The Institute's Ace

At Woo-jin's words, Seo-ah's gaze dropped before she could stop herself.

It had been a while since anyone had asked her about dick preferences, so she'd actually forgotten how her standards had become the stuff of rumor. Being matched meant the rumors were bound to come up eventually — that much was only natural. She just hadn't expected the gossip to reach the research institute. If even the researchers knew, then she might as well assume every single person in the Center had heard it.

Seo-ah racked her brain for her own image. What on earth had she said during her visits to the lab?

All that came to mind were simple greetings. She'd mentioned liking his checkered shirts a few times, hadn't she? And because she hated being treated like a useless ornament at the Center, she'd made a point of being extra friendly to everyone.

In other words, her kindness toward Woo-jin had, from her perspective, been nothing more than basic office politics.

Until now, her mental image of Woo-jin had been blurry around the edges. But that one comment had sharpened it into perfect, HD clarity.

"It's fine, Woo-jin. Even if you're not big, I still like you."

Seo-ah had recently learned firsthand just how devastating a monster dick could be. She'd also learned that bigger is not always better.

As expected, fiction really does exaggerate.

Not that the exaggeration wasn't what made it fun — but her back still ached from last time.

Besides, Woo-jin's matching rate was miles higher than Eun-chan's. At this level, wouldn't she recover just from holding his hand?

Boosting his abilities would be easier too.

And Shin Woo-jin was Eun-chan's complete opposite in character. A STEM-department nerd-nam. Innocent and brilliant, with the air of a guy who'd never so much as held hands with a woman.

Seo-ah waved her hand at Woo-jin, as if to tell him not to worry about it.

"Rumors are just rumors. Since I don't have a partner, everyone's just running their mouths about how I must have some ridiculous standards."

"If you ever need anything, please tell me anytime."

But is there really a way?

She knew the institute ran every kind of research imaginable, but she hadn't realized they could modify physical specs. Judging by Woo-jin's face, though, it didn't sound like a lie. Curious as she was, Seo-ah decided to save the question for when they were closer.

Huh? That guy.

Watching Seo-ah's retreating figure as she trotted after the researcher without so much as a backward glance, Eun-chan clicked his tongue.

Any red-blooded man would be thrilled. No wait — the guy's a researcher, isn't he?

Still, there was something about the sight of her walking off hand-in-hand with a researcher who looked suspiciously giddy that he did not like. Not one bit.

"She grabs any hand that comes along, huh."

"I wouldn't call Researcher Shin Woo-jin 'anyone,' Guide Lee Seo-ah."

"If he's not 'anyone,' what is he then, exactly?"

The researcher led the way, nodding along breezily. Quick as ever, Eun-chan had already pieced it together — this researcher was Seo-ah's new match.

"Ahh."

Hands jammed in his pockets, he closed the distance to the researcher in a few strides. The sudden approach made the man flinch.

"I heard one of the researchers re-awakened. Must be this guy, huh."

"……Ah, yes. That's correct."

"Which would also make him Lee Seo-ah's new matched esper."

The researcher didn't answer. But silence was as good as a yes, and Eun-chan ground his teeth audibly, letting his displeasure show.

"So what rank did this researcher land?"

Still clumsy with his device, Eun-chan hadn't checked the rank announcement himself.

The researcher's face lit up instantly, and he straightened his chest, preening.

"Hmm, you mean Researcher Shin Woo-jin. No re-awakener has ever jumped this high. Re-awakening itself is rare enough, but S-class? A truly precious talent."

"……S-class?"

"Out of all the re-awakeners we've had, Shin Woo-jin is the only S-class. The kid seemed unusual from the day he joined, but I never imagined he'd become such an excellent specimen on his own. The ace of the research institute, and—"

"I heard you. S-class."

The researcher's chattering washed right over Eun-chan. None of it mattered if the matching rate was low.

"What's his matching rate with Lee Seo-ah?"

"Over ninety percent. Remarkable, isn't it? Jumping from D-class all the way to S-class is unusual enough, but his matching rate is the highest in the entire Center."

The researcher gushed on as if it were his own achievement, completely oblivious to the storm brewing on Eun-chan's face.

"Espers are always thinking only of themselves — ignoring our requests, refusing to cooperate — so with this, our working conditions should finally—"

"You don't like espers much, do you."

"Excuse me? Ah — no, I can't say I do. Selfish, entitled, convinced their own powers are the answer to everything. They never listen even when we offer advice."

This guy's got some real baggage about espers.

Everyone had their own station in life, so Eun-chan couldn't entirely fault him. But he was an esper too. And from the way the man spoke so carelessly right to his face, it was obvious he was just over the moon about having an S-class among his own colleagues.

"High matching rate means easy guiding, I guess."

"A fingertip's touch would do it. They're both high-grade, after all. Still, they know it's better to try everything for research purposes, so I doubt they'll stop there."

"……Every other word out of your mouth is 'specimen' and 'research.' Do we not look like human beings to you?"

Eun-chan's voice dropped low. Only then did the researcher realize his mistake, hurriedly trying to smooth things over.

"What I meant is that varied situations are needed for the benefit of everyone. High-grade pairs often do match with each other, but this time both parties are S-class, you see."

S-class espers had existed before. What had everyone so worked up this time was that two S-classes had been matched together.

"In any case, we'll proceed with your examination. This is a research question — how far have you taken your guiding?"

Man, this place has zero concept of privacy. Feels like everything's under surveillance.

Everyone knew what contact guiding entailed, so he couldn't fathom why they'd even ask.

"Doesn't it all show up in the numbers? I don't get why you're asking."

"Numbers are just numbers. Guide Lee Seo-ah turns the equipment off, so we don't have any details."

"Then ask her. Even if I wanted to tell you, I don't remember."

He'd had sex, sure — but he wasn't about to report his sex life to some guy in a lab coat.

"You don't remember…… Did something go wrong during guiding?"

"I came here to get my wavelengths measured and check my body's fine, and you're hitting me with weird questions."

"Memory loss indicates a problem with the brain. If your wavelengths slipped during guiding, or the monster caused physical damage, the situation becomes serious."

Fuck, why does he have to take everything so seriously. Eun-chan scratched his head. Judging by the look of him, the researcher wasn't going to let it slide.

"I got hit with liquid the monster sprayed. Memory's gone with it. Understand? Guide Lee Seo-ah got hit too, so don't even think about asking her."

The thought of some stranger hearing about the parts he himself couldn't remember left a bad taste in his mouth.

"What a shame. I'll note that down."

The researcher looked genuinely disappointed not to get the answer he wanted, then gestured for Eun-chan to get into the machine. It looked exactly like the other machine, so Eun-chan couldn't for the life of him understand why they couldn't just measure them together.

Different ranks, different machines? Is there a caste system for this or what.

"Using different machines for A-rank and S-rank — isn't that discrimination?"

"Yes, it is discrimination."

The researcher answered without missing a beat. Eun-chan found himself with nothing to say. The guy had called it discrimination to his face, straight up — what could he do but take it?

Eun-chan stepped into the machine and watched the researcher attach instruments all over his body.

"I'm curious — what kind of person is this Shin Woo-jin?"

"A man possessed by research. Brilliantly talented, too. Beyond that, I really couldn't say."

Not good.

"Doesn't seem to socialize with people much, either."

"Few close friends, keeps his distance from everyone. Introverted, prefers being alone. Though he did get along quite well with Guide Lee Seo-ah."

Very not good.

"Look closely and he's actually a decent kid. Awkward is all — teach him something and he picks it up fast."

Eun-chan's expression refused to soften as he listened.

It's over.

Lee Seo-ah's crazy ass has the complete package lined up.

What bothered him most was that this guy was his polar opposite in every way. And Lee Seo-ah liked guys like Shin Woo-jin — quiet, meticulous types — far more than a reckless bastard like him.

"Is that Shin Woo-jin guy handsome?"

"Hard to say. His bangs are always in his face and he wears glasses, so I've never really looked at his face closely."

His face is definitely not bad, though. It'd have to be, or Lee Seo-ah never would've been so nice to him.

Wait. Isn't that it? That thing — nerd-nam, or whatever it's called.

When he'd asked her why the hell she liked that loser, what had she said again?

"You can buy at the dip."

That was it. That was her exact answer.