Churu for the Angry Guide

133

Geonho, stuck in the basement without a ray of sunlight, stretched out. Lying on the blanket, his gaze was fixed on his phone.

“Han Siwoo, you’re really angry.”

He muttered to himself, staring at the black phone screen. He regretted the brief call with Siwoo.

If he called again, Siwoo would probably get angrier. He held back, thinking that if he annoyed him further, he might not even be able to see his face. He scratched his head vigorously, tucking the phone that wasn’t even used as a clock under the blanket.

“Haa―. I miss him so damn much.”

Remembering Siwoo’s fair, chubby face, he grabbed his crotch hard once. He suppressed his urge with a hiss, as if warning his own body. Ever since that night they properly joined bodies, just thinking of Siwoo’s face made his body react.

He didn’t want to masturbate alone thinking of Siwoo. He felt it wouldn’t be satisfying to just ejaculate into his own palm.

“Han Siwoo. Woo Sihan. Han Siwoo. Woo Sihan.”

He played with Siwoo’s name, wiggling his feet. Everything was boring. Time without Han Siwoo seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly. He didn’t know how he had lived without that guy until now.

“Huah―!”

Just as he was about to use his psychic power to bring the water bottle on the desk while letting out a loud sigh…

The water bottle flying towards Geonho suddenly fell to the floor. Fortunately, it was capped, so no water spilled.

“…”

Geonho, startled enough for his psychic power to break, jumped up from his seat. He had a dazed expression as if he’d seen a ghost.

[Geonho-ya.]

Along with the sudden auditory hallucination, a faint memory popped up in Geonho’s mind. It was a memory he had never recalled even once until now.

[Listen to hyung.]

It was clearly a familiar voice, but it sounded somewhat strange. The way of speaking was completely different from the hyung he knew.

However, in the scene unfolding before his eyes like a video, his hyung was speaking. A younger, smaller hyung than now.

[Kang Geonho, listen to hyung.]

He was holding down his struggling self. His hands, covered in black fur as if from a failed animal transformation, were clawing and scratching at his hyung’s face. Every time he swung his hands, flesh fell from his young hyung’s face and neck, and blood flowed.

“Stop…”

[It’s okay.]

Geonho, who had slumped to the floor, looked up at the sound of his young hyung’s voice.

[Everything will be alright.]

His hyung, hugging his struggling self, whispered with a trembling voice. It was a tone that would never come from his current hyung.

[Don’t be scared. Hyung is here.]

His hyung’s voice saying this was filled with fear. Geonho gaped, looking at his hyung who was hugging him with one arm.

In the distance, he could see his hyung’s torn-off left hand. The moment he saw the hand lying on the floor like a red lump of meat, a nauseating taste of blood filled his mouth.

[It’s all okay. Calm down. Please, Geonho-ya.]

His hyung comforted him until the moment he passed out. He kept stroking his back with his trembling right hand and wiping away his tears. Thanks to his hyung’s calm voice, Geonho’s heart didn’t burst and returned to its normal rhythm.

He had injured his hyung, who was smaller than him, to the point where he couldn’t move, while he himself remained unharmed.

“Geonho hyung, are you okay?”

Seojun slapped Geonho’s cheeks and shook his shoulders. He had come to Geonho’s room after hearing him hyperventilating. Their rooms weren’t soundproof like the dormitory. They could hear each other’s faintest breaths.

Geonho waved his hand at Seojun who was checking on him and grabbed the water bottle. Seeing Geonho fumble while trying to open the cap, Seojun opened it for him.

“Should I call Secretary Nam?”

“…It’s fine.”

Geonho lay down on the bed, supported by Seojun. After taking a deep breath, he told Seojun to leave.

“Hey, maknae.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Seojun, who was hesitantly leaving the room, immediately returned to Geonho. He was worried about his hyung who suddenly started hyperventilating. Could it be because only Jihan hyung received guiding yesterday? It seemed possible for Geonho hyung, who had a weak mentality. There were many espers who developed physical symptoms due to stress.

“Don’t take off the bracelet.”

Seojun stopped in his tracks as he approached Geonho’s bed.

“Never take it off.”

Seojun slowly nodded as he looked at Geonho, who had his arm over his eyes.

“You too, hyung.”

* * *

Siwoo cried very pitifully.

“I, damn…”

He sobbed with his face in his hands, choking back his cries. Not being able to cry freely seemed to make him even more miserable. Judging from his muffled words mixed with curses, that seemed to be the gist of it.

Instead of telling him not to cry, Taebeom looked at him for a moment, then brought a blanket from the cot and wrapped it around Siwoo.

“Sit down and cry.”

After seating Siwoo on the bed instead of the cold floor, he even brought him a water bottle. If you’re going to be this nice. Siwoo kicked off the blanket, angry at Taebeom who had treated him so brusquely.

Taebeom’s eyes were drawn to the white calves exposed outside the thin blanket, and he pulled the blanket down to cover Siwoo’s feet. Siwoo then stretched out his legs again, throwing off the blanket.

“Give me guiding.”

He rubbed his reddened eyes and let out a long sigh. Even in his exhausted breath, there was guiding energy. Taebeom inhaled this and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Next time.”

Before Siwoo could get upset, Taebeom continued.

“Radiant guiding is enough for now.”

Taebeom spread the blanket neatly with firm hands. He only let go after covering Siwoo’s calves and up to his chin with the blanket.

Siwoo snorted and released more guiding energy. The cold feeling from the floor he had been sitting on disappeared instantly. The mattress of the cot was a bit hard, but it still retained warmth. It seemed Kang Taebeom had been lying there.

“You coughed up blood, didn’t you?”

Siwoo, pressing the blanket down with his chin, persistently inquired. He believed there was a reason why Taebeom had changed into new clothes. His voice had sounded unwell when they were on the phone too.

“It’s just expelling bad blood.”

What does that mean? Siwoo blinked and tilted his head.

“It means getting rid of something bad in the body. It’s not a bad thing.”

Is that… could that be possible?

“Really?”

“Have you always been so gullible?”

“Yes.”

Since he was young, Siwoo had been surrounded by liars. When he answered like that, Taebeom stared at him again.

“It’s not as dangerous as it looks, so don’t ask anymore.”

“But still―”

“Enough.”

Taebeom commanded with a gesture. There he goes again. He treated Siwoo like a dog. I’m a cat beastkin, not a dog.

He must be that used to handling dogs. To the point where he knows nothing about other animals.

“Kang Geonho should know.”

The face of the guy who sincerely respected and liked his hyung flashed before his eyes.

“Tell him before it gets worse.”

If Kang Geonho finds out after it’s too late to do anything, he’ll definitely break down. Siwoo wished Taebeom would tell everyone about his condition right now.

“After we solve this incident.”

Taebeom opened the cap of a new water bottle, leaving the rest unsaid. He was planning to tell after resolving the beastkin outbreak incident. Siwoo couldn’t argue with Taebeom as he held out the water bottle to him.

Come to think of it, that’s right. Even if it’s not after it worsens, Kang Geonho would be sufficiently shocked even now. How would Geonho, a beastkin, react if he learned about his hyung’s condition? He could roughly guess.

“He’s emotionally fragile.”

Taebeom put the cool water bottle into Siwoo’s hands under the blanket. His voice no longer sounded cold.

“As kind as he is, he’s sensitive and easily swayed by emotions.”

Siwoo looked down at the water bottle sloshing in his hands. Though he wasn’t thirsty, he forcibly moistened his throat. When Geonho’s story came from Taebeom’s mouth, the underside of his tongue felt hot. He already knew, but feeling that Taebeom cared for his dongsaeng more than himself made his chest ache.

“Then at least tell someone else. Secretary Nam and Yoo Jihan.”

“If those two know, we might as well consider everyone knowing.”

Again, Siwoo lost his argument and just sipped the water. As much as he hated to admit it, he understood a little why Taebeom was keeping his condition secret. Annoyingly so.

“It’s just the ability disappearing.”

Taebeom murmured softly, looking at Siwoo’s tearful face.

“Nothing else will change. You just need to stay with the guild.”

Siwoo, wiping his wet lips, looked at Taebeom. Taebeom’s gaze, which had touched Siwoo’s moistened lips and then left, moved towards the door.

Siwoo stared intently at Taebeom’s profile as he turned his head away. With a face that looked like he might leave at any moment, he was diligently absorbing the guiding energy.

All the energy Siwoo was emitting was being sucked into his body without a trace. It was proof that his body was unwell. Siwoo could feel Taebeom’s instincts desperately craving the guiding.

Nevertheless, Taebeom didn’t show even a hint of emotion. He faced Siwoo with unwavering eyes and didn’t attempt even the slightest touch. He seemed more accustomed than anyone to enduring and holding back.

Of course, that would be the case. He had established a guild representing a country at a young age and risen to the position of guild master.

Just imagining how much he must have endured and given up to live like this made it hard to breathe. Suddenly, he remembered the young Taebeom’s kind voice he had heard in his dream. The gentle touch he had shown when his reason was clouded. And the actions of Taebeom in the old story Jihan had told him also played out in his mind like a movie.

His actions and words that revealed his warm personality. No matter how much he tried to hide it, his true nature couldn’t be concealed.

Who else would Kang Geonho’s sensitive and kind heart take after? He must have learned it from watching his hyung who protected and cared for him.

“I’d like it if you stopped crying.”

Taebeom bluntly said to Siwoo, whose eyes had reddened again. He had been watching from the corner of his eye while pretending not to care. If you’re going to look, look properly.

“Then give me guiding.”

Siwoo’s voice trembled as he shed tears. But his hands moved without hesitation.

“Guiding is my right, isn’t it?”

His white hand threw the water bottle upside down onto the blanket. The liquid that gushed out of the narrow opening soaked the blanket thoroughly. He made it completely wet so that Taebeom could no longer cover his body with the blanket. Along with the clothes that were hindering the guiding.

“It will hurt.”

Taebeom gave a warning that wasn’t scary at all. There were many hidden meanings in those brief words. It meant that if Siwoo guided him in his poor condition, it would strain Siwoo’s body. Siwoo now understood it all.

“So what?”

Siwoo also hid his true feelings in clumsy words as he approached him, grabbing his damp pants.

It will hurt less than you, so it’s okay. Siwoo was saying this with his eyes.