53
Ojun checked his desk as soon as he arrived at work. No coffee again today. Ever since the Crow incident, Wooseok had stopped leaving coffee on his desk.
I heard a lot of children were rescued. He must be busy. Ojun put down his bag and sat at his desk. Somehow, the desk looked a bit empty.
Maybe regardless of how busy he was, he’d grown tired of Ojun’s lack of response and stopped. Thinking about it that way made him feel unpleasant.
He acted like he was so sincere, but of course. Why would he even like me in the first place? Ojun might not know much, but he was quick to understand his place.
Ojun didn’t fall into the category of people who strived for “justice” and tried to change things. He wasn’t the type that such people would like either.
Ojun recalled Wooseok’s eyes staring intently at him. And those fingers lightly brushing over his hand…
“Secretary Yoon.”
The Center Director who had just arrived called for Ojun. Ojun quickly rose to his feet.
“You’re here, sir.”
The Center Director nodded. Then he placed something on Ojun’s desk.
-Hero Center rescues children from The Crow.
-Where are the esper children after rescue?
It was a newspaper article. One of the documents Ojun had scanned and reported to the Center Director yesterday.
“I’m going to have an interview tomorrow.”
“I’ll record it in your schedule. Has the time and place been set? Should I prepare refreshments?”
“No. I’m scheduled to go there by 2 PM tomorrow. To the Child Welfare Center.”
An interview at the Welfare Center?
“I’m going to have a joint interview with the center director there, and I’d like you to prepare some anticipated questions.”
“Ah…”
Anticipated questions? Ojun blinked. The Center Director was the type of person who liked to shape public opinion as he saw fit, so Ojun had never been given interview-related work beyond scheduling.
How should I take this? Ojun hesitated.
“Is it difficult because the schedule is tight?”
The Center Director asked. Ojun hastily shook his head.
“Not at all! Should I organize and submit them by this evening?”
“Yes, that works. Pay special attention to the children’s issues.”
Since when did you care about children? The Center Director likely intended to use the children to address esper human rights violations, thereby transforming his image and strengthening the Hero Center’s position in one move.
Ojun thought of Wooseok. Would changing the image be good for the children and that person? Or would it make things even worse? He couldn’t figure it out.
“…I’ll do my best.”
The Center Director remained standing in front of Ojun even after finishing what he had to say.
What is it? Ojun, who had been waiting with his gaze appropriately lowered, looked up slightly and met the Center Director’s eyes.
“Do you have something else to…”
“…Secretary Yoon is smart, so you’ll do well, right?”
“……”
“I’m counting on you.”
The Center Director smiled gently. That smile, at least, was extremely benevolent. He looked like a genuine politician who truly cared about the children’s welfare.
Which way does he mean by ‘do well’? Keep quiet and do nothing? Or actually do it properly? Ojun bowed his head in greeting. Ha ha. The Center Director entered his office and closed the door.
Ojun sat back down without raising his head. His forehead touched the desk. Thump, thump. He lightly banged his forehead against the desk.
Let’s not think about it. Ojun began to scan the reporter’s information the Center Director had given him.
***
Wooseok watched the children filing in. The kids who had been continuously exposed to the guiding shortage situation needed more care.
In the end, Wooseok arranged them into groups and planned for them to visit daily for guiding according to a schedule. With the children huddled together in the corner of the guiding room, it somehow felt like a school atmosphere.
Moreover, apart from the children, there were many espers who needed guiding. Since a large number of espers had been deployed during the Crow incident a few days ago, the guiding room was literally bursting at the seams.
Yesterday too, Wooseok had returned to work right after going home to shower and change clothes. This was because some of the children’s guiding levels were rapidly deteriorating.
And Wooseok had one more person to look after.
Minjae, looking like a zombie, was walking from the entrance of the guiding room. Jihwan, who followed him around like a buy-one-get-one-free deal, was with him. Minjae, who was casually looking around the guiding room, approached at Wooseok’s gesture.
“Why do you keep asking me to come? Do you miss me that much?”
“Stop talking nonsense and lie down here.”
Minjae let out a joke that Wooseok would normally find unwelcome.
If it were usual, Wooseok would have played along, but the stares that poured out as soon as Minjae opened his mouth were uncomfortable.
Wooseok gestured for Minjae to lie on the bed. As if he hadn’t particularly wanted an answer, Minjae obediently lay down. And then Jihwan stood right next to the bed as if it were natural.
“…What are you doing?”
Wooseok asked.
“…Pardon? Just standing here.”
Jihwan asked back as if Wooseok had said something strange.
“Move over a bit. Can I do guiding remotely or something?”
When Wooseok spoke, Jihwan stepped aside with a somewhat displeased expression. Wooseok approached Minjae and touched his wrist and forehead. A yellow indicator light was on at Minjae’s wrist.
“Did you get some sleep?”
“Yeah. I slept a bit yesterday.”
Wooseok looked at the dark circles under Minjae’s eyes. Looks like you really did sleep just a little. Wooseok gazed at Minjae with a troubled mind.
“How many hours have you been at work yourself?”
Minjae asked. Wooseok shrugged his shoulders to show him. Minjae sighed.
“Do my guiding and then go home and sleep. You know, that competent girl in the guide department. Call Seoyeon and have her fill in for you.”
What do you mean, fill in. Wooseok burst into laughter at Minjae’s frivolous comment.
It’s real. I guess it’s really true. Wooseok heard someone whispering nearby. He looked around. He could see several guides and espers in the guiding room quickly averting their gaze.
He noticed Minjae’s expression hardening. If Wooseok heard it, there’s no way Minjae, an esper, didn’t hear it. Minjae looked at Wooseok. His expression seemed to ask, what is that all about?
Minjae frowned and blocked the view with the curtain by the bed. Wooseok heard someone say, “Oh my.” He smiled and pulled the curtain back open.
“There’s a strong rumor going around that you and I are a long-time couple.”
“…What?”
“If you close the curtain now, they’ll imagine something worse, so just leave it.”
Huh. Minjae let out a hollow laugh. But it seemed he didn’t think it was a serious matter, as his expression softened a bit.
However, contrary to Minjae’s expression, Jihwan, who was standing next to him, stiffened.
“…Really?”
Jihwan asked. Is he bad at understanding context? Wooseok was exasperated by Jihwan’s downcast face. Minjae also looked at Jihwan with an incredulous expression.
“Of course not.”
“Ah.”
At Wooseok’s answer, Jihwan let out a small exclamation and scratched the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed. Wooseok could see his mouth corners slightly rising on his flushed face.
This is really interesting. Wooseok became a bit curious about when Minjae would notice Jihwan, who was so obviously showing his feelings.
Woo Minjae was quick-witted about other things, but when it came to his own love life, he tended to be slow. Although Wooseok hadn’t particularly wanted to tell him, there were quite a few espers and guides who blushed just from Minjae passing by.
“…Has Eunjeong come?”
Wooseok quickly snapped out of his thoughts at Minjae’s slightly subdued voice. He seemed to have heard from Seoyeon that Eunjeong wasn’t leaving her room.
Eunjeong sometimes had periods where she locked herself in her room and wouldn’t come out. And then she would act as if nothing had happened when she did emerge.
It was a habit that rarely showed itself after she became an adult. Wooseok swallowed a sigh.
“…No.”
At Wooseok’s answer, Minjae nodded and let out a small sigh. Just then, Minjae’s guiding level changed to green. Minjae sat up. Wooseok prepared guiding medicine and placed it in Minjae’s hand.
“…Shall we go?”
Minjae nodded. Wooseok gently patted Minjae’s shoulder.
***
Jihwan was standing with his hands clasped in front of a crying child. Between Jihwan’s hands was a rabbit doll with its arm completely torn off. The child, unable to contain their sorrow, was crying their heart out with a reddened face.
“Hyung is really, really sorry!”
Despite Jihwan’s earnest apologies, it was of no use. Jihwan wished he could turn back time.
A little earlier, Jihwan was about to leave the guiding room with Minjae when he was stopped.
“Stay and help the director play with those kids.”
That’s how Jihwan ended up staying with the children who were waiting for their status check and guiding.
Jihwan steeled his resolve. Since I’m playing with them, I should make it fun! As he was enthusiastically acting out a role play with one child’s doll, Jihwan tore off the doll’s arm.
He hadn’t even applied much force. Jihwan, who had overlooked the fact that he had become an esper, froze in that state.
After a moment of silence, the child burst into tears.
“My mom gave it to me!”
The child started hiccupping between sobs. Jihwan stroked the child’s back, focusing on calming them down first.
“Hyung will fix it again!”
“…How?”
The child briefly stopped crying at Jihwan’s words. Jihwan quickly took out his phone from his pocket and made a call.
Not much time had passed before Taehyun came running into the guiding room.
“…Hey! What’s going on? What emergency in the guiding room…”
“Hyung! Over here!”
Jihwan stood up and waved. Taehyun saw Jihwan gathered with the children and slowed his running pace.
“…An emergency?”
Taehyun’s voice lowered. Jihwan nodded.
“It’s super serious.”
“I’m gonna…”
Taehyun was about to say something but stopped when he saw the children. It seemed like he was going to say “I’m gonna kill you.”
Jihwan held out the rabbit doll to Taehyun. Taehyun looked back and forth between the rabbit doll and Jihwan, then let out a deep sigh.
Taehyun used his ability to fix the child’s rabbit doll. The child, who had been pouting all this time, jumped up and down in excitement and hugged Taehyun and Jihwan each once.
“Me too!”
Another child came with a small figurine that had a scratch. Taehyun glared at Jihwan fiercely. Jihwan smiled and hid behind the children.
“…Come here.”
Taehyun gestured to the children, then brought a chair from elsewhere and sat down. The children lined up in front of Taehyun.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
