# Chapter 20
“What are you trying to say?”
No matter what conversation took place, Jeongyun planned to wrap it up quickly and send Saeon away. Though they hadn’t faced each other for long, he strongly felt that the longer they talked, the worse it would get.
Moreover, unlike before, Jeongyun now had to leave his post anytime Domin called. He glanced at the pager on his desk, and Saeon’s gaze naturally followed.
“Waiting for Domin’s call?”
Dropping his surname, just “Domin.”
At this familiar way of addressing him, Jeongyun almost revealed his true feelings. Then again, though not anymore, the two had been in a dedicated contract for quite a long time.
That amount of time could make them close enough to drop surnames. Jeongyun tried hard to understand. Of course, he really didn’t want to understand at all.
“Yes. As Choi Domin’s dedicated Guide, I need to rush over whenever he calls.”
Jeongyun deliberately emphasized the words “dedicated Guide.” A small crack appeared on Saeon’s smiling face but quickly disappeared.
“You know that providing Guiding to an Esper who already has a dedicated Guide without permission is against the rules, right?”
“It was an unavoidable situation. Choi Domin was dying, and I couldn’t just wait for you to arrive, Mr. Ju Saeon.”
“Are you sure you didn’t plan this from the beginning?”
“Let’s not misunderstand. I never did that.”
The quiet battle continued without either side giving an inch.
As the conversation progressed, unlike Saeon whose face turned bright red, Jeongyun remained calm. Of course, his insides boiling was a separate issue.
Saeon, who had been glaring at Jeongyun’s face showing no reaction unlike himself, finally couldn’t bear it anymore and stood up abruptly. His rough breathing sounded like hissing.
“Don’t be mistaken. The reason Domin chose you as his partner is because of the imprint.”
Saeon’s words pierced Jeongyun’s heart sharply.
In fact, he knew better than anyone that if there hadn’t been an imprint, his connection with Domin would have ended that day.
But even knowing it was cowardly, when he could fulfill the dream he’d wanted so badly, there was no reason not to take Domin’s extended hand. He had simply seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
So, he didn’t need to feel intimidated.
“It doesn’t matter. Now Choi Domin’s dedicated Guide isn’t Mr. Ju Saeon, but me.”
“…What did you just say?”
“I said Choi Domin’s dedicated Guide isn’t Mr. Ju Saeon, but me.”
Saeon’s face twisted terribly as he jumped to his feet.
Thinking he was about to leave, Jeongyun was about to politely see him off, but Saeon stepped forward and suddenly swung his hand.
“What are you doing?”
Thanks to barely avoiding it, the attempt failed, but if he had been a little slower, he would have been slapped.
Unable to control his anger, Saeon raised his hand again. But this time, before he could swing, Jeongyun caught it.
“I will report this to the Department Head. That Mr. Ju Saeon came suddenly and swung his hand—”
“Aack! Let go of this!”
Suddenly, Saeon began shouting at the top of his lungs. Greatly startled, Jeongyun instinctively had no choice but to release Saeon’s hand.
“A C-grade dares to attack a B-grade?”
Despite being the one who tried to use violence first, Saeon was now acting like he was the victim.
In this absurd situation, Jeongyun let out a scornful laugh.
“You should speak honestly. I only defended myself because Mr. Ju Saeon tried to hit me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! You grabbed me first!”
“When did I— no, just calm down and lower your voice.”
He tried to compose himself and continue the conversation, but the excited Saeon wouldn’t listen to reason.
Finally, feeling at his limit, Jeongyun stepped decisively toward Saeon.
“Are you not letting go?!”
Jeongyun grabbed Saeon’s arm without hesitation and dragged him along. Saeon struggled not to be pulled, but unable to overcome Jeongyun’s strength, he was eventually pushed outside the door.
“Are you crazy—”
“I’ll let it go this time, but don’t enter my Guiding room without permission again.”
Jeongyun blocked Saeon who was trying to barge back in and warned him sincerely. Since words alone weren’t working, he made sure to wave the pager he had quickly grabbed in front of Saeon’s eyes.
Saeon only quieted down after seeing Jeongyun’s finger placed on the button. Meanwhile, Guides who had come out into the hallway after hearing the commotion were glancing at the two.
‘This will just spread unnecessary rumors.’
This incident would surely be distorted into a love triangle fight between two Guides over Choi Domin and spread throughout the headquarters.
Although he had anticipated such situations from the moment he decided to become Domin’s dedicated Guide, actually facing it made his head throb.
The unfortunate thing was that such incidents would likely continue in the future. This was just the beginning.
“You’ll regret this.”
Saeon, who had been watching for reactions, whispered quietly.
Was he trying to threaten him? He held back because he didn’t want to escalate the situation, but he almost burst out laughing.
“Goodbye, Mr. Ju Saeon.”
Jeongyun nodded his head slightly and closed the door with a bang. Saeon shouted angrily from the other side, but Jeongyun didn’t respond. Ignoring was the answer in times like this.
Only after securely locking the door to prevent unwelcome visitors from entering again could Jeongyun leave its front.
Completely drained, Jeongyun walked wearily and sat down, leaning deeply against the chair.
‘You’ll regret it, he says.’
As soon as he recalled Saeon’s threat, the laughter he had been holding back escaped.
Jeongyun didn’t take Saeon’s warning seriously. Since they wouldn’t encounter each other much anyway, he complacently thought he could just get through it smoothly.
‘I’m really tired.’
How long had the day even started, and already he desperately wanted to go home.
Lifting his head to look at the clock on the wall, Jeongyun couldn’t help sighing when he saw how much time remained before he could leave.
“…This is annoying.”
* * *
“Sorry.”
After rudely bumping into someone, they tossed out an insincere apology. In the short time since leaving the cafeteria and returning to the Guiding room, this was already the third such apology he had received.
Rubbing his aching shoulder, anger welled up, but the culprits had already gone far away. Stay calm. It was better to avoid useless conflicts.
“Why are they acting like that?”
Wooyeon, who glared at them on Jeongyun’s behalf, asked. Jeongyun evaded the question saying he didn’t know, but the perceptive Wooyeon immediately understood the situation.
“Is it because Ju Saeon visited you last time?”
“Maybe?”
“Wow, such childish jerks.”
Wooyeon didn’t stop cursing until they reached the Guiding room, seeming unable to calm his anger. The usual Jeongyun would have stopped him, but for some reason, this time he just silently listened.
“You’re really angry, aren’t you?”
“…A little.”
Though he said that, in truth he wanted to go find Ju Saeon right now. He was restraining himself only because he didn’t want to create unnecessary noise, but he was also someone who knew how to get angry.
Jeongyun took a deep breath and calmed his mind.
“Want some coffee?”
“Sure.”
After calming down, Jeongyun went to the lounge with Wooyeon, sat in their usual spot, and drank vending machine coffee. Then, as always, they watched the TV where Domin’s advertisement was playing.
Just as he was finding inner peace looking at the youthful Domin on screen, someone suddenly pushed Jeongyun’s shoulder as he was drinking coffee.
“Ugh.”
As his balance shifted forward, the liquid filled in the cup spilled over. Coffee dripped from his chin, and his white shirt was stained black.
“Jeongyun!”
Surprised, Wooyeon pulled out tissues from the table and wiped his clothes, but the coffee had already soaked into his shirt. A sigh escaped at the miserable state that couldn’t even be salvaged.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were there.”
For the fourth time now, hearing another shameless apology, Jeongyun pushed away Wooyeon’s hand that was wiping the coffee and stood up.
As expected, it was the B-grade Guides who hung out with Saeon.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I said it was a mistake.”
Seeing such a brazen attitude made him feel foolish for trying to be patient. Time to change plans. Not ignoring, but confrontation.
With his mind made up, Jeongyun smiled brightly at the person. As the other wondered about the meaning of this smile, Jeongyun poured the remaining coffee in his cup directly onto them.
“Wha-what the hell!”
The person who got coffee dumped on their head shouted angrily. But Jeongyun, unconcerned, neatly emptied every last drop of coffee.
“I’m sorry, my hand slipped.”
With a brazen apology, he placed the empty cup on top of the person’s head like a hat. Laughing out loud at the ridiculous sight, the other person grabbed Jeongyun by the collar first.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
