27
“Don’t you think we need to talk?”
Ojun stared blankly at the message displayed on his phone screen.
Today, Ojun had made mistake after mistake.Â
While watering the row of orchids placed at the secretary’s office entrance—he didn’t even know when to water them and had to search online to find out—he accidentally watered his recently purchased shoes as well.
After mopping up the puddle of water on the floor with a mop, he forgot to put it back in place, which resulted in the Center Director glancing at Ojun as he arrived at work.
Why is he looking at me? Is he going to scold me again? As Ojun was nervously on edge, he soon had to hurriedly put away the mop with a reddened face.
“…Hah.”
Ojun let out a deep sigh. His stomach still felt queasy from the hangover. I want to die, Ojun repeated to himself.
“…Secretary Yoon.”
“I want to die…”
“…Excuse me?”
Ojun, who had been turning his head blankly at the sound of a voice from somewhere, sprang to his feet. A woman with large, round eyes and a cute impression was looking at him. It was a familiar face.
“Are you okay?”
It was a gentle, sweet voice. Ojun quickly flipped through the Center Director’s daily schedule to check if there was anyone he was supposed to meet today.
-3 PM, Meeting with Guide Lee Seoyeon.
Ah. Ojun let out a small groan.
“You’re Guide Lee Seoyeon, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll show you in right away.”
“It’s fine.”
Seoyeon entered the Center Director’s office with a kind smile. Phew. Ojun let out a small sigh and sat back down, thinking.
Guide Lee Seoyeon. A woman who visited the Center Director once or twice a month.
She’s A-class but doesn’t have any other special title, so what kind of meetings would she have with the Center Director in private? Is the Center Director making her do something strange? Ojun, who had absolutely no faith in his superior, had once secretly pressed his ear against the door but could only hear the murmur of conversation.
‘Is she some kind of unofficial power broker? There’s already a Guide Director, so why specifically seek out this woman…’
As Ojun continued his train of thought, he suddenly frowned.
Guide Director. Choi Wooseok.
He didn’t want to think about him, but he thought about him again. Ojun banged his head on the desk. And then bit his tongue.
His mouth was swollen, so he kept biting his tongue with the slightest wrong movement. Tears welled up. Ah. It fucking hurts. Ojun muttered.
Yesterday, Ojun had gone crazy. He’d lost his temper wildly, and on top of that, he had vomited on Guide Director Choi Wooseok’s clothes.
Feeling like he wanted to die, Ojun recalled what had happened in the early morning today.
*
When Ojun lifted his heavy eyelids, it was dawn with the day just breaking.
The dim darkness still filled the room. From outside the room, the washing machine could be heard running with a hum.
Ah, my head hurts. Ojun clutched his head as he raised his upper body. Then he got up from the bed and headed straight to the bathroom. His mouth felt stale.
Ojun squeezed toothpaste onto a toothbrush and brushed his teeth roughly. After rinsing his mouth and washing his face with water, Ojun looked in the mirror.
“…What the?”
It wasn’t the bathroom he usually used. The toothbrush and toothpaste weren’t his. The top and pants he was wearing weren’t his either.
Shit. Ojun covered his mouth. Because he had just remembered whose house he was in.
Last night, after Ojun had committed his misdeeds, Wooseok had taken him to the bar’s bathroom. It feels disgusting. Ah, I’m sorry it feels disgusting. While Ojun kept muttering, Wooseok grabbed him and sighed.
Wait here for a moment. He thought he’d heard something like that, but then Ojun found himself lying on a cold floor.
Fuck. He abandoned me and left, didn’t he? Director Choi has a dirty personality. That’s what Ojun thought. He was so cold his bones ached. But he couldn’t move his body.
“This is crazy.”
Wooseok lifted up the sprawled Ojun. Then he offered water and mouthwash. Ojun glared at Wooseok, then rinsed his mouth with the mouthwash and drank the water. As the mint scent spread through his mouth, his headache seemed to ease a bit.
“I’m not sorry.”
“Excuse me?”
Ojun told Wooseok, who was wearing a shirt that was almost soaking wet, possibly cleaned with water, that he wasn’t sorry. Wooseok asked back as if he had misheard.
…Pfft.
After a moment of silence, Wooseok made a strange sound and burst into laughter. After making a sound like air escaping, he laughed while holding his stomach. Watching Wooseok’s face as he choked on laughter, Ojun felt strange.
“…You’re laughing?”
“Ah… hehe. I’m sorry…”
Wooseok apologized while unable to contain his laughter. Suddenly, Ojun wondered if there had ever been someone who apologized to him so many times. A day filled with receiving and giving numerous apologies.
Ojun stared at Wooseok in a daze, feeling a strange sensation.
Wooseok’s body shook pleasantly as he repeatedly apologized. His eyes formed straight lines, and his nose bridge wrinkled slightly. He’s so fucking handsome. Ojun felt something bubbling in his stomach for some reason.
As if enchanted, Ojun approached Wooseok and kissed him.
Wooseok didn’t reject him. Rather, as if he had been waiting, he wrapped his arm around Ojun’s waist and pulled him strongly toward himself. Ojun didn’t even think this was strange.
“Secretary Yoon, wait…”
As soon as they entered this accommodation after following his lead, Ojun kissed Wooseok again. Are you sure this is okay? Had he been asked such a question? Yes, he had. Even after hearing that question, Ojun had reached out first and undone Wooseok’s clothes.
You crazy bastard!!! Ojun tore at his hair with both hands.
“Are you awake?”
“…Huh?”
Wooseok was standing in front of the bathroom, though Ojun didn’t know when he had arrived. Ojun stupidly asked back. Wooseok explained without seeming too concerned.
“Your clothes are being washed.”
“Ah…”
Ojun let out a small sigh. Wooseok stood in the dark room, looking at Ojun who was standing under the bathroom light. Ojun thought his figure looked somewhat frightening.
Wooseok’s eyes shifted slightly downward. Ojun quickly raised his hand to cover his neck. That’s because he had already checked in the mirror earlier and seen what marks were on his neck. He could feel Wooseok looking at his hand.
“So, well…”
Ojun started but couldn’t continue. He had nothing to say.
“I’m truly sorry…”
Ojun apologized.
“You said you weren’t sorry.”
Wooseok said with an amused smile. Hmm. Ojun cleared his throat.
“You washed my clothes too… and these clothes, I mean…”
“They’re my clothes.”
“Yes, that’s what I mean. Of course they would be. And this toothbrush, naturally…”
Ojun pointed to the toothbrush he had just used. Wooseok looked at Ojun with a puzzled expression for a moment, then seemed to catch on and burst into laughter.
“Don’t laugh…”
Hahaha. Wooseok showed a pleasant smile. Didn’t I tell you not to laugh? He didn’t stop despite Ojun’s words.
Feeling a surge of emotion, Ojun covered Wooseok’s mouth with his hand. The laughter tickled his palm. Wooseok reached out and lightly pulled on Ojun’s waist.
“Secretary Yoon.”
Wooseok called Ojun. Their eyes met. Wooseok’s eyes were laughing. But Ojun, who was called by his title in such a gentle voice, couldn’t laugh. He felt caught off guard.
The act they had committed was a problem, but what came next was a bigger issue. What happens to me and what happens to this person?
Ojun pushed Wooseok’s shoulders. Suddenly pushed back, Wooseok’s back hit the wall beside the bathroom door. Then he looked at Ojun with a blank expression. He seemed unable to grasp the situation.
And the same was true for Ojun. It was too overwhelming to accept what he had done.
Ojun just grabbed his bag and fled from Wooseok’s accommodation. While riding a taxi home in sweatpants that looked like pajamas to anyone who saw him, Ojun hoped and hoped that no one had discovered him.
*
Ojun sighed as he looked at Wooseok’s clothes, which he had brought back in a shopping bag. It seemed strange to wash and return them, but also strange to just hand them over. Ojun looked again at the message displayed on his phone screen.
-Don’t you think we need to talk?
If I ever drink heavily again, I’m not human. Ojun buried his face in his desk while silently screaming.
***
Eunjeong turned off the loudly ringing alarm in her room. She might have hit it too hard, as the clock looked slightly dented. Eunjeong regularly damaged clocks, so she set alarms with analog clocks. Better than breaking her phone.
After filming a chase scene yesterday, she had been roaming the Center looking for the white-haired pervert, but she couldn’t find him. As a result, Eunjeong was only able to clean Seoyeon’s accommodation late at night.
Eunjeong, who had fallen asleep in the early morning, was tired. Rubbing her dry eyes as she got up, Eunjeong headed to the bathroom. In the mirror, she saw eyes as red as a rabbit’s.
Today, before Seoyeon comes, I’ll definitely catch and teach him a lesson. Eunjeong was determined. Her friend, who had returned after a long dispatch, would be tired. The thought of that pervert lurking around her tired friend’s room made her angry again.
Even Park Jihwan didn’t seem like that type… when I find him, I’ll punch him first. Eunjeong gritted her teeth.
Lobby. Dining hall. All floors of the esper dormitory and even the training grounds—Eunjeong went around with fire in her eyes. But whether they were good at hiding or she was bad at finding them, they were nowhere to be seen.
It was when Eunjeong, who had become a bit tired, was passing through the corridor near the guiding room. She spotted a brown head and a white head loitering ahead.
“Park Jihwan!!! Caught you. Come here!”
She saw the brown-haired person jump in surprise. She hadn’t seen the face clearly, but was it really Park Jihwan? Eunjeong became even more upset when she confirmed that it was her team member, Jihwan, who had helped the pervert escape.
“I’ll count to three. One—”
The brown hair shook from side to side. She couldn’t tell if he was shaking his head in denial or trembling. Eunjeong saw the white-haired person, who had been frozen at the side, about to run away, and she hurriedly started running.
“Hey! You pervert, don’t you dare run—”
“Ahhh!”
Eunjeong, who had been running forward focused only on what was ahead, collided hard with someone. Whoever bumped into Eunjeong was almost thrown back, hitting their back against the corridor wall and slumping down.
“Are you okay?”
Remembering that there were more guides than espers in this area, Eunjeong hurriedly helped the fallen person up. And then Eunjeong was startled.
“Seoyeon?”
“Eunjeong, what’s going on?”
Seoyeon was still holding her waist as if the shock hadn’t subsided yet.
Eunjeong, who couldn’t tell her that she was chasing a pervert who was stalking her, asked while also helping support Seoyeon’s waist.
“Are you okay? Should we go to the infirmary, no, the hospital? Does it seem sprained? Does it hurt with a stinging or stabbing pain?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
Seoyeon smiled and shook her head. As if to show she was really okay, she even removed her hands from her waist and spread them wide toward Eunjeong.
No, we should still go to the infirmary. As Eunjeong was trying to convince Seoyeon to go to the infirmary, she heard someone running quickly from her left.
At the sound of urgent footsteps, Eunjeong first tried to protect Seoyeon by pushing her slightly toward the wall.
At that moment, whoever had come running grabbed one of Seoyeon’s hands. Seoyeon’s body tilted to the left.
“Noona, are you okay??”
The person who caught the tilting Seoyeon was the white-haired pervert. With a face as pale as the color of his hair, the white-haired man examined Seoyeon. Behind him, Jihwan was visible, looking at the situation with wide eyes.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
The white-haired man, who had been checking on Seoyeon, suddenly looked toward Eunjeong and shouted. Almost simultaneously, Eunjeong grabbed the white-haired man by the collar and lifted him up.
The white-haired man’s head snapped back as his body was lifted by Eunjeong’s rough action.
“Hey, you pervert! Who do you think you are…”
“Sunbae, sunbae!”
“Eunjeong, he’s my brother.”
As Eunjeong began to shout, Jihwan came running, calling out to her. And Seoyeon, who had placed her hand over Eunjeong’s grip on the collar, spoke.
“What?”
“Huh?”
As Eunjeong echoed in question, Jihwan also made a strange sound, seemingly full of confusion.
The strength left Eunjeong’s hand. The white-haired man stood with his feet back on the ground. Then, as if his breath had been cut off, he coughed and choked.
“It seems we’re all meeting like this. Eunjeong, this is my brother Shin Taehyun. Taehyun, you know Eunjeong from what I’ve told you, right?”
Seoyeon introduced them while lightly patting the coughing Taehyun’s back. Eunjeong could see Taehyun nodding slightly.
“But what’s all this about?”
Seoyeon asked with the awkward smile she wore when in difficult situations. Yeah. What is all this about? Eunjeong muttered blankly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
