# Chapter 28
After receiving explanations from the first floor to the fifth floor, Hajin was finally able to head to the fitness training room.
“There are more people than I expected.”
He had thought Guides wouldn’t exercise much since they were inevitably smaller in build compared to Espers, but the training room was quite crowded.
“Guiding requires physical strength above all else.”
As Hajin and Han Jiwoo entered together, all eyes turned toward them. No one stared openly, but with so many people glancing at once, it was rather noticeable.
Neither Han Jiwoo nor Hajin paid any attention to it as they moved forward.
“Since you’re here, would you like to see the equipment too?”
“Sure.”
Only a minority had the bulging muscles typical of gym regulars, but since everyone had arms thicker and sturdier than his own, Hajin somehow felt he should take an interest in exercise.
“There’s a resident trainer in the facility, so I recommend asking them when you first start working out. It’s practically like having a personal trainer.”
The tour ended with a look around the training room.
“If you’re ever confused about anything, feel free to ask me anytime.”
“Wouldn’t that be troublesome for you?”
“You missed out on things you should have known because of me. Oh, have you been anywhere else?”
Han Jiwoo, walking alongside Hajin as they exited the building, suddenly asked as if something had just occurred to him. Even without asking for clarification, Hajin knew what he meant. He shook his head.
“No. Aside from the dormitory and training facility, I haven’t yet…”
“You should go sometime. I can recommend some great places to eat.”
‘Would that be possible?’
The thought of detaching himself from Espers who wouldn’t even let him go to the training facility alone and leisurely enjoying himself seemed unlikely. Han Jiwoo, as if understanding Hajin’s silence, continued.
“Well, dealing with Espers isn’t exactly easy.”
“…You understand?”
Hajin asked reflexively, then bit the inside of his mouth.
He was surprised to receive sympathy from such an unexpected person, but his words could easily be misinterpreted. However, Han Jiwoo just smiled slightly and nodded.
“Of course. I’m a Guide too. Before you came, I had to take responsibility for as many Espers as possible, so I don’t have a fixed pair, but among them, there are those with high matching rates. So I know to some extent what it’s like when Espers are being difficult.”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to dismiss you.”
“It’s fine. After what I did, I understand if you want to get back at me.”
Wondering if Han Jiwoo was being sarcastic, Hajin glanced over, only to see him making exaggerated crying sounds while wiping away nonexistent tears. But that didn’t last long as he quickly broke into a chuckle.
“I was just kidding. …This much is okay, right?”
Checking Hajin’s reaction after pulling a prank reminded him of a certain mischievous puppy he’d left at the dorm.
Nodding in affirmation, Hajin belatedly wondered if he had a particular weakness for younger people.
“Or if you find it annoying to go around with Espers, call me. No matter how overbearing they are, they can’t refuse if you say you’re going with another Guide, right?”
“It’s not like we’re leaving the neighborhood,” he added, and Hajin agreed. It didn’t seem like a bad idea. However, the prospect of going around with Han Jiwoo was something he needed to consider.
“I’ll ask you if such a situation arises.”
It wasn’t that he still found Han Jiwoo uncomfortable or worried that he might try something. He just felt awkward about walking around together.
Moving through the training facility had a purpose. Conversely, accompanying someone without a clear objective made him uncomfortable. As mentioned repeatedly, Hajin was shy.
Han Jiwoo didn’t press Hajin for a definite answer. As if that was enough for him, he simply left a clean farewell and went on his way.
Left alone, Hajin fell into brief contemplation. Come to think of it, why couldn’t he go around by himself?
As long as he didn’t leave the residential area, there was clearly no danger here.
He must have unconsciously become withdrawn after being dropped into this unfamiliar world. Hajin wasn’t normally this passive.
How could an orphaned person survive in this harsh world if they were passive?
If Hajin were in a place without protective Espers nearby, where anti-government forces or anti-Esper groups could appear at any moment, he wouldn’t have insisted on being alone.
But this was a place where eyes monitored even the smallest mouse, and regardless, there were plenty of people walking around on the streets.
Unless he was searching for secluded spaces, Hajin didn’t seem to be in any danger.
‘Since I’m out, might as well look around the neighborhood.’
His deliberation was brief. With his wallet habitually in his pocket and feeling a bit hungry, Hajin set off to find something to eat.
‘If I had known this would happen, I should have asked about those good places to eat.’
But he soon shook his head. If he had asked, Han Jiwoo might have suggested going together.
What could be more awkward than a meal with someone you’re not close to, thought the man who was obviously shy.
Hajin moved forward with his long legs swinging casually. He planned to enter any place that looked decent along the way.
Walking leisurely as if taking a stroll, Hajin entered a café that also sold sandwiches.
“Welcome!”
“An Americano and an egg sandwich, please.”
The cheerful employee took his order. After receiving Hajin’s card and processing the payment, the employee glanced at him briefly and asked:
“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new here?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I see~ Hope we’ll see you often.”
Despite appearing sociable, the employee didn’t pry further. It seemed there might be established rules unique to this place.
For Hajin, it was better if there were no questions. He took a seat by the window and gazed outside absently until his food arrived.
The streets weren’t crowded with people, but there were enough that they never disappeared from view. It struck him anew how many Espers and Guides there were in the country.
‘There might actually be too few, considering they’re responsible not just for dungeons across the entire country but also for national security.’
The sunlight streaming in and the coffee aroma spreading through the shop made him feel languid.
As he closed his eyes slightly, the door opened with a jingling sound. But thinking it had nothing to do with him, Hajin didn’t open his eyes.
At least not until he heard the chair across from him being pulled out.
When the wooden chair made a scraping sound, Hajin’s eyes opened. And there was a familiar face.
“Esper Lee Doyoon?”
Lee Doyoon, who had been on a mission, was sitting across from Hajin. Pleased by Hajin’s slightly surprised expression, he grinned and said:
“Did you miss me?”
“How did you know I was here?”
Lee Doyoon pouted at Hajin’s casual dismissal of his flirting and replied with a grumble:
“I was returning after completing my mission when I saw you, so I came in. Meeting like this by chance—isn’t it fate?”
Lee Doyoon was earnestly trying to woo Hajin in his own way. However, one unfortunate fact was that for Hajin to be moved by such awkward flirting, Lee Doyoon was nothing more than a maknae nine years his junior.
Hajin suppressed a sigh at his alone time, which hadn’t even lasted an hour.
It wasn’t as if Lee Doyoon had deliberately sought him out; he had just happened to pass by, noticed him, and entered. What could Hajin say about that?
He considered asking to be left alone, but that wasn’t something you said to someone who had just arrived.
“Have you eaten?”
“No. I came straight over when I saw you, like I said.”
At those words, Hajin extended his card. Lee Doyoon, who took it reflexively, looked at Hajin in confusion.
“What’s this?”
“A card.”
“I know that, obviously. Why are you giving it to me?”
“Since things turned out this way, let’s have lunch together before going back. I’ve already ordered, so Esper Lee Doyoon should order whatever you want.”
Lee Doyoon was speechless. Did this person not know how much money Espers made?
Especially S-class Espers—the missions assigned to them were often so dangerous that they sometimes risked their lives.
Naturally, the hazard pay was enormous. So how much wealth would Lee Doyoon have accumulated after doing this work for nearly five years?
As an S-class who was constantly in demand, his money had piled up without any opportunity to spend it, probably beyond what Hajin could imagine.
Yet here he was, not asking to be treated but offering his card for Lee Doyoon to buy food.
It was a first for him. Even his family members, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, were desperate to get money from him whenever they contacted him.
“…I have more money than you, you know.”
“When an elder offers to treat you, you should say thank you and accept.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
