The Guide’s Conditions

Choi Taehun was identified as a Guide at the age of five, a manifestation far earlier than typical. Despite his parents' fears that he would be drawn into dangerous frontline work, Taehun grew into an ordinary twenty-eight-year-old man. He worked a mundane office job and raised his five younger siblings after their parents worked long hours. Throughout his life, Taehun underwent mandatory matching tests every two months to find a compatible Esper partner. However, his compatibility scores consistently remained below twenty percent, a statistical anomaly in the sixty-year history of the Esper-Guide Center. By his late twenties, he had become something of a celebrity among the researchers for his chronic failures. Exhausted by the endless tests, Taehun finally snapped on his birthday and demanded to be placed on the deferred matching list, a status reserved for those unable to serve due to medical or personal reasons. He considered this one of the happiest days of his life, believing he had finally escaped the expectation of becoming a Guide.

His peaceful routine was shattered when he attended a fan signing event for Ji Gwanyeong, a top-tier actor and national celebrity, on behalf of his youngest sister. The moment Taehun shook hands with Gwanyeong, he experienced a searing heat spreading across his back, accompanied by a sudden, intense physiological reaction. Unbeknownst to Taehun, Ji Gwanyeong was not merely an actor but an SSS-class Esper who had awakened at age twenty-one. Gwanyeong had spent over a decade hiding his identity and suppressing his powers to avoid registration with the government. He had survived without a Guide by seeking temporary, low-compatibility contacts, but his senses had become increasingly unbearable. The touch of Taehun’s hand provided an immediate and profound stabilization, revealing Taehun as his destined match. A massive Name, the permanent tattoo-like mark indicating a soul connection, appeared on Gwanyeong’s back, bearing Taehun’s name.

Shortly after the encounter, Taehun discovered an identical, enormous Name etched across his own shoulder blades. Confused and anxious, he visited a Name analysis center, where he learned the mark belonged to a man named Ji Gwanyeong. He initially assumed it was a coincidence involving a common name and did not connect it to the celebrity he had met. Days later, Taehun was caught in the middle of a terrorist attack in Gangnam caused by a rampaging Esper. As chaos ensued and buildings collapsed, Ji Gwanyeong appeared, shielding Taehun with his body. Gwanyeong brutally eliminated the rogue Esper, saving Taehun and the surrounding civilians, before surrendering to the authorities. The revelation that the nation’s favorite actor was an unregistered Esper caused public shock and political turmoil.

During his interrogation at the Center, Gwanyeong remained defiant and arrogant, refusing to cooperate fully until the topic of Taehun was raised. The researchers realized that Taehun was the only leverage they had to control the dangerous Esper. Taehun, recovering in the hospital, was brought in for a mandatory matching test with Gwanyeong. The results were unprecedented: a compatibility score exceeding one hundred and fifty percent, a figure never before recorded. This score indicated that their bond was not just sufficient but overwhelmingly powerful, capable of unlocking abilities far beyond normal limits. The Center informed Taehun that he was now officially paired with Gwanyeong, effectively ending his civilian life.

Despite his initial hesitation and confusion regarding the same-sex pairing, Taehun accepted his fate, partly to ensure his family’s safety and partly due to the undeniable pull of the connection. He moved into the Guide residence provided by the Center. Gwanyeong, whose mental stability had been deteriorating due to lack of contact, began visiting Taehun frequently. The Esper’s intense thirst for Taehun’s presence grew, manifesting in possessive behavior and a desperate need for physical proximity. Taehun, meanwhile, struggled to adjust to his new role, balancing his responsibilities as a Guide with his desire for a normal life. The story concludes with the two beginning their official partnership, bound by a Name and a compatibility that defies all known records, setting the stage for a complex relationship between a monster and the only light capable of grounding him.