#48
Kim Seon-young looked Oh-yul up and down, then turned away primly. Oh-yul stood there for a while, watching Kim Seon-young’s retreating figure, before addressing someone approaching from behind.
“Esper Joo Si-yeo.”
“I came too. Luckily, they didn’t stop me from coming here, probably because all the reporters’ attention was focused elsewhere. It’s good our first gathering wasn’t ruined, right?”
Ha Eun-chan, still excited, looked around the complex’s garden surrounded by high walls. It was a spacious and well-decorated area, but the walls ruined the scenery.
“Why did they build these walls…”
In response to Ha Eun-chan’s grumbling, Joo Si-yeo gave the reason known to all Espers belonging to the complex.
“They say Espers are scary.”
That can’t be the only reason.
Oh-yul sneered inwardly and started walking towards the room. Joo Si-yeo and Ha Eun-chan naturally followed.
It was a rare sight to see three S-class Espers together, so the eyes of other Espers and Guides naturally turned towards them. They had probably seen the press conference broadcast, so their faces were full of curiosity.
The occasional sharp glances were likely from those wary of the minister’s dogs.
“But where are we going?”
“Somewhere quiet.”
Oh-yul needed a walled space where he could briefly borrow a phone from either Ha Eun-chan or Joo Si-yeo.
As Oh-yul strode forward with his long legs, he felt his clothes being tugged and turned around. It was Ha Eun-chan’s telekinesis. It wasn’t a strong force, more like a child hesitantly grabbing at his clothes.
“But, aren’t we going to bring anything to eat?”
Ha Eun-chan asked blankly, mumbling “Beer…” before swallowing his words. He watched Oh-yul’s reaction and then bravely continued.
“I mean, we’re meeting after such a long time, and to get closer, we should have a drink and some snacks… I’m not asking for chicken or anything…”
“Eun-chan’s right about that. Don’t they sell that stuff here? Should we go out and buy some?”
Joo Si-yeo agreed, looking around. Her gaze suggested that surely there must be something in such a large building, but there wasn’t. There was no way a place like this would have a convenience store.
“There isn’t any.”
“The power plant is better than here at least. They have a convenience store there.”
“It’s surprising that battery life is better than being a clown.”
“Being a battery is better than being a clown.”
Joo Si-yeo laughed raucously. It was closer to genuine laughter than mockery of Oh-yul. Despite putting each other down, both of their expressions remained calm. It wasn’t something to get upset about in the first place. They all knew how miserable each other’s situations were.
“Ah, but Eun-chan’s situation is the best. Not a clown, not a battery, it’s better to mingle with monsters. At least they don’t make you angry.”
Ha Eun-chan, an Esper guarding the roads between cities rather than inside the city, scratched his nape awkwardly.
“But lately I’ve been missing people a bit.”
Ha Eun-chan, who particularly enjoyed socializing with people, showed a gloomy face while saying he was free but lonely, but quickly composed himself.
“I’ll go quickly. I can contact you through Siyeon noona’s phone, right? Is there anything specific you two want?”
“Just get whatever you feel like.”
Joo Si-yeo, who looked like she might be picky, casually waved her hand saying to buy anything. Ha Eun-chan was about to complain that there’s no such thing as “anything” in this world, but his jaw nearly dropped at Oh-yul’s next words.
“Please get some sweet beer that tastes like fruit. I think the name is…”
Oh-yul mentioned the name of the beer Ho-woo had drunk. Ha Eun-chan nodded with a somewhat dubious expression, and Oh-yul showed satisfaction beneath his expressionless face.
“What’s with that beer taste, are you a kid? You don’t look like it.”
“One’s face doesn’t necessarily reveal their tastes.”
Oh-yul brought Joo Si-yeo to his office but didn’t lock the door. The more one tries to hide something, the more suspicious it looks, so he acted naturally.
Joo Si-yeo, who had claimed the sofa and put her feet up on the table, casually asked Oh-yul, who was sitting upright with his back straight.
“Are you asking for love advice or something?”
“Love advice, you say. Esper Joo Si-yeo, have you ever been in love?”
Despite his sarcastic tone, she chuckled as if finding it amusing.
“I have. So, Mr. Oh-yul who’s never dated at 30, are you asking for love advice? Is it about that man from the anonymous board?”
“Were you also a frequent user of that board?”
“It’s interesting to look at sometimes. You can hear unexpected rumors too.”
It was clear that these “unexpected rumors” referred to Oh-yul’s affairs. Instead of adding an excuse, Oh-yul returned an affirmative silence.
Anyway, if he borrowed her phone, Ho-woo’s number would remain with Joo Si-yeo. Despite her rough personality, she wasn’t one to make empty promises and was surprisingly favorable towards Oh-yul.
“Really?!”
“Do I have any reason to lie to you?”
“Wow… To hear that this guy is dating in my lifetime. I thought you might be impotent or something. Never doing close contact Guiding like everyone else does.”
“Please stop with the vulgar talk.”
Joo Si-yeo, who had been grinning broadly with her mouth open wide enough to show her uvula, frowned one eye strangely and asked, “What?”
“Your phone.”
“Did you leave it with me? If something goes, something should come back, right?”
Joo Si-yeo took her phone out of her pocket and rolled it in her hand, smiling like a cat with her lips pulled back.
“Let’s hear about this love story.”
“…It’s not love. Not yet.”
“Yes, yes, of course. So how’s it progressing?”
Joo Si-yeo grinned and held up her phone slightly. It was an annoying pressure suggesting that if he wanted to borrow it, he should spill everything obediently.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Well, you’d have to have dated to know.”
She clicked her tongue as if pitying him.
“Then if you answer my questions obediently, I’ll lend it to you.”
“…I’ll borrow from Esper Ha Eun-chan.”
“I’ll make it unusable before you can borrow it.”
“……”
Oh-yul’s expression now showed genuine annoyance. If his plans hadn’t been disrupted because of Kim Seon-young, he wouldn’t have had to deal with Joo Si-yeo grinning and holding his contact with Ho-woo hostage right in front of him.
In any case, there’s not a single likable thing about that father and daughter.
“So, when did you meet?”
“…We’re neighbors.”
“Neighbors? Don’t you live here?”
“I do.”
“But you said neighbors.”
“I live there too.”
“…You have two homes?”
“When you put it that way, it sounds like I’m having an affair.”
From Ho-woo’s perspective, he might feel that way right now.
Thinking this, a bit more impatience showed in Oh-yul’s black eyes. Joo Si-yeo, who rarely read Oh-yul’s emotions, smiled mischievously like a reporter who had caught an even more interesting story.
“Wow, you’re serious.”
“……”
“Really? Which Guide is it? Do I know them?”
“……”
“Not a Guide?”
Even from Oh-yul’s silence, she managed to find the truth, nodding to herself. I see, I see. She muttered to herself, seemingly having realized something.
“Is it that you’re trying to borrow my phone because you couldn’t tell them about this situation? It was quite sudden, wasn’t it? Your phone was taken away on the matching rate test day, and all you have left is a pager that can’t make outside calls.”
“If you know, hand it over.”
“Wow… Oh-yul, you might be the biggest jerk in the world right now.”
Joo Si-yeo, extremely pleased that Oh-yul had become a jerk, burst into laughter. Her laughter was so loud that it echoed through the office, creating small sparks of energy.
Oh-yul hoped that the phone in her hand was still intact despite the electrical discharge. He knew she had ruined numerous pagers and phones in this way.
“How old is your partner, hm?”
“Are you going to lend it to me?”
He couldn’t forcibly take it as she was also S-class, making quick subjugation impossible, and the phone wouldn’t survive the chaos anyway. Oh-yul brushed back his bangs and let out a deep sigh.
“I said I’d lend it if you answer well. It’s easier than pleasing that girl today, what’s the problem?”
Finally, Oh-yul decided to play along with Joo Si-yeo to some extent, excluding crucial information.
“…Twenty-eight.”
“Same age as me? You’ve made a friend. You won’t tell me the name, of course. At least tell me what’s pretty about them.”
“……”
At Oh-yul’s silence, Joo Si-yeo gripped the fragile phone tightly and smiled wickedly.
“Oh? Don’t want to borrow it?”
When else would she get a chance to corner Oh-yul like this? She had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away. Despite her obvious intentions, Oh-yul narrowed his eyes and then let out a sigh.
“Everything.”
“Huh?”
“I said everything is pretty.”
“Ugh.”
Joo Si-yeo’s expression twisted in disgust at Oh-yul’s answer, which was so honest it was cringe-worthy. If others said everything was good, people might think they were just being polite, but Oh-yul was a man who didn’t need to lie.
His personality was so bad that he had to speak ambiguously if he didn’t want to, but he didn’t necessarily swallow lies.
