How About I Guide Myself Right Into Your Heart? || Joongdok - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Dokja decided it was best to not think anymore. Just a few more sessions, and he could disappear for a bit– for a well-earned break, free from mental turmoil.
The problem, though, was getting these sessions.
He made his way to the large table once again, hoping to be booked with another Esper while waiting for Joonghyuk to stop throwing his tantrum. However, as he waited in line, he got the sinking feeling he was going to be turned down again.
"Oh sorry, we don't have anyone who needs guiding at the moment!"
"Oh. . . It seems like there's an error in your schedule, and we can't book anyone until it's resolved!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, but we don't respect your employee rights or contract, and we can just deny you without reason! Hehe!"
Dokja glared over the counter, before seeing an obviously fresh faced worker on the till just over to the side. Seeing his opportunity, he quickly ducked in the other line before someone else could que up.
He smiled guilefully at the nervous looking employee.
Leaning in, his wide smile and narrowed eyes surely looked quite scary.
"Hello! I was hoping to book a session with any Esper requiring guiding."
"Urr, yes," The young worker gulped visibly. "Umm. . . " the flitting eyes darted from Dokja to the senior employees who were too busy at the moment to pay them any mind.
Perfect.
"Sorry, but–"
"There's no Esper's needing guiding at the moment? That's too bad. Can I be added to the dungeon team for the upcoming raid?"
"Umm. . . " The employee was sweating bullets, and Dokja was certain they were hiding something. "Well, you see–"
Dokja just had to push a little bit more.
"Look, I know Esper Yoo's team has blocked my schedule out, but I just wanted to know if it applied to entering dungeons as well."
The worker seemed a bit relieved.
"Ah, yes, sorry, but as per the management team in charge of Esper Yoo's assignment, Guide Kim is not under our jurisdiction to assign guiding or dungeons."
"So, it's true that Esper Yoo's team has something to do with this?"
"What?"
"Thanks for the info," Dokja gave a small wave and walked away, simmering underneath the smile.
His walk had purpose as he headed towards the HR department. Now that his suspicions were confirmed, he took his phone out of his pocket and stopped recording. Evidence acquired.
Part of him did wish Esper Yoo's team had overlooked the possibility of Dokja joining a dungeon expedition– not because he particularly wanted a repeat of last time, but because he knew Joonghyuk would be present and the man was hard to get a hold of.
As he took wide strides, he felt his device buzz and he peered down at it.
Odd.
The screen was pulsing with static, and when he tried tapping it, the unresponsive screen only shimmered and shifted underneath his finger. In the next second, he felt a deafening weight lay over top of the building, prompting Dokja to grab a hold of the wall to his side for stability at the fluctuating energy.
Soon following, a siren rang out throughout the company, red lights painted the walls in the eerie hue, intensifying the shadows that made up the typically unremarkable hallway. The lack of any other light besides the overpowering red emphasized the contrasts within the muted colours Dokja was more familiar with seeing everyday. He was already in an unfamiliar hallway on his way to HR, and when he saw heads peeking out of the many doors lining the halls, Dokja hurried to follow as the guides who were not currently in the middle of guiding sessions left their designated rooms and headed towards the main atrium for further direction.
Dokja noted the many unfamiliar faces, trying to recall if he had seen any of them at the employee lounge since working at the guild. Not one seemed recognizable, and Dokja sighed and kept his pace, wondering if he should be panicking seeing the worried looks on the other employees' faces.
Dokja had a feeling he knew what the siren was for, but he would rather be sure of it, and the singular employee standing tall at the head desk was going to provide the answers.
There weren't many employees around, many of them being guides from the distinct colour of the badges he could see, with the odd passerby joining out of curiosity. Dokja craned his neck peer some distance away to see the tired faces of the typical office workers stuck staring at their blinking cubicle computers. Even with the electrical disturbance, they had their eyes glued, ready to resume once the interference cleared up.
There's no rest for the weary, huh?
"–designated Code Black." The voice brought Dokja back from his thoughts. He turned frontwards to face the one employee at the front of the crowd, having a clear view from where he stood at the back.
He noted that every single one of the others in the crowd were turned back to stare at something behind Dokja, some even tiptoeing to get a better look.
He couldn't help but look behind him to see what they were looking at, but there was no one there, and the guide angled his head back to face the front.
"The remaining of you may resume your tasks for the day." The voice cut through once again. "Thank you for your time."
With this, the guides dispersed towards their respective guiding spaces, and the few straggling employees present disappeared towards their own work. And Dokja was about to join them, but an imploring voice stopped him.
"Guide Kim?" He turned back at the mention of his name.
"Yes?" With a pleasant smile, he turned back to see the serious look on the worker's face, now noticing the familiar face of the manager standing beside them.
Oh.
The manager smiled, but there was a wry tilt to the line of their mouth.
"If you could follow me, Guide Kim."
Dokja nodded, piecing together the situation a little late. A Code Black? Esper Yoo's manager being present? The lines connected themselves and he quietly followed the fast steps of the manager, a few curious bystanders lifting their heads from their work to catch a glimpse as they passed by.
Dokja hoped the red light hid the heat that crept up his ears at the unabashed stares. He was sure everyone else was piecing it together as well, but he wished he could have some privacy.
He's going to write a strongly worded complaint to Yoo Sangah about this.
— — — — —
— — — — —
"I apologize, but you weren't in your guiding room or in the lounge, so we decided to call the code instead. Otherwise I would have come to get you personally."
As he neared the end of the hall, the manager cleared their throat before stepping aside to allow Dokja to continue on alone.
"It's the room at the end of the hall, straight ahead."
"Okay, but can I ask how–"
The manager was already darting away, hand clamped over their mouth as if feeling sick.
" –Joonghyuk's condition is. . ?"
The guide stared at the retreating figure of the manager, getting smaller and smaller in the long, repetitive hallway. He could also feel the unsteady waves of energy emanating from some place ahead, seeming to warp the straight lines of his vision, as if he were out on a hot day.
It would make sense that the violent field from an S rank Esper would have this effect, and it had only gotten more repelling as they got closer to the closed chamber.
With a deep breath, Dokja turned to continue further.
Every step taken seemed to plunge him deeper into the unstable air, and as he was about to reach the sealed door the energy was physically difficult to tread through, small disruptions of air blowing his hair back slightly. He was glad he got it trimmed recently, or else it surely would have been pricking him in the eye.
He was actually amazed at how quiet the hallway was now, devoid of footsteps or chatter. An Esper of Joonghyuk's rank in threat of rampage should be fearsome, but it seemed as though the other was quite good at reigning himself in– something Dokja was well aware he was good at from all the times he had guided the man.
As Dokja's finger grazed the handle of the door, the slight wind and menacing energy all but disappeared. He paused there at the entry, gripping the handle in wait.
He couldn't sense anything now, wondering if the other had handled the impending rampage by himself.
He pushed in.