# Chapter 72
‘But why am I feeling so displeased……’
Though these people weren’t his possessions, Hajin felt somehow violated, as if someone had trespassed on what was his. And it didn’t end there—he was even feeling resentful toward those who had done nothing wrong.
‘I’ve lost my mind. I’m not a child, what is this……’
The rational part of Hajin was about to tell them it was fine, seeing how they could barely breathe as they anxiously watched his reaction.
He knew perfectly well that Espers weren’t objects, not something over which one could claim ownership.
But the words wouldn’t come out. He felt that if he opened his mouth now, he’d end up blaming them or grumbling unnecessarily.
‘……Acting like they couldn’t function without me.’
He was glad he’d kept his mouth shut. Had he opened it, that’s exactly what would have come out.
“Hyung…… it’s, it’s just……”
Lee Doyoon, who was closest to Hajin, seemed the most anxious. Although Hajin was trying to hide his emotions, Doyoon was an Esper capable of detecting even the slightest muscle movement if he wanted to.
Besides, even without that ability, anyone would be nervous if someone suddenly stopped mid-sentence and clamped their mouth shut after realizing something.
Especially when they knew they were at fault.
While Hajin kept his gaze lowered with a blank expression, lost in thought, a silent battle raged between the others.
‘I told you we shouldn’t get Guiding from anyone else!’
‘……We had no choice in that situation.’
‘This is all because of that damn old man. What if Hajin hyung starts hating me!’
Their reactions were split into two groups. Han Seungho, who had insisted they shouldn’t receive Guiding from anyone else, and Lee Doyoon, who had agreed with him, were practically fuming—just without making any noise.
Meanwhile, Cha Jinwoo and Baek Jaan, who had been willing to receive Guiding from another Guide in order to find Hajin, couldn’t bring themselves to look up as they carefully observed his reaction. Of course, their attention was focused solely on Hajin.
Whatever he was thinking, Hajin’s expression wasn’t good. The Alpha Team felt even more guilty because of this.
But then…….
‘Wait…… is Hajin hyung actually jealous of that Guide right now?’
The corner of Lee Doyoon’s mouth twitched slightly. He almost burst into a foolish grin without properly reading the situation. Hajin was still deep in thought with that sullen expression.
Doyoon knew if he kept looking at Hajin’s face, he wouldn’t be able to contain his smile, so he forced himself to look up at the ceiling instead.
When he did, his eyes met those of the other team members who had raised their heads at the same time. Though their expressions varied, it was clear they were all thinking the same thing.
Meanwhile, Hajin was confronting a serious dilemma.
‘Would he have done the same things to that Guide as he did to me?’
Call it childish if you want, but it was incredibly important to Hajin right now. If that were true, Hajin thought he would be terribly sad.
‘Ha…… damn. I shouldn’t have scolded Han Jiwoo after all.’
It wasn’t even funny—he had lectured someone about not treating Espers like objects, and barely a month later, here he was doing exactly the same thing.
‘Am I no longer the first for them?’
He knew without being told that they still cherished him. They wouldn’t have come to rescue him otherwise.
But if Hajin was no longer their number one, if someone had appeared who could replace him, Hajin thought he would be tremendously sad.
‘I’m really being terrible.’
Hajin’s blank expression darkened. The Espers, especially Han Seungho and Lee Doyoon, who had been silently delighted by his jealousy, were startled and practically shouted:
“No, that’s not it!”
“……It’s not?”
“No, I mean, we did receive Guiding, but……”
Hajin’s face, which had briefly brightened at the denial, fell again. Lee Doyoon bared his teeth and cursed at Han Seungho.
“Hyung, shut up! Don’t say anything. You’re just making him upset!”
Han Seungho, guilty of making Hajin sad again with a single sentence, kept his mouth shut despite his indignation.
Lee Doyoon, who was only the youngest, docile member in front of Hajin but otherwise rough-natured, bared his teeth and growled.
Then, reverting to his role as the twenty-three-year-old youngest member, Doyoon pulled Hajin closer into his embrace, as if to comfort him, and started explaining.
“We did receive Guiding, but the Association Chairman—that old man—threatened that he wouldn’t let us go find you unless our levels were lowered, so we had no choice.”
Cha Jinwoo, who was skilled at leading but terrible at comforting, nodded in agreement.
Baek Jaan, who was the second closest and had been on the verge of tears, continued with a face that looked ready to cry at any moment.
“I’m sorry, hyung….. I didn’t want anyone but you either, but we had no choice if we wanted to save you……”
Thanks to the three of them, Hajin’s expression seemed to be gradually returning to normal. Their body language clearly communicated that he was the most important to them, which seemed to ease his anxiety.
Then a question suddenly crossed his mind.
‘Was there a Guide at the Association capable of Guiding S-rank Espers?’
Not that Hajin knew of. If there had been, his appearance wouldn’t have caused such a commotion. So that meant such a Guide must have appeared during his absence, which left him with an uneasy feeling.
‘What’s going on?’
This question couldn’t bear the guilt of making Hajin even more anxious, so Han Seungho resolved it.
“That’s right! And that bastard’s Guiding wasn’t even that good.”
“What bastard?”
Hajin questioned the familiar way Han Seungho referred to someone. Han Seungho answered, his brow furrowing as if even the memory was unpleasant.
“That bastard Han Jiwoo.”
Hajin’s eyes widened.
“Han Jiwoo……?”
“He suddenly became an S-rank Guide, and they let that suspicious bastard do Guiding without proper investigation. But strangely, his Guiding didn’t feel like anything at all.”
Hajin’s mind raced at Han Seungho’s words. Han Jiwoo had become an S-rank Guide. This happened after he had joined hands with Seo Juan and handed Hajin over. It didn’t take much thought to figure out what had happened.
It had to be Seo Juan’s—no, the anti-government forces’ doing. Hajin hurriedly asked the others:
“Did all of you receive Guiding from him?”
“Well……”
They all avoided his gaze, unable to answer as if they thought he was interrogating them. Hajin extended his hand to Baek Jaan, not needing their answers given their reactions.
“Hug me quickly.”
“What?”
Though questioning, Baek Jaan’s arms diligently wrapped around Hajin. Wasn’t he angry after all? Though confused, Baek Jaan held Hajin even more preciously in his embrace.
In response, Hajin showed unexpected initiative by wrapping both arms around Baek Jaan’s neck.
“H-hyung?”
This was a first, and Baek Jaan called out to Hajin with a trembling voice, but Hajin was focused only on making his Radiative Guiding seep into Baek Jaan as quickly and deeply as possible.
He didn’t know how they’d done it, but the anti-government forces wouldn’t have simply raised Han Jiwoo’s rank for nothing. They must have been up to something, and the fact that the Espers felt nothing from his Guiding was proof of that.
‘I’d like to Guide them directly, but……’
His body hadn’t fully recovered yet. In his current state, unable to control Radiative Guiding, attempting Contact Guiding could cause serious problems.
Even now, as he hugged Baek Jaan, he was busy making sure their bare skin didn’t touch.
Though Hajin didn’t answer him, Baek Jaan was delighted by his initiative and just grinned broadly.
“Hyung, I’m sorry. I’ll never receive Guiding from anyone else again.”
If he had known Hajin would be this sad, he would have rather escaped from the Association than receive Guiding from Han Jiwoo.
“Even if I’m about to die from going out of control, I won’t accept Guiding from anyone but you, Hajin hyung.”
Hajin’s lips moved at Baek Jaan’s fierce words, spoken as tenderly as if they were words of love.
“That’s too much…… um……”
He wanted to tell him to receive Guiding from anyone if necessary, but once again, the words wouldn’t come out. What came out instead was an apology.
“I’m sorry. I should be telling you to receive Guiding from others if necessary……”
He was truly selfish, a petty-minded person. As he hung his head in depression at this realization, Baek Jaan’s ecstatic voice came from above him.
“No, I prefer it this way. You want to have me all to yourself, don’t you? I like that better. I belong to you, so never give me to anyone else.”
Hajin had a feeling he’d triggered something he shouldn’t have.
Wondering if he should take back his words, he looked to the other three for help, but their reactions were no different.
Perhaps it was because of this possessiveness he was feeling for the first time in his life, but Hajin didn’t find their reactions burdensome or uncomfortable. Rather, he felt reassured that he was still their top priority.
“……Let’s get moving for now. I have things to tell you as we go.”
* * *
Deputy Manager Ha Sungjin, upon receiving news of an Esper going out of control, couldn’t move as swiftly as usual.
Headquarters was insistent on bringing Han Jiwoo immediately, but was it right to bring a Guide whose levels were in disarray?
Moreover, doctors were suggesting that the recent abnormal phenomena among Espers seemed to be connected to Han Jiwoo’s Guiding.
What they needed to do right now was a more precise examination to draw accurate conclusions. Ha Sungjin, scratching his head hard enough to hurt in an attempt to clear his mind, answered the incessantly ringing phone with a shout:
“There’s something wrong with Guide Han Jiwoo’s Guiding. Send even the unaffected Espers to isolation rooms immediately!”
-What are you talking about!
Ha Sungjin shouted back at his colleague, who was bewildered by the situation:
“The Esper abnormalities seem to be Han Jiwoo’s fault! I need to go for a detailed examination right now, so I’m hanging up!”
-What? What do you mean, Deputy Manager Ha Sungjin!
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
