“What about you?”
“Hmm, me too.”
I sensed something strange.
“You also have business at the Esper Union building?”
“Yeah.”
Do Wonjin looked at me as if asking what the problem was, and I asked him with a suspicious gaze.
“Why are you going there?”
“To find a wallet?”
“Whose wallet.”
“Jeongjae’s wallet?”
“Hey.”
Having caught onto his intention, I finally stopped walking. Do Wonjin, who had taken a few more steps before stopping, turned around and casually asked “What?”
“You don’t have any plans, right?”
“Well, I think I had some until about 10 minutes ago, but now I don’t.”
The way he supported the back of his head with interlocked fingers looked annoyingly smug.
“You really…”
“But aren’t you running late?”
Do Wonjin changed the subject, tapping his wristwatch. Feeling deflated at the sight, I kicked a small stone at my feet and muttered. It seemed ridiculous that we were both doing this from the morning, all because of a single excuse I had made up to get out of a situation.
“I’m not late. The appointment is at 2 o’clock.”
“2 PM?”
“Yes.”
Do Wonjin nodded immediately, like someone who had been expecting my answer.
“I thought so.”
This time, it was my turn to be greatly surprised.
“What? You knew?”
Do Wonjin shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Your earlobes turn red when you’re flustered. You can’t make proper eye contact either. At first, I really thought you had an appointment, but when you said we’d be fine if we hurried, it was so obvious I couldn’t just let it go.”
“……”
Come to think of it, Do Wonjin had brought this up at the moment when I was in a difficult situation because Jeong Seyeon had offered to take me. I was feeling a bit grateful, but Do Wonjin’s words didn’t end there.
“But why did you suddenly talk like you had an appointment earlier?”
As soon as I heard that, the uncomfortable truth I’d been trying to forget resurfaced.
“Ah, that.”
Only Yang Garam knew about the changed matching rate, and I hadn’t told anyone about the dangers of imprinting. I felt awkward about bringing up a story where I’d jumped to conclusions and made a fool of myself.
“Yeah, that.”
Do Wonjin somehow saw through my intention to gloss over it and pointed it out specifically. I moved my lips a few times before finally sighing.
“I just don’t want to talk about it.”
Besides hurting my pride, I had a feeling Do Wonjin would tease me about this for days. When I firmly closed my mouth, Do Wonjin’s eyebrow raised crookedly.
“Are you afraid I’ll tease you?”
Surprised for a moment, I opened my eyes wide.
“So you do know?”
My immediate reaction must have been funny because Do Wonjin’s smile deepened.
“I won’t tease you. Just tell me.”
At this point, it wasn’t simple curiosity but obsession. I asked him bluntly with a sulky face.
“Why are you so obsessed?”
“Me?”
This time, Do Wonjin’s eyes widened. He seemed quite unfamiliar with my words as he stroked his chin, lost in thought.
“I guess it could be obsession. Because I can’t help but care when it comes to Jeongjae.”
As he nodded as if acknowledging it himself, I didn’t know why my face was heating up.
“So what’s the reason?”
With Do Wonjin grinning and our conversation going in circles, I finally surrendered first. The background explanation was long, but the conclusion was that I was jealous because it seemed like Yang Garam had an Esper he was thinking of as a dedicated Guide. To think I was saying this with my own mouth. After finishing, everything felt futile.
“……”
But Do Wonjin, who I expected would definitely laugh mockingly, was too quiet. While I was explaining everything, we had gotten on the bus and were sitting in the very back heading to our destination. I was looking at the scenery passing by the window, then stole a glance at the quiet Do Wonjin’s face. Although his face was half-covered by the hat he had pressed down, he looked very serious.
I nudged the silent Do Wonjin, who had his arms crossed.
“Are you sleeping?”
Do Wonjin, with his gaze fixed forward, only tilted his head sideways.
“Jeongjae. Do you want to imprint with me?”
“What have you been listening to until now? I was thinking of a dedicated Guide and…”
Do Wonjin’s head slowly turned toward me as I was answering.
The moment his eyes, which had been hidden by his hat, were revealed, I stopped breathing. His gaze, heated with excitement, was similar to that of a beast tasting blood for the first time.
Do Wonjin cupped my cheek with a low laugh.
“Then.”
The breath that touched my ear intimately seeped in stickily.
“Want to sleep with me?”
“You crazy bastard.”
When I realized it wasn’t a serious atmosphere but a horny one, a curse naturally escaped my lips. I knew that imprinting wasn’t established through a normal relationship, but it also didn’t happen just by forcibly having a relationship.
“Get lost.”
I brushed away Do Wonjin’s hand that was cupping my cheek, feeling like I was warding off a pervert.
“Why, I want to do it too, imprinting.”
“You’re probably using imprinting as an excuse to do something else.”
“I’m serious, Jeongjae.”
His expression was indeed solemn. I asked, still suspicious.
“You’re okay with things as they are?”
“Not as they are, but I’m saying I wish Jeongjae would hurry and imprint with me.”
‘Why? Is that really all?’
I hurriedly covered my mouth with my hand, almost blurting out the question unconsciously.
He probably wants imprinting because he also has feelings for me as a dedicated Guide, but I was hoping for a different answer from him.
‘Did I want Do Wonjin to confess to me? In this situation?’
Just two days ago, he had revealed his feelings to me. I couldn’t understand myself for wanting to confirm it again, knowing that. But on the other hand, I seemed to know the answer.
“Even I would be hurt if you make that kind of expression.”
Do Wonjin’s voice brought me back to my senses, but my unsettled heart would likely remain quite noisy for a while.
“No, it’s just, I’m a bit happy.”
So maybe that’s why showing my true feelings to Do Wonjin was easier than I thought.
The Esper Union building, like the Center, was located slightly away from downtown for the same reasons. So instead of high-rise buildings, there was a large park and an artificial lake nearby, which Do Wonjin told me was a hidden spot frequented by families and couples.
When we got off the bus, we still had three hours until the appointment time, so we walked around the lakeside together, and when we felt a bit hungry, we went into a nearby restaurant for lunch. For a place we entered by chance, the atmosphere was nice and the food was good. When we said this, the owner mentioned it was a famous date spot and gave us homemade ice cream as a service dessert because we both ate so well.
“Do you still have this event, owner?”
Do Wonjin, who had discovered an event notice attached to the store while eating ice cream, asked the owner. He had such a natural air about him, like a regular customer, even though it was our first time there.
“Yes, we do. Would you like me to take a picture?”
<Only photos remain! Why not capture memories and confess to your loved one?>
I scanned the event notice with my eyes while listening to their conversation. It wasn’t in a particularly noticeable place, nor was the content eye-catching, so I was impressed that Do Wonjin had discovered it.
“Yes. Owner, please.”
“I didn’t say I’d take a picture yet.”
“Even if Wonjin asks like this?”
Because of Do Wonjin suddenly using the third person while making a flower cup gesture, I almost spat out the ice cream I had just put in my mouth. Even without ice cream, if I heard that dirty speech pattern again, I might breathe fire from my mouth.
“Okay, but never use that third-person speech again.”
Do Wonjin raised the corners of his mouth as he watched me speak with my hands trembling from the shock. His not answering that he understood made me anxious, but I felt half-resigned as he dragged me off to take a picture.
I was worried about what would happen if he got clingy during the photo, but he was actually quite straightforward when taking it. Rather, it was the owner who got excited, making many requests that put us in an awkward position. After all that trouble, the Polaroid photo was completed with a pose where I was leaning my head on Do Wonjin’s shoulder while he looked down at me.
“That owner seems to have only taken photos of couples until now.”
It was definitely the kind of composition that only couples would take.
“But it came out well. Don’t you like it?”
Honestly, I didn’t dislike it. My face looked a bit awkward, but Do Wonjin’s expression looked genuinely happy. Perhaps noticing that I was staring intently at his face, he snatched the photo from my hand.
“I’ll keep this until you find your wallet.”
“You’re not keeping it?”
“I was going to at first, but since Jeongjae likes my face so much, I can’t help it.”
Since it wasn’t wrong, I could only blush and say nothing, which made Do Wonjin smile and pat my head.
“I am quite handsome.”
“What are you saying.”
As I turned my head away, pushing away Do Wonjin’s hand that habitually came up to my head, he took my hand this time. I was glancing around a bit awkwardly, not wanting to shake it off right away, when my phone rang.
“I have a call.”
I naturally released Do Wonjin’s hand and took out my phone. It was the person I was supposed to meet today.
“Wallet?”
“Yeah.”
When I answered the call, the other person told me first that they were near the Esper Union building. When I said I was too, they mentioned a cafe name and asked if I could find it. Do Wonjin, who was listening to the conversation next to me, looked it up right away and told me it was only 200 meters away, so I said I would go there and hung up.
Ten minutes before 2 o’clock, we arrived at the cafe we had set as the meeting place. I thought we would go in together naturally, but Do Wonjin waved to me.
“I’ll be going now.”
“You’re not coming in with me?”
“I have an appointment in the afternoon too.”
Although I had originally planned to come alone to find it, I felt disappointed when Do Wonjin said he was leaving first.
“See you at home. I’ll be back soon.”
Perhaps my face showed it, because Do Wonjin comforted me and took off his hat to put it on me.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
