Episode 2
Shim Yeongwon, a hardcore fan of cute-and-sweet romance-fantasy novels, always hated storylines where the main character suffers too much.
The worst were those “frustrating potato” parts — when the main character just struggles and struggles with no satisfying “cider moment” (sweet payback or release).
In her opinion, the MC should always have some refreshing justice lined up to clear away all that suffocating frustration.
But wait… I’m not the main character of this story, am I…?
‘And this isn’t even one of those cute fluffy romance-fantasy worlds, either.’
‘Turns out, I don’t have any plans at all… huh.’
She didn’t even have money to prepare an escape plan — not even 10,000 won. Even if she ran away, she couldn’t afford a single meal outside.
At least it was a small relief that, while she looked like a weak extra that people underestimated, she was secretly hiding an (accidentally gained) SSS-rank power.
That would definitely help in the long run.
But if she stayed like this, she was about to perfectly play into the role others had given her: a “stupid pushover.”
No way. I can’t let that happen.
She thought of many ways she could set up the surrounding criminals to get arrested. But… after that, could her life really stay safe and peaceful? Probably not.
In this world, even a “foolish B-rank guide” was worth over 3 billion won.
What if people found out she was an SSS-rank? Who knows what kind of chaos would happen.
She’d probably end up as some test subject before she even understood this world properly.
Even if she could pretend to be just a B-rank, the problem was her status: Unselected Guide.
Unselected? Really?’
That word didn’t match the lazy-extra lifestyle she wanted at all.
Instead, it reminded her of a blonde, freckled girl climbing a tower with a black-haired boy, both suffering through crazy hardships.
Nope. Not me. Keep that suffering far away from me, thanks.’
So for the first time since being dropped into this world, Yeongwon stayed up all night, holding her head in frustration, unable to sleep.
Then, suddenly, an idea hit her.
She quickly pulled up her status screen and checked the S-rank Esper rankings.
Kim… Kim… ah, there.’
Her eyes stopped at rank 3: Esper Kim Yeohyeon.
[Republic of Korea – S-rank Esper Ranking #3 / 8 total]
Out of the eight S-rankers, he was the only one with the surname Kim.
Yeongwon didn’t have some kind of perfect memory that could recall every name from the novel instantly.
‘Honestly, most readers don’t even remember the main character’s name by chapter 10. But… I do remember one thing.’
She clearly remembered: the Esper who went berserk was the one with the surname Kim.
Berserk.
That was when an Esper’s energy container ran empty — turning them into a living disaster.
Yeongwon recalled the horrifying berserk scene from the prologue.
And it clicked:
“The only Kim among them is this guy. Is he a man or a woman, though?
The name could be either… but the novel said he was nearly 190 cm tall.
So, probably a guy.”
Back then, she had just read it like a normal novel and thought about little details like that.
But now… things were very different.
Ding.
‘…Huh?’
Her finger brushed over Kim Yeohyeon’s name, and a detailed profile popped up.
[Esper Kim Yeohyeon – Title: Eternal’s Devotee]
When she tapped, more info appeared, along with a photo.
A man in a black turtleneck and black suit jacket, upper body shot.
‘…Those shoulders are insane.’
His world-class physique was obvious. Like someone had mixed the best traits of an athlete and a model.
Almost 190 cm tall, huh. A monster, basically.’
With that size and look, he seemed more like a brooding vampire noble or the heir to a werewolf clan.
But most of his face was covered by a black mask that went diagonally across, hiding one eye and his nose. Only one eye was visible.
Wait… the prologue didn’t say anything about him being blind in one eye. Is that it?’
Memories of the prologue came rushing back.
Kim Yeohyeon’s powers distorted heat and physical forces, leaving his whole body covered in burn scars.
No guide wanted to work with him, so every three months, he had to pay 300 million won after taxes just to hire one.
The contract: the chosen guide had to live with him for three months in his 200-pyeong (660㎡) Han River penthouse, unable to step outside.
And because he was extremely strict, he hated any physical contact beyond holding hands, even for guiding purposes.
That meant one thing:
The berserk Esper who destroyed Myeongdong in the prologue was Kim Yeohyeon.
And all this information gave Yeongwon one sparkling conclusion:
‘Oh… jackpot.’
Her eyes lit up.
He needed a guide. She was an SSS-rank guide.
She could stop his berserk outbreaks, and in return, he could keep her secret safe while giving her money, peace, and safety.
It was a win-win deal.
She tapped his picture again, but there were no more photos.
Is it the scars? Maybe the guides refused him because he looked scary? …Honestly, as long as he dresses like this, I don’t see the problem. The body is a blessing.’
She thought back to all the gross and scary things she had endured in her past life. Compared to that, some burn scars? She could handle it.
Even if she saw under the mask one day, she doubted she’d react badly. She had a strong stomach, after all.
In fact, she was proud (in a depressing way) that she could endure any kind of pain or horror better than anyone.
So what if it was just a little scary-looking? Piece of cake.
Yeah. Let’s make a deal with Kim Yeohyeon.’
That night, as dawn approached, Yeongwon lay back on her pillow and fleshed out her plan.
The only problem is… where and how do I meet him?’
She pulled up the status window again. Surely there was a feature she could use.
[High-Ranker Chatroom]
[Republic of Korea S~A100 Rankers ★Veterans★ Chat – Anonymity available]
Only those ranked S or within A100 could enter — Espers or Guides. As an SSS, of course, she qualified.
[SSS-rank Guide Shim Yeongwon, you qualify to join.]
[Would you like to join anonymously? Y/N]
If I go anonymous, nobody will know who I am. But… what if they ask? That might be tricky…’
The “★Veterans★” part of the title made her nervous, but she clicked Y.
A hologram opened.
[Anonymous8 has joined / 24 participants total]
Instantly, a flood of chat messages filled the screen. Nobody cared about the new “Anonymous8.”
[Baek Yul (ES2): Ah, these bastards, I’ll just wipe them all out]
[Lee Chang-gyeol (EA7): Stop drinking and go home already]
[Kang Hwayeon (GS3): I’m finally discharged! How’s everyone else doing?]
[Lee Chang-gyeol (EA7): I’m fine. Hyun isn’t answering, but he went home so no news is good news.]
[Kang Hwayeon (GS3): That’s a relief. I was really worried. Rest well!]
[Jin Najin (GS5): Me too! Just got discharged. Healthy as ever~]
Yeongwon blinked at the non-stop flow of conversations. Multiple topics are going on at once, and everyone is chatting like crazy.
From what she gathered, E stood for Esper, G for Guide, the next letter was their rank, and the number was their position.
Some were anonymous, but most used real names.
[Jin Najin (GS5): Celebrating discharge, anyone wanna form a dungeon party near Gang-Seo? Prefer Yeouido area.]
[Baek Yul (ES2): Me! Me!]
[Jin Najin (GS5): Not you, drunkard. Stop pretending you’re a young girl online, you old man.]
[Kim Jiseol (EA19): Najin unnie♡ , I’m running over now!! >ㅅ<]
[Kim Jiseol (EA19): Where should I go♡ ㅎㅅㅎ]
[Baek Yul (ES2): ㅇㅅㅇ]
[Baek Yul (ES2): ㅠㅅㅠ]
Yeongwon decided: she’d keep the chat with Kim Yeohyeon as a backup plan. Contacting him directly might expose too much information.
Better to wait. She couldn’t reveal that she was SSS-rank so carelessly.
Then another idea came: if she couldn’t avoid the frustrating “potato” parts of the story, she could at least enjoy them. Potatoes were delicious after all.
Sweet, healthy, full of fiber and potassium. A true superfood.
She stared blankly at the ceiling and decided: for lunch tomorrow, she wanted candied sweet potatoes (goguma mattang).
Before falling asleep, she drew a picture of it in her sketchbook, so the nurse would understand her request.
Rustle.
‘Sorry.’
That afternoon, when the nurse fell asleep, Yeongwon quietly stole her phone and tiptoed into the bathroom.
Click.
Finally — a phone in her hands again.
As a proud Korean, she found it almost unbelievable that she had survived over a week without using a smartphone.
She quickly unlocked the phone with the pattern she had memorized earlier.
First thing: search the latest news, check the world situation, and make sure there weren’t any hidden risks.
Tap-tap-tap.
One by one, she erased her prepared search list.
The president’s name was different. So were past presidents. Even the political parties were new.
Most celebrities were unfamiliar with it.
But history before the 21st century? Largely the same. Some names matched, some didn’t, but the general flow of history was intact.
And Korea still had all the familiar apps: the yellow messenger, the green search portal.
So the idea is — history is mostly the same until 2001. That’s when this world split from mine.’
Next, she searched for the awakened.
[Esper] → “A superpowered person who uses an energy container.”
[Guide] → “The one who fills the Esper’s container.”
She searched for other key terms:
[Human trafficking]
[Guide trafficking]
[Mafia]
[Gangsters]
[Crime rate in Korea]
As expected, Korea was still a nation of strong law and order. It also had the highest ratio of S and A-rank awakeners in the world, most willingly working with the Center.
‘Ahhh… this is totally the author’s patriotic K-drama buff at work.’
She kept searching.
[Arrest rate]
[Awakener Center]
[Guide trafficking report hotline]
Q: I think guide trafficking is happening. What should I do?
A: Report it to the Awakener Center. The number is XXXX.
Perfect. She dialed immediately.
“Hello, this is the Awakener Center.”
“I’d like to report something…” she whispered.
“Go ahead.”
She double-checked that no one was listening outside.
“Um… near the Banpo Awakener Nursing Hospital. The time is probably…”
Luckily, Korea in this world was the same: all you needed was a phone to screw over criminals.
And since guide trafficking was a top-priority crime, there was no chance the report would be ignored.
“Yes, yes. They said they’d meet at a remote dock.”
The operator was kind and professional. Everything went smoothly.
Click.
She hung up, then carefully deleted the call log, search history, and cookies.
Then she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.
Long, messy hair reached down to her elbows. She’d never let it grow that long before.
Doesn’t look bad. But washing and drying it is a pain.
Her grayish eyes and pale skin looked the same, veins faintly showing.
She brushed her hair back with a firm expression.
Maybe the bathroom light made her hair look brighter, reminding her of when people thought she was bleaching her roots daily as a teenager.
Swish.
She shook off the thoughts, opened the door, and stepped back out.
