercely competitive this position is, you wouldn’t be able to make such eyes at me!”

But An Jong-hyeok, who should have listened to his words meekly, had already left the break room. Left alone, Nam In-cheol pounded the table with his fist.

“Ah, that jerk! That jerk who’s only heartless to me…! If I give you information again, I’ll be a crazy b*stard, a crazy b*stard!”

At the same time, a message from a fellow researcher arrived on Nam In-cheol’s cell phone, telling him to stop resting and come back to the lab. His precious break time had been completely wasted by the quarrel with An Jong-hyeok.