10
Crack, crackâ
Eunjeong was stretching her stiff body near the entrance of the Guiding Room. The sound of her joints cracking echoed continuously.
Jihwan approached timidly toward Eunjeong, who was cracking her joints beside the bed, showing off her tall stature and sturdy muscles.
“Sunbae-nim…”
“What.”
Eunjeong answered without even turning around.
“I… what should I do?”
“What do you mean what should you do.”
Crackâ
After firmly cracking her left and right joints, Eunjeong pounded her waist and turned around. Ahh~ so refreshing! She exclaimed, making a sound you’d typically hear at a mineral spring.
“Oh? Troublemaker.”
Eunjeong reached out and lightly tapped Jihwan’s head. What are you doing here, she asked additionally. Jihwan’s shoulders slumped further at Eunjeong’s nickname for him.
“Somehow you got what you wanted but don’t look happy about it?”
What I wanted…? When Jihwan looked at her questioningly, Eunjeong spoke with a face that was trying to hold back laughter.
“You proposed and now you’re on the same team as Sunbae. My guide isâ!!”
As Eunjeong was about to release a booming voice, Jihwan shook his head vigorously like a threshing machine. Sunbae-nim, Sunbae-nim!!!
“What.”
“…Minjae Sunbae-nim must hate me…?”
After saying that, Jihwan let out a deep sigh. Who knows? Eunjeong looked at Jihwan with a subtle expression and a smile.
“Sunbae doesn’t hate anyone.”
Eunjeong grabbed Jihwan’s face and squished it. Whining with an “oof!” sound, Jihwan grumbled that it hurt. At that sound, Eunjeong released Jihwan’s face, smiling cheerfully as if enjoying herself.
“But you…”
Eunjeong started to continue but paused briefly as if thinking about something. She had a contemplative expression. Jihwan looked at her blankly, puzzled.
“Do you know how things work around here?”
Though the question was casually thrown out, Eunjeong’s voice was strangely heavy.
Jihwan had no idea what she meant.
He could recite the basic rules for espers if asked, but even someone as oblivious as him could tell that wasn’t what Sunbae Eunjeong was talking about. Then what is it? Is there something I absolutely need to know?
Eunjeong stared at him for a while before giving a bitter smile.
“I guess not… Go.”
Huh. Huh. Jihwan was gently pushed away by Eunjeong’s light gesture. Was his body always this light? Jihwan, who had been hoping to get some advice from his teammate Eunjeong, ended up with only an uneasy feeling.
“Sunbae-nim, what do you mean…”
“Nothing. Come here.”
Eunjeong beckoned with her hand. Somehow feeling anxious, Jihwan slightly hunched his body and assumed a defensive posture.
“Yes?”
“Let’s go drinking. That’ll solve everything.”
“What?? No, I…!”
Eunjeong practically dragged the frantically protesting Jihwan out of the Guiding Room.
“Wait a minute!”
Jihwan’s attempts to resist were futile. Roughly pushed out of the Guiding Room, he was dumbfounded.
“Sounds good, right?”
Eunjeong said with a voice that was smiling through gritted teeth. Immediately shrinking at that voice, Jihwan repeated after her.
“Yes… sounds good…”
“That’s right~”
With those words, Eunjeong began dragging Jihwan along. Help me!! Jihwan’s silent scream echoed through the corridor.
***
“Urrrgh-!”
“…Is he a monster…”
They say if you drink too much, you become like a dog, but Jihwan hadn’t become a dogâhe’d become a monster. Not knowing his alcohol tolerance and gulping down alcohol for the first time, Jihwan had completely lost his mind.
Yet for all that, his voice was as loud as if he’d swallowed a train whistle. Jihwan was the only one who’d gotten this drunk so early in the evening at “Run Pojangmacha.” Eunjeong was embarrassed.
“Should I justâ slam his head down?”
Eunjeong seriously considered it. Maybe a good thunk would sober him up.
“Suuunbaaae!!!”
Jihwan kept calling for Eunjeong. People at nearby tables glanced at him. Eunjeong grabbed a handful of corn kernels from in front of her and stuffed them into Jihwan’s mouth.
“What. What is it, junior~”
“Iâ how duh! Kack!”
Jihwan, who was trying to say something, choked and coughed, spitting out corn kernels. Eunjeong’s face crumpled mercilessly.
“Hey, you really…”
“Huuung…”
“Want me to rip out your hair?”
At Eunjeong’s words, Jihwan quickly shook his head. It was a swift action guided by survival instinct. He also kept his mouth shut.
“…Sunbae-nim.”
But soon Jihwan opened his mouth again. Eunjeong closed her eyes tightly and chugged her beer.
“I’unno…”
Gulp.
“I wanted… to be… a hero… who saves… people, y’know?!”
Gulp, gulp.
“But then…! Minjae Sunbae… like this… like this… just…! Move aside…!”
Gulp.
“Was I! That bad?!”
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
“Nobody…! Nobody…! told me I could do it…”
“……”
“Even so… isn’t it possible if I try hard enough… I wanted to be a hero for someone’s sake!”
Jihwan tried to glare, but his eyelids kept drooping. Buuurp! Eunjeong put down her beer glass and belched.
“Wanna die…”
Meanwhile, Jihwan had said all he wanted to say.
“You wanna die?”
“Noooo…”
Eunjeong wiped her mouth with her hand and looked at Jihwan.
“So you wanted to be a hero that badly.”
Eunjeong asked. Then she raised her hand and roughly ruffled Jihwan’s hair.
Jihwan tried to shake his head to remove her hand, but it was useless.
“To… save people…”
“…And if you save them?”
“It’s cool… When you come in with a boom! when people are in danger, everyone goes waaah!! They welcome you and cheer…”
Jihwan flailed his arms in the air. His arms in his field of vision looked like swaying seaweed. Somewhere, a chuckling sound could be heard.
“You like that?”
A somewhat lowered voice asked Jihwan. Oh, you’re here? He heard someone say.
Jihwan thought it was strange that Sunbae Eunjeong would ask such a question. Minjae Sunbae seemed to have asked a similar question too… Are all sunbaes like this…? Strange… Jihwan mumbled.
“Dunchu like it, Sunbae-nim?”
Jihwan’s eyes were almost closed. He was frowning, trying to focus, but the table kept jumping toward him.
Whoa…! Sunbae-nim…! Table villain! Table villain!! He wanted to shout, but his voice wouldn’t come out.
“No, I don’t.”
A firm voice answered. Hmm… Sunbae-nim, your voice… Jihwan thought that maybe Sunbae Eunjeong had something sad happen to her.
Thinking he should comfort Eunjeong Sunbae, Jihwan blindly reached out his hand. When something solid touched his hand, he barely managed to lift it and began patting.
Pat… pat…
“Ah, this is driving me crazy… This is seriously hilarious.”
He heard Sunbae Eunjeong’s excited voice. It seemed his patting had improved Eunjeong Sunbae’s mood somewhat. Thinking that was fortunate, Jihwan let go of his fading consciousness.
***
With his eyes closed, the floor was spinning. The ceiling was spinning too. No, the whole world was spinning. Jihwan groaned, clutching his throbbing head.
“Ugh… Where am I?”
Jihwan opened his eyes and looked around. It was his quarters.
After blinking a few times, Jihwan quickly checked his surroundings. He was still clothed, and there was no naked stranger around. Jihwan let out a sigh of relief.
Jihwan searched through his clothes and found his phone. Fortunately, the battery wasn’t completely dead. There was a text from his mom checking on him and a message from an unknown number.
-10 AM at the training ground. Zone B.
Jihwan checked the time. It was 9:45 AM. It would take 15 minutes to reach the training ground even at full speed.
“I’m screwed! I’m so screwed!!”
In a panic, Jihwan flew into the bathroom and began a quick cat wash and tooth brushing. He turned on the faucet, wet his hands, and roughly washed his face.
As he was preparing to run, shaking his legs, Jihwan paused momentarily. I could just fly there, right?
When that thought occurred to him, Jihwan got excited. Then he thought again. But, who is it?
With the toothbrush in his mouth, Jihwan sent a text.
-Who is this?
Not long after sending the message, a reply came.
-Woo Minjae.
Blink. Jihwan blinked his eyes, staring at the period after the name. Woo Minjae… Woo Minjae???
-If you’re going to be late, don’t come at all.
It was 9:48 AM.
Splashâ
Jihwan’s toothbrush fell into the toilet, ending its life. It felt like he’d seen his own future in that toothbrush.
Jihwan quickly fished out the toothbrush, threw it away, and frantically began rinsing his mouth.
***
“Sunbae-nim, hello!”
The ever-polite Hoyoung greeted him. Minjae nodded slightly and walked toward the adjacent training ground.
The training grounds were all composed of holograms. The weapons used in the training grounds had less firepower than real weapons, but they were designed to be as similar as possible to combat situations with programs that enhanced gravity, pressure, and impact.
A huge rock had struck the ground, splitting it. In the next room, a building was collapsing, and flames were rising. In the room next to that, a wave as big as a house was engulfing a harbor.
Minjae watched the scenes unfolding in each room with an expressionless face. Sitting in a chair in the corner of Zone B training ground, he tapped his fingers while resting his hands behind him. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“He really seems to care about what others think.”
That’s what Eunjeong had said last night about Jihwan, who had suddenly massaged Minjae’s thigh before passing outâEunjeong had stopped Minjae from killing Jihwan.
He really doesn’t know anything… Is that it? Going on and on about being a hero. If that’s genuinely how he feels, that’s irritating in its own way. Minjae took out a canteen from his pocket and drank the vodka inside.
Good! Mor! Ning! Pa-pa-pa pa~ pa!
The alarm set for 10 AM went off. Minjae rose without hesitation and walked toward the door. He had kindly sent a reminder text saying to be there by 10 AM, so there was no need to wait.
“Huff, heck, hah, huff, hah, Sun, Sun, Sun, Sunbae, nim.”
However, in front of Minjae as he opened the door was Jihwan, looking like he’d been in a horror movie with a torn eye corner bleeding profusely.
“You’re late.”
Minjae’s voice was monotone.
“Not, la, te… huff.”
In contrast, Jihwan was panting heavily. Seeing Jihwan’s chest rising and falling roughly, Minjae leaned askew against the doorframe, blocking the entrance.
“Check the time.”
“Huff, I, don’t have, my phone…”
“Not my problem.”
What…? At Minjae’s response, Jihwan’s eyes widened. Minjae tilted his head to the side, as if telling Jihwan to move aside.
“Your, Sunbae-nim, my number… No, no! Yesterday…”
Minjae’s eyebrow twisted as he watched Jihwan stumbling over his words.
“Do you remember yesterday?”
“What??”
Message alert! Just then, Minjae’s phone rang.
Minjae took out his phone from his pocket, checked it, and held the screen toward Jihwan. Jihwan slightly hunched his neck as he examined the screen.
-Hot hot!
It was a message from Eunjeong.
Confused, Jihwan shifted his gaze to the photo Eunjeong had attached below. With red cheeks, Jihwan had his head on the table, swaying as he fiddled with Minjae’s thigh.
“Uh… uh…”
Jihwan emitted only blank sounds like a broken toy.
So he really doesn’t remember. Seeing Jihwan’s reaction, Minjae put his phone away.
“Kid.”
Minjae called to Jihwan.
“Yes… Yes???”
Jihwan couldn’t collect himself. Minjae inwardly swallowed a sigh. Woo Minjae, you’re a stupid, pushover bastard. Having made up his mind, Minjae opened his mouth.
“I’m your dedicated mentor.”
“Ah… I… I’m sorry. I… What???”
Jihwan hurriedly apologized but then, surprised by Minjae’s words, asked again.
“One. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“That…”
“Two. If you’re late, no training. No exceptions today either.”
“Yes…”
“If you understand, move aside.”
After reciting the rules, Minjae jerked his chin to the side. Jihwan stared at Minjae’s face as if mesmerized while slowly stepping aside.
Minjae was about to pass by Jihwan but stopped. Then he brought his hand to Jihwan’s face. Minjae could see Jihwan holding his breath. His expression looked more like a hostage now than when he had a gun pointed at him.
Tap.
Minjae’s finger touched near Jihwan’s torn eye corner. Jihwan flinched and hunched his body. The back of his neck was flushed red. Jihwan let out a small “ah…” sound before shaking his head vigorously.
I didn’t even touch it that hard, such a drama queen. Minjae withdrew his hand.
“Go to the infirmary and get treatment.”
With that, Minjae turned and left the training ground.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
