“Ah, was that too sentimental? Anyway, stuff like that happens, you know.”
“Yeah… yeah.”
After a brief silence, both Rion and Hee-joo realized how awkward the mood had become and fumbled around with exaggerated gestures, trying to ease the tension.
“It’s probably just awkward because you two have been bickering for so long. Don’t think too negatively about it. I mean, Yu-won doesn’t seem like the type to pretend to like someone he doesn’t.”
“That’s true.”
“So if he hasn’t said he hates you, that’s a good sign. Don’t overthink it.”
Hee-joo patted Rion on the back. There was still plenty of time left on their on-call shift.
“Still, it’s kind of surprising. I’ve never seen you care this much about a junior before. I guess a matched Guide really is something else.”
“Everyone says that.”
“Even so, it’s still kind of wild. You live together, you freak out because you sent him into a Gate alone, you stress over hearing something bad about him… It’s practically love.”
With the mood lightening a bit, Hee-joo teased Rion, and—just as she expected—he jumped up and yelled loudly.
“Ah, don’t say stuff like that! That’s insane!”
“Why not? Pairs end up dating pretty often.”
“There are plenty of pairs who don’t!”
“See? The way you’re freaking out just makes it more suspicious—”
“Ack!”
Rion’s shout was loud enough to carry outside the duty room. Hee-joo calmed him down, saying anyone passing by would think something serious had happened.
“See, this is why I keep teasing you.”
“Don’t even joke about stuff like that!”
Rion shook his head with an expression of pure horror. Hee-joo looked at him for a moment and then said,
“Yeah, lots of pairs end up dating, but even when they don’t, they’re often so close it’s like they can’t live without each other. You’re slowly becoming like that too.”
“There are exceptions, though. I mean, look at the seniors who went into the S-rank Gate recently…”
“There are always exceptions, but if it’s common enough, it’s not really an exception, is it?”
“Getting into a huge fight despite having a 99% matching rate—that’s the exception.”
“Come on, Yu-won hasn’t even been here a full year yet. Things are getting better bit by bit.”
“…Even so, I’m probably just someone he sees as a brat who won’t listen. I mean, I’m the hyung, but he treats me like I’m the annoying one.”
Rion frowned, clearly annoyed. Even assuming Yu-won didn’t actually dislike him, his attitude had always been the same.
Always saying something halfway between concern and irritation. And then came the final straw—something that always led to a fight.
Things were calmer lately, but in the beginning, Rion had been so furious he couldn’t sleep at night.
“See? Just talking about it is making you sulk.”
“I’m not sulking. I’m just too tired to even get mad anymore.”
“Come on, Yu-won’s super popular, right? He’s handsome, he’s an S-rank Guide so he makes good money, and even though he only snaps at you, he’s apparently famous at the Guide Center for being polite and courteous.”
“…That right there is exactly what pisses me off.”
“There are tons of people after him. I heard a few already confessed and got rejected.”
“Probably just rumors.”
“Nope. I won’t say who, but one of them’s my friend.”
Rion had been listening half-heartedly, trying not to get swept up, but that bit caught his full attention. His ears perked up.
“What did he say to them?”
“What, suddenly curious now? Weren’t you pretending not to care?”
“I mean… it’s just, y’know, I am curious.”
Rion scratched his head with a sheepish smile. He’d heard all kinds of gossip about Yu-won’s popularity, but this was the first time he’d heard a firsthand account.
“They say he gets confessed to like once a week.”
“He got two confessions at the same time, apparently…”
“I heard he already has a secret girlfriend.”
The Center was either overwhelming or painfully quiet depending on the season, so rumors like that were always floating around.
There was even a rumor once that I had an incurable disease, so yeah…
Most of the talk was light and forgotten quickly, so Rion never paid much attention.
Still, objectively speaking, Yu-won was pretty attractive, so it wasn’t far-fetched to believe people had confessed to him.
“You might not believe it, but apparently he’s super friendly and responsive at the Guide Center. So some people end up getting the wrong idea. They hang out for a couple of weeks, try to feel things out, and bam—gets turned down, cold as ice.”
Hee-joo shrugged. Honestly, it was nothing. It hadn’t even been a full confession—just someone testing the waters and getting gently rejected.
“Did he say something like, ‘I’m not interested in dating anyone’ or whatever?”
“He told her, ‘You’re probably thinking I’ve never dated since I just turned twenty. But I don’t think I’ll be dating anyone until I retire.’ That’s what he said. She said it was even more brutal than just getting rejected outright.”
‘Until I retire,’ huh? A rejection, sure—but a very specific one.
“So he meant… he doesn’t want to date anyone at the Center?”
“Working at the Center doesn’t mean you have to date someone from the Center. He probably just said that to reject her nicely.”
Unlike Rion, who was trying to read into the meaning, Hee-joo clearly didn’t think much of it.
“Anyway, most rumors are crap. He probably just doesn’t want to date right now. And if he did, it’s not like he’d be in a rush—he’s the kind of guy who could find someone anytime he wanted.”
“…”
“But still, he’s the kind of person it wouldn’t be weird to see with a girlfriend any day now. If you ask me, I bet he’ll be dating someone by next year. The way you’re acting, I’d say you’ll be jealous if that happens.”
“Jealous? Come on, don’t say crazy stuff like that!”
Rion recoiled in horror as if she’d said something unforgivable.
Hee-joo hadn’t meant it seriously and quickly forgot she’d even brought it up.
But Rion… couldn’t stop thinking about it.
During the one day of rest he got after his shift, the only thing running through his mind was everything Hee-joo had said.
I thought not seeing him would help me stop thinking about him. But at this point, even if people tease me about liking Lee Yu-won, I’ve got nothing to say…
He wondered if Yu-won had been so angry because he’d been that worried about him.
He wondered if Yu-won had spent an hour in that Gate anxiously thinking about whether he was okay.
He wondered what Yu-won meant when he said he wouldn’t date until he retired—why phrase it like that, specifically?
“I mean, Pairs often end up dating, right?”
And at the end of all that overthinking, he always heard the same teasing voices of his colleagues echoing in his head.
Rion let out a deep sigh and got up to prepare for work again.
It had been three days since Yu-won entered the Gate.
Only halfway through, and yet… the house felt enormous.
To make matters worse, most of the Espers Rion was close with had entered other Gates today, so he had no one to kill time with.
He half-hoped for a cooperation request to come in. As if in response to his wish, one did—though from a location a bit far from the Center.
Rion headed there right away, swiftly handled the situation, and even stuck around to help with cleanup tasks that didn’t really require his involvement, just to stay busy.
“If it hadn’t been for you, Rion, it could’ve been a disaster. Thank you so much.”
A karaoke bar, a PC café… The foundation of a building full of student-frequented spots had started to collapse.
Even without an active Gate, areas that had previously hosted one were still unstable and occasionally experienced spontaneous collapses.
“There were a few schools nearby that just finished exams today… There were so many kids, but thank god we got them all out safely.”
It had been a weekday, but with several middle and high schools wrapping up exams, the area had been crowded.
The windows couldn’t be opened, the entrance had completely collapsed, and the panicked students were struggling to evacuate properly.
It could’ve ended in tragedy.
At first, the rescue efforts had been delayed due to the risk of further collapse, but thanks to Rion’s quick arrival and decisive action, everything had been resolved without any serious injuries.
“Ji-hyun!”
“Mom!”
There were no major injuries, but some kids had tripped on the stairs or been knocked over in the chaos and ended up with minor scrapes.
As Rion was checking on the students, their parents began arriving one by one.
“Are you okay? Let me see—oh my god, your ankle’s all swollen. Does it hurt?”
“I was trying to rush out and fell… I didn’t even realize I was hurt.”
“Oh—Esper Kang Rion… Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Some recognized Rion and came running up to thank him.
It had been a while since he’d gotten this kind of gratitude—he was usually too busy going in and out of Gates.
He smiled awkwardly.
