And just like that, the Bureau announced through the media and official guild notices that there would be a major announcement.
[Subject: Announcement of a Seminar on Gate Problem Solving on May 11, 202○
1. We wish for the prosperity of your agency.
2. Our ‘Bureau’ is making great efforts to provide and share information with those involved in Gate-related work in order to solve the Gate problem.
3. In relation to this, an announcement will be made as detailed below. An online broadcast will be held simultaneously with the sponsorship of the Black Star Group, and we ask for the attendance of many related personnel.
…….]
It wasn't the first or second time the Bureau had sent out an official notice regarding the Gate problem, but it was almost the first time they had so actively encouraged participation, even providing a simultaneous online broadcast. And a notice sent just one day in advance, at that. It was obvious to anyone that this was rushed.
On top of that, sponsorship from Black Star. Considering that the relationship between Yonghyun and Hyeonil was not particularly good, it was a combination that was hard to believe even for an ordinary person, let alone an official.
What if another Gate appeared on the 11th? However, making a mockery of the concerns of those who didn't know the exact situation, the day was peaceful. Perhaps thanks to that, more people than usual visited the Bureau or logged onto the broadcast site.
When the number of real-time participants on the online relay site exceeded 5,000, Jaesung made a troubled expression and grumbled, "How great would it be if this many people came even on normal days..."
‘Still, he looks much better. What a relief.’
Similar to yesterday, many people were looking for Yonghyun throughout the seminar preparations. The sound of people calling for "Director Shin, Director Shin" was like a round song, Wonwoo thought.
But if there was one difference, it was that Yonghyun’s expression was fresher and brighter than yesterday. Perhaps that's why Yonghyun seemed so relaxed when responding to the calls.
Did the guiding I gave him yesterday have an effect? He truly is the nourishing tonic for Espers… Wonwoo, who was briefly lost in that thought, began to tremble before he could even feel a sense of pride. The chair rattled along with his movements.
“Wonwoo-hyung, are you okay? You look pale.”
“I wish I could say I’m fine… but I’m not. I’m so nervous I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“Gasp. Should I get you a plastic bag? Or, Wonwoo-hyung. Throw up in my hands. It’s okay.”
Jinho bent down in front of Wonwoo, spreading his hands out before him. Wonwoo carefully took his hands and pushed them away.
“N-no. If I throw up here… I won’t be able to show my face. I was just saying. Besides, throwing up in your hands, Jinho-ssi… the thought alone is horrifying.”
“But Wonwoo-hyung… you really don’t look well.”
“Wa-water… I took a calming pill. I guess it hasn't kicked in yet. Or should I take another one? Would that be better?”
“First, deep breaths! Take deep breaths.”
“I will. Uh, I’m sorry, but if you’re here, Jinho-ssi, you’ll draw attention… so please return to your seat for now.”
This wasn't just any event; it was a place to officially acknowledge and announce the existence of Guides. Perhaps thanks to the Bureau’s aggressive promotion, there were more than a few reporters who had shown up with cameras.
Of course, the people here would have no way of knowing about the existence of a ‘Guide’ or his identity, but perhaps because he was sticking so close to the S-class Esper, Jinho. There were many gazes that scanned Wonwoo, trying to guess his identity.
‘Who’s that person next to Han Jinho? I’ve never seen him before.’
‘Is he a new manager? I haven’t heard anything about his manager changing.’
‘Or is he an Esper? His aura is unusual. Is he a high-ranker?’
Wonwoo needlessly fiddled with the ‘Staff’ name tag hanging around his neck and took deep breaths to Jinho’s count, leaving the murmurs about him behind.
There was no way he could throw up in this situation; he’d rather get drunk and make a scene in the middle of Shindorim Station during rush hour.
‘It will become very noisy once the existence of a Guide is announced. Therefore, it would be better to announce the Guide’s existence and abilities but to reveal Wonwoo-ssi’s face and identity slowly.’
Following Yonghyun’s suggestion, Wonwoo attended the seminar not as the Guide himself, but as one of the spectators listening to the announcement. To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, Jinho had even lent him his exclusive manager’s spot, allowing him to wear a staff name tag.
Yonghyun's decision was indeed excellent. He was trembling this much even now; if he imagined all those countless eyes pouring onto him at once…. Just the thought of it made his whole body go numb and his stomach churn.
As Wonwoo was drinking the bottled water Jinho had handed him, it finally became 2 o’clock. As if a play were starting, the lights in the conference room went out, and the lighting focused on the stage. From one side of the stage, Yonghyun walked out.
It was Yonghyun who was giving the presentation, Yonghyun who was receiving the attention of many, yet Wonwoo felt as if all of it was directed at him, piercing and prodding him.
-Bbirong bbirong!
[User ‘Wonwoo’ has died before, you know.]
[Could there be anything more frightening than that? (●ˇ∀ˇ●)]
[Let’s think of it comfortably! ♪(^∇^*)]
[Now, let’s take a deep breath! One! Two! One! Two!]
Wonwoo immediately turned off his phone screen upon seeing the message.
Just when he was about to warm up to it, it would throw out a couple of annoying lines like this, making him not want to even look at it sometimes. He wasn't sure if the system's intention was successful, but seeing that message made him let out a hollow laugh, which suppressed some of his tension.
“Thank you to the many people who have attended today.”
A serious and heavy voice filled the conference room.
“Many of you must be curious. How the AA-class Gate that occurred on the 8th was cleared in less than half a day. And how the Gate that appeared in Anyang yesterday was cleared.”
There was power in Yonghyun’s voice. At his voice, everyone in their seats nodded, waiting for Yonghyun’s lips to part once more.
“To cut to the chase, I will show you first.”
The video that Hyeonil had prepared was displayed on the pre-arranged screen monitor. The words ‘Production: May 9, 202n, Anyang Gate Raid Situation’ appeared, followed by the video that had made the Bureau’s executives immediately acknowledge the Guide’s existence and make a fuss.
Bbam-bba-ra-bbam, with upbeat music, the logos of Black Star and the Bureau appeared, spinning. It’s like a movie, Wonwoo had just muttered to himself when the screen faded to black.
All eyes were focused.
***
-Just as Espers appeared one day with the emergence of Gates. So too have Guides appeared.
-In the case of the AA-class Gate that appeared on the 8th, a powerful octopus-type monster appeared, but thanks to the Guide’s ability, it was easily dealt with.
-Guides not only enhance an Esper’s abilities but also possess the unique ability to eliminate the side effects that arise from using those abilities.
-Therefore, our Bureau recognizes Guides as unique ability users, just like Espers.
-For safety, the Guide’s personal information will be revealed slowly. However, what I can say for certain is that thanks to the existence of the Guide, solving Gates has become easier and faster.
“……”
Watching Yonghyun's announcement, including the 'Anyang Gate Raid' video, on the tablet PC the Guild Master had given him, Juwon's brow furrowed deeply.
‘Aren’t the Bureau and Black Star just joining hands to pull a massive bluff?’
That’s how unbelievable the situation seemed to Juwon.
The biggest concern for S-class Espers was the side effects that came with their powerful abilities. Other Espers also experienced side effects when using their abilities, but to an S-class like him, they were laughably minor.
Even the Geonyeong Guild Master, an A-class Esper, only had side effects to the extent that his knee or finger joints would ache on rainy days.
It was to the point where they would joke, 'Hey, turns out our abilities aren't S-class, our side effects are S-class, aren't they?'
To say that the side effects, which couldn't be erased by any painkiller or buff, could be made to disappear in an instant. For Juwon, who suffered from a burning pain every single day, it was hard to believe.
‘Am I really being bullied? Why am I the only one who doesn't know.’
The fact that Jinho’s and Hyeonil’s expressions in the video looked more at ease than ever before also bothered him. No, it was beyond bothersome; it was downright unpleasant.
‘The side effects disappear just by making eye contact, just by holding hands. It's not some germanium bracelet… wait a minute.’
Juwon tossed the tablet PC onto the adjacent seat and took out his own phone. He then launched the game <Fantasy Ability Battle>, which had tormented his phone with strange notification messages for hours a few days ago, and went to the event page.
[A ‘heart-pounding, fluttery’ Esper story♥]
[The quest that ‘InvisibleRedPhoenixisCrying’ must currently perform is as follows.]
[Step 1♥ Make eye contact with him]
Even for a personalized event, there were too many suspicious parts. Juwon had taken a screenshot of the event page and posted it on a gaming community site.
[Title: Hey I got this event
fckin weird ;;; look at the knight-captain bastard blushing and throwing hearts ;;; since when did our boy hold hearts instead of a shield ;;
It's telling me to make eye contact and do something out of the blue, what is this? I checked the community notice and there's nothing, and the in-game notice is also suspicious so I came to ask
It says to make eye contact, who do I have to make eye contact with? is the boss’s name ‘him’??]
However, less than a minute after he posted it, Juwon’s post was deleted. At first, he thought it was a simple error and reposted it, but that was also deleted, and the process of reposting and being deleted repeated.
Out of spite, around the 10th time he posted it, Juwon was finally met with the message, ‘You are restricted from using the community as you have violated the terms of use.’
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