# Chapter 65
Jaeyoon, who had once been so clingy, had kept a strangely distant relationship ever since awakening. Yet he was still desperate about Jaeha’s safety.
“Like you said, I’ve succeeded in controlling guiding, and I’m not trying to guide you now, so just put your forehead against mine quietly.”
Faced with Jaeha’s firmness, Jaeyoon stood still with an awkward expression, having nowhere else to retreat. But he still averted his gaze, and Jaeha felt frustrated, unable to understand why his brother was acting this way.
“You’re hiding something from me.”
It was suspicious that he avoided contact so much that he wouldn’t even remove his gloves at home and wore long sleeves. Since he wanted to maintain their normal relationship, Jaeha had only vaguely guessed without asking for details.
Today, he was just trying to check his brother’s temperature because he looked unwell, but the atmosphere had become strange.
“Seo Jaeyoon.”
When Jaeha called him by his full name, Jaeyoon reluctantly met his eyes but glanced at the Espers who were quietly watching instead of answering.
“Don’t look away.”
“Brother, can we talk about this after eating?”
Interpreting Jaeyoon’s evasive attitude as a call for help, Jiho quickly circled around Jaeha and acted playfully.
“Sunbae, can’t you push me against the wall too? I wouldn’t mind you touching me.”
Jaeha hesitated at Jiho’s attempt to lighten the mood. Looking at Jaeyoon’s reaction, he felt he could get answers if he pushed a little harder, but he didn’t want to corner his brother in front of others.
“May I check for a moment?”
“Haeil hyung?”
As the brothers faced off, unable to make a move, Haeil approached. He lifted Jaeyoon’s arm, tapped the communicator on his wrist, and showed the numbers that appeared to Jaeha. The bandage wrapped around Jaeyoon’s arm beneath the communicator was concerning, but Jaeha focused on the numbers as Haeil’s calm voice explained.
“The communicator has many functions similar to commercial watches. It also has a temperature measuring feature.”
Haeil delivered the information quickly and accurately, as if filming a promotional advertisement for the communicator. After a brief silence, Jaeha’s stiff lips twitched.
“Pfft! What was that?”
“Wow, what’s with that voice? I thought you were filming a commercial.”
“Esper Kwon Haeil could really be an actor.”
Haeil’s effort to prevent the brotherly fight was successful. Jiho and Dojoon each added a comment, and the atmosphere quickly lightened. Jaeha saw no need to bother Jaeyoon, who seemed fine, so he picked up his fork and turned back to the mountain of tteokbokki.
Beep— Beep—
Alarms sounded from Haeil’s and Dojoon’s communicators. The relaxed atmosphere changed in an instant.
“This is an emergency alarm…”
Beep— Beep—
Jaeyoon’s communicator also began to sound.
Jiho took out the communicator he’d kept in his pocket because it didn’t match his outfit and put it on his wrist. Sure enough, his communicator also started beeping.
“What’s happening that requires all personnel to be called in?”
Jaeyoon, sensitive about Jaeha’s safety, had always avoided situations where all four would be deployed simultaneously. The cooperation of Haeil and Dojoon, the most useful Espers, had made this possible.
Jaeyoon had shared some of his future knowledge with the Association Chairman through Haeil. The Chairman had overlooked the current situation because he had benefited from this.
“Multiple gates?”
Messages arrived after the alarms.
“It says gates are opening simultaneously in multiple locations.”
“Where are the gates… ugh, this is right in the middle of downtown.”
As information about locations and the number of gates came in real-time, Haeil looked at Jaeyoon. Jaeyoon shook his head, indicating this hadn’t happened in the future he knew.
Dojoon’s comment was decisive.
“This place is where second-generation awakened ones are doing field training. They’re supposed to join if there’s a gate situation.”
The second-generation awakened ones at the scene could be facing off against monsters that had emerged from the gates. Either way, they needed to move now.
“I’ll go immediately.”
“Let’s hurry.”
“Sunbae, let’s eat together after I finish work.”
“I’ll be back, Jaeha.”
Everyone moved quickly with the incoming information. Jaeha, who had abruptly received their goodbyes, caught Jaeyoon’s eye as he stood by the door staring at him.
“What?”
“You should come too, brother.”
Since this incident hadn’t happened before the regression, it would be better to be together at a place where they could directly handle the situation.
“Huh? I can come too?”
“Better for all of us to go to the gate than leave you alone at the lodging.”
“Oh, okay. Just give me a minute.”
In this sudden situation, Jaeha quickly went to his room to get the items Jaeyoon had given him. He gathered everything, including the ring he’d been too embarrassed to wear, and rushed out in less than 30 seconds.
“Isn’t it too much to be this excited when it could be dangerous?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Though he denied it, Jaeha was a bit thrilled just to be escaping his confinement at home.
* * *
The A-team, the best performing among the second-generation awakened teams, was given a practice opportunity.
It was a simple mission to check and record the status of gates that had not yet opened, but many people accompanied them in case of activation.
“People are all looking at us.”
“Well, the Association transport vehicle is pretty impressive.”
With imposing transport vehicles passing one after another, people’s attention was naturally drawn. The black transport vehicles had large Esper symbols in white and gold, giving them a luxurious appearance that attracted attention. When the front opened and awakened ones in blue uniforms with the same logo appeared, young onlookers felt the urge to take photos for social media.
The Espers walking in orderly formation found it difficult to hide their excitement.
“I guess this is why they told us to wear new uniforms.”
“Phone cameras are no joke these days. Keep quiet.”
Besides the agreed photography team, there were several people who looked like cameras or professional staff following. This was due to the Association Chairman’s early decision to promote the second-generation awakened ones.
When they arrived at the planned gate location, barricades had been set up. As soon as they entered, the posture of those who had been walking carefully relaxed, and they began to talk.
“Thanks to Esper Yumaro, we get to be the first to do field training.”
“We would have done it eventually anyway.”
In response to Yumaro’s curt reply as he walked at the front, an Esper with a rough appearance who had been hovering nearby lowered his body and spoke.
“Come on, that’s not true. I’m a first-generation awakened, but this is my first field training.”
“First generation? Then why are you here?”
In response to Yumaro’s look questioning why a first-generation was mixed in with the second-generation awakened ones, Bang Chunjae, a D-class Esper, grinned and bowed his head.
“Back in the first generation, B-class and below didn’t get proper education, just various tests. I joined the second-generation training to finally do my job as an Esper… Esper Yumaro is so young yet A-class and skilled, I’m really envious.”
“I don’t see what age has to do with it. What’s your rank?”
“Embarrassingly, I’m D-class. I have tracking abilities…”
“Similar to my puppy at home, I see.”
Bang Chunjae’s expression hardened at Yumaro’s obvious mockery, but he couldn’t show his displeasure. Unable to express his annoyance to Yumaro, he spoke to another first-generation awakened who had entered with him.
“Hey, big guy. I heard you received guiding last time? Was it good?”
“W-why are you suddenly talking about that? There’s a confidentiality clause.”
“Come on, every Esper here knows they’ll receive guiding after training ends, so what confidentiality, my ass.”
“What if civilians hear you?”
Bang Chunjae, a former gangster, had both bad manners and a rough way of speaking. For Ko Minjae, who was the same rank and often encountered him, he was someone to avoid. Especially after participating in the guiding test, Bang Chunjae had been trying to persuade Minjae to gather information about guides.
“Why are you trying to hide it? What, did you get aroused during guiding?”
“Esper Bang Chunjae!”
“I told you to call me ‘big bro.’ With your build, you’d be useful on our side, so I could take you in.”
Ko Minjae, a former athlete with a large build but a gentle disposition, was often the target of Bang Chunjae’s teasing.
“I told you I’m not interested.”
“Ah, how boring.”
Bang Chunjae’s ability wasn’t assigned significant tasks at the Association. Although he received a salary just for being registered, it didn’t suit his personality. Just as he was thinking it might be better to return to being a gangster, he had cut in line to participate in a guiding test and experienced a whole new world.
The moment his hand overlapped with the guide’s, his anxious and irritable emotions quickly dulled, and all his senses focused on the point of contact. He wanted to grasp with both hands and savor each finger, but had to try not to apply pressure so the other person wouldn’t be uncomfortable. For Bang Chunjae, who had lived a life of exploitation, such contradictory sensations were unfamiliar.
Just 10 minutes. It felt like his heart was beating throughout his entire body. The sensation through his palm seemed to be delicately balanced on water. His sensitive sense of smell detected a sweet scent.
At the moment he was told time was up and to let go, rather than the ecstatic sensation like facing a first love, a baser emotion like awakening to carnal desire rushed in.
He actually became wildly excited. He wanted to taste that unbelievably ecstatic sensation again somehow. If possible, not just with hands but with other parts.
Just remembering that moment made him feel heavy below the waist, so he put his arm around the shoulder of the big guy hesitating beside him.
“Be honest. You’re looking forward to it too, right? Isn’t that why you tagged along with the second-generation awakening team?”
The competition in A-team with Yumaro was considerable. The reason he had insisted on joining, even emphasizing that he was a first-generation awakened, was because guiding was included in the practice.
“It… it was good.”
“See? A man shouldn’t act coy. So if we get to do guiding this time, take a good look at their hands for features… Huh?”
A fishy smell brushed Bang Chunjae’s nose as he was about to whisper his vile plan.
Even without going on field practice, he had gone through various tests suited to his abilities at the research center. The smells of various monster samples were unpleasant, either mixed with formaldehyde or starting to rot and stink. Yet the smell now was stronger and clearer than what he had smelled then.
Since he had half-heartedly participated in the tests, he couldn’t remember the exact name. However, he remembered an image.
“It was like a sea anemone.”
Even if the gate had opened and was causing this smell, he wasn’t worried.
What could a sea anemone do anyway? A-class Yumaro would blow it away with telekinesis.
It was rather an opportunity to show off his own abilities.
Bang Chunjae happily considered whether to pass this information to the arrogantly walking Yumaro, with a grinning face.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
