A Small Boat on the Sea (8)
“What? Why are you following me? Aren’t you going to shower?”
I was so surprised to see him following behind me instead of going to shower with Hyung Jong-hyeok that I unconsciously used casual speech. Sa Hae-geon seemed equally taken aback, as he remained silent for a moment before finally responding.
“…I’ve already showered, so I don’t need to shower again.”
Already showered? Wait. Come to think of it, I had never seen Sa Hae-geon showering until now. How could I have never seen him shower during all the time we’ve lived together? Is that even possible? Seeing me frowning deeply in intense contemplation, Sa Hae-geon quietly added:
“I don’t really need to shower.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did I recall something I hadn’t really been conscious of until now. That’s right, Sa Hae-geon was an Esper who could control water. He had no need to bathe or dry himself off. I had just informed the other team members that he was a Dual Esper only a few hours ago, yet how could I forget this?
I awkwardly smiled and glanced at Noona Hae-yoon. Fortunately, she didn’t show any particular reaction, seemingly uninterested in my conversation with Sa Hae-geon. Her attention was completely absorbed by the menu on her phone.
“Sweet and sour pork, Chinese fried rice, jjamppong, jajangmyeon, pickled radish, seafood rice crust soup, japchae rice, tangsuyuk… Wow, it looks like today is Chinese cuisine special? It sounds so delicious.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Do-min, did you like Chinese food?”
“I like Korean food the best, but Chinese isn’t bad either. What about you, Noona?”
“Me? Well, I eat pretty much anything that’s served. How about you, Esper Sa Hae-geon?”
As if he hadn’t heard Noona Hae-yoon’s question, Sa Hae-geon continued walking with an expressionless face. An awkward silence fell for a moment. I ended up poking Sa Hae-geon’s side repeatedly to get his attention. He flinched his shoulders and looked toward me and Noona Hae-yoon.
“…Yes?”
“You must have been lost in thought and didn’t hear. I asked if Chinese food is okay for Esper Sa Hae-geon.”
“Ah, yes. I eat everything well without being picky.”
“Oh, that’s fortunate. There are quite a few picky Espers. Strictly speaking, it’s not ‘quite a few’ but rather blatantly many.”
“That’s true. There are many Espers who only eat meat or seafood. The Center isn’t really a comfortable place for picky eaters, unlike guilds perhaps. That’s why many Espers are seen buying food elsewhere.”
“Why, our Team Leader An, who looks like not a drop of blood would come out if you pricked him, is an incredible picky eater who only eats Korean food. He says he gets hives if he eats anything non-Korean. All the menu items today are Chinese, so I wonder if he’ll eat in the cafeteria?”
Noona Hae-yoon, who had been tilting her head in thought, shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t know. Let him figure it out himself. Whether he eats in the cafeteria or not.”
We went to the cafeteria first and found seats, and soon after, the Espers who had finished showering began to sit down one by one. Hyung Jong-hyeok, who arrived last at the cafeteria, scanned the menu with a serious face, then seemingly having made a decision, brought a tray of food.
The large tray contained only fried rice and kimchi. Seeing this, Noona Hae-yoon clicked her tongue.
“If you were just going to get fried rice and kimchi, why did you study the menu so intensely?”
At Noona Hae-yoon’s criticism, Hyung Jong-hyeok responded with a slight smile, and the other team members burst into laughter before moving their spoons.
And so, I began my first meal at the Center with Sa Hae-geon, whom I had never imagined would be working in the same place as me.
After finishing the meal, training began immediately without even a moment of free time. Watching Sa Hae-geon being dragged to the training ground by Hyung Jong-hyeok, I felt somewhat sorry for him.
“Do-min, let’s go too.”
“Yes.”
“Maybe it’s because we have fewer field missions? It feels more relaxed than usual.”
“I know. It’s been a while since I’ve been at the Center all day.”
“Ah, that’s right. It really has been a long time. At this hour, we would always be inside a dungeon. Right?”
When I nodded, Noona Hae-yoon sighed.
“I used to hate it then, but now… Can we really conquer the S-class dungeon?”
“We’ve been successfully conquering them every 10 years, so I’m sure we can do well this time too.”
“I know. It’s just… I’m strangely worried. What if I mess up a crisis that has been successfully overcome for 10 years?”
“That won’t happen. You’ll do well, Noona.”
At my encouragement, Noona Hae-yoon smiled and thanked me, but she still seemed uneasy. She couldn’t concentrate even while Guiding the Espers, as if something was bothering her. Hyung Jong-hyeok, who had come to receive Guiding from Noona, asked with twitching eyebrows:
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh? What?”
“The Guiding feels strange. Are you not feeling well?”
“Ah, no? I’m fine. I must have been lost in other thoughts for a moment. Sorry, I’ll focus.”
Hyung Jong-hyeok kept giving Noona Hae-yoon suspicious glances throughout the Guiding session. When it ended, he stood up and asked:
“You’ve been looking at that E&G community again, haven’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“I told you to stop with that community.”
“Well… I just looked at some posts that a friend shared.”
“Stop looking at it. You’re just getting swept up in it.”
“I don’t do it that much.”
“I know. But be careful.”
Noona Hae-yoon nodded in response. I had seen Noona Hae-yoon reading posts from that community a few times before, and she seemed to be quite influenced by the writings there. That influence would be even greater in uncertain situations like now.
I could vaguely understand what Hyung Jong-hyeok was worried about. A Guide’s anxiety greatly impacts their Guiding. When a Guide feels anxious, their Guiding becomes unstable, and those emotions transfer to the Esper.
Hyung Jong-hyeok must have noticed something odd while receiving Guiding from Noona Hae-yoon. Even after he left, Noona Hae-yoon sat blankly holding her phone, then snapped back to attention when she heard Sa Hae-geon entering and looked at me.
“Do-min.”
“Yes?”
“I should… delete it, right? For my mental health and the peace of the country?”
I opened my eyes wide at the grandiloquent words, and Noona laughed.
“It’s nothing major. I’m just asking if it would be better for me to focus on Guiding during the conquest.”
“Ah… Do whatever makes you comfortable, Noona. But… well, cautiously speaking, I do agree with Hyung Jong-hyeok’s opinion.”
“I thought so too. Okay. It’s right to delete this app. And I won’t even look at it until the conquest is over.”
“Yes. I’ll cheer for you.”
While Noona Hae-yoon was clenching her fist with determination, Sa Hae-geon sat down in front of me. Though he had clearly walked in normally, suddenly his head was half-resting on my shoulder as he slumped over, looking like he was dying. Did he get hurt during training?
I’ve heard that when adrenaline is excessively secreted, one can’t even feel pain – was this the aftermath hitting him now?
“W-what’s this? What’s wrong with you? Are you hurt somewhere?”
At my urgent question, Sa Hae-geon mumbled:
“I don’t get enough time with you, Hyung.”
“…What did you say?”
My voice involuntarily rose at the absurd statement. This attracted the attention of other Guides nearby who were looking at their phones or chatting. The Guides quickly resumed what they were doing, but I could clearly feel that they were still focusing on our conversation while pretending not to.
“Hyung.”
“Y-yes? What?”
While hoping he would avoid making statements that would be awkward for others to hear, I listened to Sa Hae-geon’s next words.
“Please Guide me.”
“Ah, yes. Sure. I’ll Guide you.”
Thankfully, Sa Hae-geon brought up a normal topic. Yes, he has a sense of tact after all – I was worrying too much. I let out a sigh of relief and naturally took Sa Hae-geon’s hand. And at that moment, Noona Hae-yoon asked in a puzzled tone:
“Huh? Do-min, you’re doing contact Guiding… What’s going on?”
My hand holding Sa Hae-geon’s flinched. Noona narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between Sa Hae-geon and me. As I tried to gently pull my hand away while checking the surroundings, Sa Hae-geon instead gripped my hand even more firmly than before.
When I looked at Sa Hae-geon with a confused face, he, who had been sitting there just blinking, rubbed his forehead vigorously against my shoulder and then responded to Noona Hae-yoon:
“I have a somewhat special constitution, so radial Guiding doesn’t have much effect on me. That’s why I asked Hyung for contact Guiding.”
“…Ah, I see. So that’s it.”
Noona Hae-yoon nodded reluctantly, and Sa Hae-geon gave her a slight smile. Then he fully leaned his weight on me. I glanced around and whispered in Sa Hae-geon’s ear:
“Hae-geon, you’re heavy…”
“I was so exhausted. The training never ended, and you were busy Guiding other Espers and didn’t even glance at me.”
“That’s…”
Just as I was about to continue my explanation, Noona Hae-yoon abruptly stood up and approached us. Could she have sensed some strange atmosphere? It seems my overly familiar behavior with Sa Hae-geon was the problem. My skin trembled so much that I forgot to breathe, and I unconsciously swallowed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
