#59
Moreover, perhaps because he had received a hint from Joo Si-yeon beforehand that Oh-yul’s situation wasn’t good, Ho-woo wasn’t particularly surprised.
He just felt a little sorry for the man who acted too calmly despite being caught up in all this. How could life be so dramatically turbulent?
[Is this the situation you were talking about when you contacted me last time? It’s a situation of enormous scale.]
[…Yeah, probably. I don’t know much either. I heard it roughly from someone else, not Yul.]
In response to Ho-woo’s answer, Do-hyun sent a rabbit emoticon with a troubled face.
[Is it okay for our parents to enter the Management Complex in this situation? They were happy, saying it’s a good opportunity….]
Ho-woo couldn’t give a specific answer to Do-hyun’s question. He didn’t know the details well enough to say whether it was good or bad.
The only way Ho-woo could help Do-hyun was to ask the person closest to him.
[I’ll ask Yul when I get off work.]
[Ugh…. I don’t like it. Why him of all people? More importantly, were you able to contact him in the midst of all this?]
What can I do, that’s the only way. More than that, should I tell Do-hyun? That I’ve become a Guide who can only Guide Oh-yul.
Judging from Do-hyun’s hostile attitude towards Yul so far, he probably wouldn’t be pleased. No, it would be fortunate if he didn’t explode in anger.
[Hey, Do-hyun. They say I’ve become a Guide.]
[Hey, I’m a Guide. Isn’t it strange?]
Ho-woo kept typing messages and deleting them with the backspace key, but in the end, he couldn’t say anything to Do-hyun.
Right, it’s better to talk about these things face to face.
[Yeah, I met him in person. He said he’s coming to pick me up after work too.]
In fact, Ho-woo had gone to him, but he didn’t specifically say that. If he mentioned that, he would have to explain everything from why he rushed to Oh-yul during his rampage to how he had become a strange kind of Guide. Ho-woo, who had glossed over it, smiled at Do-hyun’s new message.
[Now, it seems like it’s not my place to interfere. If you’re happy, I won’t stop you. If you break up, I’ll buy you a drink, so see it through to the end.]
Even though he couldn’t see his face, somehow it felt like he was sighing.
[Thanks.]
No long words were necessary. Ho-woo was always grateful to Do-hyun because he believed that Kim Do-hyun would always be by his side no matter what happened.
He had no memories from before he was 10, but after that, Do-hyun was always present in Lee Ho-woo’s memories. He was always a good friend and a reliable helper.
It seemed like emotions had strayed to different places at times, but Do-hyun quickly returned to his original path.
[Don’t overdo it.]
Ho-woo checked Do-hyun’s last reply and let out a long sigh. As things around him were being sorted out one by one, he forgot that the biggest mountain remained in front of him.
He needed to contact his father who must have been worried, and he also needed to clarify his relationship with Oh-yul going forward.
Oh-yul was kind and gentle, and he liked Ho-woo. But what about Lee Ho-woo himself?
Ho-woo carefully retraced his feelings.
He wanted to treat him well, and when he saw his gloomy face, he wanted to hug him and pat his back. When he faced unfair treatment, Ho-woo wished Oh-yul would get angry instead of smiling as if he was used to it. Or maybe Ho-woo could get angry on his behalf.
Is this really liking someone?
It’s funny to suddenly accept after rejecting all this time, but now that he could Guide him too, wouldn’t it be okay? Such a thought suddenly occurred to him.
After all, that had been the biggest barrier preventing him from accepting Oh-yul.
Ho-woo clenched his fist with a tense face.
Should I tell him on the way home since he said he’s coming?
No, Yul’s head must be complicated right now, do I need to make it more complicated? Maybe I should tell him a little later.
After pondering for a while, Ho-woo was startled by a hand tapping his desk and looked up at the person.
“You should work.”
Yu Mi-yeon, who was passing by, put a coffee on the desk, grinned, and walked away.
Right, let’s start with work first.
Ho-woo tried to suppress his complicated thoughts and placed his hands on the keyboard.
***
A cheerful horn sound rang out briefly twice. People who were naturally hurrying to leave work turned their attention to the sound, which was meant to attract attention rather than warn someone.
Ho-woo was mixed in among those people. He moved his gaze to the car that made the sound and smiled brightly as he hurried his steps.
“You’re here?”
As he bent down to greet through the open window, the man in the driver’s seat smiled like a fox, his eyes crinkling.
His eyes, which had become slightly bluer than in the morning, sparkled in the dim summer evening glow.
“Was work okay?”
“Fortunately, it seems like it will pass without any major issues. I didn’t have to write an explanatory report, and there’s no pay cut.”
Ho-woo, sitting in the passenger seat, pleasantly relaxed his lips at the cooler-than-expected temperature inside the car.
The weather was gradually becoming hot and humid as it headed towards summer, so this coolness that dispelled the heat was welcome.
“Did you turn on the air conditioning?”
It’s cool. Ho-woo muttered as he fastened his seatbelt. At his voice, Yul quietly laughed and started the car.
“Is it cool?”
“It’s just right. I’m sensitive to cold, so usually when I ride buses or subways in summer, it’s a bit cold.”
“Oh my.”
His tone was sympathetic, but his expression was smiling. Ho-woo stared at his profile for a moment before loosening his necktie that was tightly constricting his neck.
“I guess I’ll have to adjust it properly.”
“The air conditioning?”
Ho-woo glanced at the car’s air conditioner and then tilted his head slightly.
Huh?
The car’s air conditioner was silent.
Then where is this cool air coming from…
Ho-woo’s expression turned to dismay as he quickly found the answer without needing to think long. A gentle cool breeze was softly flowing from Oh-yul’s direction. It wasn’t cold, but comfortably cool – the temperature Ho-woo had said was just right.
“I’m sorry, that wasn’t intentional…”
Ho-woo quickly apologized for unintentionally treating him like an air conditioner.
“No, I rather like it. I’m very sensitive to heat. It’s good because we can be cool together in summer, and in winter I can give my coat to you.”
At his words, Ho-woo stared at the Esper uniform he was wearing.
Who in their right mind would dress like that in summer?
The trench coat-style outer garment with its collar turned up, the decorated black jacket underneath, and the shirt and tie around his neck were all neat.
The long pants that slightly revealed his ankles and the black Oxford shoes were likely to be smooth without a single flaw.
The man’s attire was consistent. No, not just his – all the Espers’ attire was like that. Even female Espers had the same basic composition, with only slight differences in form.
“…Aren’t there summer uniforms?”
“There’s no particular distinction by season. If it’s too hot, we’re allowed to take off the coat and go around.”
It must be really tough in summer. Ho-woo knew that the lightly added comment, seemingly a joke, was actually true.
Even if they’re Espers, won’t they melt away in the heat?
It was a thoroughly reasonable doubt.
Seeing Ho-woo’s serious expression, Yul turned to look at him while stuck in the evening rush hour traffic. There was a faint smile in his eyes.
“Did you see the news today?”
“…I did.”
Since the news that came out today wasn’t very good for the man sitting next to him, Ho-woo forcibly relaxed his face that was about to tense up and absently touched his cheek.
However, Oh-yul’s voice was bright.
“Even the part about how I might become the new head of the Complex?”
Since such a thing was written at the end of the article, Ho-woo nodded slightly. Confirming his nod, Oh-yul gently crinkled his eyes.
“If I become the head, there’s a lot to do. First, we need to redesign the uniforms by season, and I’m thinking of tearing down the walls around the Complex.”
He said he had gone through so much hardship just to do things like this, laughing refreshingly. It wasn’t an illusion that his smile looked very refreshing.
While they were talking for a moment, the traffic jam on the congested road seemed to be easing a bit as the cars slowly moved forward. The passing roads were both unfamiliar and familiar.
The car passed through familiar narrow alleys and stopped in the parking lot of an old apartment building. Although he always walked by, riding in a car like this gave a different feeling.
“We’ve arrived at our home.”
At Oh-yul’s voice, which was mixed with a bit of joy and excitement as he turned off the engine, Ho-woo suddenly came to his senses.
Our home.
Yul probably said those words without any particular meaning, but the sound of them was pleasant to hear.
“I wanted to come back here.”
The shabby and old apartment was different from the stylish building and well-equipped room where he had stayed at the Management Complex. Nevertheless, the man who said he wanted to return here had a faint smile on his face.
Ho-woo, who had been staring at his profile, was startled by Oh-yul’s presence as he slowly turned his head towards him, and quickly turned away. The rising heat made the previously cool car interior feel strangely hot.
Once he loosened the reins on his heart, which he had kept in check until now saying it wouldn’t work with Oh-yul, it ran wild in all directions, making Ho-woo uncomfortable.
How did he manage to remain so calm before in the face of casual words and affectionate gazes?
You must be crazy, Lee Ho-woo.
You’ve only had terrible relationships until now, so you’re acting like a novice all of a sudden.
