#101
“If you’re done talking, we’ll go first.”
“Ho-woo, let’s see each other at home later. Come visit.”
Kim Jin-woo, managing his heartburn due to his hopeless son, kindly said goodbye to Ho-woo. Seong Ha-young also left a brief farewell, saying she’d see him later, and exited the office.
Only after the footsteps of the two had faded to some extent did Ho-woo look at his lover. His slightly lowered eyelashes cast a small shadow, making it hard to guess what he was thinking.
Ho-woo lightly tapped the table with his hand to get his attention. At that small sound and action, Oh-yul quickly emerged from his thoughts and met Ho-woo’s gaze.
“What are you thinking about so much?”
“About you, Ho-woo.”
“What thoughts are you having about me when I’m right in front of you?”
“Just… that I’m too much of a bastard.”
Oh-yul smiled freshly. His expression didn’t match the content of his words at all.
Sometimes I want to open this man’s head to see what he’s thinking.
“Shall we go on a date now?”
Oh-yul stood up casually and turned to Ho-woo. Ho-woo glared at his nonchalant lover for a moment with narrowed eyes. Oh-yul, who had extended his hand, didn’t rush Ho-woo. He just quietly waited for Ho-woo to approach.
Quietly, as if hoping he would choose on his own.
Ho-woo approached him and reached out his hand.
Oh-yul firmly grasped Ho-woo’s hand, intertwining their fingers, and showed a gentle and calm face.
“Shall we take a walk then?”
Ho-woo pointed with his gaze to the wide lawn visible outside the window. Oh-yul didn’t comment particularly on that suggestion.
In fact, even if it was called a date, there was nothing special about it. Ho-woo rarely went out because he disliked putting Oh-yul in the ‘rude’ gaze of people. Fortunately, the two had some common hobbies, so dates usually took place at each other’s homes after work.
Oh-yul usually cooked food for the week or occasionally read cookbooks. Ho-woo would hover around, offering to help with the cooking, and end up eating the side dishes Oh-yul made one by one. Or Oh-yul, who had been recommended web novels by Ho-woo, would read with a serious face and then give up with an expression of complete incomprehension.
The two walked slowly along the wide lawn of the corporation after leaving the office. Ho-woo slowly looked around. Until a few months ago, he had never thought he would be part of this scenery. Even when he first came here, he just thought it was interesting. Time flew by so fast, and now he had already reached this point.
“It’s not long now, right?”
Oh-yul, who had been staring straight ahead, looked at Ho-woo with a slightly puzzled face.
“Becoming the minister.”
“Ah.”
Oh-yul nodded with an unimpressed face. Ho-woo thought there should be more of a reaction, but his expression was indifferent, as if saying, ‘Oh, right.’
“Are the preparations going well?”
Even though Kim Dong-cheol was surely interfering, Oh-yul never showed any sign of it to Ho-woo.
“I’ve already finished what I can do. Now I’m just waiting for you, Ho-woo.”
It seems to be about becoming an official guide.
“I’ll be officially announced too, right?”
“That’s right. It will be announced to the entire city, will that be okay?”
“…Hmm.”
There really wasn’t much time left. As the time to confess to his father in advance approached, his throat suddenly felt constricted.
What on earth happened in the forgotten past?
To understand Lee Ho-yeon, who hates Espers, it seems necessary to recall those memories, but would he be able to look at Oh-yul with the same perspective after recalling them?
The biggest problem is that there’s no clue to recall the memories. Ho-woo swallowed a sigh.
“Actually… I haven’t told my father yet.”
Oh-yul quietly listened to Ho-woo’s words.
“My father really hates Espers and guides. Even before I became independent, I never brought up that topic in front of him.”
“Oh my…”
“But I don’t know why he hates them. He doesn’t tell me the reason, and I don’t remember anything either.”
Ho-woo hesitated for a moment before adding,
“I don’t have any memories from before I was 10 years old.”
Usually, when people say they have no memories, most people tend to be at least a little surprised. All the people Ho-woo had encountered so far had been like that, and some even showed sympathy, so he naturally thought Oh-yul would be the same.
However, instead of reacting dramatically, Oh-yul calmly seated Ho-woo on a bench in the shade. Cupping Ho-woo’s slightly flushed cheeks with his cool hands, he quietly waited for Ho-woo to continue speaking.
“But sometimes I have this thought. Ah, I’m glad I don’t have memories of what my father hates so much. I’m glad there’s not even a sign of them coming back.”
Ho-woo rubbed his cheek against the cool palm with a complex expression.
“…Am I a bad son?”
Though he said it lightly as if joking, Ho-woo’s voice was tinged with mixed emotions.
“Still, I should tell him in advance, but I can’t find the courage.”
“Nothing bad will happen.”
Ho-woo burst into laughter at Oh-yul’s words, which were somehow filled with certainty. When he spoke with such conviction, it somehow felt like nothing would really happen.
Yes, that’s how it will be.
***
Ho-woo rolled his eyes. Encouraged by Oh-yul’s confidence, he had boldly come alone to see his father on the weekend, but he was still scared. When he said he had something to say with a serious face, Lee Ho-yeon quietly let Ho-woo into the house.
“Um… Father.”
“Sit down first.”
With a look that seemed to say ‘What’s the rush?’, Ho-woo obediently sat on the sofa. Lee Ho-yeon brought two cups of hot citron tea from the kitchen and placed one in front of Ho-woo.
Only the sound of sipping tea continued. Ho-woo, moistening his lips while watching his father’s reaction, difficultly uttered his first words.
“I’m seeing someone.”
For a moment, Lee Ho-yeon’s eyes twitched. However, Ho-woo, with his head bowed low, didn’t see it and continued to carefully lay the groundwork before revealing the shocking fact.
“He’s very kind to me and sincere.”
Ho-woo slightly raised his head to check Lee Ho-yeon’s expression.
“And he’s a man.”
Lee Ho-yeon’s expression seemed fine. Ho-woo felt a little relieved, but soon hesitated again, choosing his words. There was nothing more to throw now. He needed to say it, but he couldn’t find the courage, so after hesitating for a long time, Ho-woo barely started speaking.
“He’s an Esper.”
“…”
“And I’ve become a guide.”
Laying out the bombs side by side was quite beautiful. Preparing for the bombs to explode with a roar soon, Ho-woo hunched his shoulders and squeezed his eyes shut.
…Huh?
However, contrary to his expectations, Lee Ho-yeon neither got angry nor shouted. It would be good if he said something. Lee Ho-yeon only opened his mouth when Ho-woo had become anxious.
“I see.”
The answer to Ho-woo’s careful confession of becoming a guide was short and concise. Ho-woo blankly stared at Lee Ho-yeon.
“Pardon?”
When he asked again, not understanding immediately, Lee Ho-yeon frowned and repeated, “I said I understand.” Even after hearing that answer, Ho-woo was rather more confused and rambled on.
“Father, I’m telling you I’ve become a guide. And I’m also dating an Esper.”
“I heard you the first time. You said it was important, was this what you wanted to talk about?”
“You’re not angry?”
“Why would I be?”
“Don’t you hate Espers…?”
Lee Ho-yeon clicked his tongue briefly as he put down the teacup he was holding.
“Tsk, at twenty-eight, you’re past the age where I should interfere. If you’re done talking, you can go.”
Ho-woo, even receiving an order to leave, was kicked out of Lee Ho-yeon’s house with a still dazed face. Wondering if he was still dreaming, he pinched his cheek and felt a considerable pain.
Well, it’s not a dream at least.
Ho-woo quietly looked back at the closed door. But the locked door didn’t open again.
He had come prepared to at least get slapped once, but to think he had been agonizing over something that ended so simply. His shoulders, which had been tense with nervousness, slumped with a sense of anticlimax.
As he descended the old stairs, Ho-woo composed a message to send to Oh-yul. He had told him he was going to see his father before coming here. Knowing that Oh-yul would be relieved to hear the result, Ho-woo carefully chose the words to write in the text.
[I just told my father. The conversation went better than expected, so I don’t think you need to worry. Work well and I’ll see you this evening.]
After checking for any strange parts one last time, Ho-woo pressed the send button. Immediately after, a call came in as if it had been waiting.
-I saw your message. That’s a relief.
As soon as he answered the phone, a voice tinged with slight worry sweetly tickled his ear.
“Aren’t you working?”
-It’s fine, I’m the only one in the office anyway. More importantly, I’m glad it was resolved well.
“It turned out just as you said.”
A low laugh was heard. It was a pleasant resonance. Ho-woo massaged his shoulder, which had been stiff with tension, with one hand as he walked through the quiet residential area.
“I thought I’d get hit at least once. Or that he’d tell me never to show my face again.”
-And?
“But he just said he understood…”
What’s this?
I just felt something uncomfortable, as if someone was watching…
